82
Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam
[Canto 8, Ch. 19]
giving everything to Lord Viṣṇu, you will have no means of livelihood. How then shall you live?
PURPORT
Bali Mahārāja might argue that he had promised only three steps of land. But Śukrācārya, being a very learned  brāhmaṇa , immediately understood that this was a plan of Hari, who had falsely appeared there as a  brahmacārī . The words  mūḍha vartiṣyase katham  reveal that Śukrācārya was a  brāhmaṇa  of the priestly class. Such priestly  brāhmaṇas  are mostly interested in receiving remuneration from their disciples. Therefore when Śukrācārya saw that Bali Mahārāja had risked all of his possessions, he understood that this would cause havoc not only to the King but also to the family of Śukrācārya, who was dependent on Mahārāja Bali's mercy. This is the difference between a Vaiṣṇava and a  smārta-brāhmaṇa . A  smārta-brāhmaṇa  is always interested in material profit, whereas a Vaiṣṇava is interested only in satisfying the Supreme Personality of Godhead. From the statement of Śukrācārya, it appears that he was in all respects a  smārta-brāhmaṇa  interested only in personal gain.
TEXT 34
क्रमतो गां पदैकेन द्वितीयेन दिवं विमोः ।
खं च कायेन महता तार्तीयस्य कुतो गतिः ॥३४॥
kramato gāṁ padaikena dvitīyena divaṁ vibhoḥ khaṁ ca kāyena mahatā tārtīyasya kuto gatiḥ
kramataḥ—gradually; gāṁ—the surface of the land; padā ekena—by one step; dvitīyena—by the second step; divaṁ—the whole of outer space; vibhoḥ—of the universal form; khaṁ ca—the sky also; kāyena—by the expansion of His transcendental body; mahatā—by the universal form; tārtīyasya—as far as the third step is concerned; kutaḥ—where is; gatiḥ—to keep His step.