Srimad Bhagavatam

Canto 8: Withdrawal of the Cosmic Creations
Chapter 15: Bali Maharaja Conquers the Heavenly Planets

Text 0: Chapter Summary
Text* 1-2: MahÄrÄja ParÄ«ká¹£it inquired: The Supreme Personality of Godhead is the proprietor of everything. Why did He beg three paces of land from Bali MahÄrÄja like a poor man, and when He got the gift for which He had begged, why did He nonetheless arrest Bali MahÄrÄja? I am very much anxious to know the mystery of these contradictions.
Text* 3: Åšukadeva GosvÄmÄ« said: O King, when Bali MahÄrÄja lost all his opulence and died in the fight, ÅšukrÄcÄrya, a descendant of Bhá¹›gu Muni, brought him back to life. Because of this, the great soul Bali MahÄrÄja became a disciple of ÅšukrÄcÄrya and began to serve him with great faith, offering everything he had.
Text* 4: The brÄhmaṇa descendants of Bhá¹›gu Muni were very pleased with Bali MahÄrÄja, who desired to conquer the kingdom of Indra. Therefore, after purifying him and properly bathing him according to regulative principles, they engaged him in performing the yajña known as ViÅ›vajit.
Text* 5: When ghee [clarified butter] was offered in the fire of sacrifice, there appeared from the fire a celestial chariot covered with gold and silk. There also appeared yellow horses like those of Indra, and a flag marked with a lion.
Text* 6: A gilded bow, two quivers of infallible arrows, and celestial armor also appeared. Bali MahÄrÄja’s grandfather PrahlÄda MahÄrÄja offered Bali a garland of flowers that would never fade, and ÅšukrÄcÄrya gave him a conchshell.
Text* 7: When MahÄrÄja Bali had thus performed the special ritualistic ceremony advised by the brÄhmaṇas and had received, by their grace, the equipment for fighting, he circumambulated the brÄhmaṇas and offered them obeisances. He also saluted PrahlÄda MahÄrÄja and offered obeisances to him.
Text* 8-9: Then, after getting on the chariot given by ÅšukrÄcÄrya, Bali MahÄrÄja, decorated with a nice garland, put protective armor on his body, equipped himself with a bow, and took up a sword and a quiver of arrows. When he sat down on the seat of the chariot, his arms decorated with golden bangles and his ears with sapphire earrings, he shone like a worshipable fire.
Text* 10-11: When he assembled with his own soldiers and the demon chiefs, who were equal to him in strength, opulence and beauty, they appeared as if they would swallow the sky and burn all directions with their vision. After thus gathering the demoniac soldiers, Bali MahÄrÄja departed for the opulent capital of Indra. Indeed, he seemed to make the entire surface of the world tremble.
Text* 12: King Indra’s city was full of pleasing orchards and gardens, such as the Nandana garden. Because of the weight of the flowers, leaves and fruit, the branches of the eternally existing trees were bending down. The gardens were visited by pairs of chirping birds and singing bees. The entire atmosphere was celestial.
Text* 13: Beautiful women protected by the demigods sported in the gardens, which had lotus ponds full of swans, cranes, cakravÄkas and ducks.
Text* 14: The city was surrounded by trenches full of Ganges water, known as Ä€kÄÅ›a-gaá¹…gÄ, and by a high wall, which was the color of fire. Upon this wall were parapets for fighting.
Text* 15: The doors were made of solid gold plates, and the gates were of excellent marble. These were linked by various public roads. The entire city had been constructed by ViÅ›vakarmÄ.
Text* 16: The city was full of courtyards, wide roads, assembly houses, and not less than one hundred million airplanes. The crossroads were made of pearl, and there were sitting places made of diamond and coral.
Text 17: Everlastingly beautiful and youthful women, who were dressed with clean garments, glittered in the city like fires with flames. They all possessed the quality of Å›yÄmÄ.
Text* 18: The breezes blowing in the streets of the city bore the fragrance of the flowers falling from the hair of the women of the demigods.
Text* 19: ApsarÄs passed on the streets, which were covered with the white, fragrant smoke of aguru incense emanating from windows with golden filigree.
Text* 20: The city was shaded by canopies decorated with pearls, and the domes of the palaces had flags of pearl and gold. The city always resounded with the vibrations of peacocks, pigeons and bees, and above the city flew airplanes full of beautiful women who constantly chanted auspicious songs that were very pleasing to the ear.
Text* 21: The city was filled with the sounds of mṛdaṅgas, conchshells, kettledrums, flutes and well-tuned stringed instruments all playing in concert. There was constant dancing and the Gandharvas sang. The combined beauty of Indrapurī defeated beauty personified.
Text* 22: No one who was sinful, envious, violent toward other living entities, cunning, falsely proud, lusty or greedy could enter that city. The people who lived there were all devoid of these faults.
Text* 23: Bali MahÄrÄja, who was the commander of numberless soldiers, gathered his soldiers outside this abode of Indra and attacked it from all directions. He sounded the conchshell given him by his spiritual master, ÅšukrÄcÄrya, thus creating a fearful situation for the women protected by Indra.
Text* 24: Seeing Bali MahÄrÄja’s indefatigable endeavor and understanding his motive, King Indra, along with the other demigods, approached his spiritual master, Bá¹›haspati, and spoke as follows.
Text* 25: My lord, our old enemy Bali MahÄrÄja now has new enthusiasm, and he has obtained such astonishing power that we think that perhaps we cannot resist his prowess.
Text* 26: No one anywhere can counteract this military arrangement of Bali’s. It now appears that Bali is trying to drink up the entire universe with his mouth, lick up the ten directions with his tongue, and raise fire in every direction with his eyes. Indeed, he has arisen like the annihilating fire known as saá¹vartaka.
Text* 27: Kindly inform me. What is the cause for Bali MahÄrÄja’s strength, endeavor, influence and victory? How has he become so enthusiastic?
Text 28: Bá¹›haspati, the spiritual master of the demigods, said: O Indra, I know the cause for your enemy’s becoming so powerful. The brÄhmaṇa descendants of Bhá¹›gu Muni, being pleased by Bali MahÄrÄja, their disciple, endowed him with such extraordinary power.
Text* 29: Neither you nor your men can conquer the most powerful Bali. Indeed, no one but the Supreme Personality of Godhead can conquer him, for he is now equipped with the supreme spiritual power [brahma-tejas]. As no one can stand before YamarÄja, no one can now stand before Bali MahÄrÄja.
Text* 30: Therefore, waiting until the situation of your enemies is reversed, you should all leave this heavenly planet and go elsewhere, where you will not be seen.
Text 31: Bali MahÄrÄja has now become extremely powerful because of the benedictions given him by the brÄhmaṇas, but when he later insults the brÄhmaṇas, he will be vanquished, along with his friends and assistants.
Text 32: Åšukadeva GosvÄmÄ« continued: The demigods, being thus advised by Bá¹›haspati for their benefit, immediately accepted his words. Assuming forms according to their desire, they left the heavenly kingdom and scattered, without being observed by the demons.
Text* 33: When the demigods had disappeared, Bali MahÄrÄja, the son of Virocana, entered the heavenly kingdom, and from there he brought the three worlds under his control.
Text 34: The brÄhmaṇa descendants of Bhá¹›gu, being very pleased with their disciple, who had conquered the entire universe, now engaged him in performing one hundred aÅ›vamedha sacrifices.
Text* 35: When Bali MahÄrÄja performed these sacrifices, he gained a great reputation in all directions, throughout the three worlds. Thus he shone in his position, like the brilliant moon in the sky.
Text 36: Because of the favor of the brÄhmaṇas, the great soul Bali MahÄrÄja, thinking himself very satisfied, became very opulent and prosperous and began to enjoy the kingdom.