SB 8.22.33

SB 8.22.33

Devanagari

इन्द्रसेन महाराज याहि भो भद्रमस्तु ते । सुतलं स्वर्गिभि: प्रार्थ्यं ज्ञातिभि: परिवारित: ॥ ३३ ॥

Verse text

indrasena mahārāja yāhi bho bhadram astu te sutalaṁ svargibhiḥ prārthyaṁ jṣātibhiḥ parivāritaḥ

Synonyms

indrasena O Mahārāja Bali ; mahārāja O King ; yāhi better go ; bhoḥ O King ; bhadram all auspiciousness ; astu let there be ; te unto you ; sutalam in the planet known as Sutala ; svargibhiḥ by the demigods ; prārthyam desirable ; jṣātibhiḥ by your family members ; parivāritaḥ surrounded .

Translation

O Bali Mahārāja [Indrasena], now you may go to the planet Sutala, which is desired even by the demigods. Live there peacefully, surrounded by your friends and relatives. All good fortune unto you.

Translation (Visvanatha Cakravarti Thakura)

O Bali Mahārāja! Now you may go to the planet Sutala, more desirable than Svarga, with your relatives. Good fortune to you! The Lord was speaking to Brahmā. Now he speaks directly to Bali. The Lord addresses him as a king. His position of king is not lost, because he has attained Sutala which is desired by the devatās but cannot be attained by them.

Purport

Bali Mahārāja was transferred from the heavenly planet to the planet Sutala, which is hundreds of times better than heaven, as indicated by the words svargibhiḥ prārthyam. When the Supreme Personality of Godhead deprives His devotee of material opulences, this does not mean that the Lord puts him into poverty; rather, the Lord promotes him to a higher position. The Supreme Personality of Godhead did not ask Bali Mahārāja to separate from his family; instead, the Lord allowed him to stay with his family members ( jṣātibhiḥ parivāritaḥ ).