Live the Bhāgavatam · SB 7.3.36
Ūti· What drives us to actFear Behind Carefully Planned Protection
“Grant me that I not die within any residence or outside any residence, during the daytime or at night, nor on the ground or in the sky. Grant me that my death not be brought by any being other than those created by you, nor by any weapon, nor by any human being or animal.”
What the purport teaches
- Hiraṇyakaśipu feared that Viṣṇu might become an animal to kill him, because the Lord had killed his brother in the shape of a boar. He therefore sought protection from all kinds of animals.
- Viṣṇu could also kill him with His Sudarśana cakra, which can go anywhere without the Lord’s physical presence. Hiraṇyakaśipu therefore sought protection from all kinds of weapons.
- He tried to guard against death in every time and place, from residents of other planets and from Lord Viṣṇu or Lord Śiva. He even guarded against natural death inside or outside his house, thinking himself securely protected.
Try this today
Write down two protections Hiraṇyakaśipu requested and identify the fear behind each.
Ask yourself
What does Hiraṇyakaśipu’s long list of protections reveal about the fear behind his requests?
Carry the question through the day, then answer it in your own words before sleep.
The study points, practice and question are short summaries drawn from Śrīla Prabhupāda's translation and purport. Read the full purport to go deeper.