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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.
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Canto 7 · Chapter 5: Prahlāda Mahārāja, the Saintly Son of Hiraṇyakaśipu
7.5.337.5.35

Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam · Text 7.5.34

Ūti· What drives us to act
Who is speaking and story frame
Speaking:Prahlāda Mahārājasince 7.5.30inside 3 frames: Sūta Gosvāmī → the sages at NaimiṣāraṇyaŚukadeva Gosvāmī → King ParīkṣitNārada Muni → Mahārāja Yudhiṣṭhira

आहामर्षरुषाविष्ट: कषायीभूतलोचन: ।

वध्यतामाश्वयं वध्यो नि:सारयत नैर्ऋताः ॥ ३४ ॥

āhāmarṣa-ruṣāviṣṭaḥ

kaṣāyī-bhūta-locanaḥ

vadhyatām āśv ayaṁ vadhyo

niḥsārayata nairṛtāḥ

Translation

Indignant and angry, his reddish eyes like molten copper, Hiraṇyakaśipu said to his servants: O demons, take this boy away from me! He deserves to be killed. Kill him as soon as possible!

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.

Anger Turns Into Cruel Commands

  1. 1

    Hiraṇyakaśipu was indignant and angry, with eyes described as reddish like molten copper.

  2. 2

    He ordered his servants to take the boy away from him.

  3. 3

    He declared that the boy deserved death and demanded that he be killed immediately. These were Hiraṇyakaśipu’s angry commands, not guidance to follow.

How it feels

Threat → Steady faith. A vulnerable child remains inwardly unshaken.

Chapters 5–7 of Canto 7: Prahlāda refuses to abandon his devotion. An editorial reading of the story's mood, not the text itself. See the emotional arc

Further reading

Chapter 5: Prahlāda Mahārāja, the Saintly Son of Hiraṇyakaśipu

From the chapter summary, the lines nearest this verse:

Thus the King of the demons, Hiraṇyakaśipu, being extremely angry, chastised the teachers, Ṣaṇḍa and Amarka, for having wrongly trained Prahlāda Mahārāja. The so-called teachers informed the King that Prahlāda Mahārāja was automatically a devotee and did not listen to their instructions.
Read the whole chapter summaryBack to this verse in chapter 7.5
2

Word for word

Learn the Sanskrit words of the verse.

  1. āhahe said
  2. amarṣaindignation
  3. ruṣāand by severe anger
  4. āviṣṭaḥoverpowered
  5. kaṣāyī-bhūtabecoming exactly like red-hot copper
  6. locanaḥwhose eyes
  7. vadhyatāmlet him be killed
  8. āśuimmediately
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

  • Abhaya · Fearlessness

    Steadiness through faith amid danger and death. · Theme in SB 7.5

    In this verse: “death”

4

Live it

Take one thing from this verse into your day.

Ask yourself

Do I let anger make my words harsh or demanding?

Practice

Refrain from giving instructions while angry today; wait until you can speak without harshness.

5

The story around it

The story this chapter belongs to.

Live this todayAnger Turns Into Cruel CommandsThis 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.

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