aras. When we once
come to the human Avataras, They are mostly Kshattriyas, as you know,
but in two cases. They are Brahmanas, and this is one of them; for He
was going to beg, and Kshattriya might not beg. Only he to whom the
earth's wealth should be as nothing, who should have no store of wealth
to hold, to whom gold and earth should be as one, only he may go to beg.
He was an ancient Brahmana, not a modern Brahmana.

He came with begging bowl in hand, to beg of the king; for of what use
is sacrifice unless something be given at the sacrifice? Now Bali was a
pious ruler, on the side of the evolution that was passing away, and
gladly gave a boon. "Brahmana, take thy boon," said he. "Three steps
of earth alone I ask for," said the Dwarf. Of that little man surely
three steps would not cover much, and the great king with his world-wide
dominion might well give three steps of earth to the short and puny
Dwarf. But one step covered earth, and the next step covered sky. Where
could the third step be planted, where? so that the gift might be made
complete. Nothing was left for Bali to give save himself; nothing to
make his gift complete--and his word might not be broken--save his own
body. So, recognising the Lord of all, he threw himself before Him, and
the third step, planted on his body, fulfilled the promise of the king
and made him the ruler of the lower regions, of Patala. Such the story.
How full of significance. This inner man--so small at that stage but
really so mighty, who was to rule alike the earth and heaven--could for
his third step find no place to put his foot upon save his own lower
nature; he was to go forward and forward ever; that is hinted in the
third step that was taken. What a graphic picture of the evolution that
lay in front, the wondrous evolution that now was to begin.

And I may just remind you in passing that there is one word in the _Rig
Veda_, which refers to this very Avatara, that has been a source of
endless controversy and dispute as to its meaning; there it is said:

Through all this world strode Vishnu; thrice His foot He planted and
the whole
Was gathered in His footstep's dust. (I. xxii., 17.)[9]

[Footnote 9: See also I. cliv., which speaks of His three steps, within
which all living creatures have their habitation; the three steps are
said to be "the earth, the heavens, and all living creatures." Here Bali
is made the symbol of all living things.]

That too is o