27 verses
Śukadeva Gosvāmī said: The great minded, Bali Mahārāja, respected by all devotees, his eyes filled with tears, his hands folded and his voice faltering, filled with devotion, responded to the most ancient Lord, who had just spoken,
Bali Mahārāja said: Ah! Just my eagerness to offer respects is able to yield results sought by the surrendered devotees. This low demon has received your rare mercy, not received previously even by the devatās.
Even having eagerness to offer you respects is able to produce results desired by the surrendered devotees. I have understood this today. My guru said that Viṣṇu has come to take away everything I possess. When I learned this from my guru, I was eager to offer you respects, but did not, out of fear of guru and the demons. But that eagerness has given such result now! What is that? Mercy in the form of getting your foot on my head, which is not attained even by the devatās in sattva-guṇa, was attained by me, a low rascal (apasade) in rajo-guṇa.
Śukadeva Gosvāmī said: After speaking in this way, Bali Mahārāja offered his obeisances first to the Supreme Lord, and then to Lord Brahmā and Lord Śiva. Released from the bondage of Varuṇas ropes, and in full satisfaction, he entered the planet known as Sutala with the demons.
Muktaḥ means released from the snake ropes.
Thus having delivered the proprietorship of the heavenly planets to Indra and having fulfilled the desire of Aditi, the Supreme Lord ruled the whole universe.
When Prahlāda Mahārāja, immersed in devotion, saw how Bali Mahārāja, his grandson and descendant, had been released from bondage and had achieved the benediction of the Lord, he spoke as follows.
Having stated that Bali attained Sutala and Indra attained Svarga, Śukadeva described the details of this. Nirmuktam means freed from the bondage of Varuṇas ropes.
Prahlāda Mahārāja said: We have attained mercy that neither Brahmā, Lakṣmī or Śiva, what to speak of others, have attained. You, whose lotus feet are worshiped by the most respected person in the universe, are the protector of us demons in all respects.
Durga-pālaḥ means you are our protector in all respects. The Lord previously stated this (SB 8.22.35).
O supreme shelter of all beings! Brahmā and others enjoy their powers simply by tasting the honey of rendering service at your lotus feet. But how did we wicked fellows born of a demonic family, receive such great mercy?
O giver of shelter! Brahmā and others enjoy wealth (vibhūtīḥ), but not the mercy that we have received. How did we who are vile (kusṛtayaḥ), famous as demons who should be punished (te), attain your kind (dākṣiṇya) glance? How did we become the recipients of such great mercy?
O Lord with unlimited powers of yoga! Your activities are inconceivable. Though equal to all, you show favoritism. You, who create the universe as your pastime by māyā, who know all beings, and who give life to all beings, show particular affection for your devotees. You have the nature of a desire tree.
Not only have you shown mercy to devotees like me, but you show such mercy to any devotee whoever he may be. O Lord with unlimited powers of yoga (amita-yoga)! Your activities are beyond logic (citram). What is so inconceivable? Though you are equal to all, you show favoritism (visama-svabhāvaḥ). What is the nature of my being equal? You create the worlds by your māyā-śakti. You create everything. You know everything (viśāradasya). You give consciousness and life to all beings (sarvātmanaḥ). Your equality to all beings is shown by creating all beings, knowing all beings and giving life to all beings. How is my favoritism shown? You show affection for devotees, and not for others, among all those you have created. Does that produce fault in me? Not at all! This is a great quality in you! You have the nature of a desire tree. Just as desire tree fulfilled the desires of all who take shelter, and not the desires of those who do not take shelter, so you fulfill the desires of the devotes, who take shelter, and not others. You are affectionate to those who worship you. Thus you are actually very just. You have said:
samo 'haṁ sarva-bhūteṣu na me dveṣyo 'sti na priyaḥ |
ye bhajanti tu māṁ bhaktyā mayi te teṣu cāpy aham ||
I am equal to all living beings. I do not hate anyone nor do I favor anyone. To whatever extent a person worships me with devotion, I am attached to him in a similar way. BG 9.29
The Lord said: My dear son Prahlāda, all good fortune unto you! Please go to the place known as Sutala while rejoicing and there enjoy happiness with your grandson and your other relatives.
All bondage of karma has already been destroyed by the great bliss of seeing me. Now you will constantly see me there with a club in my hand.
All saṁsāra caused by bondage of karma was already destroyed the first time you experienced bliss when you first saw me.
parikramyādi-puruṣaṁ sarvāsura-camūpatiḥ praṇatas tad-anujñātaḥ praviveśa mahā-bilam
Śukadeva Gosvāmī said: O King! Accompanied by Bali Mahārāja, Prahlāda Mahārāja, the master of all the chiefs of the demons, took the Supreme Lord's order on his head with folded hands. After agreeing and circumambulating the Lord, offering respects and taking permission, he entered Sutala.
O King! Nārāyaṇa, who removes offenses, thereafter addressed Śukrācārya, who was sitting nearby in the midst of the assembly of priests, knowers of the Vedas.
Hari means the Lord who takes away the offense of Śukrācārya because he was related to Bali.
O brāhmaṇa! Please reconcile the discrepancy in actions of your disciple Bali Mahārāja, who was engaged in performing sacrifices. The glance of brāhmaṇas will make the sacrifice complete.
Please reconcile the faults which nullified the actions of Bali who was engaged in sacrifice. One should not say that one cannot complete the sacrifice without the sponsor of sacrifice, since the glance of the brāhmaṇas makes the sacrifice complete.
Śukrācārya said: Where is the chance of discrepancies in performance of sacrifice of a person like Bali who, with full dedication, worships you, the master of rituals, the master of sacrifices and sacrifice personified?
All faults in mantras, rules, in articles, participants, time and place are nullified by chanting your glories.
Lord Viṣṇu! I must nonetheless act in obedience to your order because obeying your order is most auspicious for everyone.
Śukadeva Gosvāmī said: In this way, the most powerful Śukrācārya, joyfully, executing the order of the Lord along with the best brāhmaṇas, compensated for the discrepancies and completed the sacrifice performed by Bali Mahārāja.
Samādhatta means reconciled and completed. Another version has samādhāya. He executed the order. This verb should be supplied.
O King! Thus having begged the land of Bali Mahārāja, the Supreme Lord Vāmanadeva, delivered to his brother Indra all the land taken away by the demons.
kaśyapasyāditeḥ prītyai sarva-bhūta-bhavāya ca lokānāṁ loka-pālānām akarod vāmanaṁ patim
Lord Brahmā, accompanied by all the devatās, sages, Pitṛs, Manus, leaders such as Dakṣa, Bhṛgu and Aḍgirā, as well as Kārttikeya and Lord Śiva, accepted Lord Vāmanadeva as the protector of all planets and their devatās for the pleasure of Kaśyapa and his wife Aditi and the welfare of all beings.
Bhūmipā means the Manus.
upendraṁ kalpayāṁ cakre patiṁ sarva-vibhūtaye tadā sarvāṇi bhūtāni bhṛśaṁ mumudire nṛpa
They made Upendra the master of all powers, competent to protect artha, dharma, kāma and moksa, all vows, all auspiciousness, all wealth, all fame, all dharma, all the devatās and all the Vedas. This decision made all living entities extremely happy.
Kalpam means competent to protect.
Thereafter, along with all the leaders of the heavenly planets, Indra, after honoring Lord Vāmanadeva, brought him to the heavenly planet in a celestial airplane with the approval of Lord Brahmā.
Indra worshipped (puraskṛtya) Vāmana with arghya, cloth and ornaments. Deva-yānena means by a celestial airplane or by the path of the devatās.
Indra, King of heaven, being protected by the arms of Vāmanadeva, having regained his rule of the three worlds and endowed with the utmost wealth, lived happily without fear.
sumahat karma tad viṣṇor gāyantaḥ param adbhutam dhiṣṇyāni svāni te jagmur aditiṁ ca śaśaṁsire
O King! Brahmā, Śiva, Kārttikeya, the sages headed by Bhṛgu, the Pitṛs and all other living entities present there, including the inhabitants of Siddhaloka and living entities who travel in outer space by airplane, after glorifying the uncommon activities of Lord Vāmanadeva, praised Aditi and returned to their respective planets.
O Mahārāja Parīkṣit, pleasure of your dynasty! I have now described to you everything about the activities of Vāmanadeva, which destroy all sin in the listener.
One who is subject to death cannot measure the glories of Trivikrama any more than he can count the number of atoms on the entire planet earth. No one, whether born already or destined to take birth, is able to do this. This has been sung by the great sage Vaśiṣṭha.
I have described the whole story of Urukrama a little bit (ā ākhyātam). I have told a little about the beginning, middle and end of the whole story. You should tell this story completely. The human who can recite till the end of the glories of Urukrama would be able to count the particles of dust in the universe. Just as it is impossible to count all the dust particles in the universe, it is impossible to fully glorify the qualities of Viṣṇu. Can any mortal living now or in the future find an end to the glories of complete Lord? No one can do this. The sage Vaśiṣṭha, seer of mantras, has said this. Viṣṇor nu kaṁ vīryāṇi prāvocam: I will describe the mighty deeds of Viṣṇu, who took three steps. (Ṛg-veda 1.154.1) Na te viṣṇor jāyamāno na jāto mahimnāḥ pāram antam āpa: anyone born or to be born cannot find an end to the glories of Viṣṇu. (Ṛg-veda 7.99.2)
If one hears about the uncommon activities of the Lord in this incarnation, he attains Vaikuṇṭha.
He who hears this story goes to the supreme destination.
The wise know that the all rites for devatās, Pitṛs, or humans become fully executed when this story is recited.
Thus ends the commentary on the Twenty-third Chapter of the Eighth Canto of the Bhāgavatam for the pleasure of the devotees, in accordance with the previous ācāryas.
In the Twenty-third Chapter, Vāmana has Bali enter Sutala, and he becomes his door keeper, and in the form of Upendra gives protection to Indra in Svarga.
The Lord had said, Having placed my third step on your head, I have accepted you along with the three worlds. Let the world know that you have kept your promise. The Śruti also says idaṁ viṣṇuḥ vikacrame tredā nidadhe padam: Viṣṇu by taking three steps covered the universe. (Śukla Yajur Veda, Vājasaneyi Saṁhitā 5.15) Udgalaḥ1 means having tears in his throat.