Text 16
tasmāt tvatto mahīm īṣad
vṛṇe ’haṁ varadarṣabhāt
padāni trīṇi daityendra
sammitāni padā mama
tasmāt — from such a person; tvattaḥ — from Your Majesty; mahīm — land; īṣat — very little; vṛṇe — am asking for; aham — I; varada-ṛṣabhāt — from the personality who can give charity munificently; padāni — footsteps; trīṇi — three; daitya-indra — O King of the Daityas; sammitāni — to the measurement of; padā — by a foot; mama — My.
O King of the Daityas, from Your Majesty, who come from such a noble family and who are able to give charity munificently, I ask only three paces of land, to the measurement of My steps.
Lord Vāmanadeva wanted three paces of land according to the measurement of His footsteps. He did not want more than necessary. But although He pretended to be an ordinary human child, He actually wanted the land comprising the upper, middle and lower planetary systems. This was just to show the prowess of the Supreme Personality of Godhead.