1 · Learn4 of 6 · 5 min

Study a Verse

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

Or browse by canto and chapter
Canto

Canto 7 · The Science of God · 15 chapters

Choose a chapter to see all its verses.

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 ›

Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam · Text 7.5.45

Who is speaking and story frame

एष मे बह्वसाधूक्तो वधोपायाश्च निर्मिता: ।

तैस्तैर्द्रोहैरसद्धर्मैर्मुक्त: स्वेनैव तेजसा ॥ ४५ ॥

eṣa me bahv-asādhūkto

vadhopāyāś ca nirmitāḥ

tais tair drohair asad-dharmair

muktaḥ svenaiva tejasā

Translation

Hiraṇyakaśipu thought: I have used many ill names in chastising this boy Prahlāda and have devised many means of killing him, but despite all my endeavors, he could not be killed. Indeed, he saved himself by his own powers, without being affected in the least by these treacheries and abominable actions.

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.

Hiraṇyakaśipu Recognizes His Efforts Have Failed

  1. 1

    Hiraṇyakaśipu recalled the many ill names he had used in chastising Prahlāda.

  2. 2

    He also acknowledged that his many plans to kill the boy had failed.

  3. 3

    He thought that Prahlāda had saved himself by his own powers, remaining completely unaffected by these treacheries and abominable actions.

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:

Since Prahlāda was so treacherous that he had become a devotee of Viṣṇu, who had killed his uncle Hiraṇyākṣa, Hiraṇyakaśipu asked his assistants to kill him. The assistants of Hiraṇyakaśipu struck Prahlāda with sharp weapons, threw him under the feet of elephants, subjected him to hellish conditions, threw him from the peak of a mountain and tried to kill him in thousands of other ways, but they were unsuccessful.
Read the whole chapter summaryBack to this verse in chapter 7.5
2

Word for word

Learn the Sanskrit words of the verse.

  1. eṣaḥthis
  2. meof me
  3. bahumany
  4. asādhu-uktaḥill names
  5. vadha-upāyāḥmany varieties of means to kill him
  6. caand
  7. nirmitāḥdevised
  8. taiḥby those
3

Key ideas in this verse

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

  • Poṣaṇa · Protection by the Lord

    How does the Lord care for His devotees? · Subject 4 of 10

  • Rakṣā · Divine protection

    Protection of devotees through the Lord’s intervention. · Theme in SB 7.5

    In this verse: “saved”

4

Live it

Take one thing from this verse into your day.

Ask yourself

Am I willing to recognize when my words or actions toward someone have been wrong?

Practice

Review one conversation today and identify any harsh name or label you should stop using.

5

The story around it

The story this chapter belongs to.

Live this todayHiraṇyakaśipu Recognizes His Efforts Have FailedThis 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 7.5.45? Get an answer from the verses themselves.