29 verses
Śukadeva Gosvāmī said: O King! When Bali Mahārāja, master of his house, was thus advised by Śukrācārya, his family priest, he remained silent for a moment, and then, after full deliberation, he replied to his guru master as follows.
Bali Mahārāja said: As you have already stated, the principle of religion that does not hinder one's economic development, sense gratification, fame and means of livelihood is the real duty of the householder.
One will obstruct dharma by disobeying the guru, but one will obstruct bhakti by disobeying the Lord, most worthy of worship, whom one recognizes as such.
How can I, grandson of Prahlāda, like a cheater, withdraw my promise because of greed for money when I have already said that I shall give this land? How can I behave like an ordinary cheater, especially toward a brāhmaṇa?
I am the grandson of Prahlāda. My nature is to be favorable to the Lord. This is the hidden indication. Prahlāda had already planted the seed of bhakti in his heart by his mercy. Now, he would achieve perfection by attaining prema by the mercy of Vāmanadeva. It is said: kṛpā-siddhā yajña-patnī vairocani śukādayaḥ: the wives of the brāhmaṇas in Vraja, Bali and Śukadeva achieved perfection by mercy.
The earth said, There is nothing more sinful than untruthfulness. I think I can bear any heavy thing except a person who is a liar.
I do not fear hell, poverty, an ocean of distress, fall from my position or even death itself as much as I fear cheating a brāhmaṇa.
Adhanyāt means from poverty.
What is the use of whatever wealth one leaves behind on dying? Should it not be used to satisfy a brāhmaṇa?
If, by your order, a brāhmaṇa is not satisfied by charity, what is the result of that wealth which one gives up on dying anyway? Therefore I should give all my wealth for his pleasure. Though he knows Viṣṇu is his Lord, he does not give respect, obeisances and prayers to the Lord by his increased bhakti in order not to give sorrow to Śukrācārya and the demons. He addresses the Lord as a brāhmaṇa in order to hide his bhāva for the Lord.
Dadhīci, Śibi and many other great personalities were willing to sacrifice even their lives for the benefit of the people in general. What hesitation can there be in giving this insignificant land?
You want to give everything. Please show some previous examples of this. They acted for the good of all beings. So how much more one should sacrifice ones life with identity of I if Viṣṇu comes to my house? What hesitation should I have for land which is subject to my possessiveness? I should not hesitate, but will definitely give it.
O brāhmaṇa! Time has destroyed all enjoyment of demonic kings who did not turn from battle, and who enjoyed the earth. But time has not destroyed whatever reputation they achieved.
Not giving regard for future reputation one should not give ones temporary assets. I do not subscribe to this philosophy. Time has taken the present and afterlife enjoyment of kings who did not turn from battle (anivartibhiḥ), who enjoyed the earth. Time destroyed it all. Lokan refers to the enjoyment of different planets. But time did not destroy the fame they achieved (adhigatam). Therefore one should attain fame and nothing else. However even this statement is only for pleasing Śukrācārya and other demons. Bali did not have regard for fame since he was a pure devotee.
O best of the brāhmaṇas! Many men have laid down their lives on the battlefield, being unafraid of fighting, but rarely has one obtained the chance to give his accumulated wealth when there is an opportunity for giving.
Those who do not refuse giving in charity become more famous than those who do not refuse battle. Tīrthe means in giving. It is more difficult to give up wealth than to give up ones body. Therefore I should give up wealth.
The glory of the generous, merciful giver is to become poor by fulfilling the desire of a requestor, what to speak of fulfilling the desires of a person like you possessing spiritual knowledge. Therefore I will give whatever the brahmacārī desires.
Then you will become poor. The glory for the person generous in giving (manisvinaḥ) is becoming poor by satisfying a person who makes a request. Durgati means poor. Becoming poor by fulfilling the desire of a person like you is even more glorious.
He whom you respected knowers of Vedic sacrifice worship as yajña by sacrifices is Viṣṇu. O sage! Let Viṣṇu be a giver of benedictions. Or let him be an enemy. I will give to him the land he desired.
But this brahmacārī is Viṣṇu, your enemy. Then I must definitely give to him. Paraḥ vā means let him be an enemy.
Because he has assumed the form of a fearful brāhmaṇa, even if he irreligiously arrests me, though I am sinless, I shall not retaliate, although he is my enemy.
Though he is Viṣṇu, because he has the form of a brāhmaṇa, he must be full of fear.
Since he is Viṣṇu of imperishable fame, he will not give up that fame. Killing me in battle, he will take the land. I can never kill him.
Since he is certainly the lord of fame, he will not give up his fame. If I say I will not give land, and then, not tolerating a broken promise requests a fight, and I accept, he will kill me in battle and take the land. But he may be defeated by you, since you are a great warrior. Then, will he lie down in battle, killed by me? He will never lie down in battle, since Viṣṇu cannot be killed. Though the sentence is expressed is in the positive, it has negative sense. Or the na from the previous phrase can be taken to apply to this phrase as well.
Śukadeva Gosvāmī said: Thereafter, Śukrācārya, influenced by previous offense to the Lord, cursed his exalted, generous disciple Bali Mahārāja, who was fixed in fulfilling his promise, since he had become unfaithful to guru and willing to disobey his guru.
Aśraddhitam means he developed lack of faith. Daiva-prahitaḥ means that Śukrācārya was influenced by previous offense unfavorable for developing the bliss of prema to the Lord. Satya-sandhaṁ manasvinam means Bali wanted to fulfill his promise and had an exalted mind.
Although you have no knowledge, you have become a so-called learned person, and therefore you dare to be so impudent as to disobey my order. Because of disobeying me, you shall very soon be bereft of all your opulence.
Paṇòita-mānī can also mean respected among the learned. Ajñaḥ can also mean above whom no one has knowledge. Asmad-upekṣayā can mean because of my disregard for the Lord. Stabdha can mean fixed because of lack of fear. Thus the other meaning is as follows. Because of surpassing my order and going to Viṣṇu, soon you will not lose your wealth for a long time. You will attain the eternal wealth given by Viṣṇu.
Even after being cursed in this way by his guru, Bali Mahārāja, being a great personality and not deviated from his determination, after worshipping Vāmana, offered water and then gave him the land.
Enam means the land. Udaka-pūrvakam means while giving water.1
At that time, Bali Mahārāja's wife, Vindhyāvali, who was decorated with a necklace of pearls, came and brought had a golden pot of water for washing the Lords feet.
Balis wife was extremely shy, unexposed even to the sun, but was unable to conceal her agitation because of joy, with tears of joy on understanding the firm bhakti of her husband. Thus, ignoring maidservants, she personally came carrying a pot out of the confines of her room. Some say that jālaka means jasmine buds and others say it means tender fruit with flowers. Amara-koṣa says that the neuter word means a net. Śrīdhara Svāmīs says it means a type of pearl necklace. She carried a pot full (bhṛtam) of water for washing his feet.
Bali Mahārāja jubilantly washed the Lord's lotus feet and then took the water, which purifies the universe, on his head.
At that time, the devatās, the Gandharvas, the Vidyādharas, the Siddhas and the Cāraṇas, praising Bali Mahārāja's simple act, showered upon him flowers with joy.
The devatās praised his sincere act.
Thousands of drums sounded. The Gandharvas, the Kimpuruṣas and the Kinnaras sang in great jubilation, declaring, "Exalted Bali Mahārāja has performed a difficult task, since knowingly he gave the Lord the entire three worlds."
The form of the dwarf, the unlimited Lord, containing within himself the whole material realm, within whom existed the land, ether, the directions, Svarga, antarīkṣa, the oceans, animals, humans, devatās and sages, then increased astonishingly.
Bali previously said that he would give Vāmana whatever he wanted (SB 8.19.38). Therefore the Lord was free to increase his size to take whatever he wanted. Within the Lord existed all of māyā and its products (guṇa-trayātmakam), since he is the controller of all things. Within him (yat) was situated the earth, sky, directions, Svarga and all creatures.
Bali Mahārāja, along with all the priests, ācāryas and members of the assembly, observed within the supreme controller of the guṇas the universe composed of the three guṇas--including all gross material elements, the senses, the sense objects, the antaḥkaraṇa and the jīvas.
Guṇātmake means in the supreme controller of the guṇas. That form was endowed with the elements, senses, sense objects such as sound, the antaḥkaraṇa (āśaya) and the jīvas.
Bali Mahārāja, who was occupying the seat of Indra, saw the surface of the earth on the soles of the feet of the Lord's universal form. He saw on the Lord's feet objects situated on the earth, on his calves he saw all the mountains, on his knees he saw the various birds, and on his thighs he saw the varieties of winds.
The form is further described in seven verses minus one line. Rasām means the surface of the earth. Mahīm means what is situated on the earth: villages, houses, palaces and trees. Patatriṇaḥ means birds which are situated about the mountains. Mārutam means the group of winds. Indra-senaḥ means Bali, who possessed the troops of Indra.
Bali Mahārāja saw the twilight on the garments of the Lord. On the Lord's private parts he saw the Prajāpatis, and on the Lords buttocks he saw his chief demon associates. On the Lord's navel he saw the sky, on the Lord's waist he saw the seven oceans, and on the Lord's bosom he saw all the clusters of stars.
Ātma-mukhyān means Balis chief demons. Though Bali was seeing the earth, he saw on the buttocks of the form his own men, since that is where they reside on the universal form. The other things he sees should be understood in the same way.
indra-pradhānān amarān bhujeṣu tat-karṇayoḥ kakubho dyauś ca mūrdhni keśeṣu meghāñ chvasanaṁ nāsikāyām akṣṇoś ca sūryaṁ vadane ca vahnim
vāṇyāṁ ca chandāṁsi rase jaleśaṁ
bhruvor niṣedhaṁ ca vidhiṁ ca pakṣmasu
ahaś ca rātriṁ ca parasya puṁso
manyuṁ lalāṭe 'dhara eva lobham
sparśe ca kāmaṁ nṛpa retasāmbhaḥ
pṛṣṭhe tv adharmaṁ kramaṇeṣu yajñam
chāyāsu mṛtyuṁ hasite ca māyāṁ
tanū-ruheṣv oṣadhi-jātayaś ca
nadīś ca nāòīṣu śilā nakheṣu
buddhāv ajaṁ deva-gaṇān ṛṣīṁś ca
prāṇeṣu gātre sthira-jaḍgamāni
sarvāṇi bhūtāni dadarśa vīraḥ
O King! On the heart of Murāri he saw religion; on the chest, both pleasing words and truthfulness; in the mind, the moon; on his chest, the goddess of fortune, with a lotus flower in her hand; on the neck, all the Vedas and all syllables; on the arms, all the devatās, headed by Indra; in both ears, all the directions; on the head, Svarga; on the hair, the clouds; in the nostrils, the wind; on the eyes, the sun; and in the mouth, fire. In his words were all the Vedic verses, on his tongue was Varuṇa, on his eyebrows were the rules and prohibitions, and on the opening and closing of his eyelids were day and night. On his forehead was anger, and on his lips was greed. O King! In his touch were lusty desires, in his semen were all the waters, on his back was irreligion, and in his wonderful activities was the fire of sacrifice. On his shadow was death, in his smile was the illusory energy, and on the hairs of his body were all the drugs and herbs. In his veins were all the rivers, on his nails were all the stones, in his intelligence were Lord Brahmā, the devatās and the sages. Throughout his entire body and senses were all living entities, moving and stationary.
Ṛtam means pleasing words. Samasta-rephān means all the syllables of the alphabet, represented by the R sound. Dyauḥ means Svarga. Rase means on the tongue. Pakṣāsu means on the opening and closing of the eyelids. Retasā stands for retasī (in the semen). Kramaneṣu means in his striding. Oṣadhi-jātayaḥ should be oṣadhi-jātīḥ. Prāṇeṣu means in the senses.
O King! When all the demons saw the universal form of the Supreme Lord, who held everything within his body, when they saw in the Lord's hand the Sudarśana cakra, and when they saw his thundering bow of intolerable power, they became perturbed.
The Lord's conchshell, named Pāñcajanya, which made sounds like that of a cloud; the very forceful club named Kaumodakī; the sword named Vidyādhara: his shield decorated with hundreds of moonlike spots; and also Akṣayasāyaka, two excellent quiversoffered prayers to the Lord.
Then Sudarśana and others who were watching the Lord began to praise him. The verb is in the next verse. His sword is called Vidyādhara. Hs shield is engraved with a hundred moons.
madhuvrata-srag-vanamālayāvṛto rarāja rājan bhagavān urukramaḥ kṣitiṁ padaikena baler vicakrame nabhaḥ śarīreṇa diśaś ca bāhubhiḥ
The chief among the Lords associates, among those the chiefs, headed by Sunanda, accompanied by all the devatās protecting the planets, offered prayers to the Lord. The Lord, who wore a brilliant crown, bracelets, and earrings that resembled fish, with Śrīvatsa and Kaustubha on his chest, wearing a yellow garment covered by a belt, with garland surrounded by bees in the shape of the garland, shone brilliantly. O King! The Supreme Lord, whose activities are wonderful, covered the earth belonging to Bali with one footstep, the sky with his body, and all directions with his arms.
The chief among the associates offered prayers and the chief among those, headed by Sunanda, offered prayers. The Lord was covered with a garland with bees in the shape of a garland. The action of Urukrama is next described.
As the Lord took his second step, he covered the heavenly planets. And not even a spot remained for the third step, for the Lord's foot extended higher and higher, beyond Maharloka, Janaloka, Tapoloka and even Satyaloka.
After covering the earth, the second step using his left foot covered the heavens, Balis dwelling place. For the third step, there was no room left (anu api). Though Vāmana requested only three steps of land, his arms and upper body spread over the sky (above Svarga). This is not improper, since the word land also includes everything above the land. This is the explanation in the Sandarbha. Others explain that the second step itself included the sky, and thus the Lord covered everywhere with the second step.
The second step increased in size. From Maharloka and Janaloka, and then from Tapoloka it went to Brahmaloka (param). Some say that his toe nails broke the shell of the universe. Others say that after he broke the eight layers of the universal shell, the Virajā water entered.
Thus ends the commentary on the Twentieth Chapter of the Eighth Canto of the Bhāgavatam for the pleasure of the devotees, in accordance with the previous ācāryas.
The Twentieth Chapter describes how Bali ignores the advice of Śukrācārya and though knowing the identity of Viṣṇu, grants his request. On receiving his boon, Vāmana is overjoyed.
Bali was silent for a moment. He discerned that if his guru, one who though he was a guru, advised something against the desire of the Lord, then there would be no fault in disobeying his instructions.