Srimad Bhagavatam — Saptama Skandha, Shloka 35
Nārada’s Protection of Kayādhu and Prahlāda’s Womb-Instructions: Ātma-tattva and the Path of Bhakti
यदा ग्रहग्रस्त इव क्वचिद्धस- त्याक्रन्दते ध्यायति वन्दते जनम् । मुहु: श्वसन्वक्ति हरे जगत्पते नारायणेत्यात्ममतिर्गतत्रप: ॥ ३५ ॥
yadā graha-grasta iva kvacid dhasaty ākrandate dhyāyati vandate janam muhuḥ śvasan vakti hare jagat-pate nārāyaṇety ātma-matir gata-trapaḥ
When a devotee becomes like a person haunted by a ghost, he laughs and very loudly chants about the qualities of the Lord. Sometimes he sits to perform meditation, and he offers respects to every living entity, considering him a devotee of the Lord. Constantly breathing very heavily, he becomes careless of social etiquette and loudly chants like a madman, “Hare Kṛṣṇa, Hare Kṛṣṇa! O my Lord, O master of the universe!”
When one chants the holy name of the Lord in ecstasy, not caring for outward social conventions, it is to be understood that he is ātma-mati. In other words, his consciousness is turned toward the Supreme Personality of Godhead.
FAQs
This verse describes spontaneous reactions—laughing, crying, bowing, deep meditation, and repeatedly calling “Hari, Nārāyaṇa”—that arise when one is overwhelmed by remembrance of the Lord, beyond social embarrassment.
In this chapter Prahlada teaches his schoolmates the path of devotion; he explains that genuine bhakti culminates in absorption in the Lord, where the devotee naturally expresses love through remembrance and holy-name calling.
Regularly remember and chant the Lord’s names (Hari, Nārāyaṇa) with sincerity; over time, devotion becomes more natural and less dependent on social approval, bringing steadiness and inner absorption.