Chapter Five
Prahlāda Mahārāja, the Saintly Son of Hiraṇyakaśipu
TEXT 41
pare brahmaṇy anirdeśye
bhagavaty akhilātmani
yuktātmany aphalā āsann
apuṇyasyeva sat-kriyāḥ
SYNONYMS
pare—in the supreme; brahmaṇi—absolute; anirdeśye—who is not perceivable by the senses; bhagavati—the Supreme Personality of Godhead; akhila-ātmani—the Supersoul of everyone; yukta-ātmani—on he whose mind was engaged (Prahlāda); aphalāḥ—without effect; āsan—were; apuṇyasya—of a person who has no assets in pious activities; iva—like; sat-kriyāḥ—good activities (like the performance of sacrifices or austerities).
TRANSLATION
Even though a person who has no assets in pious activities performs some good deed, it will have no result. Thus the weapons of the demons had no tangible effects upon Prahlāda Mahārāja because he was a devotee undisturbed by material conditions and fully engaged in meditating upon and serving the Supreme Personality of Godhead, who is unchangeable, who cannot be realized by the material senses, and who is the soul of the entire universe.
PURPORT
Prahlāda Mahārāja was constantly and fully engaged in thought of the Supreme Personality of Godhead. As it is said, govinda-parirambhitaḥ. Prahlāda Mahārāja engaged himself always in meditation, and thus he was protected by Govinda. Just as a small child on the lap of his father or mother is fully protected, a devotee, in all conditions, is protected by the Supreme Lord. Does this mean that when Prahlāda Mahārāja was attacked by the demons, the Rākṣasas, Govinda was also attacked by the demons? This is not possible. There have been many attempts by the demons to hurt or kill the Supreme Personality of Godhead, but He cannot be injured by any material means because He is always in transcendence. Therefore the words pare brahmaṇi are used here. The demons, the Rākṣasas, can neither see nor touch the Supreme Lord, although they may superficially think that they are striking the Lord’s transcendental body with their material weapons. The Supreme Personality of Godhead is described in this verse as anirdeśye. We cannot understand Him to be in a particular place, for He is all-pervasive. Moreover, He is akhilātmā, the active principle of everything, even material weapons. Those who cannot understand the position of the Lord are unfortunate. They may think that they can kill the Supreme Personality of Godhead and His devotee, but all their attempts will be futile. The Lord knows how to deal with them.
TEXT 42
prayāse ’pahate tasmin
daityendraḥ pariśaṅkitaḥ
cakāra tad-vadhopāyān
nirbandhena yudhiṣṭhira
SYNONYMS
prayāse—when the endeavor; apahate—futile; tasmin—that; daitya-indraḥ—the King of the demons, Hiraṇyakaśipu; pariśaṅkitaḥ—very much afraid (considering how the boy was protected); cakāra—executed; tat-vadha-upāyān—various means for killing him; nirbandhena—with determination; yudhiṣṭhira—O King Yudhiṣṭhira.
TRANSLATION
My dear King Yudhiṣṭhira, when all the attempts of the demons to kill Prahlāda Mahārāja were futile, the King of the demons, Hiraṇyakaśipu, being most fearful, began contriving other means to kill him.
TEXTS 43–44
dig-gajair dandaśūkendrair
abhicārāvapātanaiḥ
māyābhiḥ sannirodhaiś ca
gara-dānair abhojanaiḥ
hima-vāyv-agni-salilaiḥ
parvatākramaṇair api
na śaśāka yadā hantum
apāpam asuraḥ sutam
cintāṁ dīrghatamāṁ prāptas
tat-kartuṁ nābhyapadyata
SYNONYMS
dik-gajaiḥ—by big elephants trained to smash anything under their feet; danda-śūka-indraiḥ—by the biting of the King’s poisonous snakes; abhicāra—by destructive spells; avapātanaiḥ—by causing to fall from the top of a mountain; māyābhiḥ—by conjuring tricks; sannirodhaiḥ—by imprisonment; ca—as well as; gara-dānaiḥ—by administering poison; abhojanaiḥ—by starving; hima—by cold; vāyu—wind; agni—fire; salilaiḥ—and water; parvata-ākramaṇaiḥ—by crushing with big stones and hills; api—and also; na śaśāka—was not able; yadā—when; hantum—to kill; apāpam—who was not at all sinful; asuraḥ—the demon (Hiraṇyakaśipu); sutam—his son; cintām—anxiety; dīrgha-tamām—long-standing; prāptaḥ—obtained; tat-kartum—to do that; na—not; abhyapadyata—achieved.
TRANSLATION
Hiraṇyakaśipu could not kill his son by throwing him beneath the feet of big elephants, throwing him among huge, fearful snakes, employing destructive spells, hurling him from the top of a hill, conjuring up illusory tricks, administering poison, starving him, exposing him to severe cold, winds, fire and water, or throwing heavy stones to crush him. When Hiraṇyakaśipu found that he could not in any way harm Prahlāda, who was completely sinless, he was in great anxiety about what to do next.
TEXT 45
eṣa me bahv-asādhūkto
vadhopāyāś ca nirmitāḥ
tais tair drohair asad-dharmair
muktaḥ svenaiva tejasā
SYNONYMS
eṣaḥ—this; me—of me; bahu—many; asādhu-uktaḥ—ill names; vadha-upāyāḥ—many varieties of means to kill him; ca—and; nirmitāḥ—devised; taiḥ—by those; taiḥ—by those; drohaiḥ—treacherous; asat-dharmaiḥ—abominable actions; muktaḥ—released; svena—his own; eva—indeed; tejasā—by prowess.
TRANSLATION
Hiraṇyakaśipu thought: I have used many ill names in chastising this boy Prahlāda and have devised many means of killing him, but despite all my endeavors, he could not be killed. Indeed, he saved himself by his own powers, without being affected in the least by these treacherous and abominable actions.
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