Naama 153-164: Vamana and Trivikrama Avataram

उपेन्द्रो वामनः प्रांशुः अमोघः शुचिरूर्जितः ।

अतीन्द्रस्सङ्ग्रहस्सर्गो धृतात्मा नियमो यमः ॥ १७ ॥

upēndrō vāmanaḥ prāṃśuḥ amōghaḥ śucirūrjitaḥ |

atīndrassaṅgrahassargō dhṛtātmā niyamō yamaḥ || 17 ||

153. upēndraḥ · उपेन्द्रः

As the Lord was born to Deva-mata Aditi, He is seen to be the younger brother of Indra, thus earning Him the name Upendra.

(oṃ) upēndrāya namaḥ

When Bali, the grandson of Prahlada, took over Indra's kingdom through his penance and sacrifices, Indra's mother Aditi prayed to the Lord. Since Bali had won his position by his own merit, it could not simply be taken away. So the Lord was born as Aditi's son, Indra's younger brother, and won it back by asking Bali for three steps of land. Sri Bhattar interprets the next twelve names in the context of this incarnation.

154. vāmanaḥ · वामनः

He who, for the sake of His older brother Indra, took the form of a dwarf and went to the yagna-vaatika of Bali.

(oṃ) vāmanāya namaḥ

One explanation of the name is "the one who made Bali give up (vāmayati) his pride". Another is "the one with a charming small form" (vāmō valgutvam asya asti). The Lord came to Bali as a young brahmachari student, so beautiful that Bali could not refuse Him anything. Periyazhwar and the other Azhwars sing of this "little brahmachari" (kuṟaḷ māṇi) with great delight.

155. prāṃśuḥ · प्रांशुः

He who grew into Trivikrama and pervaded all the three lokas.

(oṃ) prāṃśavē namaḥ

As soon as Bali poured the water to seal his gift of three steps into the hands of the dwarf, the dwarf was no longer a dwarf. The Lord grew to cover the three worlds: the earth became His foot, the sky His head, and the sun and the moon His eyes. The Harivamsa describes the beauty of this growth in relation to the sun and the stars. Andal begins the third pasuram of the Thiruppavai with "the great one who grew and measured the worlds" (ōṅgi ulagaḷanda uttaman).

156. amōghaḥ · अमोघः

The one who gave both Indra and Bali their respective karma-phalam in the form of returning the heavens to Indra and pushing Bali down towards paathala and making him the guardian of the seven lokas that lie below, namely: athala, vithala, suthala, thalathala, rasathala, mahathala, and paathala.

(oṃ) amōghāya namaḥ

The Lord's act of asking for three steps helped Indra regain his kingdom. When Bali could not give the third step, he offered his own head, and so became a great devotee on the spot. Bali was then given a status equal to Indra's in the netherworld, with the Lord Himself as his gatekeeper. Every act of His has a purpose, and none is wasted.

157. śuciḥ · शुचिः

He who offers his help to those in need and does not expect anything in return.

(oṃ) śucayē namaḥ

When the Lord helped Indra by subduing Bali, one might think He was partial to the devas. But He made Himself Bali's gatekeeper, and Bali gained far more than Indra did. The Lord's actions are pure and free from any bias. He is also the one who makes pure those who think of Him. This naama occurs again as the 252nd naama.

158. ūrjitaḥ · ऊर्जितः

He who can overpower His enemy and keep them in check. When Namuchi, the son of Bali, held the leg of the Lord in an attempt to stop Him from growing, the Lord continued to grow and overpowered Namuchi.

(oṃ) ūrjitāya namaḥ

The word ūrjā means strength, which is one of the Lord's six great qualities. Whatever strength any being has comes from Him alone. The Yajur Veda prays, "You are strength; place strength in me" (balamasi balaṃ mayi dhēhi).

159. atīndraḥ · अतीन्द्रः

Although the Lord was born as Indra's younger brother, He is more significant than Indra in all other regards.

(oṃ) atīndrāya namaḥ

Indra is the king of the devas, but the Lord surpasses him in wisdom, greatness, and glory. Even when He was born as Indra's younger brother, He was far above him.

160. saṅgrahaḥ · सङ्ग्रहः

He who is easily accessible to all of His devotees.

(oṃ) saṅgrahāya namaḥ

Sri Bhattar's words are "atha bhaktaiḥ ayatnēna saṅgṛhyatē iti saṅgrahaḥ", "He is grasped by His devotees without any effort" other than pure devotion. Sri Sankara explains that He withdraws everything into Himself at the time of dissolution.

161. sargaḥ · सर्गः

He whose lotus feet measured the three worlds and blessed all of His devotees who remained witness to the grand spectacle.

(oṃ) sargāya namaḥ

The name comes from the root sṛj, "to create". As Trivikrama, when His foot touched all the beings of the three worlds, it was as if they were created anew, blessed by that touch.

162. dhṛtātmā · धृतात्मा

He who dedicates Himself to the service of those who wholeheartedly surrender their aathma to the Lord.

(oṃ) dhṛtātmanē namaḥ

The name can mean "the one who supports all souls" (dhṛtaḥ ātmā yēna), or "the one who conducts Himself firmly, untouched by change". Sri Bhattar explains that the Lord holds on to those who have given their souls to Him.

163. niyamaḥ · नियमः

The one who tactfully controls those who try to behave smartly with Him.

(oṃ) niyamāya namaḥ

The name comes from the root yam, "to restrain". The Lord who created all beings naturally controls them all. He appoints the sun, the moon, the wind, the waters, and death itself to their tasks, and prescribes the laws by which they function.

164. yamaḥ · यमः

He who rules the aathma from within.

(oṃ) yamāya namaḥ

The Brihadaranyaka Upanishad says, "He who dwells within all beings and controls them from within" (yaḥ sarvāṇi bhūtāni antarō yamayati), and "He who controls the self from within" (ya ātmānam antarō yamayati).