pratiśrutam adātus te
pratiśrutam adātus te
niraye vāsa iṣyate
viśa tvaṁ nirayaṁ tasmād
guruṇā cānumoditaḥ
Because you have been unable to give charity according to your promise, you should live in the hellish planets. Therefore, being pleased, enter hell along with your guru.
“What should I do if I cannot fulfill my promise?” You should live in hell. The Lord now speaks to show to the world the steadiness and pure bhakti of Bali. Niraye means “in hell.” This is approved by your guru. You can ask your learned guru whether what I now say is reasonable or not. Actually, since even a person with bhakyābhāsa should not go to hell, just for breaking your promise you also cannot go to hell. Niraye can also mean nilaye, since r and l can be interchanged. Thus, please go and live to my abode Vaikuṇṭha (nilaye). Though now I am ordering you to enter my special place Sutala, provided by me, after your position there is finished I will have you enter Vaikuṇṭha. Though you disregard you guru, because you know he is opposed to me, I understand that he has lost his discrimination out of great affection for you. He is also dear to me. Therefore go with him to Sutala.
|| 8.21.33 ||
vṛthā manorathas tasya
dūraḥ svargaḥ pataty adhaḥ
pratiśrutasyādānena
yo 'rthinaṁ vipralambhate
Far from being elevated to the heavenly planets or fulfilling one's desire, one who does not properly give a beggar what he has promised falls down to a hellish condition of life.
The meaning is clear. However, seeing the results of the Lord’s words later, this verse has another meaning. The desire to take the position of Indra by you who are my devotee, is useless, since Svarga falls much below Vaikuṇṭha. Though now you will be situated in Sutala, you are more elevated that being in Svarga, since the pleasure of Sutala is not available in Svarga. You will attain (lambhate) especially (vi) and excellently (pra) me, the possessor of all four purusārthas (arthinam), by completely (ā) giving (danena) what you promised, since you offered everything-- body and soul--to me. This means that you will attain me as your door keeper because of your complete surrender.
|| 8.21.34 ||
|
