samarhayām āsa sa tau vibhūtibhir
mahārha-vastrābharaṇānulepanaiḥ
tāmbūla-dīpāmṛta-bhakṣaṇādibhiḥ
sva-gotra-vittātma-samarpaṇena ca
samarhayam asa -- worshiped; sah -- he; tau -- Them; vibhutibhih -- with his riches; maha-arha -- greatly valuable; vastra -- with garments; abharana -- ornaments; anulepanaih -- and fragrant pastes; tambula -- with betel nut; dipa -- lamps; amrita -- nectarean; bhakshana -- food; adibhih -- and so on; sva -- of his; gotra -- family; vitta -- of the wealth; atma -- and of himself; samarpanena -- 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 Maharaja's devotional attitude is renowned as the perfect example of complete self-surrender. When Lord Vishnu in the guise of a young brahmana 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, atma-samarpanam, as taught by Bali Daityaraja, 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.
