SB 2.7.14 · Srimad-Bhagavatam

Devanagari

त्रैपिष्टपोरुभयहा स नृसिंहरूपं कृत्वा भ्रमद्भ्रुकुटिदंष्ट्रकरालवक्त्रम् । दैत्येन्द्रमाशु गदयाभिपतन्तमारा- दूरौ निपात्य विददार नखै: स्फुरन्तम् ॥ १४ ॥

Verse text

trai-piṣṭaporu-bhaya-hā sa nṛsiṁha-rūpaṁ kṛtvā bhramad-bhrukuṭi-daṁṣṭra-karāla-vaktram daityendram āśu gadayābhipatantam ārād ūrau nipātya vidadāra nakhaiḥ sphurantam

Synonyms

trai — piṣṭapa — the demigods ; uru — bhaya — hā — one who vanquishes great fears ; saḥ — He (the Personality of Godhead) ; nṛsiṁha — rūpam — assuming the incarnation Nṛsiṁha ; kṛtvā — doing so ; bhramat — by rolling ; bhru — kuṭi — eyebrows ; daṁṣṭra — teeth ; karāla — greatly fearful ; vaktram — mouth ; daitya — indram — the king of the demons ; āśu — immediately ; gadayā — with club in hand ; abhipatantam — while falling down ; ārāt — nearby ; ūrau — on the thighs ; nipātya — placing on ; vidadāra — pierced ; nakhaiḥ — by the nails ; sphurantam — while challenging .

Translation

The Personality of Godhead assumed the incarnation of Nṛsiṁhadeva in order to vanquish the great fears of the demigods. He killed the king of the demons [Hiraṇyakaśipu], who challenged the Lord with a club in his hand, by placing the demon on His thighs and piercing him with His nails, rolling His eyebrows in anger and showing His fearful teeth and mouth.

Translation (Visvanatha Cakravarti Thakura)

To remove the devatās’ great fears, taking the form of Nṛsiṁha, with frightening face, fangs and frowns, the Lord, after placing Hiraṇyakaśipu on his thighs, using his claws, tore apart the king of the Daityas, who had suddenly appeared and rushed towards him with his club.

Purport

The history of Hiraṇyakaśipu and his great devotee-son Prahlāda Mahārāja is narrated in the Seventh Canto of Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam. Hiraṇyakaśipu became very powerful by material achievements and thought himself to be immortal by the grace of Brahmājī. Brahmājī declined to award him the benediction of immortality because he himself is not an immortal being. But Hiraṇyakaśipu derived Brahmājī’s benediction in a roundabout way, almost equal to becoming an immortal being. Hiraṇyakaśipu was sure that he would not be killed by any man or demigod or by any kind of known weapon, nor would he die in day or night. The Lord, however, assumed the incarnation of half-man and half-lion, which was beyond the imagination of a materialistic demon like Hiraṇyakaśipu, and thus, keeping pace with the benediction of Brahmājī, the Lord killed him. He killed him on His lap, so that he was killed neither on the land nor on the water nor in the sky. The demon was pierced by Nṛsiṁha’s nails, which were beyond the human weapons imaginable by Hiraṇyakaśipu. The literal meaning of Hiraṇyakaśipu is one who is after gold and soft bedding, the ultimate aim of all materialistic men. Such demonic men, who have no relationship with God, gradually become puffed up by material acquisitions and begin to challenge the authority of the Supreme Lord and torture those who are devotees of the Lord. Prahlāda Mahārāja happened to be the son of Hiraṇyakaśipu, and because the boy was a great devotee, his father tortured him to the best of his ability. In this extreme situation, the Lord assumed the incarnation of Nṛsiṁhadeva, and just to finish the enemy of the demigods, the Lord killed Hiraṇyakaśipu in a manner beyond the demon’s imagination. Materialistic plans of godless demons are always frustrated by the all-powerful Lord.

Commentary (Visvanatha Cakravarti Thakura)

This verse describes Nṛsiṁha. This form destroyed the great fears of the devatās (traipiṣṭapa). With his club, the king of the Daityas, Hiraṇyakaśipu, rushed close (ārāt) to the Lord, who had a frightening face with fangs and frowns.