FolioCorpusBhagavad-gītā

Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam 7.4.44

శ్రీయుధిష్ఠిర ఉవాచ దేవర్ష ఏతదిచ్ఛామో వేదితుం తవ సువ్రత । యదాత్మజాయ శుద్ధాయ పితాదాత్ సాధవే హ్యఘమ్ ॥ ౪౪ ॥
śrī-yudhiṣṭhira uvāca
[shree-yudhishthira uvaacha]
devarṣa etad icchāmo
[devarsha etad ichchaamo]
vedituṁ tava suvrata
[veditum tava suvrata]
yad ātmajāya śuddhāya
[yad aatmajaaya shuddhaaya]
pitādāt sādhave hy agham
[pitaadaat saadhave hy agham]
śrī-yudhiṣṭhiraḥ uvāca — Mahārāja Yudhiṣṭhira inquired deva-ṛṣe — O best saintly person among the demigods etat — this icchāmaḥ — we wish veditum — to know tava — from you su-vrata — having the determination for spiritual advancement yat — because ātma-jāya — unto his own son śuddhāya — who was pure and exalted pitā — the father, Hiraṇyakaśipu adāt — gave sādhave — a great saint hi — indeed agham — trouble.
Blended reading (Sanskrit + English inline)
śrī-yudhiṣṭhira uvāca
śrī-yudhiṣṭhiraḥ uvāca
Mahārāja Yudhiṣṭhira inquired
devarṣa etad icchāmo
deva-ṛṣe
O best saintly person among the demigods
etat
this
icchāmaḥ
we wish
vedituṁ tava suvrata
veditum
to know
tava
from you
su-vrata
having the determination for spiritual advancement
yad ātmajāya śuddhāya
yat
because
ātma-jāya
unto his own son
śuddhāya
who was pure and exalted
pitādāt sādhave hy agham
pitā
the father, Hiraṇyakaśipu
adāt
gave
sādhave
a great saint
hi
indeed
agham
trouble.
Mahārāja Yudhiṣṭhira said: O best of the saints among the demigods, O best of spiritual leaders, how did Hiraṇyakaśipu give so much trouble to Prahlāda Mahārāja, the pure and exalted saint, although Prahlāda was his own son? I wish to know about this subject from you.

To know about the Supreme Personality of Godhead and the characteristics of His pure devotee, one must inquire from authorities like Devarṣi Nārada. One cannot inquire about transcendental subject matters from a layman. As stated in Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam (3.25.25) , satāṁ prasaṅgān mama vīrya-saṁvido bhavanti hṛt-karṇa-rasāyanāḥ kathāḥ: only by association with devotees can one authoritatively understand the position of the Lord and His devotees. A devotee like Nārada Muni is addressed as suvrata. Su means “good,” and vrata means “vow.” Thus the word suvrata refers to a person who has nothing to do with the material world, which is always bad. One cannot understand anything spiritual from a materialistic scholar puffed up with academic knowledge. As stated in Bhagavad-gītā (18.55) , bhaktyā mām abhijānāti: one must try to understand Kṛṣṇa by devotional service and from a devotee. Therefore Yudhiṣṭhira Mahārāja was quite right in wanting to learn further about Prahlāda Mahārāja from Śrī Nārada Muni.

— A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupāda
Viśvanātha Cakravartī Ṭhākura Gauḍīya
Translation
Yudhiṣṭhira said: O best of the sages among the devatās, strict in vows! I wish to know why Hiraṇyakaśipu gave suffering to Prahlāda, the pure devotee, his own son. The King asks in great astonishment what he asked at the end of the First Chapter (SB 7.1.48). Tava means “from you.” Agham means suffering.
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