Canto 4: Creation of the Fourth OrderChapter 17: Mahārāja Pṛthu Becomes Angry at the Earth

Bhaktivedanta VedaBase: Śrīmad Bhāgavatam 4.17.28

evaḿ manyumayīḿ mūrtiḿ

kṛtāntam iva bibhratam

praṇatā prāñjaliḥ prāha

mahī sañjāta-vepathuḥ

SYNONYMS

evam — thus; manyu-mayīm — very much angry; mūrtim — form; kṛta-antam — death personified, Yamarāja; iva — like; bibhratam — possessing; praṇatā — surrendered; prāñjaliḥ — with folded hands; prāha — said; mahī — the planet earth; sañjāta — arisen; vepathuḥ — trembling in her body.

TRANSLATION

At this time Pṛthu Mahārāja became exactly like Yamarāja, and his whole body appeared very angry. In other words, he was anger personified. After hearing him, the planet earth began to tremble. She surrendered, and with folded hands began to speak as follows.

PURPORT

The Supreme Personality of Godhead is death personified to miscreants and the supreme beloved Lord to the devotees. In Bhagavad-gītā (10.34) the Lord says, mṛtyuḥ sarva-haraś cāham: "I am all-devouring death." Faithless unbelievers, who challenge the appearance of God, will be delivered by the Supreme Personality of Godhead when He appears before them as death. Hiraṇyakaśipu, for example, challenged the authority of the Supreme Personality of Godhead, and the Lord met him in the form of Nṛsiḿhadeva and killed him. Similarly, the planet earth saw Mahārāja Pṛthu as death personified, and she also saw him in the mood of anger personified. Therefore she began to tremble. One cannot challenge the authority of the Supreme Personality of Godhead in any circumstance. It is better to surrender unto Him and take His protection at all times.

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His Divine Grace A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupāda, Founder Ācārya of the International Society for Krishna Consciousness