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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 8: Lord Nṛsiṁhadeva Slays the King of the Demons
7.8.19-227.8.24

Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam · Text 7.8.23

Īśānukathā· The Lord and His devotees
Who is speaking and story frame
Speaking:Hiraṇyakaśipusince 7.8.11inside 3 frames: Sūta Gosvāmī → the sages at NaimiṣāraṇyaŚukadeva Gosvāmī → King ParīkṣitNārada Muni → Mahārāja Yudhiṣṭhira

प्रायेण मेऽयं हरिणोरुमायिना

वध: स्मृतोऽनेन समुद्यतेन किम् ।

एवं ब्रुवंस्त्वभ्यपतद् गदायुधो

नदन् नृसिंहं प्रति दैत्यकुञ्जर: ॥ २३ ॥

prāyeṇa me ’yaṁ hariṇorumāyinā

vadhaḥ smṛto ’nena samudyatena kim

evaṁ bruvaṁs tv abhyapatad gadāyudho

nadan nṛsiṁhaṁ prati daitya-kuñjaraḥ

Translation

Hiraṇyakaśipu murmured to himself, “Lord Viṣṇu, who possesses great mystic power, has made this plan to kill me, but what is the use of such an attempt? Who can fight with me?” Thinking like this and taking up his club, Hiraṇyakaśipu attacked the Lord like an elephant.

Read Śrīla Prabhupāda's purport on Vedabase.io
1

Understand it

Three study points drawn from the translation and purport.

Pride Drives Hiraṇyakaśipu to Attack

  1. 1

    Hiraṇyakaśipu suspected that Lord Viṣṇu, who possesses great mystic power, had planned his death.

  2. 2

    Still, he dismissed the attempt and asked who could fight with him. Taking up his club, he attacked the Lord like an elephant.

  3. 3

    The purport compares this attack to fights between lions and elephants in the jungle. Since the elephant is generally defeated by the lion, the comparison is appropriate.

Key points from the purport
  • In the jungle there are sometimes fights between lions and elephants.
  • Here the Lord appeared like a lion, and Hiraṇyakaśipu, unafraid of the Lord, attacked Him like an elephant.
  • Generally the elephant is defeated by the lion, and therefore the comparison in this verse is appropriate.

Śrīla Prabhupāda's own sentences, chosen from the purport as its central points. Read the full purport on Vedabase to see them in place.

How it feels

Terror and divine fury → Protection and compassion. The crisis resolves through relationship rather than domination.

Chapters 8–10 of Canto 7: Nṛsiṁhadeva appears; Prahlāda pacifies Him. An editorial reading of the story's mood, not the text itself. See the emotional arc

Further reading

Chapter 8: Lord Nṛsiṁhadeva Slays the King of the Demons

From the chapter summary, the lines nearest this verse:

Hiraṇyakaśipu, as a typical demon, began to advertise himself as being greater than the Supreme Personality of Godhead, but Prahlāda Mahārāja challenged him, saying that Hiraṇyakaśipu was not God, and began to glorify the Supreme Personality of Godhead, declaring that the Lord is all-pervading, that everything is under Him, and that no one is equal to or greater than Him. Thus he requested his father to be submissive to the omnipotent Supreme Lord.
Read the whole chapter summaryBack to this verse in chapter 7.8
2

Word for word

Learn the Sanskrit words of the verse.

  1. prāyeṇaprobably
  2. meof me
  3. ayamthis
  4. hariṇāby the Supreme Lord
  5. uru-māyināwho possesses the great mystic power
  6. vadhaḥthe death
  7. smṛtaḥplanned
  8. anenawith this
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

  • Abhaya · Fearlessness

    Steadiness through faith amid danger and death. · Theme in SB 7.8

    In this verse: “death”

4

Live it

Take one thing from this verse into your day.

Ask yourself

Does confidence in my own strength ever make me dismiss the Lord’s power?

Practice

Reflect briefly on “Who can fight with me?” and identify one proud attitude you can set aside today.

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 7.8's connections

Live this todayPride Drives Hiraṇyakaśipu to AttackThis 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 7.8.23? Get an answer from the verses themselves.
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