rule



 

Canto 8

Hari Haraye Namah

 

 

Chapter 20: Lord Vâmanadeva Covers all Worlds

(1) S'rî S'uka said: 'Bali, the master of the house, thus being advised by the family priest, fell silent for a moment, oh King, and addressed after due consideration his guru. (2) S'rî Bali said: 'What your grace told me is true: for a householder to engage in dharmic actions may never constitute a hindrance to his economic interest, sensual pleasure, reputation and livelihood. (3) How can someone like me, an heir of Prahlâda, out of greed for possessions, as an ordinary cheater refuse to give a brahmin what he has promised him? [*] (4) There is nothing more irreligious than untruthfulness. Just as mother earth has told us: 'I can bear everything, but not a person who lies to others.' (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. (6) Of what use are the riches and such that one has to give up when one leaves this world behind? Are they not meant for pleasing the man of God [the sage, the priest, the brahmin etc.]? (7) While looking after the good of all people, saints, like Dadhîci, S'ibi and other great servants of God, have given up, on matters most difficult to forsake, to the point of their very lives. Then what objection would there be against donating the land? (8) Time takes away all the possessions of persons like the Daitya kings who, willing to sacrifice their lives, enjoyed this world, oh brahmin, but the reputation they achieved in this world time does not take away. (9) Oh learned sage, it is easy to find people who, not afraid to fight, are willing to give up their lives on the battlefield, but people willing to give away, with devotion, what they accumulated to a visitor of holy places when he arrives, are not that easily found [compare B.G. 17: 20]. (10) It is the glory of the munificent souls, they who are famed for their mercy, to become poor by satisfying the needs of the poor, not even mentioning what it means to them to satisfy knowers of the spiritual purpose like your good self. I will therefore give this celibate soul whatever He wants. (11) Each of you, fully aware of the Vedic way of offering, are, with the different attributes, of the greatest respect in worshiping the Enjoyer of the Sacrifice. Whether He is Vishnu who came in order to bless me or else came to bring me down, I will give Him, oh sage, whatever land He desires. (12) I will not even retaliate when He, fearfully posing as a brahmin boy, deceives me as an enemy and arrests me despite my innocence. (13) If this person here is really the one glorified in the scriptures, He will never give up His reputation, whether He takes all the land after having killed me or rests in peace being killed by me.'

(14) S'rî S'uka said: '[Bali,] the highly elevated and divinely inspired character thus being fixed on truthfulness, thereupon was cursed by his guru for being such a disrespectful and obstinate disciple [see B.G. 10: 10]: (15) 'You, who so stubbornly consider yourself learned while going against my instructions, have in your impudence towards me proven to be a shameless ignoramus. Someone like you will soon lose all his opulence!' (16) [Even though] being cursed this way by his guru he, who as a great personality did not abandon his truthfulness, donated, after first offering water and duly having worshiped Vâmanadeva, [the land he had promised] . (17) Vindhyâvali, Bali's wife, that moment came forward being decorated with a pearl necklace, and brought a golden pot filled with water to wash the Lord's feet. (18) He, the worshiper of the most beautiful pair of feet, personally washed them and took, in great jubilation, the water on his head that purifies the entire universe. (19) That moment a shower of flowers was released by all the inhabitants of the higher worlds: the demigods, the singers of heaven, the scholars, the ones specially gifted and the venerable souls. They all most pleased hailed the rectitude of what the Asura king had done [compare 5.18: 12]. (20) The residents of heaven, the apelike and those of superpower, sounded thousands of drums and horns again and again and declared: 'What by Him, this great personality, has been achieved was a most difficult thing, for he delivered the three worlds to his opponent [Vishnu]!'

(21) Then the dwarf form of the Unlimited Lord began to expand most wondrously to the entire expanse of the threefold of matter: He stretched Himself out in every direction over all the land, the sky, the planetary systems, outer space and the seas and oceans where the birds and the beasts, the humans, the gods and the saints were living. (22) Bali, together with all the priests, the teachers of example and the seekers of truth, could, within this body of Him as the Almighty One, of Him as the source of the qualities, see the entire threefold universe complete with its elements and the living beings with their senses, sense objects, mind, intelligence and false ego. (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 in the calves of the virâth-purusha, the aerial beings in the knees of the gigantic form and in His thighs he saw the different types of demigods. (24) He recognized the evening twilight in His garment, he saw the founding fathers in His private parts, he saw himself together with his spokesmen in His hips, 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'] he saw the stellar signs. (25-29) In His heart my best one, he saw the dharma, in the chest of Murâri he saw pleasing words and truthfulness and in His mind he saw the moon. In His bosom he found the goddess who always carries a lotus in her hands, and in His neck there was the complete of all the Vedic sound vibrations. In His arms he recognized all the gods led by Indra, in His ears all the directions were found, the luminaries formed the top of His head, the clouds were His hair, the whispers of the wind were in His nostrils, His eyes were the sun and in His mouth he saw the [sacrificial] fire. In His speech he heard the hymns of praise, he saw the god of the waters in His tongue, His eyebrows were the warnings and regulations, His eyelids were the night and the day, he saw anger in the Supreme Person's forehead and greed was situated in His lips. Lust was His touch, oh King, water was His semen, His back was irreligion, His marvels were found in the sacrificial ceremonies, in His shadows he saw death, the illusory energy was present in His smiles and in the hairs on His body he recognized the herbs and plants. With the rivers for His veins, the stones for His nails and with Lord Brahmâ, the demigods and the sages for His intelligence, Bali saw all the moving and stationary living entities in the senses of His body [see also 2.1, 2.6, 3.12: 37-47 and B.G. 11].

(30-31) When the Asuras observed this entirety of all the worlds and souls, they were perturbed, oh King. Being faced with the Sudars'ana disc with its unbearable heat and the bow S'ârnga resounding like thunder, the loud sound of His conch shell the Pâñcajanya and the great force of Vishnu's club the Kaumodakî, His sword the Vidyâdhara, the shield with the hundred moons and also His supreme quiver of arrows named Akshayasâyaka, drove them to desperation. (32-33) His associates led by Sunanda and the other leaders and local divinities offered prayers to Him standing there with His brilliant helmet, bracelets and fish-shaped earrings, His S'rîvatsa-mark, the best of all jewels [the Kaustubha], His belt, yellow dress and His flower garland with bees about it. Oh King, manifesting Himself thus the Supreme Lord Urukrama covered with one footstep the entire surface of Bali's world, covered the sky with His body and covered the directions with His arms. (34) Making the second step He covered all the heavenly places and for the third step not a single spot of land remained, for Lord Urukrama with His stepping now had reached farther than the farthest place beyond Maharloka, Janaloka and Tapoloka [see also 5.17: 1].'

 

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Third revised edition, loaded September 2, 2019.

 

 

 

Previous Aadhar edition and Vedabase links:

Text 1

S'rî S'uka said: 'Bali, the master of the house, thus being advised by the family priest, fell silent for a moment, oh King, and addressed after due consideration his guru.

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. (Vedabase)

 

Text 2

S'rî Bali said:  'What your grace told me is true: for a householder to engage in dharmic actions may never constitute a hindrance to his economic interest, sensual pleasure, reputation and livelihood.

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. (Vedabase)

 

Text 3

How can someone like me, an heir of Prahlâda, out of greed for possessions, as an ordinary cheater refuse to give a brahmin what he has promised him? [*]

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! [*]. (Vedabase)


Text 4

There is nothing more irreligious than untruthfulness. Just as mother earth has told us: 'I can bear everything, but not a person who lies to others.'

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.' (Vedabase)

 

Text 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.

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. (Vedabase)

 

Text 6

Of what use are the riches and such that one has to give up when one leaves this world behind? Are they not meant for pleasing the man of God [the sage, the priest, the brahmin etc.]?

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? (Vedabase)


Text 7

While looking after the good of all people, saints, like Dadhîci, S'ibi and other great servants of God, have given up, on matters most difficult to forsake, to the point of their very lives. Then what objection would there be against donating the land?

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? (Vedabase)

 

Text 8

Time takes away all the possessions of persons like the Daitya kings who, willing to sacrifice their lives, enjoyed this world, oh brahmin, but the reputation they achieved in this world time does not take away.

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. (Vedabase)

 

Text 9

Oh learned sage, it is easy to find people who, not afraid to fight, are willing to give up their lives on the battlefield, but people willing to give away, with devotion, what they accumulated to a visitor of holy places when he arrives, are not that easily found  [compare B.G. 17: 20].

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]. (Vedabase)

  

Text 10

It is the glory of the munificent souls, they who are famed for their mercy, to become poor by satisfying the needs of the poor, not even mentioning what it means to them to satisfy knowers of the spiritual purpose like your good self. I will therefore give this celibate soul whatever He wants.

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. (Vedabase)

 

Text 11

Each of you, fully aware of the Vedic way of offering, are, with the different attributes, of the greatest respect in worshiping the Enjoyer of the Sacrifice. Whether He is Vishnu who came in order to bless me or else came to bring me down, I will give Him, oh sage, whatever land He desires.

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. (Vedabase)

 

Text 12

I will not even retaliate when He, fearfully posing as a brahmin boy, deceives me as an enemy and arrests me despite my innocence.

Not even when He deceiving me, fearfully posing as a brahmin boy, unjustly kills me will I retaliate, opposing Him as an enemy. (Vedabase)

 

Text 13

If this person here is really the one glorified in the scriptures, He will never give up His reputation, whether He takes all the land after having killed me or rests in peace being killed by me.'

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.' (Vedabase)

 

Text 14

S'rî S'uka said: '[Bali,] the highly elevated and divinely inspired character thus being fixed on truthfulness, thereupon was cursed by his guru for being such a disrespectful and obstinate disciple [see B.G. 10: 10]:

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]: (Vedabase)

 

Text 15

'You, who so stubbornly consider yourself learned while going against my instructions, have in your impudence towards me proven to be a shameless ignoramus. Someone like you will soon lose all his opulence!'

'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!'  (Vedabase)

  

Text 16

[Even though] being cursed this way by his guru he, who as a great personality did not abandon his truthfulness, donated, after first offering water and duly having worshiped Vâmanadeva, [the land he had promised].

[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. (Vedabase)

 

Text 17

Vindhyâvali, Bali's wife, that moment came forward being decorated with a pearl necklace, and brought a golden pot filled with water to wash the Lord's feet.

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. (Vedabase)

  

Text 18

He, the worshiper of the most beautiful pair of feet, personally washed them and took, in great jubilation, the water on his head that purifies the entire universe.

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. (Vedabase)

 

Text 19

That moment a shower of flowers was released by all the inhabitants of the higher worlds: the demigods, the singers of heaven, the scholars, the ones specially gifted and the venerable souls. They all most pleased hailed the rectitude of what the Asura king had done [compare 5.18: 12].

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]. (Vedabase)

 

Text 20

The residents of heaven, the apelike and those of superpower, sounded thousands of drums and horns again and again and declared: 'What by Him, this great personality, has been achieved was a most difficult thing, for he delivered the three worlds to his opponent [Vishnu]!'

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]!' (Vedabase)

 

Text 21

Then the dwarf form of the Unlimited Lord began to expand most wondrously to the entire expanse of the threefold of matter: He stretched Himself out in every direction over all the land, the sky, the planetary systems, outer space and the seas and oceans where the birds and the beasts, the humans, the gods and the saints were living.

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. (Vedabase)

 

Text 22

Bali, together with all the priests, the teachers of example and the seekers of truth, could, within this body of Him as the Almighty One, of Him as the source of the qualities, see the entire threefold universe complete with its elements and the living beings with their senses, sense objects, mind, intelligence and false ego.

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. (Vedabase)

 

Text 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 in the calves of the virâth-purusha, the aerial beings in the knees of the gigantic form and in His thighs he saw the different types of demigods.

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. (Vedabase)

 

Text 24

He recognized the evening twilight in His garment, he saw the founding fathers in His private parts, he saw himself together with his spokesmen in His hips, 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'] he saw the stellar signs.

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. (Vedabase)

 

Text 25-29

In His heart my best one, he saw the dharma, in the chest of Murâri he saw pleasing words and truthfulness and in His mind he saw the moon. In His bosom he found the goddess who always carries a lotus in her hands, and in His neck there was the complete of all the Vedic sound vibrations. In His arms he recognized all the gods led by Indra, in His ears all the directions were found, the luminaries formed the top of His head, the clouds were His hair, the whispers of the wind were in His nostrils, His eyes were the sun and in His mouth he saw the [sacrificial] fire. In His speech he heard the hymns of praise, he saw the god of the waters in His tongue, His eyebrows were the warnings and regulations, His eyelids were the night and the day, he saw anger in the Supreme Person's forehead and greed was situated in His lips. Lust was His touch, oh King, water was His semen, His back was irreligion, His marvels were found in the sacrificial ceremonies, in His shadows he saw death, the illusory energy was present in His smiles and in the hairs on His body he recognized the herbs and plants. With the rivers for His veins, the stones for His nails and with Lord Brahmâ, the demigods and the sages for His intelligence, Bali saw all the moving and stationary living entities in the senses of His body [see also 2.1, 2.6, 3.12: 37-47 and B.G. 11].

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]. (Vedabase)

  

Text 30-31

When the Asuras observed this entirety of all the worlds and souls, they were perturbed, oh King. Being faced with the Sudars'ana disc with its unbearable heat and the bow S'ârnga resounding like thunder, the loud sound of His conch shell the Pâñcajanya and the great force of Vishnu's club the Kaumodakî, His sword the Vidyâdhara, the shield with the hundred moons and also His supreme quiver of arrows named Akshayasâyaka, drove them to desperation.

When the Asuras observed this complete of the worlds and all souls, received they, o King, this with lamentation: the Sudars'ana disc with its unbearable heat and the bow S'ârnga resounding like the thunder, the loud sound of His conchshell the Pâñcajanya and the great force of Vishnu's club the Kaumodakî, His sword the Vidyâdhara, the shield with the hundred moons and also His quiver of arrows named Akshayasâyaka. (Vedabase)

 

Text 32-33

His associates led by Sunanda and the other leaders and local divinities offered prayers to Him standing there with His brilliant helmet, bracelets and fish-shaped earrings, His S'rîvatsa-mark, the best of all jewels [the Kaustubha], His belt, yellow dress and His flower garland with bees about it. Oh King, manifesting Himself thus the Supreme Lord Urukrama covered with one footstep the entire surface of Bali's world, covered the sky with His body and covered the directions with His arms.

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. (Vedabase)

 

Text 34

Making the second step He covered all the heavenly places and for the third step not a single spot of land remained, for Lord Urukrama with His stepping now had reached farther than the farthest place beyond Maharloka, Janaloka and Tapoloka [see also 5.17: 1].'

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]. (Vedabase)

 

*: Prabhupâda: '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.

 

 

 

 

 

Creative Commons License
The text and audio are offered under the conditions of the
Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-Share Alike 3.0 Unported License.
The picture is an Indian cave temple relief of Lord Trivikrama (Vâmana) ,
date: 600-700 c.e,
cave2, Badami, Bagalkot District in the north part of Karnataka, India.
Source:
Indian Temple Architecture and sculpture blog.
Production:
Filognostic Association of The Order of Time


  

 

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