Canto 7: The Science of GodChapter 8: Lord Nṛsiḿhadeva Slays the King of the Demons

Bhaktivedanta VedaBase: Śrīmad Bhāgavatam 7.8.3-4

kopāveśa-calad-gātraḥ

putraḿ hantuḿ mano dadhe

kṣiptvā paruṣayā vācā

prahrādam atad-arhaṇam

āhekṣamāṇaḥ pāpena

tiraścīnena cakṣuṣā

praśrayāvanataḿ dāntaḿ

baddhāñjalim avasthitam

sarpaḥ padāhata iva

śvasan prakṛti-dāruṇaḥ

SYNONYMS

kopa-āveśa — by a very angry mood; calat — trembling; gātraḥ — the whole body; putram — his son; hantumto kill; manaḥ — mind; dadhe — fixed; kṣiptvā — rebuking; paruṣayā — with very harsh; vācā — words; prahrādamPrahlāda Mahārāja; a-tat-arhaṇam — not fit to be chastised (due to his noble character and tender age); āha — said; īkṣamāṇaḥ — looking at him in anger; pāpena — because of his sinful activities; tiraścīnena — crooked; cakṣuṣā — with eyes; praśraya-avanatam — very gentle and mild; dāntam — very restrained; baddha-añjalim — having folded hands; avasthitam — situated; sarpaḥa snake; pada-āhataḥ — being trampled by the foot; iva — like; śvasan — hissing; prakṛti — by nature; dāruṇaḥ — very evil.

TRANSLATION

When Hiraṇyakaśipu understood the entire situation, he was extremely angry, so much so that his body trembled. Thus he finally decided to kill his son Prahlāda. Hiraṇyakaśipu was by nature very cruel, and feeling insulted, he began hissing like a snake trampled upon by someone's foot. His son Prahlāda was peaceful, mild and gentle, his senses were under control, and he stood before Hiraṇyakaśipu with folded hands. According to Prahlāda's age and behavior, he was not to be chastised. Yet with staring, crooked eyes, Hiraṇyakaśipu rebuked him with the following harsh words.

PURPORT

When one is impudent toward a highly authorized devotee, one is punished by the laws of nature. The duration of his life is diminished, and he loses the blessings of superior persons and the results of pious activities. Hiraṇyakaśipu, for example, had achieved such great power in the material world that he could subdue practically all the planetary systems in the universe, including the heavenly planets (Svargaloka). Yet now, because of his mistreatment of such a Vaiṣṇava as Prahlāda Mahārāja, all the results of his tapasya diminished. As stated in Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam (10.4.46):

āyuḥ śriyaḿ yaśo dharmaḿ

lokān āśiṣa eva ca

hanti śreyāḿsi sarvāṇi

puḿso mahad-atikramaḥ

"When one mistreats great souls, his life span, opulence, reputation, religion, possessions and good fortune are all destroyed."

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