Chapter Fifteen
Bali Mahārāja Conquers the Heavenly Planets
TEXT 4
taṁ brāhmaṇā bhṛgavaḥ prīyamāṇā
ayājayan viśvajitā tri-ṇākam
jigīṣamāṇaṁ vidhinābhiṣicya
mahābhiṣekeṇa mahānubhāvāḥ
SYNONYMS
tam—upon him (Bali Mahārāja); brāhmaṇāḥ—all the brāhmaṇas; bhṛgavaḥ—the descendants of Bhṛgu Muni; prīyamāṇāḥ—being very pleased; ayājayan—engaged him in performing a sacrifice; viśvajitā—known as Viśvajit; tri-nākam—the heavenly planets; jigīṣamāṇam—desiring to conquer; vidhinā—according to regulative principles; abhiṣicya—after purifying; mahā-abhiṣekeṇa—by bathing him in a great abhiṣeka ceremony; mahā-anubhāvāḥ—the exalted brāhmaṇas.
TRANSLATION
The brāhmaṇa descendants of Bhṛgu Muni were very pleased with Bali Mahārāja, who desired to conquer the kingdom of Indra. Therefore, after purifying him and properly bathing him according to regulative principles, they engaged him in performing the yajña known as Viśvajit.
TEXT 5
tato rathaḥ kāñcana-paṭṭa-naddho
hayāś ca haryaśva-turaṅga-varṇāḥ
dhvajaś ca siṁhena virājamāno
hutāśanād āsa havirbhir iṣṭāt
SYNONYMS
tataḥ—thereafter; rathaḥ—a chariot; kāñcana—with gold; paṭṭa—and silk garments; naddhaḥ—wrapped; hayāḥ ca—horses also; haryaśva-turaṅga-varṇāḥ—exactly of the same color as the horses of Indra (yellow); dhvajaḥ ca—a flag also; siṁhena—with the mark of a lion; virājamānaḥ—existing; huta-aśanāt—from the blazing fire; āsa—there was; havirbhiḥ—by offerings of clarified butter; iṣṭāt—worshiped.
TRANSLATION
When ghee [clarified butter] was offered in the fire of sacrifice, there appeared from the fire a celestial chariot covered with gold and silk. There also appeared yellow horses like those of Indra, and a flag marked with a lion.
TEXT 6
dhanuś ca divyaṁ puraṭopanaddhaṁ
tūṇāv ariktau kavacaṁ ca divyam
pitāmahas tasya dadau ca mālām
amlāna-puṣpāṁ jalajaṁ ca śukraḥ
SYNONYMS
dhanuḥ—a bow; ca—also; divyam—uncommon; puraṭa-upanaddham—covered with gold; tūṇau—two quivers; ariktau—infallible; kavacam ca—and armor; divyam—celestial; pitāmahaḥ tasya—his grandfather, namely Prahlāda Mahārāja; dadau—gave; ca—and; mālām—a garland; amlāna-puṣpām—made of flowers that do not fade away; jala jam—a conchshell (which is born in water); ca—as well as; śukraḥ—Śukrācārya.
TRANSLATION
A gilded bow, two quivers of infallible arrows, and celestial armor also appeared. Bali Mahārāja’s grandfather Prahlāda Mahārāja offered Bali a garland of flowers that would never fade, and Śukrācārya gave him a conchshell.
TEXT 7
evaṁ sa viprārjita-yodhanārthas
taiḥ kalpita-svastyayano ’tha viprān
pradakṣiṇī-kṛtya kṛta-praṇāmaḥ
prahrādam āmantrya namaś-cakāra
SYNONYMS
evam—in this way; saḥ—he (Bali Mahārāja); vipra-arjita—gained by the grace of the brāhmaṇas; yodhana-arthaḥ—possessing equipment for fighting; taiḥ—by them (the brāhmaṇas); kalpita—advice; svastyayanaḥ—ritualistic performance; atha—as; viprān—all the brāhmaṇas (Śukrācārya and others); pradakṣiṇī-kṛtya—circumambulating; kṛta-praṇāmaḥ—offered his respectful obeisances; prahrādam—unto Prahlāda Mahārāja; āmantrya—addressing; namaḥ-cakāra—offered him obeisances.
TRANSLATION
When Mahārāja Bali had thus performed the special ritualistic ceremony advised by the brāhmaṇas and had received, by their grace, the equipment for fighting, he circumambulated the brāhmaṇas and offered them obeisances. He also saluted Prahlāda Mahārāja and offered obeisances to him.
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