Astonishment and Chivalry 374

Similarly, Maharaj Bali once told his priest, Sukracarya: “My dear
sage, you are fully expert in knowledge of the Vedas, and as such you
worship the Supreme Personality of Godhead, Visnu, by Vedic ritu-
als. As far as this brahmana dwarf [the incarnation Vamanadeva]
is concerned, if He is Lord Visnu, a simple brahmana, or even my
enemy, I have decided to give to Him in charity all the land He has
asked for.” Maharaj Bali was so fortunate that the Lord extended be-
fore Him His hand, which was reddish from touching the breast of
the goddess of fortune, who is always smeared with red kunkum
powder. In other words, although the Personality of Godhead is so
great that the goddess of fortune is always under His command for
enjoyment, He still extended His hands to take charity from Maharaj
Bali.

A person who wants to give everything in charity to Krsna but does
not want anything in return is considered the real renouncer. Thus, a
devotee will refuse to accept any kind of liberation, even if it is of-
fered by the Lord. Real love of Krsna becomes manifested when
Krsna becomes the recipient of charity and the devotee becomes the

ver.

" In the Hari-bhakti-sudhodaya there is another example, forwarded
by Maharaj Dhruva. He says there, “My dear Lord, I have practiced
austerities and penances because I was desiring to receive something
from You, but in exchange You have allowed me to see You, who are
never visible even to the great sages and saintly persons. I had been
searching out some pieces of broken glass, but instead I have found
the most valuable jewel. Iam therefore fully satisfied, my Lord. I do
not wish to ask anything more from Your Lordship.”

A similar statement is to be found in the Third Canto of Srimad-
Bhagavatam, 15th Chapter, 48th verse. The four sages headed by
Sanaka Muni addressed the Lord as follows: ‘‘My dear Supreme Per-
sonality of Godhead, Your reputation is very attractive and free from
all material contamination. Therefore You are worthy of being glori-
fied and are actually the reservoir of all pilgrimages. Auspicious per-
sons, who are fortunate enough to be engaged in glorifying Your
attributes and who actually know what Your transcendental position
is, do not even care to accept liberation offered by You. Because they
are so transcendentally enriched, they do not care to accept even the
