FolioCorpusŚrīmad-Bhāgavatam

Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam 5.18.7

हरिवर्षे चापि भगवान्नरहरिरूपेणास्ते तद्रूपग्रहणनिमित्तमुत्तरत्राभिधास्ये तद्दयितं रूपं महापुरुषगुणभाजनो महाभागवतो दैत्यदानवकुलतीर्थीकरणशीलाचरित: प्रह्लादोऽव्यवधानानन्यभक्तियोगेन सह तद्वर्षपुरुषैरुपास्ते इदं चोदाहरति ॥ ७ ॥
hari-varṣe cāpi bhagavān nara-hari-rūpeṇāste; tad-rūpa-grahaṇa-nimittam uttaratrābhidhāsye; tad dayitaṁ rūpaṁ mahā-puruṣa-guṇa-bhājano mahā-bhāgavato daitya-dānava-kula-tīrthīkaraṇa-śīlā-caritaḥ prahlādo ’vyavadhānānanya-bhakti-yogena saha tad-varṣa-puruṣair upāste idaṁ codāharati.
[hari-varshe chaapi bhagavaan nara-hari-roopenaaste; tad-roopa-grahana-nimittam uttaratraabhidhaasye; tad dayitam roopam mahaa-purusha-guna-bhaajano mahaa-bhaagavato daitya-daanava-kula-teertheekarana-sheelaa-charitah prahlaado ’vyavadhaanaananya-bhakti-yogena saha tad-varsha-purushair upaaste idam chodaaharati.]
hari-varṣe — in the tract of land known as Harivarṣa ca — also api — indeed bhagavān — the Supreme Personality of Godhead nara-hari-rūpeṇa — His form of Nṛsiṁhadeva āste — is situated tat-rūpa-grahaṇa-nimittam — the reason why Lord Kṛṣṇa (Keśava) assumed the form of Nṛsiṁha uttaratra — in later chapters abhidhāsye — I shall describe tat — that dayitam — most pleasing rūpam — form of the Lord mahā-puruṣa-guṇa-bhājanaḥ — Prahlāda Mahārāja, who is the abode of all the good qualities of great personalities mahā-bhāgavataḥ — the topmost devotee daitya-dānava-kula-tīrthī-karaṇa-śīlā-caritaḥ — whose activities and character were so exalted that he delivered all the daityas (demons) born in his family prahlādaḥ — Mahārāja Prahlāda avyavadhāna-ananya-bhakti-yogena — by uninterrupted and unflinching devotional service saha — with tat-varṣa-puruṣaiḥ — the inhabitants of Hari-varṣa upāste — offers obeisances to and worships idam — this ca — and udāharati — chants.
Blended reading (Sanskrit + English inline)
hari-varṣe cāpi bhagavān nara-hari-rūpeṇāste; tad-rūpa-grahaṇa-nimittam uttaratrābhidhāsye; tad dayitaṁ rūpaṁ mahā-puruṣa-guṇa-bhājano mahā-bhāgavato daitya-dānava-kula-tīrthīkaraṇa-śīlā-caritaḥ prahlādo ’vyavadhānānanya-bhakti-yogena saha tad-varṣa-puruṣair upāste idaṁ codāharati.
hari-varṣe
in the tract of land known as Harivarṣa
ca
also
api
indeed
bhagavān
the Supreme Personality of Godhead
nara-hari-rūpeṇa
His form of Nṛsiṁhadeva
āste
is situated
tat-rūpa-grahaṇa-nimittam
the reason why Lord Kṛṣṇa (Keśava) assumed the form of Nṛsiṁha
uttaratra
in later chapters
abhidhāsye
I shall describe
tat
that
dayitam
most pleasing
rūpam
form of the Lord
mahā-puruṣa-guṇa-bhājanaḥ
Prahlāda Mahārāja, who is the abode of all the good qualities of great personalities
mahā-bhāgavataḥ
the topmost devotee
daitya-dānava-kula-tīrthī-karaṇa-śīlā-caritaḥ
whose activities and character were so exalted that he delivered all the daityas (demons) born in his family
prahlādaḥ
Mahārāja Prahlāda
avyavadhāna-ananya-bhakti-yogena
by uninterrupted and unflinching devotional service
saha
with
tat-varṣa-puruṣaiḥ
the inhabitants of Hari-varṣa
upāste
offers obeisances to and worships
idam
this
ca
and
udāharati
chants.
Śukadeva Gosvāmī continued: My dear King, Lord Nṛsiṁhadeva resides in the tract of land known as Hari-varṣa. In the Seventh Canto of Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam, I shall describe to you how Prahlāda Mahārāja caused the Lord to assume the form of Nṛsiṁhadeva. Prahlāda Mahārāja, the topmost devotee of the Lord, is a reservoir of all the good qualities of great personalities. His character and activities have delivered all the fallen members of his demoniac family. Lord Nṛsiṁhadeva is very dear to this exalted personality. Thus Prahlāda Mahārāja, along with his servants and all the denizens of Hari-varṣa, worships Lord Nṛsiṁhadeva by chanting the following mantra.

Jayadeva Gosvāmī’s ten prayers worshiping the incarnations of Lord Kṛṣṇa (Keśava) contain His name in every stanza. For example, keśava dhṛta-nara-hari-rūpa jaya jagad-īśa hare, keśava dhṛta-mīna-śarīra jaya jagad-īśa hare, and keśava dhṛta-vāmana-rūpa jaya jagad-īśa hare. The word jagad-īśa refers to the proprietor of all the universes. His original form is the two-handed form of Lord Kṛṣṇa, standing with a flute in His hands and engaged in tending the cows. As stated in Brahma-saṁhitā:

cintāmaṇi-prakara-sadmasu kalpa-vṛkṣa- lakṣāvṛteṣu surabhīr abhipālayantam lakṣmī-sahasra-śata-sambhrama-sevyamānaṁ govindam ādi-puruṣaṁ tam ahaṁ bhajāmi

“I worship Govinda, the primeval Lord, the first progenitor, who is tending the cows, yielding all desires, in abodes built with spiritual gems and surrounded by millions of purpose trees. He is always served with great reverence and affection by hundreds and thousands of goddesses of fortune.” From this verse we learn that Govinda, or Kṛṣṇa, is the ādi-puruṣa (the original person). The Lord has innumerable incarnations, exactly like the innumerable waves of a flowing river, but the original form is Kṛṣṇa, or Keśava.

Śukadeva Gosvāmī refers to Nṛsiṁhadeva because of Prahlāda Mahārāja. Prahlāda Mahārāja was put into great distress by his powerful father, the demon Hiraṇyakaśipu. Apparently helpless before him, Prahlāda Mahārāja called on the Lord, who immediately assumed the gigantic form of Nṛsiṁhadeva, half-lion and half-man, to kill the gigantic demon. Although Kṛṣṇa is the original person, one without a second, He assumes different forms just to satisfy His devotees or to execute a specific purpose. Therefore Jayadeva Gosvāmī always repeats the name of Keśava, the original Personality of Godhead, in his prayers describing the Lord’s different incarnations for different purposes.

— A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupāda
Viśvanātha Cakravartī Ṭhākura Gauḍīya
Translation
In Hari-varṣa the Lord resides in the form of Narasiṁha. I shall explain the reason for his appearance later. The great devotee Prahlāda the abode of qualities of a mahā-puruṣa, whose character purified the demons of his family, worships this pleasing form with uninterrupted, pure bhakti along with the inhabitants of this varṣa. He chants this prayer. In the Seventh Canto Narasiṁha will be described. Prahlāda’s character purified the demon family. His bhakti is called uninterrupted because it was unmixed with karma or jñāna. It is called pure because he did not worship any devatās.
Prahlāda's character delivered even his demonic family. One devotee in a difficult lineage can change its trajectory. Do not measure spiritual life only by what it does for you — consider what it does for the people around you whom you cannot directly fix.
Reflection Questions
  • Whose deliverance might be quietly riding on my own devotional sincerity?
  • What 'demonic' tendencies in my family or circle could be softened not by argument but by my steady practice?
📝 My note

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