Verse 1.13.141

Bengali text, Devanagari and Unicode transliteration of verse 1.13.141:

এই সে বামন-রূপে বলির জীবন যাঙ্’র পাদ-পদ্ম হৈতে গঙ্গার জনম ॥ ১৪১ ॥

एइ से वामन-रूपे बलिर जीवन याङ्’र पाद-पद्म हैते गङ्गार जनम ॥ १४१ ॥

ei se vāmana-rūpe balira jīvana yāṅ’ra pāda-padma haite gaṅgāra janama || 141 ||

ei se vamana-rupe balira jivana yan’ra pada-padma haite gangara janama (141)

English translation:

(141) “In the form of Vāmana, He is the life and soul of Bali. The Ganges appears from His lotus feet.

Commentary: Gauḍīya-bhāṣya by Śrīla Bhaktisiddhānta Sarasvatī Ṭhākura:

The incarnation of Vāmanadeva is clearly mentioned in the Ṛk-saṃhitā. The description of Vāmana’s pastimes is given in the Ṛk-saṃhitā in order

to award the qualification on neophyte devotees for studing the Vedas. The purport is that all objects of enjoyment within the three worlds, which through material calculation is the ultimate limit for conditioned souls who are prone to material knowledge, are brought under control by the exhibition of the supreme prowess of that personality, the powerful Vāmanadeva, whose characteristics are found as codes in the mantras of the Ṛg Veda. While describing the prowess of this Trivikrama Viṣṇu, Mahābhārata, the purport of the Vedas, narrates the glories of His other incarnations. And the purport of Mahābhārata has been elaborately explained in the Śrīmad Bhāgavatam. Since according to the consideration of the atheists, Trivikrama Viṣṇu’s prowess is limited, they cannot agree to accept the incarnations of Viṣṇu, the controller of māyā.

One is able to perceive the Lord only on the strength of mercy bestowed by the Lord. Persons who depend solely on material knowledge are always baffled in their attempts to understand the nature of the Absolute Truth, like a dwarf’s attempt to catch the moon. The mundane mental speculators see the all-pervading Viṣṇu in a limited form due to not realizing their own selves and are thus bereft of the service of Lord Viṣṇu. They then consider themselves under the control of material nature and exhibit materialistic false ego as a result of foolishness born of māyā. Such persons who are attached to objects not related with the Lord are cheated of the Lord’s mercy. One should discuss the Kaṭha Upaniṣad (1.2.23) and Muṇḍaka Upaniṣad (3.2.3), wherein it is stated: yam evaiṣa vṛṇute tena labhyas/ tasyaiṣa ātmā vivṛṇute tanūṃ svām—“The Lord is obtained only by one whom He Himself chooses. To such a person He manifests His own form.”