Bhaggvatam part 19 : king Bali and Vamandev

ಕನ್ನಡ 

King Bali and Vamandev

King Bali was the Grandson of Prahlada, the great devotee of Vishnu. His father was Virochana, and his mother was Devamba. Maharaja Prahlada raised the boy Bali by telling stories of Vishnu. Then, King Bali, as desired by Guru Shukracharya, conquered Patal and Bhoolok. Then, he attacked heaven and died at the hands of Indra. But Shukracharya's Sanjeevini mantra saved him. The second time, Bali chased away Indra and became the king there. After conquering the three worlds, Guru Shukracharya told him to perform Ashwamedha Yaga. Bali was preparing for it. Indra went to Vishnu to ask to kill Bali and return heaven to him. Although Vishnu did not agree to kill his devotee Bali, he took the responsibility of returning heaven to Indra.

Aditi, the mother of all the devtas, was saddened that her children had lost heaven. After her husband Rishi Kasyapa returned from penance, she asked him for a son who would be capable of slaying the Daityas, the demon sons of her sister Diti. Sage Kasyapa, after a while of thought, smiled and asked her to perform a vrat related to Lord Vishnu, called Payo. Accordingly, Aditi became engrossed in fasting with devotion.

After a few years, Lord Vishnu appeared in his true form, wielding the conch, Sudarshan disc and mace. Asked Aditi for the boon she wanted. Aditi stood like a pillar, her palms joined without saying anything. Her limbs were shaking. She started singing hymns without asking for any boon. Vishnu smiled and said to Aditi, "I know the thought in your mind. I cannot kill my devotee Bali. Likewise, I will not let your flawless vrat go to waste. Anyway, it is my responsibility to get heaven to Indra. For that, I will be born as your son. But you should not tell anyone about this."

From there, Vishnu entered the body of sage Kasyapa, who was in penance. A boy was born to Kasyapa and Aditi. The kid travelled to the Ashwamedha Yaga site. He was called Vamana and he knew all the Vedas.

At the Yagya site, Bali was seated as the master of Yajna. Guru Shukracharya was sitting next to him. Bali, who had conquered all three worlds, vowed that he was as powerful as Indra, so whoever came and asked for anything, he would give it. When Vamanadeva reached the Yaga place, the yagna had begun. Ashwamedha's horse was ready to run. A messenger came to Bali who was sitting for the yagya and told him the news of the infant sage's arrival. Immediately Bali got up from the yaga, greeted Vamana with respect and inquired about the purpose of his coming. Seeing this infant sage, Guru Shukracharya had doubts. Thinking, "He must have come to stop the yagna," and he instructed the Bali not to perform any alms until the yagna was over. But Bali did not listen to the words of his teacher, and asked Vamana what he wanted and he would give it to him, holding the kamandal. Then Vamana said, "I don't want anything more. Just give me enough land to take three paces." Bali laughed and said, "Is that enough? I will give you land for so much more than this. I will give you diamonds, elephants, cows. ask more." But Vamana said that what he asked was enough. Bali smiled and poured water from a kamandal into Vamana's hands and prepared to give the charity. But Shukracharya, wearing a subtle form, blocked the mouth of Kamandal to prevent water from flowing out.

Then Vamana pierced Kamandal's mouth with a stick of grass, and it damaged one of the eyes of the Asura Guru inside. Shukracharya, in pain, left his subtle form and became invisible. Water was easily poured into Vamana's hand from Kamandal. Since then Shukracharya had one eye. Thus, vowing not to refuse anyone's wish, Bali, even ignoring the warning of his Guru Shukracharya, was ready to give three paces of land.

Vaman immediately increased his body size and rose above the earth. His foot covered the entire earth and the lower worlds. The second step covered the worlds of space. There was no room for a third step. The raised leg remained the same. It had reached the Brahma of Satya Loka. Brahma immediately washed that foot with Kamandal water and worshipped it. Then the water became the river Ganga and flowed to heaven.

Seeing this incarnation of Vishnu, the demons were very angry. "This dwarf Vamana, who stole everything from their king Bali, is not even a Brahmin. Instead, he is a deceiver and a well-wisher of the devtas." Thinking that they took their weapons, and rushed towards him. Bali asked them to stop, but in vain. Vishnuduta successfully stopped them and threw them into the lower worlds of Patala and Sutala.

Then Vaman took the form of a dwarf. asked Bali to finish the yaga. Then Garuda came there and tied him to a pillar using ropes given by Varuna. Then the three worlds trembled "Put the third step on my head." Bali lowered his head Meanwhile, Prahlada appeared there. He asked Vishnu to show mercy on his grandson.

Bali became the king of heaven during the reign of Manu called Savarni. Until then, Vamana told Prahlada that he should remain in the nether world. And he became the king of Sutala, a kingdom as rich as heaven.

Vishnu, impressed by his faithfulness to his vow, asked him to ask for a boon. Then Bali begged, "Let me come to earth at least once a year and you should always be with me and protect my kingdom." As his wish, Vishnu, unbeknownst to the Bali, had disguised himself as a gatekeeper of the palace.

At that time Goddess Lakshmi had to be alone in Vaikuntha. Desperate to somehow bring back Vishnu, she disguised herself as a Brahmin woman and went to Bali's palace. My husband is very far away. She said give me a place to stay.

Taking her in as his own sister, Bali arranged for her to live in a separate room in the palace itself. Due to Lakshmi's arrival, the wealth of his kingdom increased daily.

On a full moon day in the month of Shravan, Goddess Lakshmi tied a cotton thread to Bali's hand. She prayed for her protection and the happiness of the kingdom. Bali, who was delighted, asked her what she wanted and said, "I will give it to you". Then she pointed her hand towards Vishnu in the form of a gatekeeper, saying, "Please send my husband with me." When Bali looked at the gatekeeper in surprise, both the couple appeared in their true forms. Bowing to both of them, Bali agreed to send the Lord to Vaikuntha.

And every year for the four months of the rainy season, Mahavishnu told Bali that he would come to Patal. It is said that Balev or Rakshabandhan is celebrated on the day when Goddess Lakshmi tied the string like a sister to Bali. Also, on that day as Poornima, Brahmins change their sacred threads.

Although born in the Asura clan, Bali is not an Asura. Instead, we can say that he is a pious king who remains in our memory due to his good qualities. A festival called Onam is celebrated in Kerala during the harvest season. The people here believe that Mahabali will come to earth to see the citizens from the Patal. Bali is one of the seven immortals. There is also a belief throughout India that Bali comes to earth during the Balipadyami festival of Diwali. 

Bali was a rat at previous birth. He had eaten the extra ghee in the wick of a lamp (diya) and made it burn more efficiently. Then Lord Shiva was pleased and gave a boon to become a great person in the next life.

Trikkakara, near Cochin in Kerala, is believed to have been the capital of Bali. King Bali is said to have written a poem called Harinama Stotra. In the Ramayana, Kumbhakarna's wife Vajrajwala is the daughter of this Mahabali.

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