Vyasadev
Praneetha
The Mad Bhagavatam
Chapter 17
The Supreme Lord Agrees to Become Aditi's Son
As explained in this chapter, the Supreme Personality of Godhead, being very pleased by the payo-vrata ceremony performed by Aditi, appeared before her in full opulence. At her request, the Lord agreed to become her son.
After Aditi performed the payo-vrata ceremony for twelve continuous days, the Lord, who was certainly very pleased with her, appeared before her with four hands and dressed in yellow garments. As soon as Aditi saw the Supreme Personality of Godhead present before her, she immediately got up, and with great ecstatic love for the Lord she fell to the ground to offer respectful obeisances. Aditi's throat was choked because of ecstatic feelings, and her entire body trembled with devotion. Although she wanted to offer suitable prayers to the Lord, she could not do anything, and thus she remained silent for some time. Then, feeling solace, observing the beauty of the Lord, she offered her prayers. The Supreme Personality of Godhead, the Supersoul of all living entities, was very pleased with her, and He agreed to become her son by incarnating as a plenary expansion. He was already pleased by Kaśyapa Muni's austerities, and thus He agreed to become their son and maintain the demigods. After giving His word of honor to this effect, the Lord disappeared. Following the order of the Supreme Personality of Godhead, Aditi engaged in the service of Kaśyapa Muni, who could see by samādhi that the Lord was within him and who thus placed his semen in the womb of Aditi. Lord Brahmā, who is known as Hiraṇyagarbha, understood that the Supreme Personality of Godhead had entered Aditi's womb. Thus he offered prayers to the Lord.
8.17.1
dvādaśāham atandritā
(1) S'rî S'uka said: 'The lady, Aditi, thus being advised by her husband Kas'yapa, o King, made sure she followed his words, unrelenting executing this vow for twelve days.
w the bona fide instructions of the teacher. Aditi did this. She strictly followed the instructions of her husband and guru. As confirmed in the Vedic injunctions, yasya deve parā bhaktir yathā deve tathā gurau [ŚU 6.23]. One should have complete faith in the guru, who helps the disciple make progress in spiritual life. As soon as the disciple thinks independently, not caring for the instructions of the spiritual master, he is a failure (yasyāprasādān na gatiḥ kuto 'pi). Aditi very strictly followed the instructions of her husband and spiritual master, and thus she was successful.
8.17.2-3
pragṛhyendriya-duṣṭāśvān
manaś caikāgrayā buddhyā
bhagavaty akhilātmani
(2-3) With undivided attention and fortitude conscientious unto the Controller, the Supreme Personality; in full control of the senses that are as strong as horses, with the mind as the charioteer of intelligence and with the intelligence one-pointed unto the Supreme Lord [see also B.G. 4: 42], the Soul of the Complete, performed she thus fully concentrated on Vâsudeva according the payo-vrata vow of fasting.
This is the process of bhakti-yoga.
anyābhilāṣitā-śūnyaḿ
ānukūlyena kṛṣṇānu-
[Madhya 19.167]
"One should render transcendental loving service to the Supreme Lord Kṛṣṇa favorably and without desire for material profit or gain through fruitive activities or philosophical speculation. That is called pure devotional service." One simply has to concentrate upon the lotus feet of Vāsudeva, Kṛṣṇa (sa vai manaḥ kṛṣṇa-padāravindayoḥ). Then the mind and senses will be controlled, and one can engage himself fully in the devotional service of the Lord. The devotee does not need to practice the haṭha-yoga system to control the mind and senses; his mind and senses are automatically controlled because of unalloyed devotional service to the Lord.8.17.4
(4) Before her appeared, my best, the Supreme Lord, the Original Person, dressed in yellow, with His four arms, conch, cakra, club and lotus flower.
8.17.5
sahasotthāya sādaram
(5) When she saw Him got she immediately up and offered she, with her mind enraptured, with the greatest respect her obeisances prostrating herself before Him.
8.17.6
notseha ānanda-jalākulekṣaṇā
(6) Rising to her feet was she, ready to worship with her hands folded, because of her blissful enrapture unable to proceed; overwhelmed with her hair standing on end and the entire frame of her body trembling of the utter pleasure of enjoying His vision [darshan], she remained silent with the tears that filled her eyes.
8.17.7
udvīkṣatī sā pibatīva cakṣuṣā
(7) With an of love constantly faltering voice, o best of the Kurus, was it as if she, Aditi Devî, staring at the Lord, through her eyes drank the Husband of Ramâ [see 8.8: 8], the Enjoyer of all sacrifices and the Master of the Universe.
After observing the payo-vrata, Aditi was certain that the Lord had appeared before her as Ramā-pati, the husband of all good fortune, just to offer her sons all opulences. She had performed the yajña of payo-vrata under the direction of her husband, Kaśyapa, and therefore she thought of the Lord as Yajña-pati. She was completely satisfied to see the master and Lord of the entire universe come before her to fulfill her desire.
8.17.8
(8) S'rî Aditi said: 'O Lord of the Sacrifices, Personality of all Offers, o Infallible One to whose feet we pilger, You are known as the ultimate shelter, the One who hearing and singing about is so auspicious; You are the original One who has appeared to mitigate the dangers of material existence of the people of surrender; o Controller, o Supreme Lord, kindly bestow upon us the good fortune, for You are the refuge of the downtrodden.
The Supreme Personality of Godhead is the master of those who observe vows and austerities, and it is He who bestows benedictions upon them. He is worshipable for the devotee throughout the devotee's life, for He never breaks His promises. As He says in Bhagavad-gītā (9.31), kaunteya pratijānīhi na me bhaktaḥ praṇaśyati: "O son of Kuntī, declare it boldly that My devotee never perishes." The Lord is addressed here as acyuta, the infallible, because He takes care of His devotees. Anyone inimical to the devotees is certainly vanquished by the mercy of the Lord. The Lord is the source of the Ganges water, and therefore He is addressed here as tīrtha-pāda, indicating that all the holy places are at His lotus feet, or that whatever He touches with His foot becomes a holy place. Bhagavad-gītā, for example, begins with the words dharma-kṣetre kuru-kṣetre [Bg. 1.1]. Because the Lord was present on the Battlefield of Kurukṣetra, it became a dharma-kṣetra, a place of pilgrimage. Therefore the Pāṇḍavas, who were extremely religious, were assured of victory. Any place where the Supreme Personality of Godhead displays His pastimes, such as Vṛndāvana or Dvārakā, becomes a holy place. The chanting of the holy name of the Lord — Hare Kṛṣṇa, Hare Kṛṣṇa, Kṛṣṇa Kṛṣṇa, Hare Hare/ Hare Rāma, Hare Rāma, Rāma Rāma, Hare Hare — is pleasing to the ear, and it expands good fortune to the audience who hears it chanted. Owing to the presence of the Supreme Personality of Godhead, Aditi was fully assured that the troublesome condition created for her by the demons would now be ended.
8.17.9
sva-sthāya śaśvad-upabṛḿhita-pūrṇa-bodha-
(9) Unto You as the Universe in Person, who as the Independent One, as the creation, maintenance and annihilation of the universe, takes full control by the power of the modes of nature; You as the Superior for Ever and Always Fully Himself, as the Complete of Knowledge that vanquishes the darkness of the self; unto the Supreme Lord of You my reverential homage.
Anyone trying to become fully Kṛṣṇa conscious must know the Lord's glories as far as they are possible to understand. Here Aditi hints at these glories. The universe is nothing but the external potency of the Lord. This is confirmed in Bhagavad-gītā (9.4): mayā tatam idaḿ sarvam. Whatever we see in this universe is but an expansion of the potency of the Supreme Personality of Godhead, just as the sunshine and heat all over the universe are expansions of the sun. When one surrenders unto the Supreme Personality of Godhead, he surpasses the influence of the illusory energy, for the Supreme Lord, being fully wise and being situated in the heart of everyone, especially in the heart of the devotee, gives one intelligence by which one is sure never to fall into illusion.
8.17.10
āyuḥ paraḿ vapur abhīṣṭam atulya-lakṣmīr
(10) With You satisfied, o Complete and Unlimited One, become all things possible: a life as long as that of Brahmâ, a certain body, a life of achievement, unlimited material opulences in the worlds above, below and in between, all sorts of yogic qualities, the three ways of kâma, artha and dharma [the purushârthas] and the spiritual knowledge; not to mention benedictions like the vanquishing of enemies and such!'
8.17.11
adityaivaḿ stuto rājan
bhagavān puṣkarekṣaṇaḥ
(11) S'rî S'uka said: 'Thus hailed by Aditi, o King, gave the Supreme Lord with the lotus eyes, the knower of the field [B.G. 13: 1-4] of all living entities, the following reply, o son of Bharata.
8.17.12
deva-mātar bhavatyā me
(12) The Supreme Lord said: 'O mother of gods, your long standing desire relating to your homeless sons that were vanquished by their rivals, has My understanding.
The Supreme Personality of Godhead, being situated in everyone's heart, and especially in the hearts of His devotees, is always ready to help devotees in adversity. Since He knows everything, He knows how things are to be adjusted, and He does the needful to relieve the suffering of His devotee.
8.17.13
durmadān asurarṣabhān
putrair icchasy upāsitum
(13) To defeat them in the fight, those fine Asuras so proud of their strength, and regain the opulence and the victory, and be together again with your sons in gratitude is what you desire.
8.17.14
indra-jyeṣṭhaiḥ sva-tanayair
striyo rudantīr āsādya
(14) You'd like to see the tears of the grieving wives of the enemies when they find them killed by your sons under the lead of Indra.
8.17.15
(15) The restoration of the full glory, reputation and opulence of your offspring, the joy of their lives and a place for them in heaven is what you'd like to see.
8.17.16
apāraṇīyā iti devi me matiḥ
(16) At the present moment are all those asura masters of war as good as invincible and thus, o Devî [goddess], is it My opinion that, because they're all protected by the brahmins who assure them My favor, no use of force will be able to bring you the happiness.
When a person is favored by brāhmaṇas and Vaiṣṇavas, no one can defeat him. Even the Supreme Personality of Godhead does not interfere when one is protected by a brāhmaṇa. It is said, go-brāhmaṇa-hitāya ca. The Lord's first inclination is to give all benedictions to the cows and brāhmaṇas. Therefore if brāhmaṇas favor someone, the Lord does not interfere, nor can anyone interfere with the happiness of such a person.
8.17.17
śraddhānurūpaḿ phala-hetukatvāt
(17) But you observed your vow and have pleased Me very much that way, o Devî, and thus must I think of something to help you out, for it is so that when someone honors Me that never will be in vain; on the contrary, it will reward that person unfailingly the desired result, according to what he or she deserves.
8.17.18
payo-vratenānuguṇaḿ samīḍitaḥ
goptāsmi mārīca-tapasy adhiṣṭhitaḥ
(18) For the sake of your sons having worshiped Me with the vow of drinking only and to the best of your ability having prayed as should, am I, of that faithful austerity with Marîci, determined to become with a plenary portion of Me your son and so protect your other sons.
8.17.19
(19) O sweet woman, go and revere your husband, who as the of penance purified Prajâpati is Me as well; think of Me thus as residing within his body [see also B.G. 9: 29].
8.17.20
naitat parasmā ākhyeyaḿ
pṛṣṭayāpi kathañcana
(20) Do not disclose this to outsiders, not to any one, not even when asked, o lady; all will be a success if that what even for the demigods is something very confidential, is kept a secret [see B.G.18: 67-68].'
8.17.21
etāvad uktvā bhagavāḿs
tatraivāntaradhīyata
aditir durlabhaḿ labdhvā
(21) S'rî S'uka said: 'The Supreme Lord this way addressing her disappeared from the spot and with the very rare accomplishment of having achieved that the Lord would be born from herself, went she full of devotion straight to her husband, thinking that what she had worked was absolutely the greatest.
8.17.22
aḿśaḿ hy avitathekṣaṇaḥ
(22) Kas'yapa, whose vision never failed him, could in the trance of his yoga then understand that the Lord had entered him as a plenary portion.
8.17.23
dāruṇy agniḿ yathānilaḥ
(23) Like the wind kindling fire in firewood, o King, could Kas'yapa the semen, which he in penance had restrained for so long, deposit in Aditi [see also B.G. 7: 11].
A forest fire begins when two pieces of wood rub against one another, being agitated by the wind. Actually, however, fire belongs neither to the wood nor to the wind; it is always different from both. Similarly, here it is to be understood that the union of Kaśyapa Muni and Aditi was not like the sexual intercourse of ordinary human beings. The Supreme Personality of Godhead has nothing to do with the human secretions of sexual intercourse. He is always completely aloof from such material combinations.
The Lord says in Bhagavad-gītā (9.29), samo 'haḿ sarva-bhūteṣu: "I am equal toward all living entities." Nonetheless, to protect the devotees and kill the demons, who were a disturbing element, the Lord entered the womb of Aditi. Therefore this is a transcendental pastime of the Lord. This should not be misunderstood. One should not think that the Lord became the son of Aditi the way an ordinary child is born because of sexual intercourse between man and woman.
Here it may also be appropriate to explain, in these days of controversy, the origin of life. The life force of the living entity — the soul — is different from the ovum and semen of the human being. Although the conditioned soul has nothing to do with the reproductive cells of man and woman, he is placed into the proper situation because of his work (karmaṇā daiva-netreṇa). Life is not, however, a product of two secretions, but is independent of all material elements. As fully described in Bhagavad-gītā, the living entity is not subject to any material reactions. He can neither be burnt by fire, cut by sharp weapons, moistened by water, nor dried by the air. He is completely different from the physical elements, but by a superior arrangement he is put into these material elements. He is always aloof from material contact (asańgo hy ayaḿ puruṣaḥ) but because he is placed in a material condition, he suffers the reactions of the material modes of nature.
puruṣaḥ prakṛti-stho hi
"The living entity in material nature thus follows the ways of life, enjoying the three modes of nature. This is due to his association with that material nature. Thus he meets with good and evil amongst various species." (Bg. 13.22) Although the living entity is aloof from the material elements, he is put into material conditions, and thus he must suffer the reactions of material activities.
8.17.24
aditer dhiṣṭhitaḿ garbhaḿ
hiraṇyagarbho vijñāya
(24) Hiranyagarbha ['of the gold inside', Lord Brahmâ] discovering that the pregnancy of Aditi was established, prayed to the Supreme Lord in confidential terms.
The Supreme Personality of Godhead exists everywhere (aṇḍāntara-stha-paramāṇu-cayāntara-stham). Therefore when one chants His transcendental names — Hare Kṛṣṇa, Hare Kṛṣṇa, Kṛṣṇa Kṛṣṇa, Hare Hare/ Hare Rāma, Hare Rāma, Rāma Rāma, Hare Hare — the Supreme Personality of Godhead is automatically pleased by such sańkīrtana. It is not that the Supreme Personality of Godhead is absent; He is present there. And when a devotee utters the transcendental name, it is not a material sound. Therefore, the Supreme Personality of Godhead is naturally pleased. A devotee knows that the Lord is present everywhere and that one can please Him simply by chanting His holy name.
8.17.25
śrī-brahmovāca
jayorugāya bhagavann
(25) Lord Brahmâ prayed: 'All glories unto Him the Supreme Lord much praised whose activities are of the greatest, my obeisances unto You, my respects for the Lord of the transcendentalists; the Controller of the Modes of Nature I worship again and again.
8.17.26
(26) My allegiance to You previously born from Pris'ni [a previous life of Aditi, compare 6.18: 1, the sons of Aditi] who is always found in the Vedas, who art full of knowledge; as the navel of the three worlds are You transcendental to them and present within the hearts of all living entities as the All-pervading One.
8.17.27
tvam ādir anto bhuvanasya madhyam
(27) You as the Original Cause, the end and the maintaining of the universe, You as the reservoir of endless potencies, are the Supreme Person of whom one speaks as being the Time; You are the Lordship, the Controller taking hold of the whole universe the way waves drag someone along who fell in them.
8.17.28
divaukasāḿ deva divaś cyutānāḿ
parāyaṇaḿ naur iva majjato 'psu
(28) You indeed are of all living beings, whether they move or not move, the Generator; from You originated all the founding fathers; You are the Supreme Shelter of all who live the higher life o God, of all the godly now driven from their places are You the boat that saves them from drowning.
Canto 8
Chapter 18
Lord Vâmanadeva, the Dwarf Incarnation
This chapter describes how Lord Vāmanadeva appeared and how He went to the sacrificial arena of Mahārāja Bali, who received Him well and fulfilled His desire by offering Him benedictions.
Lord Vāmanadeva appeared in this world from the womb of Aditi completely equipped with conchshell, disc, club and lotus. His bodily hue was blackish, and He was dressed in yellow garments. Lord Viṣṇu appeared at an auspicious moment on Śravaṇa-dvādaśī when the Abhijit star had arisen. At that time, in all the three worlds (including the higher planetary system, outer space and this earth), all the demigods, the cows, the brāhmaṇas and even the seasons were happy because of God's appearance. Therefore this auspicious day is called Vijayā. When the Supreme Personality of Godhead, who has a sac-cid-ānanda body, appeared as the son of Kaśyapa and Aditi, both of His parents were very astonished. After His appearance, the Lord assumed the form of a dwarf (Vāmana). All the great sages expressed their jubilation, and with Kaśyapa Muni before them they performed the birthday ceremony of Lord Vāmana. At the time of Lord Vāmanadeva's sacred thread ceremony, He was honored by the sun-god, Bṛhaspati, the goddess presiding over the planet earth, the deity of the heavenly planets, His mother, Lord Brahmā, Kuvera, the seven ṛṣis and others. Lord Vāmanadeva then visited the sacrificial arena on the northern side of the Narmadā River, at the field known as Bhṛgukaccha, where brāhmaṇas of the Bhṛgu dynasty were performing yajñas. Wearing a belt made of muñja straw, an upper garment of deerskin and a sacred thread and carrying in His hands a daṇḍa, an umbrella and a waterpot (kamaṇḍalu), Lord Vāmanadeva appeared in the sacrificial arena of Mahārāja Bali. Because of His transcendentally effulgent presence, all the priests were diminished in their prowess, and thus they all stood from their seats and offered prayers to Lord Vāmanadeva. Even Lord Śiva accepts on his head the Ganges water generated from the toe of Lord Vāmanadeva. Therefore, after washing the Lord's feet, Bali Mahārāja immediately accepted the water from the Lord's feet on his head and felt that he and his predecessors had certainly been glorified. Then Bali Mahārāja inquired of Lord Vāmanadeva's welfare and requested the Lord to ask him for money, jewels or anything He might desire.
8.18.1
prādurbabhūvāmṛta-bhūr adityām
(1) S'rî S'uka said: 'The Eternal Being, He with the conch, the club, the lotus and the disc in His four hands, the yellow dress and the lotus petal eyes, He whose heroic acts are the praise of Brahmâ, consequently manifested Himself from Aditi.
The word amṛta-bhūḥ is significant in this verse. The Lord sometimes appears like an ordinary child taking birth, but this does not mean that He is subject to birth, death or old age. One must be very intelligent to understand the appearance and activities of the Supreme Lord in His incarnations. This is confirmed in Bhagavad-gītā (4.9): janma karma ca me divyam evaḿ yo vetti tattvataḥ. One should try to understand that the Lord's appearance and disappearance and His activities are all divyam, or transcendental. The Lord has nothing to do with material activities. One who understands the appearance, disappearance and activities of the Lord is immediately liberated. After giving up his body, he never again has to accept a material body, but is transferred to the spiritual world (tyaktvā dehaḿ punar janma naiti mām eti so 'rjuna [Bg. 4.9]).
8.18.2
tviṣollasac-chrī-vadanāmbujaḥ pumān
(2) With a pure, blackish complexion, the luster of two earrings in the form of sharks and a dazzling lotus face was He the Supreme Personality with the S'rîvatsa mark on His chest, bracelets and armlets, a shining helmet, a belt, a sacred thread and charming ankle bells.
8.18.3
(3) With a swarm of sweetness seeking humming bees around an extraordinary beautifully flowergarland and with around His neck the Kaustubha gem, vanquished the Lord with His effulgence the darkness of Kas'yapa's house.
8.18.4
prajāḥ prahṛṣṭā ṛtavo guṇānvitāḥ
dyaur antarīkṣaḿ kṣitir agni-jihvā
(4) At that moment rose happiness all around, in the waters and in all living beings, over the mountains, the higher worlds, in outer space and on earth; there was a fullness of quality to each season and the cows, the divinities of the fire and the twice-born were all elated.
8.18.5
cakrus taj-janma dakṣiṇam
(5) At the hour the moon was in the house of S'ravana [at dvâdas'î, the twelfth day of the bright fortnight of Bhâdra], were, with the birth of the Lord at noon [Abhijit], all the planets and stars, the sun and moon very munificent.
Śrīla Viśvanātha Cakravartī Ṭhākura, an expert astrologer, explains the word nakṣatra-tārādyāḥ. The word nakṣatra means "the stars," the word tāra in this context refers to the planets, and ādyāḥ means "the first one specifically mentioned." Among the planets, the first is Sūrya, the sun, not the moon. Therefore, according to the Vedic version, the modern astronomer's proposition that the moon is nearest to the earth should not be accepted. The chronological order in which people all over the world refer to the days of the week — Sunday, Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday, Friday and Saturday — corresponds to the Vedic order of the planets and thus circumstantiates the Vedic version. Apart from this, when the Lord appeared the planets and stars became situated very auspiciously, according to astrological calculations, to celebrate the birth of the Lord.
8.18.6
dvādaśyāḿ savitātiṣṭhan
madhyandina-gato nṛpa
(6) At dvâdas'î with the sun over the meridian, o King, was the exact moment, by the learned called Vijayâ, on which the Lord appeared.
8.18.7
śańkha-dundubhayo nedur
mṛdańga-paṇavānakāḥ
nirghoṣas tumulo 'bhavat
(7) The noise of the various sounds of the conches, drums, kettledrums, panavas and ânakas [other drums], and other instruments grew into a great tumult.
8.18.8
prītāś cāpsaraso 'nṛtyan
tuṣṭuvur munayo devā
manavaḥ pitaro 'gnayaḥ
(8) Blissfully danced the heavenly dancing girls and sang the celestial singers, while the sages, the godly, the fathers of mankind, the ancestors and the gods of the fire pleased the Lord with prayers.
8.18.9-10
sakimpuruṣa-kinnarāḥ
suparṇā bhujagottamāḥ
gāyanto 'tipraśaḿsanto
nṛtyanto vibudhānugāḥ
(9-10) The perfected, the ones of knowledge, the apelike [the warriors of Râma], the ones of superpower, the venerable ones, the ghostly [the keepers of wealth], the demoniac [the guardians], the reciters [the 'brothers of Garuda'], the best experts [the 'snakes'] and all followers of the demigods, glorifying and praising covered the residence of Aditi with flowers [compare 6.7: 2-8 and 5.5: 21-22].
8.18.11
dṛṣṭvāditis taḿ nija-garbha-sambhavaḿ
(11) Aditi upon seeing Him, the Supreme Personality of Godhead who was conceived in happiness and had taken birth from her own womb, was struck with wonder about Him having accepted a body out of His own spiritual potency and also Kas'yapa exclaimed to it in great wonder: 'All glory, all glory' [jaya jaya!].
8.18.12
(12) The transcendental body that the Lord had assumed, complete with ornaments and weapons, can materially not be perceived but had appeared spiritually; it immediately disappeared the next moment and right before their eyes saw they how He whose exploits are all wonderful, manifested Himself, like an actor in a theater, in the form of a brahmin dwarf [Vâmana].
The word naṭaḥ is significant. An actor changes dress to play different parts, but is always the same man. Similarly, as described in the Brahma-saḿhitā (5.33, 39), the Lord assumes many thousands and millions of forms (advaitam acyutam anādim ananta-rūpam ādyaḿ purāṇa-puruṣam). He is always present with innumerable incarnations (rāmādi-mūrtiṣu kalā-niyamena tiṣṭhan nānāvatāram akarod bhuvaneṣu kintu [Bs. 5.39]). Nonetheless, although He appears in various incarnations, they are not different from one another. He is the same person, with the same potency, the same eternity and the same spiritual existence, but He can simultaneously assume various forms. When Vāmanadeva appeared from the womb of His mother, He appeared in the form of Nārāyaṇa, with four hands equipped with the necessary symbolic weapons, and then immediately transformed Himself into a brahmacārī (vaṭu). This means that His body is not material. One who thinks that the Supreme Lord assumes a material body is not intelligent. He has to learn more about the Lord's position. As confirmed in Bhagavad-gītā (4.9), janma karma ca me divyam evaḿ yo vetti tattvataḥ. One has to understand the transcendental appearance of the Lord in His original transcendental body (sac-cid-ānanda-vigraha [Bs. 5.1]).
8.18.13
modamānā maharṣayaḥ
(13) Seeing Him as a brahmacârî dwarf made the great rishis very happy, and thus performed they, with the founding father Kas'yapa as their lead, all the ceremonies [like the jâta-karma birthday ceremony].
According to Vedic civilization, when a child is born in the family of a brāhmaṇa, the birthday ceremony, known as jāta-karma, is first performed, and then other ceremonies are also gradually performed. But when this vāmana-rūpa appeared in the form of a vaṭu, or brahmacārī, His sacred thread ceremony was also performed immediately.
8.18.14
tasyopanīyamānasya
sāvitrīḿ savitābravīt
(14) When He from Brihaspati in ceremony received His sacred thread was for the sun-god the Gâyatrî [see note ** 5.7] chanted and offered Kas'yapa Him a belt [of straw, signifying the twiceborn status].
8.18.15
dadau kṛṣṇājinaḿ bhūmir
daṇḍaḿ somo vanaspatiḥ
kaupīnācchādanaḿ mātā
(15) Mother earth offered Him a deerskin, the moongod ruling the forest gave Him a staff, to cover His body gave Aditi Him underwear and from the master of the universe, the ruler of heaven he received an umbrella.
8.18.16
sarasvaty avyayātmanaḥ
(16) The Knower Inside [Brahmâ] gave a waterpot, the seven sages donated kus'a grass and the goddess Sarasvatî gave the Imperishable Soul a string of rudrâksha beads, o King.
8.18.17
tasmā ity upanītāya
(17) Thus having received His sacred thread delivered the Ruler of the Yakshas [Kuvera, the treasurer of heaven] a pot for begging alms and provided the chaste mother of the universe Bhavânî [the wife of S'iva] directly the alms.
8.18.18
atyarocata māriṣaḥ
(18) He as a brahmacârî thus being welcomed by everyone, outshone as the best of them with his brahmin effulgence the entire assembly replete with all the great brahmin sages.
8.18.19
samidbhir ajuhod dvijaḥ
(19) After settling for a fire as should, completed He with offerings the ceremony of worship, in that doing better than the best of brahmins.
8.18.20
baliḿ bhṛgūṇām upakalpitais tataḥ
(20) After He had heard of Bali's glory as a performer of horse-sacrifices under the guidance of the Bhrigu-brahmins, went He to the place where they were performed, and with each step that He as the Complete and Fully Endowed Essence made imprinted He thus the earth with His footsteps.
The Supreme Personality of Godhead is akhila-sāra-sambhṛta. In other words, He is the proprietor of everything essential in this material world. Thus although the Lord was going to Bali Mahārāja to beg something, He is always complete and has nothing to beg from anyone. Indeed, He is so powerful that in His full opulence He pressed down the surface of the earth at every step.
8.18.21
ya ṛtvijas te bhṛgukaccha-saḿjñake
pravartayanto bhṛgavaḥ kratūttamaḿ
(21) At the northern bank of the river Narmadâ in the field of Bhrigukaccha, where all the priests of Bhrigu were performing their rituals for the sake of the so very important horse-sacrifice, saw they Him close to them [radiating] like the risen sun.
8.18.22
te ṛtvijo yajamānaḥ sadasyā
sūryaḥ kilāyāty uta vā vibhāvasuḥ
sanat-kumāro 'tha didṛkṣayā kratoḥ
(22) The priests as well as Bali, the instigator of the yajña, and all assembled there, saw themselves overtaken by Lord Vâmana's splendor, o King, and wondered whether they saw the sun rising, or the god of fire or Sanat-kumâra desiring to attend their ceremony.
8.18.23
chatraḿ sadaṇḍaḿ sajalaḿ kamaṇḍaluḿ
(23) While the Bhrigus this way with their disciples were in dispute entered the Supreme Lord, Vâmana with in His hands His umbrella, rod and kamandalu filled with water, the arena of the as'vamedha sacrifice.
8.18.24-25
upavītājinottaram
saśiṣyās te sahāgnibhiḥ
(24-25) When Vâmana the learned, seemingly human child, that was the Lord, with His munja belt of straw and the sacred thread around Him, His deerskin upper garment and matted locks of hair arrived and met the priests of Bhrigu with their disciples, was He who with His brilliance overshadowed them all, appropriately welcomed by them getting up from the fire sacrifice.
8.18.26
yajamānaḥ pramudito
rūpānurūpāvayavaḿ
(26) The instigator of the sacrifice in jubilation of seeing Him so beautiful in each of His lustrous limbs offered Him a seat.
8.18.27
svāgatenābhinandyātha
avanijyārcayām āsa
(27) With words of welcome was thus the Beauty of the Liberated Souls by Bali Mahârâja worshiped who washed His feet.
8.18.28
(28) The pure water of those feet washing away all sins of man took he, aware of the dharma, on his head; it carried him the all-auspicious that even the best of all, Lord S'iva with the crescent on top, would carry on his head with devotion and transcendence.'
Lord Śiva is known as Gańgā-dhara, or one who carries the water of the Ganges on his head. On Lord Śiva's forehead is the emblem of the half-moon, yet to give supreme respect to the Supreme Personality of Godhead, Lord Śiva placed the water of the Ganges above this emblem. This example should be followed by everyone, or at least by every devotee, because Lord Śiva is one of the mahājanas. Similarly, Mahārāja Bali also later became a mahājana. One mahājana follows another mahājana, and by following the paramparā system of mahājana activities one can become advanced in spiritual consciousness. The water of the Ganges is sanctified because it emanates from the toe of Lord Viṣṇu. Bali Mahārāja washed the lotus feet of Vāmanadeva, and the water with which he did so became equal to the Ganges. Bali Mahārāja, who perfectly knew all religious principles, therefore took that water on his head, following in the footsteps of Lord Śiva.
8.18.29
brahmarṣīṇāḿ tapaḥ sākṣān
(29) S'rî Bali said: 'May You be welcome, my obeisances unto You o brahmin, what can we do for You; I think You are, o noble one, the direct personification of the austerity of the brahmin seers.
8.18.30
(30) Because Your lordship today has arrived at our residence, are all our forefathers satisfied, is the whole family purified and is this sacrifice we are performing now complete!
8.18.31
dvijātmaja tvac-caraṇāvanejanaiḥ
(31) Today, o brahmin son, are my fires of sacrifice properly served according the principles; by the water that washed from Your lotusfeet has the earth been cleansed of all sins and, oh Lord, has she as well by the touch of Your small feet been sanctified.
8.18.32
gāḿ kāñcanaḿ guṇavad dhāma mṛṣṭaḿ
rathāḿs tathārhattama sampratīccha
(32) Whatever it is that You desire, o brahmacârî, You may take from me; be it a cow, gold, a furnished residence, palatable food and drink or else a brahmin's daughter, prospering villages, horses, elephants or chariots, o best of the worshipable; as far as I am concerned may You have whatever You wish for.'
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