Devanagari
एष दानवदैत्यानामग्रणी: कीर्तिवर्धन: ।
अजैषीदजयां मायां सीदन्नपि न मुह्यति ॥ २८ ॥
Verse text
eṣa dānava-daityānām
agranīḥ kīrti-vardhanaḥ
ajaiṣīd ajayāṁ māyāṁ
sīdann api na muhyati
Synonyms
eṣaḥ
—
this Bali Mahārāja
;
dānava
—
daityānām — among the demons and unbelievers
;
agranīḥ
—
the foremost devotee
;
kīrti
—
vardhanaḥ — the most famous
;
ajaiṣīt
—
has already surpassed
;
ajayām
—
the insurmountable
;
māyām
—
material energy
;
sīdan
—
being bereft (of all material opulences)
;
api
—
although
;
na
—
not
;
muhyati
—
is bewildered .
Translation
Bali Mahārāja has become the most famous among the demons and nonbelievers, for in spite of being bereft of all material opulences, he is fixed in his devotional service.
Translation (Visvanatha Cakravarti Thakura)
Famous Bali Mahārāja, foremost among the demons, has already conquered unsurpassable māyā. Though in dire circumstances, he is not bewildered.
“Well, let that be, but what type of mercy of yours did Bali, your devotee, receive when you took away his wealth?” He has conquered māyā. I do not say ‘will conquer” or “is conquering.” He has already conquered māyā previously. What is the question of him having arrogance or disrespect caused by māyā? In order to destroy māyā I take away wealth and power. Even bereft of wealth, he is not bewildered. It is seen that people who are bewildered by wealth become greatly disturbed and bewildered the moment that disaster strikes.
Purport
In this verse, the words
sīdann api na muhyati
are very important. A devotee is sometimes put into adversity while executing devotional service. In adversity, everyone laments and becomes aggrieved, but by the grace of the Supreme Personality of Godhead, a devotee, even in the worst condition, can understand that he is going through a severe examination by the Personality of Godhead. Bali Mahārāja passed all such examinations, as explained in the following verses.