The Demigods Regain the Heavenly planes
Summary
8.23
This chapter describes how Bali Maharaja, along with his grandfather Prahlada Maharaja, entered the plane Sutala and how the Supreme Personality of Godhead allowed Indra to reenter the heavenly plane.
The great soul Bali Maharaja experienced that the highest gain in life is to attain devotional service under the shelter of the Lord’s lotus feet in full surrender.
Being fixed in this conclusion, his heart full of ecstatic devotion and his eyes full of tears, he offered obeisances to the Personality of Godhead and then, with his associates, entered the plane known as Sutala.
Thus the Supreme Personality of Godhead satisfied the desire of Aditi and reinstalled Lord Indra.
Prahlada Maharaja, being aware of Bali’s release from arrest, then described the transcendental pastimes of the Supreme Personality of Godhead in this material world.
Prahlada Maharaja praised the Supreme Lord for creating the material world, for being equal to everyone and for being extremely liberal to the devotees, just like a desire tree.
Indeed, Prahlada Maharaja said that the Lord is kind not only to His devotees but also to the demons.
In this way he described the unlimited causeless mercy of the Supreme Personality of Godhead.
Then, with folded hands, he offered his respectful obeisances unto the Lord, and after circumambulating the Lord he also entered the plane Sutala in accordance with the Lord’s order.
The Lord then ordered Sukracarya to describe Bali Maharaja’s faults and discrepancies in executing the sacrificial ceremony.
Sukracarya became free from fruitive actions by chanting the holy name of the Lord, and he explained how chanting can diminish all the faults of the conditioned soul.
He then completed Bali Maharaja’s sacrificial ceremony.
All the great saintly persons accepted Lord Vamanadeva as the benefactor of Lord Indra because He had returned Indra to his heavenly plane.
They accepted the Supreme Personality of Godhead as the maintainer of all the affairs of the universe.
Being very happy, Indra, along with his associates, placed Vamanadeva before him and reentered the heavenly plane in their airplane.
Having seen the wonderful activities of Lord Visnu in the sacrificial arena of Bali Maharaja, all the demigods, saintly persons, Pitas, Bhutas and Siddhas glorified the Lord again and again.
The chapter concludes by saying that the most auspicious function of the conditioned soul is to chant and hear about the glorious activities of Lord Visnu.
8.23.1
sri-suka uvaca
ity uktavantam purusam puratanam
mahanubhavo ’khila-sadhu-sammatah
baddhanjalir baspa-kalakuleksano
bhakty-utkalo gadgadaya girabravit
SYNONYMS
sri-sukah uvaca—Sri Sukadeva Gosvami said; iti—thus; uktavantam—upon the order of the Supreme Personality of Godhead; purusam—unto the Supreme Personality of Godhead; puratanam—the oldest of everyone; maha-anubhavah—Bali Maharaja, who was a great and exalted soul; akhila-sadhu-sammatah—as approved by all saintly persons; baddha-anjalih—with folded hands; baspa-kala-akula-iksanah—whose eyes were filled with tears; bhakti-utkalah—full of ecstatic devotion; gadgadaya—which were faltering in devotional ecstasy; gira—by such words; abravit—said.
TRANSLATION
Sukadeva Gosvami said: When the supreme, ancient, eternal Personality of Godhead had thus spoken to Bali Maharaja, who is universally accepted as a pure devotee of the Lord and therefore a great soul, Bali Maharaja, his eyes filled with tears, his hands folded and his voice faltering in devotional ecstasy, responded as follows.
8.23.2
sri-balir uvaca
aho pranamaya krtah samudyamah
prapanna-bhaktartha-vidhau samahitah
yal loka-palais tvad-anugraho ’marair
alabdha-purvo ’pasade ’sure ’rpitah
SYNONYMS
sri-balih uvaca—Bali Maharaja said; aho—alas; pranamaya—to offer my respectful obeisances; krtah—I did; samudyamah—only an endeavor; prapanna-bhakta-artha-vidhau—in the regulative principles observed by pure devotees; samahitah—is capable; yat—that; loka-palaih—by the leaders of various planes; tvat-anugrahah—Your causeless mercy; amaraih—by the demigods; alabdha-purvah—not achieved previously; apasade—unto a fallen person like me; asure—belonging to the asura community; arpitah—endowed.
TRANSLATION
Bali Maharaja said: What a wonderful effect there is in even attempting to offer respectful obeisances to You! I merely endeavored to offer You obeisances, but nonetheless the attempt was as successful as those of pure devotees.
The causeless mercy You have shown to me, a fallen demon, was never achieved even by the demigods or the leaders of the various planes.
PURPORT
When Vamanadeva appeared before Bali Maharaja, Bali Maharaja immediately wanted to offer Him respectful obeisances, but he was unable to do so because of the presence of Sukracarya and other demoniac associates.
The Lord is so merciful, however, that although Bali Maharaja did not actually offer obeisances but only endeavored to do so within his mind, the Supreme Personality of Godhead blessed him with more mercy than even the demigods could ever expect.
As confirmed in Bhagavad-gita (2.40), svalpam apy asya dharmasya trayate mahato bhayat: Even a little advancement on this path can protect one from the most dangerous type of fear The Supreme Personality of Godhead is known as bhava-grahi janardana because He takes only the essence of a devotee’s attitude.
If a devotee sincerely surrenders, the Lord, as the Supersoul in everyone’s heart, immediately understands this.
Thus even though, externally, a devotee may not render full service, if he is internally sincere and serious the Lord welcomes his service nonetheless.
Thus the Lord is known as bhava-grahi janardana because He takes the essence of one’s devotional mentality.
8.23.3
sri-suka uvaca
ity uktva harim anatya
brahmanam sabhavam tatah
vivesa sutalam prito
balir muktah sahasuraih
SYNONYMS
sri-sukah uvaca—Sri Sukadeva Gosvami said; iti uktva—saying this; harim—unto the Supreme Personality of Godhead, Hari; anatya—offering obeisances; brahmanam—unto Lord Brahma; sa-bhavam—with Lord Siva; tatah—thereafter; vivesa—he entered; sutalam—the plane Sutala; pritah—being fully satisfied; balih—Bali Maharaja; muktah—thus released; saha asuraih—with his asura associates.
TRANSLATION
Sukadeva Gosvami continued: After speaking in this way, Bali Maharaja offered his obeisances first to the Supreme Personality of Godhead, Hari, and then to Lord Brahma and Lord Siva.
Thus he was released from the bondage of the naga-pasa (the ropes of Varuna), and in full satisfaction he entered the plane known as Sutala.
8.23.4
evam indraya bhagavan
pratyaniya trivistapam
purayitvaditeh kamam
asasat sakalam jagat
SYNONYMS
evam—in this way; indraya—unto King Indra; bhagavan—the Supreme Personality of Godhead; pratyaniya—giving back; tri-vistapam—his supremacy in the heavenly planes; purayitva—fulfilling; aditeh—of Aditi; kamam—the desire; asasat—ruled; sakalam—complete; jagat—universe.
TRANSLATION
Thus having delivered the proprietorship of the heavenly planes to Indra and having fulfilled the desire of Aditi, mother of the demigods, the Supreme Personality of Godhead ruled the affairs of the universe.
8.23.5
labdha-prasadam nirmuktam
pautram vamsa-dharam balim
nisamya bhakti-pravanah
prahrada idam abravit
SYNONYMS
labdha-prasadam—who had achieved the blessings of the Lord; nirmuktam—who was released from bondage; pautram—his grandson; vamsa-dharam—the descendant; balim—Bali Maharaja; nisamya—after overhearing; bhakti-pravanah—in fully ecstatic devotion; prahradah—Prahlada Maharaja; idam—this; abravit—spoke.
TRANSLATION
When Prahlada Maharaja heard how Bali Maharaja, his grandson and descendant, had been released from bondage and had achieved the benediction of the Lord, he spoke as follows in a tone of greatly ecstatic devotion.
8.23.6
sri-prahrada uvaca
nemam virinco labhate prasadam
na srir na sarvah kim utapare ’nye
yan no ’suranam asi durga-palo
visvabhivandyair abhivanditanghrih
SYNONYMS
sri-prahradah uvaca—Prahlada Maharaja said; na—not; imam—this; virincah—even Lord Brahma; labhate—can achieve; prasadam—benediction; na—nor; srih—the goddess of fortune; na—nor; sarvah—Lord Siva; kim uta—what to speak of; apare anye—others; yat—which benediction; nah—of us; asuranam—the demons; asi—You have become; durga-palah—the maintainer; visva-abhivandyaih—by personalities like Lord Brahma and Lord Siva, who are worshiped all over the universe; abhivandita-anghrih—whose lotus feet are worshiped.
TRANSLATION
Prahlada Maharaja said: O Supreme Personality of Godhead, You are universally worshiped; even Lord Brahma and Lord Siva worship Your lotus feet.
Yet although You are such a great personality, You have kindly promised to protect us, the demons.
I think that such kindness has never been achieved even by Lord Brahma, Lord Siva or the goddess of fortune, Laksmi, what to speak of other demigods or common people.
PURPORT
The word durga-pala is significant.
The word durga means that which does not go very easily Generally durga refers to a fort, which one cannot very easily enter.
Another meaning of durga is difficulty Because the Supreme Personality of Godhead promised to protect Bali Maharaja and his associates from all dangers, He is addressed here as durga-pala, the Lord who gives protection from all miserable conditions.
8.23.7
yat-pada-padma-makaranda-nisevanena
brahmadayah saranadasnuvate vibhutih
kasmad vayam kusrtayah khala-yonayas te
daksinya-drsti-padavim bhavatah pranitah
SYNONYMS
yat—of whom; pada-padma—of the lotus flower of the feet; makaranda—of the honey; nisevanena—by tasting the sweetness of rendering service; brahma-adayah—great personalities like Lord Brahma; sarana-da—O my Lord, supreme shelter of everyone; asnuvate—enjoy; vibhutih—benedictions given by You; kasmat—how; vayam—we; ku-srtayah—all the rogues and thieves; khala-yonayah—born of an envious dynasty, namely that of the demons; te—those asuras; daksinya-drsti-padavim—the position bestowed by the merciful glance; bhavatah—of Your Lordship; pranitah—have achieved.
TRANSLATION
O supreme shelter of everyone, great personalities like Brahma enjoy their perfection simply by tasting the honey of rendering service at Your lotus feet.
But as for us, who are all rogues and debauchees born of an envious family of demons, how have we received Your mercy? It has been possible only because Your mercy is causeless.
8.23.8
citram tavehitam aho ’mita-yogamaya-
lila-visrsta-bhuvanasya visaradasya
sarvatmanah samadrso ’visamah svabhavo
bhakta-priyo yad asi kalpataru-svabhavah
SYNONYMS
citram—very wonderful; tava ihitam—all Your activities; aho—alas; amita—unlimited; yogamaya—of Your spiritual potency; lila—by the pastimes; visrsta-bhuvanasya—of Your Lordship, by whom all the universes have been created; visaradasya—of Your Lordship, who are expert in all respects; sarva-atmanah—of Your Lordship, who pervade all; sama-drsah—and who are equal toward all; avisamah—without differentiation; svabhavah—that is Your characteristic; bhakta-priyah—under the circumstances You become favorable to the devotees; yat—because; asi—You are; kalpataru-svabhavah—having the characteristic of a desire tree.
TRANSLATION
O my Lord, Your pastimes are all wonderfully performed by Your inconceivable spiritual energy; and by her perverted reflection, the material energy, You have created all the universes.
As the Supersoul of all living entities, You are aware of everything, and therefore You are certainly equal toward everyone.
Nonetheless, You favor Your devotees.
This is not partiality, however, for Your characteristic is just like that of a desire tree, which yields everything according to one’s desire.
PURPORT
The Lord says in Bhagavad-gita (9.29):
samo ’ham sarva-bhutesu
na me dvesyo ’sti na priyah
ye bhajanti tu mam bhaktya
mayi te tesu capy aham
I envy no one, nor am I partial to anyone.
I am equal to all.
But whoever renders service unto Me in devotion is a friend, is in Me, and I am also a friend to him The Supreme Personality of Godhead is certainly equal toward all living entities, but a devotee who fully surrenders at the lotus feet of the Lord is different from a nondevotee.
In other words, everyone can take shelter at the lotus feet of the Lord to enjoy equal benedictions from the Lord, but nondevotees do not do so, and therefore they suffer the consequences created by the material energy.
We can understand this fact by a simple example.
The king or government is equal to all citizens.
Therefore, if a citizen capable of receiving special favors from the government is offered such favors, this does not mean that the government is partial.
One who knows how to receive favors from the authority can receive them, but one who does not neglects these favors and does not receive them.
There are two classes of men—the demons and the demigods.
The demigods are fully aware of the Supreme Lord’s position, and therefore they are obedient to Him, but even if demons know about the supremacy of the Lord they purposely defy His authority.
Therefore, the Lord makes distinctions according to the mentality of the living being, but otherwise He is equal to everyone.
Like a desire tree, the Lord fulfills the desires of one who takes shelter of Him, but one who does not take such shelter is distinct from the surrendered soul.
One who takes shelter at the lotus feet of the Lord is favored by the Lord, regardless of whether such a person is a demon or a demigod.
8.23.9
sri-bhagavan uvaca
vatsa prahrada bhadram te
prayahi sutalalayam
modamanah sva-pautrena
jnatinam sukham avaha
SYNONYMS
sri-bhagavan uvaca—the Personality of Godhead said; vatsa—O My dear son; prahrada—O Prahlada Maharaja; bhadram te—all auspiciousness unto you; prayahi—please go; sutala-alayam—to the place known as Sutala; modamanah—in a spirit of jubilation; sva-pautrena—with your grandson (Bali Maharaja); jnatinam—of your relatives and friends; sukham—happiness; avaha—just enjoy.
TRANSLATION
The Supreme Personality of Godhead said: My dear son Prahlada, all good fortune unto you.
For the time being, please go to the place known as Sutala and there enjoy happiness with your grandson and your other relatives and friends.
8.23.10
nityam drastasi mam tatra
gada-panim avasthitam
mad-darsana-mahahlada-
dhvasta-karma-nibandhanah
SYNONYMS
nityam—constantly; drasta—the seer; asi—you shall be; mam—unto Me; tatra—there (in Sutalaloka); gada-panim—with a club in My hand; avasthitam—situated there; mat-darsana—by seeing Me in that form; maha-ahlada—by the great transcendental bliss; dhvasta—having been vanquished; karma-nibandhanah—the bondage of fruitive activities.
TRANSLATION
The Supreme Personality of Godhead assured Prahlada Maharaja: You shall be able to see Me there in My usual feature with conchshell, disc, club and lotus in My hand.
Because of your transcendental bliss due to always personally seeing Me, you will have no further bondage to fruitive activities.
PURPORT
Karma-bandha, the bondage of fruitive activities, entails the repetition of birth and death.
One performs fruitive activities in such a way that he creates another body for his next life.
As long as one is attached to fruitive activities, he must accept another material body.
This repeated acceptance of material bodies is called samsara-bandhana.
To stop this, a devotee is advised to see the Supreme Lord constantly.
The kanistha-adhikari, or neophyte devotee, is therefore advised to visit the temple every day and see the form of the Lord regularly.
Thus the neophyte devotee can be freed from the bondage of fruitive activities.
8.23.11-12
sri-suka uvaca
ajnam bhagavato rajan
prahrado balina saha
badham ity amala-prajno
murdhny adhaya krtanjalih
parikramyadi-purusam
sarvasura-camupatih
pranatas tad-anujnatah
pravivesa maha-bilam
SYNONYMS
sri-sukah uvaca—Sri Sukadeva Gosvami said; ajnam—the order; bhagavatah—of the Supreme Personality of Godhead; rajan—O King (Maharaja Pariksit); prahradah—Maharaja Prahlada; balina saha—accompanied by Bali Maharaja; badham—yes, sir, what You say is all right; iti—thus; amala-prajnah—Prahlada Maharaja, who had clear intelligence; murdhni—on his head; adhaya—accepting; krta-anjalih—with folded hands; parikramya—after circumambulating; adi-purusam—the supreme original person, Bhagavan; sarva-asura-camupatih—the master of all the chiefs of the demons; pranatah—after offering obeisances; tat-anujnatah—being permitted by Him (Lord Vamana); pravivesa—entered; maha-bilam—the plane known as Sutala.
TRANSLATION
Srila Sukadeva Gosvami said: Accompanied by Bali Maharaja, my dear King Pariksit, Prahlada Maharaja, the master of all the chiefs of the demons, took the Supreme Lord’s order on his head with folded hands.
After saying yes to the Lord, circumambulating Him and offering Him respectful obeisances, he entered the lower planeary system known as Sutala.
8.23.13
athahosanasam rajan
harir narayano ’ntike
asinam rtvijam madhye
sadasi brahma-vadinam
SYNONYMS
atha—thereafter; aha—said; usanasam—unto Sukracarya; rajan—O King; harih—the Supreme Personality of Godhead; narayanah—the Lord; antike—nearby; asinam—who was sitting; rtvijam madhye—in the group of all the priests; sadasi—in the assembly; brahma-vadinam—of the followers of Vedic principles.
TRANSLATION
Hari, the Supreme Personality of Godhead, Narayana, thereafter addressed Sukracarya, who was sitting nearby in the midst of the assembly with the priests (brahma, hota, udgata and adhvaryu).
O Maharaja Pariksit, these priests were all brahma-vadis, followers of the Vedic principles for performing sacrifices.
8.23.14
brahman santanu sisyasya
karma-cchidram vitanvatah
yat tat karmasu vaisamyam
brahma-drstam samam bhavet
SYNONYMS
brahman—O brahmana; santanu—please describe; sisyasya—of your disciple; karma-chidram—the discrepancies in the fruitive activities; vitanvatah—of he who was performing sacrifices; yat tat—that which; karmasu—in the fruitive activities; vaisamyam—discrepancy; brahma-drstam—when it is judged by the brahmanas; samam—equipoised; bhavet—it so becomes.
TRANSLATION
O best of the brahmanas, Sukracarya, please describe the fault or discrepancy in your disciple Bali Maharaja, who engaged in performing sacrifices.
This fault will be nullified when judged in the presence of qualified brahmanas.
PURPORT
When Bali Maharaja and Prahlada Maharaja had departed for the plane Sutala, Lord Visnu asked Sukracarya what the fault was in Bali Maharaja for which Sukracarya had cursed him.
It might be argued that since Bali Maharaja had now left the scene, how could his faults be judged? In reply to this, Lord Visnu informed Sukracarya that there was no need for Bali Maharaja’s presence, for his faults and discrepancies could be nullified if judged before the brahmanas.
As will be seen in the next verse, Bali Maharaja had no faults; Sukracarya had unnecessarily cursed him.
Nonetheless, this was better for Bali Maharaja.
Being cursed by Sukracarya, Bali Maharaja was deprived of all his possessions, with the result that the Supreme Personality of Godhead favored him for his strong faith in devotional service.
Of course, a devotee is not required to engage in fruitive activities.
As stated in the sastra, sarvarhanam acyutejya (Bhag.4.31.14).
By worshiping Acyuta, the Supreme Personality of Godhead, one satisfies everyone.
Because Bali Maharaja had satisfied the Supreme Personality of Godhead, there were no discrepancies in his performance of sacrifices.
8.23.15
sri-sukra uvaca
kutas tat-karma-vaisamyam
yasya karmesvaro bhavan
yajneso yajna-purusah
sarva-bhavena pujitah
SYNONYMS
sri-sukrah uvaca—Sri Sukracarya said; kutah—where is that; tat—of him (Bali Maharaja); karma-vaisamyam—discrepancy in discharging fruitive activities; yasya—of whom (Bali Maharaja); karma-isvarah—the master of all fruitive activities; bhavan—Your Lordship; yajna-isah—You are the enjoyer of all sacrifices; yajna-purusah—You are the person for whose pleasure all sacrifices are offered; sarva-bhavena—in all respects; pujitah—having worshiped.
TRANSLATION
Sukracarya said: My Lord, You are the enjoyer and lawgiver in all performances of sacrifice, and You are the yajna-purusa, the person to whom all sacrifices are offered.
If one has fully satisfied You, where is the chance of discrepancies or faults in his performances of sacrifice?
PURPORT
In Bhagavad-gita (5.29) the Lord says, bhoktaram yajna-tapasam sarva-loka-mahesvaram: the Lord, the supreme proprietor, is the actual person to he satisfied by the performance of yajnas.
Visnu Purana (3.8.9) says:
varnasramacaravata
purusena parah puman
visnur aradhyate pantha
nanyat tat-tosa-karanam
All the Vedic ritualistic sacrifices are performed for the purpose of satisfying Lord Visnu, the yajna-purusa.
The divisions of society—brahmana, ksatriya, vaisya, sudra, brahmacarya, grhastha, vanaprastha and sannyasa—are all meant to satisfy the Supreme Lord, Visnu.
To act according to this principle of the varnasrama institution is called varnasramacarana.
Srimad-Bhagavatam (1.2.13), Suta Gosvami says:
atah pumbhir dvija-srestha
varnasrama-vibhagasah
svanusthitasya dharmasya
samsiddhir hari-tosanam
O best among the twice-born, it is therefore concluded that the highest perfection one can achieve by discharging his prescribed duties according to caste divisions and orders of life is to please the Personality of Godhead Everything is meant to satisfy the Supreme Personality of Godhead.
Therefore, since Bali Maharaja had satisfied the Lord, he had no faults, and Sukracarya admitted that cursing him was not good.
8.23.16
mantratas tantratas chidram
desa-kalarha-vastutah
sarvam karoti nischidram
anusankirtanam tava
SYNONYMS
mantratah—in pronouncing the Vedic mantras improperly; tantratah—in insufficient knowledge for following regulative principles; chidram—discrepancy; desa—in the matter of country; kala—and time; arha—and recipient; vastutah—and paraphernalia; sarvam—all these; karoti—makes; nischidram—without discrepancy; anusankirtanam—constantly chanting the holy name; tava—of Your Lordship.
TRANSLATION
There may be discrepancies in pronouncing the mantras and observing the regulative principles, and, moreover, there may be discrepancies in regard to time, place, person and paraphernalia.
But when Your Lordship’s holy name is chanted, everything becomes faultless.
PURPORT
Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu has recommended:
harer nama harer nama
harer namaiva kevalam
kalau nasty eva nasty eva
nasty eva gatir anyatha
(Adi 17.21)
In this age of quarrel and hypocrisy the only means of deliverance is chanting the holy name of the Lord.
There is no other way.
There is no other way.
There is no other way (Brhan-naradiya Purana38.126) In this age of Kali, it is extremely difficult to perform Vedic ritualistic ceremonies or sacrifices perfectly.
Hardly anyone can chant the Vedic mantras with perfect pronunciation or accumulate the paraphernalia for Vedic performances.
Therefore the sacrifice recommended in this age is sankirtana, constant chanting of the holy name of the Lord.
Yajnaih sankirtana-prayair yajanti hi sumedhasah (Bhag.11.5.29).
Instead of wasting time performing Vedic sacrifices, those who are intelligent, those who possess good brain substance, should take to the chanting of the Lord’s holy name and thus perform sacrifice perfectly.
I have seen that many religious leaders are addicted to performing yajnas and spending hundreds and thousands of rupees for imperfect sacrificial performances.
This is a lesson for those who unnecessarily execute such imperfect sacrifices.
We should take the advice of Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu (yajnaih sankirtana-prayair yajanti hi sumedhasah).
Although Sukracarya was a strict brahmana addicted to ritualistic activities, he also admitted, nischidram anusankirtanam tava: My Lord, constant chanting of the holy name of Your Lordship makes everything perfect In Kali-yuga the Vedic ritualistic ceremonies cannot be performed as perfectly as before.
Therefore Srila Jiva Gosvami has recommended that although one should take care to follow all the principles in every kind of spiritual activity, especially in worship of the Deity, there is still a chance of discrepancies, and one should compensate for this by chanting the holy name of the Supreme Personality of Godhead.
In our Krsna consciousness movement we therefore give special stress to the chanting of the Hare Krsna mantra in all activities.
8.23.17
tathapi vadato bhuman
karisyamy anusasanam
etac chreyah param pumsam
yat tavajnanupalanam
SYNONYMS
tathapi—although there was no fault on the part of Bali Maharaja; vadatah—because of your order; bhuman—O Supreme; karisyami— I must execute; anusasanam—because it is Your order; etat—this is; sreyah—that which is the most auspicious; param—supreme; pumsam—of all persons; yat—because; tava ajna-anupalanam—to obey Your order.
TRANSLATION
Lord Visnu, I must nonetheless act in obedience to Your order because obeying Your order is most auspicious and is the first duty of everyone.
8.23.18
sri-suka uvaca
pratinandya harer ajnam
usana bhagavan iti
yajna-cchidram samadhatta
baler viprarsibhih saha
SYNONYMS
sri-sukah uvaca—Sri Sukadeva Gosvami said; pratinandya—offering all obeisances; hareh—of the Personality of Godhead; ajnam—the order; usanah—Sukracarya; bhagavan—the most powerful; iti—thus; yajna-chidram—discrepancies in the performance of sacrifices; samadhatta—made it a point to fulfill; baleh—of Bali Maharaja; vipra-rsibhih—the best brahmanas; saha—along with.
TRANSLATION
Sukadeva Gosvami continued: In this way, the most powerful Sukracarya accepted the order of the Supreme Personality of Godhead with full respect.
Along with the best brahmanas, he began to compensate for the discrepancies in the sacrifices performed by Bali Maharaja.
8.23.19
evam baler mahim rajan
bhiksitva vamano harih
dadau bhratre mahendraya
tridivam yat parair hrtam
SYNONYMS
evam—thus; baleh—from Bali Maharaja; mahim—the land; rajan—O King Pariksit; bhiksitva—after begging; vamanah—His Lordship Vamana; harih—the Supreme Personality of Godhead; dadau—delivered; bhratre—unto His brother; maha-indraya—Indra, the King of heaven; tridivam—the planeary system of the demigods; yat—which; paraih—by others; hrtam—was taken.
TRANSLATION
O King Pariksit, thus having taken all the land of Bali Maharaja by begging, the Supreme Personality of Godhead, Lord Vamanadeva, delivered to His brother Indra all the land taken away by Indra’s enemy.
8.23.20-21
prajapati-patir brahma
devarsi-pitr-bhumipaih
daksa-bhrgv-angiro-mukhyaih
kumarena bhavena ca
kasyapasyaditeh prityai
sarva-bhuta-bhavaya ca
lokanam loka-palanam
akarod vamanam patim
SYNONYMS
prajapati-patih—the master of all Prajapatis; brahma—Lord Brahma; deva—with the demigods; rsi—with the great saintly persons; pitr—with the inhabitants of Pitrloka; bhumipaih—with the Manus; daksa—with Daksa; bhrgu—with Bhrgu Muni; angirah—with Angira Muni; mukhyaih—with all the chiefs of the various planeary systems; kumarena—with Karttikeya; bhavena—with Lord Siva; ca—also; kasyapasya—of Kasyapa Muni; aditeh—of Aditi; prityai—f or the pleasure; sarva-bhuta-bhavaya—for the auspiciousness of all living entities; ca—also; lokanam—of all planeary systems; loka-palanam—of the predominating persons in all planes; akarot—made; vamanam—Lord Vamana; patim—the supreme leader.
TRANSLATION
Lord Brahma (the master of King Daksa and all other Prajapatis), accompanied by all the demigods, the great saintly persons, the inhabitants of Pitrloka, the Manus, the munis, and such leaders as Daksa, Bhrgu and Angira, as well as Karttikeya and Lord Siva, accepted Lord Vamanadeva as the protector of everyone.
He did this for the pleasure of Kasyapa Muni and his wife Aditi and for the welfare of all the inhabitants of the universe, including their various leaders.
8.23.22-23
vedanam sarva-devanam
dharmasya yasasah sriyah
mangalanam vratanam ca
kalpam svargapavargayoh
upendram kalpayam cakre
patim sarva-vibhutaye
tada sarvani bhutani
bhrsam mumudire nrpa
SYNONYMS
vedanam—(for the protection) of all the Vedas; sarva-devanam—of all the demigods; dharmasya—of all principles of religion; yasasah—of all fame; sriyah—of all opulences; mangalanam—of all auspiciousness; vratanam ca—and of all vows; kalpam—the most expert; svarga-apavargayoh—of elevation to the heavenly planes or liberation from material bondage; upendram—Lord Vamanadeva; kalpayam cakre—they made it the plan; patim—the master; sarva-vibhutaye—for all purposes; tada—at that time; sarvani—all; bhutani—living entities; bhrsam—very much; mumudire—became happy; nrpa—O King.
TRANSLATION
O King Pariksit, Indra was considered the King of all the universe, but the demigods, headed by Lord Brahma, wanted Upendra, Lord Vamanadeva, as the protector of the Vedas, the principles of religion, fame, opulence, auspiciousness, vows, elevation to the higher planeary system, and liberation.
Thus they accepted Upendra, Lord Vamanadeva, as the supreme master of everything.
This decision made all living entities extremely happy.
8.23.24
tatas tv indrah puraskrtya
deva-yanena vamanam
loka-palair divam ninye
brahmana canumoditah
SYNONYMS
tatah—thereafter; tu—but; indrah—the King of heaven; puraskrtya—keeping forward; deva-yanena—by an airplane used by the demigods; vamanam—Lord Vamana; loka-palaih—with the chiefs of all other planes; divam—to the heavenly planes; ninye—brought; brahmana—by Lord Brahma; ca—also; anumoditah—being approved.
TRANSLATION
Thereafter, along with all the leaders of the heavenly planes, Indra, the King of heaven, placed Lord Vamanadeva before him and, with the approval of Lord Brahma, brought Him to the heavenly planet in a celestial airplane.
8.23.25
prapya tri-bhuvanam cendra
upendra-bhuja-palitah
sriya paramaya justo
mumude gata-sadhvasah
SYNONYMS
prapya—after obtaining; tri-bhuvanam—the three worlds; ca—also; indrah—the King of heaven; upendra-bhuja-palitah—being protected by the arms of Vamanadeva, Upendra; sriya—by opulence; paramaya—by supreme; justah—thus being served; mumude—enjoyed; gata-sadhvasah—without fear of the demons.
TRANSLATION
Indra, King of heaven, being protected by the arms of Vamanadeva, the Supreme Personality of Godhead, thus regained his rule of the three worlds and was reinstated in his own position, supremely opulent, fearless and fully satisfied.
8.23.26-27
brahma sarvah kumaras ca
bhrgv-adya munayo nrpa
pitarah sarva-bhutani
siddha vaimanikas ca ye
sumahat karma tad visnor
gayantah param adbhutam
dhisnyani svani te jagmur
aditim ca sasamsire
SYNONYMS
brahma—Lord Brahma; sarvah—Lord Siva; kumarah ca—also Lord Karttikeya; bhrgu-adyah—headed by Bhrgu Muni, one of the seven rsis; munayah—the saintly persons; nrpa—O King; pitarah—the inhabitants of Pitrloka; sarva-bhutani—other living entities; siddhah—the residents of Siddhaloka; vaimanikah ca—human beings who can travel everywhere in outer space by airplane; ye—such persons; sumahat—highly praiseworthy; karma—activities; tat—all those (activities); visnoh—done by Lord Visnu; gayantah—glorifying; param adbhutam—uncommon and wonderful; dhisnyani—to their respective planes; svani—own; te—all of them; jagmuh—departed; aditim ca—as well as Aditi; sasamsire—praised all these activities of the Lord.
TRANSLATION
Lord Brahma, Lord Siva, Lord Karttikeya, the great sage Bhrgu, other saintly persons, the inhabitants of Pitrloka and all other living entities present, including the inhabitants of Siddhaloka and living entities who travel in outer space by airplane, all glorified the uncommon activities of Lord Vamanadeva.
O King, while chanting about and glorifying the Lord, they returned to their respective heavenly planes.
They also praised the position of Aditi.
8.23.28
sarvam etan mayakhyatam
bhavatah kula-nandana
urukramasya caritam
srotrnam agha-mocanam
SYNONYMS
sarvam—all; etat—these incidents; maya—by me; akhyatam—have been described; bhavatah—of you; kula-nandana—O Maharaja Pariksit, the pleasure of your dynasty; urukramasya—of the Supreme Personality of Godhead; caritam—activities; srotrnam—of the audience; agha-mocanam—such hearing of the Lord’s activities certainly vanquishes the results of sinful activities.
TRANSLATION
O Maharaja Pariksit, pleasure of your dynasty, I have now described to you everything about the wonderful activities of the Supreme Personality of Godhead Vamanadeva.
Those who hear about this are certainly freed from all the results of sinful activities.
8.23.29
param mahimna uruvikramato grnano
yah parthivani vimame sa rajamsi martyah
kim jayamana uta jata upaiti martya
ity aha mantra-drg rsih purusasya yasya
SYNONYMS
param—the measurement; mahimnah—of the glories; uruvikramatah—of the Supreme Personality of Godhead, who acts wonderfully; grnanah—can count; yah—a person who; parthivani—of the whole plane earth; vimame—can count; sah—he; rajamsi—the atoms; martyah—a human being who is subject to death; kim—what; jayamanah—one who will take birth in the future; uta—either; jatah—one who is already born; upaiti—can do; martyah—a person subject to death; iti—thus; aha—said; mantra-drk—who could foresee the Vedic mantras; rsih—the great saintly Vasistha Muni; purusasya—of the supreme person; yasya—of whom.
TRANSLATION
One who is subject to death cannot measure the glories of the Supreme Personality of Godhead, Trivikrama, Lord Visnu, any more than he can count the number of atoms on the entire plane earth.
No one, whether born already or destined to take birth, is able to do this.
This has been sung by the great sage Vasistha.
PURPORT
Vasistha Muni has given a mantra about Lord Visnu: na te visnor jayamano na jato mahimnah param anantam apa.
No one can estimate the extent of the uncommonly glorious activities of Lord Visnu.
Unfortunately, there are so-called scientists who are subject to death at every moment but are trying to understand by speculation the wonderful creation of the cosmos.
This is a foolish attempt.
Long, long ago, Vasistha Muni said that no one in the past could measure the glories of the Lord and that no one can do so in the future.
One must simply be satisfied with seeing the glorious activities of the Supreme Lord’s creation.
The Lord therefore says in Bhagavad-gita (10.42), vistabhyaham idam krtsnam ekamsena sthito jagat: With a single fragment of Myself, I pervade and support this entire universe The material world consists of innumerable universes, each one full of innumerable planes, which are all considered to be products of the Supreme Personality of Godhead’s material energy.
Yet this is only one fourth of God’s creation.
The other three fourths of creation constitute the spiritual world.
Among the innumerable planes in only one universe, the so-called scientists cannot understand even the moon and Mars, but they try to defy the creation of the Supreme Lord and His uncommon energy.
Such men have been described as crazy.
Nunam pramattah kurute vikarma (Bhag.5.5.4).
Such crazy men unnecessarily waste time, energy and money in attempting to defy the glorious activities of Urukrama, the Supreme Personality of Godhead.
8.23.30
ya idam deva-devasya
harer adbhuta-karmanah
avataranucaritam
srnvan yati param gatim
SYNONYMS
yah—anyone who; idam—this; deva-devasya—of the Supreme Personality of Godhead, who is worshiped by the demigods; hareh—of Lord Krsna, Hari; adbhuta-karmanah—whose activities are all wonderful; avatara-anucaritam—activities performed in His different incarnations; srnvan—if one continues to hear; yati—he goes; param gatim—to the supreme perfection, back home, back to Godhead.
TRANSLATION
If one hears about the uncommon activities of the Supreme Personality of Godhead in His various incarnations, he is certainly elevated to the higher planeary system or even brought back home, back to Godhead.
8.23.31
kriyamane karmanidam
daive pitrye ’tha manuse
yatra yatranukirtyeta
tat tesam sukrtam viduh
SYNONYMS
kriyamane—upon the performance; karmani—of a ritualistic ceremony; idam—this description of the characteristics of Vamanadeva; daive—to please the demigods; pitrye—or to please the forefathers, as in a sraddha ceremony; atha—either; manuse—for the pleasure of human society, as in marriages; yatra—wherever; yatra—whenever; anukirtyeta—is described; tat—that; tesam—for them; sukrtam—auspicious; viduh—everyone should understand.
TRANSLATION
Whenever the activities of Vamanadeva are described in the course of a ritualistic ceremony, whether the ceremony be performed to please the demigods, to please one’s forefathers in Pitrloka, or to celebrate a social event like a marriage, that ceremony should be understood to be extremely auspicious.
PURPORT
There are three kinds of ceremonies—specifically, ceremonies to please the Supreme Personality of Godhead or the demigods, those performed for social celebrations like marriages and birthdays, and those meant to please the forefathers, like the sraddha ceremony.
In all these ceremonies, large amounts of money are spent for various activities, but here it is suggested that if along with this there is recitation of the wonderful activities of Vamanadeva, certainly the ceremony will be carried out successfully and will be free of all discrepancies.