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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
7.8.337.8.35

Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam · Text 7.8.34

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

तत: सभायामुपविष्टमुत्तमे

नृपासने सम्भृततेजसं विभुम् ।

अलक्षितद्वैरथमत्यमर्षणं

प्रचण्डवक्त्रं न बभाज कश्चन ॥ ३४ ॥

tataḥ sabhāyām upaviṣṭam uttame

nṛpāsane sambhṛta-tejasaṁ vibhum

alakṣita-dvairatham atyamarṣaṇaṁ

pracaṇḍa-vaktraṁ na babhāja kaścana

Translation

Manifesting a full effulgence and a fearsome countenance, Lord Nṛsiṁha, being very angry and finding no contestant to face His power and opulence, then sat down in the assembly hall on the excellent throne of the king. Because of fear and obedience, no one could come forward to serve the Lord directly.

Read Śrīla Prabhupāda's purport on Vedabase.io
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Understand it

Three study points drawn from the translation and purport.

The Lord Remembers His Devotee

  1. 1

    When the Lord sat on Hiraṇyakaśipu’s throne, no enemy came forward to challenge Him. His supremacy was immediately accepted by the demons.

  2. 2

    Hiraṇyakaśipu had formerly been Jaya, the Lord’s servant at the Vaikuṇṭha gate. Although he had acquired a demoniac nature through the brāhmaṇas’ curse, the Lord remained affectionate toward His servant.

  3. 3

    The Lord took pleasure in sitting on the throne Hiraṇyakaśipu had created, although Hiraṇyakaśipu had never offered it to Him. The purport concludes that a devotee is fortunate in every condition of life.

Key points from the purport
  • When the Lord sat on the throne of Hiraṇyakaśipu, there was no one to protest; no enemy came forward on behalf of Hiraṇyakaśipu to fight with the Lord.
  • Another point is that although Hiraṇyakaśipu treated the Lord as his bitterest enemy, he was the Lord’s faithful servant in Vaikuṇṭha, and therefore the Lord had no hesitation in sitting on the throne that Hiraṇyakaśipu had so laboriously created.
  • Śrīla Viśvanātha Cakravartī Ṭhākura remarks in this connection that sometimes, with great care and attention, great saintly persons and ṛṣis offer the Lord valuable seats dedicated with Vedic mantras and tantras, but still the Lord does not sit upon those thrones.

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:

At first Hiraṇyakaśipu, the King of the demons, could not see anything but the pillar, but to substantiate Prahlāda’s statements, the Lord came out of the pillar in His wonderful incarnation as Narasiṁha, half lion and half man. Hiraṇyakaśipu could immediately understand that the extraordinarily wonderful form of the Lord was surely meant for his death, and thus he prepared to fight with the form of half lion and half man.
Read the whole chapter summaryBack to this verse in chapter 7.8
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Word for word

Learn the Sanskrit words of the verse.

  1. tataḥthereafter
  2. sabhāyāmin the assembly house
  3. upaviṣṭamseated
  4. uttameon the best
  5. nṛpa-āsanethrone (upon which King Hiraṇyakaśipu used to sit)
  6. sambhṛta-tejasamin full effulgence
  7. vibhumthe Supreme Lord
  8. alakṣita-dvairathamwhose challenger or enemy was not seen
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”

  • Rāja-dharma · Devotional leadership

    Serving and protecting through responsibility. · Theme in SB 7.8

    In this verse: “king”

  • Bhakti · Devotion and loving service

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

    In this verse: “devotee”

4

Live it

Take one thing from this verse into your day.

Ask yourself

How does the Lord’s affection for His servant encourage me to value devotional service in my present circumstances?

Practice

Take one quiet minute today to express your desire to serve the Lord, whatever your present condition.

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 todayThe Lord Remembers His DevoteeThis 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 7.8.34? Get an answer from the verses themselves.
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