Vamana Avatara – II

• Courtesy: His Holiness Sri Sri Vishwapriyatheerta Swamiji
• Compilation: Dr. Vamshikrishna Acharya Purohit
• Translation: Sandesh Upadhyaya K.

Shukracharya, due to various reasons revived Bali who was a demon with sātvika nature. In spite of being a great scholar, Shukracharya helped the demons. The simplest reasoning for this is that Almighty’s wish was such. It was Almighty Himself who sent Shukracharya to assist the demons. The whole purpose of this was to make the demons powerful. In order to provoke bad deeds from demons, there should be a strong person backing them. For example, Kauravas decided to fight because they were confident about the powers which Bheeshma and Drona possessed. Similarly, there was a need for an internal force to make Bali choose the wrong path. That is why Almighty sent the sage Shukracharya who was well versed in the religious treatises to fulfil the purpose.

In the world, we have seen, no matter how poor a person is, if Shukra is in a strong position in the horoscope, the person is bound to become wealthy. We term it as Shukradase. It is this attribute that impressed upon Bali and led him to happily accept Shukracharya as his Guru. Bali Charavarti pleaded with Shukracharya to protect him. Shukracharya responded to Bali, “Okay. Tell me what you want from me?”. Bali Chakravarti pleaded, “Indra has insulted me. I want a position through which I can rule everyone. In other words, I want to be the ruler of the heavens. This will enable me to rule the entire world. I want to defeat Indra. By this, it would be possible to humiliate him. Thus, you must guide me to get that position”. Shukracharya was kind enough to agree. He suggested Bali with a fantastic plan to achieve his goal.

Shukracharya said, “There is a Yāga called Vishwajit. By performing this Yāga you will be able to rule the world”. The name Vishwajit as coined by Śāstrakaras itself bears testimony that by performing this Yāga one will be able to conquer the entire world. Similarly, Putrakāmēṣṭi is a Yāga performed with an intention of conceiving a child. The etymology with which our ancestors described a particular task or person is so specific to the intended purpose. These words are self-explanatory. Bali had a desire to conquer the world. He was adamant even though he was not worthy of it.

Bhāvisamīra Srī Vādirāja Gurugalu has wonderfully put this forward in his composition called the Laxmi Shobhane. “Khaḷanante obba tanage sallada bhāgyava ballidagan̄ji barigaida”, this verse is explaining Bali’s personality according to Bhagavata. Bali is not eligible for Indra’s status in the current period of time (Kalpa). It is only possible in the next cycle of creation, yet, he was desperate to get it right away. One who desires something that he is not eligible to have is referred to as “Khala”. Though eligible, one who desires to obtain it at that very moment is “Kaḷanante”; akin to a thief. Thus, Srī Vādirāja Gurugalu uses the term “Khaḷanante”. Bali was adamant to perform the Vishwajit Yāga to achieve Indra’s status instantly. Now the question arises that why didn’t a learned sage like Shukracharya stop Bali? This is answered in the Śāstras. Almighty had ordered Shukracharya to provide whatever the demons desired for. Shukracharya was as knowledgeable as Br̥haspati. They followed Almighty’s commands. So, the reason behind Shukracharya’s aid to Bali was only performed with an intention of service to Almighty.
With Shukracharya’s presence and guidance, the Vishwajit Yāga began. After the Yāga, Bali was made to sit on the throne. Shukracharya then instructed Bali to leave to the battle. Bali’s preparation and the weapons that he carried to fight against Indra are explained in the Śāstras. Bali was not fighting against a mere King. He was up against Indra, who was the ruler of the heavens. Challenging Indra was huge and demanded preparations of the same magnitude. Let us explore it as illustrated in the Śāstras in the next issue.