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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
7.8.277.8.29

Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam · Text 7.8.28

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

तं श्येनवेगं शतचन्द्रवर्त्मभि

श्चरन्तमच्छिद्रमुपर्यधो हरि: ।

कृत्वाट्टहासं खरमुत्स्वनोल्बणं

निमीलिताक्षं जगृहे महाजव: ॥ २८ ॥

taṁ śyena-vegaṁ śata-candra-vartmabhiś

carantam acchidram upary-adho hariḥ

kṛtvāṭṭa-hāsaṁ kharam utsvanolbaṇaṁ

nimīlitākṣaṁ jagṛhe mahā-javaḥ

Translation

Making a loud, shrill sound of laughter, the Supreme Personality of Godhead, Nārāyaṇa, who is extremely strong and powerful, captured Hiraṇyakaśipu, who was protecting himself with his sword and shield, leaving no gaps open. With the speed of a hawk, Hiraṇyakaśipu moved sometimes in the sky and sometimes on the earth, his eyes closed because of fear of Nṛsiṁhadeva’s laughter.

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.

No Defense Can Defeat the Supreme

  1. 1

    The translation identifies the powerful Lord as Nārāyaṇa, the Supreme Personality of Godhead.

  2. 2

    Hiraṇyakaśipu moved with the speed of a hawk and guarded himself with sword and shield, leaving no gaps open.

  3. 3

    Despite these defenses, the Lord captured him. Nṛsiṁhadeva’s loud, shrill laughter frightened the demon so much that he closed his eyes.

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. tamhim (Hiraṇyakaśipu)
  2. śyena-vegampossessing the speed of a hawk
  3. śata-candra-vartmabhiḥby the maneuvers of his sword and his shield, which was marked with a hundred moonlike spots
  4. carantammoving
  5. acchidramwithout any weak spot
  6. upari-adhaḥup and down
  7. hariḥthe Supreme Personality of Godhead
  8. kṛtvāmaking
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

  • Rakṣā · Divine protection

    Protection of devotees through the Lord’s intervention. · Theme in SB 7.8

    In this verse: “protecting”, “guarded”

  • Abhaya · Fearlessness

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

    In this verse: “fear”

4

Live it

Take one thing from this verse into your day.

Ask yourself

What does the failure of Hiraṇyakaśipu’s defenses reveal about the Lord’s power?

Practice

Spend a quiet minute reflecting on the difference between the demon’s careful defenses and the Lord’s supreme strength.

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 todayNo Defense Can Defeat the SupremeThis 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 7.8.28? Get an answer from the verses themselves.
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