Śukadeva Gosvāmī continued: When the Supreme Personality of Godhead, Vāmana deva, heard Bali Mahārāja speaking in this pleasing way, He was very satisfied, for Bali Mahārāja had spoken in terms of religious principles. Thus the Lord began to praise him. (1) The Supreme Personality of Godhead said: O King, you are indeed exalted because your present advisors are the brāhmaṇas who are de scendants of Bhṛgu and because your instructor for your future life is your grandfather, the peaceful and venerable Prahlāda Mahārāja. Your statements are very true, and they com pletely agree with religious etiquette. They are in keeping with the behavior of your family, and they enhance your reputation. (2)
I know that even until now, no one taking birth in your family has been poor-minded or miserly. No one has refused to give charity to brāhmaṇas, nor after promising to give charity has anyone failed to fulfill his promise. (3) O King Bali, never in your dynasty has the low-minded king been born who upon being requested has re fused charity to brāhmaṇas in holy places or a fight to kṣatriyas on a battlefield. And your dynasty is even more glorious due to the pres ence of Prahlāda Mahārāja, who is like the beautiful moon in the sky. (4) It was in your dynasty that Hiraṇyākṣa was born. Carrying only his own club, he wandered the globe alone, without assistance, to conquer all direc tions, and no hero he met could rival him. (5)
When delivering the earth from the Garbhodaka Sea, Lord Viṣṇu, in His incarna tion as a boar, killed Hiraṇyākṣa, who had ap peared before Him. The fight was severe, and the Lord killed Hiraṇyākṣa with great diffi culty. Later, as the Lord thought about the un common prowess of Hiraṇyākṣa, He felt Him self victorious indeed. (6) When Hiraṇyakaśipu heard the news of his brother’s being killed, with great anger he went to the residence of Viṣṇu, the killer of his brother, wanting to kill Lord Viṣṇu. (7) Seeing Hiraṇyakaśipu coming forward bearing a tri dent in his hand like personified death, Lord Viṣṇu, the best of all mystics and the knower of the progress of time, thought as follows. (8)
Wheresoever I go, Hiraṇyakaśipu will follow Me, as death follows all living entities. There fore it is better for Me to enter the core of his heart, for then, because of his power to see only externally, he will not see Me. (9) Lord Vāma nadeva continued: O King of the demons, after Lord Viṣṇu made this decision, He entered the body of His enemy Hiraṇyakaśipu, who was running after Him with great force. In a subtle body inconceivable to Hiraṇyakaśipu, Lord Viṣṇu, who was in great anxiety, entered Hiraṇyakaśipu’s nostril along with his breath. (10) Upon seeing that the residence of Lord Viṣṇu was vacant, Hiraṇyakaśipu began searching for Lord Viṣṇu everywhere. Angry at not seeing Him, Hiraṇyakaśipu screamed loudly and searched the entire universe, includ ing the surface of the earth, the higher planetary systems, all directions and all the caves and oceans. But Hiraṇyakaśipu, the greatest hero, did not see Viṣṇu anywhere. (11)
Unable to see Him, Hiraṇyakaśipu said, “I have searched the entire universe, but I could not find Viṣṇu, who has killed my brother. Therefore, He must cer tainly have gone to that place from which no one returns. [In other words, He must now be dead.]” (12) Hiraṇyakaśipu’s anger against Lord Viṣṇu persisted until his death. Other peo ple in the bodily concept of life maintain anger only because of false ego and the great influ ence of ignorance. (13) Your father, Virocana, the son of Mahārāja Prahlāda, was very affec tionate toward brāhmaṇas. Although he knew very well that it was the demigods who had come to him in the dress of brāhmaṇas, at their request he delivered to them the duration of his life. (14)
You also have observed the principles followed by great personalities who are house holder brāhmaṇas, by your forefathers and by great heroes who are extremely famous for their exalted activities. (15) O King of the Daityas, from Your Majesty, who come from such a noble family and who are able to give charity munificently, I ask only three paces of land, to the measurement of My steps. (16) O King, controller of the entire universe, although you are very munificent and are able to give Me as much land as I want, I do not want anything from you that is unnecessary. If a learned brāhmaṇa takes charity from others only ac cording to his needs, he does not become entan gled in sinful activities. (17)
Bali Mahārāja said: O son of a brāhmaṇa, Your instructions are as good as those of learned and elderly persons. Nonetheless, You are a boy, and Your intelligence is insufficient. Thus You are not very prudent in regard to Your self-interest. (18) I am able to give You an entire island because I am the proprietor of the three divisions of the universe. You have come to take something from me and have pleased me by Your sweet words, but You are asking only three paces of land. Therefore You are not very intelligent. (19) O small boy, one who approaches me to beg something should not have to ask anything more, anywhere. Therefore, if You wish, You may ask from me as much land as will suffice to maintain You according to Your needs. (20) The Personality of Godhead said: O my dear King, even the entirety of whatever there may be within the three worlds to satisfy one’s senses cannot satisfy a person whose senses are uncontrolled. (21)
If I were not satisfied with three paces of land, then surely I would not be satisfied even with possessing one of the seven islands, consisting of nine varṣas. Even if I pos sessed one island, I would hope to get others. (22) We have heard that although powerful kings like Mahārāja Pṛthu and Mahārāja Gaya achieved proprietorship over the seven dvīpas, they could not achieve satisfaction or find the end of their ambitions. (23) One should be sat isfied with whatever he achieves by his previ ous destiny, for discontent can never bring hap piness. A person who is not self-controlled will not be happy even with possessing the three worlds. (24) Material existence causes discon tent in regard to fulfilling one’s lusty desires and achieving more and more money. This is the cause for the continuation of material life, which is full of repeated birth and death. But one who is satisfied by that which is obtained by destiny is fit for liberation from this material existence. (25)
A brāhmaṇa who is satisfied with whatever is providentially obtained is in creasingly enlightened with spiritual power, but the spiritual potency of a dissatisfied brāhmaṇa decreases, as fire diminishes in po tency when water is sprinkled upon it. (26) Therefore, O King, from you, the best of those who give charity, I ask only three paces of land. By such a gift I shall be very pleased, for the way of happiness is to be fully satisfied to re ceive that which is absolutely needed. (27) Śukadeva Gosvāmī continued: When the Supreme Personality of Godhead had thus spo ken to Bali Mahārāja, Bali smiled and told Him, “All right. Take whatever You like.” To con firm his promise to give Vāmanadeva the de sired land, he then took up his waterpot. (28) Understanding Lord Viṣṇu’s purpose, Śukrācārya, the best of the learned, immedi ately spoke as follows to his disciple, who was about to offer everything to Lord Vāmanadeva. (29)
Śukrācārya said: O son of Virocana, this brahmacārī in the form of a dwarf is directly the imperishable Supreme Personality of Godhead, Viṣṇu. Accepting Kaśyapa Muni as His father and Aditi as His mother, He has now appeared in order to fulfill the interests of the demigods. (30) You do not know what a dangerous posi tion you have accepted by promising to give Him land. I do not think that this promise is good for you. It will bring great harm to the de mons. (31) This person falsely appearing as a brahmacārī is actually the Supreme Personality of Godhead, Hari, who has come in this form to take away all your land, wealth, beauty, power, fame and education. After taking everything from you, He will deliver it to Indra, your en emy. (32)
You have promised to give Him three steps of land in charity, but when you give it He will occupy the three worlds. You are a rascal! You do not know what a great mistake you have made. After giving everything to Lord Viṣṇu, you will have no means of livelihood. How then shall you live? (33) Vāmanadeva will first occupy the three worlds with one step, then He will take His second step and occupy everything in outer space, and then He will ex pand His universal body to occupy everything. Where will you offer Him the third step? (34) You will certainly be unable to fulfill your promise, and I think that because of this inabil ity your eternal residence will be in hell. (35) Learned scholars do not praise that charity which endangers one’s own livelihood. Char ity, sacrifice, austerity and fruitive activities are possible for one who is competent to earn his livelihood properly. [They are not possible for one who cannot maintain himself.] (36)
There fore one who is in full knowledge should divide his accumulated wealth in five partsfor reli gion, for reputation, for opulence, for sense gratification and for the maintenance of his family members. Such a person is happy in this world and in the next. (37) One might argue that since you have already promised, how can you refuse? O best of the demons, just take from me the evidence of the Bahvṛca-śruti, which says that a promise is truthful preceded by the word om and untruthful if not. (38) The Vedas enjoin that the factual result of the tree of the body is the good fruits and flowers de rived from it. But if the bodily tree does not ex ist, there is no possibility of factual fruits and flowers. Even if the body is based on untruth, there cannot be factual fruits and flowers with out the help of the bodily tree. (39)
When a tree is uprooted it immediately falls down and be gins to dry up. Similarly, if one doesn’t take care of the body, which is supposed to be un truthin other words, if the untruth is uproot edthe body undoubtedly becomes dry. (40) The utterance of the word om signifies separation from one’s monetary assets. In other words, by uttering this word one becomes free from at tachment to money because his money is taken away from him. To be without money is not very satisfactory, for in that position one cannot fulfill one’s desires. In other words, by using the word om one becomes poverty-stricken. Es pecially when one gives charity to a poor man or beggar, one remains unfulfilled in self-reali zation and in sense gratification. (41)
There fore, the safe course is to say no. Although it is a falsehood, it protects one completely, it draws the compassion of others toward oneself, and it gives one full facility to collect money from others for oneself. Nonetheless, if one always pleads that he has nothing, he is condemned, for he is a dead body while living, or while still breathing he should be killed. (42) In flattering a woman to bring her under control, in joking, in a marriage ceremony, in earning one’s live lihood, when one’s life is in danger, in protect ing cows and brahminical culture, or in protect ing a person from an enemy’s hand, falsity is never condemned. (43)
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