Srimad-Bhagavatam: Canto 8 - Chapter 1 - Verse 28


Sanskrit:

श्रीगुरुरुवाचजानामि मघवञ्छत्रोरुन्नतेरस्य कारणम् ।शिष्यायोपभृतं तेजो भृगुभिर्ब्रह्मवादिभि: ॥ २८ ॥

ITRANS:

śrī-gurur uvācajānāmi maghavañ chatrorunnater asya kāraṇamśiṣyāyopabhṛtaṁ tejobhṛgubhir brahma-vādibhiḥ

Translation:

Bṛhaspati, the spiritual master of the demigods, said: O Indra, I know the cause for your enemy’s becoming so powerful. The brāhmaṇa descendants of Bhṛgu Muni, being pleased by Bali Mahārāja, their disciple, endowed him with such extraordinary power.

Purport:

Bṛhaspati, the spiritual master of the demigods, informed Indra, “Ordinarily, Bali and his forces could not achieve such strength, but it appears that the brāhmaṇa descendants of Bhṛgu Muni, being pleased with Bali Mahārāja, endowed them with this spiritual power.” In other words, Bṛhaspati informed Indra that Bali Mahārāja’s prowess was not his own but that of his exalted guru, Śukrācārya. We sing in our daily prayers, yasya prasādād bhagavat-prasādo yasyāprasādān na gatiḥ kuto ’pi. By the pleasure of the spiritual master, one can get extraordinary power, especially in spiritual advancement. The blessings of the spiritual master are more powerful than one’s personal endeavor for such advancement. Narottama dāsa Ṭhākura therefore says: Especially for spiritual advancement, one should carry out the bona fide order of the spiritual master. By the paramparā system, one can thus be endowed with the original spiritual power coming from the Supreme Personality of Godhead (evaṁ paramparā-prāptam imaṁ rājarṣayo viduḥ).