Hiranyakashipu, King of the Demons

Verse 1 (bhagavata.7.2.1)

श्रीनारद उवाच भ्रातर्येवं विनिहते हरिणा क्रोडमूर्तिना । हिरण्यकशिपू राजन् पर्यतप्यद्रुषा शुचा ॥ १ ॥

śrī-nārada uvāca bhrātary evaṁ vinihate hariṇā kroḍa-mūrtinā hiraṇyakaśipū rājan paryatapyad ruṣā śucā

Shri Narada said: O King, when his brother was thus slain by Hari in His boar form, Hiranyakashipu burned with both rage and grief.

Verse 2 (bhagavata.7.2.2)

आह चेदं रुषा पूर्णः सन्दष्टदशनच्छदः । कोपोज्ज्वलद्भ्यां चक्षुर्भ्यां निरीक्षन् धूम्रमम्बरम् ॥ २ ॥

āha cedaṁ ruṣā pūrṇaḥ sandaṣṭa-daśana-cchadaḥ kopojjvaladbhyāṁ cakṣurbhyāṁ nirīkṣan dhūmram ambaram

Filled with fury, biting his lips, and glaring at the smoke-dark sky with eyes blazing with rage, he spoke as follows.

Verse 3 (bhagavata.7.2.3)

करालदंष्ट्रोग्रदृष्टया दुष्प्रेक्ष्यभ्रुकुटीमुखः । शूलमुद्यम्य सदसि दानवानिदमब्रवीत् ॥ ३ ॥

karāla-daṁṣṭrogra-dṛṣṭyā duṣprekṣya-bhrukuṭī-mukhaḥ śūlam udyamya sadasi dānavān idam abravīt

With fearsome fangs, a fierce glare, and a brow so contorted it was hard to even look at, he raised his trident and addressed the danavas assembled there.

Verse 4 (bhagavata.7.2.4)

भो भो दानवदैतेया द्विमूर्धंस्त्र्यक्ष शम्बर । शतबाहो हयग्रीव नमुचे पाक इल्वल ॥ ४ ॥

bho bho dānava-daiteyā dvimūrdhaṁs tryakṣa śambara śatabāho hayagrīva namuce pāka ilvala

O danavas and daityas! O Dvimurdha, Tryaksha, Shambara, Shatabahu, Hayagriva, Namuchi, Paka, Ilvala!

Verse 5 (bhagavata.7.2.5)

विप्रचित्ते मम वचः पुलोमन् शकुनादयः । शृणुतानन्तरं सर्वे क्रियतामाशु मा चिरम् ॥ ५ ॥

vipracitte mama vacaḥ puloman śakunādayaḥ śṛṇutānantaraṁ sarve kriyatām āśu mā ciram

O Vipracitti, Puloma, Shakuni, and the rest — all of you listen to my words at once, and without delay, act on them immediately.

Verse 6 (bhagavata.7.2.6)

सपत्नैर्घातितः क्षुद्रैर्भ्राता मे दयितः सुहृत् । पार्ष्णिग्राहेण हरिणा समेनाप्युपधावनैः ॥ ६ ॥

sapatnair ghātitaḥ kṣudrair bhrātā me dayitaḥ suhṛt pārṣṇi-grāheṇa hariṇā samenāpy upadhāvanaiḥ

My insignificant enemies have had my dear and beloved brother killed, with the help of Hari, who ambushed him from behind — Hari who, though equal to all, was won over to their side by their worship and service.

Verse 7 (bhagavata.7.2.7)

तस्य त्यक्तस्वभावस्य घृणेर्मायावनौकसः । भजन्तं भजमानस्य बालस्येवास्थिरात्मनः ॥ ७ ॥

tasya tyakta-svabhāvasya ghṛṇer māyā-vanaukasaḥ bhajantaṁ bhajamānasya bālasyevāsthirātmanaḥ

That so-called compassionate Lord, abandoning His natural equanimity, taking shelter in the forest through His maya, has, like a fickle child, favored only those who worship Him.

Verse 8 (bhagavata.7.2.8)

मच्छूलभिन्नग्रीवस्य भूरिणा रुधिरेण वै । असृक्प्रियं तर्पयिष्ये भ्रातरं मे गतव्यथः ॥ ८ ॥

mac-chūla-bhinna-grīvasya bhūriṇā rudhireṇa vai asṛk-priyaṁ tarpayiṣye bhrātaraṁ me gata-vyathaḥ

With the abundant blood from that neck my trident will sever, I shall satisfy my blood-loving brother, and only then will my anguish be stilled.

Verse 9 (bhagavata.7.2.9)

तस्मिन् कूटेऽहिते नष्टे कृत्तमूले वनस्पतौ । विटपा इव शुष्यन्ति विष्णुप्राणा दिवौकसः ॥ ९ ॥

tasmin kūṭe ’hite naṣṭe kṛtta-mūle vanas-patau viṭapā iva śuṣyanti viṣṇu-prāṇā divaukasaḥ

Just as a tree's branches wither once its root is cut, so once that treacherous enemy Vishnu is destroyed, the gods — whose very life-breath is Vishnu — will themselves wither away.

Verse 10 (bhagavata.7.2.10)

तावद्यात भुवं यूयं ब्रह्मक्षत्रसमेधिताम् । सूदयध्वं तपोयज्ञस्वाध्यायव्रतदानिनः ॥ १० ॥

tāvad yāta bhuvaṁ yūyaṁ brahma-kṣatra-samedhitām sūdayadhvaṁ tapo-yajña- svādhyāya-vrata-dāninaḥ

Meanwhile, go to that earth flourishing with brahminical and kshatriya culture, and slay those engaged in austerity, sacrifice, scriptural study, vows, and charity.

Verse 11 (bhagavata.7.2.11)

विष्णुर्द्विजक्रियामूलो यज्ञो धर्ममयः पुमान् । देवर्षिपितृभूतानां धर्मस्य च परायणम् ॥ ११ ॥

viṣṇur dvija-kriyā-mūlo yajño dharmamayaḥ pumān devarṣi-pitṛ-bhūtānāṁ dharmasya ca parāyaṇam

Vishnu is the very root of the brahmanas' sacred rites, He is the sacrifice personified as righteousness itself, and He is the final refuge of the gods, the sages, the ancestors, and of dharma itself.

Verse 12 (bhagavata.7.2.12)

यत्र यत्र द्विजा गावो वेदा वर्णाश्रमक्रियाः । तं तं जनपदं यात सन्दीपयत वृश्चत ॥ १२ ॥

yatra yatra dvijā gāvo vedā varṇāśrama-kriyāḥ taṁ taṁ janapadaṁ yāta sandīpayata vṛścata

Wherever there are brahmanas, cows, the Vedas, and the rites of varna and ashrama, go to that land, set it ablaze, and cut it down.

Verse 13 (bhagavata.7.2.13)

इति ते भर्तृनिर्देशमादाय शिरसादृताः । तथा प्रजानां कदनं विदधुः कदनप्रियाः ॥ १३ ॥

iti te bhartṛ-nirdeśam ādāya śirasādṛtāḥ tathā prajānāṁ kadanaṁ vidadhuḥ kadana-priyāḥ

Delighting as they did in destruction, the demons received their master's command with utmost reverence, and set about massacring the people accordingly.

Verse 14 (bhagavata.7.2.14)

पुरग्रामव्रजोद्यानक्षेत्रारामाश्रमाकरान् । खेटखर्वटघोषांश्च ददहुः पत्तनानि च ॥ १४ ॥

pura-grāma-vrajodyāna- kṣetrārāmāśramākarān kheṭa-kharvaṭa-ghoṣāṁś ca dadahuḥ pattanāni ca

They set fire to towns, villages, cow-pens, gardens, fields, orchards, hermitages, mines, hamlets, hill-settlements, cowherd-camps, and even the capital cities.

Verse 15 (bhagavata.7.2.15)

केचित्खनित्रैर्बिभिदुः सेतुप्राकारगोपुरान् । आजीव्यांश्चिच्छिदुर्वृक्षान् केचित्परशुपाणयः । प्रादहन् शरणान्येके प्रजानां ज्वलितोल्मुकैः ॥ १५ ॥

kecit khanitrair bibhiduḥ setu-prākāra-gopurān ājīvyāṁś cicchidur vṛkṣān kecit paraśu-pāṇayaḥ prādahañ śaraṇāny eke prajānāṁ jvalitolmukaiḥ

Some, with digging tools, tore down bridges, ramparts, and city gates; some, axes in hand, felled the trees that sustained people's livelihoods; and others put the people's dwellings to the torch with flaming brands.

Verse 16 (bhagavata.7.2.16)

एवं विप्रकृते लोके दैत्येन्द्रानुचरैर्मुहुः । दिवं देवाः परित्यज्य भुवि चेरुरलक्षिताः ॥ १६ ॥

evaṁ viprakṛte loke daityendrānucarair muhuḥ divaṁ devāḥ parityajya bhuvi cerur alakṣitāḥ

With the world thus repeatedly tormented by the followers of the demon-king, the gods abandoned heaven and wandered the earth unseen.

Verse 17 (bhagavata.7.2.17)

हिरण्यकशिपुर्भ्रातुः सम्परेतस्य दुःखितः । कृत्वा कटोदकादीनि भ्रातृपुत्रानसान्त्वयत् ॥ १७ ॥

hiraṇyakaśipur bhrātuḥ samparetasya duḥkhitaḥ kṛtvā kaṭodakādīni bhrātṛ-putrān asāntvayat

Grieving for his dead brother, Hiranyakashipu performed the water-offering and other funeral rites, and then set about consoling his nephews.

Verse 18 (bhagavata.7.2.18)

शकुनिं शम्बरं धृष्टिं भूतसन्तापनं वृकम् । कालनाभं महानाभं हरिश्मश्रुमथोत्कचम् ॥ १८ ॥

śakuniṁ śambaraṁ dhṛṣṭiṁ bhūtasantāpanaṁ vṛkam kālanābhaṁ mahānābhaṁ hariśmaśrum athotkacam

Shakuni, Shambara, Dhrishti, Bhutasantapana, Vrika, Kalanabha, Mahanabha, Harishmashru, and Utkacha — his nephews...

Verse 19 (bhagavata.7.2.19)

तन्मातरं रुषाभानुं दितिं च जननीं गिरा । श्लक्ष्णया देशकालज्ञ इदमाह जनेश्वर ॥ १९ ॥

tan-mātaraṁ ruṣābhānuṁ ditiṁ ca jananīṁ girā ślakṣṇayā deśa-kāla-jña idam āha janeśvara

...and their mother Rushabhanu, as well as his own mother Diti, that ruler of men, ever mindful of time and place, addressed with these gentle words.

Verse 20 (bhagavata.7.2.20)

श्रीहिरण्यकशिपुरुवाच अम्बाम्ब हे वधूः पुत्रा वीरं मार्हथ शोचितुम् । रिपोरभिमुखे श्लाघ्यः शूराणां वध ईप्सितः ॥ २० ॥

śrī-hiraṇyakaśipur uvāca ambāmba he vadhūḥ putrā vīraṁ mārhatha śocitum ripor abhimukhe ślāghyaḥ śūrāṇāṁ vadha īpsitaḥ

Hiranyakashipu said: O mother, O sister-in-law, O sons — do not mourn for this hero. For the brave, death faced before the enemy is a thing to be praised, even desired.

Verse 21 (bhagavata.7.2.21)

भूतानामिह संवासः प्रपायामिव सुव्रते । दैवेनैकत्र नीतानामुन्नीतानां स्वकर्मभिः ॥ २१ ॥

bhūtānām iha saṁvāsaḥ prapāyām iva suvrate daivenaikatra nītānām unnītānāṁ sva-karmabhiḥ

O virtuous mother, the living together of beings here is like travelers gathering by chance at a water-stall — brought together for a moment by fate, and then led apart again, each by his own past deeds.

Verse 22 (bhagavata.7.2.22)

नित्य आत्माव्ययः शुद्धः सर्वगः सर्ववित्परः । धत्तेऽसावात्मनो लिङ्गं मायया विसृजन्गुणान् ॥ २२ ॥

nitya ātmāvyayaḥ śuddhaḥ sarvagaḥ sarva-vit paraḥ dhatte ’sāv ātmano liṅgaṁ māyayā visṛjan guṇān

The self is eternal, imperishable, pure, all-pervading, all-knowing, and transcendent; it is only through maya, projecting the material qualities, that it appears to take on a subtle body of its own.

Verse 23 (bhagavata.7.2.23)

यथाम्भसा प्रचलता तरवोऽपि चला इव । चक्षुषा भ्राम्यमाणेन दृश्यते चलतीव भूः ॥ २३ ॥

yathāmbhasā pracalatā taravo ’pi calā iva cakṣuṣā bhrāmyamāṇena dṛśyate calatīva bhūḥ

Just as trees reflected in flowing water seem to move, and just as, to a whirling eye, even the earth appears to spin,

Verse 24 (bhagavata.7.2.24)

एवं गुणैर्भ्राम्यमाणे मनस्यविकलः पुमान् । याति तत्साम्यतां भद्रे ह्यलिङ्गो लिङ्गवानिव ॥ २४ ॥

evaṁ guṇair bhrāmyamāṇe manasy avikalaḥ pumān yāti tat-sāmyatāṁ bhadre hy aliṅgo liṅgavān iva

so too, O gentle one, when the mind is set spinning by the material qualities, the changeless self seems to take on that very likeness, appearing embodied though it has, in truth, no body at all.

Verse 25 (bhagavata.7.2.25)

एष आत्मविपर्यासो ह्यलिङ्गे लिङ्गभावना । एष प्रियाप्रियैर्योगो वियोगः कर्मसंसृतिः ॥ २५ ॥

eṣa ātma-viparyāso hy aliṅge liṅga-bhāvanā eṣa priyāpriyair yogo viyogaḥ karma-saṁsṛtiḥ

This is the very inversion of the self — imagining a body where none truly exists; and from this arise union and separation with the dear and the undear, out of which the cycle of action and rebirth turns.

Verse 26 (bhagavata.7.2.26)

सम्भवश्च विनाशश्च शोकश्च विविधः स्मृतः । अविवेकश्च चिन्ता च विवेकास्मृतिरेव च ॥ २६ ॥

sambhavaś ca vināśaś ca śokaś ca vividhaḥ smṛtaḥ avivekaś ca cintā ca vivekāsmṛtir eva ca

From this, it is said, come birth and destruction, sorrow in its many forms, want of discernment, anxiety, and the very forgetting of discernment itself.

Verse 27 (bhagavata.7.2.27)

अत्राप्युदाहरन्तीममितिहासं पुरातनम् । यमस्य प्रेतबन्धूनां संवादं तं निबोधत ॥ २७ ॥

atrāpy udāharantīmam itihāsaṁ purātanam yamasya preta-bandhūnāṁ saṁvādaṁ taṁ nibodhata

On this very point, an ancient history is cited as an example — hear now of the dialogue between Yamaraja and the kinsmen of a dead man.

Verse 28 (bhagavata.7.2.28)

उशीनरेष्वभूद्राजा सुयज्ञ इति विश्रुतः । सपत्नैर्निहतो युद्धे ज्ञातयस्तमुपासत ॥ २८ ॥

uśīnareṣv abhūd rājā suyajña iti viśrutaḥ sapatnair nihato yuddhe jñātayas tam upāsata

In the land of Ushinara there was a renowned king named Suyajna. When he was slain in battle by his enemies, his kinsmen gathered and sat around him.

Verse 29 (bhagavata.7.2.29)

विशीर्णरत्नकवचं विभ्रष्टाभरणस्रजम् । शरनिर्भिन्नहृदयं शयानमसृगाविलम् ॥ २९ ॥

viśīrṇa-ratna-kavacaṁ vibhraṣṭābharaṇa-srajam śara-nirbhinna-hṛdayaṁ śayānam asṛg-āvilam

His jewel-studded armor lay shattered, his ornaments and garlands scattered, his heart pierced through by arrows, he lay there drenched in blood.

Verse 30 (bhagavata.7.2.30)

प्रकीर्णकेशं ध्वस्ताक्षं रभसा दष्टदच्छदम् । रजःकुण्ठमुखाम्भोजं छिन्नायुधभुजं मृधे ॥ ३० ॥

prakīrṇa-keśaṁ dhvastākṣaṁ rabhasā daṣṭa-dacchadam rajaḥ-kuṇṭha-mukhāmbhojaṁ chinnāyudha-bhujaṁ mṛdhe

His hair lay disheveled, his eyes lifeless, his lips bitten through in the fury of battle, his lotus face dulled with dust, and on that field his weapon-bearing arms lay severed.

Verse 31 (bhagavata.7.2.31)

उशीनरेन्द्रं विधिना तथा कृतं पतिं महिष्यः प्रसमीक्ष्य दुःखिताः । हताः स्म नाथेति करैरुरो भृशं घ्नन्त्यो मुहुस्तत्पदयोरुपापतन् ॥ ३१ ॥

uśīnarendraṁ vidhinā tathā kṛtaṁ patiṁ mahiṣyaḥ prasamīkṣya duḥkhitāḥ hatāḥ sma nātheti karair uro bhṛśaṁ ghnantyo muhus tat-padayor upāpatan

Seeing their lord, the king of Ushinara, reduced by fate to this state, his queens, stricken with grief, cried, "O lord, we too are slain," and beating their breasts again and again with their hands, fell at his feet.

Verse 32 (bhagavata.7.2.32)

रुदत्य उच्चैर्दयिताङ्घ्रिपङ्कजं सिञ्चन्त्य अस्रैः कुचकुङ्कुमारुणैः । विस्रस्तकेशाभरणाः शुचं नृणां सृजन्त्य आक्रन्दनया विलेपिरे ॥ ३२ ॥

rudatya uccair dayitāṅghri-paṅkajaṁ siñcantya asraiḥ kuca-kuṅkumāruṇaiḥ visrasta-keśābharaṇāḥ śucaṁ nṛṇāṁ sṛjantya ākrandanayā vilepire

Weeping aloud, their tears, reddened by the vermilion powder on their breasts, fell and bathed their beloved husband's lotus feet; their hair and ornaments in disarray, they lamented in a way that stirred grief even in the hearts of others who watched.

Verse 33 (bhagavata.7.2.33)

अहो विधात्राकरुणेन नः प्रभो भवान् प्रणीतो दृगगोचरां दशाम् । उशीनराणामसि वृत्तिदः पुरा कृतोऽधुना येन शुचां विवर्धनः ॥ ३३ ॥

aho vidhātrākaruṇena naḥ prabho bhavān praṇīto dṛg-agocarāṁ daśām uśīnarāṇām asi vṛttidaḥ purā kṛto ’dhunā yena śucāṁ vivardhanaḥ

Alas, O lord, merciless fate has carried you off to a state now beyond our sight. Once you sustained the very livelihood of the people of Ushinara — and now that same you have become the cause of our grief.

Verse 34 (bhagavata.7.2.34)

त्वया कृतज्ञेन वयं महीपते कथं विना स्याम सुहृत्तमेन ते । तत्रानुयानं तव वीर पादयोः शुश्रूषतीनां दिश यत्र यास्यसि ॥ ३४ ॥

tvayā kṛtajñena vayaṁ mahī-pate kathaṁ vinā syāma suhṛttamena te tatrānuyānaṁ tava vīra pādayoḥ śuśrūṣatīnāṁ diśa yatra yāsyasi

O lord of the earth, you were ever grateful, our truest friend — how shall we live without you? O hero, wherever you go, grant that we, who long only to serve your feet, may follow after you.

Verse 35 (bhagavata.7.2.35)

एवं विलपतीनां वै परिगृह्य मृतं पतिम् । अनिच्छतीनां निर्हारमर्कोऽस्तं सन्न्यवर्तत ॥ ३५ ॥

evaṁ vilapatīnāṁ vai parigṛhya mṛtaṁ patim anicchatīnāṁ nirhāram arko ’staṁ sannyavartata

As they lamented in this way, holding their dead husband's body and refusing to let it be taken away, the sun meanwhile moved on toward its setting.

Verse 36 (bhagavata.7.2.36)

तत्र ह प्रेतबन्धूनामाश्रुत्य परिदेवितम् । आह तान् बालको भूत्वा यमः स्वयमुपागतः ॥ ३६ ॥

tatra ha preta-bandhūnām āśrutya paridevitam āha tān bālako bhūtvā yamaḥ svayam upāgataḥ

Hearing the lamentation of the dead man's kin, Yamaraja himself, taking the form of a young boy, arrived there and spoke to them as follows.

Verse 37 (bhagavata.7.2.37)

श्रीयम उवाच अहो अमीषां वयसाधिकानां विपश्यतां लोकविधिं विमोहः । यत्रागतस्तत्र गतं मनुष्यं स्वयं सधर्मा अपि शोचन्त्यपार्थम् ॥ ३७ ॥

śrī-yama uvāca aho amīṣāṁ vayasādhikānāṁ vipaśyatāṁ loka-vidhiṁ vimohaḥ yatrāgatas tatra gataṁ manuṣyaṁ svayaṁ sadharmā api śocanty apārtham

Shri Yama said: How astonishing that these people, though older than I and having witnessed this law of the world again and again, remain so deluded. A man has simply returned to where he came from — yet they, subject to that same law themselves, lament for no real purpose.

Verse 38 (bhagavata.7.2.38)

अहो वयं धन्यतमा यदत्र त्यक्ताः पितृभ्यां न विचिन्तयामः । अभक्ष्यमाणा अबला वृकादिभिः स रक्षिता रक्षति यो हि गर्भे ॥ ३८ ॥

aho vayaṁ dhanyatamā yad atra tyaktāḥ pitṛbhyāṁ na vicintayāmaḥ abhakṣyamāṇā abalā vṛkādibhiḥ sa rakṣitā rakṣati yo hi garbhe

How truly fortunate we children are — even left by father and mother, we do not worry; weak as we are, we remain unharmed by wolves and the like — for He who protected us in the womb protects us even now.

Verse 39 (bhagavata.7.2.39)

य इच्छयेशः सृजतीदमव्ययो य एव रक्षत्यवलुम्पते च यः । तस्याबलाः क्रीडनमाहुरीशितु- श्चराचरं निग्रहसङ्ग्रहे प्रभुः ॥ ३९ ॥

ya icchayeśaḥ sṛjatīdam avyayo ya eva rakṣaty avalumpate ca yaḥ tasyābalāḥ krīḍanam āhur īśituś carācaraṁ nigraha-saṅgrahe prabhuḥ

O weak-hearted women, the imperishable Lord who by His own will creates this world is the very one who protects and destroys it. This entire moving and unmoving creation is but a plaything for that Lord, who is fully capable of both restraint and release.

Verse 40 (bhagavata.7.2.40)

पथि च्युतं तिष्ठति दिष्टरक्षितं गृहे स्थितं तद्विहतं विनश्यति । जीवत्यनाथोऽपि तदीक्षितो वने गृहेऽभिगुप्तोऽस्य हतो न जीवति ॥ ४० ॥

pathi cyutaṁ tiṣṭhati diṣṭa-rakṣitaṁ gṛhe sthitaṁ tad-vihataṁ vinaśyati jīvaty anātho ’pi tad-īkṣito vane gṛhe ’bhigupto ’sya hato na jīvati

A thing dropped on the road, if fate protects it, remains safe, while a thing kept at home, if fate turns away, is lost. One whom He watches over lives on even orphaned in the forest, while one He does not protect dies even when well-guarded at home.

Verse 41 (bhagavata.7.2.41)

भूतानि तैस्तैर्निजयोनिकर्मभि- र्भवन्ति काले न भवन्ति सर्वशः । न तत्र हात्मा प्रकृतावपि स्थित- स्तस्या गुणैरन्यतमो हि बध्यते ॥ ४१ ॥

bhūtāni tais tair nija-yoni-karmabhir bhavanti kāle na bhavanti sarvaśaḥ na tatra hātmā prakṛtāv api sthitas tasyā guṇair anyatamo hi badhyate

Beings arise, each according to its own birth and past deeds, and in time cease to be entirely; but the self, though situated within material nature, is not truly there at all, and is bound by none of nature's qualities.

Verse 42 (bhagavata.7.2.42)

इदं शरीरं पुरुषस्य मोहजं यथा पृथग्भौतिकमीयते गृहम् । यथौदकैः पार्थिवतैजसैर्जनः कालेन जातो विकृतो विनश्यति ॥ ४२ ॥

idaṁ śarīraṁ puruṣasya mohajaṁ yathā pṛthag bhautikam īyate gṛham yathaudakaiḥ pārthiva-taijasair janaḥ kālena jāto vikṛto vinaśyati

Just as a man mistakes a house, made of matter and quite distinct from himself, for his own, so through delusion the body is taken to be the person. Formed of water, earth, and fire, the body, born in time, is transformed and, in time, destroyed.

Verse 43 (bhagavata.7.2.43)

यथानलो दारुषु भिन्न ईयते यथानिलो देहगतः पृथक् स्थितः । यथा नभः सर्वगतं न सज्जते तथा पुमान् सर्वगुणाश्रयः परः ॥ ४३ ॥

yathānalo dāruṣu bhinna īyate yathānilo deha-gataḥ pṛthak sthitaḥ yathā nabhaḥ sarva-gataṁ na sajjate tathā pumān sarva-guṇāśrayaḥ paraḥ

Just as fire, though present in wood, is known to be distinct from it, just as air, though within the body, remains separate, and just as the all-pervading sky is never touched by anything — so too the Supreme Person, though the very shelter of all qualities, remains apart from the body.

Verse 44 (bhagavata.7.2.44)

सुयज्ञो नन्वयं शेते मूढा यमनुशोचथ । यः श्रोता योऽनुवक्तेह स न दृश्येत कर्हिचित् ॥ ४४ ॥

suyajño nanv ayaṁ śete mūḍhā yam anuśocatha yaḥ śrotā yo ’nuvakteha sa na dṛśyeta karhicit

You foolish people — this Suyajna for whom you grieve is still lying right here. It was the one who truly heard and answered that was never, in fact, visible to you at all.

Verse 45 (bhagavata.7.2.45)

न श्रोता नानुवक्तायं मुख्योऽप्यत्र महानसुः । यस्त्विहेन्द्रियवानात्मा स चान्यः प्राणदेहयोः ॥ ४५ ॥

na śrotā nānuvaktāyaṁ mukhyo ’py atra mahān asuḥ yas tv ihendriyavān ātmā sa cānyaḥ prāṇa-dehayoḥ

Even the chief life-air within the body is neither the hearer nor the speaker; and the self endowed with senses is likewise distinct from both the life-air and the body itself.

Verse 46 (bhagavata.7.2.46)

भूतेन्द्रियमनोलिङ्गान् देहानुच्चावचान् विभुः । भजत्युत्सृजति ह्यन्यस्तच्चापि स्वेन तेजसा ॥ ४६ ॥

bhūtendriya-mano-liṅgān dehān uccāvacān vibhuḥ bhajaty utsṛjati hy anyas tac cāpi svena tejasā

Higher and lower bodies, marked by the elements, senses, and mind, are taken up and cast off by the all-pervading self through its own power alone — even though that self remains, in itself, distinct from them.

Verse 47 (bhagavata.7.2.47)

यावल्लिङ्गान्वितो ह्यात्मा तावत्कर्मनिबन्धनम् । ततो विपर्ययः क्लेशो मायायोगोऽनुवर्तते ॥ ४७ ॥

yāval liṅgānvito hy ātmā tāvat karma-nibandhanam tato viparyayaḥ kleśo māyā-yogo ’nuvartate

As long as the self remains joined to the subtle body, it stays bound by the results of action; and from this, delusion, suffering, and continued involvement with maya follow on and on.

Verse 48 (bhagavata.7.2.48)

वितथाभिनिवेशोऽयं यद्गुणेष्वर्थदृग्वचः । यथा मनोरथः स्वप्नः सर्वमैन्द्रियकं मृषा ॥ ४८ ॥

vitathābhiniveśo ’yaṁ yad guṇeṣv artha-dṛg-vacaḥ yathā manorathaḥ svapnaḥ sarvam aindriyakaṁ mṛṣā

To see and speak of the material qualities as though they were the real thing — this is nothing but a false fixation, false as a daydream or a night's dream; all that the senses perceive is, in just this way, unreal.

Verse 49 (bhagavata.7.2.49)

अथ नित्यमनित्यं वा नेह शोचन्ति तद्विदः । नान्यथा शक्यते कर्तुं स्वभावः शोचतामिति ॥ ४९ ॥

atha nityam anityaṁ vā neha śocanti tad-vidaḥ nānyathā śakyate kartuṁ sva-bhāvaḥ śocatām iti

Therefore those who truly know both the eternal and the perishable do not grieve over such things; and the nature of those given to grief cannot, in any case, be made otherwise.

Verse 50 (bhagavata.7.2.50)

लुब्धको विपिने कश्चित्पक्षिणां निर्मितोऽन्तकः । वितत्य जालं विदधे तत्र तत्र प्रलोभयन् ॥ ५० ॥

lubdhako vipine kaścit pakṣiṇāṁ nirmito ’ntakaḥ vitatya jālaṁ vidadhe tatra tatra pralobhayan

In a forest there once lived a hunter, fashioned, as it were, as death itself for birds. Spreading his net, luring them here and there, he would trap them.

Verse 51 (bhagavata.7.2.51)

कुलिङ्गमिथुनं तत्र विचरत्समदृश्यत । तयोः कुलिङ्गी सहसा लुब्धकेन प्रलोभिता ॥ ५१ ॥

kuliṅga-mithunaṁ tatra vicarat samadṛśyata tayoḥ kuliṅgī sahasā lubdhakena pralobhitā

There, a pair of kulinga birds was seen wandering about. Of the two, the female was suddenly enticed by the hunter's lure.

Verse 52 (bhagavata.7.2.52)

सासज्जत सिचस्तन्त्र्यां महिष्यः कालयन्त्रिता । कुलिङ्गस्तां तथापन्नां निरीक्ष्य भृशदुःखितः । स्नेहादकल्पः कृपणः कृपणां पर्यदेवयत् ॥ ५२ ॥

sāsajjata sicas tantryāṁ mahiṣyaḥ kāla-yantritā kuliṅgas tāṁ tathāpannāṁ nirīkṣya bhṛśa-duḥkhitaḥ snehād akalpaḥ kṛpaṇaḥ kṛpaṇāṁ paryadevayat

O queens, the female kulinga, caught in the grip of fate, became entangled in the net's cord. Seeing his wife fallen into such distress, the poor male kulinga was overcome with grief, and, helpless out of sheer affection, the wretched bird lamented for his wretched mate.

Verse 53 (bhagavata.7.2.53)

अहो अकरुणो देवः स्त्रियाकरुणया विभुः । कृपणं मामनुशोचन्त्या दीनया किं करिष्यति ॥ ५३ ॥

aho akaruṇo devaḥ striyākaruṇayā vibhuḥ kṛpaṇaṁ mām anuśocantyā dīnayā kiṁ kariṣyati

Alas, how merciless is fate — all-powerful, yet without pity for this poor helpless woman. What will fate do with this wretched wife of mine, who grieves even for me?

Verse 54 (bhagavata.7.2.54)

कामं नयतु मां देवः किमर्धेनात्मनो हि मे । दीनेन जीवता दुःखमनेन विधुरायुषा ॥ ५४ ॥

kāmaṁ nayatu māṁ devaḥ kim ardhenātmano hi me dīnena jīvatā duḥkham anena vidhurāyuṣā

Let fate take me too, if it wishes! What use is there in living on, wretched, deprived of half my very self, bearing this misery through a life now bereft?

Verse 55 (bhagavata.7.2.55)

कथं त्वजातपक्षांस्तान् मातृहीनान् बिभर्म्यहम् । मन्दभाग्याः प्रतीक्षन्ते नीडे मे मातरं प्रजाः ॥ ५५ ॥

kathaṁ tv ajāta-pakṣāṁs tān mātṛ-hīnān bibharmy aham manda-bhāgyāḥ pratīkṣante nīḍe me mātaraṁ prajāḥ

How shall I, alone, raise those unfledged young, now motherless? My unfortunate children wait in the nest even now, for their mother.

Verse 56 (bhagavata.7.2.56)

एवं कुलिङ्गं विलपन्तमारात् प्रियावियोगातुरमश्रुकण्ठम् । स एव तं शाकुनिकः शरेण विव्याध कालप्रहितो विलीनः ॥ ५६ ॥

evaṁ kuliṅgaṁ vilapantam ārāt priyā-viyogāturam aśru-kaṇṭham sa eva taṁ śākunikaḥ śareṇa vivyādha kāla-prahito vilīnaḥ

And as the kulinga bird lamented in this way, his throat choked with tears, tormented by separation from his beloved, that very hunter, hidden nearby and driven on by time, pierced him too with an arrow.

Verse 57 (bhagavata.7.2.57)

एवं यूयमपश्यन्त्य आत्मापायमबुद्धयः । नैनं प्राप्स्यथ शोचन्त्यः पतिं वर्षशतैरपि ॥ ५७ ॥

evaṁ yūyam apaśyantya ātmāpāyam abuddhayaḥ nainaṁ prāpsyatha śocantyaḥ patiṁ varṣa-śatair api

In just the same way, you too are without wisdom, blind to your own coming end; even should you grieve for a hundred years, you will never win your husband back.

Verse 58 (bhagavata.7.2.58)

श्रीहिरण्यकशिपुरुवाच बाल एवं प्रवदति सर्वे विस्मितचेतसः । ज्ञातयो मेनिरे सर्वमनित्यमयथोत्थितम् ॥ ५८ ॥

śrī-hiraṇyakaśipur uvāca bāla evaṁ pravadati sarve vismita-cetasaḥ jñātayo menire sarvam anityam ayathotthitam

Hiranyakashipu said: As the boy spoke thus, all the assembled kinsmen were struck with wonder, and came to understand that whatever arises so suddenly is, by its very nature, impermanent.

Verse 59 (bhagavata.7.2.59)

यम एतदुपाख्याय तत्रैवान्तरधीयत । ज्ञातयोऽहि सुयज्ञस्य चक्रुर्यत्साम्परायिकम् ॥ ५९ ॥

yama etad upākhyāya tatraivāntaradhīyata jñātayo hi suyajñasya cakrur yat sāmparāyikam

Having given this teaching, Yama vanished from that very place. Suyajna's kinsmen then performed the funeral rites due for his journey to the next world.

Verse 60 (bhagavata.7.2.60)

अतः शोचत मा यूयं परं चात्मानमेव वा । क आत्मा कः परो वात्र स्वीयः पारक्य एव वा । स्वपराभिनिवेशेन विनाज्ञानेन देहिनाम् ॥ ६० ॥

ataḥ śocata mā yūyaṁ paraṁ cātmānam eva vā ka ātmā kaḥ paro vātra svīyaḥ pārakya eva vā sva-parābhiniveśena vinājñānena dehinām

Therefore grieve neither for others nor for yourself. Who here is truly one's own, and who a stranger? What is truly mine, and what another's? Such distinctions arise among embodied beings only out of ignorance, through the false fixation on self and other.

Verse 61 (bhagavata.7.2.61)

श्रीनारद उवाच इति दैत्यपतेर्वाक्यं दितिराकर्ण्य सस्नुषा । पुत्रशोकं क्षणात्त्यक्त्वा तत्त्वे चित्तमधारयत् ॥ ६१ ॥

śrī-nārada uvāca iti daitya-pater vākyaṁ ditir ākarṇya sasnuṣā putra-śokaṁ kṣaṇāt tyaktvā tattve cittam adhārayat

Shri Narada said: Hearing these words of the demon-king, together with her daughter-in-law, Diti at once cast off her grief for her son, and fixed her mind upon the truth.