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

123456789101112131415

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 ›
Canto 7 · Chapter 8: Lord Nṛsiṁhadeva Slays the King of the Demons
7.8.257.8.27

Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam · Text 7.8.26

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

स तस्य हस्तोत्कलितस्तदासुरो

विक्रीडतो यद्वदहिर्गरुत्मत: ।

असाध्वमन्यन्त हृतौकसोऽमरा

घनच्छदा भारत सर्वधिष्ण्यपा: ॥ २६ ॥

sa tasya hastotkalitas tadāsuro

vikrīḍato yadvad ahir garutmataḥ

asādhv amanyanta hṛtaukaso ’marā

ghana-cchadā bhārata sarva-dhiṣṇya-pāḥ

Translation

O Yudhiṣṭhira, O great son of Bharata, when Lord Nṛsiṁhadeva gave Hiraṇyakaśipu a chance to slip from His hand, just as Garuḍa sometimes plays with a snake and lets it slip from his mouth, the demigods, who had lost their abodes and who were hiding behind the clouds for fear of the demon, did not consider that incident very good. Indeed, they were perturbed.

Read Śrīla Prabhupāda's purport on Vedabase.io
1

Understand it

Three study points drawn from the translation and purport.

Fear Before the Lord’s Play

  1. 1

    Lord Nṛsiṁhadeva gave Hiraṇyakaśipu a chance to slip from His hands, just as Garuḍa sometimes plays with a snake.

  2. 2

    The demigods had lost their abodes and were hiding behind the clouds because they feared Hiraṇyakaśipu.

  3. 3

    They feared that if the demon escaped and discovered their pleasure at his approaching death, he would take revenge. Thus the Lord’s allowing him to slip away greatly disturbed them.

Key points from the purport
  • When Hiraṇyakaśipu was in the process of being killed by Lord Nṛsiṁhadeva, the Lord gave the demon a chance to slip from His clutches.
  • This incident was not very much appreciated by the demigods, for they were greatly afraid of Hiraṇyakaśipu.
  • They knew that if somehow or other Hiraṇyakaśipu escaped from Nṛsiṁhadeva’s hands and saw that the demigods were looking forward to his death with great pleasure, he would take great revenge upon them.

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:

The more Prahlāda Mahārāja glorified the Supreme Personality of Godhead, the more angry and agitated the demon became. Hiraṇyakaśipu asked his Vaiṣṇava son whether his God existed within the columns of the palace, and Prahlāda Mahārāja immediately accepted that since the Lord is present everywhere, He was also present within the columns.
Read the whole chapter summaryBack to this verse in chapter 7.8
2

Word for word

Learn the Sanskrit words of the verse.

  1. saḥhe (Hiraṇyakaśipu)
  2. tasyaof Him (Lord Nṛsiṁhadeva)
  3. hastafrom the hands
  4. utkalitaḥslipped
  5. tadāat that time
  6. asuraḥthe King of the demons, Hiraṇyakaśipu
  7. vikrīḍataḥplaying
  8. yadvatexactly like
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: “fear”, “feared”, “death”

4

Live it

Take one thing from this verse into your day.

Ask yourself

How might fear affect my understanding of what the Lord is doing?

Practice

Write one sentence distinguishing the Lord’s deliberate release of the demon from the demigods’ fearful interpretation.

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 todayFear Before the Lord’s PlayThis 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 7.8.26? Get an answer from the verses themselves.
  1. Learn
  2. Live
  3. Lead
Next in Learn · 5 of 11 · 2 minAsk the BhāgavatamBring your own question. Get an answer drawn only from the Bhāgavatam's translations, with every verse shown.Back · LearnCantos & stories