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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
7.1.417.1.43

Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam · Text 7.1.42

Ūti· What drives us to act
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

हिरण्यकशिपु: पुत्रं प्रह्लादं केशवप्रियम् ।

जिघांसुरकरोन्नाना यातना मृत्युहेतवे ॥ ४२ ॥

hiraṇyakaśipuḥ putraṁ

prahlādaṁ keśava-priyam

jighāṁsur akaron nānā

yātanā mṛtyu-hetave

Translation

Desiring to kill his son Prahlāda, who was a great devotee of Lord Viṣṇu, Hiraṇyakaśipu tortured him in many ways.

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.

Prahlāda’s Devotion Amid Cruelty

  1. 1

    Prahlāda was a great devotee of Lord Viṣṇu.

  2. 2

    His own father, Hiraṇyakaśipu, desired to kill him.

  3. 3

    Hiraṇyakaśipu tortured Prahlāda in many ways with the intention of causing his death.

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. hiraṇyakaśipuḥHiraṇyakaśipu
  2. putramson
  3. prahlādamPrahlāda Mahārāja
  4. keśava-priyamthe beloved devotee of Keśava
  5. jighāṁsuḥdesirous of killing
  6. akarotenacted
  7. nānāvarious
  8. yātanāḥtortures
  9. mṛtyudeath
  10. hetaveto cause
3

Key ideas in this verse

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

  • Ūti · The creative impetus

    Why do we act, and what keeps us bound? · Subject 5 of 10

  • Bhakti · Devotion and loving service

    How devotion reorganizes desire and action. · Theme in SB 7.1

    In this verse: “devotee”

  • Abhaya · Fearlessness

    Steadiness through faith amid danger and death. · Theme in SB 7.1

    In this verse: “death”

  • Vātsalya · Parental affection

    Affection and protective concern for the Lord as a child. · Theme in SB 7.1

    In this verse: “father”

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

How does Prahlāda’s identity as a devotee stand out against his father’s cruelty?

Practice

Pause for one minute to reflect on Prahlāda as a great devotee of Lord Viṣṇu.

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 todayPrahlāda’s Devotion Amid CrueltyThis 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 7.1.42? Get an answer from the verses themselves.
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