ਬਲਿ (bali)
Meaning: noun: Bali or Mahabali, a benevolent ‘demon’ king, the grandson of Bhagat Prahlad.
Quote:
ਬਲਿ ਰਾਜਾ ਮਾਇਆ ਅਹੰਕਾਰੀ॥ ਜਗਨ ਕਰੈ ਬਹੁ ਭਾਰ ਅਫਾਰੀ॥ ਬਿਨੁ ਗੁਰ ਪੂਛੇ ਜਾਇ ਪਇਆਰੀ॥
bali raajaa maa-i-aa ahaǧkaaree. jagan karai bahu bhaar aphaaree.
bin gur poochhe jaai pa-i-aaree.
King Bali was very proud of his wealth.
Puffed up with pride, he held many sacrificial feasts. But not following his guru’s advice, he fell into the nether-regions. – Guru Nanak Sahib, Guru Granth Sahib, 224
Message: David vs Goliath?
This verse here refers to the legend of King Bali, the grandson of Bhagat Prahlad.
As the myth goes, he was full of pride on account of his noble deeds of charity.
In order to break his pride, Vishnu adopted the form of a dwarf, and asked for a gift of land equal to two and a half steps.
Bali’s guru, Shukra, advised him against this trap. But out of arrogance, he ignored his guru’s advice and granted the dwarf’s request.
The dwarf then stretched himself so much that he covered the entire earth with his two steps, and putting his foot on Bali’s head, pushed him below the earth. Then Bali realized his terrible mistake and began repenting.
If Bali had not been so full of pride, he would have recognized that the dwarf was actually Vishnu in disguise, and he would not have fallen into the trap.
Are we too, not overly proud of our worldly possessions and perform many rituals inflated with our egoism? But without heeding the Guru’s instruction and imbibing the virtue of humility, we will not be able to obtain grace and honour.
Etymology: Probably from Sanskrit bali (tribute, offering) or balin (strong) → Prakrit bali (strong, stout).
