Vaman Avatar

Yam said, "Samir, you were feeling tired earlier because of the impurities that you had carried with you. The impurities that were in your mind and your soul. But when you rested, your body automatically flushed them away because of the suitable environment. The reason why it was so easy in your case was that the quantity was already close to negligible to begin with. Now that you have a soul and mind free from any impurities, you won't feel tired at all, no matter what you do. At least here, that is."

Samir said in understanding, "Okay. I think I understand a bit about what you said. Now then, what happened to Prahlad after that? Did he become the king? Did his mother start to hate him because of Hiranyakashyapu's death?"

Yam chuckled and said, "Hold your horses, my little friend. I am telling you. After his father's death, Prahlad became the king and removed all the restrictions and censorship regarding Bhagwan Vishnu's worshipping. His mother also understood the situation very well. If anything, she remained on her son's side till the end. Everything went smoothly for him. He got married, had kids and at last went to the mountains with his wife to live a simple life. He gave all the responsibilities and the throne to his son. After that, because of a conflict, his son died at the hands of Indra and during that time, Prahlad already had a grandson. His grandson who was named 'Bali' became enraged when he heard the news of his father's demise. This caused him to view Indra as his sworn enemy and as a consequence of his actions, Indra was overthrown by Bali. Bali conquered the three major Loks and ruled them for a long time. During his rule, everyone felt a sense of peace and satisfaction. Slowly, the next yug transitioned and the second yug began. All of us devs were overthrown and just like always, we ran to Bhagwan Vishnu for aid."

When saying the last line, Yam expressed a rare face mixed with the emotions of rage, embarrassment and nostalgia along with a hint of hatred in his eyes.

Samir was able to discern that this hatred was directed towards none other than Indra, the king of all Devs, yet the most foolish one of them all.

Yam then continued, "King Bali was a very honest, kind and sympathetic king who was also known for giving donations and charity. One day, a dwarf Brahmin came to his door and asked him for alms. Seeing the little man, King Bali asked him what he wanted in pride. King Bali was very confident about his capabilities but what the dwarf man asked for was out of his imagination. He asked for three steps of land only. King Bali, who was astonished asked again for confirmation and the statement did not change. In his pride, he agreed to the dwarf's request.

The next second, the size of the dwarf started increasing rapidly and in a short amount of time, he grew to the size of the whole universe.

His first step encompassed the whole Swarg Lok. His second step encompassed both the Prithvi Lok and Patal Lok. 

After that, he asked King Bali, "O' great king, my two steps have already encompassed all the three Loks under your jurisdiction. Where should I place my third step?"

With a *Thud* King Bali fell down to his knees and said, "Forgive me my lord, for not recognizing you. I didn't recognize you despite you appearing in front of me. My pride had blinded me. Please forgive me. As punishment, please place your last step on me."

Seeing his devotion, Bhagwan Vishnu became very happy and placed his last step on him and claimed him as his own and as a reward for his devotion, he gave him the boon of immortality."

Samir asked when the tale ended, "What was the name the yugs again?"

Yam didn't show any emotions and as usual said in a calm tone, "One Mahayug is divided into four yugs based on the number of avatars taken by Bhagwan Vishnu which are: Satyug, Tretayug, Dwaparyug and at last Kaliyug."

Samir then said in excitement, "We are on the Tretayug right now in the tale and now only five more avatars' tales are remaining, which means we are halfway there. Tell me the name of the avatar you just told me about."

Yam answered, "The name of the avatar was 'Vaman Avatar'. The name comes from the word Vaman which means 'a dwarf'."

Samir said to Yam like a little boy, "Next story, next story..."

Yam raised his hands and said, "Now, now. Can you please calm down and listen? I am starting the next tale. This is the tale of a man who was a Brahmin by birth but was compelled to become a Ksatriya by deeds. This is the tale of the sixth avatar of Bhagwan Vishnu who incarnated as a human in a normal household."

Samir interrupted the flow and asked, "Wait, wait! You haven't told me about what these Brahmins and Kshatriyas are."

Yam asked in confusion, "I didn't tell you yet?"

Just as Samir was feeling surprised at the mistake of Yam, Yam laughed and said, "I am kidding, my little friend. Hahaha... Look at your face! Hahaha... I was going to tell you about that just now but you interrupted. What can I say?"

Samir had an embarrassed expression on his face and he said, "Sorry, sorry. It's my fault. Happy now?"

Yam replied, "Most certainly. Hahaha..."