Text 17] Scheduled Incarnations with Specific Functions
365
jyāyān guṇair avarajo py aditeḥ sutānām 
    lokān vicakrama imān yad athādhiyajñaḥ 
    kṣmām vāmanena jagṛhe tripadacchalena 
    yācñām ṛte pathi caran prabhubhir na cālyaḥ
jyāyān —the greatest;  guṇaiḥ —by qualities;  avarajaḥ —transcendental;  api —although He is so:  aditeḥ —of Aditi;  sutānām —of all the sons known as Ādityas;  lokān —all the planets;  vicakrame —surpassed;  imān —in this universe;  yat —one who;  atha —therefore;  adhiyajñaḥ —the Supreme Personality of Godhead;  kṣmām —all the lands;  vāmanena —in the incarnation of Vāmana;  jagṛhe —accepted;  tri-pada —three steps;  chalena —by pretention;  yācñām —begging;  ṛte —without;  pathi caran —passing over the right path;  prabhubhiḥ —by authorities;  na —never to be;  cālyaḥ —to be bereft of.
TRANSLATION
The Lord, although transcendental to all material modes, still surpassed all qualities of the sons of Aditi, known as the Ādityas. The Lord appeared as the youngest son of Aditi. And because He surpassed all the planets of the universe, He is the Supreme Personality of Godhead. On the pretense of asking for a measurement of three footsteps of land, He took away all the lands of Bali Mahārāja. He asked simply because without begging, no authority can take one's rightful possession.
PURPORT
The history of Bali Mahārāja and his charity to Vāmanadeva is described in the Eighth Canto of  Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam . Bali Mahārāja conquered all the planets of the universe by rightful possession. A king can conquer other kings by strength, and such possession is considered to be rightful. So Bali Mahārāja possessed all the lands of the universe, and he happened to be charitably disposed toward the  brāhmaṇa . The Lord therefore pretended to be a beggar  brāhmaṇa , and He asked for a measurement of three footsteps of land from Bali Mahārāja. The Lord, as the proprietor of everything, could take from him all the lands that Bali Mahārāja possessed, but He did not do so because Bali Mahārāja possessed all those lands by king's rights. While Bali Mahārāja was asked by Lord Vāmana for such small charity, the spiritual master of Bali Mahārāja, namely Śukrācārya, objected to this proposal because he knew that Vāmanadeva was Viṣṇu