Mahabali

Account

Mahabali (Bali, Maveli) was an asura king so righteous and generous that his renown eclipsed the gods. Vishnu came as Vāmana, a dwarf brāhmaṇa, and asked for three paces of land. Bali, warned by his guru but bound by the dharma of the gift, granted the wish. The dwarf grew to cosmic size: one step covered the earth, the second the heavens; for the third, Bali bowed and offered his own head. Vishnu sent him to rule the netherworld (or Sutala), granting a boon that he might return each year to see his people.