samarhayÄm Äsa sa tau vibhÅ«tibhir
mahÄrha-vastrÄbharaṇÄnulepanaiḥ
tÄmbÅ«la-dÄ«pÄmá¹›ta-bhaká¹£aṇÄdibhiḥ
sva-gotra-vittÄtma-samarpaṇena ca
samarhayÄm Äsa - worshiped; saḥ - he; tau - Them; vibhÅ«tibhiḥ - with his riches; mahÄ-arha - greatly valuable; vastra - with garments; Äbharaṇa - ornaments; anulepanaiḥ - and fragrant pastes; tÄmbÅ«la - with betel nut; dÄ«pa - lamps; amá¹›ta - nectarean; bhaká¹£aṇa - food; Ädibhiḥ - and so on; sva - of his; gotra - family; vitta - of the wealth; Ätma - and of himself; samarpaṇena - with the offering; ca - and.
He worshiped Them with all the riches at his disposal — priceless clothing, ornaments, fragrant sandalwood paste, betel nut, lamps, sumptuous food and so on. Thus he offered Them all his family’s wealth, and also his own self.
Bali MahÄrÄja’s devotional attitude is renowned as the perfect example of complete self-surrender. When Lord Viṣṇu in the guise of a young brÄhmaṇa student approached him for charity, Bali offered all he possessed, and when he had nothing more to offer, he surrendered himself as the Supreme Lord’s eternal servant.
There are nine standard processes of devotional service, and the last, Ätma-samarpaṇam, as taught by Bali DaityarÄja, is the culmination toward which every endeavor should aim. If one tries to impress the Lord with wealth, power, intelligence and so on but fails to humbly understand oneself to be His servant, one’s so-called devotion is only a presumptuous show.
