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Bali Mahārāja Surrenders His Life
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करोम्युतं तन्न भवेत् प्रलम्भनं पदं तृतीयं कुरु शीर्षिणं मे निजम् ॥ २ ॥
śrī-balir uvāca yady uttamaśloka bhavān mameritaṁ vaco vyalikaṁ sura-varya manyate karomy ṛtaṁ tan na bhavet pralambhanaṁ padaṁ tṛtīyaṁ kuru śīrṣṇi me nijam
śrī-baliḥ uvāca —Bali Mahārāja said;  yadi —if;  uttamaśloka —O Supreme Lord;  bhavān —Your good self;  mama —my;  īritam —promised;  vacaḥ —words;  vyalikam —false;  sura-varya —O greatest of all  suras  (demigods);  manyate —You think so;  karomi —I shall make it;  ṛtam —truth;  tat —that (promise);  na —not;  bhavet —will become;  pralambhanam —cheating;  padam —step;  tṛtīyam —the third;  kuru —just do it;  śīrṣṇi —on the head;  me —my;  nijam —Your lotus feet.
TRANSLATION
Bali Mahārāja said:  O best Personality of Godhead, most worshipable for all the demigods, if You think that my promise has become false, I shall certainly rectify matters to make it truthful. I cannot allow my promise to be false. Please, therefore, place Your third lotus footstep on my head.
PURPORT
Bali Mahārāja could understand the pretense of Lord Vāmanadeva, who had taken the side of the demigods and come before him as a beggar. Although the Lord's purpose was to cheat him, Bali Mahārāja took pleasure in understanding how the Lord will cheat His devotee to glorify the devotee's position. It is said that God is good, and this is a fact. Whether He cheats or rewards, He is always good. Bali Mahārāja therefore addressed Him as Uttamaśloka. "Your Lordship," he said, "You are always praised with the best of selected verses. On behalf of the demigods, You disguised Yourself to cheat me, saying that You wanted only three paces of land, but later You expanded Your body to such an