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Read one verse of Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam with its Sanskrit, word meanings, translation and study points.

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Canto 7 · The Science of God · 15 chapters

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How to study this verse, in six steps
  1. 1Chant the verse. Say the Sanskrit slowly and carefully.
  2. 2Read the word meanings. Go through each Sanskrit word and its meaning.
  3. 3Find the meaning yourself. Before the translation, piece the meaning together from the words.
  4. 4Read the translation. Ask: what is the Lord teaching here, and how does it apply to my life?
  5. 5Read the purport slowly. Read it two or three times. Don't rush.
  6. 6Write down what touched you. Note the main points in your own notebook.
Read the full guide: how to hear the Bhāgavatam ›
Canto 7 · Chapter 1: The Supreme Lord Is Equal to Everyone
7.1.407.1.42

Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam · Text 7.1.41

Īśānukathā· The Lord and His devotees
Who is speaking and story frame
Speaking:Nārada Munisince 7.1.36inside 3 frames: Sūta Gosvāmī → the sages at NaimiṣāraṇyaŚukadeva Gosvāmī → King ParīkṣitNārada Muni → Mahārāja Yudhiṣṭhira

हतो हिरण्यकशिपुर्हरिणा सिंहरूपिणा ।

हिरण्याक्षो धरोद्धारे बिभ्रता शौकरं वपु: ॥ ४१ ॥

hato hiraṇyakaśipur

hariṇā siṁha-rūpiṇā

hiraṇyākṣo dharoddhāre

bibhratā śaukaraṁ vapuḥ

Translation

Appearing as Nṛsiṁhadeva, the Supreme Personality of Godhead, Śrī Hari, killed Hiraṇyakaśipu. When the Lord delivered the planet earth, which had fallen in the Garbhodaka Ocean, Hiraṇyākṣa tried to hinder Him, and then the Lord, as Varāha, killed Hiraṇyākṣa.

Read this verse on Vedabase.io

This verse has no purport; its meaning is explained by the verses around it.

1

Understand it

Three study points drawn from the translation and purport.

The Supreme Lord Acts in Different Forms

  1. 1

    Śrī Hari, the Supreme Personality of Godhead, appeared as Nṛsiṁhadeva and killed Hiraṇyakaśipu.

  2. 2

    The earth had fallen into the Garbhodaka Ocean, and the Lord acted to deliver it.

  3. 3

    Hiraṇyākṣa tried to hinder the Lord. The Lord, appearing as Varāha, killed him.

How it feels

Pride and rage → Oppression. The ruler's power intensifies his insecurity.

Chapters 1–4 of Canto 7: Hiraṇyakaśipu's ascent and intimidation. An editorial reading of the story's mood, not the text itself. See the emotional arc

Further reading

Chapter 1: The Supreme Lord Is Equal to Everyone

From the chapter summary, the lines nearest this verse:

Śukadeva Gosvāmī explains that because of their offenses at the feet of devotees, two attendants of the Lord in Vaikuṇṭha named Jaya and Vijaya became Hiraṇyakaśipu and Hiraṇyākṣa in Satya-yuga, Rāvaṇa and Kumbhakarṇa in the next yuga, Tretā-yuga, and Śiśupāla and Dantavakra at the end of Dvāpara-yuga. Because of their fruitive acts, Jaya and Vijaya agreed to become the Lord’s enemies, and when killed in that mentality, they attained salvation in oneness.
Read the whole chapter summaryBack to this verse in chapter 7.1
2

Word for word

Learn the Sanskrit words of the verse.

  1. hataḥkilled
  2. hiraṇyakaśipuḥHiraṇyakaśipu
  3. hariṇāby Hari, Viṣṇu
  4. siṁha-rūpiṇāin the form of a lion (Lord Narasiṁha)
  5. hiraṇyākṣaḥHiraṇyākṣa
  6. dharā-uddhāreto lift the earth
  7. bibhratāassuming
  8. śaukaramthe boarlike
  9. vapuḥform
3

Key ideas in this verse

The subject this verse serves and the themes it speaks of.

  • Īśānukathā · The science of God

    Who is the Lord, and how do His devotees live? · Subject 7 of 10

Chapter themes come from the story phase this chapter belongs to.

4

Live it

Take one thing from this verse into your day.

Ask yourself

What does this verse show you about the Lord’s power to act?

Practice

Spend one minute remembering the Lord’s act of delivering the earth as Varāha.

5

The story around it

The story this chapter belongs to.

6

Connected stories

Keep going: stories told elsewhere in the Bhāgavatam that this verse or its purport brings in.

Found where this verse or Śrīla Prabhupāda's purport names them. See all of chapter 7.1's connections

Live this todayThe Supreme Lord Acts in Different FormsThis verse's lesson: one practice and one question for today

Study points are short summaries, not the translation. Confirm them in the original text and purport on Vedabase.

Ask the BhāgavatamHave a question about SB 7.1.41? Get an answer from the verses themselves.
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