Vyasadev
Praneetha
The Mad Bhagavatam
Chapter 19
Lord Vâmanadeva Begs Charity from Bali Mahârâja
This Nineteenth Chapter describes how Lord Vāmanadeva asked for three paces of land in charity, how Bali Mahārāja agreed to His proposal, and how Śukrācārya forbade Bali Mahārāja to fulfill Lord Vāmanadeva's request.
When Bali Mahārāja, thinking Vāmanadeva to be the son of a brāhmaṇa, told Him to ask for anything He liked, Lord Vāmanadeva praised Hiraṇyakaśipu and Hiraṇyākṣa for their heroic activities, and after thus praising the family in which Bali Mahārāja had been born, He begged the King for three paces of land. Bali Mahārāja agreed to give this land in charity, since this was very insignificant, but Śukrācārya, who could understand that Vāmanadeva was Viṣṇu, the friend of the demigods, forbade Bali Mahārāja to give this land. Śukrācārya advised Bali Mahārāja to withdraw his promise. He explained that in subduing others, in joking, in responding to danger, in acting for the welfare of others, and so on, one could refuse to fulfill one's promise, and there would be no fault. By this philosophy, Śukrācārya tried to dissuade Bali Mahārāja from giving land to Lord Vāmanadeva.
8.19.1
pratinandyedam abravīt
(1) S'rî S'uka said: 'When He thus heard the very pleasing words of loyalty to the dharma from the son of Virocana, praised the Supreme Lord him, satisfied as He was, with the following words.
8.19.2
(2) The Supreme Lord said: 'The like of what you say, o Lord of Man, is very true, befits the dynasty, is in accord with the dharma and answers to your good name; it proves the authority of the Bhrigu-brahmins and constitutes the standard of your grandfather, the oldest and most peaceful one [Prahlâda].
Prahlāda Mahārāja is a vivid example of a pure devotee. Someone might argue that since Prahlāda Mahārāja, even though very old, was attached to his family, and specifically to his grandson Bali Mahārāja, how could he be an ideal example? Therefore this verse uses the word praśāntaḥ. A devotee is always sober. He is never disturbed by any conditions. Even if a devotee remains in gṛhastha life and does not renounce material possessions, he should still be understood to be praśānta, sober, because of his pure devotion to the Lord. Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu therefore said:
kibā vipra, kibā nyāsī, śūdra kene naya
"Whether one is a brāhmaṇa, a sannyāsī or a śūdra — regardless of what he is — he can become a spiritual master if he knows the science of Kṛṣṇa." (Cc. Madhya 8.128) Anyone completely aware of the science of Kṛṣṇa, regardless of his status in life, is a guru. Thus Prahlāda Mahārāja is a guru in all circumstances.
Here His Lordship Vāmanadeva also teaches sannyāsīs and brahmacārīs that one should not ask more than necessary. He wanted only three paces of land, although Bali Mahārāja wanted to give Him anything He wanted.
8.19.3
(3) In this dynasty has indeed no one been a poorminded miser; unto the brahmins none has denied what was promised or forsaken the charity.
8.19.4
(4) By the impeccable reputation of Prahlâda, who is like a clear moon in the sky, o ruler, are there in your dynasty no such low-minded kings found who refuse to commit themselves in the holy places or on the battlefield not responding to the requests of the servants in question.
The symptoms of a kṣatriya are given in Bhagavad-gītā. One of the qualifications is the willingness to give charity (dāna). A kṣatriya does not refuse to give charity when requested by a brāhmaṇa, nor can he refuse to fight another kṣatriya. A king who does refuse is called low-minded. In the dynasty of Bali Mahārāja there were no such low-minded kings.
8.19.5
yato jāto hiraṇyākṣaś
nāvindata gadāyudhaḥ
(5) In this dynasty was born Hiranyâksha who, alone wandering this earth to conquer its directions with his club, couldn't find a hero equal to him.
8.19.6
(6) Vishnu who [as a boar] with great difficulty had defeated him who He found on His way when He delivered the world, was, after He had been victorious, constantly reminding Himself of how powerful and capable Hiranyâksha had been [see 3.17-19]!
8.19.7
(7) After his brother Hiranyakas'ipu heard how he had been killed, went he very angry for the Lord His abode to put an end to the One who had finished his brother [see 7.3].
8.19.8
viṣṇur māyāvināḿ varaḥ
(8) Observing closely how he like death personified came after Him with the trident in his hand thought He, the Knower of Time, Lord Vishnu, the Chief of the Mystics:
8.19.9
yato yato 'haḿ tatrāsau
pravekṣyāmi parāg-dṛśaḥ
(9) 'Wheresoever I go will this one, like he was the death of each, go likewise; therefore will I enter his heart since he only looks outside of himself.'
8.19.10
śvāsānilāntarhita-sūkṣma-dehas
(10) This way decided He greatly concerned, invisible in His subtle body, to enter via his breath, through the nostril, the body of that enemy of malicious pursuit, o King of the Asuras.
The Supreme Personality of Godhead is already in the core of everyone's heart. Īśvaraḥ sarva-bhūtānāḿ hṛd-deśe 'rjuna tiṣṭhati (Bg. 18.61). Logically, therefore, it was not at all difficult for Lord Viṣṇu to enter Hiraṇyakaśipu's body. The word vivigna-cetāḥ, "very anxious," is significant. It is not that Lord Viṣṇu was afraid of Hiraṇyakaśipu; rather, because of compassion, Lord Viṣṇu was in anxiety about how to act for his welfare.
8.19.11
apaśyamānaḥ kupito nanāda
(11) He, scouring His abode, found it empty not spotting Him and in rage he cried out loud in all directions over the surface of the earth and in outer space, in the sky, the caves and the oceans; despite of all his power could he, searching for Vishnu, not get to see Him.
8.19.12
apaśyann iti hovāca
yato nāvartate pumān
(12) Not finding Him he said: 'I searched the whole universe for Him who killed my brother, He must have gone to the place from where no one returns.'
Atheists generally follow the Bauddha philosophical conclusion that at death everything is finished. Hiraṇyakaśipu, being an atheist, thought this way. Because Lord Viṣṇu was not visible to him, he thought that the Lord was dead. Even today, many people follow the philosophy that God is dead. But God is never dead. Even the living entity, who is part of God, never dies. Na jāyate mriyate vā kadācit: "For the soul there is never birth or death." This is the statement of Bhagavad-gītā (2.20). Even the ordinary living entity never takes birth or dies. What then is to be said of the Supreme Personality of Godhead, who is the chief of all living entities? He certainly never takes birth or dies. Ajo'pi sann avyayātmā (Bg. 4.6). Both the Lord and the living entity exist as unborn and inexhaustible personalities. Thus Hiraṇyakaśipu's conclusion that Viṣṇu was dead was wrong.
As indicated by the words yato nāvartate pumān, there is certainly a spiritual kingdom, and if the living entity goes there, he never returns to this material world. This is also confirmed in Bhagavad-gītā (4.9): tyaktvā dehaḿ punar janma naiti mām eti so'rjuna. Materially speaking, every living entity dies; death is inevitable. But those who are karmīs, jñānīs and yogīs return to this material world after death, whereas bhaktas do not. Of course, if a bhakta is not completely perfect he takes birth in the material world again, but in a very exalted position, either in a rich family or a family of the purest brāhmaṇas (śucīnām śrīmatāḿ gehe), just to finish his development in spiritual consciousness. Those who have completed the course of Kṛṣṇa consciousness and are free from material desire return to the abode of the Supreme Personality of Godhead (yad gatvā na nivartante tad dhāma paramaḿ mama [Bg. 15.6]). Here the same fact is stated: yato nāvartate pumān. Any person who goes back home, back to Godhead, does not return to this material world.
8.19.13
vairānubandha etāvān
ajñāna-prabhavo manyur
ahaḿ-mānopabṛḿhitaḥ
(13) Normally persists the ego-inspired enmity, an anger which has its basis in ignorance, with physical-minded people not beyond the death [of an adversary].
Generally speaking, even though the conditioned soul is angry, his anger is not perpetual but temporary. It is due to the influence of ignorance. Hiraṇyakaśipu, however, maintained his enmity and his anger against Lord Viṣṇu until the point of death. He never forgot his vengeful attitude toward Viṣṇu for having killed his brother, Hiraṇyākṣa. Others in the bodily concept of life are angry at their enemies but not at Lord Viṣṇu. Hiraṇyakaśipu, however, was everlastingly angry. He was angry not only because of false prestige but also because of continuous enmity toward Viṣṇu.
8.19.14
(14) Your father [Virocana], the son of Prahlâda, gave requested by the gods, despite of the fact that he knew that they had dressed up as brahmins, his life to them out of his own affinity with the twiceborn.
Mahārāja Virocana, Bali's father, was so pleased with the brāhmaṇa community that even though he knew that those approaching him for charity were the demigods in the dress of brāhmaṇas, he nonetheless agreed to give it.
8.19.15
āsthito gṛhamedhibhiḥ
brāhmaṇaiḥ pūrvajaiḥ śūrair
anyaiś coddāma-kīrtibhiḥ
(15) Your good self also performed to the dharma that was established by the householders, the brahmins, your forefathers, the great heroes and others highly elevated and famous.
8.19.16
(16) From such a person, from Your Majesty, I ask a little bit of land; from him who can be of munificent charity I ask three footsteps of land, o King of the Daityas, to the measure of My foot.
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.
8.19.17
vadānyāj jagad-īśvarāt
yāvad-artha-pratigrahaḥ
(17) There is nothing else I desire from you, o King so generous, o master of the universe, may the one of learning not suffer any want and receive from donations as much as he needs.'
A brāhmaṇa or sannyāsī is qualified to ask charity from others, but if he takes more than necessary he is punishable. No one can use more of the Supreme Lord's property than necessary. Lord Vāmanadeva indirectly indicated to Bali Mahārāja that he was occupying more land than he needed. In the material world, all distresses are due to extravagance. One acquires money extravagantly and also spends it extravagantly. Such activities are sinful. All property belongs to the Supreme Personality of Godhead, and all living beings, who are sons of the Supreme Lord, have the right to use the Supreme Father's property, but one cannot take more than necessary. This principle should especially be followed by brāhmaṇas and sannyāsīs who live at the cost of others. Thus Vāmanadeva was an ideal beggar, for He asked only three paces of land. Of course, there is a difference between His footsteps and those of an ordinary human being. The Supreme Personality of Godhead, by His inconceivable prowess, can occupy the entire universe, including the upper, lower and middle planetary systems, by the unlimited measurement of His footsteps.
8.19.18
(18) S'rî Bali said: 'Alas o brahmin scion, Your words are welcome to the learned and elderly, but as a boy not intent on taxing for Your self-interest are You not aware of what it all takes.
The Supreme Personality of Godhead, being full in Himself, actually has nothing to want for His self-interest. Lord Vāmanadeva, therefore, had not gone to Bali Mahārāja for His own self-interest. As stated in Bhagavad-gītā (5.29), bhoktāraḿ yajña-tapasāḿ sarva-loka-maheśvaram. The Lord is the proprietor of all planets, in both the material and spiritual worlds. Why should He be in want of land? Bali Mahārāja rightly said that Lord Vāmanadeva was not at all prudent in regard to His own personal interests. Lord Vāmanadeva had approached Bali not for His personal welfare but for the welfare of His devotees. Devotees sacrifice all personal interests to satisfy the Supreme Personality of Godhead, and similarly the Supreme Lord, although having no personal interests, can do anything for the interests of His devotees. One who is full in himself has no personal interests.
8.19.19
(19) It is for him who propitiates with sweet words me, the one and only master of all the world, not very intelligent to ask for three steps, when I can give an entire continent!
According to Vedic understanding, the entire universe is regarded as an ocean of space. In that ocean there are innumerable planets, and each planet is called a dvīpa, or island. When approached by Lord Vāmanadeva, Bali Mahārāja was actually in possession of all the dvīpas, or islands in space. Bali Mahārāja was very pleased to see the features of Vāmanadeva and was ready to give Him as much land as He could ask, but because Lord Vāmanadeva asked only three paces of land, Bali Mahārāja considered Him not very intelligent.
8.19.20
tasmād vṛttikarīḿ bhūmiḿ
(20) No one who once has approached me deserves it to beg again and therefore, o small brahmacârî, take from me according Your desire whatever suits Your needs.'
8.19.21
yāvanto viṣayāḥ preṣṭhās
(21) The Supreme Lord said: 'All the possible sense objects taken together that within these three worlds could please one, are incapable of satisfying the man who has no control over his senses, o King [see also 5.5: 4].
The material world is an illusory energy to deviate the living entities from the path of self-realization. Anyone who is in this material world is extremely anxious to get more and more things for sense gratification. Actually, however, the purpose of life is not sense gratification but self-realization. Therefore, those who are too addicted to sense gratification are advised to practice the mystic yoga system, or aṣṭāńga-yoga system, consisting of yama, niyama, āsana, prāṇāyāma, pratyāhāra and so on. In this way, one can control the senses. The purpose of controlling the senses is to stop one's implication in the cycle of birth and death. As stated by Ṛṣabhadeva:
nūnaḿ pramattaḥ kurute vikarma
[SB 5.5.4]
"When a person considers sense gratification the aim of life, he certainly becomes mad after materialistic living and engages in all kinds of sinful activity. He does not know that due to his past misdeeds he has already received a body which, although temporary, is the cause of his misery. Actually the living entity should not have taken on a material body, but he has been awarded the material body for sense gratification. Therefore I think it not befitting an intelligent man to involve himself again in the activities of sense gratification, by which he perpetually gets material bodies one after another." (Bhāg. 5.5.4) Thus according to Ṛṣabhadeva the human beings in this material world are just like madmen engaged in activities which they should not perform but which they do perform only for sense gratification. Such activities are not good because in this way one creates another body for his next life, as punishment for his nefarious activities. And as soon as he gets another material body, he is put into repeated suffering in material existence. Therefore the Vedic culture or brahminical culture teaches one how to be satisfied with possessing the minimum necessities in life.To teach this highest culture, varṇāśrama-dharma is recommended. The aim of the varṇāśrama divisions — brāhmaṇa, kṣatriya, vaiśya, śūdra, brahmacarya, gṛhastha, vānaprastha and sannyāsa — is to train one to control the senses and be content with the bare necessities. Here Lord Vāmanadeva, as an ideal brahmacārī, refuses Bali Mahārāja's offer to give Him anything He might want. He says that without contentment one could not be happy even if he possessed the property of the entire world or the entire universe. In human society, therefore, the brahminical culture, kṣatriya culture and vaiśya culture must be maintained, and people must be taught how to be satisfied with only what they need. In modern civilization there is no such education; everyone tries to possess more and more, and everyone is dissatisfied and unhappy
8.19.22
tribhiḥ kramair asantuṣṭo
(22) He who has not enough with three steps won't be happy with a whole continent of nine lands either, nor with the desire to take hold of all the seven continents.
8.19.23
sapta-dvīpādhipatayo
(23) We have heard that Prithu, Gaya and such royal rulers over all the seven continents, following this course couldn't reach the end of the fulfillment of their ambitions and desires.
8.19.24
yadṛcchayopapannena
nāsantuṣṭas tribhir lokair
ajitātmopasāditaiḥ
(24) With that what by the grace of God is acquired according one's destiny should one be content; for someone dissatisfied not in control with himself is there no happiness, not even if he has obtained the three worlds [see also 7.6: 3-5, 5.5: 1 and B.G. 6: 20-23].
If happiness is the ultimate goal of life, one must be satisfied with the position in which he is placed by providence. This instruction is also given by Prahlāda Mahārāja:
sukham aindriyakaḿ daityā
"My dear friends born of demoniac families, the happiness perceived with reference to the sense objects by contact with the body can be obtained in any form of life, according to one's past fruitive activities. Such happiness is automatically obtained without endeavor, just as we obtain distress." (Bhāg. 7.6.3) This philosophy is perfect in regard to obtaining happiness.
Real happiness is described in Bhagavad-gītā (6.21):
sukham ātyantikaḿ yat tad
sthitaś calati tattvataḥ
"In the spiritually joyous state, one is situated in boundless transcendental happiness and enjoys himself through transcendental senses. Established thus, one never departs from the truth." One has to perceive happiness by the supersenses. The supersenses are not the senses of the material elements. Every one of us is a spiritual being (ahaḿ brahmāsmi), and every one of us is an individual person. Our senses are now covered by material elements, and because of ignorance we consider the material senses that cover us to be our real senses. The real senses, however, are within the material covering. Dehino'smin yathā dehe: [Bg. 2.13] within the covering of the material elements are the spiritual senses. Sarvopādhi-vinirmuktaḿ tat-paratvena nirmalam: [Cc. Madhya 19.170] when the spiritual senses are uncovered, by these senses we can be happy. Satisfaction of the spiritual senses is thus described: hṛṣīkeṇa hṛṣīkeśa-sevanaḿ bhaktir ucyate. When the senses are engaged in devotional service to Hṛṣīkeśa, then the senses are completely satisfied. Without this superior knowledge of sense gratification, one may try to satisfy his material senses, but happiness will never be possible. One may increase his ambition for sense gratification and even achieve what he desires for the gratification of his senses, but because this is on the material platform, he will never achieve satisfaction and contentment.According to brahminical culture, one should be content with whatever he obtains without special endeavor and should cultivate spiritual consciousness. Then he will be happy. The purpose of the Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement is to spread this understanding. People who do not have scientific spiritual knowledge mistakenly think that the members of the Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement are escapists trying to avoid material activities. In fact, however, we are engaged in real activities for obtaining the ultimate happiness in life. If one is not trained to satisfy the spiritual senses and continues in material sense gratification, he will never obtain happiness that is eternal and blissful. Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam (5.5.1) therefore recommends:
tapo divyaḿ putrakā yena sattvaḿ
One must practice austerity so that his existential position will be purified and he will achieve unlimited blissful life.
8.19.25
puḿso 'yaḿ saḿsṛter hetur
asantoṣo 'rtha-kāmayoḥ
yadṛcchayopapannena
(25) To be discontent with the money and the sensual pleasures is the cause of the continuation of someone's materially determined existence [of repeatedly dying and starting all over again], but he who is satisfied with what was achieved by destiny, applies for liberation.
8.19.26
tat praśāmyaty asantoṣād
ambhasevāśuśukṣaṇiḥ
(26) The effulgence of the brahmin increases when he is satisfied with what was obtained by providence, but decreases with his dissatisfaction the way a fire is extinguished with water.
8.19.27
vṛṇe tvad varadarṣabhāt
etāvataiva siddho 'haḿ
(27) For that reason do I ask you, so munificent as a benefactor, for three steps of land, for I have met My purpose perfectly with the single achievement of what is necessary.'
8.19.28
(28) S'rî S'uka said: 'Thus addressed said Bali with a smile: 'Now take from me as You like', and in order to give Him the land took he his waterpot [so as to confirm ritually with the water in his hand his promise].
8.19.29
uśanā asureśvaram
jānaḿś cikīrṣitaḿ viṣṇoḥ
(29) S'ukrâcârya, the greatest expert in these matters who had guessed what Vishnu's plan was, then addressed his disciple, the asura lord who was about to deliver the land to Vishnu.'
8.19.30
kaśyapād aditer jāto
(30) S'rî S'ukrâcârya said: 'This one here is directly the Supreme Lord Vishnu, o son of Virocana, in His full glory born from Kas'yapa and Aditi to operate to the interest of the godly.
8.19.31
pratiśrutaḿ tvayaitasmai
mahān upagato 'nayaḥ
(31) What you promised is, I think, at odds, you have no idea, it won't do you any good; what you contrived is a great threat for the Daityas!
8.19.32
(32) He, impersonating as a human child, is the Lord teaching you a lesson; He'll snatch all the material beauty and riches, power and repute away from you to give it to your enemy [Indra, see also 7.10].
in this regard that the very word hariḥ means "one who takes away." If one connects himself with Hari, the Supreme Personality of Godhead, the Lord takes away all his miseries, and in the beginning the Lord also superficially appears to take away all his material possessions, reputation, education and beauty. As stated in Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam (10.88.8), yasyāham anugṛhṇāmi hariṣye tad-dhanaḿ śanaiḥ. The Lord said to Mahārāja Yudhiṣṭhira, "The first installment of My mercy toward a devotee is that I take away all his possessions, especially his material opulence, his money." This is the special favor of the Lord toward a sincere devotee. If a sincere devotee wants Kṛṣṇa above everything but at the same time is attached to material possessions, which hinder his advancement in Kṛṣṇa consciousness, by tactics the Lord takes away all his possessions. Here Śukrācārya says that this dwarf brahmacārī would take away everything. Thus he indicates that the Lord will take away all one's material possessions and also one's mind. If one delivers his mind to the lotus feet of Kṛṣṇa (sa vai manaḥ kṛṣṇa-padāravindayoḥ), one can naturally sacrifice everything to satisfy Him. Although Bali Mahārāja was a devotee, he was attached to material possessions, and therefore the Lord, being very kind to him, showed him special favor by appearing as Lord Vāmana to take away all his material possessions, and his mind as well.
8.19.33
(33) With the three steps He'll seize all the worlds gradually expanding to the universal form - how can you maintain yourselves after having given everything away to Vishnu, o fool!
Bali Mahārāja might argue that he had promised only three steps of land. But Śukrācārya, being a very learned brāhmaṇa, immediately understood that this was a plan of Hari, who had falsely appeared there as a brahmacārī. The words mūḍha vartiṣyase katham reveal that Śukrācārya was a brāhmaṇa of the priestly class. Such priestly brāhmaṇas are mostly interested in receiving remuneration from their disciples. Therefore when Śukrācārya saw that Bali Mahārāja had risked all of his possessions, he understood that this would cause havoc not only to the King but also to the family of Śukrācārya, who was dependent on Mahārāja Bali's mercy. This is the difference between a Vaiṣṇava and a smārta-brāhmaṇa. A smārta-brāhmaṇa is always interested in material profit, whereas a Vaiṣṇava is interested only in satisfying the Supreme Personality of Godhead. From the statement of Śukrācārya, it appears that he was in all respects a smārta-brāhmaṇa interested only in personal gain.
8.19.34
kramato gāḿ padaikena
tārtīyasya kuto gatiḥ
(34) One after the other will He with one step take the earth, with the second step occupy outer space and in the ether expand to His greatest and where would He then make his third step?
Śukrācārya wanted to tell Bali Mahārāja how he would be cheated by Lord Vāmana. "You have promised three steps," he said. "But with only two steps, all your possessions will be finished. How then will you give Him a place for His third step?" Śukrācārya did not know how the Lord protects His devotee. The devotee must risk everything in his possession for the service of the Lord, but he is always protected and never defeated. By materialistic calculations, Śukrācārya thought that Bali Mahārāja would under no circumstances be able to keep his promise to the brahmacārī, Lord Vāmanadeva.
8.19.35
pratiśrutasya yo 'nīśaḥ
(35) You'll be in hell forever I think, as that's what indeed happens to people who can't keep their promise; for you are of the type that no way is capable of living up to the expectations he created.
8.19.36
(36) The saintly are not in favor of the charity that endangers one's livelihood, for it is because of one's capacity to maintain oneself that one finds the charity, sacrifice, austerity and fruitive activity in this world.
8.19.37
(37) When one divides one's earnings over the five objectives of the religion, one's success, one's upkeep, one's pleasure and one's family, can one be happy in this world and in the next.
The śāstras enjoin that if one has money one should divide all that he has accumulated into five divisions — one part for religion, one part for reputation, one part for opulence, one part for sense gratification and one part to maintain the members of his family. At the present, however, because people are bereft of all knowledge, they spend all their money for the satisfaction of their family. Śrīla Rūpa Gosvāmī taught us by his own example by using fifty percent of his accumulated wealth for Kṛṣṇa, twenty-five percent for his own self, and twenty-five percent for the members of his family. One's main purpose should be to advance in Kṛṣṇa consciousness. This will include dharma, artha and kāma. However, because one's family members expect some profit, one should also satisfy them by giving them a portion of one's accumulated wealth. This is a śāstric injunction.
8.19.38
atrāpi bahvṛcair gītaḿ
(38) Listen, in this regard [concerning your promise] is the truth by the many [Rig-] veda [Bahvrica-s'ruti] prayers for the gods and the creation that I have expressed, o best of the Asuras, preceded by the word om [AUM, 'yes', 'so be it'] and of that which has been said that was not preceded thus one speaks as the non-eternal [the relative, illusory or untrue, see also B.G 17: 24, 9: 17 and 8: 13].
8.19.39
(39) One should understand that the factual truth, as stated by the Vedas, says that flowers and fruits are there from the tree that is the body, but that from the untrue of the root of a dead tree there is no chance for them [compare B.G. 8: 6].
This śloka explains that in relation to the material body even the factual truth cannot exist without a touch of untruth. The Māyāvādīs say, brahma satyaḿ jagan mithyā: "The spirit soul is truth, and the external energy is untruth." The Vaiṣṇava philosophers, however, do not agree with the Māyāvāda philosophy. Even if for the sake of argument the material world is accepted as untruth, the living entity entangled in the illusory energy cannot come out of it without the help of the body. Without the help of the body, one cannot follow a system of religion, nor can one speculate on philosophical perfection. Therefore, the flower and fruit (puṣpa-phalam) have to be obtained as a result of the body. Without the help of the body, that fruit cannot be gained. The Vaiṣṇava philosophy therefore recommends yukta-vairāgya. It is not that all attention should be diverted for the maintenance of the body, but at the same time one's bodily maintenance should not be neglected. As long as the body exists one can thoroughly study the Vedic instructions, and thus at the end of life one can achieve perfection. This is explained in Bhagavad-gītā [Bg. 8.6]: yaḿ yaḿ vāpi smaran bhāvaḿ tyajaty ante kalevaram. Everything is examined at the time of death. Therefore, although the body is temporary, not eternal, one can take from it the best service and make one's life perfect.
8.19.40
evaḿ naṣṭānṛtaḥ sadya
ātmā śuṣyen na saḿśayaḥ
(40) It suffers no doubt that the same way as with a tree that uprooted falls and dries up, the temporal body immediately is lost and dried out [when one doesn't care for that temporal root*].
"One who rejects things without knowledge of their relationship to Kṛṣṇa is incomplete in his renunciation." (Bhakti-rasāmṛta-sindhu 1.2.66) When the body is engaged in the service of the Lord, one should not consider the body material. Sometimes the spiritual body of the spiritual master is misunderstood. But Śrīla Rūpa Gosvāmī instructs, prāpañcikatayā buddhyā hari-sambandhi-vastunaḥ. The body fully engaged in Kṛṣṇa's service should not be neglected as material. One who does neglect it is false in his renunciation. If the body is not properly maintained, it falls down and dries up like an uprooted tree, from which flowers and fruit can no longer be obtained. The Vedas therefore enjoin:
om iti satyaḿ nety anṛtaḿ tad etat-puṣpaḿ phalaḿ vāco yat satyaḿ saheśvaro yaśasvī kalyāṇa-kīrtir bhavitā; puṣpaḿ hi phalaḿ vācaḥ satyaḿ vadaty athaitan-mūlaḿ vāco yad anṛtaḿ yad yathā vṛkṣa āvirmūlaḥ śuṣyati, sa udvartata evam evānṛtaḿ vadann āvirmūlam ātmanāḿ karoti, sa śuṣyati sa udvartate, tasmād anṛtaḿ na vaded dayeta tv etena.
The purport is that activities performed with the help of the body for the satisfaction of the Absolute Truth (oḿ tat sat) are never temporary, although performed by the temporary body. Indeed, such activities are everlasting. Therefore, the body should be properly cared for. Because the body is temporary, not permanent, one cannot expose the body to being devoured by a tiger or killed by an enemy. All precautions should be taken to protect the body.
8.19.41
(41) That syllable of om thus uttered is what separates one, frees one and forms the counterpart [to one's wealth], a person is thus freed from that what is proposed [is sacrificed] in relation to its expression; anything given in charity to the needy therewith uttering om will thus not serve the satisfaction of one's senses or one's self-realization.
Mahārāja Bali wanted to give everything to Vāmanadeva, who had appeared as a beggar, but Śukrācārya, being Mahārāja Bali's familial spiritual master in the line of seminal succession, could not appreciate Mahārāja Bali's promise. Śukrācārya gave Vedic evidence that one should not give everything to a poor man. Rather, when a poor man comes for charity one should untruthfully say, "Whatever I have I have given you. I have no more." It is not that one should give everything to him. Actually the word oḿ is meant for oḿ tat sat, the Absolute Truth. Oḿkāra is meant for freedom from all attachment to money because money should be spent for the purpose of the Supreme. The tendency of modern civilization is to give money in charity to the poor. Such charity has no spiritual value because we actually see that although there are so many hospitals and other foundations and institutions for the poor, according to the three modes of material nature a class of poor men is always destined to continue. Even though there are so many charitable institutions, poverty has not been driven from human society. Therefore it is recommended here, bhikṣave sarvam oḿ kurvan nālaḿ kāmena cātmane. One should not give everything to the beggars among the poor.
The best solution is that of the Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement. This movement is always kind to the poor, not only because it feeds them but also because it gives them enlightenment by teaching them how to become Kṛṣṇa conscious. We are therefore opening hundreds and thousands of centers for those who are poor, both in money and in knowledge, to enlighten them in Kṛṣṇa consciousness and reform their character by teaching them how to avoid illicit sex, intoxication, meat-eating and gambling, which are the most sinful activities and which cause people to suffer, life after life. The best way to use money is to open such a center, where all may come live and reform their character. They may live very comfortably, without denial of any of the body's necessities, but they live under spiritual control, and thus they live happily and save time for advancement in Kṛṣṇa consciousness. If one has money, it should not be squandered away on nothing. It should be used to push forward the Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement so that all of human society will become happy, prosperous and hopeful of being promoted back home, back to Godhead. The Vedic mantra in this regard reads as follows:
parāg vā etad riktam akṣaraḿ yad etad om iti tad yat kiñcid om iti āhātraivāsmai tad ricyate; sa yat sarvam oḿ kuryād ricyād ātmānaḿ sa kāmebhyo nālaḿ syāt.
8.19.42
athaitat pūrṇam abhyātmaḿ
(42) Do therefore not entirely accede to that drawing of your compassion nor be fully [committed] to speaking untruthfully [that you couldn't spare]; thus no one can say you are of illusion, that you would be someone who is reprehensible being dead alive.
Beggars always present themselves as possessing nothing, and this may be very good for them because in this way they are assured of not losing their money and of always drawing the attention and compassion of others for the sake of collection. But this is also condemned. If one purposely continues this professional begging, he is supposed to be dead while breathing, or, according to another interpretation, such a man of falsity should be killed while still breathing. The Vedic injunction in this regard is as follows: athaitat pūrṇam abhyātmaḿ yan neti sa yat sarvaḿ neti brūyāt pāpikāsya kīrtir jāyate. sainaḿ tatraiva hanyāt. If one continuously poses himself as possessing nothing and collects money by begging, he should be killed (sainaḿ tatraiva hanyāt).
8.19.43
go-brāhmaṇārthe hiḿsāyāḿ
nānṛtaḿ syāj jugupsitam
(43) It is no falsity [you see] nor an abomination to charm a woman, to jest or to marry, to make a living or to protect the cows and the brahminical in times of danger against violence.'
*: The temporal body is there for eternal things. S'rîla Rupa Gosvâmî says: "One who rejects things without knowledge of their relationship to Krishna is incomplete in his renunciation." (Bhakti-rasâmrita-sindhu 1.2.66)
Canto 8
Chapter 20
Lord Vâmanadeva Covers all Worlds
The summary of this Twentieth Chapter is as follows. Despite his knowledge that Lord Vāmanadeva was cheating him, Bali Mahārāja gave everything to the Lord in charity, and thus the Lord extended His body and assumed a gigantic form as Lord Viṣṇu.
After hearing the instructive advice of Śukrācārya, Bali Mahārāja became contemplative. Because it is the duty of a householder to maintain the principles of religion, economic development and sense gratification, Bali Mahārāja thought it improper to withdraw his promise to the brahmacārī. To lie or fail to honor a promise given to a brahmacārī is never proper, for lying is the most sinful activity. Everyone should be afraid of the sinful reactions to lying, for mother earth cannot even bear the weight of a sinful liar. The spreading of a kingdom or empire is temporary; if there is no benefit for the general public, such expansion has no value. Previously, all the great kings and emperors expanded their kingdoms with a regard for the welfare of the people in general. Indeed, while engaged in such activities for the benefit of the general public, eminent men sometimes even sacrificed their lives. It is said that one who is glorious in his activities is always living and never dies. Therefore, fame should be the aim of life, and even if one becomes poverty-stricken for the sake of a good reputation, that is not a loss. Bali Mahārāja thought that even if this brahmacārī, Vāmanadeva, were Lord Viṣṇu, if the Lord accepted his charity and then again arrested him, Bali Mahārāja would not envy Him. Considering all these points, Bali Mahārāja finally gave in charity everything he possessed.
Lord Vāmanadeva then immediately extended Himself into a universal body. By the mercy of Lord Vāmanadeva, Bali Mahārāja could see that the Lord is all-pervading and that everything rests in His body. Bali Mahārāja could see Lord Vāmanadeva as the supreme Viṣṇu, wearing a helmet, yellow garments, the mark of Śrīvatsa, the Kaustubha jewel, a flower garland, and ornaments decorating His entire body. The Lord gradually covered the entire surface of the world, and by extending His body He covered the entire sky. With His hands He covered all directions, and with His second footstep He covered the entire upper planetary system. Therefore there was no vacant place where He could take His third footstep.
8.20.1
kulācāryeṇa bhāṣitaḥ
uvācāvahito gurum
(1) S'rî S'uka said: 'Bali, the master of the house, thus being advised by the family priest fell silent for a moment, o King, and addressed after due consideration his guru.
that Bali Mahārāja remained silent at a critical point. How could he disobey the instruction of Śukrācārya, his spiritual master? It is the duty of such a sober personality as Bali Mahārāja to abide by the orders of his spiritual master immediately, as his spiritual master had advised. But Bali Mahārāja also considered that Śukrācārya was no longer to be accepted as a spiritual master, for he had deviated from the duty of a spiritual master. According to śāstra, the duty of the guru is to take the disciple back home, back to Godhead. If he is unable to do so and instead hinders the disciple in going back to Godhead, he should not be a guru. Gurur na sa syāt (Bhāg. 5.5.18). One should not become a guru if he cannot enable his disciple to advance in Kṛṣṇa consciousness. The goal of life is to become a devotee of Lord Kṛṣṇa so that one may be freed from the bondage of material existence (tyaktvā dehaḿ punar janma naiti mam eti so 'rjuna [Bg. 4.9]). The spiritual master helps the disciple attain this stage by developing Kṛṣṇa consciousness. Now Śukrācārya has advised Bali Mahārāja to deny the promise to Vāmanadeva. Under the circumstances, therefore, Bali Mahārāja thought that there would be no fault if he disobeyed the order of his spiritual master. He deliberated on this point — should he refuse to accept the advise of his spiritual master, or should he independently do everything to please the Supreme Personality of Godhead? He took some time. Therefore it is said, tūṣṇīḿ bhūtvā kṣaṇaḿ rajann uvācāvahito gurum. After deliberating on this point, he decided that Lord Viṣṇu should be pleased in all circumstances, even at the risk of ignoring the guru's advice to the contrary.
Anyone who is supposed to be a guru but who goes against the principle of viṣṇu-bhakti cannot be accepted as guru. If one has falsely accepted such a guru, one should reject him. Such a guru is described as follows (Mahābhārata, Udyoga 179.25):
guror apy avaliptasya
kāryākāryam ajānataḥ
utpatha-pratipannasya
parityāgo vidhīyate
Śrīla Jīva Gosvāmī has advised that such a useless guru, a family priest acting as guru, should be given up, and that the proper, bona-fide guru should be accepted.ṣaṭ-karma-nipuṇo vipro
avaiṣṇavo gurur na syād
vaiṣṇavaḥ śvapaco guruḥ
"A scholarly brāhmaṇa expert in all subjects of Vedic knowledge is unfit to become a spiritual master without being a Vaiṣṇava, but if a person born in a family of a lower caste is a Vaiṣṇava, he can become a spiritual master." (Padma Purāṇa)8.20.2
dharmo 'yaḿ gṛhamedhinām
(2) S'rî Bali said: 'What your greatness told me is true: the economic interest, the sensual pleasure, the reputation and the livelihood may never be a hindrance for a householder to perform his religious duties.
Bali Mahārāja's grave answer to Śukrācārya is meaningful. Śukrācārya stressed that one's material means of livelihood and one's material reputation, sense gratification and economic development must continue properly. To see to this is the first duty of a man who is a householder, especially one who is interested in material affairs. If a religious principle does not affect one's material condition, it is to be accepted. At the present time, in this age of Kali, this idea is extremely prominent. No one is prepared to accept any religious principle if it hampers material prosperity. Śukrācārya, being a person of this material world, did not know the principles of a devotee. A devotee is determined to serve the Supreme Personality of Godhead to His full satisfaction. Anything that hampers such determination should certainly be rejected. This is the principle of bhakti. Ānukūlyasya sańkalpaḥ prātikūlyasya varjanam (Cc. Madhya 22.100). To perform devotional service, one must accept only that which is favorable and reject that which is unfavorable. Bali Mahārāja had the opportunity to contribute everything he possessed to the lotus feet of Lord Vāmanadeva, but Śukrācārya was putting forward a material argument to hamper this process of devotional service. Under the circumstances, Bali Mahārāja decided that such hindrances should certainly be avoided. In other words, he decided immediately to reject the advice of Śukrācārya and go on with his duty. Thus he gave all his possessions to Lord Vāmanadeva.
8.20.3
pratiśrutya dadāmīti
prāhrādiḥ kitavo yathā
(3) How can someone like me be cheating for the sake of money? Especially to a brahmin will I, to the honor of Prahlâda, have to give as I have promised - I 'd be an ordinary cheater! [*].
Bali Mahārāja had already been blessed by his grandfather Prahlāda Mahārāja. Therefore, he was a pure devotee, although born in a family of demons. There are two kinds of highly elevated devotees, called sādhana-siddha and kṛpā-siddha. Sādhana-siddha refers to one who has become a devotee by regular execution of the regulative principles mentioned in the śāstras, as ordered and directed by the spiritual master. If one regularly executes such devotional service, he will certainly attain perfection in due course of time. But there are other devotees, who may not have undergone all the required details of devotional service but who, by the special mercy of guru and Kṛṣṇa — the spiritual master and the Supreme Personality of Godhead — have immediately attained the perfection of pure devotional service. Examples of such devotees are the yajña-patnīs, Mahārāja Bali and Śukadeva Gosvāmī. The yajña-patnīs were the wives of ordinary brāhmaṇas engaged in fruitive activities. Although the brāhmaṇas were very learned and advanced in Vedic knowledge, they could not achieve the mercy of Kṛṣṇa-Balarāma, whereas their wives achieved complete perfection in devotional service, despite their being women. Similarly, Vairocani, Bali Mahārāja, received the mercy of Prahlāda Mahārāja, and by Prahlāda Mahārāja's mercy he also received the mercy of Lord Viṣṇu, who appeared before him as a brahmacārī beggar. Thus Bali Mahārāja became a kṛpā-siddha because of the special mercy of both guru and Kṛṣṇa. Caitanya Mahāprabhu confirms this favor: guru-kṛṣṇa-prasāde pāya bhakti-latā-bīja (Cc. Madhya 19.151). Bali Mahārāja, by the grace of Prahlāda Mahārāja, got the seed of devotional service, and when that seed developed, he achieved the ultimate fruit of that service, namely love of Godhead (premā pum-artho mahān), immediately upon the appearance of Lord Vāmanadeva. Bali Mahārāja regularly maintained devotion for the Lord, and because he was purified, the Lord appeared before him. Because of unalloyed love for the Lord, he then immediately decided, "I shall give this little dwarf brāhmaṇa whatever He asks from me." This is a sign of love. Thus Bali Mahārāja is understood to be one who received the highest perfection of devotional service by special mercy.
8.20.4
(4) There is nothing more irreligious than untruthfulness as thus indeed mother earth has told us: 'To bear this all I can, with the exception though of man as the greatest liar.'
On the surface of the earth there are many great mountains and oceans that are very heavy, and mother earth has no difficulty carrying them. But she feels very much overburdened when she carries even one person who is a liar. It is said that in Kali-yuga lying is a common affair: māyaiva vyāvahārike (Bhāg. 12.2.3). Even in the most common dealings, people are accustomed to speaking so many lies. No one is free from the sinful reactions of speaking lies. Under the circumstances, one can just imagine how this has overburdened the earth, and indeed the entire universe.
8.20.5
nādhanyād asukhārṇavāt
(5) I do not fear hellish conditions, nor poverty, nor an ocean of distress, nor a fall from my position, nor death as much as I fear to cheat a man of God.
8.20.6
samparetaḿ dhanādikam
(6) If whatever one has in this world must be left behind when one has to die, what purpose then would one's wealth and riches serve when one needs to renounce in one's life; must one with them then not please the man of God?
The word vipra means brāhmaṇa, and at the same time "confidential." Bali Mahārāja had confidentially decided to give the gift to Lord Vāmanadeva without discussion, but because such a decision would hurt the hearts of the asuras and his spiritual master, Śukrācārya, he spoke equivocally. Bali Mahārāja, as a pure devotee, had already decided to give all the land to Lord Viṣṇu.
8.20.7
sādhavo dustyajāsubhiḥ
ko vikalpo dharādiṣu
(7) Heartening the good of all people have saints like Dadhîci, S'ibi and other great servants of God, forsaken the most difficult up to their very lives; what objection would there be against donating the land?
Bali Mahārāja was prepared to give everything to Lord Viṣṇu, and Śukrācārya, being a professional priest, might have been anxiously waiting, doubting whether there had been any such instance in history in which one had given everything in charity. Bali Mahārāja, however, cited the tangible examples of Mahārāja Śibi and Mahārāja Dadhīci, who had given up their lives for the benefit of the general public. Certainly one has attachment for everything material, especially one's land, but land and other possessions are forcibly taken away at the time of death, as stated in Bhagavad-gītā (mṛtyuḥ sarva-haraś cāham). The Lord personally appeared to Bali Mahārāja to take away everything he had, and thus he was so fortunate that he could see the Lord face to face. Nondevotees, however, cannot see the Lord face to face; to such persons the Lord appears as death and takes away all their possessions by force. Under the circumstances, why should we not part with our possessions and deliver them to Lord Viṣṇu for His satisfaction? Śrī Cāṇakya Paṇḍita says in this regard, san-nimitte varaḿ tyāgo vināśe niyate sati (Cāṇakya-śloka 36). Since our money and possessions do not last but will somehow or other be taken away, as long as they are in our possession it is better to use them for charity to a noble cause. Therefore Bali Mahārāja defied the order of his so-called spiritual master.
8.20.8
daityendrair anivartibhiḥ
(8) From persons like the daitya kings who, willing to sacrifice their lives, enjoyed this world o brahmin, takes time away all that is owned but not the reputation achieved in this world.
In this regard, Cāṇakya Paṇḍita (Cāṇakya-śloka 34) also says, āyuṣaḥ kṣaṇa eko 'pi na labhya svarṇa-koṭibhiḥ. The duration of one's life is extremely short, but if in that short lifetime one can do something that enhances his good reputation, that may continue to exist for many millions of years. Bali Mahārāja therefore decided not to follow his spiritual master's instruction that he deny his promise to Vāmanadeva; instead, he decided to give the land according to the promise and be everlastingly celebrated as one of the twelve mahājanas (balir vaiyāsakir vayam).
8.20.9
(9) O holy brahmin, those who with ease won by battle not being afraid to fight or to lose their lives, do not as easily faithful and devoted to the one who settles the holy ground give away what they accumulated [compare B.G. 17: 20].
Many kṣatriyas have laid down their lives on the battlefield for their nations, but hardly a person can be found who has given up all his property and his accumulated wealth in charity to a person worthy of the gift. As stated in Bhagavad-gītā (17.20):
dātavyam iti yad dānaḿ
dīyate 'nupakāriṇe
"That gift which is given out of duty, at the proper time and place, to a worthy person, and without expectation of return is considered to be charity in the mode of goodness." Thus charity given in the proper place is called sāttvika. And above this charity in goodness is transcendental charity, in which everything is sacrificed for the sake of the Supreme Personality of Godhead. Vāmanadeva, the Supreme Personality of Godhead, had come to Bali Mahārāja for alms. How could one get such an opportunity to give charity? Therefore, Bali Mahārāja decided without hesitation to give the Lord whatever He wanted. One may get various opportunities to lay down his life on the battlefield, but such an opportunity as this is hardly ever obtained.8.20.10
(10) To the munificent, the ones famed for their mercy, does it work to their advantage to fall to poverty in satisfying the needs of the destitute, not to mention satisfying knowers of the spiritual like your good self; therefore I'll give this celibate One whatever that He wants.
If one accepts a poverty-stricken position because of losing money in business, gambling, prostitution or intoxication, no one will praise him, but if one becomes poverty-stricken by giving all of his possessions in charity, he becomes adored all over the world. Aside from this, if a benevolent and merciful person exhibits his pride in becoming poverty-stricken by giving his possessions in charity for good causes, his poverty is a welcome and auspicious sign of a great personality. Bali Mahārāja decided that even though he would become poverty-stricken by giving everything to Vāmanadeva, this is what he would prefer.
8.20.11
(11) All of you fully aware of the vedic way of offering, are with the different butes very respectful in the worship of Him th of Him the Enjoyer of the Sacrifice; whether He is Vishnu coming to bless or there to put me down, I will give Him, o sage, whatever land He so desires.
As stated by Lord Śiva:
ārādhanānāḿ sarveṣāḿ
viṣṇor ārādhanaḿ param
Although in the Vedas there are recommendations for worshiping many demigods, Lord Viṣṇu is the Supreme Person, and worship of Viṣṇu is the ultimate goal of life. The Vedic principles of the varṇāśrama institution are meant to organize society to prepare everyone to worship Lord Viṣṇu.varṇāśramācāravatā
"The Supreme Personality of Godhead, Lord Viṣṇu, is worshiped by the proper execution of prescribed duties in the system of varṇa and āśrama. There is no other way to satisfy the Supreme Personality of Godhead." (Viṣṇu Purāṇa 3.8.9) One must ultimately worship Lord Viṣṇu, and for that purpose the varṇāśrama system organizes society into brāhmaṇas, kṣatriyas, vaiśyas, śūdras, brahmacārīs, gṛhasthas, vānaprasthas and sannyāsīs. Bali Mahārāja, having been perfectly educated in devotional service by his grandfather Prahlāda Mahārāja, knew how things are to be done. He was never to be misguided by anyone, even by a person who happened to be his so-called spiritual master. This is the sign of full surrender. Bhaktivinoda Ṭhākura said:
mārabi rākhabi — yo icchā tohārā
When one surrenders to Lord Viṣṇu, one must be prepared to abide by His orders in all circumstances, whether He kills one or gives one protection. Lord Viṣṇu must be worshiped in all circumstances.
8.20.12
yadyapy asāv adharmeṇa
tathāpy enaḿ na hiḿsiṣye
(12) Not even when He deceiving me, fearfully posing as a brahmin boy, unjustly kills me will I retaliate, opposing Him as an enemy.
If Lord Viṣṇu as He is had come to Bali Mahārāja and asked him to do something, Bali Mahārāja certainly would not have refused His request. But to enjoy a little humor between Himself and His devotee, the Lord covered Himself as a brāhmaṇa-brahmacārī and thus came to Bali Mahārāja to beg for only three feet of land.
8.20.13
(13) If this one is really the one hailed in the scriptures, will He, from His enduring glory, never want to give it up, whether He after killing me takes all the land or will rest in peace slain by me.'
Bali Mahārāja's statement that Viṣṇu would lie down having been killed is not the direct meaning, for Viṣṇu cannot be killed by anyone. Lord Viṣṇu can kill everyone, but He cannot be killed. Thus the real meaning of the words "lie down" is that Lord Viṣṇu would reside within the core of Bali Mahārāja's heart. Lord Viṣṇu is defeated by a devotee through devotional service; otherwise, no one can defeat Lord Viṣṇu.
8.20.14
anādeśakaraḿ guruḥ
(14) S'rî S'uka said: 'Thus was he, the high, divinely inspired character fixed on truthfulness who was such a disrespectful and obstinate disciple, cursed by the guru with [see B.G. 10: 10]:
The difference between the behavior of Bali Mahārāja and that of his spiritual master, Śukrācārya, was that Bali Mahārāja had already developed love of Godhead, whereas Śukrācārya, being merely a priest of routine rituals, had not. Thus Śukrācārya was never inspired by the Supreme Personality of Godhead to develop in devotional service. As stated by the Lord Himself in Bhagavad-gītā (10.10):
teṣāḿ satata-yuktānāḿ
"To those who are constantly devoted and worship Me with love, I give the understanding by which they can come to Me."
Devotees who actually engage in devotional service with faith and love are inspired by the Supreme Personality of Godhead. Vaiṣṇavas are never concerned with ritualistic smārta-brāhmaṇas. Śrīla Sanātana Gosvāmī has therefore compiled Hari-bhakti-vilāsa to guide the Vaiṣṇavas, who never follow the smārta-viddhi. Although the Supreme Lord is situated in the core of everyone's heart, unless one is a Vaiṣṇava, unless one is engaged in devotional service, one does not get sound advice by which to return home, back to Godhead. Such instructions are meant only for devotees. Therefore in this verse the word daiva-prahitaḥ, "being inspired by the Supreme Lord," is important. Śukrācārya should have encouraged Bali Mahārāja to give everything to Lord Viṣṇu. This would have been a sign of love for the Supreme Lord. But he did not do so. On the contrary, he wanted to punish his devoted disciple by cursing him.
8.20.15
stabdho 'sy asmad-upekṣayā
mac-chāsanātigo yas tvam
(15) 'So cocksure considering yourself learned have you in breaking with my injunctions become an impudent ignoramus in total disregard of us; such a one will soon be bereft of all his opulence!'
Śrīla Viśvanātha Cakravartī Ṭhākura says that Bali Mahārāja was not paṇḍita-mānī, or one who falsely assumes himself learned; rather, he was paṇḍita-mānya-jñaḥ, one who is so learned that all other learned persons worship him. Aid because he was so learned, he could disobey the order of his so-called spiritual master. He had no fear of any condition of material existence. Anyone cared for by Lord Viṣṇu does not need to care about anyone else. Thus Bali Mahārāja could never be bereft of all opulences. The opulences offered by the Supreme Personality of Godhead are not to be compared to the opulences obtained by karma-kāṇḍa. In other words, if a devotee becomes very opulent, it is to be understood that his opulence is a gift of the Supreme Personality of Godhead. Such opulence will never be vanquished, whereas the opulence achieved by one's fruitive activity may be vanquished at any moment.
8.20.16
arcitvodaka-pūrvakam
(16) [Even] cursed this way by his own guru gave he, who had not abandoned the truthfulness, the great personality Vâmanadeva, after due worship and first offering water, the land he had promised.
8.20.17
vindhyāvalis tadāgatya
(17) Vindhyâvali, Bali's wife decorated with a necklace of pearls, came that moment forward and commanded a golden waterpot to be brought full of water to wash the Lord His feet.
8.20.18
avanijyāvahan mūrdhni
(18) He, the worshiper of the most auspicious and beautiful pair of feet, personally in great jubilation washed them and took the water on his head that confers liberation upon the whole universe.
8.20.19
prasūna-varṣair vavṛṣur mudānvitāḥ
(19) That moment was a shower of flowers released by all the gods, the singers of heaven, the knowledgeable, the self-realized and the venerable ones, who very pleased hailed the rectitude of the asura king his action [compare 5.18: 12].
Ārjavam — simplicity or freedom from duplicity — is a qualification of a brāhmaṇa and a Vaiṣṇava. A Vaiṣṇava automatically acquires all the qualities of a brāhmaṇa.
yasyāsti bhaktir bhagavaty akiñcanā
(Bhāg. 5.18.12)
A Vaiṣṇava should possess the brahminical qualities such as satya, śama, dama, titikṣā and ārjava. There cannot be any duplicity in the character of a Vaiṣṇava. When Bali Mahārāja acted with unflinching faith and devotion unto the lotus feet of Lord Viṣṇu, this was very much appreciated by all the residents of the higher planetary system.
8.20.20
nedur muhur dundubhayaḥ sahasraśo
manasvinānena kṛtaḿ suduṣkaraḿ
(20) By the thousands began the residents of heaven, the apelike and the ones of superpower to sing declaring: 'What Bali, this great personality, has done was a most difficult thing, since he delivered the three worlds to the most learned, that ally of the gods [Vishnu]!'
8.20.21
(21) Then the dwarf form of the Unlimited Lord began to expand most wondrously to the entire expanse of the threefold of matter: over all the land, the sky, in each direction, the planetary systems, outer space and the seas and oceans, where the birds and the beasts, the humans, the gods and the saints lived.
Bali Mahārāja wanted to give charity to Vāmanadeva, but the Lord expanded His body in such a way that He showed Bali Mahārāja that everything in the universe is already in His body. Actually, no one can give anything to the Supreme Personality of Godhead, for He is full in everything. Sometimes we see a devotee offering Ganges water to the Ganges. After taking his bath in the Ganges, a devotee takes a palmful of water and offers it back to the Ganges. Actually, when one takes a palmful of water from the Ganges, the Ganges does not lose anything, and similarly if a devotee offers a palmful of water to the Ganges, the Ganges does not increase in any way. But by such an offering, the devotee becomes celebrated as a devotee of mother Ganges. Similarly, when we offer anything with devotion and faith, what we offer does not belong to us, nor does it enrich the opulence of the Supreme Personality of Godhead. But if one offers whatever he has in his possession, he becomes a recognized devotee. In this regard, the example is given that when one's face is decorated with a garland and sandalwood pulp, the reflection of one's face in a mirror automatically becomes beautiful. The original source of everything is the Supreme Personality of Godhead, who is our original source also. Therefore when the Supreme Personality of Godhead is decorated, the devotees and all living entities are decorated automatically.
8.20.22
(22) In this body of Him as the Almighty could Bali together with all the priests, the teachers of example and the seekers of truth see the entire three-modal universe complete with the elements and the living beings with their senses, sense objects, mind, intelligence and false ego.
In Bhagavad-gītā, the Supreme Personality of Godhead says, ahaḿ sarvasya prabhavo mattaḥ sarvaḿ pravartate: [Bg. 10.8] Kṛṣṇa is the origin of everything. Vāsudevaḥ sarvam iti: [Bg. 7.19] Kṛṣṇa is everything. Mat-sthāni sarva-bhūtāni na cāhaḿ teṣv avasthitaḥ: everything rests in the body of the Lord, yet the Lord is not everywhere. Māyāvādī philosophers think that since the Supreme Personality of Godhead, the Absolute Truth, has become everything, He has no separate existence. Their philosophy is called advaita-vāda. Actually, however, their philosophy is not correct. Here, Bali Mahārāja was the seer of the Personality of Godhead's universal body, and that body was that which was seen. Thus there is dvaita-vāda; there are always two entities — the seer and the seen. The seer is a part of the whole, but he is not equal to the whole. The part of the whole, the seer, is also one with the whole, but since he is but a part, he cannot be the complete whole at any time. This acintya-bhedābheda — simultaneous oneness and difference — is the perfect philosophy propounded by Lord Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu.
8.20.23
ūrvor gaṇaḿ mārutam indrasenaḥ
(23) The lower world he saw under the soles of His feet, upon the feet he saw the surface of the land, the mountains he saw on the calves of the virâth-purusha, the aerial beings on the knees of the gigantic form and on His thighs he saw the different sorts of demigods.
The universal situation is described herein in regard to the complete constitution of the Lord's gigantic universal form. The study of this universal form begins from the sole. Above the soles are the feet, above the feet are the calves, above the calves are the knees, and above the knees are the thighs. Thus the parts of the universal body, one after another, are described herein. The knees are the place of birds, and above that are varieties of air. The birds can fly over the mountains, and above the birds are varieties of air.
8.20.24
urukramasyorasi carkṣa-mālām
(24) In His garment he recognized the evening twilight, in His private parts he saw the founding fathers, in His hips saw he himself with his spokesmen; His navel was the complete of the sky, at His waist there were the seven seas and in the upper part of Urukrama [the 'far-stepping' Lord] saw he the stellar signs.
8.20.25-29
tat-karṇayoḥ kakubho dyauś ca mūrdhni
vāṇyāḿ ca chandāḿsi rase jaleśaḿ
bhruvor niṣedhaḿ ca vidhiḿ ca pakṣmasu
(25-29) In the heart, o best, was the dharma; to the chest of Murâri the most pleasing and truthful and next in the mind he saw the moon; the goddess with always a lotus in her hands was there on His bosom also and at His neck there were all the vedic sound vibrations together. All the godly under Indra were there with His arms, with His ears there were all the directions; the luminaries formed the top of His head, His hair the clouds, the whisper of the wind His nostrils, the sun His eyes and His mouth he saw as the fire. In His speech there were the hymns of praise, in His tongue he saw the god of the waters; the warnings and regulations were His eyebrows, the eyelids the night and day, on the Supreme Person His forehead he saw anger, and greed he saw in His lips. Lust was His touch, o King, water His semen, the back of Him irreligion, in the sacrifices His marvels, death in His shadows, in His smiles the illusory energy and in His bodily hairs he recognized the herbs and plants. With the rivers for His veins, the stones for His nails, and His intelligence as Lord Brahmâ, the demigods and the sages, saw Bali in the senses of His body all the moving and stationary living entities [see also 2.1, 2.6, 3.12: 37-47 and B.G. 11].
8.20.30
dhanuś ca śārńgaḿ stanayitnu-ghoṣam
O King, when all the demons, the followers of Mahārāja Bali, saw the universal form of the Supreme Personality of Godhead, who held everything within His body, when they saw in the Lord's hand His disc, known as the Sudarśana cakra, which generates intolerable heat, and when they heard the tumultuous sound of His bow, all of these caused lamentation within their hearts.
8.20.31
parjanya-ghoṣo jalajaḥ pāñcajanyaḥ
tūṇottamāv akṣayasāyakau ca
The Lord's conchshell, named Pāñcajanya, which made sounds like that of a cloud; the very forceful club named Kaumodakī; the sword named Vidyādhara, with a shield decorated with hundreds of moonlike spots; and also Akṣayasāyaka, the best of quivers — all of these appeared together to offer prayers to the Lord.
8.20.32-33
sphurat-kirīṭāńgada-mīna-kuṇḍalaḥ
śrīvatsa-ratnottama-mekhalāmbaraiḥ
madhuvrata-srag-vanamālayāvṛto
(32-33) His associates with Sunanda and the other leaders and local divinities began to offer prayers to Him, standing there with His brilliant helmet, bracelets, fish-shaped earrings, His S'rîvatsa mark, the best of all jewels [the Kaustubha], belt, yellow dress and flower garland with bees in them. With one footstep o King, covered the Supreme Lord Urukrama the entire surface of Bali's world, and covered He with His body the sky and with His arms the directions.
One might argue, "Since Bali Mahārāja promised Vāmanadeva only the land occupied by His steps, why did Lord Vāmanadeva occupy the sky also?" In this regard, Śrīla Jīva Gosvāmī says that the steps include everything, downward and upward. When one stands up, he certainly occupies certain parts of the sky and certain portions of the earth below his feet. Thus there was nothing uncommon for the Supreme Personality of Godhead when He occupied the entire sky with His body.
8.20.34
padaḿ dvitīyaḿ kramatas triviṣṭapaḿ
urukramasyāńghrir upary upary atho
mahar-janābhyāḿ tapasaḥ paraḿ gataḥ
(34) The second step stretched out to all the heavenly places and for the third remained really not a farthing, for Lord Urukrama with His stepping now had reached farther than the farthest beyond the worlds of penance of the great and the devoted [see also 5.17: 1].
When the Lord's footstep exceeded the height of all the lokas, including Maharloka, Janaloka, Tapoloka and Satyaloka, His nails certainly pierced the covering of the universe. The universe is covered by the five material elements (bhūmir āpo 'nalo vāyuḥ kham). As stated in the śāstra, these elements are in layers, each ten times thicker than the previous one. Nonetheless, the nails of the Lord pierced through all these layers and made a hole penetrating into the spiritual world. From this hole, the water of the Ganges infiltrated into this material world, and therefore it is said, pada-nakha-nīra janita jana-pāvana (Daśāvatāra-stotra 5). Because the Lord kicked a hole in the covering of the universe, the water of the Ganges came into this material world to deliver all the fallen souls.
'There are two kinds of highly elevated devotees, called sâdhana-siddha and kripâ-siddha . Sâdhana-siddha refers to one who has become a devotee by regular execution of the regulative principles mentioned in the s'âstras, as ordered and directed by the spiritual master. If one regularly executes such devotional service, he will certainly attain perfection in due course of time. But there are other devotees, who may not have undergone all the required details of devotional service but who, by the special mercy of guru and Krishna - the spiritual master and the Supreme Personality of Godhead - have immediately attained the perfection of pure devotional service.' Bali Mahârâja became such a kripâ-siddha -bhakta devotee.
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