लोकान्विचक्रम इमान्यदथाधियज्ञः ।
क्ष्मां वामनेन जगृहे त्रिपदच्छलेन
याच्ञामृते पथि चरन्प्रभुभिर्न चाल्यः ॥१७॥
jyÄyÄn guṇair avarajo 'py aditeḥ sutÄnÄá¹
lokÄn vicakrama imÄn yad athÄdhiyajñaḥ
ká¹£mÄá¹ vÄmanena jagá¹›he tripada-cchalena
yÄcñÄm á¹›te pathi caran prabhubhir na cÄlyaḥ
jyÄyÄn - the greatest; guṇaiḥ - by qualities; avarajaḥ - transcendental; api - although He is so; aditeḥ - of Aditi; sutÄnÄm - of all the sons (known as Ä€dityas); lokÄn - all the planets; vicakrame - surpassed; imÄn - in this universe; yat - one who; atha - therefore; adhiyajñaḥ - the Supreme Personality of Godhead; ká¹£mÄm - all the lands; vÄmanena - in the incarnation of VÄmana; jagá¹›he - accepted; tripada - three steps; chalena - by pretension; yÄcñÄm - begging; á¹›te - without; pathi caran - passing over the right path; prabhubhiḥ - by authorities; na - never to be; cÄlyaḥ - to be bereft of.
The Lord, although transcendental to all material modes, still surpassed all the qualities of the sons of Aditi, known as the Ä€dityas. The Lord appeared as the youngest son of Aditi. And because He surpassed all the planets of the universe, He is the Supreme Personality of Godhead. On the pretense of asking for a measurement of three footsteps of land, He took away all the lands of Bali MahÄrÄja. He asked simply because without begging, no authority can take one’s rightful possession.
The history of Bali MahÄrÄja and his charity to VÄmanadeva is described in the Eighth Canto of ÅšrÄ«mad-BhÄgavatam. Bali MahÄrÄja conquered all the planets of the universe by rightful possession. A king can conquer other kings by strength, and such possession is considered to be rightful. So Bali MahÄrÄja possessed all the lands of the universe, and he happened to be charitably disposed toward the brÄhmaṇas. The Lord therefore pretended to be a beggar brÄhmaṇa, and He asked Bali MahÄrÄja for a measurement of three footsteps of land. The Lord, as the proprietor of everything, could take from Bali MahÄrÄja all the land he possessed, but he did not do so because Bali MahÄrÄja possessed all those lands by king’s rights. When Bali MahÄrÄja was asked by Lord VÄmana for such small charity, Bali MahÄrÄja’s spiritual master, namely ÅšukrÄcÄrya, objected to this proposal because he knew that VÄmanadeva was Viṣṇu Himself, pretending to be a beggar. Bali MahÄrÄja did not agree to abide by the order of his spiritual master when he understood that the beggar was Viṣṇu Himself, and he at once agreed to give Him in charity the land requested. By this agreement Lord VÄmana covered all the lands of the universe with His first two steps and then asked Bali MahÄrÄja where to place the third step. Bali MahÄrÄja was very glad to receive the Lord’s remaining step upon his head, and thus Bali MahÄrÄja, instead of losing everything he possessed, was blessed by the Lord’s becoming his constant companion and doorman. So, by giving everything to the cause of the Lord, one does not lose anything, but he gains everything that he could never otherwise expect.
