Puranic Encyclopaedia: A Comprehensive Dictionary with Special Reference to the Epic and Puranic Literature c4.46

c4.46

3) Main incidents. 1. How Mahāviṣṇu was born as the son of Aditi. The Mahābhārata and the Rāmāyaṇa refer to a story about the birth of Mahāviṣṇu as the son of Aditi. Viṣṇu entered the womb of Aditi as Vāmana (Dwarf). This story was related by the sage Viśvāmitra to the boys Rāma and Lakṣmaṇa while they were accompanying the sage in the forest. When they entered Siddhāśrama Viśvāmitra pointed to the latter that the Āśrama was sacred, because Mahāviṣṇu had stayed there for long as Vāmana. The Devas induced Mahāviṣṇu to obstruct the sacrifice (yāga) being performed by Emperor Mahābali, son of Virocana. At that time Aditi, the wife of Kaśyapa was doing penance so that Mahāviṣṇu might be born as her son, and accordingly he entered her womb. 1000 years later she gave birth to Viṣṇu, and that child was known as Vāmana. (See Vāmana; also M.B. Vana Parva, Chapter 272, Verse 62, Anuśāsana Parva, Chapter 83, Verses 25 and 26, as also Vālmīki Rāmāyaṇa, Canto 29).