SB 5.24.19
A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada
TEXT 19
- no evaitat sākṣātkāro bhūmi-dānasya yat tad bhagavaty
- aśeṣa-jīva-nikāyānāṁ jīva-bhūtātma-bhūte paramātmani
- vāsudeve tīrthatame pātra upapanne parayā śraddhayā
- paramādara-samāhita-manasā sampratipāditasya
- sākṣād apavarga-dvārasya yad bila-nilayaiśvaryam
SYNONYMS
no—not; eva—indeed; etat—this; sākṣātkāraḥ—the direct result; bhūmi-dānasya—of contribution of land; yat—which; tat—that; bhagavati—unto the Supreme Personality of Godhead; aśeṣa-jīva-nikāyānām—of unlimited numbers of living entities; jīva-bhūta-ātma-bhūte—who is the life and the Supersoul; parama-ātmani—the supreme regulator; vāsudeve—Lord Vāsudeva (Kṛṣṇa); tīrtha-tame—who is the best of all places of pilgrimage; pātre—the most worthy recipient; upapanne—having approached; parayā—by the topmost; śraddhayā—faith; parama-ādara—with great respect; samāhita-manasā—with an attentive mind; sampratipāditasya—which was given; sākṣāt—directly; apavarga-dvārasya—the gate of liberation; yat—which; bila-nilaya—of bila-svarga, the imitation heavenly planets; aiśvaryam—the opulence.
TRANSLATION
My dear King, Bali Mahārāja donated all his possessions to the Supreme Personality of Godhead, Vāmanadeva, but one should certainly not conclude that he achieved his great worldly opulence in bila-svarga as a result of his charitable disposition. The Supreme Personality of Godhead, who is the source of life for all living entities, lives within everyone as the friendly Supersoul, and under His direction a living entity enjoys or suffers in the material world. Greatly appreciating the transcendental qualities of the Lord, Bali Mahārāja offered everything at His lotus feet. His purpose, however, was not to gain anything material, but to become a pure devotee. For a pure devotee, the door of liberation is automatically opened. One should not think that Bali Mahārāja was given so much material opulence merely because of his charity. When one becomes a pure devotee in love, he may also be blessed with a good material position by the will of the Supreme Lord. However, one should not mistakenly think that the material opulence of a devotee is the result of his devotional service. The real result of devotional service is the awakening of pure love for the Supreme Personality of Godhead, which continues under all circumstances.