The Religion and Philosophy of the Veda and Upanishads v1.c16.s4.20

v1.c16.s4.20

In the dwarf form¹ thus assumed by Viṣṇu there is no reason to see more than the natural adoption of a cunning device to deceive the Asuras, an idea perhaps prompted not only by the appropriateness of the form in question for the purpose aimed at, but by the common view of men that the misshapen form of the dwarf is accompanied by inhuman cleverness or power, an idea so widespread in the world that there need be no hesitation in believing it to have existed in Vedic India, despite the fact that, naturally enough in view of the scanty knowledge we have of many sides of Indian thought, we have no direct proof of the existence of such a view in Vedic times regarding dwarfs.