Text 3] Bali Mahārāja Conquers the Heavenly Planets
185
bandhanam —arresting;  ca —also;  api —although;  anāgasaḥ —of he who was faultless.
TRANSLATION
Mahārāja Parikṣit inquired: The Supreme Personality of Godhead is the proprietor of everything. Why did He beg three paces of land from Bali Mahārāja like a poor man, and when He got the gift for which He had begged, why did He nonetheless arrest Bali Mahārāja? I am very much anxious to know the mystery of these contradictions.
TEXT 3
श्रीशुक उवाच
पराजितश्रीरसुभिश्च हापितो 
    हीन्द्रेण राजन्भृगुभिः स जीवितः । 
    सर्वात्मना तानभजद् भृगून्वलिः 
    शिष्यो महात्मार्थनिवेदनेन ॥ ३ ॥
śrī-śuka uvāca  
 parājita-śrī asubhiś ca hāpito  
 hīndreṇa rājan bhṛgubhiḥ sa jīvitaḥ  
 sarvātmanā tān abhajad bhṛgūn baliḥ  
 śiṣyo mahātmārtha-nivedanena
śrī-śukaḥ uvāca —Śrī Śukadeva Gosvāmī said;  parājita —being defeated;  śrīḥ —opulences;  asubhiḥ ca —of life also;  hāpitaḥ —deprived;  hi —indeed;  indreṇa —by King Indra;  rājan —O King;  bhṛgubhiḥ —by the descendants of Bhṛgu Muni;  saḥ —he (Bali Mahārāja);  jīvitaḥ —brought back to life;  sarvā-tāmanā —in full submission;  tān —them;  abhajat —worshiped;  bhṛgūn —the descendants of Bhṛgu Muni;  baliḥ —Mahārāja Bali;  śiṣyaḥ —a disciple;  mahātmā —the great soul;  artha-nivedanena —by giving them everything.
TRANSLATION
Śukadeva Gosvāmī said: O King, when Bali Mahārāja lost all his opulence and died in the fight, Śukrācārya, a descendant of Bhṛgu