Live the Bhāgavatam · SB 5.24.23
Īśānukathā· The Lord and His devoteesDevotion Remains Amid Loss
“When the Supreme Personality of Godhead could see no other means of taking everything away from Bali Mahārāja, He adopted the trick of begging from him and took away all the three worlds. Thus only his body was left, but the Lord was still not satisfied. He arrested Bali Mahārāja, bound him with the ropes of Varuṇa and threw him in a cave in a mountain. Nevertheless, although all his property was taken and he was thrown into a cave, Bali Mahārāja was such a great devotee that he spoke as follows.”
What the purport teaches
- The Supreme Personality of Godhead adopted the trick of begging and took the three worlds away from Bali Mahārāja. Only his body remained.
- The Lord then bound Bali Mahārāja with the ropes of Varuṇa and placed him in a mountain cave.
- Although deprived of his property and confined in a cave, Bali Mahārāja remained a great devotee. The verse introduces the words he spoke in that condition.
Try this today
Keep one small commitment of service today, even if a minor inconvenience arises.
Ask yourself
How dependent is my willingness to serve the Lord on comfortable circumstances?
Carry the question through the day, then answer it in your own words before sleep.
The study points, practice and question are short summaries drawn from Śrīla Prabhupāda's translation and purport. Read the full purport to go deeper.