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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
7.8.307.8.32

Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam · Text 7.8.31

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

नखाङ्कुरोत्पाटितहृत्सरोरुहं

विसृज्य तस्यानुचरानुदायुधान् ।

अहन् समस्तान्नखशस्‍त्रपाणिभि-

र्दोर्दण्डयूथोऽनुपथान् सहस्रश: ॥ ३१ ॥

nakhāṅkurotpāṭita-hṛt-saroruhaṁ

visṛjya tasyānucarān udāyudhān

ahan samastān nakha-śastra-pāṇibhir

dordaṇḍa-yūtho ’nupathān sahasraśaḥ

Translation

The Supreme Personality of Godhead, who had many, many arms, first uprooted Hiraṇyakaśipu’s heart and then threw him aside and turned toward the demon’s soldiers. These soldiers had come in thousands to fight with Him with raised weapons and were very faithful followers of Hiraṇyakaśipu, but Lord Nṛsiṁhadeva killed all of them merely with the ends of His nails.

Read Śrīla Prabhupāda's purport on Vedabase.io
1

Understand it

Three study points drawn from the translation and purport.

Become Faithful to the Supreme Lord

  1. 1

    The devas are faithful to the Supreme Personality of Godhead, whereas the asuras deny His supremacy.

  2. 2

    The purport connects increasing godlessness with disturbance in the world. The destruction of Hiraṇyakaśipu and his thousands of followers shows how quickly the Lord can act.

  3. 3

    Śrīla Prabhupāda urges people to take advantage of the Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement and become faithful to the Supreme Personality of Godhead. The practical direction is to turn toward Kṛṣṇa in devotional service rather than defy Him.

Key points from the purport
  • The devas are always faithful to the Supreme Personality of Godhead, whereas the asuras are always atheists who defy the supremacy of the Lord.
  • If this continues, the Supreme Personality of Godhead will certainly take action, as He did in the case of Hiraṇyakaśipu.
  • Within a second, Hiraṇyakaśipu and his followers were destroyed, and similarly if this godless civilization continues, it will be destroyed in a second, simply by the movement of one finger of the Supreme Personality of Godhead.

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. nakha-aṅkuraby the pointed nails
  2. utpāṭitatorn out
  3. hṛt-saroruhamwhose heart, which was like a lotus flower
  4. visṛjyaleaving aside
  5. tasyaof him
  6. anucarānthe followers (soldiers and bodyguards)
  7. udāyudhānhaving raised weapons
  8. ahanHe killed
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

  • Bhakti · Devotion and loving service

    How devotion reorganizes desire and action. · Theme in SB 7.8

    In this verse: “devotional service”

4

Live it

Take one thing from this verse into your day.

Ask yourself

What would becoming more faithful to Kṛṣṇa look like in one choice today?

Practice

Set aside one minute today to remember Kṛṣṇa as the Supreme Personality of Godhead and express your desire to serve Him.

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 todayBecome Faithful to the Supreme LordThis 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 7.8.31? Get an answer from the verses themselves.
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