Srimad-Bhagavatam: Canto 3: “The Status Quo”
by His Divine Grace A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada

Chapter Nineteen

The Killing of the Demon Hiranyaksa

SB3.19.1

TEXT 1

maitreya uvaca

avadharya virincasya

nirvyalikamrtam vacah

prahasya prema-garbhena

tad apangena so ’grahit

SYNONYMS

maitreyah uvaca—Maitreya said; avadharya—after hearing; virincasya—of Lord Brahma; nirvyalika—free from all sinful purposes; amrtam—nectarean; vacah—words; prahasya—heartily laughing; prema-garbhena—laden with love; tat—those words; apangena—with a glance; sah—the Supreme Personality of Godhead; agrahit—accepted.

TRANSLATION

Sri Maitreya said: After hearing the words of Brahma, the creator, which were free from all sinful purposes and as sweet as nectar, the Lord heartily laughed and accepted his prayer with a glance laden with love.

PURPORT

The word nirvyalika is very significant. The prayers of the demigods or devotees of the Lord are free from all sinful purposes, but the prayers of demons are always filled with sinful purposes. The demon Hiranyaksa became powerful by deriving a boon from Brahma, and after attaining that boon he created a disturbance because of his sinful intentions. The prayers of Brahma and other demigods are not to be compared to the prayers of the demons. Their purpose is to please the Supreme Lord; therefore the Lord smiled and accepted the prayer to kill the demon. Demons, who are never interested in praising the Supreme Personality of Godhead because they have no information of Him, go to the demigods, and in Bhagavad-gita this is condemned. Persons who go to the demigods and pray for advancement in sinful activities are considered to be bereft of all intelligence. Demons have lost all intelligence because they do not know what is actually their self-interest. Even if they have information of the Supreme Personality of Godhead, they decline to approach Him; it is not possible for them to get their desired boons from the Supreme Lord because their purposes are always sinful. It is said that the dacoits in Bengal used to worship the goddess Kali for fulfillment of their sinful desires to plunder others’ property, but they never went to a Visnu temple because they might have been unsuccessful in praying to Visnu. Therefore the prayers of the demigods or the devotees of the Supreme Personality of Godhead are always untinged by sinful purposes.

SB3.19.2

TEXT 2

tatah sapatnam mukhatas

carantam akuto-bhayam

jaghanotpatya gadaya

hanav asuram aksajah

SYNONYMS

tatah—then; sapatnam—enemy; mukhatah—in front of Him; carantam—stalking; akutah-bhayam—fearlessly; jaghana—struck; utpatya—after springing up; gadaya—with His mace; hanau—at the chin; asuram—the demon; aksa-jah—the Lord, who was born from the nostril of Brahma.

TRANSLATION

The Lord, who had appeared from the nostril of Brahma, sprang and aimed His mace at the chin of His enemy, the Hiranyaksa demon, who was stalking fearlessly before Him.

SB3.19.3

TEXT 3

sa hata tena gadaya

vihata bhagavat-karat

vighurnitapatad reje

tad adbhutam ivabhavat

SYNONYMS

sa—that mace; hata—struck; tena—by Hiranyaksa; gadaya—with his mace; vihata—slipped; bhagavat—of the Supreme Personality of Godhead; karat—from the hand; vighurnita—whirling; apatat—fell down; reje—was shining; tat—that; adbhutam—miraculous; iva—indeed; abhavat—was.

TRANSLATION

Struck by the demon’s mace, however, the Lord’s mace slipped from His hand and looked splendid as it fell down whirling. This was miraculous, for the mace was blazing wonderfully.

SB3.19.4

TEXT 4

sa tada labdha-tirtho ’pi

na babadhe nirayudham

manayan sa mrdhe dharmam

visvaksenam prakopayan

SYNONYMS

sah—that Hiranyaksa; tada—then; labdha-tirthah—having gained an excellent opportunity; api—although; na—not; babadhe—attacked; nirayudham—having no weapon; manayan—respecting; sah—Hiranyaksa; mrdhe—in battle; dharmam—the code of combat; visvaksenam—the Supreme Personality of Godhead; prakopayan—making angry.

TRANSLATION

Even though the demon had an excellent opportunity to strike his unarmed foe without obstruction, he respected the law of single combat, thereby kindling the fury of the Supreme Lord.

SB3.19.5

TEXT 5

gadayam apaviddhayam

haha-kare vinirgate

manayam asa tad-dharmam

sunabham casmarad vibhuh

SYNONYMS

gadayam—as His mace; apaviddhayam—fell; haha-kare—a cry of alarm; vinirgate—arose; manayam asa—acknowledged; tat—of Hiranyaksa; dharmam—righteousness; sunabham—the Sudarsana cakra; ca—and; asmarat—remembered; vibhuh—the Supreme Personality of Godhead.

TRANSLATION

As the Lord’s mace fell to the ground and a cry of alarm arose from the witnessing crowd of gods and rsis, the Personality of Godhead acknowledged the demon’s love of righteousness and therefore invoked His Sudarsana discus.

SB3.19.6

TEXT 6

tam vyagra-cakram diti-putradhamena

sva-parsada-mukhyena visajjamanam

citra vaco ’tad-vidam khe-caranam

tatra smasan svasti te ’mum jahiti

SYNONYMS

tam—unto the Personality of Godhead; vyagra—revolving; cakram—whose discus; diti-putra—son of Diti; adhamena—vile; sva-parsada—of His associates; mukhyena—with the chief; visajjamanam—playing; citrah—various; vacah—expressions; a-tat-vidam—of those who did not know; khe-caranam—flying in the sky; tatra—there; sma asan—occurred; svasti—fortune; te—unto You; amum—him; jahi—please kill; iti—thus.

TRANSLATION

As the discus began to revolve in the Lord’s hands and the Lord contended at close quarters with the chief of His Vaikuntha attendants, who had been born as Hiranyaksa, a vile son of Diti, there issued from every direction strange expressions uttered by those who were witnessing from airplanes. They had no knowledge of the Lord’s reality, and they cried, “May victory attend You! Pray dispatch him. Play no more with him.”

SB3.19.7

TEXT 7

sa tam nisamyatta-rathangam agrato

vyavasthitam padma-palasa-locanam

vilokya camarsa-pariplutendriyo

rusa sva-danta-cchadam adasac chvasan

SYNONYMS

sah—that demon; tam—the Supreme Personality of Godhead; nisamya—after seeing; atta-rathangam—armed with the Sudarsana disc; agratah—before him; vyavasthitam—standing in position; padma—lotus flower; palasa—petals; locanam—eyes; vilokya—after seeing; ca—and; amarsa—by indignation; paripluta—overpowered; indriyah—his senses; rusa—with great resentment; sva-danta-chadam—his own lip; adasat—bit; svasan—hissing.

TRANSLATION

When the demon saw the Personality of Godhead, who had eyes just like lotus petals, standing in position before him, armed with His Sudarsana discus, his senses were overpowered by indignation. He began to hiss like a serpent, and he bit his lip in great resentment.

SB3.19.8

TEXT 8

karala-damstras caksurbhyam

sancaksano dahann iva

abhiplutya sva-gadaya

hato ’sity ahanad dharim

SYNONYMS

karala—fearful; damstrah—having tusks; caksurbhyam—with both eyes; sancaksanah—staring; dahan—burning; iva—as if; abhiplutya—attacking; sva-gadaya—with his own club; hatah—slain; asi—You are; iti—thus; ahanat—struck; harim—at Hari.

TRANSLATION

The demon, who had fearful tusks, stared at the Personality of Godhead as though to burn Him. Springing into the air, he aimed his mace at the Lord, exclaiming at the same time, “You are slain!”

SB3.19.9

TEXT 9

pada savyena tam sadho

bhagavan yajna-sukarah

lilaya misatah satroh

praharad vata-ramhasam

SYNONYMS

pada—with His foot; savyena—left; tam—that mace; sadho—O Vidura; bhagavan—the Supreme Personality of Godhead; yajna-sukarah—in His boar form, the enjoyer of all sacrifices; lilaya—playfully; misatah—looking on; satroh—of His enemy (Hiranyaksa); praharat—knocked down; vata-ramhasam—having the force of a tempest.

TRANSLATION

O saintly Vidura, while His enemy looked on, the Lord in His boar form, the enjoyer of all sacrificial offerings, playfully knocked down the mace with His left foot, even as it came upon Him with the force of a tempest.

SB3.19.10

TEXT 10

aha cayudham adhatsva

ghatasva tvam jigisasi

ity uktah sa tada bhuyas

tadayan vyanadad bhrsam

SYNONYMS

aha—He said; ca—and; ayudham—weapon; adhatsva—take up; ghatasva—try; tvam—you; jigisasi—are eager to conquer; iti—thus; uktah—challenged; sah—Hiranyaksa; tada—at that time; bhuyah—again; tadayan—striking at; vyanadat—roared; bhrsam—loudly.

TRANSLATION

The Lord then said: “Take up your weapon and try again, eager as you are to conquer Me.” Challenged in these words, the demon aimed his mace at the Lord and once more loudly roared.

SB3.19.11

TEXT 11

tam sa apatatim viksya

bhagavan samavasthitah

jagraha lilaya praptam

garutman iva pannagim

SYNONYMS

tam—that mace; sah—He; apatatim—flying toward; viksya—after seeing; bhagavan—the Supreme Personality of Godhead; samavasthitah—stood firmly; jagraha—caught; lilaya—easily; praptam—entered into His presence; garutman—Garuda; iva—as; pannagim—a serpent.

TRANSLATION

When the Lord saw the mace flying toward Him, He stood firmly where He was and caught it with the same ease as Garuda, the king of birds, would seize a serpent.

SB3.19.12

TEXT 12

sva-pauruse pratihate

hata-mano mahasurah

naicchad gadam diyamanam

harina vigata-prabhah

SYNONYMS

sva-pauruse—his valor; pratihate—frustrated; hata—destroyed; manah—pride; maha-asurah—the great demon; na aicchat—desired not (to take); gadam—the mace; diyamanam—being offered; harina—by Hari; vigata-prabhah—reduced in splendor.

TRANSLATION

His valor thus frustrated, the great demon felt humiliated and was put out of countenance. He was reluctant to take back the mace when it was offered by the Personality of Godhead.

SB3.19.13

TEXT 13

jagraha tri-sikham sulam

jvalaj-jvalana-lolupam

yajnaya dhrta-rupaya

viprayabhicaran yatha

SYNONYMS

jagraha—took up; tri-sikham—three-pointed; sulam—trident; jvalat—flaming; jvalana—fire; lolupam—rapacious; yajnaya—at the enjoyer of all sacrifices; dhrta-rupaya—in the form of Varaha; vipraya—unto a brahmana; abhicaran—acting malevolently; yatha—as.

TRANSLATION

He now took a trident which was as rapacious as a flaming fire and hurled it against the Lord, the enjoyer of all sacrifices, even as one would use penance for a malevolent purpose against a holy brahmana.

SB3.19.14

TEXT 14

tad ojasa daitya-maha-bhatarpitam

cakasad antah-kha udirna-didhiti

cakrena ciccheda nisata-nemina

harir yatha tarksya-patatram ujjhitam

SYNONYMS

tat—that trident; ojasa—with all his strength; daitya—among the demons; maha-bhata—by the mighty fighter; arpitam—hurled; cakasat—shining; antah-khe—in the middle of the sky; udirna—increased; didhiti—illumination; cakrena—by the Sudarsana disc; ciccheda—He cut to pieces; nisata—sharpened; nemina—rim; harih—Indra; yatha—as; tarksya—of Garuda; patatram—the wing; ujjhitam—abandoned.

TRANSLATION

Hurled by the mighty demon with all his strength, the flying trident shone brightly in the sky. The Personality of Godhead, however, tore it to pieces with His discus Sudarsana, which had a sharp-edged rim, even as Indra cut off a wing of Garuda.

PURPORT

The context of the reference given herein regarding Garuda and Indra is this. Once upon a time, Garuda, the carrier of the Lord, snatched away a nectar pot from the hands of the demigods in heaven in order to liberate his mother, Vinata, from the clutches of his stepmother, Kadru, the mother of the serpents. On learning of this, Indra, the King of heaven, hurled his thunderbolt against Garuda. With a view to respect the infallibility of Indra’s weapon, Garuda, though otherwise invincible, being the Lord’s own mount, dropped one of his wings, which was shattered to pieces by the thunderbolt. The inhabitants of higher planets are so sensible that even in the process of fighting they observe the preliminary rules and regulations of gentleness. In this case, Garuda wanted to show respect for Indra; since he knew that Indra’s weapon must destroy something, he offered his wing.

SB3.19.15

TEXT 15

vrkne sva-sule bahudharina hareh

pratyetya vistirnam uro vibhutimat

pravrddha-rosah sa kathora-mustina

nadan prahrtyantaradhiyatasurah

SYNONYMS

vrkne—when cut; sva-sule—his trident; bahudha—to many pieces; arina—by the Sudarsana cakra; hareh—of the Supreme Personality of Godhead; pratyetya—after advancing toward; vistirnam—broad; urah—chest; vibhuti-mat—the abode of the goddess of fortune; pravrddha—having been increased; rosah—anger; sah—Hiranyaksa; kathora—hard; mustina—with his fist; nadan—roaring; prahrtya—after striking; antaradhiyata—disappeared; asurah—the demon.

TRANSLATION

The demon was enraged when his trident was cut to pieces by the discus of the Personality of Godhead. He therefore advanced toward the Lord and, roaring aloud, struck his hard fist against the Lord’s broad chest, which bore the mark of Srivatsa. Then he went out of sight.

PURPORT

Srivatsa is a curl of white hair on the chest of the Lord which is a special sign of His being the Supreme Personality of Godhead. In Vaikunthaloka or in Goloka Vrndavana, the inhabitants are exactly of the same form as the Personality of Godhead, but by this Srivatsa mark on the chest of the Lord He is distinguished from all others.

SB3.19.16

TEXT 16

tenettham ahatah ksattar

bhagavan adi-sukarah

nakampata manak kvapi

sraja hata iva dvipah

SYNONYMS

tena—by Hiranyaksa; ittham—thus; ahatah—struck; ksattah—O Vidura; bhagavan—the Supreme Personality of Godhead; adi-sukarah—the first boar; na akampata—did not feel quaking; manak—even slightly; kva api—anywhere; sraja—by a garland of flowers; hatah—struck; iva—as; dvipah—an elephant.

TRANSLATION

Hit in this manner by the demon, O Vidura, the Lord, who had appeared as the first boar, did not feel the least quaking in any part of His body, any more than an elephant would when struck with a wreath of flowers.

PURPORT

As previously explained, the demon was originally a servitor of the Lord in Vaikuntha, but somehow or other he fell as a demon. His fight with the Supreme Lord was meant for his liberation. The Lord enjoyed the striking on His transcendental body, just like a fully grown-up father fighting with his child. Sometimes a father takes pleasure in having a mock fight with his small child, and similarly the Lord felt Hiranyaksa’s striking on His body to be like flowers offered for worship. In other words, the Lord desired to fight in order to enjoy His transcendental bliss; therefore He enjoyed the attack.

SB3.19.17

TEXT 17

athorudhasrjan mayam

yoga-mayesvare harau

yam vilokya prajas trasta

menire ’syopasamyamam

SYNONYMS

atha—then; urudha—in many ways; asrjat—he cast; mayam—conjuring tricks; yoga-maya-isvare—the Lord of yogamaya; harau—at Hari; yam—which; vilokya—after seeing; prajah—the people; trastah—fearful; menire—thought; asya—of this universe; upasamyamam—the dissolution.

TRANSLATION

The demon, however, employed many conjuring tricks against the Personality of Godhead, who is the Lord of yogamaya. At the sight of this the people were filled with alarm and thought that the dissolution of the universe was near.

PURPORT

The fighting enjoyment of the Supreme Lord with His devotee, who had been converted into a demon, appeared severe enough to bring about the dissolution of the universe. This is the greatness of the Supreme Personality of Godhead; even the wavering of His little finger appears to be a great and very dangerous movement in the eyes of the inhabitants of the universe.

SB3.19.18

TEXT 18

pravavur vayavas candas

tamah pamsavam airayan

digbhyo nipetur gravanah

ksepanaih prahita iva

SYNONYMS

pravavuh—were blowing; vayavah—winds; candah—fierce; tamah—darkness; pamsavam—caused by dust; airayan—were spreading; digbhyah—from every direction; nipetuh—came down; gravanah—stones; ksepanaih—by machine guns; prahitah—thrown; iva—as if.

TRANSLATION

Fierce winds began to blow from all directions, spreading darkness occasioned by dust and hail storms; stones came in volleys from every corner, as if thrown by machine guns.

SB3.19.19

TEXT 19

dyaur nasta-bhaganabhraughaih

sa-vidyut-stanayitnubhih

varsadbhih puya-kesasrg-

vin-mutrasthini casakrt

SYNONYMS

dyauh—the sky; nasta—having disappeared; bha-gana—luminaries; abhra—of clouds; oghaih—by masses; sa—accompanied by; vidyut—lightning; stanayitnubhih—and thunder; varsadbhih—raining; puya—pus; kesa—hair; asrk—blood; vit—stool; mutra—urine; asthini—bones; ca—and; asakrt—again and again.

TRANSLATION

The luminaries in outer space disappeared due to the sky’s being overcast with masses of clouds, which were accompanied by lightning and thunder. The sky rained pus, hair, blood, stool, urine and bones.

SB3.19.20

TEXT 20

girayah pratyadrsyanta

nanayudha-muco ’nagha

dig-vasaso yatudhanyah

sulinyo mukta-murdhajah

SYNONYMS

girayah—mountains; pratyadrsyanta—appeared; nana—various; ayudha—weapons; mucah—discharging; anagha—O sinless Vidura; dik-vasasah—naked; yatudhanyah—demonesses; sulinyah—armed with tridents; mukta—hanging loose; murdhajah—hair.

TRANSLATION

O sinless Vidura, mountains discharged weapons of various kinds, and naked demonesses armed with tridents appeared with their hair hanging loose.

SB3.19.21

TEXT 21

bahubhir yaksa-raksobhih

patty-asva-ratha-kunjaraih

atatayibhir utsrsta

himsra vaco ’tivaisasah

SYNONYMS

bahubhih—by many; yaksa-raksobhih—Yaksas and Raksasas; patti—marching on foot; asva—on horses; ratha—on chariots; kunjaraih—or on elephants; atatayibhih—ruffians; utsrstah—were uttered; himsrah—cruel; vacah—words; ati-vaisasah—murderous.

TRANSLATION

Cruel and savage slogans were uttered by hosts of ruffian Yaksas and Raksasas, who all either marched on foot or rode on horses, elephants or chariots.

SB3.19.22

TEXT 22

praduskrtanam mayanam

asurinam vinasayat

sudarsanastram bhagavan

prayunkta dayitam tri-pat

SYNONYMS

praduskrtanam—displayed; mayanam—the magical forces; asurinam—displayed by the demon; vinasayat—desiring to destroy; sudarsana-astram—the Sudarsana weapon; bhagavan—the Supreme Personality of Godhead; prayunkta—threw; dayitam—beloved; tri-pat—the enjoyer of all sacrifices.

TRANSLATION

The Lord, the personal enjoyer of all sacrifices, now discharged His beloved Sudarsana, which was capable of dispersing the magical forces displayed by the demon.

PURPORT

Even famous yogis and demons can sometimes enact very magical feats by their mystic power, but in the presence of the Sudarsana cakra, when it is let loose by the Lord, all such magical jugglery is dispersed. The instance of the quarrel between Durvasa Muni and Maharaja Ambarisa is a practical example in this matter. Durvasa Muni wanted to display many magical wonders, but when the Sudarsana cakra appeared, Durvasa himself was afraid and fled to various planets for his personal protection. The Lord is described here as tri-pat, which means that He is the enjoyer of three kinds of sacrifices. In Bhagavad-gita the Lord confirms that He is the beneficiary and enjoyer of all sacrifices, penances and austerities. The Lord is the enjoyer of three kinds of yajna. As further described in Bhagavad-gita, there are sacrifices of goods, sacrifices of meditation and sacrifices of philosophical speculation. Those on the paths of jnana, yoga and karma all have to come in the end to the Supreme Lord because vasudevah sarvam iti [Bg. 7.19]—the Supreme Lord is the ultimate enjoyer of everything. That is the perfection of all sacrifice.

SB3.19.23

TEXT 23

tada diteh samabhavat

sahasa hrdi vepathuh

smarantya bhartur adesam

stanac casrk prasusruve

SYNONYMS

tada—at that moment; diteh—of Diti; samabhavat—occurred; sahasa—suddenly; hrdi—in the heart; vepathuh—a shudder; smarantyah—recalling; bhartuh—of her husband, Kasyapa; adesam—the words; stanat—from her breast; ca—and; asrk—blood; prasusruve—flowed.

TRANSLATION

At that very moment, a shudder suddenly ran through the heart of Diti, the mother of Hiranyaksa. She recalled the words of her husband, Kasyapa, and blood flowed from her breasts.

PURPORT

At Hiranyaksa’s last moment, his mother, Diti, remembered what her husband had said. Although her sons would be demons, they would have the advantage of being killed by the Personality of Godhead Himself. She remembered this incident by the grace of the Lord, and her breasts flowed blood instead of milk. In many instances we find that when a mother is moved by affection for her sons, milk flows from her breasts. In the case of the demon’s mother, the blood could not transform into milk, but it flowed down her breasts as it was. Blood transforms into milk. To drink milk is auspicious, but to drink blood is inauspicious, although they are one and the same thing. This formula is applicable in the case of cow’s milk also.

SB3.19.24

TEXT 24

vinastasu sva-mayasu

bhuyas cavrajya kesavam

rusopaguhamano ’mum

dadrse ’vasthitam bahih

SYNONYMS

vinastasu—when dispelled; sva-mayasu—his magic forces; bhuyah—again; ca—and; avrajya—after coming into the presence; kesavam—the Supreme Personality of Godhead; rusa—full of rage; upaguhamanah—embracing; amum—the Lord; dadrse—saw; avasthitam—standing; bahih—outside.

TRANSLATION

When the demon saw his magic forces dispelled, he once again came into the presence of the Personality of Godhead, Kesava, and, full of rage, tried to embrace Him within his arms to crush Him. But to his great amazement he found the Lord standing outside the circle of his arms.

PURPORT

In this verse the Lord is addressed as Kesava because He killed the demon Kesi in the beginning of creation. Kesava is also a name of Krsna. Krsna is the origin of all incarnations, and it is confirmed in Brahma-samhita that Govinda, the Supreme Personality of Godhead, the cause of all causes, exists simultaneously in His different incarnations and expansions. The demon’s attempt to measure the Supreme Personality of Godhead is significant. The demon wanted to embrace Him with his arms, thinking that with his limited arms he could capture the Absolute by material power. He did not know that God is the greatest of the great and the smallest of the small. No one can capture the Supreme Lord or bring Him under his control. But the demoniac person always attempts to measure the length and breadth of the Supreme Lord. By His inconceivable potency the Lord can become the universal form, as explained in Bhagavad-gita, and at the same time He can remain within the box of His devotees as their worshipable Deity. There are many devotees who keep a statue of the Lord in a small box and carry it with them everywhere; every morning they worship the Lord in the box. The Supreme Lord, Kesava, or the Personality of Godhead, Krsna, is not bound by any measurement of our calculation. He can remain with His devotee in any suitable form, yet He is unapproachable by any amount of demoniac activities.

Next verse (SB3.19.25)