Srimad Bhagavatam Canto 7 - Chapter 5

Srimad-Bhagavatam: Canto 7 - Chapter 1 - Verse 1 Sanskrit: श्रीनारद उवाचपौरोहित्याय भगवान्वृत: काव्य: किलासुरै: ।षण्डामर्कौ सुतौ तस्य दैत्यराजगृहान्तिके ॥ १ ॥ ITRANS: śrī-nārada uvācapaurohityāya bhagavānvṛtaḥ kāvyaḥ kilāsuraiḥṣaṇḍāmarkau sutau tasyadaitya-rāja-gṛhāntike Translation: The great saint Nārada Muni said: The demons, headed by Hiraṇyakaśipu, accepted Śukrācārya as their priest for ritualistic ceremonies. Śukrācārya’s two sons, Ṣaṇḍa and Amarka, lived near Hiraṇyakaśipu’s palace. Purport: The beginning of the life story of Prahlāda is recounted as follows....

Srimad-Bhagavatam: Canto 7 - Chapter 1 - Verse 2 Sanskrit: तौ राज्ञा प्रापितं बालं प्रह्लादं नयकोविदम् ।पाठयामासतु: पाठ्यानन्यांश्चासुरबालकान् ॥ २ ॥ ITRANS: tau rājñā prāpitaṁ bālaṁprahlādaṁ naya-kovidampāṭhayām āsatuḥ pāṭhyānanyāṁś cāsura-bālakān Translation: Prahlāda Mahārāja was already educated in devotional life, but when his father sent him to those two sons of Śukrācārya to be educated, they accepted him at their school along with the other sons of the asuras. Purport:

Srimad-Bhagavatam: Canto 7 - Chapter 1 - Verse 3 Sanskrit: यत्तत्र गुरुणा प्रोक्तं शुश्रुवेऽनुपपाठ च ।न साधु मनसा मेने स्वपरासद्ग्रहाश्रयम् ॥ ३ ॥ ITRANS: yat tatra guruṇā proktaṁśuśruve ’nupapāṭha cana sādhu manasā menesva-parāsad-grahāśrayam Translation: Prahlāda certainly heard and recited the topics of politics and economics taught by the teachers, but he understood that political philosophy involves considering someone a friend and someone else an enemy, and thus he did not like it....

Srimad-Bhagavatam: Canto 7 - Chapter 1 - Verse 4 Sanskrit: एकदासुरराट् पुत्रमङ्कमारोप्य पाण्डव ।पप्रच्छ कथ्यतां वत्स मन्यते साधु यद्भ‍वान् ॥ ४ ॥ ITRANS: ekadāsura-rāṭ putramaṅkam āropya pāṇḍavapapraccha kathyatāṁ vatsamanyate sādhu yad bhavān Translation: My dear King Yudhiṣṭhira, once upon a time the King of the demons, Hiraṇyakaśipu, took his son Prahlāda on his lap and very affectionately inquired: My dear son, please let me know what you think is the best of all the subjects you have studied from your teachers....

Srimad-Bhagavatam: Canto 7 - Chapter 1 - Verse 5 Sanskrit: श्रीप्रह्लाद उवाचतत्साधु मन्येऽसुरवर्य देहिनांसदा समुद्विग्नधियामसद्ग्रहात् ।हित्वात्मपातं गृहमन्धकूपंवनं गतो यद्धरिमाश्रयेत ॥ ५ ॥ ITRANS: śrī-prahlāda uvācatat sādhu manye ’sura-varya dehināṁsadā samudvigna-dhiyām asad-grahāthitvātma-pātaṁ gṛham andha-kūpaṁvanaṁ gato yad dharim āśrayeta Translation: Prahlāda Mahārāja replied: O best of the asuras, King of the demons, as far as I have learned from my spiritual master, any person who has accepted a temporary body and temporary household life is certainly embarrassed by anxiety because of having fallen in a dark well where there is no water but only suffering....

Srimad-Bhagavatam: Canto 7 - Chapter 1 - Verse 6 Sanskrit: श्रीनारद उवाचश्रुत्वा पुत्रगिरो दैत्य: परपक्षसमाहिता: ।जहास बुद्धिर्बालानां भिद्यते परबुद्धिभि: ॥ ६ ॥ ITRANS: śrī-nārada uvācaśrutvā putra-giro daityaḥpara-pakṣa-samāhitāḥjahāsa buddhir bālānāṁbhidyate para-buddhibhiḥ Translation: Nārada Muni continued: When Prahlāda Mahārāja spoke about the path of self-realization in devotional service, thus being faithful to the camp of his father’s enemies, Hiraṇyakaśipu, the King of the demons, heard Prahlāda’s words and he laughingly said, “Thus is the intelligence of children spoiled by the words of the enemy....

Srimad-Bhagavatam: Canto 7 - Chapter 1 - Verse 7 Sanskrit: सम्यग्विधार्यतां बालो गुरुगेहे द्विजातिभि: ।विष्णुपक्षै: प्रतिच्छन्नैर्न भिद्येतास्य धीर्यथा ॥ ७ ॥ ITRANS: samyag vidhāryatāṁ bāloguru-gehe dvi-jātibhiḥviṣṇu-pakṣaiḥ praticchannairna bhidyetāsya dhīr yathā Translation: Hiraṇyakaśipu advised his assistants: My dear demons, give complete protection to this boy at the gurukula where he is instructed, so that his intelligence will not be further influenced by Vaiṣṇavas who may go there in disguise. Purport: In our Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement, the tactic of dressing oneself like an ordinary karmī is necessary because everyone in the demoniac kingdom is against the Vaiṣṇava teachings....

Srimad-Bhagavatam: Canto 7 - Chapter 1 - Verse 8 Sanskrit: गृहमानीतमाहूय प्रह्रादं दैत्ययाजका: ।प्रशस्य श्लक्ष्णया वाचा समपृच्छन्त सामभि: ॥ ८ ॥ ITRANS: gṛham ānītam āhūyaprahrādaṁ daitya-yājakāḥpraśasya ślakṣṇayā vācāsamapṛcchanta sāmabhiḥ Translation: When Hiraṇyakaśipu’s servants brought the boy Prahlāda back to the gurukula [the place where the brāhmaṇas taught the boys], the priests of the demons, Ṣaṇḍa and Amarka, pacified him. With very mild voices and affectionate words, they inquired from him as follows....

Srimad-Bhagavatam: Canto 7 - Chapter 1 - Verse 9 Sanskrit: वत्स प्रह्राद भद्रं ते सत्यं कथय मा मृषा ।बालानति कुतस्तुभ्यमेष बुद्धिविपर्यय: ॥ ९ ॥ ITRANS: vatsa prahrāda bhadraṁ tesatyaṁ kathaya mā mṛṣābālān ati kutas tubhyameṣa buddhi-viparyayaḥ Translation: Dear son Prahlāda, all peace and good fortune unto you. Kindly do not speak lies; just reply with the truth. These boys you see are not like you, for they do not speak in a deviant way....

Srimad-Bhagavatam: Canto 7 - Chapter 1 - Verse 10 Sanskrit: बुद्धिभेद: परकृत उताहो ते स्वतोऽभवत् ।भण्यतां श्रोतुकामानां गुरूणां कुलनन्दन ॥ १० ॥ ITRANS: buddhi-bhedaḥ para-kṛtautāho te svato ’bhavatbhaṇyatāṁ śrotu-kāmānāṁgurūṇāṁ kula-nandana Translation: O best of your family, has this pollution of your intelligence been brought about by you or by the enemies? We are all your teachers and are very eager to hear about this. Please tell us the truth. Purport: Prahlāda Mahārāja’s teachers were astonished that a small boy could speak such exalted Vaiṣṇava philosophy....

Srimad-Bhagavatam: Canto 7 - Chapter 1 - Verse 11 Sanskrit: श्रीप्रह्राद उवाचपर: स्वश्चेत्यसद्ग्राह: पुंसां यन्मायया कृत: ।विमोहितधियां द‍ृष्टस्तस्मै भगवते नम: ॥ ११ ॥ ITRANS: śrī-prahrāda uvācaparaḥ svaś cety asad-grāhaḥpuṁsāṁ yan-māyayā kṛtaḥvimohita-dhiyāṁ dṛṣṭastasmai bhagavate namaḥ Translation: Prahlāda Mahārāja replied: Let me offer my respectful obeisances unto the Supreme Personality of Godhead, whose external energy has created the distinctions of “my friend” and “my enemy” by deluding the intelligence of men. Indeed, I am now actually experiencing this, although I have previously heard of it from authoritative sources....

Srimad-Bhagavatam: Canto 7 - Chapter 1 - Verse 12 Sanskrit: स यदानुव्रत: पुंसां पशुबुद्धिर्विभिद्यते ।अन्य एष तथान्योऽहमिति भेदगतासती ॥ १२ ॥ ITRANS: sa yadānuvrataḥ puṁsāṁpaśu-buddhir vibhidyateanya eṣa tathānyo ’hamiti bheda-gatāsatī Translation: When the Supreme Personality of Godhead is pleased with the living entity because of his devotional service, one becomes a paṇḍita and does not make distinctions between enemies, friends and himself. Intelligently, he then thinks, “Every one of us is an eternal servant of God, and therefore we are not different from one another....

Srimad-Bhagavatam: Canto 7 - Chapter 1 - Verse 13 Sanskrit: स एष आत्मा स्वपरेत्यबुद्धिभि-र्दुरत्ययानुक्रमणो निरूप्यते ।मुह्यन्ति यद्वर्त्मनि वेदवादिनोब्रह्मादयो ह्येष भिनत्ति मे मतिम् ॥ १३ ॥ ITRANS: sa eṣa ātmā sva-parety abuddhibhirduratyayānukramaṇo nirūpyatemuhyanti yad-vartmani veda-vādinobrahmādayo hy eṣa bhinatti me matim Translation: Persons who always think in terms of “enemy” and “friend” are unable to ascertain the Supersoul within themselves. Not to speak of them, even such exalted persons as Lord Brahmā, who are fully conversant with the Vedic literature, are sometimes bewildered in following the principles of devotional service....

Srimad-Bhagavatam: Canto 7 - Chapter 1 - Verse 14 Sanskrit: यथा भ्राम्यत्ययो ब्रह्मन् स्वयमाकर्षसन्निधौ ।तथा मे भिद्यते चेतश्चक्रपाणेर्यद‍ृच्छया ॥ १४ ॥ ITRANS: yathā bhrāmyaty ayo brahmansvayam ākarṣa-sannidhautathā me bhidyate cetaścakra-pāṇer yadṛcchayā Translation: O brāhmaṇas [teachers], as iron attracted by a magnetic stone moves automatically toward the magnet, my consciousness, having been changed by His will, is attracted by Lord Viṣṇu, who carries a disc in His hand. Thus I have no independence....

Srimad-Bhagavatam: Canto 7 - Chapter 1 - Verse 15 Sanskrit: श्रीनारद उवाचएतावद्ब्राह्मणायोक्त्वा विरराम महामति: ।तं सन्निभर्त्स्य कुपित: सुदीनो राजसेवक: ॥ १५ ॥ ITRANS: śrī-nārada uvācaetāvad brāhmaṇāyoktvāvirarāma mahā-matiḥtaṁ sannibhartsya kupitaḥsudīno rāja-sevakaḥ Translation: The great saint Nārada Muni continued: The great soul Prahlāda Mahārāja became silent after saying this to his teachers, Ṣaṇḍa and Amarka, the seminal sons of Śukrācārya. These so-called brāhmaṇas then became angry at him. Because they were servants of Hiraṇyakaśipu, they were very sorry, and to chastise Prahlāda Mahārāja they spoke as follows....