Shloka 193
Kroṣṭu–Yādava Lineages, the Syamantaka Jewel, Krishna’s Birth Context, and the Māyāmoha Account
देवासुरक्षयकराः प्रजानां च हिताय वै । हिरण्यकशिपू राजा वर्षाणामर्बुदं बभौ
devāsurakṣayakarāḥ prajānāṃ ca hitāya vai | hiraṇyakaśipū rājā varṣāṇāmarbudaṃ babhau
Zum Wohl der Untertanen—und als Werkzeug, das Verderben über Devas und Asuras bringt—herrschte König Hiraṇyakaśipu eine Arbuda (zehn Millionen) Jahre.
Narrator (Purāṇic narrator; specific interlocutors not explicit in this single verse)
Concept: Worldly power, even when vast and long-lasting, functions within a larger providential order that balances devas and asuras.
Application: Treat authority and longevity as temporary trusts; cultivate humility and devotion rather than domination.
Primary Rasa: raudra
Secondary Rasa: adbhuta
Type: celestial_realm
Visual Art Cues: {"scene_description":"A colossal asura-king Hiraṇyakaśipu sits on a dark jeweled throne, his gaze fixed upward as if challenging the heavens. Around him, the three worlds appear as layered realms—earth below, mid-sky with planets, and a distant deva-city—hinting that his reign stretches across unimaginable ages.","primary_figures":["Hiraṇyakaśipu","shadowed devas","shadowed asuras"],"setting":"A cosmic court that visually merges an asura palace with a panoramic trailokya backdrop (earth, atmosphere, heaven).","lighting_mood":"storm-lit divine radiance","color_palette":["obsidian black","blood red","antique gold","smoky violet","ashen gray"],"tanjore_prompt":"Tanjore painting style: Hiraṇyakaśipu enthroned in a grand mandapa with heavy gold-leaf arches, gem-studded crown and armlets, deep crimson drapery; behind him a stylized trailokya panorama in concentric bands, with faint deva silhouettes; ornate floral borders, high-relief gold detailing, traditional South Indian iconographic symmetry.","pahari_prompt":"Pahari miniature style: a towering asura king seated on a terrace palace, delicate linework on jewelry, cool twilight sky showing layered worlds like miniature vignettes; lyrical clouds, distant celestial city, refined facial features with restrained menace; Himalayan-style landscape framing the cosmic scale.","kerala_mural_prompt":"Kerala mural style: bold black outlines, flat yet luminous pigments; Hiraṇyakaśipu with exaggerated eyes and fierce posture, palace pillars with lotus motifs; trailokya shown as three horizontal registers; dominant reds, yellows, greens with controlled shading, temple-wall aesthetic.","pichwai_prompt":"Pichwai cloth painting style: a dramatic cosmic backdrop with lotus and cloud motifs; central enthroned asura framed by intricate floral borders; stylized three-world bands above and below; deep indigo ground with gold highlights, peacock-feather patterns subtly implying divine oversight despite asuric grandeur."}
Audio Atmosphere: {"recitation_mood":"dramatic","suggested_raga":"Bhairavi","pace":"moderate-narrative","voice_tone":"authoritative","sound_elements":["low temple drum","distant thunder","conch shell (faint)","heavy silence between phrases"]}
Sandhi Resolution Notes: देवासुरक्षयकराः = देव + असुर + क्षय + कराः (समासवत् पदसमूहः); वर्षाणामर्बुदं = वर्षाणाम् + अर्बुदम् (सवर्णदीर्घ/सन्धि-समाससदृश संयोगः)
FAQs
Hiraṇyakaśipu is an asura king famed in Purāṇic literature as a powerful ruler whose reign becomes a catalyst for major divine interventions and moral teaching narratives.
“Arbuda” is a traditional large number, commonly taken as ten million; here it indicates an extraordinarily long reign measured in years.
Purāṇic narration often frames even destructive forces within a larger cosmic order: a ruler’s rise and fall can serve as a mechanism through which dharma is ultimately clarified and restored over time.