D - Dwarf Incarnation (15-24)

When the demons came back and gained an upperhand on the demigods, Lord Vamanadeva appeared as the son of Aditi. The unassuming Dwarf incarnation humbly begged three steps of land from Bali Maharaja. Though Sukracarya warned his disciple that the Lord had come to trick him, Bali rejected his guru and remained determined to honour dharma and fulfil Vamanadeva’s request. He thus went down in history as one of the twelve great personalities (mahajanas) for first giving the Lord the entire universe, and then surrendering his very self. We come into the world empty-handed and leave empty-handed. If in the interim we can dedicate everything to Krishna, we escape the trap of attachment and the subsequent pain that comes with it.