Bhaktivedanta VedaBase: Śrīmad Bhāgavatam 7.8.29

vishvak sphurantam grahanāturam harir

vyālo yathākhum kuliśākshata-tvacam

dvāry ūrum āpatya dadāra līlayā

nakhair yathāhim garudo mahā-visham

SYNONYMS

vishvak — all around; sphurantam — moving his limbs; grahana-āturam — afflicted because of being captured; harih — the Supreme Personality of Godhead, Nrisimhadeva; vyālah — a snake; yathā — just as; ākhum — a mouse; kuliśa-akshata — not cut even by the thunderbolt thrown by Indra; tvacam — whose skin; dvāri — on the threshold of the door; ūrum — on His thigh; āpatya — placing; dadāra — pierced; līlayā — very easily; nakhaih — with the nails; yathā — just as; ahim — a snake; garudah — Garuda, the carrier of Lord Vishnu; mahā-visham — very venomous.

TRANSLATION

As a snake captures a mouse or Garuda captures a very venomous snake, Lord Nrisimhadeva captured Hiranyakaśipu, who could not be pierced even by the thunderbolt of King Indra. As Hiranyakaśipu moved his limbs here, there and all around, very much afflicted at being captured, Lord Nrisimhadeva placed the demon on His lap, supporting him with His thighs, and in the doorway of the assembly hall the Lord very easily tore the demon to pieces with the nails of His hand.

PURPORT

Hiranyakaśipu had received from Lord Brahmā the benediction that he would not die on the land or in the sky. Therefore, to keep the promise of Lord Brahmā intact, Nrisimhadeva placed Hiranyakaśipu's body on His lap, which was neither land nor sky. Hiranyakaśipu had received the benediction that he would not die either during the day or at night. Therefore, to keep this promise of Brahmā, the Lord killed Hiranyakaśipu in the evening, which is the end of day and the beginning of night but is neither day nor night. Hiranyakaśipu had taken a benediction from Lord Brahmā that he would not die from any weapon or be killed by any person, dead or alive. Therefore, just to keep the word of Lord Brahmā, Lord Nrisimhadeva pierced Hiranyakaśipu's body with His nails, which were not weapons and were neither living nor dead. Indeed, the nails can be called dead, but at the same time they can be said to be alive. To keep intact all of Lord Brahmā's benedictions, Lord Nrisimhadeva paradoxically but very easily killed the great demon Hiranyakaśipu.

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