Srimad Bhagavatam — Saptama Skandha, Shloka 5
Hiraṇyakaśipu’s Austerities and Brahmā’s Boons
The Architecture of ‘Conditional Immortality’
चुक्षुभुर्नद्युदन्वन्त: सद्वीपाद्रिश्चचाल भू: । निपेतु: सग्रहास्तारा जज्वलुश्च दिशो दश ॥ ५ ॥
cukṣubhur nady-udanvantaḥ sadvīpādriś cacāla bhūḥ nipetuḥ sagrahās tārā jajvaluś ca diśo daśa
Durch die Macht seiner strengen Askese gerieten Flüsse und Ozeane in Aufruhr; die Erde mit Bergen und Inseln bebte; Sterne und Planeten stürzten herab, und die zehn Himmelsrichtungen standen in Flammen.
FAQs
It describes cosmic upheaval—rivers and oceans churning, the earth shaking with its islands and mountains, stars and planets seeming to fall, and all ten directions appearing to blaze.
The verse portrays how Hiraṇyakaśipu’s extreme tapasya generated intense heat and disruption in the universe, signaling that his pursuit of power was affecting the cosmic order.
Powerful effort without devotion and right intention can create disturbance; the Bhagavatam urges channeling determination toward dharma and bhakti so one’s strength becomes purifying rather than disruptive.