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
7.8.297.8.31

Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam · Text 7.8.30

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

संरम्भदुष्प्रेक्ष्यकराललोचनो

व्यात्ताननान्तं विलिहन्स्वजिह्वया ।

असृग्लवाक्तारुणकेशराननो

यथान्त्रमाली द्विपहत्यया हरि: ॥ ३० ॥

saṁrambha-duṣprekṣya-karāla-locano

vyāttānanāntaṁ vilihan sva-jihvayā

asṛg-lavāktāruṇa-keśarānano

yathāntra-mālī dvipa-hatyayā hariḥ

Translation

Lord Nṛsiṁhadeva’s mouth and mane were sprinkled with drops of blood, and His fierce eyes, full of anger, were impossible to look at. Licking the edge of His mouth with His tongue, the Supreme Personality of Godhead, Nṛsiṁhadeva, decorated with a garland of intestines taken from Hiraṇyakaśipu’s abdomen, resembled a lion that has just killed an elephant.

Read Śrīla Prabhupāda's purport on Vedabase.io
1

Understand it

Three study points drawn from the translation and purport.

The Lord’s Fearsome Beauty

  1. 1

    Drops of blood made the hair on Lord Nṛsiṁhadeva’s face reddish. The purport describes this appearance as very beautiful.

  2. 2

    The Lord wore the demon’s intestines as a garland, which the purport says enhanced His beauty.

  3. 3

    His angry eyes were impossible to look at, and His appearance was very fearsome. He resembled a lion fighting an elephant.

Key points from the purport
  • The hair on Lord Nṛsiṁhadeva’s face, being sprinkled with drops of blood, was reddish and looked very beautiful.
  • Lord Nṛsiṁhadeva pierced Hiraṇyakaśipu’s abdomen with His nails, pulled out the demon’s intestines and wore them as a garland, which enhanced His beauty.
  • Thus the Lord became very fearsome, like a lion engaged in fighting an elephant.

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 Lord performed His pastimes by fighting with the demon for some time, and in the evening, on the border between day and night, the Lord captured the demon, threw him on His lap, and killed him by piercing his abdomen with His nails. The Lord not only killed Hiraṇyakaśipu, the King of the demons, but also killed many of his followers.
Read the whole chapter summaryBack to this verse in chapter 7.8
2

Word for word

Learn the Sanskrit words of the verse.

  1. saṁrambhabecause of great anger
  2. duṣprekṣyavery difficult to look at
  3. karālavery fearful
  4. locanaḥeyes
  5. vyāttaexpanded
  6. ānana-antamthe edge of the mouth
  7. vilihanlicking
  8. sva-jihvayāwith His tongue
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: “fearsome”

4

Live it

Take one thing from this verse into your day.

Ask yourself

How does the purport challenge my expectation that divine beauty must always appear gentle?

Practice

Reread the purport once, noticing how it describes the Lord as both beautiful and fearsome.

5

The story around it

The story this chapter belongs to.

Live this todayThe Lord’s Fearsome BeautyThis 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 7.8.30? 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