Devanagari
चक्रे हिरण्यकशिपुर्दोर्भ्यां ब्रह्मवरेण च ।
वशे सपालाँल्लोकांस्त्रीनकुतोमृत्युरुद्धत: ॥ १९ ॥
Verse text
cakre hiraṇyakaśipur
dorbhyāṁ brahma-vareṇa ca
vaśe sa-pālāḻ lokāṁs trīn
akuto-mṛtyur uddhataḥ
Synonyms
cakre
—
made
;
hiraṇyakaśipuḥ
—
Hiraṇyakaśipu
;
dorbhyām
—
by his two arms
;
brahma
—
vareṇa — by the benediction of Brahmā
;
ca
—
and
;
vaśe
—
under his control
;
sa
—
pālān — along with their protectors
;
lokān
—
the worlds
;
trīn
—
three
;
akutaḥ
—
mṛtyuḥ — fearing death from no one
;
uddhataḥ
—
puffed up .
Translation
The elder child, Hiraṇyakaśipu, was unafraid of death from anyone within the three worlds because he received a benediction from Lord Brahmā. He was proud and puffed up due to this benediction and was able to bring all three planetary systems under his control.
Translation (Visvanatha Cakravarti Thakura)
By the power of his arms and assisted by Brahmā’s boon, Hiraṇyakaśipu, proud and unafraid of death, controlled the three worlds and their devatās.
Dorbhyām means by the power of his arms. The word ca indicates that Brahmā’s blessing helped him in strength (though the main reason was that he was a devotee of the Lord.)
Purport
As will be revealed in later chapters, Hiraṇyakaśipu underwent severe austerity and penance to satisfy Brahmā and thus receive a benediction of immortality. Actually, it is impossible even for Lord Brahmā to give anyone the benediction of becoming immortal, but indirectly Hiraṇyakaśipu received the benediction that no one within this material world would be able to kill him. In other words, because he originally came from the abode of Vaikuṇṭha, he was not to be killed by anyone within this material world. The Lord desired to appear Himself to kill him. One may be very proud of his material advancement in knowledge, but he cannot be immune to the four principles of material existence, namely birth, death, old age and disease. It was the Lord’s plan to teach people that even Hiraṇyakaśipu, who was so powerful and strongly built, could not live more than his destined duration of life. One may become as strong and puffed up as Hiraṇyakaśipu and bring under his control all the three worlds, but there is no possibility of continuing life eternally or keeping the conquered booty forever. So many emperors have ascended to power, and they are now lost in oblivion; that is the history of the world.