शुक्र उवाच- एष विष्णुः परेशोऽथ देवैः संप्रार्थितो नृप । वंचयित्वा महीं सर्वां त्वत्तः प्राप्तुमिहागतः
Shukra said: This is Vishnu, the supreme lord, implored by the gods, O king; he has come here to obtain all the earth from you by deception.
तस्मान्मही न दातव्या तस्मै राजन्महात्मने । अन्यमर्थं प्रयच्छस्व वचनान्मम भूपते
Therefore, O king, do not give land to this great soul; give something else instead, as I advise, O lord of the earth.
श्रीशंकर उवाच- ततः प्रहस्य राजासौ तं गुरुं प्राह धैर्य्यतः । बलिरुवाच- प्रीतये वासुदेवस्य सर्वं पुण्यं कृतं मया
Shri Shankara said: Then, laughing, the king calmly addressed his teacher; Bali said: For the pleasure of Vasudeva, I have performed all meritorious acts.
अद्य धन्योस्म्यहं विष्णुः स्वयमेवागतो यदि । तस्य प्रदेयमेवाद्य जीवितं च महत्सुखम्
Today I am blessed, for Vishnu himself has come; to him I must give, even my life and great happiness.
तस्मादस्मै प्रयच्छामि त्रिलोकीमपि मा चिरम् । श्रीशंकर उवाच- इत्युक्त्वा भूपतिस्तस्य पादौ प्रक्षाल्य भक्तितः
Therefore, I will give him even the three worlds without delay; Shri Shankara said: Having said this, the king devotedly washed his feet.
वांच्छितां प्रददौ भूमिं वारिपूर्वं विधानतः । परिणीय नमस्कृत्य दत्वा वै दक्षिणां वसु
He granted the desired land, first pouring water as prescribed; having circumambulated and bowed, he gave the fee and wealth as well.
प्रोवाच तं पुनर्विप्रं प्रहृष्टेनांतरात्मना । बलिरुवाच- धन्योस्मि कृतकृत्योस्मि तव दत्वा महीं द्विज
Bali, with a heart filled with joy, spoke again to the Brahmin: 'I am blessed, I have fulfilled my purpose by giving you the earth, O Brahmin.'
यथेष्टा तव विप्रेंद्र तद्गृहाण महीमिमाम् । श्रीशंकर उवाच- तमुवाच नृपं विष्णू राजंस्तव समीपतः
'As you wish, O best of Brahmins, take this earth,' said Bali. Śaṅkara said: Viṣṇu then spoke to the king, who was nearby.
मापयामि पदेनाद्य पृथिवीं तव पश्यतः । इत्युक्त्वा खर्वरूपं तद्विहाय परमेश्वरः
'Today, in your presence, I will measure the earth with my foot.' Having said this, the Supreme Lord abandoned his dwarf form.
त्रिविक्रमवपुर्भूत्वा जग्राह पृथिवीमिमाम् । पंचाशत्कोटिविस्तीर्ण ससमुद्र महीधराम्
Assuming the form of Trivikrama, he took possession of this earth, fifty crores in extent, along with its oceans and mountains.
ससागरां च सद्वीपां सदेवासुरमानुषाम् । पादेनैकेन वपुषो व्यक्रांत मधुसूदनः
With its seas, islands, and all beings—gods, asuras, and humans—Madhusūdana covered it all with a single stride of his form.
उवाच दैत्यराजेंद्र किं करोमीति शाश्वतः । तद्वै त्रिविक्रमं रूपमीश्वरस्य महौजसम्
The eternal one said to the king of the Daityas, 'What shall I do now?' That Trivikrama form of the Lord, of immense power,
हितार्थमपि देवानामृषीणां च महात्मनाम् । न दृष्टमपि शक्यं स्याद्ब्रह्मणः शंकरस्य च
Even for the benefit of the gods and the great sages, could not be seen, not even by Brahmā or Śaṅkara.
तत्पदं पृथिवीं सर्वामाक्रम्य गिरिजे शुभे । अतिरिक्तं समभवच्छतयोजनमायतम्
O beautiful Girijā, when that foot spanned the whole earth, it extended a hundred yojanas beyond.
दिव्यचक्षुर्ददौ तस्मै दैत्यराज्ञे सनातनः । तस्मै संदर्शयामास स्वकं रूपं जनार्दनम्
The eternal one gave divine sight to the king of the Daityas, and Janārdana revealed his own form to him.
तद्विश्वरूपं देवस्य दृष्ट्वा दैत्येश्वरो बलि । प्रहर्षमतुलं लेभे सानंदाश्रु परिप्लुतः
Seeing that universal form of the Lord, Bali, king of the Daityas, was filled with incomparable joy, his eyes brimming with tears of happiness.
दृष्ट्वा देवं नमस्कृत्य स्तुत्वा स्तुतिभिरेव च । प्राह गद्गदया वाचा प्रहृष्टेनांतरात्मना
Having seen the Lord, he bowed and praised him with hymns; with a voice choked with emotion and a heart full of joy, he spoke.
बलिरुवाच- धन्योस्मि कृतकृत्योस्मि त्वां दृष्ट्वा परमेश्वरम् । लोकत्रयं त्वमेवैतद्गृहाण परमेश्वर
Bali said: 'I am blessed, I have fulfilled my purpose, having seen you, O Supreme Lord. O Supreme Lord, you alone should take possession of these three worlds.'
श्रीशंकर उवाच- अथ सर्वेश्वरो विष्णुर्द्वितीयं पदमव्ययम् । ऊर्ध्वं प्रसारयामास ब्रह्मलोकांतमच्युतः
Śaṅkara said: Then Viṣṇu, Lord of all, extended his second, imperishable step upwards, reaching to the world of Brahmā, O faultless one.
सनक्षत्रग्रहोपेतं सर्वदेवसमावृतम् । पदेन परिपूर्णोऽभूदच्युतस्य शुभानने
Accompanied by stars, planets, and all the gods, that step of Acyuta filled everything completely, O beautiful one.
ततः पितामहो ब्रह्मचक्रपद्मादिचिह्नितम् । पादं तद्देवदेवस्य हर्षसंकुलचेतसा
Then the Grandfather, Brahmā, with a heart overwhelmed by joy, saw the foot of the Lord of gods, marked with the wheel and lotus.
धन्योस्मीति वदन्ब्रह्मा गृहीत्वा स्वकमंडलुम् । भक्त्या प्रक्षालयामास तत्रसंस्थित वारिणा
Saying 'I am blessed,' Brahmā took his own water pot and, with devotion, washed that foot with the water kept there.
अक्षय्यमभवत्तोयं तस्य विष्णोः प्रभावतः । तत्तीर्थं मेरुशिखरे पपात विमलं जलम्
By Viṣṇu's power, that water became inexhaustible; that pure water fell on the summit of Meru as a sacred stream.
जगतः पावनार्थं वै चतुर्दिक्षु प्रवाहितम् । सिता चालकनन्दा च चक्षुर्भद्रा यथाक्रमम्
For the purification of the world, it flowed in all directions: first as Sitā, then Ālakanandā, and then Cakṣurbhadrā, in order.
ततश्चालकनन्दा च मेरोर्दक्षिणतः स्मृता । त्रिधा नाम्ना त्रिपथगा त्रिस्रोता लोकपावनी
Then, to the south of Meru, the blissful river is known as Alakanandā; she is called by three names—Tripathagā, Trisrotā, the purifier of the worlds.
स्वर्गे मंदाकिनी प्रोक्ता त्वधो भोगवती तथा । मध्ये वेगवती गंगा पावनार्थं नृणां शिवा
In heaven she is called Mandākinī, below she is known as Bhogavatī, and in the middle, the swift-flowing Gaṅgā, auspicious for purifying people.
तां दृष्ट्वा मेरुमध्ये तु प्रस्रवंतीं शुभानने । आत्मनः पावनार्थाय शिरसाहमधारयम्
Seeing her spring forth in the midst of Meru, O beautiful-faced one, for the sake of my own purification, I bore her upon my head.
दिव्यं वर्षसहस्रं तु धृत्वा गंगाजलं शुभम् । शिवत्वमगमं देवि सर्वलोकेषु पूजितः
Having held the pure water of Gaṅgā for a divine thousand years, O goddess, I attained auspiciousness and was worshipped in all the worlds.
यो वहेच्छिरसा गंगातोयं विष्णुपदोद्भवम् । प्राशयेद्वा जगत्पूज्यो भविष्यति न संशयः
Whoever bears on his head the water of Gaṅgā, which arose from Viṣṇu's feet, or drinks it, will surely be revered throughout the world—there is no doubt.
गंगागंगेति यो ब्रूयाद्योजनानां शतैरपि । मुच्यते सर्वपापेभ्यो विष्णुलोकं स गच्छति
Whoever utters 'Gaṅgā! Gaṅgā!' even from hundreds of yojanas away, is freed from all sins and goes to Viṣṇu's realm.