Today, September 16th 2013, Aavani Thiruvonam (sravanam) marks Sri Vamana Jayanthi. Swami Desikan in His Dasavathara Stotram mentions about Vamana avatharam as follows
The prayer housed in this slOkam relating to Vaamana-Thrivikrama avathAram is: “Thraivikrama: Vikrama: na: avathu” (May the holy foot steps of Thrivikraman protect us).
MEANING:
The sacred step of Thrivikraman held the tail end of the army known as the fame of Emperor MahA Bali. That fame of MahA Bali was well established from His bounteousness /immense generosity to all those who approached him for Yaachakam. He was put to shame however by the puny request of three measures of land that Vaamana BrahmachAri sought from him. That lajja of MahA Bali caused by His alpa yAchakam impressed BhagavAn so much that made the Lord run like a servant of Bali to spread his glory all around. May those sacred steps of Vaamana- Thrivikraman protect us all!
Those steps of the Lord consecrated and sanctified the head of Siva through the fall of the waters of GangA on Lord SivA’s matted locks. GangA had originated from the act of Brahma washing the feet of Thrivikrama with waters from his kamandalu, when those feet reached Brahma Lokam. May those steps linked to the divine Ganga pravAham protect us all! That Deva Ganga was like a Jaya dhvajam waving in all eight directions. Swamy Desikan visualizes the swift flow of Paavana Ganga with froth and foam as the white flag flying aloft in the sky to celebrate the OudhAryam of Bali Chakravarthy.
COMMENTS:
MahA Bali felt shameful that Vaamana Brahmachari asked for so little (Three measures of land) from him. That lajja of Emperor MahA Bali arose as a reaction to the svalpa yaachanam of the dwarf BrahmachAri. He was used to giving much more. He had developed a lasting fame based on his matchless generosity. That genuine lajja displayed by Bali impressed the Lord so much that He spread the fame of Bali in all lokams where His steps ( Vikrama: ) reached after He transformed into Thrivikrama roopam for lOka VikrAntham. That dhvarai (urgency) of the Lord to spread MahA Bali’s fame was like the act of the servant of the king running to spread the king’s fame.
Our Lord’s measurement of the world all the way upto aNDa kaDakam with His fast moving step is celebrated by the Vedam as “PaadhOasya ViswA bhUthAni”, “ya: PaarTivAni vimamE rajAmsi, yOaskabhAyadhuttharam sadhastham vichakramANa: trEdhOrugAya:”. Swamy ParAsara Bhattar visualizes Vedam broadcasting the Vaibhavam of Thrivikrama like the beating of a DinDima Vaadhyam (a loud Percussion instrument /BhEri Vaadhyam). The measuring steps were Thrivikrama Sambhandhi and hence are saluted as “ThraivikramO Vikrama:” They confer Sivathvam/ Subhathvam and MangaLathvam on whatever it touched. The water from the Kamandalu of Brahma became consecrated and attained Sivathvam. The Siras of Lord Siva attained Sivathvam from the sambhandham of those waters from DEva Ganga. These are results of Thrivikrama Padha KraMaNam. Swamy Desikan prays for the sacred steps of the Lord that sanctified Lord SivA’s head to protect us.
English Commentary by: Sri Oppiliappan Koil VaradAchAri Sadagopan
