Text 26]
The Subterranean Heavenly Planets
401
Supreme Lord ( gopī-bhartuḥ pāda-kamalayor dāsa-dāsānudāsaḥ ). In Vaiṣṇava philosophy, one should not even become a direct servant. Prahlāda Mahārāja was offered all the blessings of an opulent position in the material world and even the liberation of merging into Brahman, but he refused all this. He simply wanted to engage in the service of the servant of the servant of the Lord. Therefore Bali Mahārāja said that because his grandfather Prahlāda Mahārāja had rejected the blessings of the Supreme Personality of Godhead in terms of material opulence and liberation from material bondage, he truly understood his self-interest.
TEXT 26
तस्य महानुभावस्यानुपथममृजितक्रयायः को वास्मद्विधः परिहीणभगवदनुग्रह उपजिगमिषतीति ॥ २६ ॥
tasya mahānubhāvasyānupatham amrjita-kaṣāyaḥ ko vāsmad-vidhaḥ parihīṇa-bhagavad-anugraha upajīgamiṣatīti.
tasya —of Prahlāda Mahārāja;  mahā-anubhāvasya —who was an exalted devotee;  anupatham —the path;  amrjita-kaṣāyaḥ —a person who is materially contaminated;  kaḥ —what;  vā —or;  asmat-vidhaḥ —like us;  parihīṇa-bhagavat-anugrahaḥ —being without the favor of the Supreme Personality of Godhead;  upajīgamiṣati —desires to follow;  iti —thus.
TRANSLATION
Bali Mahārāja said:  Persons like us, who are still attached to material enjoyment, who are contaminated by the modes of material nature and who lack the mercy of the Supreme Personality of Godhead, cannot follow the supreme path of Prahlāda Mahārāja, the exalted devotee of the Lord.
PURPORT
It is said that for spiritual realization one must follow great personalities like Lord Brahmā, Devarṣi Nārada, Lord Śiva and Prahlāda Mahārāja. The path of  bhakti  is not at all difficult if we follow in the footsteps of previous  ācāryas  and authorities, but those who are too materially contaminated by the modes of material nature cannot follow them. Although Bali Mahārāja was actually following the path of his