Srimad-Bhagavatam: Canto 8: “Withdrawal of the Cosmic Creations”
by His Divine Grace A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada

Chapter Twenty

SB8.20.14

TEXT 14

sri-suka uvaca

evam asraddhitam sisyam

anadesakaram guruh

sasapa daiva-prahitah

satya-sandham manasvinam

SYNONYMS

sri-sukah uvaca—Sri Sukadeva Gosvami said; evam—thus; asraddhitam—who was not very respectful to the instruction of the spiritual master; sisyam—unto such a disciple; anadesa-karam—who was not prepared to carry out the order of his spiritual master; guruh—the spiritual master (Sukracarya); sasapa—cursed; daiva-prahitah—being inspired by the Supreme Lord; satya-sandham—one who was fixed in his truthfulness; manasvinam—who was of a highly elevated character.

TRANSLATION

Sri Sukadeva Gosvami continued: Thereafter, the spiritual master, Sukracarya, being inspired by the Supreme Lord, cursed his exalted disciple Bali Maharaja, who was so magnanimous and fixed in truthfulness that instead of respecting his spiritual master’s instructions, he wanted to disobey his order.

PURPORT

The difference between the behavior of Bali Maharaja and that of his spiritual master, Sukracarya, was that Bali Maharaja had already developed love of Godhead, whereas Sukracarya, being merely a priest of routine rituals, had not. Thus Sukracarya was never inspired by the Supreme Personality of Godhead to develop in devotional service. As stated by the Lord Himself in Bhagavad-gita (10.10):

tesam satata-yuktanam
bhajatam priti-purvakam
dadami buddhi-yogam tam
yena mam upayanti te

“To those who are constantly devoted and worship Me with love, I give the understanding by which they can come to Me.”

Devotees who actually engage in devotional service with faith and love are inspired by the Supreme Personality of Godhead. Vaisnavas are never concerned with ritualistic smarta-brahmanas. Srila Sanatana Gosvami has therefore compiled Hari-bhakti-vilasa to guide the Vaisnavas, who never follow the smarta-viddhi. Although the Supreme Lord is situated in the core of everyone’s heart, unless one is a Vaisnava, unless one is engaged in devotional service, one does not get sound advice by which to return home, back to Godhead. Such instructions are meant only for devotees. Therefore in this verse the word daiva-prahitah, “being inspired by the Supreme Lord,” is important. Sukracarya should have encouraged Bali Maharaja to give everything to Lord Visnu. This would have been a sign of love for the Supreme Lord. But he did not do so. On the contrary, he wanted to punish his devoted disciple by cursing him.

SB8.20.15

TEXT 15

drdham pandita-many ajnah

stabdho ’sy asmad-upeksaya

mac-chasanatigo yas tvam

acirad bhrasyase sriyah

SYNONYMS

drdham—so firmly convinced or fixed in your decision; pandita-mani—considering yourself very learned; ajnah—at the same time foolish; stabdhah—impudent; asi—you have become; asmat—of us; upeksaya—by disregarding; mat-sasana-atigah—surpassing the jurisdiction of my administration; yah—such a person (as you); tvam—yourself; acirat—very soon; bhrasyase—will fall down; sriyah—from all opulence.

TRANSLATION

Although you have no knowledge, you have become a so-called learned person, and therefore you dare be so impudent as to disobey my order. Because of disobeying me, you shall very soon be bereft of all your opulence.

PURPORT

Srila Visvanatha Cakravarti Thakura says that Bali Maharaja was not pandita-mani, or one who falsely assumes himself learned; rather, he was pandita-manya-jnah, one who is so learned that all other learned persons worship him. Aid because he was so learned, he could disobey the order of his so-called spiritual master. He had no fear of any condition of material existence. Anyone cared for by Lord Visnu does not need to care about anyone else. Thus Bali Maharaja could never be bereft of all opulences. The opulences offered by the Supreme Personality of Godhead are not to be compared to the opulences obtained by karma-kanda. In other words, if a devotee becomes very opulent, it is to be understood that his opulence is a gift of the Supreme Personality of Godhead. Such opulence will never be vanquished, whereas the opulence achieved by one’s fruitive activity may be vanquished at any moment.

SB8.20.16

TEXT 16

evam saptah sva-guruna

satyan na calito mahan

vamanaya dadav enam

arcitvodaka-purvakam

SYNONYMS

evam—in this way; saptah—being cursed; sva-guruna—by his own spiritual master; satyat—from truthfulness; na—not; calitah—who moved; mahan—the great personality; vamanaya—unto Lord Vamanadeva; dadau—gave in charity; enam—all the land; arcitva—after worshiping; udaka-purvakam—preceded by offering of water.

TRANSLATION

Sukadeva Gosvami continued: Even after being cursed in this way by his own spiritual master, Bali Maharaja, being a great personality, never deviated from his determination. Therefore, according to custom, he first offered water to Vamanadeva and then offered Him the gift of land he had promised.

SB8.20.17

TEXT 17

vindhyavalis tadagatya

patni jalaka-malini

aninye kalasam haimam

avanejany-apam bhrtam

SYNONYMS

vindhyavalih—Vindhyavali; tada—at that time; agatya—coming there; patni—the wife of Maharaja Bali; jalaka-malini—decorated with a necklace of pearls; aninye—caused to be brought; kalasam—a waterpot; haimam—made of gold; avanejani-apam—with water for the sake of washing the Lord’s feet; bhrtam—filled.

TRANSLATION

Bali Maharaja’s wife, known as Vindhyavali, who was decorated with a necklace of pearls, immediately came and had a large golden waterpot brought there, full of water with which to worship the Lord by washing His feet.

SB8.20.18

TEXT 18

yajamanah svayam tasya

srimat pada-yugam muda

avanijyavahan murdhni

tad apo visva-pavanih

SYNONYMS

yajamanah—the worshiper (Bali Maharaja); svayam—personally; tasya—of Lord Vamanadeva; srimat pada-yugam—the most auspicious and beautiful pair of lotus feet; muda—with great jubilation; avanijya—properly washing; avahat—took; murdhni—on his head; tat—that; apah—water; visva-pavanih—which gives liberation to the whole universe.

TRANSLATION

Bali Maharaja, the worshiper of Lord Vamanadeva, jubilantly washed the Lord’s lotus feet and then took the water on his head, for that water delivers the entire universe.

SB8.20.19

TEXT 19

tadasurendram divi devata-gana

gandharva-vidyadhara-siddha-caranah

tat karma sarve ’pi grnanta arjavam

prasuna-varsair vavrsur mudanvitah

SYNONYMS

tada—at that time; asura-indram—unto the King of the demons, Bali Maharaja; divi—in the higher planetary system; devata-ganah—the residents known as the demigods; gandharva—the Gandharvas; vidyadhara—the Vidyadharas; siddha—the residents of Siddhaloka; caranah—the residents of Caranaloka; tat—that; karma—action; sarve api—all of them; grnantah—declaring; arjavam—plain and simple; prasuna-varsaih—with a shower of flowers; vavrsuh—released; muda-anvitah—being very pleased with him.

TRANSLATION

At that time, the residents of the higher planetary system, namely the demigods, the Gandharvas, the Vidyadharas, the Siddhas and the Caranas, all being very pleased by Bali Maharaja’s simple, nonduplicitous act, praised his qualities and showered upon him millions of flowers.

PURPORT

Arjavam—simplicity or freedom from duplicity—is a qualification of a brahmana and a Vaisnava. A Vaisnava automatically acquires all the qualities of a brahmana.

yasyasti bhaktir bhagavaty akincana
sarvair gunais tatra samasate surah

(Bhag. 5.18.12)

A Vaisnava should possess the brahminical qualities such as satya, sama, dama, titiksa and arjava. There cannot be any duplicity in the character of a Vaisnava. When Bali Maharaja acted with unflinching faith and devotion unto the lotus feet of Lord Visnu, this was very much appreciated by all the residents of the higher planetary system.

SB8.20.20

TEXT 20

nedur muhur dundubhayah sahasraso

gandharva-kimpurusa-kinnara jaguh

manasvinanena krtam suduskaram

vidvan adad yad ripave jagat-trayam

SYNONYMS

neduh—began to beat; muhuh—again and again; dundubhayah—trumpets and kettledrums; sahasrasah—by thousands and thousands; gandharva—the residents of Gandharvaloka; kimpurusa—the residents of Kimpurusaloka; kinnarah—and the residents of Kinnaraloka; jaguh—began to sing and declare; manasvina—by the most exalted personality; anena—by Bali Maharaja; krtam—was done; su-duskaram—an extremely difficult task; vidvan—because of his being the most learned person; adat—gave Him a gift; yat—that; ripave—unto the enemy, Lord Visnu, who was siding with Bali Maharaja’s enemies, the demigods; jagat-trayam—the three worlds.

TRANSLATION

The Gandharvas, the Kimpurusas and the Kinnaras sounded thousands and thousands of kettledrums and trumpets again and again, and they sang in great jubilation, declaring, “How exalted a person is Bali Maharaja, and what a difficult task he has performed! Even though he knew that Lord Visnu was on the side of his enemies, he nonetheless gave the Lord the entire three worlds in charity.”

SB8.20.21

TEXT 21

tad vamanam rupam avardhatadbhutam

harer anantasya guna-trayatmakam

bhuh kham diso dyaur vivarah payodhayas

tiryan-nr-deva rsayo yad-asata

SYNONYMS

tat—that; vamanam—incarnation of Lord Vamana; rupam—form; avardhata—began to increase more and more; adbhutam—certainly very wonderful; hareh—of the Supreme Personality of Godhead; anantasya—of the unlimited; guna-traya-atmakam—whose body is expanded by the material energy, consisting of three modes (goodness, passion and ignorance); bhuh—the land; kham—the sky; disah—all directions; dyauh—the planetary systems; vivarah—different holes of the universe; payodhayah—great seas and oceans; tiryak—lower animals, birds and beasts; nr—human beings; devah—demigods; rsayah—great saintly persons; yat—wherein; asata—lived.

TRANSLATION

The unlimited Supreme Personality of Godhead, who had assumed the form of Vamana, then began increasing in size, acting in terms of the material energy, until everything in the universe was within His body, including the earth, the planetary systems, the sky, the directions, the various holes in the universe, the seas, the oceans, the birds, beasts, human beings, the demigods and the great saintly persons.

PURPORT

Bali Maharaja wanted to give charity to Vamanadeva, but the Lord expanded His body in such a way that He showed Bali Maharaja that everything in the universe is already in His body. Actually, no one can give anything to the Supreme Personality of Godhead, for He is full in everything. Sometimes we see a devotee offering Ganges water to the Ganges. After taking his bath in the Ganges, a devotee takes a palmful of water and offers it back to the Ganges. Actually, when one takes a palmful of water from the Ganges, the Ganges does not lose anything, and similarly if a devotee offers a palmful of water to the Ganges, the Ganges does not increase in any way. But by such an offering, the devotee becomes celebrated as a devotee of mother Ganges. Similarly, when we offer anything with devotion and faith, what we offer does not belong to us, nor does it enrich the opulence of the Supreme Personality of Godhead. But if one offers whatever he has in his possession, he becomes a recognized devotee. In this regard, the example is given that when one’s face is decorated with a garland and sandalwood pulp, the reflection of one’s face in a mirror automatically becomes beautiful. The original source of everything is the Supreme Personality of Godhead, who is our original source also. Therefore when the Supreme Personality of Godhead is decorated, the devotees and all living entities are decorated automatically.

SB8.20.22

TEXT 22

kaye balis tasya maha-vibhuteh

sahartvig-acarya-sadasya etat

dadarsa visvam tri-gunam gunatmake

bhutendriyarthasaya-jiva-yuktam

SYNONYMS

kaye—in the body; balih—Maharaja Bali; tasya—of the Personality of Godhead; maha-vibhuteh—of that person who is equipped with all wonderful opulences; saha-rtvik-acarya-sadasyah—with all the priests, acaryas and members of the holy assembly; etat—this; dadarsa—saw; visvam—the whole universe; tri-gunam—made of three modes of material nature; guna-atmake—in that which is the source of all such qualities; bhuta—with all the gross material elements; indriya—with the senses; artha—with the sense objects; asaya—with mind, intelligence and false ego; jiva-yuktam—with all the living entities.

TRANSLATION

Bali Maharaja, along with all the priests, acaryas and members of the assembly, observed the Supreme Personality of Godhead’s universal body, which was full of six opulences. That body contained everything within the universe, including all the gross material elements, the senses, the sense objects, the mind, intelligence and false ego, the various kinds of living entities, and the actions and reactions of the three modes of material nature.

PURPORT

In Bhagavad-gita, the Supreme Personality of Godhead says, aham sarvasya prabhavo mattah sarvam pravartate: [Bg. 10.8] Krsna is the origin of everything. Vasudevah sarvam iti: [Bg. 7.19] Krsna is everything. Mat-sthani sarva-bhutani na caham tesv avasthitah: everything rests in the body of the Lord, yet the Lord is not everywhere. Mayavadi philosophers think that since the Supreme Personality of Godhead, the Absolute Truth, has become everything, He has no separate existence. Their philosophy is called advaita-vada. Actually, however, their philosophy is not correct. Here, Bali Maharaja was the seer of the Personality of Godhead’s universal body, and that body was that which was seen. Thus there is dvaita-vada; there are always two entities—the seer and the seen. The seer is a part of the whole, but he is not equal to the whole. The part of the whole, the seer, is also one with the whole, but since he is but a part, he cannot be the complete whole at any time. This acintya-bhedabheda—simultaneous oneness and difference—is the perfect philosophy propounded by Lord Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu.

SB8.20.23

TEXT 23

rasam acastanghri-tale ’tha padayor

mahim mahidhran purusasya janghayoh

patattrino januni visva-murter

urvor ganam marutam indrasenah

SYNONYMS

rasam—the lower planetary system; acasta—observed; anghri-tale—beneath the feet, or on the sole; atha—thereafter; padayoh—on the feet; mahim—the surface of the land; mahidhran—the mountains; purusasya—of the giant Personality of Godhead; janghayoh—on the calves; patattrinah—the flying living entities; januni—on the knees; visva-murteh—of the form of the gigantic Lord; urvoh—on the thighs; ganam marutam—varieties of air; indra-senah—Bali Maharaja, who had obtained the soldiers of King Indra and who was situated in the post of Indra.

TRANSLATION

Thereafter, Bali Maharaja, who was occupying the seat of King Indra, could see the lower planetary systems, such as Rasatala, on the soles of the feet of the Lord’s universal form. He saw on the Lord’s feet the surface of the globe, on the surface of His calves all the mountains, on His knees the various birds, and on His thighs the varieties of air.

PURPORT

The universal situation is described herein in regard to the complete constitution of the Lord’s gigantic universal form. The study of this universal form begins from the sole. Above the soles are the feet, above the feet are the calves, above the calves are the knees, and above the knees are the thighs. Thus the parts of the universal body, one after another, are described herein. The knees are the place of birds, and above that are varieties of air. The birds can fly over the mountains, and above the birds are varieties of air.

SB8.20.24

TEXT 24

sandhyam vibhor vasasi guhya aiksat

prajapatin jaghane atma-mukhyan

nabhyam nabhah kuksisu sapta-sindhun

urukramasyorasi carksa-malam

SYNONYMS

sandhyam—the evening twilight; vibhoh—of the Supreme; vasasi—in the garment; guhye—on the private parts; aiksat—he saw; prajapatin—the various Prajapatis, who had given birth to all living entities; jaghane—on the hips; atma-mukhyan—the confidential ministers of Bali Maharaja; nabhyam—on the navel; nabhah—the whole sky; kuksisu—on the waist; sapta—seven; sindhun—oceans; urukramasya—of the Supreme Personality of Godhead, who was acting wonderfully; urasi—on the bosom; ca—also; rksa-malam—the clusters of stars.

TRANSLATION

Bali Maharaja saw beneath the garments of the Lord, who acts wonderfully, the evening twilight. In the Lord’s private parts he saw the Prajapatis, and in the round portion of the waist he saw himself with his confidential associates. In the Lord’s navel he saw the sky, on the Lord’s waist he saw the seven oceans, and on the Lord’s bosom he saw all the clusters of stars.

SB8.20.25-29

TEXTS 25–29

hrdy anga dharmam stanayor murarer

rtam ca satyam ca manasy athendum

sriyam ca vaksasy aravinda-hastam

kanthe ca samani samasta-rephan

indra-pradhanan amaran bhujesu

tat-karnayoh kakubho dyaus ca murdhni

kesesu meghan chvasanam nasikayam

aksnos ca suryam vadane ca vahnim

vanyam ca chandamsi rase jalesam

bhruvor nisedham ca vidhim ca paksmasu

ahas ca ratrim ca parasya pumso

manyum lalate ’dhara eva lobham

sparse ca kamam nrpa retasambhah

prsthe tv adharmam kramanesu yajnam

chayasu mrtyum hasite ca mayam

tanu-ruhesv osadhi-jatayas ca

nadis ca nadisu sila nakhesu

buddhav ajam deva-ganan rsims ca

pranesu gatre sthira-jangamani

sarvani bhutani dadarsa virah

SYNONYMS

hrdi—within the heart; anga—my dear King Pariksit; dharmam—religion; stanayoh—on the bosom; murareh—of Murari, the Supreme Personality of Godhead; rtam—very pleasing words; ca—also; satyam—truthfulness; ca—also; manasi—in the mind; atha—thereafter; indum—the moon; sriyam—the goddess of fortune; ca—also; vaksasi—on the chest; aravinda-hastam—who always carries a lotus flower in her hand; kanthe—on the neck; ca—also; samani—all the Vedas (Sama, Yajur, Rg and Atharva); samasta-rephan—all sound vibrations; indra-pradhanan—headed by King Indra; amaran—all the demigods; bhujesu—on the arms; tat-karnayoh—on the ears; kakubhah—all the directions; dyauh ca—the luminaries; murdhni—on the top of the head; kesesu—within the hair; meghan—the clouds; svasanam—breathing air; nasikayam—on the nostrils; aksnoh ca—in the eyes; suryam—the sun; vadane—in the mouth; ca—also; vahnim—fire; vanyam—in His speech; ca—also; chandamsi—the Vedic hymns; rase—in the tongue; jala-isam—the demigod of the water; bhruvoh—on the eyebrows; nisedham—warnings; ca—also; vidhim—regulative principles; ca—also; paksmasu—in the eyelids; ahah ca—daytime; ratrim—night; ca—also; parasya—of the supreme; pumsah—of the person; manyum—anger; lalate—on the forehead; adhare—on the lips; eva—indeed; lobham—greed; sparse—in His touch; ca—also; kamam—lusty desires; nrpa—O King; retasa—by semen; ambhah—water; prsthe—on the back; tu—but; adharmam—irreligion; kramanesu—in the wonderful activities; yajnam—fire sacrifice; chayasu—in the shadows; mrtyum—death; hasite—in His smiling; ca—also; mayam—the illusory energy; tanu-ruhesu—in the hair on the body; osadhi-jatayah—all species of drugs, herbs and plants; ca—and; nadih—the rivers; ca—also; nadisu—in the veins; silah—stones; nakhesu—in the nails; buddhau—in the intelligence; ajam—Lord Brahma; deva-ganan—the demigods; rsin ca—and the great sages; pranesu—in the senses; gatre—in the body; sthira-jangamani—moving and stationary; sarvani—all of them; bhutani—living entities; dadarsa—saw; virah—Bali Maharaja.

TRANSLATION

My dear King, on the heart of Lord Murari he saw religion; on the chest, both pleasing words and truthfulness; in the mind, the moon; on the bosom, the goddess of fortune, with a lotus flower in her hand; on the neck, all the Vedas and all sound vibrations; on the arms, all the demigods, headed by King Indra; in both ears, all the directions; on the head, the upper planetary systems; on the hair, the clouds; in the nostrils, the wind; on the eyes, the sun; and in the mouth, fire. From His words came all the Vedic mantras, on His tongue was the demigod of water, Varunadeva, on His eyebrows were the regulative principles, and on His eyelids were day and night. [When His eyes were open it was daytime, and when they were closed it was night.] On His forehead was anger, and on His lips was greed. O King, in His touch were lusty desires, in His semen were all the waters, on His back was irreligion, and in His wonderful activities or steps was the fire of sacrifice. On His shadow was death, in His smile was the illusory energy, and on the hairs of His body were all the drugs and herbs. In His veins were all the rivers, on His nails were all the stones, in His intelligence were Lord Brahma, the demigods and the great saintly persons, and throughout His entire body and senses were all living entities, moving and stationary. Bali Maharaja thus saw everything in the gigantic body of the Lord.

SB8.20.30

TEXT 30

sarvatmanidam bhuvanam niriksya

sarve ’surah kasmalam apur anga

sudarsanam cakram asahya-tejo

dhanus ca sarngam stanayitnu-ghosam

SYNONYMS

sarva-atmani—in the supreme whole, the Supreme Personality of Godhead; idam—this universe; bhuvanam—the three worlds; niriksya—by observing; sarve—all; asurah—the demons, the associates of Bali Maharaja; kasmalam—lamentation; apuh—received; anga—O King; sudarsanam—named Sudarsana; cakram—the disc; asahya—unbearable; tejah—the heat of which; dhanuh ca—and the bow; sarngam—named Sarnga; stanayitnu—the resounding of assembled clouds; ghosam—sounding like.

TRANSLATION

O King, when all the demons, the followers of Maharaja Bali, saw the universal form of the Supreme Personality of Godhead, who held everything within His body, when they saw in the Lord’s hand His disc, known as the Sudarsana cakra, which generates intolerable heat, and when they heard the tumultuous sound of His bow, all of these caused lamentation within their hearts.

SB8.20.31

TEXT 31

parjanya-ghoso jalajah pancajanyah

kaumodaki visnu-gada tarasvini

vidyadharo ’sih sata-candra-yuktas

tunottamav aksayasayakau ca

SYNONYMS

parjanya-ghosah—having a sound vibration like that of the clouds; jalajah—the Lord’s conchshell; pancajanyah—which is known as Pancajanya; kaumodaki—known by the name Kaumodaki; visnu-gada—the club of Lord Visnu; tarasvini—with great force; vidyadharah—named Vidyadhara; asih—the sword; sata-candra-yuktah—with a shield decorated with hundreds of moons; tuna-uttamau—the best of quivers; aksayasayakau—named Aksayasayaka; ca—also.

TRANSLATION

The Lord’s conchshell, named Pancajanya, which made sounds like that of a cloud; the very forceful club named Kaumodaki; the sword named Vidyadhara, with a shield decorated with hundreds of moonlike spots; and also Aksayasayaka, the best of quivers—all of these appeared together to offer prayers to the Lord.

SB8.20.32-33

TEXTS 32–33

sunanda-mukhya upatasthur isam

parsada-mukhyah saha-loka-palah

sphurat-kiritangada-mina-kundalah

srivatsa-ratnottama-mekhalambaraih

madhuvrata-srag-vanamalayavrto

raraja rajan bhagavan urukramah

ksitim padaikena baler vicakrame

nabhah sarirena disas ca bahubhih

SYNONYMS

sunanda-mukhyah—the associates of the Lord headed by Sunanda; upatasthuh—began to offer prayers; isam—unto the Supreme Personality of Godhead; parsada-mukhyah—other chiefs of the associates; saha-loka-palah—with the predominant deities of all the planets; sphurat-kirita—with a brilliant helmet; angada—bracelets; mina-kundalah—and earrings in the shape of fish; srivatsa—the hair named Srivatsa on His bosom; ratna-uttama—the best of jewels (Kaustubha); mekhala—belt; ambaraih—with yellow garments; madhu-vrata—of bees; srak—in which there was a garland; vanamalaya—by a flower garland; avrtah—covered; raraja—predominantly manifested; rajan—O King; bhagavan—the Supreme Personality of Godhead; urukramah—who is prominent by His wonderful activities; ksitim—the whole surface of the world; pada ekena—by one footstep; baleh—of Bali Maharaja; vicakrame—covered; nabhah—the sky; sarirena—by His body; disah ca—and all directions; bahubhih—by His arms.

TRANSLATION

These associates, headed by Sunanda and other chief associates and accompanied by all the predominating deities of the various planets, offered prayers to the Lord, who wore a brilliant helmet, bracelets, and glittering earrings that resembled fish. On the Lord’s bosom were the lock of hair called Srivatsa and the transcendental jewel named Kaustubha. He wore a yellow garment, covered by a belt, and He was decorated by a flower garland, surrounded by bees. Manifesting Himself in this way, O King, the Supreme Personality of Godhead, whose activities are wonderful, covered the entire surface of the earth with one footstep, the sky with His body, and all directions with His arms.

PURPORT

One might argue, “Since Bali Maharaja promised Vamanadeva only the land occupied by His steps, why did Lord Vamanadeva occupy the sky also?” In this regard, Srila Jiva Gosvami says that the steps include everything, downward and upward. When one stands up, he certainly occupies certain parts of the sky and certain portions of the earth below his feet. Thus there was nothing uncommon for the Supreme Personality of Godhead when He occupied the entire sky with His body.

SB8.20.34

TEXT 34

padam dvitiyam kramatas trivistapam

na vai trtiyaya tadiyam anv api

urukramasyanghrir upary upary atho

mahar-janabhyam tapasah param gatah

SYNONYMS

padam—step; dvitiyam—second; kramatah—advancing; tri-vistapam—all of the heavenly planets; na—not; vai—indeed; trtiyaya—for the third step; tadiyam—of the Lord; anu api—only a spot of land remained; urukramasya—of the Supreme Personality of Godhead, who performs uncommon activities; anghrih—steps occupying above and below; upari upari—higher and higher; atho—now; mahah-janabhyam—than Maharloka and Janaloka; tapasah—that Tapoloka; param—beyond that; gatah—approached.

TRANSLATION

As the Lord took His second step, He covered the heavenly planets. And not even a spot remained for the third step, for the Lord’s foot extended higher and higher, beyond Maharloka, Janaloka, Tapoloka and even Satyaloka.

PURPORT

When the Lord’s footstep exceeded the height of all the lokas, including Maharloka, Janaloka, Tapoloka and Satyaloka, His nails certainly pierced the covering of the universe. The universe is covered by the five material elements (bhumir apo ’nalo vayuh kham). As stated in the sastra, these elements are in layers, each ten times thicker than the previous one. Nonetheless, the nails of the Lord pierced through all these layers and made a hole penetrating into the spiritual world. From this hole, the water of the Ganges infiltrated into this material world, and therefore it is said, pada-nakha-nira janita jana-pavana (Dasavatara-stotra 5). Because the Lord kicked a hole in the covering of the universe, the water of the Ganges came into this material world to deliver all the fallen souls.

Thus end the Bhaktivedanta purports of the Eighth Canto, Twentieth Chapter, of the Srimad-Bhagavatam, entitled “Bali Maharaja Surrenders the Universe.”

Next chapter (SB 8.21)