Prahlada Maharaja, the Saintly Son of Hiranyakashipu

Verse 1 (bhagavata.7.5.1)

श्रीनारद उवाच पौरोहित्याय भगवान्वृतः काव्यः किलासुरैः । षण्डामर्कौ सुतौ तस्य दैत्यराजगृहान्तिके ॥ १ ॥

śrī-nārada uvāca paurohityāya bhagavān vṛtaḥ kāvyaḥ kilāsuraiḥ ṣaṇḍāmarkau sutau tasya daitya-rāja-gṛhāntike

Shri Narada said: The demons had chosen the illustrious Shukracharya as their priest. His two sons, Shanda and Amarka, lived close to the demon-king's palace.

Verse 2 (bhagavata.7.5.2)

तौ राज्ञा प्रापितं बालं प्रह्लादं नयकोविदम् । पाठयामासतुः पाठ्यानन्यांश्चासुरबालकान् ॥ २ ॥

tau rājñā prāpitaṁ bālaṁ prahlādaṁ naya-kovidam pāṭhayām āsatuḥ pāṭhyān anyāṁś cāsura-bālakān

To the boy Prahlada, already versed in wisdom, whom the king had sent to them, as well as to the other demon-children, they began teaching the prescribed subjects.

Verse 3 (bhagavata.7.5.3)

यत्तत्र गुरुणा प्रोक्तं शुश्रुवेऽनुपपाठ च । न साधु मनसा मेने स्वपरासद्ग्रहाश्रयम् ॥ ३ ॥

yat tatra guruṇā proktaṁ śuśruve ’nupapāṭha ca na sādhu manasā mene sva-parāsad-grahāśrayam

Whatever his teachers taught there, he listened to and repeated, but in his heart he did not approve of that teaching, resting as it did on the false distinction between "one's own" and "another's."

Verse 4 (bhagavata.7.5.4)

एकदासुरराट् पुत्रमङ्कमारोप्य पाण्डव । पप्रच्छ कथ्यतां वत्स मन्यते साधु यद्भवान् ॥ ४ ॥

ekadāsura-rāṭ putram aṅkam āropya pāṇḍava papraccha kathyatāṁ vatsa manyate sādhu yad bhavān

O Pandava, one day the king of the asuras took his son on his lap and asked him: "My dear child, tell me what you consider to be the best thing you have learned."

Verse 5 (bhagavata.7.5.5)

श्रीप्रह्लाद उवाच तत्साधु मन्येऽसुरवर्य देहिनां सदा समुद्विग्नधियामसद्ग्रहात् । हित्वात्मपातं गृहमन्धकूपं वनं गतो यद्धरिमाश्रयेत ॥ ५ ॥

śrī-prahlāda uvāca tat sādhu manye ’sura-varya dehināṁ sadā samudvigna-dhiyām asad-grahāt hitvātma-pātaṁ gṛham andha-kūpaṁ vanaṁ gato yad dharim āśrayeta

Shri Prahlada said: O best of the asuras, this alone I hold to be the best — that an embodied being, its mind ever tormented by false attachment, should abandon this household, a blind well that is its own undoing, go to the forest, and take shelter of Bhagavan Hari.

Verse 6 (bhagavata.7.5.6)

श्रीनारद उवाच श्रुत्वा पुत्रगिरो दैत्यः परपक्षसमाहिताः । जहास बुद्धिर्बालानां भिद्यते परबुद्धिभिः ॥ ६ ॥

śrī-nārada uvāca śrutvā putra-giro daityaḥ para-pakṣa-samāhitāḥ jahāsa buddhir bālānāṁ bhidyate para-buddhibhiḥ

Shri Narada said: Hearing his son's words, so aligned with the enemy camp, the demon laughed and said, "Just so does the intelligence of children get corrupted by the words of others."

Verse 7 (bhagavata.7.5.7)

सम्यग्विधार्यतां बालो गुरुगेहे द्विजातिभिः । विष्णुपक्षैः प्रतिच्छन्नैर्न भिद्येतास्य धीर्यथा ॥ ७ ॥

samyag vidhāryatāṁ bālo guru-gehe dvi-jātibhiḥ viṣṇu-pakṣaiḥ praticchannair na bhidyetāsya dhīr yathā

"Let this boy be well guarded at the gurukula, so that his intelligence is not corrupted again by brahmanas of the Vishnu faction going about in disguise."

Verse 8 (bhagavata.7.5.8)

गृहमानीतमाहूय प्रह्रादं दैत्ययाजकाः । प्रशस्य श्लक्ष्णया वाचा समपृच्छन्त सामभिः ॥ ८ ॥

gṛham ānītam āhūya prahrādaṁ daitya-yājakāḥ praśasya ślakṣṇayā vācā samapṛcchanta sāmabhiḥ

The demons' priests, calling Prahlada back to the school, praising him, and speaking in gentle, conciliatory tones, began questioning him.

Verse 9 (bhagavata.7.5.9)

वत्स प्रह्राद भद्रं ते सत्यं कथय मा मृषा । बालानति कुतस्तुभ्यमेष बुद्धिविपर्ययः ॥ ९ ॥

vatsa prahrāda bhadraṁ te satyaṁ kathaya mā mṛṣā bālān ati kutas tubhyam eṣa buddhi-viparyayaḥ

"Dear child Prahlada, may all good come to you. Speak truthfully, not falsely. From where has this perverse turn of intelligence, so unlike that of other boys, come to you?"

Verse 10 (bhagavata.7.5.10)

बुद्धिभेदः परकृत उताहो ते स्वतोऽभवत् । भण्यतां श्रोतुकामानां गुरूणां कुलनन्दन ॥ १० ॥

buddhi-bhedaḥ para-kṛta utāho te svato ’bhavat bhaṇyatāṁ śrotu-kāmānāṁ gurūṇāṁ kula-nandana

"O joy of your family, has this alteration of intelligence been caused by someone else, or has it arisen of itself within you? We, your teachers, are eager to hear — tell us."

Verse 11 (bhagavata.7.5.11)

श्रीप्रह्राद उवाच परः स्वश्चेत्यसद्ग्राहः पुंसां यन्मायया कृतः । विमोहितधियां दृष्टस्तस्मै भगवते नमः ॥ ११ ॥

śrī-prahrāda uvāca paraḥ svaś cety asad-grāhaḥ puṁsāṁ yan-māyayā kṛtaḥ vimohita-dhiyāṁ dṛṣṭas tasmai bhagavate namaḥ

Shri Prahlada said: Homage to that Bhagavan, by whose maya this false distinction of "mine" and "another's" is created in men, and which appears real only to those whose intelligence has been bewildered.

Verse 12 (bhagavata.7.5.12)

स यदानुव्रतः पुंसां पशुबुद्धिर्विभिद्यते । अन्य एष तथान्योऽहमिति भेदगतासती ॥ १२ ॥

sa yadānuvrataḥ puṁsāṁ paśu-buddhir vibhidyate anya eṣa tathānyo ’ham iti bheda-gatāsatī

When that Lord is pleased with a man, his animal-like understanding is shattered, and the notion "he is one, I am another" is revealed as the falsehood it always was.

Verse 13 (bhagavata.7.5.13)

स एष आत्मा स्वपरेत्यबुद्धिभि- र्दुरत्ययानुक्रमणो निरूप्यते । मुह्यन्ति यद्वर्त्मनि वेदवादिनो ब्रह्मादयो ह्येष भिनत्ति मे मतिम् ॥ १३ ॥

sa eṣa ātmā sva-parety abuddhibhir duratyayānukramaṇo nirūpyate muhyanti yad-vartmani veda-vādino brahmādayo hy eṣa bhinatti me matim

For those who lack understanding and cling to "mine" and "another's," that very Self is described as almost impossible to trace or reach. Even Brahma and the other knowers of the Veda grow bewildered on that path — and it is He who is now cleaving my own understanding.

Verse 14 (bhagavata.7.5.14)

यथा भ्राम्यत्ययो ब्रह्मन् स्वयमाकर्षसन्निधौ । तथा मे भिद्यते चेतश्चक्रपाणेर्यदृच्छया ॥ १४ ॥

yathā bhrāmyaty ayo brahman svayam ākarṣa-sannidhau tathā me bhidyate cetaś cakra-pāṇer yadṛcchayā

O brahmanas, just as iron of its own accord is drawn near a magnet, so my mind, by the mere will of the discus-bearing Lord, is being drawn toward Him.

Verse 15 (bhagavata.7.5.15)

श्रीनारद उवाच एतावद्ब्राह्मणायोक्त्वा विरराम महामतिः । तं सन्निभर्त्स्य कुपितः सुदीनो राजसेवकः ॥ १५ ॥

śrī-nārada uvāca etāvad brāhmaṇāyoktvā virarāma mahā-matiḥ taṁ sannibhartsya kupitaḥ sudīno rāja-sevakaḥ

Shri Narada said: Having said this much, the great-minded boy fell silent. Then, angered, and reduced to a wretched state, that teacher who was but a servant of the king began to rebuke him sharply.

Verse 16 (bhagavata.7.5.16)

आनीयतामरे वेत्रमस्माकमयशस्करः । कुलाङ्गारस्य दुर्बुद्धेश्चतुर्थोऽस्योदितो दमः ॥ १६ ॥

ānīyatām are vetram asmākam ayaśaskaraḥ kulāṅgārasya durbuddheś caturtho ’syodito damaḥ

"Bring me a rod! This boy brings only disgrace upon us. For this ill-minded blot upon our family, the fourth remedy — punishment — is now called for."

Verse 17 (bhagavata.7.5.17)

दैतेयचन्दनवने जातोऽयं कण्टकद्रुमः । यन्मूलोन्मूलपरशोर्विष्णोर्नालायितोऽर्भकः ॥ १७ ॥

daiteya-candana-vane jāto ’yaṁ kaṇṭaka-drumaḥ yan-mūlonmūla-paraśor viṣṇor nālāyito ’rbhakaḥ

This child has sprung up like a thorn tree in the sandalwood grove of the demons — a very handle for the axe that is Vishnu, meant to uproot that grove at its very root.

Verse 18 (bhagavata.7.5.18)

इति तं विविधोपायैर्भीषयंस्तर्जनादिभिः । प्रह्रादं ग्राहयामास त्रिवर्गस्योपपादनम् ॥ १८ ॥

iti taṁ vividhopāyair bhīṣayaṁs tarjanādibhiḥ prahrādaṁ grāhayām āsa tri-vargasyopapādanam

Thus, threatening and terrifying him by various means, they made Prahlada undergo instruction in the threefold pursuit of dharma, artha, and kama.

Verse 19 (bhagavata.7.5.19)

तत एनं गुरुर्ज्ञात्वा ज्ञातज्ञेयचतुष्टयम् । दैत्येन्द्रं दर्शयामास मातृमृष्टमलङ्कृतम् ॥ १९ ॥

tata enaṁ gurur jñātvā jñāta-jñeya-catuṣṭayam daityendraṁ darśayām āsa mātṛ-mṛṣṭam alaṅkṛtam

Thereafter, judging that he had learned the fourfold means of statecraft, the teacher presented the boy — bathed and adorned by his mother — before the king of the daityas.

Verse 20 (bhagavata.7.5.20)

पादयोः पतितं बालं प्रतिनन्द्याशिषासुरः । परिष्वज्य चिरं दोर्भ्यां परमामाप निर्वृतिम् ॥ २० ॥

pādayoḥ patitaṁ bālaṁ pratinandyāśiṣāsuraḥ pariṣvajya ciraṁ dorbhyāṁ paramām āpa nirvṛtim

Welcoming with blessings the child who had fallen at his feet, and embracing him at length in both arms, the demon felt supreme joy.

Verse 21 (bhagavata.7.5.21)

आरोप्याङ्कमवघ्राय मूर्धन्यश्रुकलाम्बुभिः । आसिञ्चन् विकसद्वक्त्रमिदमाह युधिष्ठिर ॥ २१ ॥

āropyāṅkam avaghrāya mūrdhany aśru-kalāmbubhiḥ āsiñcan vikasad-vaktram idam āha yudhiṣṭhira

O Yudhishthira, taking him upon his lap, smelling the top of his head, and bathing his beaming face with tears of joy, he spoke as follows.

Verse 22 (bhagavata.7.5.22)

हिरण्यकशिपुरुवाच प्रह्रादानूच्यतां तात स्वधीतं किञ्चिदुत्तमम् । कालेनैतावतायुष्मन् यदशिक्षद्गुरोर्भवान् ॥ २२ ॥

hiraṇyakaśipur uvāca prahrādānūcyatāṁ tāta svadhītaṁ kiñcid uttamam kālenaitāvatāyuṣman yad aśikṣad guror bhavān

Hiranyakashipu said: "My dear son Prahlada, O long-lived one, tell me now whatever excellent thing you have, over all this time, learned from your teacher."

Verse 23 (bhagavata.7.5.23)

श्रीप्रह्राद उवाच श्रवणं कीर्तनं विष्णोः स्मरणं पादसेवनम् । अर्चनं वन्दनं दास्यं सख्यमात्मनिवेदनम् ॥ २३ ॥

śrī-prahrāda uvāca śravaṇaṁ kīrtanaṁ viṣṇoḥ smaraṇaṁ pāda-sevanam arcanaṁ vandanaṁ dāsyaṁ sakhyam ātma-nivedanam

Shri Prahlada said: Hearing and chanting of Vishnu, remembering Him, serving His feet, worshiping Him, offering prayers, servitude, friendship, and full surrender of the self.

Verse 24 (bhagavata.7.5.24)

इति पुंसार्पिता विष्णौ भक्तिश्चेन्नवलक्षणा । क्रियेत भगवत्यद्धा तन्मन्येऽधीतमुत्तमम् ॥ २४ ॥

iti puṁsārpitā viṣṇau bhaktiś cen nava-lakṣaṇā kriyeta bhagavaty addhā tan manye ’dhītam uttamam

If a man offers this ninefold devotion directly to Bhagavan Vishnu in just this way — this alone, I hold, is the best thing one could ever learn.

Verse 25 (bhagavata.7.5.25)

निशम्यैतत्सुतवचो हिरण्यकशिपुस्तदा । गुरुपुत्रमुवाचेदं रुषा प्रस्फुरिताधरः ॥ २५ ॥

niśamyaitat suta-vaco hiraṇyakaśipus tadā guru-putram uvācedaṁ ruṣā prasphuritādharaḥ

Hearing these words of his son, Hiranyakashipu, his lips quivering with rage, at once turned upon the teacher's son and spoke as follows.

Verse 26 (bhagavata.7.5.26)

ब्रह्मबन्धो किमेतत्ते विपक्षं श्रयतासता । असारं ग्राहितो बालो मामनादृत्य दुर्मते ॥ २६ ॥

brahma-bandho kim etat te vipakṣaṁ śrayatāsatā asāraṁ grāhito bālo mām anādṛtya durmate

"You disgrace to a brahmana's line! What is this? You wretch, you have gone over to the enemy's side. O ill-minded one, disregarding me entirely, you have made this boy absorb such worthless teaching."

Verse 27 (bhagavata.7.5.27)

सन्ति ह्यसाधवो लोके दुर्मैत्राश्छद्मवेषिणः । तेषामुदेत्यघं काले रोगः पातकिनामिव ॥ २७ ॥

santi hy asādhavo loke durmaitrāś chadma-veṣiṇaḥ teṣām udety aghaṁ kāle rogaḥ pātakinām iva

There are wicked people in this world who wear the false garb of friendship. In due course their sin comes to the surface, just as disease surfaces in sinful men.

Verse 28 (bhagavata.7.5.28)

श्रीगुरुपुत्र उवाच न मत्प्रणीतं न परप्रणीतं सुतो वदत्येष तवेन्द्रशत्रो । नैसर्गिकीयं मतिरस्य राजन् नियच्छ मन्युं कददाः स्म मा नः ॥ २८ ॥

śrī-guru-putra uvāca na mat-praṇītaṁ na para-praṇītaṁ suto vadaty eṣa tavendra-śatro naisargikīyaṁ matir asya rājan niyaccha manyuṁ kad adāḥ sma mā naḥ

The teacher's son said: "O foe of Indra, whatever your son speaks was taught to him neither by me nor by anyone else. O King, this understanding of his is entirely natural to him. Restrain your anger — do not, without cause, hold us at fault."

Verse 29 (bhagavata.7.5.29)

श्रीनारद उवाच गुरुणैवं प्रतिप्रोक्तो भूय आहासुरः सुतम् । न चेद्गुरुमुखीयं ते कुतोऽभद्रासती मतिः ॥ २९ ॥

śrī-nārada uvāca guruṇaivaṁ pratiprokto bhūya āhāsuraḥ sutam na ced guru-mukhīyaṁ te kuto ’bhadrāsatī matiḥ

Shri Narada said: Thus answered by the teacher, the demon spoke again to his son: "If this did not come from your teacher's own mouth, then from where has this wretched, misguided understanding of yours come?"

Verse 30 (bhagavata.7.5.30)

श्रीप्रह्राद उवाच मतिर्न कृष्णे परतः स्वतो वा मिथोऽभिपद्येत गृहव्रतानाम् । अदान्तगोभिर्विशतां तमिस्रं पुनः पुनश्चर्वितचर्वणानाम् ॥ ३० ॥

śrī-prahrāda uvāca matir na kṛṣṇe parataḥ svato vā mitho ’bhipadyeta gṛha-vratānām adānta-gobhir viśatāṁ tamisraṁ punaḥ punaś carvita-carvaṇānām

Shri Prahlada said: For those bound to household life, driven by uncontrolled senses that sink them ever deeper into darkness, endlessly chewing what has already been chewed, understanding of Krishna arises neither through another's teaching, nor of itself, nor through any combination of the two.

Verse 31 (bhagavata.7.5.31)

न ते विदुः स्वार्थगतिं हि विष्णुं दुराशया ये बहिरर्थमानिनः । अन्धा यथान्धैरुपनीयमाना- स्तेऽपीशतन्त्र्यामुरुदाम्नि बद्धाः ॥ ३१ ॥

na te viduḥ svārtha-gatiṁ hi viṣṇuṁ durāśayā ye bahir-artha-māninaḥ andhā yathāndhair upanīyamānās te ’pīśa-tantryām uru-dāmni baddhāḥ

Those who, driven by vain longing, take external objects to be real never come to know Vishnu, who is the true goal of their own self-interest. Like the blind led by the blind, they too remain bound fast by the strong cords of the Lord's own law of action.

Verse 32 (bhagavata.7.5.32)

नैषां मतिस्तावदुरुक्रमाङ्घ्रिं स्पृशत्यनर्थापगमो यदर्थः । महीयसां पादरजोऽभिषेकं निष्किञ्चनानां न वृणीत यावत् ॥ ३२ ॥

naiṣāṁ matis tāvad urukramāṅghriṁ spṛśaty anarthāpagamo yad-arthaḥ mahīyasāṁ pāda-rajo-’bhiṣekaṁ niṣkiñcanānāṁ na vṛṇīta yāvat

Until they receive the very dust of the feet of great souls who possess nothing, their minds cannot come to touch the feet of the Lord of far-striding steps, contact with whom alone dispels every form of misfortune.

Verse 33 (bhagavata.7.5.33)

इत्युक्त्वोपरतं पुत्रं हिरण्यकशिपू रुषा । अन्धीकृतात्मा स्वोत्सङ्गान्निरस्यत महीतले ॥ ३३ ॥

ity uktvoparataṁ putraṁ hiraṇyakaśipū ruṣā andhīkṛtātmā svotsaṅgān nirasyata mahī-tale

When his son had spoken thus and fallen silent, Hiranyakashipu, his reason blinded by rage, hurled him down from his lap to the ground.

Verse 34 (bhagavata.7.5.34)

आहामर्षरुषाविष्टः कषायीभूतलोचनः । वध्यतामाश्वयं वध्यो निःसारयत नैर्ऋताः ॥ ३४ ॥

āhāmarṣa-ruṣāviṣṭaḥ kaṣāyī-bhūta-locanaḥ vadhyatām āśv ayaṁ vadhyo niḥsārayata nairṛtāḥ

Overcome with fury and unable to bear it, his eyes turned coppery red, he cried: "This boy deserves death — kill him at once! O rakshasas, take him from my sight!"

Verse 35 (bhagavata.7.5.35)

अयं मे भ्रातृहा सोऽयं हित्वा स्वान् सुहृदोऽधमः । पितृव्यहन्तुः पादौ यो विष्णोर्दासवदर्चति ॥ ३५ ॥

ayaṁ me bhrātṛ-hā so ’yaṁ hitvā svān suhṛdo ’dhamaḥ pitṛvya-hantuḥ pādau yo viṣṇor dāsavad arcati

"This one is the very killer of my brother — this wretch, who abandons his own kin and worships, like a mere servant, the feet of Vishnu, the murderer of his own uncle."

Verse 36 (bhagavata.7.5.36)

विष्णोर्वा साध्वसौ किं नु करिष्यत्यसमञ्जसः । सौहृदं दुस्त्यजं पित्रोरहाद्यः पञ्चहायनः ॥ ३६ ॥

viṣṇor vā sādhv asau kiṁ nu kariṣyaty asamañjasaḥ sauhṛdaṁ dustyajaṁ pitror ahād yaḥ pañca-hāyanaḥ

What good behavior, indeed, could be expected toward Vishnu from this incongruous child, who, though only five years old, has already cast off the affection of his own parents — an affection so hard for anyone to relinquish?

Verse 37 (bhagavata.7.5.37)

परोऽप्यपत्यं हितकृद्यथौषधं स्वदेहजोऽप्यामयवत्सुतोऽहितः । छिन्द्यात्तदङ्गं यदुतात्मनोऽहितं शेषं सुखं जीवति यद्विवर्जनात् ॥ ३७ ॥

paro ’py apatyaṁ hita-kṛd yathauṣadhaṁ sva-dehajo ’py āmayavat suto ’hitaḥ chindyāt tad aṅgaṁ yad utātmano ’hitaṁ śeṣaṁ sukhaṁ jīvati yad-vivarjanāt

Just as a healing herb, though born in the wild and not one's own, is cherished like a child if beneficial, so even a son born of one's own body, if he becomes harmful like a disease, must be cast off. That limb of the self which brings it harm must be cut away, so that the rest may go on living happily once free of it.

Verse 38 (bhagavata.7.5.38)

सर्वैरुपायैर्हन्तव्यः सम्भोजशयनासनैः । सुहृल्लिङ्गधरः शत्रुर्मुनेर्दुष्टमिवेन्द्रियम् ॥ ३८ ॥

sarvair upāyair hantavyaḥ sambhoja-śayanāsanaiḥ suhṛl-liṅga-dharaḥ śatrur muner duṣṭam ivendriyam

An enemy wearing a friend's disguise must be destroyed by every means — while eating, while sleeping, while sitting — just as a sage subdues a wayward, unruly sense.

Verse 39 (bhagavata.7.5.39)

नैऋर्तास्ते समादिष्टा भर्त्रा वै शूलपाणयः । तिग्मदंष्ट्रकरालास्यास्ताम्रश्मश्रुशिरोरुहाः ॥ ३९ ॥

nairṛtās te samādiṣṭā bhartrā vai śūla-pāṇayaḥ tigma-daṁṣṭra-karālāsyās tāmra-śmaśru-śiroruhāḥ

Thus commanded by their master, those rakshasas — tridents in hand, fangs sharp, faces fearsome, their beards and hair the color of copper — made ready.

Verse 40 (bhagavata.7.5.40)

नदन्तो भैरवं नादं छिन्धि भिन्धीति वादिनः । आसीनं चाहनञ्शूलैः प्रह्रादं सर्वमर्मसु ॥ ४० ॥

nadanto bhairavaṁ nādaṁ chindhi bhindhīti vādinaḥ āsīnaṁ cāhanañ śūlaiḥ prahrādaṁ sarva-marmasu

Roaring a terrifying roar, shouting "Cut him! Pierce him!", they fell upon Prahlada as he sat there in silence, striking him with their tridents at every vital point of his body.

Verse 41 (bhagavata.7.5.41)

परे ब्रह्मण्यनिर्देश्ये भगवत्यखिलात्मनि । युक्तात्मन्यफला आसन्नपुण्यस्येव सत्क्रियाः ॥ ४१ ॥

pare brahmaṇy anirdeśye bhagavaty akhilātmani yuktātmany aphalā āsann apuṇyasyeva sat-kriyāḥ

Upon one whose mind was fixed on the indefinable Supreme Brahman, Bhagavan, the very self of all — those blows proved as fruitless as good deeds performed by one devoid of merit.

Verse 42 (bhagavata.7.5.42)

प्रयासेऽपहते तस्मिन्दैत्येन्द्रः परिशङ्कितः । चकार तद्वधोपायान्निर्बन्धेन युधिष्ठिर ॥ ४२ ॥

prayāse ’pahate tasmin daityendraḥ pariśaṅkitaḥ cakāra tad-vadhopāyān nirbandhena yudhiṣṭhira

O Yudhishthira, when that attempt failed, the demon-king, now deeply apprehensive, set about devising further, more determined means to kill him.

Verse 43 (bhagavata.7.5.43)

दिग्गजैर्दन्दशूकेन्द्रैरभिचारावपातनैः । मायाभिः सन्निरोधैश्च गरदानैरभोजनैः । हिमवाय्वग्निसलिलैः पर्वताक्रमणैरपि ॥ ४३ ॥

dig-gajair dandaśūkendrair abhicārāvapātanaiḥ māyābhiḥ sannirodhaiś ca gara-dānair abhojanaiḥ

By trampling him beneath the feet of the great elephants of the directions, by throwing him among monstrous serpents, by black magic and by hurling him from heights, by sorcery, by imprisonment, by poison, by starvation, by exposure to cold, wind, fire, and water, and even by crushing him beneath mountains...

Verse 44 (bhagavata.7.5.44)

न शशाक यदा हन्तुमपापमसुरः सुतम् । चिन्तां दीर्घतमां प्राप्तस्तत्कर्तुं नाभ्यपद्यत ॥ ४४ ॥

hima-vāyv-agni-salilaiḥ parvatākramaṇair api na śaśāka yadā hantum apāpam asuraḥ sutam cintāṁ dīrghatamāṁ prāptas tat-kartuṁ nābhyapadyata

...when the demon still could not kill his sinless son by any of these means, he sank into the deepest anxiety, unable to determine what to do next.

Verse 45 (bhagavata.7.5.45)

एष मे बह्वसाधूक्तो वधोपायाश्च निर्मिताः । तैस्तैर्द्रोहैरसद्धर्मैर्मुक्तः स्वेनैव तेजसा ॥ ४५ ॥

eṣa me bahv-asādhūkto vadhopāyāś ca nirmitāḥ tais tair drohair asad-dharmair muktaḥ svenaiva tejasā

"I have hurled every manner of abuse at him and devised every means to kill him, yet through his own power alone he has remained untouched by all those treacherous, wicked acts."

Verse 46 (bhagavata.7.5.46)

वर्तमानोऽविदूरे वै बालोऽप्यजडधीरयम् । न विस्मरति मेऽनार्यं शुनः शेप इव प्रभुः ॥ ४६ ॥

vartamāno ’vidūre vai bālo ’py ajaḍa-dhīr ayam na vismarati me ’nāryaṁ śunaḥ śepa iva prabhuḥ

"Living so near to me, this boy, child though he is, is no dullard — he is like a dog's curled tail, that never forgets my ignoble conduct toward him."

Verse 47 (bhagavata.7.5.47)

अप्रमेयानुभावोऽयमकुतश्चिद्भयोऽमरः । नूनमेतद्विरोधेन मृत्युर्मे भविता न वा ॥ ४७ ॥

aprameyānubhāvo ’yam akutaścid-bhayo ’maraḥ nūnam etad-virodhena mṛtyur me bhavitā na vā

"This one's power is beyond measure; he fears nothing from any quarter, as though he were deathless himself. Surely, because of this enmity of mine toward him, my own death will come — or perhaps it will not."

Verse 48 (bhagavata.7.5.48)

इति तच्चिन्तया किञ्चिन्म्लानश्रियमधोमुखम् । षण्डामर्कावौशनसौ विविक्त इति होचतुः ॥ ४८ ॥

iti tac-cintayā kiñcin mlāna-śriyam adho-mukham śaṇḍāmarkāv auśanasau vivikta iti hocatuḥ

To him, thus somewhat dimmed in luster and downcast with this anxiety, Shukracharya's two sons Shanda and Amarka spoke privately as follows.

Verse 49 (bhagavata.7.5.49)

जितं त्वयैकेन जगत्त्रयं भ्रुवोर् विजृम्भणत्रस्तसमस्तधिष्ण्यपम् । न तस्य चिन्त्यं तव नाथ चक्ष्वहे न वै शिशूनां गुणदोषयोः पदम् ॥ ४९ ॥

jitaṁ tvayaikena jagat-trayaṁ bhruvor vijṛmbhaṇa-trasta-samasta-dhiṣṇyapam na tasya cintyaṁ tava nātha cakṣvahe na vai śiśūnāṁ guṇa-doṣayoḥ padam

"O lord, by the mere arching of your brow you strike terror into every guardian of every world, and you alone have conquered all three worlds. We see no cause here for your concern — a child's virtues and faults, after all, carry no real weight."

Verse 50 (bhagavata.7.5.50)

इमं तु पाशैर्वरुणस्य बद्ध्वा निधेहि भीतो न पलायते यथा । बुद्धिश्च पुंसो वयसार्यसेवया यावद्गुरुर्भार्गव आगमिष्यति ॥ ५० ॥

imaṁ tu pāśair varuṇasya baddhvā nidhehi bhīto na palāyate yathā buddhiś ca puṁso vayasārya-sevayā yāvad gurur bhārgava āgamiṣyati

"Bind him with Varuna's ropes and keep him thus, so that he cannot flee in fear. By the time our teacher, the descendant of Bhrigu, returns, his intelligence will change of itself, through age and through service to the noble."

Verse 51 (bhagavata.7.5.51)

तथेति गुरुपुत्रोक्तमनुज्ञायेदमब्रवीत् । धर्मो ह्यस्योपदेष्टव्यो राज्ञां यो गृहमेधिनाम् ॥ ५१ ॥

tatheti guru-putroktam anujñāyedam abravīt dharmo hy asyopadeṣṭavyo rājñāṁ yo gṛha-medhinām

"So be it," he said, accepting the teacher's sons' proposal, and added: "Let him be instructed in that dharma which is fit for kings who are householders."

Verse 52 (bhagavata.7.5.52)

धर्ममर्थं च कामं च नितरां चानुपूर्वशः । प्रह्रादायोचतू राजन्प्रश्रितावनताय च ॥ ५२ ॥

dharmam arthaṁ ca kāmaṁ ca nitarāṁ cānupūrvaśaḥ prahrādāyocatū rājan praśritāvanatāya ca

O King, then the two of them began teaching, in due order and without pause, dharma, artha, and kama to Prahlada, who received them with all humility and deference.

Verse 53 (bhagavata.7.5.53)

यथा त्रिवर्गं गुरुभिरात्मने उपशिक्षितम् । न साधु मेने तच्छिक्षां द्वन्द्वारामोपवर्णिताम् ॥ ५३ ॥

yathā tri-vargaṁ gurubhir ātmane upaśikṣitam na sādhu mene tac-chikṣāṁ dvandvārāmopavarṇitām

This threefold teaching given by his teachers, which described nothing but delight in the world's dualities, Prahlada did not regard as fit for himself.

Verse 54 (bhagavata.7.5.54)

यदाचार्यः परावृत्तो गृहमेधीयकर्मसु । वयस्यैर्बालकैस्तत्र सोपहूतः कृतक्षणैः ॥ ५४ ॥

yadācāryaḥ parāvṛtto gṛhamedhīya-karmasu vayasyair bālakais tatra sopahūtaḥ kṛta-kṣaṇaiḥ

When the teachers turned away to their own household affairs, the children his own age, finding their moment of leisure, would call him to join them there.

Verse 55 (bhagavata.7.5.55)

अथ ताञ्श्लक्ष्णया वाचा प्रत्याहूय महाबुधः । उवाच विद्वांस्तन्निष्ठां कृपया प्रहसन्निव ॥ ५५ ॥

atha tāñ ślakṣṇayā vācā pratyāhūya mahā-budhaḥ uvāca vidvāṁs tan-niṣṭhāṁ kṛpayā prahasann iva

Then that supremely wise boy, calling them to him in gentle tones and smiling with compassion, began to explain to them, with full understanding, the true worth of that learned instruction.

Verse 56 (bhagavata.7.5.56)

ते तु तद्गौरवात्सर्वे त्यक्तक्रीडापरिच्छदाः । बाला अदूषितधियो द्वन्द्वारामेरितेहितैः ॥ ५६ ॥

te tu tad-gauravāt sarve tyakta-krīḍā-paricchadāḥ bālā adūṣita-dhiyo dvandvārāmeritehitaiḥ

All those children, their young minds not yet corrupted by the teachings devoted to worldly duality, out of reverence for him set aside their games and playthings...

Verse 57 (bhagavata.7.5.57)

पर्युपासत राजेन्द्र तन्न्यस्तहृदयेक्षणाः । तानाह करुणो मैत्रो महाभागवतोऽसुरः ॥ ५७ ॥

paryupāsata rājendra tan-nyasta-hṛdayekṣaṇāḥ tān āha karuṇo maitro mahā-bhāgavato ’suraḥ

...and, O foremost of kings, sat down around him, their hearts and eyes fixed entirely on him. Then that demon-born boy — compassionate, a friend to all, a great devotee — began to speak to them.