Srimad Bhagavatam — Saptama Skandha, Shloka 14
Hiraṇyakaśipu’s Wrath, the Assault on Vedic Culture, and the Boy-Yamarāja’s Teaching on the Soul
पुरग्रामव्रजोद्यानक्षेत्रारामाश्रमाकरान् । खेटखर्वटघोषांश्च ददहु: पत्तनानि च ॥ १४ ॥
pura-grāma-vrajodyāna- kṣetrārāmāśramākarān kheṭa-kharvaṭa-ghoṣāṁś ca dadahuḥ pattanāni ca
The demons set fire to the cities, villages, pasturing grounds, cowpens, gardens, agricultural fields and natural forests. They burned the hermitages of the saintly persons, the important mines that produced valuable metals, the residential quarters of the agriculturalists, the mountain villages, and the villages of the cow protectors, the cowherd men. They also burned the government capitals.
The word udyāna refers to places where trees are especially grown to produce fruits and flowers, which are most important for human civilization. Kṛṣṇa says in Bhagavad-gītā (9.26) :
FAQs
This verse depicts how asuric rule expresses itself through indiscriminate destruction—burning towns, farms, hermitages, and places of livelihood—showing hatred toward dharma and the welfare of others.
In the narrative, Hiraṇyakaśipu’s followers unleash terror while opposing Prahlāda’s devotion and the influence of dharma, so the violence spreads to every type of settlement and sacred place.
It warns that unchecked anger, envy, and godlessness can devastate communities and sacred culture; the remedy is cultivating sattva, compassion, and devotion rather than domination.