Srimad Bhagavatam — Saptama Skandha, Shloka 34
Nārada’s Protection of Kayādhu and Prahlāda’s Womb-Instructions: Ātma-tattva and the Path of Bhakti
निशम्य कर्माणि गुणानतुल्यान् वीर्याणि लीलातनुभि: कृतानि । यदातिहर्षोत्पुलकाश्रुगद्गदं प्रोत्कण्ठ उद्गायति रौति नृत्यति ॥ ३४ ॥
niśamya karmāṇi guṇān atulyān vīryāṇi līlā-tanubhiḥ kṛtāni yadātiharṣotpulakāśru-gadgadaṁ protkaṇṭha udgāyati rauti nṛtyati
Wenn der reine Geweihte von den unvergleichlichen Eigenschaften, Taten und Heldentaten hört, die der Herr in Seinen Avatāras durch līlāhafte Gestalten vollbringt, wird er von transzendenter Freude ergriffen: die Haare stellen sich auf, Tränen fließen, und die Stimme stockt. Bald singt er laut, bald weint er, bald tanzt er offen.
The Lord’s activities are uncommon. For example, when He appeared as Lord Rāmacandra, He performed uncommon activities like bridging the ocean. Similarly, when Lord Kṛṣṇa appeared He raised the Govardhana Hill when He was only seven years of age. These are uncommon activities. Fools and rascals, who are not in the transcendental position, consider these uncommon activities of the Lord to be mythological, but when the pure devotee, the liberated person, hears about these uncommon activities of the Lord, he immediately becomes ecstatic and exhibits the symptoms of chanting, dancing, and crying very loudly and jubilantly. This is the difference between a devotee and a nondevotee.
FAQs
This verse describes that on hearing the Lord’s līlā, qualities, and heroic deeds, a devotee may show ecstatic transformations—tears, horripilation, a choked voice—and spontaneously sing, cry, and dance in devotion.
Prahlāda was teaching his schoolmates that real education is bhakti to Viṣṇu; he highlights how genuine hearing (śravaṇam) of the Lord naturally awakens intense loving emotion and devotional expression.
Regularly hear and chant the Lord’s names and pastimes with sincerity; as the heart softens, devotion becomes more natural, and one’s practice shifts from routine to heartfelt remembrance and gratitude.