The many lessons for Vaishnavas to learn from Lord Vamanadeva: By%20Kripamoya%20Das%0A%0ALord%20Vamanadeva%20appeared%20within%20this%20world%20from%20the%20womb%20of%20Aditi%2C%20the%20mother%20of%20the%20gods.%20He%20appeared%20at%20midday%20on%20the%20shravan-dvadasi%2C%20the%2012th%20day%20of%20the%20lunar%20month%20of%20Shravan%20when%20the%20moon%20is%20waxing.%0A%0AThere%20are%20many%20lessons%20for%20Vaishnavas%20to%20learn%20from%20the%20narration%20of%20His%20activities%2C%20as%20found%20in%20the%208th%20canto%2C%2018th%20chapter%20of%20the%20Bhagavat%20Purana%20%28Srimad%20Bhagavatam%29.%20Amongst%20the%20lessons%20are%20these%3A%0A%0A1.%20That%20God%20comes%20to%20this%20world%20in%20many%20forms%3B%20not%20just%20once%2C%20in%20one%20form%2C%20or%20even%20many%20times%20in%20the%20same%20form%2C%20but%20many%20times%20in%20many%20forms.%20He%20is%20never%20limited%20by%20the%20form%2C%20but%20remains%20all%20powerful.%0A%0A2.%20That%20all%20other%20gods%20are%20meant%20to%20offer%20homage%20to%20Him.%20They%20did%20this%20when%2C%20appearing%20as%20a%20young%20child%2C%20he%20was%20awarded%20the%20sacred%20thread%20by%20Brihaspati%2C%20the%20guru%20of%20the%20gods.%20The%20sun%20god%20gave%20Him%20the%20Gayatri%20mantra%20and%20His%20father%2C%20Kasyapa%20Muni%2C%20a%20straw%20belt.%20Mother%20Earth%20gave%20Him%20a%20deerskin%20and%20Lord%20Brahma%20gave%20Him%20a%20waterpot.%20Kuvera%2C%20the%20heavenly%20treasurer%20gave%20Him%20a%20monk%u2019s%20begging%20bowl%2C%20and%20the%20wife%20of%20Lord%20Shiva%20gave%20Him%20the%20first%20alms.%20In%20this%20way%2C%20the%20gods%20all%20offered%20the%20best%20of%20what%20they%20had%20to%20the%20Supreme%20God.%20Each%20of%20us%2C%20in%20our%20own%20way%2C%20must%20also%20give%20the%20best%20of%20what%20we%20own%20%u2013%20our%20talents%2C%20intelligence%2C%20words%20and%20wealth%20%u2013%20as%20a%20gift%20to%20that%20same%20God.%20He%20gave%20it%20to%20us%20along%20with%20our%20birth%2C%20and%20we%20can%20offer%20it%20back%20to%20Him.%0A%0A3.%20Upon%20seeing%20the%20lad%20from%20a%20distance%2C%20King%20Bali%20noticed%20his%20remarkable%20sun-like%20effulgence.%20He%20welcomed%20Him%20and%20washed%20His%20feet.%20Thinking%20of%20himself%20as%20a%20great%20proprietor%20of%20the%20Earth%2C%20Bali%20then%20asked%20Vamanadeva%20what%20He%20would%20like%20to%20be%20given%20in%20charity%2C%20as%20this%20was%20the%20custom%20of%20the%20king.%20Vamana%20replied%20that%20He%20only%20wanted%20three%20paces%20of%20land%2C%20as%20measured%20by%20His%20own%20short%20steps.%20The%20king%20smiled%20at%20the%20thought%20of%20such%20a%20small%20request.%20He%20was%20soon%20to%20discover%20that%20just%20as%20God%20comes%20in%20disguise%2C%20so%20His%20requests%20to%20us%20are%20often%20disguised%20as%20simple%20acts%20of%20devotion.%20Many%20people%20smile%20at%20the%20thought%20that%20God%20asks%20us%20for%20only%20three%20words%3A%20Hare%2C%20Krishna%2C%20and%20Rama%2C%20spoken%20as%20a%20mantra.%20But%20as%20we%20speak%20those%20three%20small%20words%20we%20begin%20to%20realise%20that%20He%20is%20changing%20our%20life%20forever%20from%20within%20our%20hearts.%0A%0A4.Vamanadeva%20teaches%20Bali%20that%20enlightened%20human%20beings%20are%20meant%20to%20be%20satisfied%20with%20what%20comes%20to%20them.%20Those%20who%20are%20not%20satisfied%20with%20what%20they%20actually%20need%20will%20never%20be%20satisfied%2C%20even%20if%20they%20gain%20the%20whole%20Earth.%20And%20a%20man%20or%20a%20woman%20practising%20the%20spiritual%20life%20must%20never%20be%20dissatisfied%2C%20for%20by%20such%20dissatisfaction%20they%20sprinkle%20water%20on%20the%20inner%20fire%20of%20their%20spiritual%20potency.%0A%0A5.%20Bali%20Maharaja%u2019s%20guru%2C%20Sukracarya.%20was%20perceptive%20enough%20to%20understand%20what%20was%20happening%2C%20who%20the%20young%20boy%20was%2C%20and%20what%20was%20about%20to%20happen.%20But%20he%20counselled%20the%20king%20to%20deny%20the%20request%2C%20even%20though%20he%20knew%20that%20it%20was%20Vishnu%20Himself%20asking.%20Thus%20Sukra%20was%20an%20atheist%2C%20even%20though%20learned%20in%20the%20Vedas.%20Such%20a%20guru%2C%20who%20stands%20in%20the%20way%20of%20his%20disciple%u2019s%20emancipation%2C%20is%20fit%20to%20be%20rejected.%0A%0A6.%20Bali%20turns%20to%20his%20guru%20and%20says%20that%20telling%20lies%2C%20or%20not%20keeping%20a%20promise%20once%20spoken%2C%20is%20the%20most%20sinful%20act.%20He%20explains%20that%20Mother%20Earth%20once%20said%3A%20%u201D%20I%20can%20bear%20any%20heavy%20thing%20except%20a%20person%20who%20is%20a%20liar.%u201D%20Therefore%2C%20a%20person%20living%20according%20to%20dharma%20must%20scrupulously%20avoid%20lying.%0A%0A7.%20He%20explains%20that%20the%20opportunity%20to%20give%20in%20charity%20to%20a%20qualified%2C%20saintly%20person%20is%20very%20rare.%20It%20must%20never%20be%20regarded%20as%20a%20time%20of%20loss%2C%20but%20as%20a%20moment%20when%20auspiciousness%20is%20drawn%20towards%20the%20giver.%20When%20we%20give%20we%20don%u2019t%20lose%2C%20rather%20God%20%u2013%20and%20the%20universe%20%u2013%20gives%20us%20even%20more%20in%20return.%0A%0A8.%20Sukra%20curses%20his%20own%20disciple%2C%20thus%20revealing%20the%20actual%20relationship%20that%20sometimes%20exists%20between%20an%20official%20religious%20priest%20and%20a%20member%20of%20the%20faith.%0A%0A9.%20Vamana%20responds%20to%20Bali%u2019s%20promise%20by%20expanding%20his%20size.%20Although%20God%20may%20appear%20as%20a%20child%2C%20He%20is%20the%20oldest%20of%20the%20old%2C%20the%20immeasurably%20largest%20of%20all%20large%20things%2C%20and%20the%20most%20powerful%20of%20all.%20This%20lesson%20would%20later%20be%20learned%20by%20Lord%20Brahma%2C%20who%20tested%20the%20Lord%u2019s%20power%20when%20He%20appeared%20as%20child%20Krishna.%20God%20is%20also%20the%20ultimate%20owner%20of%20everything%20since%20everything%20emanates%20from%20Him.%0A%0A10.%20Vamana%20takes%20His%20first%20two%20steps%20which%2C%20due%20to%20His%20size%2C%20encompass%20the%20entire%20cosmos.%20When%20He%20asks%20where%20He%20should%20place%20his%20third%20promised%20step%2C%20Bali%20realises%20that%20there%20is%20only%20one%20thing%20left%20to%20give%20Him%20%u2013%20his%20very%20self.%20The%20king%20surrenders%20fully%20to%20God%20at%20that%20moment.%20The%20surrender%20of%20Bali%2C%20although%20offered%20in%20a%20moment%20of%20abject%20desperation%2C%20is%20nonetheless%20to%20be%20emulated%20by%20all%20of%20us.%20We%20don%u2019t%20own%20countries%2C%20but%20we%20do%20regard%20ourselves%20as%20proprietors%20of%20our%20domestic%20domains.%20Most%20of%20these%2C%20in%20truth%2C%20never%20quite%20belong%20to%20us%20legally%2C%20and%20in%20the%20grand%20scheme%20of%20things%20we%20can%20claim%20no%20factual%20ownership%20at%20all.%20Death%20will%20come%20very%20quickly%20and%20take%20everything%20away%20from%20us%2C%20so%20better%20to%20give%20it%20all%20to%20God%20now.%20We%20do%20this%20by%20dedicating%20everything%20we%20own%20to%20His%20service.%20The%20result%3F%20Curiously%20enough%2C%20the%20same%20result%20that%20Bali%20achieved%3A%20that%20we%20are%20given%20everything%20back%20and%20that%20God%20draws%20us%20nearer%20to%20Him%20and%20His%20eternal%20abode.
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