The Brāhmaṇa Boy Who Strode the Universe
The Brahmana Boy Who Strode the Universe
With the whole universe as his realm, King Bali gladly promised to give the little brahmana boy just three steps of land... No one could have foreseen how colossal those steps would be-or how colossal the king's truthfulness and generosity would be.
From Srimad-Bhagavatam, by His Divine Grace A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada. (Adapted by Drutakarma dasa.)
Indrapuri, the capital of Indra, the king of heaven, overflowed with pleasing orchards and gardens where graceful, gliding swans played in ponds full of lotus flowers. The city was shaded by canopies decorated with pearls, and the domes of the palaces had flags embroidered with gold and precious gems. All through the city there were sitting places made of diamond and coral, and breezes bore the fragrance of the flowers falling from the hair of the demigods' wives, who were everlastingly beautiful and youthful. For protection the city was surrounded both by trenches full of Ganges water and by a high wall the color of fire. Yet even in the carefree capital of King Indra there is sometimes cause for fear....
Desiring to conquer Indrapuri, the powerful king of the demons Bali Maharaja once performed the visvajit sacrifice. Because Bali had served his guru faithfully, he achieved success, and from the sacrificial fire appeared a celestial chariot of gold, powerful yellow horses, a flag emblazoned with a lion, a gilded bow, two quivers of infallible arrows, and a suit of invincible armor. Thus equipped for war, Bali assembled his vast army and set out for Indrapuri.
When Bali Maharaja and his countless soldiers reached Indra's abode, they furiously attacked it from all directions. Overwhelmed, the demigods fled the heavenly kingdom in great haste and scattered here and there, assuming different forms to escape detection. Then the victorious King Bali entered Indrapuri and brought the three worlds under his control.