Prahlāda Rejects Material Boons; Forgives His Father; Tripura and the Power of Remembrance
श्रीब्रह्मोवाच देवदेवाखिलाध्यक्ष भूतभावन पूर्वज । दिष्टया ते निहत: पापो लोकसन्तापनोऽसुर: ॥ २६ ॥
śrī-brahmovāca deva-devākhilādhyakṣa bhūta-bhāvana pūrvaja diṣṭyā te nihataḥ pāpo loka-santāpano ’suraḥ
Lord Brahmā said: O Supreme Lord of all lords, proprietor of the entire universe, O benedictor of all living entities, O original person [ādi-puruṣa], because of our good fortune You have now killed this sinful demon, who was giving trouble to the entire universe.
The word pūrvaja is described in Bhagavad-gītā (10.8) : ahaṁ sarvasya prabhavo mattaḥ sarvaṁ pravartate. All the demigods, including Lord Brahmā, are manifested from the Supreme Personality of Godhead. Therefore the original person, the cause of all causes, is Govinda, the ādi-puruṣam.
This verse states that the Lord, the supreme overseer and well-wisher of all beings, eliminates the sinful asura who torments the worlds—showing divine intervention to restore dharma and relieve universal distress.
Brahmā acknowledges the Lord as the primeval controller and benefactor of all beings, and he expresses relief that the world-oppressing demon Hiraṇyakaśipu has been slain by the Lord’s arrangement.
The verse encourages faith that oppressive, harmful forces are not ultimate—align with dharma, cultivate devotion, and trust that protection and restoration come through higher guidance and right action.