Canto 7: The Science of GodChapter 5: Prahlāda Mahārāja, the Saintly Son of Hiraṇyakaśipu

Bhaktivedanta VedaBase: Śrīmad Bhāgavatam 7.5.35

ayaḿ me bhrātṛ-hā so 'yaḿ

hitvā svān suhṛdo 'dhamaḥ

pitṛvya-hantuḥ pādau yo

viṣṇor dāsavad arcati

SYNONYMS

ayam — this; me — my; bhrātṛ- — killer of the brother; saḥhe; ayam — this; hitvā — giving up; svān — own; suhṛdaḥ — well-wishers; adhamaḥ — very low; pitṛvya-hantuḥ — of He who killed his uncle Hiraṇyākṣa; pādau — at the two feet; yaḥhe who; viṣṇoḥ — of Lord Viṣṇu; dāsa-vat — like a servant; arcati — serves.

TRANSLATION

This boy Prahlāda is the killer of my brother, for he has given up his family to engage in the devotional service of the enemy, Lord Viṣṇu, like a menial servant.

PURPORT

Hiraṇyakaśipu considered his son Prahlāda Mahārāja to be the killer of his brother because Prahlāda Mahārāja was engaged in the devotional service of Lord Viṣṇu. In other words, Prahlāda Mahārāja would be elevated to sārūpya liberation, and in that sense he resembled Lord Viṣṇu. Therefore Prahlāda was to be killed by Hiraṇyakaśipu. Devotees, Vaiṣṇavas, attain the liberations of sārūpya, sālokya, sārṣṭi and sāmīpya, whereas the Māyāvādīs are supposed to attain the liberation known as sāyujya. Sāyujya-mukti, however, is not very secure, whereas sārūpya-mukti, sālokya-mukti, sārṣṭi-mukti and sāmīpya-mukti are most certain. Although the servants of Lord Viṣṇu, Nārāyaṇa, in the Vaikuṇṭha planets are equally situated with the Lord, the devotees there know very well that the Lord is the master whereas they are servants.

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