Devanagari
श्रीबलिरुवाच
यद्युत्तमश्लोक भवान् ममेरितं
वचो व्यलीकं सुरवर्य मन्यते ।
करोम्यृतं तन्न भवेत् प्रलम्भनं
पदं तृतीयं कुरु शीर्ष्णि मे निजम् ॥ २ ॥
Verse text
śrī-balir uvāca
yady uttamaśloka bhavān mameritaṁ
vaco vyalīkaṁ sura-varya manyate
karomy ṛtaṁ tan na bhavet pralambhanaṁ
padaṁ tṛtīyaṁ kuru śīrṣṇi me nijam
Synonyms
śrī
—
baliḥ uvāca — Bali Mahārāja said
;
yadi
—
if
;
uttamaśloka
—
O Supreme Lord
;
bhavān
—
Your good self
;
mama
—
my
;
īritam
—
promised
;
vacaḥ
—
words
;
vyalīkam
—
false
;
sura
—
varya — O greatest of all suras (demigods)
;
manyate
—
You think so
;
karomi
—
I shall make it
;
ṛtam
—
truth
;
tat
—
that (promise)
;
na
—
not
;
bhavet
—
will become
;
pralambhanam
—
cheating
;
padam
—
step
;
tṛtīyam
—
the third
;
kuru
—
just do it
;
śīrṣṇi
—
on the head
;
me
—
my
;
nijam
—
Your lotus feet .
Translation
Bali Mahārāja said: O best Personality of Godhead, most worshipable for all the demigods, if You think that my promise has become false, I shall certainly rectify matters to make it truthful. I cannot allow my promise to be false. Please, therefore, place Your third lotus footstep on my head.
Translation (Visvanatha Cakravarti Thakura)
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, showing anger and punishment to the person who gives. You show these as your natural qualities. You destroyed the intelligence of my guru who had knowledge of scriptures. You sided with Indra and others who were barely touched with 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.
Purport
Bali Mahārāja could understand the pretense of Lord Vāmanadeva, who had taken the side of the demigods and come before him as a beggar. Although the Lord’s purpose was to cheat him, Bali Mahārāja took pleasure in understanding how the Lord will cheat His devotee to glorify the devotee’s position. It is said that God is good, and this is a fact. Whether He cheats or rewards, He is always good. Bali Mahārāja therefore addressed Him as Uttamaśloka. “Your Lordship,” he said, “You are always praised with the best of selected verses. On behalf of the demigods, You disguised Yourself to cheat me, saying that You wanted only three paces of land, but later You expanded Your body to such an extent that with two footsteps You covered the entire universe. Because You were working on behalf of Your devotees, You do not regard this as cheating. Never mind. I cannot be considered a devotee. Nonetheless, because although You are the husband of the goddess of fortune You have come to me to beg, I must satisfy You to the best of my ability. So please do not think that I wanted to cheat You; I must fulfill my promise. I still have my body. When I place my body for Your satisfaction, please put Your third step on my head.” Since the Lord had covered the entire universe with two steps, one might ask how Bali Mahārāja’s head could be sufficient for His third step? Bali Mahārāja, however, thought that the possessor of wealth must be greater than the possession. Therefore although the Lord had taken all his possessions, the head of Bali Mahārāja, the possessor, would provide adequate place for the Lord’s third step.