NBS#160
NBS#160
NBS#160
Eternal Varëäçrama
Lord Vamanadeva Begs Charity
From Bali Maharaja Eternal Varëäçrama
Srila Sukadeva Goswami Srila Bhaktivinoda Thakura
Circulaton 31,699
Issue no 160, Page — 2 nityaà bhägavata-sevayä
your dynasty has the low-minded king been born
who upon being requested has refused charity to
brähmaëas in holy places or a fight to kñatriyas on
a battlefield. And your dynasty is even more glo-
rious due to the presence of Prahlada Maharaja,
who is like the beautiful moon in the sky. It was in
your dynasty that Hiranyaksa was born. Carrying
only his own club, he wandered the globe alone,
without assistance, to conquer all directions, and
no hero he met could rival him. When delivering
the earth from the Garbhodaka Sea, Lord Visnu,
in His incarnation as a boar, killed Hiranyaksa,
who had appeared before Him. The fight was
severe, and the Lord killed Hiranyaksa with
great difficulty. Later, as the Lord thought about
the uncommon prowess of Hiranyaksa, He felt
Him-self victorious indeed. When Hiranyakasipu
heard the news of his brother’s being killed, with
great anger he went to the residence of Visnu, the
killer of his brother, wanting to kill Lord Visnu.
Seeing Hiranyakasipu coming forward bearing a
trident in his hand like personified death, Lord
Visnu, the best of all mystics and the knower of
the progress of time, thought as follows.
Wheresoever I go, Hiranyakasipu will follow
Lord Vamanadeva Begs Charity Me, as death follows all living entities. There-
From Bali Maharaja fore, it is better for Me to enter the core of his
Srila Sukadeva Goswami heart, for then, because of his power to see only
externally, he will not see Me. O King of the de-
When the Supreme Personality of Godhead, mons, after Lord Visnu made this decision, He
Vamanadeva, heard Bali Maharaja speaking in entered the body of His enemy Hiranyakasipu,
this pleasing way, He was very satisfied, for Bali who was running after Him with great force. In
Maharaja had spoken in terms of religious princi- a subtle body inconceivable to Hiranyakasipu,
ples. For this reason, the Lord began to praise him. Lord Visnu, who was in great anxiety, entered
Hiranyakasipu’s nostril along with his breath.
The Supreme Personality of Godhead said: O Upon seeing that the residence of Lord Visnu
King, you are indeed exalted because your present was vacant, Hiranyakasipu began searching for
advisors are the brähmaëas who are descendants Lord Visnu everywhere. Angry at not seeing Him,
of Bhrgu and because your instructor for your Hiranyakasipu screamed loudly and searched the
future life is your grandfather, the peaceful and entire universe, including the surface of the earth,
venerable Prahlada Maharaja. Your statements are the higher planetary systems, all directions and
very true, and they completely agree with religious all the caves and oceans. But Hiranyakasipu, the
etiquette. They are in keeping with the behaviour greatest hero, did not see Visnu anywhere. Unable
of your family, and they enhance your reputation. to see Him, Hiranyakasipu said, “I have searched
I know that even until now, no one taking birth the entire universe, but I could not find Visnu,
in your family has been poor-minded or miserly. who has killed my brother. Therefore, He must
No one has refused to give charity to brähmaëas, certainly have gone to that place from which no
nor after promising to give charity has anyone one returns. [In other words, He must now be
failed to fulfill his promise. O King Bali, never in dead.]” Hiranyakasipu’s anger against Lord Visnu
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nityaà bhägavata-sevayä Issue no 160, Page—3
persisted until his death. Other people in the bodily satisfied with whatever he achieves by his previous
concept of life maintain anger only because of false destiny, for discontent can never bring happiness.
ego and the great influence of ignorance. Your fa- A person who is not self-controlled will not be
ther, Virocana, the son of Maharaja Prahlada, was happy even with possessing the three worlds.
very affectionate toward brähmaëas. Although he Material existence causes discontent in regard to
knew very well that it was the demigods who had fulfilling one’s lusty desires and achieving more
come to him in the dress of brähmaëas, at their and more money. This is the cause for the con-
request he delivered to them the duration of his tinuation of material life, which is full of repeated
life. You also have observed the principles followed birth and death. But one who is satisfied by that
by great personalities who are householder bräh- which is obtained by destiny is fit for liberation
maëas, by your forefathers and by great heroes who from this material existence. A brähmaëa who is
are extremely famous for their exalted activities. satisfied with whatever is providentially obtained
O King of the Daityas, from Your Majesty, who is increasingly enlightened with spiritual power,
come from such a noble family and who are able but the spiritual potency of a dissatisfied brähmaëa
to give charity munificently, I ask only three paces decreases, as fire diminishes in potency when water
of land, to the measurement of My steps. O King, is sprinkled upon it. Therefore, O King, from you,
controller of the entire universe, although you are the best of those who give charity, I ask only three
very munificent and are able to give Me as much paces of land. By such a gift I shall be very pleased,
land as I want, I do not want anything from you for the way of happiness is to be fully satisfied to
that is unnecessary. If a learned brähmaëa takes receive that which is absolutely needed.
charity from others only according to his needs, Sukadeva Gosvami continued: When the Su-
he does not become entangled in sinful activities. preme Personality of Godhead had thus spoken to
Bali Maharaja said: O son of a brähmaëa, Your
instructions are as good as those of learned and Bali Maharaja, Bali smiled and told Him, “All right.
elderly persons. Nonetheless, You are a boy, and Take whatever You like.” To confirm his promise to
Your intelligence is insufficient. Thus, You are not give Vamanadeva the desired land, he then took up
very prudent in regard to Your self-interest. I am his waterpot. Understanding Lord Visnu’s purpose,
able to give You an entire island because I am the Sukracarya, the best of the learned, immediately
proprietor of the three divisions of the universe. spoke as follows to his disciple, who was about to
You have come to take something from me and offer everything to Lord Vamanadeva.
have pleased me by Your sweet words, but You Sukracarya said: O son of Virocana, this brah-
are asking only three paces of land. Therefore, macäré in the form of a dwarf is directly the imper-
You are not very intelligent. O small boy, one who ishable Supreme Personality of Godhead, Visnu.
approaches me to beg something should not have Accepting Kasyapa Muni as His father and Aditi as
to ask anything more, anywhere. Therefore, if You His mother, He has now appeared in order to fulfil
wish, You may ask from me as much land as will the interests of the demigods. You do not know
suffice to maintain You according to Your needs. what a dangerous position you have accepted by
The Personality of Godhead said: O my dear promising to give Him land. I do not think that this
King, even the entirety of whatever there may promise is good for you. It will bring great harm
be within the three worlds to satisfy one’s senses to the demons. This person falsely appearing as a
cannot satisfy a person whose senses are uncon- brahmacäré is actually the Supreme Personality of
trolled. If I were not satisfied with three paces of Godhead, Hari, who has come in this form to take
land, then it is sure that I would not be satisfied away all your land, wealth, beauty, power, fame
even with possessing one of the seven islands, and education. After taking everything from you,
consisting of nine varñas. Even if I possessed one He will deliver it to Indra, your enemy. You have
island, I would hope to get others. We have heard promised to give Him three steps of land in charity,
that although powerful kings like Maharaja Prthu but when you give it to Him, He will occupy the
and Maharaja Gaya achieved proprietorship over three worlds. You are a rascal! You do not know
the seven dvépas, they could not achieve satisfaction what a great mistake you have made. After giving
or find the end of their ambitions. One should be everything to Lord Visnu, you will have no means
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Issue no 160, Page — 4 nityaà bhägavata-sevayä
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of livelihood. How then shall you live? Vama- toward oneself, and it gives one full facility to col-
nadeva will first occupy the three worlds with one lect money from others for oneself. Nonetheless,
step, then He will take His second step and oc- if one always pleads that he has nothing, he is
cupy everything in outer space, and then He will condemned, for he is a dead body while living, or
expand His universal body to occupy everything. while still breathing he should be killed.
Where will you offer Him the third step? You will My dear Bali, in flattering a woman to bring her
certainly be unable to fulfill your promise, and I under control, in joking, in a marriage ceremony,
think that because of this inability your eternal in earning one’s livelihood, when one’s life is in
residence will be in hell. Learned scholars do not danger, in protecting cows and brahminical cul-
praise that charity which endangers one’s own ture, or in protecting a person from an enemy’s
livelihood. Charity, sacrifice, austerity and fruitive hand, falsity is never condemned.
activities are possible for one who is competent - Çrémad-Bhägavatam (Bhägavata Puräëa) > Canto 8: Withdrawal of the
to earn his livelihood properly. [They are not Cosmic Creation > Chapter 19: Lord Vamanadeva begs charity from Bali
possible for one who cannot maintain himself.] Maharaja, Verses: 1-43
Therefore, one who is in full knowledge should
divide his accumulated wealth in five parts – that Scientific Spiritual Knowledge
which will be used for religion, for reputation, for His Divine Grace
opulence, for sense gratification and for the main- A.C.Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada
tenance of his family members. Such a person is
happy in this world and in the next.
One might argue that since you have already If happiness is the ultimate goal of life, one must
promised, how can you refuse? O best of the be satisfied with the position in which he is placed
demons just take from me the evidence of the by providence. This instruction is also given by
Bahvåca-çruti, which says that a promise is truthful Prahlada Maharaja (SB 7.6.3):
preceded by the word om and untruthful if not.
The Vedas enjoin that the factual result of the tree sukham aindriyakaà daityä
of the body is the good fruits and flowers derived deha-yogena dehinäm
from it. But if the bodily tree does not exist, there sarvatra labhyate daiväd
is no possibility of factual fruits and flowers. Even yathä duùkham ayatnataù
if the body is based on untruth, there cannot be
factual fruits and flowers without the help of the "The happiness perceived with reference to the
bodily tree. When a tree is uprooted it immediate- sense objects by contact with the body can be ob-
ly falls down and begins to dry up. Similarly, if one tained in any form of life, according to one's past
doesn’t take care of the body, which is supposed fruitive activities. Such happiness is automatically
to be untruth the body undoubtedly becomes dry. obtained without endeavour, just as we obtain
The utterance of the word om signifies separation distress." (SB 7.6.3) This philosophy is perfect in
from one’s monetary assets. In other words, by regard to obtaining happiness.
uttering this word, one becomes free from at-
tachment to money because his money is taken Real happiness is described in Bhagavad-gétä
away from him. To be without money is not very (6.21):
satisfactory, for in that position one cannot fulfil
one’s desires. In other words, by using the word sukham ätyantikaà yat tad
om one becomes poverty-stricken. Especially buddhi-grähyam aténdriyam
when one gives charity to a poor man or beggar, vetti yatra na caiväyaà
one remains unfulfilled in self-realization and in sthitaç calati tattvataù
sense gratification.
Therefore, the safest course of action is to deny "In the spiritually joyous state, one is situated in
him charity. Although it is a falsehood, it protects boundless transcendental happiness and enjoys
one completely, it draws the compassion of others
himself through transcendental senses. Established consciousness. Then he will be happy. The pur-
thus, one never departs from the truth." pose of the Krishna consciousness movement is to
One has to perceive happiness by the spiritual spread this understanding. People who do not have
senses. These “supersenses” are not the senses of scientific spiritual knowledge mistakenly think
the material elements. Every one of us is a spiritual that the members of the Krishna consciousness
being (ahaà brahmäsmi), and every one of us is movement are escapists trying to avoid material
an individual person. Our senses are now covered activities. However, the opposite is true - we are
by material elements, and because of ignorance we engaged in real activities for obtaining the ultimate
consider the material senses that cover us to be our happiness in life. If one is not trained to satisfy the
real senses. The real senses, however, are within spiritual senses and continues in material sense
the material covering. Dehino'smin yathä dehe: [Bg. gratification, he will never obtain happiness that
2.13] within the covering of the material elements is eternal and blissful. Çrémad-Bhägavatam (5.5.1)
are the spiritual senses. Sarvopädhi-vinirmuktaà therefore recommends:
tat-paratvena nirmalam: [CC. Madhya 19.170]
when the spiritual senses are uncovered, by these tapo divyaà putrakä yena sattvaà
senses we can be happy. Satisfaction of the spiritual çuddhyed yasmäd brahma-saukhyaà tv anantam
senses is thus described: håñékeëa Hrsikesa-sevanaà
bhaktir ucyate. When the senses are engaged in One must practice austerity so that his existen-
devotional service to Hrsikesa, then the senses are tial position will be purified and he will achieve
completely satisfied. Without this superior knowl- unlimited blissful life.
edge of sense gratification, one may try to satisfy - Çrémad-Bhägavatam (Bhägavata Puräëa) > Canto 8: Withdrawal of the
his material senses, but happiness will never be Cosmic Creation > Chapter 19 : Lord Vamanadeva begs charity from Bali
possible. One may increase his ambition for sense Maharaja, Verses: 24, Purport.
gratification and even achieve what he desires for
the gratification of his senses, but because this is
on the material platform, he will never achieve Eternal Varëäçrama
satisfaction and contentment. Srila Bhaktivinoda Thakura
According to brahminical culture, one should
be content with whatever he obtains without In the varëäçrama system human beings are
special endeavour and should cultivate spiritual divided according to their nature into the follow-