Pradyumnaya namah

Below the nether world called Vitala is nether world Sutala. Emperor Bali, the son of Virocana, rules this planet. In order to please Lord Indra, the Supreme Lord incarnated as dwarf Vāmana from the womb of Mother Aditi. He approached Bali and took away from him the 3 worlds. He then blessed Bali and sent him to Sutala.

In Sutala, Bali strictly adheres to his swadharma (righteous duties as prescribed for him) and is eternally engaged in worshipping Lord Srihari. He thus does not fear Indra, any other Devata or celestial.

When this Supreme Lord, who resides as the Self within all living entities, descended for the purposes of seeking charity, Bali duly honoured him. With an absolutely pure mind he offered the entire earth in charity.

Do not assume that Bali was blessed with immense wealth in Sutala as a fruit for donating land on Earth. Donating land is a doorway to obtaining liberation!

Even if a person accidently thinks of the Divine Lord once when sneezing or stumbling, he will be easily cross this repeated cycle of re-births (samsāra), which is filled with karmic bondages. This is a fact!

Through Yoga and other related techniques, knowledgeable persons desirous of Self-realization cross this cycle of repeated re-births (samsara). Srihari, who is the Self within every living being, offers himself to his ardent devotees. He is Datta! Pleased with Atri’s penance He offered himself to Atri. Hence He was addressed as Datta.

**Charities performed purely out of love and devotion towards Him and with feelings of oneness with Him pave the way to liberation. **Self-surrender plays a pivotal role!”

What is Self-surrender? Is it possible to place the Self in a tray and offer it to Him? Self-surrender means to endlessly think of the Lord night and day without any other thought in the mind. Such person believes that everything originates from the Lord! Every order is considered as an order given by the Lord. He believes that every action takes place only due to His will. In this state of Self-surrender, the scope for another thought ceases to exist. The result of such selfless charity is liberation!

“The truth is that the Lord did not truly bless Indra. He granted Indra luxuries and comforts, which in reality prevent the person from thinking about Him.
Such Supreme Lord thought of ways in which he could help Bali. He knew that these illusory comforts were not true blessings as they would distance Bali from Him. Not finding any other way by which he could snatch away from Bali these material comforts, He decided to beg. In the form of dwarf Vāmana he took away from Bali every possession barring his gross body”.

By then Bali, the lord of the three worlds, had begun to consider himself as the master, the Lord of everything. His only mistake was that he was deviating from the path of righteousness (dharma). It was essential to punish him at this time. Begging from him was the only way to conquer him.

“Even after taking away all the three worlds from Bali, the Lord was not satisfied. He bound Bali tightly with ropes known as Varuna-pāsha and threw him into mountain caves. At that moment Bali thought,

“Oho, although Indra is extremely venerable, he is incapable of figuring out where his welfare lies. Believing completely in Brihaspati, he has retained him as his exclusive minister and guide. Nevertheless, without heeding Brihaspati’s advice, he has sent Lord Vāmana to usurp my wealth. He foolishly failed to aspire the chance of serving the lotus feet of the Lord.

Within this eternal time, the lifespan of these three worlds is only till the end of the Manvantara (a time period). Indra sought emperorship over such insignificant worlds which exist only till end of Manvantara.

Lord Srihari killed my great-grandfather Hiranyakashipu, entrusted the emperorship of the kingdom to my grand-father Prahlada and asked him to rule fearlessly. Prahlada, the supreme person, who considered the kingdom and other worldly assets to be distinctly separate from the Lord, was disinterested in them and was not desirous of being crowned the king. Instead Prahlāda prayed that he should be blessed with an opportunity to serve the ardent devotees of the Lord!

Can an ordinary person like me aspire to walk on the supreme path treaded by Prahlada without dissolving feelings of likes-dislikes and without obtaining the complete grace of the Lord? It is impossible”- thought Bali.

“O Parikshit, later on I will narrate the story of Bali to you in greater detail” said Maharishi Śuka.

He then continued, “The Lord’s heart overflows with love towards his devotees. Hence with a mace in His hand he guards the entrance to Bali’s house. Once the 10-headed demon Ravana was eager to conquer all the directions and he reached Bali’s house. The Lord pierced Ravana with His big-toe causing him to be flung 80 crore miles away. Below Sutala lies the nether world called Talātala. Demon-king Maya who is the teacher for all sorcerers resides here. The Supreme Lord, who is also the Lord of the three worlds, wanted to ensure the well-being of every world and hence reduced to ashes the three cities (tri-pura). Thereafter he blessed Maya by restoring him as the ruler of this nether world called Talātala. He protected him in every way. In Talātala without fearing the Lord’s discus, Maya accepts all the worship performed.

The nether region below Talātala is Mahātala. This place is inhabited by snakes, the descendants of Kadru. These troops of multi-headed snakes are known as Krodhavaṣa. The many-hooded snakes Takṣaka, Kuhaka, Kāliya and Suṣena are the leaders of this group. They are petrified of Garuda, the eagle-vehicle of Lord Vishnu. At times however setting aside this fear, they happily wander with their wives, children, friends and relatives”.

Pradyumnāya namah