SB 7.3.36 · Srimad-Bhagavatam

Devanagari

नान्तर्बहिर्दिवा नक्तमन्यस्मादपि चायुधै: । न भूमौ नाम्बरे मृत्युर्न नरैर्न मृगैरपि ॥ ३६ ॥

Verse text

nāntar bahir divā naktam anyasmād api cāyudhaiḥ na bhūmau nāmbare mṛtyur na narair na mṛgair api

Synonyms

na — not ; antaḥ — inside (the palace or home) ; bahiḥ — outside the home ; divā — during the daytime ; naktam — during the night ; anyasmāt — from any others beyond Lord Brahmā ; api — even ; ca — also ; ayudhaiḥ — by any weapons used within this material world ; na — nor ; bhūmau — on the ground ; na — not ; ambare — in the sky ; mṛtyuḥ — death ; na — not ; naraiḥ — by any men ; na — nor ; mṛgaiḥ — by any animal ; api — also .

Translation

Grant me that I not die within any residence or outside any residence, during the daytime or at night, nor on the ground or in the sky. Grant me that my death not be brought by any being other than those created by you, nor by any weapon, nor by any human being or animal.

Translation (Visvanatha Cakravarti Thakura)

Grant me that I not die within any residence or outside any residence, during the daytime or at night, not by any weapon or something other than a weapon, nor on the ground or in the sky, nor by man or animal. Death should happen naturally. If all places and times are excluded for death, the natural death will also be excluded. The forms of Viṣṇu such as Varāha are all created by Brahmā, but Viṣṇu is without form. If he, without form, throws his cakra or other weapons, my boon will be useless. This is my worry. Thus let me not be destroyed by any weapon or anything else! Though the words inside and outside covers all places, Viṣṇu could think of some particular loophole related to the meaning of the two words. Thus particular places must also be excluded. “Not on earth” refers to all the seven lower planets down to Pātala. “Not in the sky” refers to all the upper planets. All these are excluded. Fearing other beings like Dakṣa, he then says that all men should be excluded as well.

Purport

Hiraṇyakaśipu was very much afraid of Viṣṇu’s becoming an animal to kill him because his brother had been killed by Viṣṇu when the Lord took the shape of a boar. He was therefore very careful to guard against all kinds of animals. But even without taking the shape of an animal, Viṣṇu could kill him by hurling His Sudarśana cakra, which can go anywhere without the Lord’s physical presence. Therefore Hiraṇyakaśipu was careful to guard against all kinds of weapons. He guarded against all kinds of time, space and countries because he was afraid of being killed by someone else in another land. There are many other planets, higher and lower, and therefore he prayed for the benediction of not being killed by any resident of any of these planets. There are three original deities — Brahmā, Viṣṇu and Maheśvara. Hiraṇyakaśipu knew that Brahmā would not kill him, but he also wanted not to be killed by Lord Viṣṇu or Lord Śiva. Consequently, he prayed for such a benediction. Thus Hiraṇyakaśipu thought himself securely protected from any kind of death caused by any living entity within this universe. He also carefully guarded against natural death, which might take place within his house or outside of the house.