Text 20] Bali Maharaja Surrenders His Life 177
the Lord for management, are attached to materialistic enjoyment, they
never claim to be proprietors of the universe, for they know that the ac-
tual proprietor of everything is the Supreme Personality of Godhead.
This is the qualification of the demigods. But the demons, instead of ac-
cepting the exclusive proprietorship of the Supreme Personality of God-
head, claim the property of the universe for themselves through demar-
cations of nationalism. “This part is mine, and that part is yours,” they
say. “This part I can give in charity, and this part I can keep for my en-
joyment.” These are all demoniac conceptions. This is described in
Bhagavad-gita (16.13): idam adya mayé labdham imam prapsye
manoratham. “Thus far I have acquired so much money and land. Now I
have to add more and more. In this way I shall be the greatest proprietor
of everything. Who can compete with me?” These are all demoniac
conceptions.

Bali Maharaja’s wife accused Bali Maharaja by saying that although
the Supreme Personality of Godhead had arrested him, showing him ex-
traordinary mercy, and although Bali Maharaja was offering his body to
the Supreme Lord for the Lord’s third step, he was still in the darkness
of ignorance. Actually the body did not belong to him, but because of his
long-standing demoniac mentality he could not understand this. He
thought that since he had been defamed for his inability to fulfill his
promise of charity, and since the body belonged to him, he would free
himself from defamation by offering his body. Actually, however, the
body does not belong to anyone but the Supreme Personality of Godhead,
by whom the body is given. As stated in Bhagavad-gita (18.61):

isvarah sarva-bhitanam
hrd-deSe ’rjuna tisthati
bhramayan sarva-bhiitani
yantraridhani mayaya
The Lord is situated in the core of everyone’s heart, and, according to the
material desires of the living entity, the Lord offers a particular type of
machine—the body—through the agency of the material energy. The
body actually does not belong to the living entity; it belongs to the
Supreme Personality of Godhead. Under the circumstances, how could
Bali Maharaja claim that the body belonged to him?
