Srimad Bhagavatam Canto 7 Chapter 8 Verse 42

muktis teshām na hi bahumatā nārasimhāparaih kim

SYNONYMS

śrī-indrah uvāca — Indra, the King of heaven, said; pratyānītāh — recovered; parama — O Supreme; bhavatā — by Your Lordship; trāyatā — who are protecting; nah — us; sva-bhāgāh — shares in the sacrifices; daitya-ākrāntam — afflicted by the demon; hridaya-kamalam — the lotuslike cores of our hearts; tat-griham — which is actually Your residence; pratyabodhi — it has been illuminated; kāla-grastam — devoured by time; kiyat — insignificant; idam — this (world); aho — alas; nātha — O Lord; śuśrūshatām — for those who are always engaged in the service; te — of You; muktih — liberation from material bondage; teshām — of them (the pure devotees); na — not; hi — indeed; bahumatā — thought very important; nāra-simha — O Lord Nrisimhadeva, half lion and half human being; aparaih kim — then what is the use of other possessions.

TRANSLATION

King Indra said: O Supreme Lord, You are our deliverer and protector. Our shares of sacrifices, which are actually Yours, have been recovered from the demon by You. Because the demoniac king Hiranyakaśipu was most fearsome, our hearts, which are Your permanent abode, were all overtaken by him. Now, by Your presence, the gloom and darkness in our hearts have been dissipated. O Lord, for those who always engage in Your service, which is more exalted than liberation, all material opulence is insignificant. They do not even care for liberation, not to speak of the benefits of kāma, artha and dharma.

PURPORT

In this material world there are two kinds of people — the devatās (demigods) and the asuras (demons). Although the demigods are attached to material enjoyment, they are devotees of the Lord who act according to the rules and regulations of the Vedic injunctions. During the reign of Hiranyakaśipu, everyone was disturbed in the routine duties of Vedic civilization. When Hiranyakaśipu was killed, all the demigods, who had always been disturbed by Hiranyakaśipu, felt relief in their general way of life.

Because the government in Kali-yuga is full of demons, the living conditions of devotees are always disturbed. Devotees cannot perform yajña, and thus they cannot partake of the remnants of food offered in yajña for the worship of Lord Vishnu. The hearts of the demigods are always filled with fear of the demons, and therefore they cannot think of the Supreme Personality of Godhead. The engagement of the demigods is to think of the Lord always within the cores of their hearts. The Lord says in Bhagavad-gītā (6.47):

yoginām api sarveshām

mad gatenāntarātmanā

śraddhāvān bhajate yo mām

sa me yuktatamo matah

"And of all yogīs, he who always abides in Me with great faith, worshiping Me in transcendental loving service, is most intimately united with Me in yoga and is the highest of all." The demigods fully absorb themselves in meditation upon the Supreme Personality of Godhead to become perfect yogīs, but because of the presence of demons, their hearts are filled with the activities of the demons. Thus their hearts, which are meant to be the abode of the Supreme Lord, are practically occupied by the demons. All the demigods felt relieved when Hiranyakaśipu was dead, for they could easily think of the Lord. They could then receive the results of sacrifices and become happy even though in the material world.

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