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sah—he (Hiranyakasipu); vikraman—exhibiting his prowess; putra-vadha-ipsuh—desirous of killing his own son; ojasa—with great strength; nisamya—hearing; nirhradam—the fierce sound; apurvam—never heard before; adbhutam—very wonderful; antah-sabhayam—within the jurisdiction of the great assembly; na—not; dadarsa—saw; tat-padam—the source of that tumultuous sound; vitatrasuh—became afraid; yena—by which sound; sura-ari-yutha-pah—the other leaders of the demons (not only Hiranyakasipu).

While showing his extraordinary prowess, Hiranyakasipu, who desired to kill his own son, heard that wonderful, tumultuous sound, which had never before been heard. Upon hearing the sound, the other leaders of the demons were afraid. None of them could find the origin of that sound in the assembly.

satyam vidhatum nija-bhrtya-bhasitam

In Bhagavad-gita (7. 8), Krsna explains Himself by saying:

raso ’ham apsu kaunteya
prabhasmi sasi suryayoh
pranavah sarva-vedesu
sabdah khe paurusam nrsu

“O son of Kunti [Arjuna], I am the taste of water, the light of the sun and the moon, the syllable om in the Vedic mantras; I am the sound in ether and ability in man.” Here the Lord exhibited His presence everywhere by the tumultuous sound in the sky (sabdah khe). The tumultuous thundering sound was proof of the Lord’s presence. The demons like Hiranyakasipu could now realize the supreme ruling power of the Lord, and thus Hiranyakasipu became afraid. However powerful a man may be, he always fears the sound of a thunderbolt. Similarly, Hiranyakasipu and all the demons who were his associates were extremely afraid because of the presence of the Supreme Lord in the form of sound, although they could not trace out the source of the sound.

SB7.8.17

TEXT 17

vyaptim ca bhutesv akhilesu catmanah

adrsyatatyadbhuta-rupam udvahan

stambhe sabhayam na mrgam na manusam

satyam—true; vidhatum—to prove; nija-bhrtya-bhasitam—the words of His own servant (Prahlada Maharaja, who had said that his Lord is present everywhere); vyaptim—the pervasion; ca—and; bhutesu—among the living entities and elements; akhilesu—all; ca—also; atmanah—of Himself; adrsyata—was seen; ati—very; adbhuta—wonderful; rupam—form; udvahan—taking; stambhe—in the pillar; sabhayam—within the assembly; na—not; mrgam—an animal; na—nor; manusam—a human being.

To prove that the statement of His servant Prahlada Maharaja was substantial—in other words, to prove that the Supreme Lord is present everywhere, even within the pillar of an assembly hall—the Supreme Personality of Godhead, Hari, exhibited a wonderful form never before seen. The form was neither that of a man nor that of a lion. Thus the Lord appeared in His wonderful form in the assembly hall.

When Hiranyakasipu asked Prahlada Maharaja, “Where is your Lord? Is He present in this pillar?” Prahlada Maharaja fearlessly replied, “Yes, my Lord is present everywhere.” Therefore, to convince Hiranyakasipu that the statement of Prahlada Maharaja was unmistakably true, the Lord appeared from the pillar. The Lord appeared as half lion and half man so that Hiranyakasipu could not understand whether the great giant was a lion or a human being. To substantiate Prahlada’s statement, the Lord proved that His devotee, as declared in Bhagavad-gita, is never vanquished (kaunteya pratijanihi na me bhaktah pranasyati). Prahlada Maharaja’s demoniac father had repeatedly threatened to kill Prahlada, but Prahlada was confident that he could not be killed, since he was protected by the Supreme Lord. By appearing from the pillar, the Lord encouraged His devotee, saying in effect, “Don’t worry. I am present here.” By manifesting His form as Nrsimhadeva, the Lord also preserved the truth of Lord Brahma’s promise that Hiranyakasipu was not to be killed by any animal or any man. The Lord appeared in a form that could not be said to be fully a man or a lion.

SB7.8.18

TEXT 18

sa sattvam enam parito vipasyan

stambhasya madhyad anunirjihanam

nayam mrgo napi naro vicitram

aho kim etan nr-mrgendra-rupam

sah—he (Hiranyakasipu, the King of the Daityas); sattvam—living being; enam—that; paritah—all around; vipasyan—looking; stambhasya—of the pillar; madhyat—from the midst; anunirjihanam—having come out; na—not; ayam—this; mrgah—animal; na—not; api—indeed; narah—human being; vicitram—very wonderful; aho—alas; kim—what; etat—this; nr-mrga-indra-rupam—the form of both a man and the king of the beasts, the lion.

While Hiranyakasipu looked all around to find the source of the sound, that wonderful form of the Lord, which could not be ascertained to be either a man or a lion, emerged from the pillar. In amazement, Hiranyakasipu wondered, “What is this creature that is half man and half lion?”

mimamsamanasya samutthito ’grato

A demon cannot calculate the unlimited potency of the Supreme Lord. As stated in the Vedas, parasya saktir vividhaiva sruyate svabhaviki jnana-bala-kriya ca: the different potencies of the Lord are always working as an automatic exhibition of His knowledge. For a demon it is certainly wonderful that the form of a lion and the form of a man can be united, since a demon has no experience of the inconceivable power for which the Supreme Lord is called “all-powerful.” Demons cannot understand the omnipotence of the Lord. They simply compare the Lord to one of them (avajananti mam mudha manusim tanum asritam [Bg. 9.11]). Mudhas, rascals, think that Krsna is an ordinary human being who appears for the benefit of other human beings. param bhavam ajanantah: fools, rascals and demons cannot realize the supreme potency of the Lord, but He can do anything and everything; indeed, He can do whatever He likes. When Hiranyakasipu received benedictions from Lord Brahma, he thought that he was safe, since he received the benediction that he would not be killed either by an animal or by a human being. He never thought that an animal and human being would be combined so that demons like him would be puzzled by such a form. This is the meaning of the Supreme Personality of Godhead’s omnipotence.

SB7.8.19-22

TEXTS 19–22

nrsimha-rupas tad alam bhayanakam

pratapta-camikara-canda-locanam

sphurat sata-kesara-jrmbhitananam

karala-damstram karavala-cancala-

ksuranta-jihvam bhrukuti-mukholbanam

stabdhordhva-karnam giri-kandaradbhuta-

vyattasya-nasam hanu-bheda-bhisanam

divi-sprsat kayam adirgha-pivara-

grivoru-vaksah-sthalam alpa-madhyamam

candramsu-gaurais churitam tanuruhair

visvag bhujanika-satam nakhayudham

durasadam sarva-nijetarayudha-

praveka-vidravita-daitya-danavam

mimamsamanasya—of Hiranyakasipu, who was contemplating the wonderful form of the Lord; samutthitah—appeared; agratah—in front; nrsimha-rupah—the form of Nrsimhadeva (half lion and half man); tat—that; alam—extraordinarily; bhayanakam—very fearful; pratapta—like molten; camikara—gold; canda-locanam—having fierce eyes; sphurat—flashing; sata-kesara—by His mane; jrmbhita-ananam—whose face was expanded; karala—deadly; damstram—with a set of teeth; karavala-cancala—waving like a sharp sword; ksura-anta—and as sharp as a razor; jihvam—whose tongue; bhrukuti-mukha—due to His frowning face; ulbanam—dreadful; stabdha—motionless; urdhva—extending upward; karnam—whose ears; giri-kandara—like the caves of a mountain; adbhuta—very wonderful; vyattasya—with a widely opened mouth; nasam—and nostrils; hanu-bheda-bhisanam—causing fear due to the separation of the jaws; divi-sprsat—touching the sky; kayam—whose body; adirgha—short; pivara—fat; griva—neck; uru—broad; vaksah-sthalam—chest; alpa—small; madhyamam—middle portion of the body; candra-amsu—like the rays of the moon; gauraih—whitish; churitam—covered; tanuruhaih—with hairs; visvak—in all directions; bhuja—of arms; anika-satam—with a hundred rows; nakha—having nails; ayudham—as fatal weapons; durasadam—very difficult to conquer; sarva—all; nija—personal; itara—and other; ayudha—of weapons; praveka—by use of the best; vidravita—caused to run; daitya—by whom the demons; danavam—and the rogues (atheists).

Hiranyakasipu studied the form of the Lord, trying to decide who the form of Nrsimhadeva standing before him was. The Lord’s form was extremely fearsome because of His angry eyes, which resembled molten gold; His shining mane, which expanded the dimensions of His fearful face; His deadly teeth; and His razor-sharp tongue, which moved about like a dueling sword. His ears were erect and motionless, and His nostrils and gaping mouth appeared like caves of a mountain. His jaws parted fearfully, and His entire body touched the sky. His neck was very short and thick, His chest broad, His waist thin, and the hairs on His body as white as the rays of the moon. His arms, which resembled flanks of soldiers, spread in all directions as He killed the demons, rogues and atheists with His conchshell, disc, club, lotus and other natural weapons.

SB7.8.23

TEXT 23

prayena me ’yam harinorumayina

vadhah smrto ’nena samudyatena kim

evam bruvams tv abhyapatad gadayudho

nadan nrsimham prati daitya-kunjarah

SYNONYMS

prayena—probably; me—of me; ayam—this; harina—by the Supreme Lord; uru-mayina—who possesses the great mystic power; vadhah—the death; smrtah—planned; anena—with this; samudyatena—endeavor; kim—what use; evam—in this way; bruvan—murmuring; tu—indeed; abhyapatat—attacked; gada-ayudhah—armed with his weapon, the club; nadan—loudly roaring; nr-simham—the Lord, appearing in the form of half lion and half man; prati—toward; daitya-kunjarah—Hiranyakasipu, who was like an elephant.

TRANSLATION

Hiranyakasipu murmured to himself, “Lord Visnu, who possesses great mystic power, has made this plan to kill me, but what is the use of such an attempt? Who can fight with me?” Thinking like this and taking up his club, Hiranyakasipu attacked the Lord like an elephant.

PURPORT

In the jungle there are sometimes fights between lions and elephants. Here the Lord appeared like a lion, and Hiranyakasipu, unafraid of the Lord, attacked Him like an elephant. Generally the elephant is defeated by the lion, and therefore the comparison in this verse is appropriate.

SB7.8.24

TEXT 24

alaksito ’gnau patitah patangamo

yatha nrsimhaujasi so ’suras tada

na tad vicitram khalu sattva-dhamani

sva-tejasa yo nu purapibat tamah

alaksitah—invisible; agnau—in the fire; patitah—fallen; patangamah—an insect; yatha—just as; nrsimha—of Lord Nrsimhadeva; ojasi—in the effulgence; sah—he; asurah—Hiranyakasipu; tada—at that time; na—not; tat—that; vicitram—wonderful; khalu—indeed; sattva-dhamani—in the Supreme Personality of Godhead, who is situated in pure goodness; sva-tejasa—by His own effulgence; yah—He who (the Lord); nu—indeed; pura—formerly; apibat—swallowed up; tamah—the darkness within the material creation.

Just as a small insect falls forcefully into a fire and the insignificant creature becomes invisible, when Hiranyakasipu attacked the Lord, who was full of effulgence, Hiranyakasipu became invisible. This is not at all astonishing, for the Lord is always situated in pure goodness. Formerly, during creation, He entered the dark universe and illuminated it by His spiritual effulgence.

The Lord is situated transcendentally, in pure goodness. The material world is generally controlled by tamo-guna, the quality of ignorance, but the spiritual world, because of the presence of the Lord and His effulgence, is free from all contamination by darkness, passion or contaminated goodness. Although there is a tinge of goodness in this material world in terms of the brahminical qualifications, such qualifications sometimes become invisible because of the strong prevalence of the modes of passion and ignorance. But because the Lord is always transcendentally situated, the material modes of passion and ignorance cannot touch Him. Whenever the Lord is present, there cannot be any darkness from the mode of ignorance. It is stated in Caitanya-caritamrta (Madhya 22.31):

krsna——surya-sama, maya haya andhakara
yahan krsna, tahan nahi mayara adhikara

“Godhead is light. Nescience is darkness. Where there is Godhead there is no nescience.” This material world is full of darkness and ignorance of spiritual life, but by bhakti-yoga this ignorance is dissipated. The Lord appeared because of the bhakti-yoga exhibited by Prahlada Maharaja, and as soon as the Lord appeared, the influence of Hiranyakasipu’s passion and ignorance was vanquished as the Lord’s quality of pure goodness, or the Brahman effulgence, became prominent. In that prominent effulgence, Hiranyakasipu became invisible, or his influence became insignificant. An example illustrating how the darkness of the material world is vanquished is given in the sastra. When Brahma was created from the lotus stem growing from the abdomen of Garbhodakasayi Visnu, Lord Brahma saw everything to be dark, but when he received knowledge from the Supreme Personality of Godhead, everything became clear, as everything becomes clear when one comes from night to sunshine. The important point is that as long as we are in the material modes of nature, we are always in darkness. This darkness cannot be dissipated without the presence of the Supreme Personality of Godhead, which is invoked by the practice of bhakti-yoga. Bhakti-yoga creates a transcendental situation with no tinges of material contamination.

SB7.8.25

TEXT 25

tato ’bhipadyabhyahanan mahasuro

rusa nrsimham gadayoruvegaya

tam vikramantam sagadam gadadharo

mahoragam tarksya-suto yathagrahit

tatah—thereafter; abhipadya—attacking; abhyahanat—struck; maha-asurah—the great demon (Hiranyakasipu); rusa—with anger; nrsimham—Lord Nrsimhadeva; gadaya—by his club; uru-vegaya—moving with great force; tam—him (Hiranyakasipu); vikramantam—showing his prowess; sa-gadam—with his club; gada-dharah—Lord Nrsimhadeva, who also holds a club in His hand; maha-uragam—a great snake; tarksya-sutah—Garuda, the son of Tarksya; yatha—just as; agrahit—captured.

Thereafter, the great demon Hiranyakasipu, who was extremely angry, swiftly attacked Nrsimhadeva with his club and began to beat Him. Lord Nrsimhadeva, however, captured the great demon, along with his club, just as Garuda might capture a great snake.

SB7.8.26

TEXT 26

sa tasya hastotkalitas tadasuro

vikridato yadvad ahir garutmatah

asadhv amanyanta hrtaukaso ’mara

ghana-cchada bharata sarva-dhisnya-pah

SYNONYMS

sah—he (Hiranyakasipu); tasya—of Him (Lord Nrsimhadeva); hasta—from the hands; utkalitah—slipped; tada—at that time; asurah—the King of the demons, Hiranyakasipu; vikridatah—playing; yadvat—exactly like; ahih—a snake; garutmatah—of Garuda; asadhu—not very good; amanyanta—considered; hrta-okasah—whose abodes were taken by Hiranyakasipu; amarah—the demigods; ghana-cchadah—situated behind a cover of clouds; bharata—O great son of Bharata; sarva-dhisnya-pah—the rulers of the heavenly planets.

TRANSLATION

O Yudhisthira, O great son of Bharata, when Lord Nrsimhadeva gave Hiranyakasipu a chance to slip from His hand, just as Garuda sometimes plays with a snake and lets it slip from his mouth, the demigods, who had lost their abodes and who were hiding behind the clouds for fear of the demon, did not consider that incident very good. Indeed, they were perturbed.

PURPORT

When Hiranyakasipu was in the process of being killed by Lord Nrsimhadeva, the Lord gave the demon a chance to slip from His clutches. This incident was not very much appreciated by the demigods, for they were greatly afraid of Hiranyakasipu. They knew that if somehow or other Hiranyakasipu escaped from Nrsimhadeva’s hands and saw that the demigods were looking forward to his death with great pleasure, he would take great revenge upon them. Therefore they were very much afraid.

SB7.8.27

TEXT 27

tam manyamano nija-virya-sankitam

yad dhasta-mukto nrharim mahasurah

punas tam asajjata khadga-carmani

pragrhya vegena gata-sramo mrdhe

tam—Him (Lord Nrsimhadeva); manyamanah—thinking; nija-virya-sankitam—afraid of his prowess; yat—because; hasta-muktah—freed from the clutches of the Lord; nr-harim—Lord Nrsimhadeva; maha-asurah—the great demon; punah—again; tam—Him; asajjata—attacked; khadga-carmani—his sword and shield; pragrhya—taking up; vegena—with great force; gata-sramah—his fatigue having gone; mrdhe—in the battle.

When Hiranyakasipu was freed from the hands of Nrsimhadeva, he falsely thought that the Lord was afraid of his prowess. Therefore, after taking a little rest from the fight, he took up his sword and shield and again attacked the Lord with great force.

When a sinful man enjoys material facilities, foolish people sometimes think, “How is it that this sinful man is enjoying whereas a pious man is suffering?” By the will of the Supreme, a sinful man is sometimes given the chance to enjoy the material world as if he were not under the clutches of material nature, just so that he may be fooled. A sinful man who acts against the laws of nature must be punished, but sometimes he is given a chance to play, exactly like Hiranyakasipu when he was released from the hands of Nrsimhadeva. Hiranyakasipu was destined to be ultimately killed by Nrsimhadeva, but just to see the fun, the Lord gave him a chance to slip from His hands.

SB7.8.28

TEXT 28

tam syena-vegam sata-candra-vartmabhis

carantam acchidram upary-adho harih

krtvatta-hasam kharam utsvanolbanam

nimilitaksam jagrhe maha-javah

tam—him (Hiranyakasipu); syena-vegam—possessing the speed of a hawk; sata-candra-vartmabhih—by the maneuvers of his sword and his shield, which was marked with a hundred moonlike spots; carantam—moving; acchidram—without any weak spot; upari-adhah—up and down; harih—the Supreme Personality of Godhead; krtva—making; atta-hasam—loud laughter; kharam—extremely shrill; utsvana-ulbanam—very fearful due to its great sound; nimilita—closed; aksam—eyes; jagrhe—captured; maha-javah—the greatly powerful Lord.

Making a loud, shrill sound of laughter, the Supreme Personality of Godhead, Narayana, who is extremely strong and powerful, captured Hiranyakasipu, who was protecting himself with his sword and shield, leaving no gaps open. With the speed of a hawk, Hiranyakasipu moved sometimes in the sky and sometimes on the earth, his eyes closed because of fear of Nrsimhadeva’s laughter.

SB7.8.29

TEXT 29

visvak sphurantam grahanaturam harir

vyalo yathakhum kulisaksata-tvacam

dvary urum apatya dadara lilaya

nakhair yathahim garudo maha-visam

SYNONYMS

visvak—all around; sphurantam—moving his limbs; grahana-aturam—afflicted because of being captured; harih—the Supreme Personality of Godhead, Nrsimhadeva; vyalah—a snake; yatha—just as; akhum—a mouse; kulisa-aksata—not cut even by the thunderbolt thrown by Indra; tvacam—whose skin; dvari—on the threshold of the door; urum—on His thigh; apatya—placing; dadara—pierced; lilaya—very easily; nakhaih—with the nails; yatha—just as; ahim—a snake; garudah—Garuda, the carrier of Lord Visnu; maha-visam—very venomous.

TRANSLATION

As a snake captures a mouse or Garuda captures a very venomous snake, Lord Nrsimhadeva captured Hiranyakasipu, who could not be pierced even by the thunderbolt of King Indra. As Hiranyakasipu moved his limbs here, there and all around, very much afflicted at being captured, Lord Nrsimhadeva placed the demon on His lap, supporting him with His thighs, and in the doorway of the assembly hall the Lord very easily tore the demon to pieces with the nails of His hand.

PURPORT

Hiranyakasipu had received from Lord Brahma the benediction that he would not die on the land or in the sky. Therefore, to keep the promise of Lord Brahma intact, Nrsimhadeva placed Hiranyakasipu’s body on His lap, which was neither land nor sky. Hiranyakasipu had received the benediction that he would not die either during the day or at night. Therefore, to keep this promise of Brahma, the Lord killed Hiranyakasipu in the evening, which is the end of day and the beginning of night but is neither day nor night. Hiranyakasipu had taken a benediction from Lord Brahma that he would not die from any weapon or be killed by any person, dead or alive. Therefore, just to keep the word of Lord Brahma, Lord Nrsimhadeva pierced Hiranyakasipu’s body with His nails, which were not weapons and were neither living nor dead. Indeed, the nails can be called dead, but at the same time they can be said to be alive. To keep intact all of Lord Brahma’s benedictions, Lord Nrsimhadeva paradoxically but very easily killed the great demon Hiranyakasipu.

SB7.8.30

TEXT 30

samrambha-duspreksya-karala-locano

vyattananantam vilihan sva-jihvaya

asrg-lavaktaruna-kesaranano

yathantra-mali dvipa-hatyaya harih

samrambha—because of great anger; duspreksya—very difficult to look at; karala—very fearful; locanah—eyes; vyatta—expanded; anana-antam—the edge of the mouth; vilihan—licking; sva-jihvaya—with His tongue; asrk-lava—with spots of blood; akta—smeared; aruna—reddish; kesara—mane; ananah—and face; yatha—just as; antra-mali—decorated with a garland of intestines; dvipa-hatyaya—by the killing of an elephant; harih—the lion.

Lord Nrsimhadeva’s mouth and mane were sprinkled with drops of blood, and His fierce eyes, full of anger, were impossible to look at. Licking the edge of His mouth with His tongue, the Supreme Personality of Godhead, Nrsimhadeva, decorated with a garland of intestines taken from Hiranyakasipu’s abdomen, resembled a lion that has just killed an elephant.

The hair on Lord Nrsimhadeva’s face, being sprinkled with drops of blood, was reddish and looked very beautiful. Lord Nrsimhadeva pierced Hiranyakasipu’s abdomen with His nails, pulled out the demon’s intestines and wore them as a garland, which enhanced His beauty. Thus the Lord became very fearsome, like a lion engaged in fighting an elephant.

SB7.8.31

TEXT 31

nakhankurotpatita-hrt-saroruham

visrjya tasyanucaran udayudhan

ahan samastan nakha-sastra-panibhir

dordanda-yutho ’nupathan sahasrasah

nakha-ankura—by the pointed nails; utpatita—torn out; hrt-saroruham—whose heart, which was like a lotus flower; visrjya—leaving aside; tasya—of him; anucaran—the followers (soldiers and bodyguards); udayudhan—having raised weapons; ahan—He killed; samastan—all; nakha-sastra-panibhih—with His nails and other weapons in His hands; dordanda-yuthah—having unlimited arms; anupathan—the attendants of Hiranyakasipu; sahasrasah—by thousands.

The Supreme Personality of Godhead, who had many, many arms, first uprooted Hiranyakasipu’s heart and then threw him aside and turned toward the demon’s soldiers. These soldiers had come in thousands to fight with Him with raised weapons and were very faithful followers of Hiranyakasipu, but Lord Nrsimhadeva killed all of them merely with the ends of His nails.

Since the creation of the material world, there have been two kinds of men—the devas and the asuras. The devas are always faithful to the Supreme Personality of Godhead, whereas the asuras are always atheists who defy the supremacy of the Lord. At the present moment, throughout the entire world, the atheists are extremely numerous. They are trying to prove that there is no God and that everything takes place due to combinations and permutations of material elements. Thus the material world is becoming more and more godless, and consequently everything is in a disturbed condition. If this continues, the Supreme Personality of Godhead will certainly take action, as He did in the case of Hiranyakasipu. Within a second, Hiranyakasipu and his followers were destroyed, and similarly if this godless civilization continues, it will be destroyed in a second, simply by the movement of one finger of the Supreme Personality of Godhead. The demons should therefore be careful and curtail their godless civilization. They should take advantage of the Krsna consciousness movement and become faithful to the Supreme Personality of Godhead; otherwise they are doomed. As Hiranyakasipu was killed in a second, the godless civilization can be destroyed at any moment.

SB7.8.32

TEXT 32

satavadhuta jaladah parapatan

grahas ca tad-drsti-vimusta-rocisah

ambhodhayah svasa-hata vicuksubhur

nirhrada-bhita digibha vicukrusuh

sata—by the hair on Lord Nrsimhadeva’s head; avadhutah—shaken; jaladah—the clouds; parapatan—scattered; grahah—the luminous planets; ca—and; tat-drsti—by His glaring glance; vimusta—taken away; rocisah—whose effulgence; ambhodhayah—the water of the oceans and seas; svasa-hatah—being struck by Lord Nrsimhadeva’s breathing; vicuksubhuh—became turbulent; nirhrada-bhitah—frightened by Nrsimhadeva’s roaring; digibhah—all the elephants guarding the quarters; vicukrusuh—cried out.

The hair on Nrsimhadeva’s head shook the clouds and scattered them here and there, His glaring eyes stole the effulgence of the luminaries in the sky, and His breathing agitated the seas and oceans. Because of His roaring, all the elephants in the world began to cry in fear.

As the Lord says in Bhagavad-gita (10.41):

yad yad vibhutimat sattvam
srimad urjitam eva va
tat tad evavagaccha tvam
mama tejo-’msa-sambhavam

“Know that all beautiful, glorious and mighty creations spring from but a spark of My splendor.” The illumination of the planets and stars in the sky is but a partial manifestation of the Lord’s effulgence. There are many wonderful qualities of different living entities, but whatever extraordinary things exist are but part of the Lord’s tejas, His illumination or brilliance. The deep waves of the seas and oceans and the many other wonders within the creation of the Supreme Personality of Godhead all become insignificant when the Lord, in His special feature, incarnates within this material world. Everything is insignificant in comparison to His personal, all-defeating transcendental qualities.

SB7.8.33

TEXT 33

dyaus tat-satotksipta-vimana-sankula

protsarpata ksma ca padabhipidita

sailah samutpetur amusya ramhasa

tat-tejasa kham kakubho na rejire

dyauh—outer space; tat-sata—by His hair; utksipta—thrown up; vimana-sankula—filled with airplanes; protsarpata—slipped out of place; ksma—the planet earth; ca—also; pada-abhipidita—distressed due to the heavy weight of the lotus feet of the Lord; sailah—the hills and mountains; samutpetuh—sprang up; amusya—of that one (the Lord); ramhasa—due to the intolerable force; tat-tejasa—by His effulgence; kham—the sky; kakubhah—the ten directions; na rejire—did not shine.

Airplanes were thrown into outer space and the upper planetary system by the hair on Nrsimhadeva’s head. Because of the pressure of the Lord’s lotus feet, the earth appeared to slip from its position, and all the hills and mountains sprang up due to His intolerable force. Because of the Lord’s bodily effulgence, both the sky and all directions diminished in their natural illumination.