Slokam 4

The Paramathma responds to Bali’s question as to why does not ask for more. The Paramathma tells Bali a very clear statement that anyone who is not satisfied with three steps of land will not be satisfied with all the three worlds being at his command.

This is a telling statement on the power of greed within all of us. 

If Bali had known that it was the Paramathma who came as Vamana,  would he still have made the offer? What would Bali have done if he knew that the Paramathma had Himself come to attend His yagnya? 

More significantly,  if Bali had known that the Paramathma had come to reform him,  by taking away his possessions, would he still have been gracious? Or would he be lodged in misery  and remorse of material loss?

On hearing Vamana’s response,  Bali decides to award his offer.  To indicate that the giving of the three steps of land is final,  Bali asked his wife to bring water in a Kamandalam for giving the Dhanam by pouring water in his palm.

The Paramathma decides to test the sincerity of  Bali’s offer by invoking Sukra,  Bali’s guru,  to plant the seed of doubt in his mind.  

Sukra becomes alarmed at what is happening and as per his duty, warns Bali, that Vamana may not be an ordinary individual. Sukra alerts Bali that Vamana may in fact be Hari Himself.  So he requests Bali to actually withdraw the offer. 

“Do not pour,  do not pour out the water to implement the offer! He is non other than Hari!!”

Bali is warned by Shukra 'do not promise him any gift... He is the Great Lord Hari. Having assumed the form of a dwarf through his Maya he has come here to impose on you for the well-being of the king of gods [Indra]'.

Could Bali have withdrawn the offer?  Life puts all of us into this situation many times over.  We realize we have gotten into a difficult situation……marriages are a classic example.  We imagine all sorts of illusory scenarios that not only never materialize, but infact the reverse happens.  Can we withdraw  after the realization sets in?  We have a feeling of being trapped.  We want to look for alternatives.  If we do back off,  then the consequence is that we fall from the frying pan into the fire. Things actually get worse.

Bali had no such dilemma.  This is the hallmark of an elevated soul.  He not only accepted that his wealth may be gone,  he is extremely happy that the Paramathma is personally seeking his charity. He says “if God Himself is seeking charity from me,  I am indeed completely fulfilled of my desires.”

In many ways Bali was very fortunate to perceive the Paramathma through his senses.  If Vamana was really the Paramathma,  then Bali could not have been more fortunate.  If however Vamana was a sage,  then Bali would be only giving away three steps of land. 

We are all put in the same situation by life, as Bali, and this happens again and again.  The one difference is, the Paramathma does not present himself in the human and visible form to us.  He wants us to learn to see life like Parahalada did.  He wants us to see him everywhere.  In the instance of a marriage that does not work well,  we have to understand very clearly that we are led into the situation by the Paramathma,  just like He did for Bali.  He then steps back to watch us reacting and grappling with the situation. 

Arjuna is put into the same situation in the Mahabharatha.  He realizes that the fight against Dharma involves the killing of his own friends, relatives and preceptors. He wants to back off.  He wants to back off, even though the Paramathma is standing next to him.  Sri Krishna gives him complete gnanam and discloses to Arjuna, his real identity. 

Bali does not know that Vamana is the Paramathma. Even then he offers everything (although with a tinge of pride). Once, Sukra tells Him that Vamana could be the Paramathma,  Bali becomes elated and immediately recognizes that his situation in life is a privilege and not a predicament.  This perception of the ground realities of life is the hallmark of an elevated being. 

Arjuna feels so entrapped into this situation, that the Paramathma has to explain that no one can be killed because the jivatma within iseternal and that the body is only a transient vehicle.  Arjuna still does not believe that his everyday friend Sri Krishna is actually the Paramathma.  He wants to see the Paramathma’s true form, which is then shown to him.

Only after perceiving the Paramathma’s true form through his senses, is Arjuna convinced of the truth of Sri Krishna’s teachings and then takes to executing the battle. 

Like Arjuna,  we want to back off from the situations we are thrown into by life. 

We have to realize that we are put into these situations only to make us turn to the Paramathma and see His hand in everything.  He does not appear in human form to us.  Instead,  we are required to see all manifested forms as Himself. The situations that we are put into are designed to make us turn to him for help and support. We should not attempt the battle of life on our own.

As the Paramathma Himself says, in the Bhagavath Gita we cannot back off and be in remorse.  That is unpardonable.  That is even worse than attempting to live life on our own without His guidance. 

The Paramathma invariably comes to earth, to reform all of us.  Do we see Him like Pahalada did, in all objects and beings?  Or do we see Him only when certain events happen (such as the Corona virus)?

Our ability to see the identity of the Paramathma in all events,  objects and beings is the key to developing acceptance of what life hands down in terms of pleasant and unpleasant experiences. An equanimous and unattached approach is the key to evolution to a higher level.

All the events in our life are the lessons that are handed to us and from which we must learn to elevate our outlook to higher and higher levels. 

May our effort at selflessness be as genuine as Bali’s yagnya dhanam.