Fourteen Worlds
FOURTEEN WORLDSVedic Cosmology

SB 8.20.10

Devanāgarī

मनस्विन: कारुणिकस्य शोभनं यदर्थिकामोपनयेन दुर्गति: । कुत: पुनर्ब्रह्मविदां भवाद‍ृशां ततो वटोरस्य ददामि वाञ्छितम् ॥ १० ॥

Text

manasvinaḥ kāruṇikasya śobhanaṁ yad arthi-kāmopanayena durgatiḥ kutaḥ punar brahma-vidāṁ bhavādṛśāṁ tato vaṭor asya dadāmi vāñchitam

Synonyms

manasvinaḥ—of persons who are greatly munificent;kāruṇikasya—of persons celebrated as very merciful;śobhanam—very auspicious;yat—that;arthi—of persons in need of money;kāma-upanayena—by satisfying;durgatiḥ—becoming poverty-stricken;kutaḥ—what;punaḥ—again (is to be said);brahma-vidām—of persons well versed in transcendental science (brahma-vidyā);bhavādṛśām—like your good self;tataḥ—therefore;vaṭoḥ—of thebrahmacārī;asya—of this Vāmanadeva;dadāmi—I shall give;vāñchitam—whatever He wants.

Translation

By giving charity, a benevolent and merciful person undoubtedly becomes even more auspicious, especially when he gives charity to a person like your good self. Under the circumstances, I must give this little brahmacārī whatever charity He wants from me.

Purport

If one accepts a poverty-stricken position because of losing money in business, gambling, prostitution or intoxication, no one will praise him, but if one becomes poverty-stricken by giving all of his possessions in charity, he becomes adored all over the world. Aside from this, if a benevolent and merciful person exhibits his pride in becoming poverty-stricken by giving his possessions in charity for good causes, his poverty is a welcome and auspicious sign of a great personality. Bali Mahārāja decided that even though he would become poverty-stricken by giving everything to Vāmanadeva, this is what he would prefer.
← SB 8.20.9Chapter 20SB 8.20.11