SB 7.3.1 · Srimad-Bhagavatam

Devanagari

श्रीनारद उवाच हिरण्यकशिपू राजन्नजेयमजरामरम् । आत्मानमप्रतिद्वन्द्वमेकराजं व्यधित्सत ॥ १ ॥

Verse text

śrī-nārada uvāca hiraṇyakaśipū rājann ajeyam ajarāmaram ātmānam apratidvandvam eka-rājaṁ vyadhitsata

Synonyms

śrī — nāradaḥ uvāca — Nārada Muni said ; hiraṇyakaśipuḥ — the demoniac king Hiraṇyakaśipu ; rājan — O King Yudhiṣṭhira ; ajeyam — unconquerable by any enemy ; ajara — without old age or disease ; amaram — immortal ; ātmānam — himself ; apratidvandvam — without any rival or opponent ; eka — rājam — the one king of the universe ; vyadhitsata — desired to become .

Translation

Nārada Muni said to Mahārāja Yudhiṣṭhira: The demoniac king Hiraṇyakaśipu wanted to be unconquerable and free from old age and dwindling of the body. He wanted to gain all the yogic perfections like aṇimā and laghimā, to be deathless, and to be the only king of the entire universe, including Brahmaloka.

Translation (Visvanatha Cakravarti Thakura)

Nārada: O King Yudhiṣṭhira! Hiraṇyakaśipu wanted to be the sole king, without a rival, unconquerable, free from old age, and deathless. The Third Chapter describes how Hiraṇyakaśipu performed penance, disturbed the happiness of the devatās, and after praising Brahmā a long time, attained various benedictions. With the intention of being the only king, he desired to rule one kingdom extending up to Brahmaloka.

Purport

Such are the goals of the austerities performed by demons. Hiraṇyakaśipu wanted to receive a benediction from Lord Brahmā so that in the future he would be able to conquer Lord Brahmā’s abode. Similarly, another demon received a benediction from Lord Śiva but later wanted to kill Lord Śiva through that same benediction. Thus self-interested persons, by demoniac austerity, want to kill even their benedictors, whereas the Vaiṣṇava wants to remain an ever-existing servant of the Lord and never to occupy the post of the Lord. Through sāyujya-mukti, which is generally demanded by asuras, one merges into the existence of the Lord, but although one sometimes thus achieves the goal of the theory of monism, one falls down again to struggle in material existence.