FolioCorpusŚrīmad-Bhāgavatam

Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam 7.8.52

श्रीयक्षा ऊचु: वयमनुचरमुख्या: कर्मभिस्ते मनोज्ञै- स्त इह दितिसुतेन प्रापिता वाहकत्वम् । स तु जनपरितापं तत्कृतं जानता ते नरहर उपनीत: पञ्चतां पञ्चविंश ॥ ५२ ॥
śrī-yakṣā ūcuḥ
[shree-yakshaa oochuh]
vayam anucara-mukhyāḥ karmabhis te mano-jñais
[vayam anuchara-mukhyaah karmabhis te mano-jnais]
ta iha diti-sutena prāpitā vāhakatvam
[ta iha diti-sutena praapitaa vaahakatvam]
sa tu jana-paritāpaṁ tat-kṛtaṁ jānatā te
[sa tu jana-paritaapam tat-kritam jaanataa te]
narahara upanītaḥ pañcatāṁ pañca-viṁśa
[narahara upaneetah panchataam pancha-vimsha]
śrī-yakṣāḥ ūcuḥ — the inhabitants of the Yakṣa planet prayed vayam — we anucara-mukhyāḥ — the chief among Your many servants karmabhiḥ — by services te — unto You mano-jñaiḥ — very pleasing te — they iha — at the present moment diti-sutena — by Hiraṇyakaśipu, the son of Diti prāpitāḥ — forced to engage as vāhakatvam — the palanquin carriers saḥ — he tu — but jana-paritāpam — the miserable condition of everyone tat-kṛtam — caused by him jānatā — knowing te — by You nara-hara — O Lord in the form of Nṛsiṁha upanītaḥ — is put to pañcatām — death pañca-viṁśa — O twenty-fifth principle (the controller of the other twenty-four elements).
Blended reading (Sanskrit + English inline)
śrī-yakṣā ūcuḥ
śrī-yakṣāḥ ūcuḥ
the inhabitants of the Yakṣa planet prayed
vayam anucara-mukhyāḥ karmabhis te mano-jñais
vayam
we
anucara-mukhyāḥ
the chief among Your many servants
karmabhiḥ
by services
te
unto You
mano-jñaiḥ
very pleasing
ta iha diti-sutena prāpitā vāhakatvam
te
they
iha
at the present moment
diti-sutena
by Hiraṇyakaśipu, the son of Diti
prāpitāḥ
forced to engage as
vāhakatvam
the palanquin carriers
sa tu jana-paritāpaṁ tat-kṛtaṁ jānatā te
saḥ
he
tu
but
jana-paritāpam
the miserable condition of everyone
tat-kṛtam
caused by him
jānatā
knowing
te
by You
narahara upanītaḥ pañcatāṁ pañca-viṁśa
nara-hara
O Lord in the form of Nṛsiṁha
upanītaḥ
is put to
pañcatām
death
pañca-viṁśa
O twenty-fifth principle (the controller of the other twenty-four elements).
The inhabitants of Yakṣaloka prayed: O controller of the twenty-four elements, we are considered the best servants of Your Lordship because of rendering services pleasing to You, yet we engaged as palanquin carriers by the order of Hiraṇyakaśipu, the son of Diti. O Lord in the form of Nṛsiṁhadeva, You know how this demon gave trouble to everyone, but now You have killed him, and his body is mixing with the five material elements.

The Supreme Lord is the controller of the ten senses, the five material elements, the five sense objects, the mind, the intelligence, the false ego and the soul. Therefore He is addressed as pañca-viṁśa, the twenty-fifth element. The inhabitants of the Yakṣa planet are supposed to be the best of all servants, but Hiraṇyakaśipu engaged them as palanquin carriers. The entire universe was in trouble because of Hiraṇyakaśipu, but now that Hiraṇyakaśipu’s body was mixing with the five material elements — earth, water, fire, air and sky — everyone felt relief. Upon Hiraṇyakaśipu’s death, the Yakṣas were reinstated in their original service to the Supreme Personality of Godhead. Thus they felt obliged to the Lord and offered their prayers.

— A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupāda
Viśvanātha Cakravartī Ṭhākura Gauḍīya
Translation
The Yakṣas said: O controller of the twenty-four elements! We are your chief attendants, rendering pleasing services. The demon forced us to be his palanquin carriers. O Narahari! Knowing the misery he inflicted on us, you killed him. We are the chief experts in serving you by pleasing actions. Or we are chief among your devotees. We (te) have been forced to carry his palanquin. He has been killed by you, who know his afflictions to the people. O controller of the twenty-four elements (pañca-viṁśa)!
Yakṣas pray: best servants of the Lord, we were demoted to palanquin-carriers by the demon; now his body is dissolving into the elements. Servants of the Lord, when subjugated, must wait — but the body of tyranny returns to dust.
Reflection Questions
  • Where have you been demoted from your true service into a lesser role, and how do you maintain hope?
  • What does it mean for you to wait while a tyranny dissolves?
📝 My note

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