SB 8.15.1-2 · Srimad Bhagavatam

Devanagari

श्रीराजोवाच

बले: पदत्रयं भूमे: कस्माद्धरिरयाचत ।

भूतेश्वर: कृपणवल्ल‍ब्धार्थोऽपि बबन्ध तम् ॥ १ ॥

एतद् वेदितुमिच्छामो महत्कौतूहलं हि न: ।

याच्ञेश्वरस्य पूर्णस्य बन्धनं चाप्यनागस: ॥ २ ॥

Verse text

śrī-rājovāca

baleḥ pada-trayaṁ bhūmeḥ

kasmād dharir ayācata

bhūteśvaraḥ kṛpaṇa-val

labdhārtho ’pi babandha tam

etad veditum icchāmo

mahat kautūhalaṁ hi naḥ

yācñeśvarasya pūrṇasya

bandhanaṁ cāpy anāgasaḥ

Synonyms

śrī-rājā uvāca — the King said ; baleḥ — of Bali Mahārāja ; pada-trayam — three steps ; bhūmeḥ — of land ; kasmāt — why ; hariḥ — the Supreme Personality of Godhead (in the form of Vāmana) ; ayācata — begged ; bhūta-īśvaraḥ — the proprietor of all the universe ; kṛpaṇa-vat — like a poor man ; labdha-arthaḥ — He got the gift ; api — although ; babandha — arrested ; tam — him (Bali) ; etat — all this ; veditum — to understand ; icchāmaḥ — we desire ; mahat — very great ; kautūhalam — eagerness ; hi — indeed ; naḥ — our ; yācṣā — begging ; īśvarasya — of the Supreme Personality of Godhead ; pūrṇasya — who is full in everything ; bandhanam — arresting ; ca — also ; api — although ; anāgasaḥ — of he who was faultless.

Translation

Mahārāja Parīkṣit inquired: The Supreme Personality of Godhead is the proprietor of everything. Why did He beg three paces of land from Bali Mahārāja like a poor man, and when He got the gift for which He had begged, why did He nonetheless arrest Bali Mahārāja? I am very much anxious to know the mystery of these contradictions.

Translation (Visvanatha Cakravarti Thakura)

Mahārāja Parīkṣit said: The Supreme Lord is the proprietor of everything. Why did the Lord of all beings beg three paces of land from Bali Mahārāja like a poor man, and when he got the gift for which he had begged, why did he nonetheless arrest Bali Mahārāja? I am very anxious to know the begging and binding up by the Lord who is complete in himself and faultless. The Fifteenth Chapter describes how Bali obtained a chariot and horses by performance of sacrifice, how he attained Svarga and how the devatās fled in fear.