Although bereft of his riches and position, thrown down and tied up by his enemies, deserted by his relatives and friends, suffering pain and cursed by his guru, Bali Mahārāja, being fixed in his vow, did not give up his truthfulness. I spoke about dharma deceptively, but he did not give up speaking the truth. Even though I have thrown him into an ocean of danger, he is not bewildered. It goes without saying that he will not give up his convictions. I spoke about dharma deceptively. At first I spoke falsely of adharma as if it were dharma with such words as the following: na hy etasmin kule kaścin niḥsattvaḥ kṛpaṇaḥ pumān pratyākhyātā pratiśrutya yo vādātā dvijātaye I know that even until now, no one taking birth in your family has been poor-minded or miserly. No one has refused to give charity to brāhmaṇas, nor after promising to give charity has anyone failed to fulfill his promise. SB 8.19.3 Then I spoke of dharma as if it were adharma. vipralabdho dadāmīti tvayāhaṁ cāḍhya-māninā tad vyalīka-phalaṁ bhuṅkṣva nirayaṁ katicit samāḥ Being falsely proud of your possessions, you promised to give me land, but you could not fulfill your promise. Therefore, because your promise was false, you must live for a few years in hellish life. SB 8.21.34 Still, he did not give up truth. In such circumstances, others would be untruthful, according to the maxim “when cheated, cheat.” Though affectionate to my devotee, I have caused him this trouble in order to show the world his fixed devotion and fortitude.