Srimad-Bhagavatam: Canto 8 - Chapter 1 - Verse 19


Sanskrit:

मां वचोभि: समाराध्य लोकानामेकमीश्वरम् ।पदत्रयं वृणीते योऽबुद्धिमान् द्वीपदाशुषम् ॥ १९ ॥

ITRANS:

māṁ vacobhiḥ samārādhyalokānām ekam īśvarampada-trayaṁ vṛṇīte yo’buddhimān dvīpa-dāśuṣam

Translation:

I am able to give You an entire island because I am the proprietor of the three divisions of the universe. You have come to take something from me and have pleased me by Your sweet words, but You are asking only three paces of land. Therefore You are not very intelligent.

Purport:

According to Vedic understanding, the entire universe is regarded as an ocean of space. In that ocean there are innumerable planets, and each planet is called a dvīpa, or island. When approached by Lord Vāmanadeva, Bali Mahārāja was actually in possession of all the dvīpas, or islands in space. Bali Mahārāja was very pleased to see the features of Vāmanadeva and was ready to give Him as much land as He could ask, but because Lord Vāmanadeva asked only three paces of land, Bali Mahārāja considered Him not very intelligent.