TEXT 21
tad vamanam rupam avardhatadbhutam
harer anantasya guna-trayatmakam
bhuh kham diso dyaur vivarah payodhayas
tiryan-nr-deva rsayo yad-asata
SYNONYMS
tatthat; vamanamincarnation of Lord Vamana; rupamform; avardhatabegan to increase more and more; adbhutamcertainly very wonderful; harehof the Supreme Personality of Godhead; anantasyaof the unlimited; guna-traya-atmakamwhose body is expanded by the material energy, consisting of three modes (goodness, passion and ignorance); bhuhthe land; khamthe sky; disahall directions; dyauhthe planetary systems; vivarahdifferent holes of the universe; payodhayahgreat seas and oceans; tiryaklower animals, birds and beasts; nrhuman beings; devahdemigods; rsayahgreat saintly persons; yatwherein; asatalived.
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 ones face is decorated with a garland and sandalwood pulp, the reflection of ones 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.

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