Śukracharya said, “O son of Virocana! This small dwarf Vāmana is none other than the indestructible Supreme Lord. In order to accomplish the task of the Devatas, he has incarnated as the son of Kaśyapa and through the womb of Aditi. You have given your word to him without estimating the probably calamity that is going to befall you. O king, in my opinion this deed of yours is not going to benefit the demons in any way.

Oho! A major calamity has befallen the demons. The boy standing before you is an impersonator. He has come to usurp your position, power, wealth, great renown, radiance and hand them over to Indra.

O dull-witted king! He is none other than the Supreme Lord who wears the universe as his carrier. In three steps he will occupy all the three words. If you give away to him everything you possess, then on what will you sustain?

Please listen to me. I am speaking the truth. This all-pervading Lord will occupy the entire earth with his first step. With his second step he will, with his vast body, occupy the heavens and everything in the entire outer space. From where will you obtain the place required for him to keep his third foot?

You do not have the ability to fulfill your promise. Since you will be going back on your word, you are bound to fall into hell. This is my firm opinion.

That charity which endangers the livelihood of the donor is not appreciated by learned scholars. This is because only when the donor is able to continue his livelihood he can continue to participate in charities, Yagnas, penance and other such activities.

Wealth earned should be divided such that a certain percentage is allotted for righteous (dharmic) activities; some money is allotted for earning name and fame; some for acquiring comforts; some for investments and some is distributed among family members. In this way, money earned should be divided into five portions. The person who diligently abides by this rule secures happiness both in this world and the next.

O demon-king! I will now explain what great Seers who have perceived Rig-veda say about keeping up one’s promise. Abiding by a given promise is truthful. Going against the given promise is untruthful. Abiding by the given promise i.e. abiding by truthfulness is like flowers and fruits to this tree called body. This is stated in Rig-veda. However, in case the tree itself becomes lifeless, how can it bear flowers and fruits? For this reason, this tree called body should be sustained even at the cost of being untruthful.

As a result of the promise given to this boy, you will be bereft of a body. Understand that if the mother root itself is cut, the entire tree will wither in no time. If you do not back out now,the entire tree called body will be destroyed. This is the undisputed fact. Merely acceptance to donate wealth separates the donor from his wealth and makes him a pauper. As such, the person who utters the words, ‘Ok, I will give’ will undoubtedly land in poverty. The donor who agrees to donate everything to the person seeking alms will fail in securing his own happiness. Therefore the person who resorts to untruthfulness and declares, “I did not make a promise” will flourish and prosper materially. These untruthful words will attract prosperity towards him.

At the same time, the person who resorts to untruthfulness in every aspect, at all times and in all situations will attract infamy. Such a person is equivalent of a living corpse.

Strīṣu narma-vivāhe ca vṛtty-arthe prāṇa-saṅkaṭe Go-brāhmaṇārthe hiṁsāyāṁ nānṛtaṁ syāj jugupsitam

O king! One can be untruthful in the following situations: in order to flatter a woman, in jokes, at times of wedding, in order to sustain one’s livelihood, when life is in danger, for the welfare of cows and Brahmins, to stop violence”- said Śukracharya.

With this the nineteenth chapter of the eighth canto comes to an end.

Eighth Canto Chapter Twenty

In this chapter, Vāmana transforming into Trivikrama and with two feet occupying everything in the creation is covered.

Maharishi Śuka continued, “When his master Guru Śukracharya advised him in this manner, Emperor Bali remained silent for a second. Thereafter, with full humility, he addressed his Guru Śukracharya and said,

“O Gurudeva! Undoubtedly there is truth in what you say. These are the duties of a householder. The stipulated duties of the householder prevent his comforts, renown, wealth and livelihood from depleting. In fact they ensure their continuance. However, I am the grandson of Prahlāda. How can I, akin to a fraudster, go against my promise merely because of my greed for wealth? How can I withdraw my promise? It is impossible.

Na hy asatyāt paro ’dharma iti hovāca bhūr iyam Sarvaṁ soḍhum alaṁ manye ṛte ’līka-paraṁ naram

There is no unrighteousness greater than untruthfulness. Mother Earth has declared that she is willing to carry every burden apart from untruthfulness. I do not fear hell, poverty, falling into ocean of suffering, losing my emperorship or death as much as I fear cheating a Vedic Brahmin scholar.

Wealth and all forms of prosperity discard the person at the time of death”.

Vishnave namah