A | B | C | D | E | F | G | H | CH | I | J | K | L | M | N | O | P | Q | R | S | T | U | V | W | X | Y | Z | 0 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9
| Vamana | |
|---|---|
| Member of Dashavatara | |
 Vamana, an avatar of Vishnu pushes Mahabali down to Patala with his feet, painting by Raja Ravi Varma. | |
| Affiliation | Vaishnavism |
| Abode | Vaikuntha, Satala |
| Mantra | Om Trivikramaya vidmahe Vishvarupaya cha dhimahi Tanno Vamana prachodayat |
| Symbol | Kamandalu and umbrella |
| Festivals | Onam, Balipratipada, Vamana Dvadashi |
| Personal information | |
| Parents | |
| Consort | Kamala or Kamalatmika |
| Children | Brhatsloka ('Great Praise') |
| Dashavatara Sequence | |
|---|---|
| Predecessor | Narasimha |
| Successor | Parashurama |
Vamana (Sanskrit: वामन, lit. 'Dwarf', IAST: Vāmana)[1] also known as Trivikrama (lit. 'three steps'),[2] Urukrama (lit. 'far-stepping'),[3] Upendra (lit. 'Indra’s younger brother'),[4][5] Dadhivamana (Sanskrit: दधिवामन, lit. 'milk-dwarf', IAST: Dadhivāmana),[6] and Balibandhana (lit. 'binder or killer of Bali'),[7] is an avatar of the Hindu deity Vishnu.[8] He is the fifth avatar of Vishnu and the first Dashavatara in the Treta Yuga, after Narasimha.[9]
First mentioned in the Vedas, Vamana is most commonly associated in the Hindu epics and Puranas with the story of taking back the three worlds (collectively referred to as the Trailokya)[10] from the daitya-king Bali by taking three steps to restore the cosmic order. He is the youngest among the adityas, the sons of Aditi and the sage Kashyapa.
Nomenclature and etymology
'Vāmana' (Sanskrit वामन) means 'dwarf', 'small' or 'small or short in stature'. It also means 'dwarfish bull',[1] which is notable as Vishnu is directly associated with dwarfish animals (including bulls) in the Vedas (see below). Stated in Puranic literature to be born of the great sage Kashyapa and his wife Aditi, other names or epithets referring to Vamana include: