119 - Bali praises Krishna

Narayana said- On hearing the words of Parvati, Shiva, Karttikeya and Kali started praising her. Lord Shiva addressed to the mother of the universe, who is beyond everything, the form of eternal flame and happens to be Mulaprakruti besides being Ishvari.

Mahadeva said- O great goddess, whatever has been spoken by you is strictly according to the Vedas and is desirable. It is quite improper and laughable to fight with the eternal soul. Bana should adorn is daughter with all the ornaments and hand her over to the lord. This is the most appropriate action besides being glorious and pleasant.

O goddess, if Bana does not do so being the descendants of Hiranyakashipu and feels that getting panicky, to run away from the battle-field, would be disgraceful and in that case, Bana is well-versed in the warfare, should proceed to the battle filed wearing the kavacha. O Shiva, we shall also follow him, wearing the kavachas.

Bana was advised to give away his daughter but he refused to do so. Durga tried to convince him but he did not agree to her words. In the meantime, Bali, the foremost of the Vaishnavas and was the immensely religious person, arrived there in the assembly.

The great warrior had arrived mounted on the chariot inlaid with the best of gems. At that point of time the seven Daityas were moving the white fly-whisks serving him and he was surrounded by seven lakhs of demons. He was a great archer and descending from the chariot, he bowed in reverence to Ganesha, Parvati, Shiva and Karttikeya and then took his seat in the assembly. Finding him arriving there, from a distance, all the people except, Shiva got up to welcome him. Thereafter Shiva enquired of him about his welfare.

Mahadeva said- O great king, yon are quite clever and always give away riches in charity, it is a matter of great pride for the Vaishnavas to assemble at a place.

With the very touch of the Vaishnavas, all the holy places get sanctified. The Brahmanas are considered to be most adorable of all the castes. In case the Brahmanas is a Vaishnava, he becomes more adorable. No god is more auspicious than the Vaishnava Brahmana. He is pure than the wind, the fire and all the holy places. Even the gods are afraid of him, the sins cannot remain in his body in the same way as the hay cannot remain in the fire.

Bali said- O lord of the universe, why are you praising a slave who is not suitable for the place. O lord you have bestowed upon me, The inaccessible fortune.

O lord of the gods, though you pervade everywhere, still taking to the dwarfish form because of the destiny you have established me in the nether-world, taking away all my riches from me. You bestowed them upon Indra. you kindly make Bana my dearest son to understand the situation. It is not proper to fight with the soul even by the gods. Thus speaking, he bowed his head saluting Shiva. Thereafter, he praised lord Shiva with the stotra prescribed in the Samaveda. At that point of time, he was overwhelmed with devotion and tears started flowing from his eyes. Getting extremely emotional, he started reciting the mantra given to him by Shukra.

Bali said- O lord, in the earlier times because of the vrata and the prayer of Aditi you took to the dwarfish fi-om and cheated me. Snatching away all my riches, you gave them to your devotee. The same devotee is non else than the meritorious Indra.

Presently my son Bana happens to be the slave of Shiva. He has been protected by Shiva who is always graceful to his devotees.

Parvati brought him up like a mother, brings up his son. Your grandson has forcibly taken away his daughter who was about to kill him but was prevented by Karttikeya. Though you are competent enough to control your grandson still you have arrived here to kill Bana.

The great soul treats all equally. This has been ordained in the Vedas. O lord of the universe, why are you moving in the opposite direction?

In case, you intend to kill someone, who can save him on earth. The lustre of Sudarshana-chakra is like the crores of suns.

Which of the weapons of the gods could stand? before the same? Sudarshana-chakra is the best of all the gods. As are you so being Krishna who happens to be the creator of the creators.

Vishnu happens to be the base of sattvika elements, Shiva happens to be the base of tamas while Brahma is the base of rajas.

The one who is the base of tamas, foremost of the eleven Rudras and the destroyer of the universe, the same lord happens to be the Goloka of Shiva, known as Kalagni-Rudra. Besides him all the Rudras are merely the rays of Shiva. Out of all of them you happen to be devoid of gunas and beyond Prakruti. You happen to be the supreme soul and also the form of Vishnu, who is the life of all the creatures. Brahma himself is the form of meanwhile Shiva is the form of knowledge.

Intelligent is the best of all the shaktis. The life elements in all the creatures of the world are only the reflection of your soul.

A person has to face the reward of his deeds and you yourself remain the witness to him. After your departure all the people follow you as the followers follow the king. After you leave the bodies, a person becomes dead and the body becomes untouchable but influence, with your illusion, even the people with intelligence become aware of the same.

Such of the people who adore you can only be freed from this illusion; the three-fold Prakruti includes Durga, Vaishnavi, Sanatani, Narayani and Ishani which represent your form, which is difficult to over-comes Brahma, Vishnu and Shiva who are present in all the globes, represent you? amshas only as Sri Krishna resides in Gokula, similarly, the great Virat who is the base of all dwells in the water.

He happens to be the lord Vasu and you happen to be his lord. The name Vasudeva has been derived from the same. This has been told by those who are well-versed in the ancient scriptures.

You happen to be the sun from one of your rays and also the moon. You also happen to be the fire from your race and also Vayu from you rays besides being Varuna, Kubera, Yama, Indra, Dharma, Sesha, Ishana, Nairriti, Manu and the beneficial planets. All the moveable and immovable creatures are born out of your rays. You are the eternal, illustrious Brahman. The yogis always meditate upon you.

The devotees respect you and meditate upon you in their heart. The one whose body has the complexion of new clouds, is clad in pitambara wears smile on his delightful face, the one who is graceful to the devotees, the one on whose body the sandal-paste is plastered the one who is having two arms, he holds a flute in his hand, the one whose head is adorned with peacock feather, the one who wears the garland of jasmine flowers, invaluable armlets and wristlets, the ear ornament made of gems decorate the temples, the one who wears the rings studded with gems and I whose waist-band issued dangling sound, whose lustre jeers at crores of the gods of love, whose eyes defeat the glory of the lotus flowers of the winter season, the lustre of whose face resembles the lustre of the full moon of the winter season, who is stared by crores of cowherdesses? smilingly, who is served by the cowherds moving the white-fly whisks who appears in the form of a boy, the one who always remains in the heart of Radha and is difficult to be achieved by deep meditation and is inaccessible, the one who is adored by Brahma, Shiva and Sesha, the one who is praised by the siddhas, the ascetics and the yogis the one who is inexplicable in the Vedas, the one who moves at will and is all-pervading who is the smaller than the smallest and greater? than the greatest, the one who is eternal, truthful and the lord beyond Prakruti, uninvolved and unattached, the people get purified by devoting their minds at the eternal lord and always get anxious to offer at his lotus-like feet, the tender Durva-grass, unbroken rice and the water, the one whose glory cannot recite by the Vedas, Sarasvati. Sesha, Brahma, Ganesha, Surya, Indra, the moon and Kubera, that to speak of the people having little wisdom. It is beyond me to praise him. This Bana is a foolish demon and is not a god. Therefore, you kindly forgive him. On hearing the words of Bali, Sri Krishna who happen to be the lord of the universe and the one who is graceful to his devotees spoke.

Sri Krishna said- O son, don’t be afraid, you are completely saved and you go back to your abode, your son is eternal because of my boon or grace, I shall rid him of the arrogance who is just foolish. I have granted a boon delightfully to Prahlada that his descendants would not be killed. I shall bestow your son, the knowledge of over-powering the death.

The stotra with which you had adored me and is included in Samaveda, was bestowed by me to Brahma in earlier times at the time of solar eclipse, in the siddhashrama who bestowed the same to Sanatkumara. The knowledge of the same was bestowed by Gauri at the bank of Mandakini to Gautama. The merciful Shiva bestowed is knowledge to his devoted people, Brahma and I bestowed it knowledge to Shiva on the bank of the. Viraja river. In earlier times Sanatkumara imparted the knowledge of the same to Bhrugu. Currently I will bestow this knowledge to Bana who would recite the same.

This is an immensely meritorious stotra when heard from the mouth of the teacher, having been served with the ornaments, costumes and sandal-paste and while so listening whosoever would recite the same with devotion daily, he would be relieved of the sins committed by him during crores of his births.

This stotra relieves one of all the misfortunes and bestows all the riches. It removes all the ailments and grief and serve as a boat to cross the terrific ocean of the universe. It removes the cycle of birth, death and old age and shatters all the bondages. This happens to be the ornament of the devotees.

Whosoever recites the same, he earns the merit of taking bath at all the holy places, performing all the yajnas, vratas and tapas. a person surely meets with the success by reciting this stotra. Thereafter he leads the life like a god on the earth and ultimately reaches the abode of Vishnu.