FolioCorpusŚrīmad-Bhāgavatam

Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam 8.15.28

श्रीगुरुरुवाच जानामि मघवञ्छत्रोरुन्नतेरस्य कारणम् । शिष्यायोपभृतं तेजो भृगुभिर्ब्रह्मवादिभि: ॥ २८ ॥
śrī-gurur uvāca
[shree-gurur uvaacha]
jānāmi maghavaṣ chatror
[jaanaami maghavash chatror]
unnater asya kāraṇam
[unnater asya kaaranam]
śiṣyāyopabhṛtaṁ tejo
[shishyaayopabhritam tejo]
bhṛgubhir brahma-vādibhiḥ
[bhrigubhir brahma-vaadibhih]
śrī-guruḥ uvāca — Bṛhaspati said jānāmi — I know maghavan — O Indra śatroḥ — of the enemy unnateḥ — of the elevation asya — of him kāraṇam — the cause śiṣyāya — unto the disciple upabhṛtam — endowed tejaḥ — power bhṛgubhiḥ — by the descendants of Bhṛgu brahma-vādibhiḥ — all-powerful brāhmaṇas..
Blended reading (Sanskrit + English inline)
śrī-gurur uvāca
śrī-guruḥ uvāca
Bṛhaspati said
jānāmi maghavaṣ chatror
jānāmi
I know
maghavan
O Indra
śatroḥ
of the enemy
unnater asya kāraṇam
unnateḥ
of the elevation
asya
of him
kāraṇam
the cause
śiṣyāyopabhṛtaṁ tejo
śiṣyāya
unto the disciple
upabhṛtam
endowed
tejaḥ
power
bhṛgubhir brahma-vādibhiḥ
bhṛgubhiḥ
by the descendants of Bhṛgu
brahma-vādibhiḥ
all-powerful brāhmaṇas..
Bṛhaspati, the spiritual master of the demigods, said: O Indra, I know the cause for your enemy’s becoming so powerful. The brāhmaṇa descendants of Bhṛgu Muni, being pleased by Bali Mahārāja, their disciple, endowed him with such extraordinary power.

Bṛhaspati, the spiritual master of the demigods, informed Indra, “Ordinarily, Bali and his forces could not achieve such strength, but it appears that the brāhmaṇa descendants of Bhṛgu Muni, being pleased with Bali Mahārāja, endowed them with this spiritual power.” In other words, Bṛhaspati informed Indra that Bali Mahārāja’s prowess was not his own but that of his exalted guru, Śukrācārya. We sing in our daily prayers, yasya prasādād bhagavat-prasādo yasyāprasādān na gatiḥ kuto ’pi. By the pleasure of the spiritual master, one can get extraordinary power, especially in spiritual advancement. The blessings of the spiritual master are more powerful than one’s personal endeavor for such advancement. Narottama dāsa Ṭhākura therefore says:

guru-mukha-padma-vākya, cittete kariyā aikya, āra nā kariha mane āśā

Especially for spiritual advancement, one should carry out the bona fide order of the spiritual master. By the paramparā system, one can thus be endowed with the original spiritual power coming from the Supreme Personality of Godhead ( evaṁ paramparā-prāptam imaṁ rājarṣayo viduḥ ).

— A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupāda
Viśvanātha Cakravartī Ṭhākura Gauḍīya
Translation
Bṛhaspati said: O Indra! I know the cause for your enemy's becoming so powerful. The brāhmaṇa descendants of Bhṛgu endowed their student with their power. The brāhmaṇas gave as an exchange their own powers to Bali, who had offered to them everything out of extreme devotion and faith. Thus it was their power, not Bali’s. Therefore it is difficult for you to counteract it. We are not less powerful than them. If we become pleased with your devotion and faith, you will become immediately full of our power and will be able to defeat him. This hint is given by the verse.
Bṛhaspati replied: the brāhmaṇa descendants of Bhṛgu, pleased with their disciple, endowed him with extraordinary power. By guru's grace, extraordinary capacity becomes available. The cause is not in Bali; it is in his teacher.
Reflection Questions
  • Whose extraordinary capacity am I attributing to themselves when it actually comes from their teacher?
  • What power could I receive if I pleased my own teacher more fully?
📝 My note

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