śrī-śukaḥ uvāca - Śrī Śukadeva Gosvāmī said; iti - thus; uktavantam - upon the order of the Supreme Personality of Godhead; puruṣam - unto the Supreme Personality of Godhead; purātanam - the oldest of everyone; mahā-anubhāvaḥ - Bali Mahārāja, who was a great and exalted soul; akhila-sādhu-sammataḥ - as approved by all saintly persons; baddha-añjaliḥ - with folded hands; bāṣpa-kala-ākula-īkṣaṇaḥ - whose eyes were filled with tears; bhakti-utkalaḥ - full of ecstatic devotion; gadgadayā - which were faltering in devotional ecstasy; girā - by such words; abravīt - said.

Śukadeva Gosvāmī said: When the supreme, ancient, eternal Personality of Godhead had thus spoken to Bali Mahārāja, who is universally accepted as a pure devotee of the Lord and therefore a great soul, Bali Mahārāja, his eyes filled with tears, his hands folded and his voice faltering in devotional ecstasy, responded as follows.