Mahabali

Poem - Part 2

Mahabali and Vishnu

The dwarf replied, “I greet thee King, who hast
With mighty exertions this station on thyself brought,
Of wills burnished into near omnipotent decree
And knowledge like oceans moves freely through thee.
Am but a twice-born dwarf of meagre means.’
Mahabali in new power’s haste the word slips,
‘Speak what thou lackest, what holds thy desire,
I must only will it for it by thee to now appear.
Demand twice-born, for one as thee must not go empty
Having step foot on this sacrificial grounds of me.”
The dwarf made reply, “My needs mirror my form,
By little I subsist, in modesty is my decorum.
A span of land that I would in three steps take
Of that patch me the sovereign thou must make.”
The Titan said, “But this by mere word can be decreed!”
Brushing sagely counsel by ritual to oath he did proceed/
The oath taken by the holy waters and sacred vow
He granted the length of three steps to the dwarf now.
Then began a tremble hardly perceived by minds
Shackled by the snare of the deluding senses.
A smile inconceivable bloomed on the dwarf’s face
He grew before their disbelieving eyes as witness.
The childish frame grew beyond the visible sky,
Alarm and wonder seized Titan’s heart and eye.
Surely this dwarf was no ordinary being
Who stretched his form with such ease exceeding.
The Dwarf now stood bridging earth and heaven
In His expanse folded planes of the Rishis seven.
All marvels seen engulfed in the single looming form
In handful of earth moments exceeded every known norm.
He gazed at Mahabali far below with a divine smile,
“Three spans, three spaces of My dwelling to thee I reveal”.
Blotted out was all, only an inner eye of witness spirit
Was left of Mahabali to marvel at the eternal secret.
The first step engulfed earthly terrain of every world,
All matter, all of firm foundation were now in His hold.
Second step revealed His presence in all that is animated,
All manner of motion, all that breathed by Him procreated.
Third, the heavens of mind and all its knowing power
Was by Him and in Him as the seed holds a flower.
Mahabali saw and knew and grew in soul humble
For this was He, Vishnu, the Preserver, Abode of Love.
And in overwhelmed gratitude cried out he,
“O Vishnu, Dweller on Supreme Step, in pride I could not see,
By Thou are the triple spaces upheld, they are Thine,
In Thee we dwell, by Thee we are O Auspicious Divine.
I have seen as Seers of the Veda Thy triple-step,
Now sunder my ignorance, release me from its grip.”
And Vishnu glad of Mahabali’s happy strong surrender,
Lifted the Titan into His heart to abide forever.

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Mahabali