FolioCorpusŚrīmad-Bhāgavatam

Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam 8.21.28

तं बद्धं वारुणै: पाशैर्भगवानाह वामन: । नष्टश्रियं स्थिरप्रज्ञमुदारयशसं नृप ॥ २८ ॥
taṁ baddhaṁ vāruṇaiḥ pāśair
[tam baddham vaarunaih paashair]
bhagavān āha vāmanaḥ
[bhagavaan aaha vaamanah]
naṣṭa-śriyaṁ sthira-prajñam
[nashta-shriyam sthira-prajnam]
udāra-yaśasaṁ nṛpa
[udaara-yashasam nripa]
tam — unto him baddham — who was so arrested vāruṇaiḥ pāśaiḥ — by the ropes of Varuṇa bhagavān — the Supreme Personality of Godhead āha — said vāmanaḥ — Vāmanadeva naṣṭa-śriyam — unto Bali Mahārāja, who had lost his bodily luster sthira-prajñam — but was all the same determined in his decision udāra-yaśasam — the most magnanimous and celebrated nṛpa — O King.
Blended reading (Sanskrit + English inline)
taṁ baddhaṁ vāruṇaiḥ pāśair
tam
unto him
baddham
who was so arrested
vāruṇaiḥ pāśaiḥ
by the ropes of Varuṇa
bhagavān āha vāmanaḥ
bhagavān
the Supreme Personality of Godhead
āha
said
vāmanaḥ
Vāmanadeva
naṣṭa-śriyaṁ sthira-prajñam
naṣṭa-śriyam
unto Bali Mahārāja, who had lost his bodily luster
sthira-prajñam
but was all the same determined in his decision
udāra-yaśasaṁ nṛpa
udāra-yaśasam
the most magnanimous and celebrated
nṛpa
O King.
O King, the Supreme Personality of Godhead, Vāmanadeva, then spoke to Bali Mahārāja, the most liberal and celebrated personality whom He had arrested with the ropes of Varuṇa. Bali Mahārāja had lost all bodily luster, but he was nonetheless fixed in his determination.

When one is bereft of all his possessions, he is certainly reduced in bodily luster. But although Bali Mahārāja had lost everything, he was fixed in his determination to satisfy Vāmanadeva, the Supreme Personality of Godhead. In Bhagavad-gītā, such a person is called sthita-prajña. A pure devotee is never deviated from the service of the Lord, despite all difficulties and impediments offered by the illusory energy. Generally men who have wealth and opulence are famous, but Bali Mahārāja became famous for all time by being deprived of all his possessions. This is the special mercy of the Supreme Personality of Godhead toward His devotees. The Lord says, yasyāham anugṛhṇāmi hariṣye tad-dhanaṁ śanaiḥ. As the first installment of His special favor, the Lord takes away all the possessions of His devotee. A devotee, however, is never disturbed by such a loss. He continues his service, and the Lord amply rewards him, beyond the expectations of any common man.

— A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupāda
Viśvanātha Cakravartī Ṭhākura Gauḍīya
Translation
O King! The Supreme Lord Vāmana, then spoke to Bali Mahārāja, tied with the ropes of Varuṇa, who had lost all wealth but remained undisturbed in his intelligence, since he had become most famous. Though Bali lost all wealth, he remained undisturbed in intelligence (sthita-prajñam), because though he lost all wealth, he gained all fame (udāra-yaśasam).
Vāmana spoke to Bali — who had lost bodily luster yet remained fixed in determination. Sthita-prajña: the devotee unmoved by loss. The body fades; the inner resolve does not.
Reflection Questions
  • Where am I letting bodily/material loss shake the inner resolve that should hold steady?
  • What practice produces the kind of fixedness Bali shows under arrest?
📝 My note

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