Canto 7: The Science of GodChapter 3: Hiraṇyakaśipu's Plan to Become Immortal

Bhaktivedanta VedaBase: Śrīmad Bhāgavatam 7.3.18

adrākṣam aham etaḿ te

hṛt-sāraḿ mahad-adbhutam

daḿśa-bhakṣita-dehasya

prāṇā hy asthiṣu śerate

SYNONYMS

adrākṣam — have personally seen; ahamI; etam — this; te — your; hṛt-sāram — power of endurance; mahat — very great; adbhutam — wonderful; daḿśa-bhakṣita — eaten by worms and ants; dehasya — whose body; prāṇāḥ — the life air; hi — indeed; asthiṣuin the bones; śerate — is taking shelter.

TRANSLATION

I have been very much astonished to see your endurance. In spite of being eaten and bitten by all kinds of worms and ants, you are keeping your life air circulating within your bones. Certainly this is wonderful.

PURPORT

It appears that the soul can exist even through the bones, as shown by the personal example of Hiraṇyakaśipu. When great yogīs are in samadhi, even when their bodies are buried and their skin, marrow, blood and so on have all been eaten, if only their bones remain they can exist in a transcendental position. Very recently an archaeologist published findings indicating that Lord Christ, after being buried, was exhumed and that he then went to Kashmir. There have been many actual examples of yogīs' being buried in trance and exhumed alive and in good condition several hours later. A yogī can keep himself alive in a transcendental state even if buried not only for many days but for many years.

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