Shloka 10
राहोः शिरच्छेदन-कारणकथनम् / The Account of Rāhu’s Beheading
Cause and Background
पुराभवद्बलिर्वीरो विरोचनसुतो बली । हिरण्यकशिपोश्चैव प्रपौत्रो धर्मवित्तमः
purābhavadbalirvīro virocanasuto balī | hiraṇyakaśipoścaiva prapautro dharmavittamaḥ
In former times there was the heroic Bali—mighty, the son of Virocana—indeed the great-grandson of Hiraṇyakaśipu, and foremost among those who knew dharma.
Suta Goswami
Tattva Level: pashu
FAQs
It establishes that spiritual worth is not determined by birth alone: even in an Asura lineage, Bali is described as a foremost knower of dharma, preparing the reader to judge characters by dharmic conduct and orientation toward the Supreme (Pati) rather than by clan.
By foregrounding dharma and inner qualification, the verse supports a key Shaiva stance: approach to Saguna Shiva (Linga worship) is validated by devotion and righteous disposition, not by social or genealogical identity—fit worship arises from dharmic alignment.
The practical takeaway is dharma-sādhana alongside Shiva-upāsanā: maintain truthful, disciplined conduct and then steady the mind in Shiva-bhakti—classically expressed through japa of the Pañcākṣarī (“Om Namaḥ Śivāya”) with a reverent, dharma-centered intention.