God Is the Real King: Bali's Deluded Dharma and Universal Brotherhood
In the morning satsanga of October 10, 2026, Swami Jyotirmayananda taught that Bali knew much dharma under false knowledge, that suffering under divine law is God's compassion drawing the soul to satsanga, and that the higher self sees the whole world as its brother.
After prayers to Lord Ganesha, Goddess Saraswati, Goddess Lakshmi, Goddess Durga and the Guru, and an invocation to Lord Rama, Lord of the Raghu dynasty, whose complexion is like a blue lotus, the satsanga sang the Hare Rama mantra. Swamiji then read a poem whose refrain is "All have become a part of me." The freedom of the racing wind, the fullness of the surging ocean, the heights that kiss the eternal sun, the soft smile of dawn, the sweet silence of the setting sun, the beaming bliss of the blooming bud, the showering of divine grace: all have become one with the seer. The past with its golden days and the future with its cherished dreams are held there too, and the poem closes in the realization "I am Brahman."
Two Selves, Blended
Swamiji returned to the divine episode of Bali and Sugriva, the battle between the higher self and the lower self, with Rama giving Sugriva, the higher self, the subtle insight to conquer. That battle, he said, happens in every individual.
"Higher self, lower self." Both, Swamiji said, became blended in every individual. Sugriva becomes inspired to fight back, but between the two there is no distinction. So the battle that goes on within simply brings a lot of injury and terror. Rama is the one who brings about distinction between the two.
Two Garlands
What is the distinction? Bali wears the mala he received from Indra. Swamiji explained what that garland means. If you are dominated by the lower self, "your goal is to go into heaven," not liberation. And when you go into heaven, again you come back.
Now Sugriva is given the Vijayamala, the garland of victory, and it is given by Lakshmana. The term Lakshmana, Swamiji said, refers to divine qualities, all the good qualities that develop in the seeker. So the distinction becomes clear. Bali is highlighted by bhoga, worldly enjoyment, the garland of Indra. Sugriva is now decked by divine virtue. In the movement of sadhana, "virtue wins over violence."
The Dharma That Was Deluded
All the time, Swamiji said, Bali expresses his greatness. He knows all the secrets of promoting virtue, but his mental concept of virtue is completely deluded. He dominates over Sugriva's wife and does many sinful deeds, and he does not see them as sinful until Rama gives him the insight. "And he knows so much dharma." Yet under that false knowledge he has created so much adharma.
God Is the Real King
An emperor's kingdom, Swamiji explained, is a political kingdom, and its harm is political harm. But God, he said, is the real king. The entire world is under the laws of God, and the law is to let dharma win over adharma.
Divine compassion is for every soul. Led by that compassion, every soul is given proper punishment for its sinful deeds; everyone suffers for his mistakes, his negative karmas, and all the sufferings are under divine law. Because you suffer, you are drawn to satsanga to find a remedy. "If you didn't have that suffering," Swamiji said, "you wouldn't be coming to satsang." Punishing our negative deeds is divine compassion. A kingdom that does not punish, he said, is not the divine kingdom but a political one.
When you do negative karma and are led by God within you, you regret it and ask why you have done it. Swamiji gave the prayer of such a soul: "Who can be worse than me?" All that I have done is extremely stupid, and therefore, oh God, "give me proper punishment." And then: "Give me your healing grace." The channel of that healing grace becomes satsanga and Guru kripa, and all of that begins to bring about a healing movement.
Your Brother Is the Whole World
In japa and prayers, Swamiji asked, what do we ask of God? To help the near and dear ones, and to give them success, fame, glory and worldly prosperity. When we think of brothers in this way, the mind is limited to close relatives. That is the lower self.
When the higher self uses the word brother, it means the entire world: universal brotherhood. "Your brother is not limited" to your relatives. Asking a boon, the devotee prays, "May I be devoted to you?" Once para bhakti, supreme devotion, has developed, "the question of birth doesn't arise." With a magnanimous mind, view every soul as being in the same predicament, and every soul benefits as you develop universal brotherhood. Not only do you want to see yourself united with God; you want everyone to be united with God.
A listener asked why we blame the Creator for our karma. Swamiji answered that for any defect you have, "God is not to be blamed."
The Same Indra
Now Bali gives his mala, the one he had received from Indra. Health, harmony, prosperity: all the good karmas that you create enable you to receive Indra's grace. When Indra's grace is achieved, Swamiji said, you are not drawn to heaven for enjoyment; you are drawn to attain liberation.
Arjuna, he recalled, is Indra's son, and Indra encourages Arjuna not to fall into pravritti, the outgoing movement. The same Indra who gives worldly enjoyment now guides you beyond it.
The satsanga closed with a prayer that God shower His grace on all, with the blessings of Shakti and Bhakti, and with the prayer for the happiness and welfare of every being.
Terms in This Satsanga
- Vijayamala — the garland of victory, given to Sugriva by Lakshmana; divine virtue.
- bhoga — worldly enjoyment; the mark of Indra's garland on Bali.
- adharma — unrighteousness; what Bali created under false knowledge of dharma.
- satsanga — the company of truth, where suffering finds its remedy.
- Guru kripa — the grace of the Guru, a channel of healing grace.
- para bhakti — supreme devotion, after which the question of birth does not arise.
- pravritti — the outgoing movement toward the world.
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