yady uttamaśloka bhavān mameritaṁ
yady uttamaśloka bhavān mameritaṁ
vaco vyalīkaṁ sura-varya manyate
karomy ṛtaṁ tan na bhavet pralambhanaṁ
padaṁ tṛtīyaṁ kuru śīrṣṇi me nijam
Bali Mahārāja said: O most famous Lord, worshipped by all the devatās! If you think that my promise has become false, I shall make it true. I should not be made a cheater. Please, therefore, place your third lotus footstep on my head.
Bali addressed the Lord in a joking way, addressing him as Uttama-śloka. After begging as a dwarf for three steps of land you then attempted to take land by three steps as the gigantic form of Trivikrama. In this way you reveal your lack of desire as a brahmacārī without greed. We devotees become mad with bliss on drinking this nectar of your fame. Though you are the husband of Lakṣmī, you beg land from a beggar like me. You act disgracefully by desiring more land by trick, cheating brāhmaṇas in the guise of a brahmacārī, showing desire for material objects, exhibiting lack of peace, anger, and punishment to the a person who give, showing these as your natural qualities. You destroyed the intelligence of my gurus who had knowledge of scriptures. You sided with Indra and others who were barely touched with only a small drop of your mercy and you sided against me who became submerged in a great ocean of your sweet mercy. The poets thus glorify you as most famous.
“If you consider my words false” means that actually it will be impossible for you who desire to conquer unjustly your devotee, to make the words of your devotee false. O Lord worshipped by the devatās! This means that you have been requested by the devatās to take the land from me and give it to them for their enjoyment. I will make my promise true. My words should not be cheating. Your words however cheat the devatās, since you offer to give them artha, dharma and kāma, and not the nectar of your lotus feet, when they praise you. Put your third step on my head. Do not think that since you have covered the universe by two steps, there is no use in putting your foot on my head. This act will be greater than the wealth gained from your two steps, since your taking possession of the owner of the wealth is greater than taking possession of the wealth.
|| 8.22.3 ||
|
