Shloka 60

प्रह्लादस्य अव्यभिचारिणी भक्ति, मायाविनाशः, तथा विष्णोः विश्वरूप-स्तुतिः

Devanagari script

न मायाभिर् न चैवोच्चात् पातितो न च दिग्गजैः बालो ऽतिदुष्टचित्तो ऽयं नानेनार्थो ऽस्ति जीवता

Transliteration

na māyābhir na caivoccāt pātito na ca diggajaiḥ bālo 'tiduṣṭacitto 'yaṃ nānenārtho 'sti jīvatā

Translation

Er wurde weder durch Zaubersprüche niedergestreckt, noch durch einen Sturz aus der Höhe, noch von den mächtigen Elefanten der Himmelsrichtungen zertrampelt. Dies ist nur ein Kind – doch sein Geist ist überaus bösartig; es hat keinen Zweck, ihn am Leben zu lassen.

Word by Word

नnot

मायाभिःby magical powers/illusions

नnot

चand

एवindeed

उच्चात्from a height

पातितःmade to fall / thrown down

नnot

चand

दिग्गजैःby the elephants of the quarters

बालःa child

अतिदुष्टचित्तःvery wicked-minded

अयम्this one

नnot

अनेनwith/by this (one)

अर्थःpurpose, use

अस्तिis

जीवताwhile (he is) alive

Speaker

Unspecified in the provided excerpt (a condemning party within the narrative, speaking about a child)

Parashara-Maitreya Dialogue

Speaker: Parasara

Teaching: Devotional

Quality: revealing

Philosophical Teaching

Concept: Adharma distorts discernment: the tyrant misreads purity as ‘wickedness’ and escalates violence when power is frustrated.

Vedantic Theme: Dharma

Application: When confronted by coercion or slander, maintain clarity of conscience and seek non-retaliatory steadiness rather than mirroring rage.

Vishishtadvaita: The devotee’s worth is grounded in relation to the Lord (śeṣatva), not in the oppressor’s worldly verdicts.

Prahlada Narrative

Phase: Persecution

Bhakti Quality: Fearless fidelity to Viṣṇu despite being labeled ‘wicked-minded’ by adharma

Persecution: Elephants

Vaishnava Theology

Bhakti Type: Shanta

Characters & Entities

Diggajas (direction-elephants)

Māyā (magic/illusion)

FAQs

What is the significance of the diggajas (direction-elephants) in this Vishnu Purana verse?

They function as a cosmological image of overwhelming force; the verse stresses that even such extreme means did not kill the child, heightening the drama and the sense of fate/providence in the narrative.

How does the Vishnu Purana frame moral judgment in dynastic stories like this?

By placing harsh political speech and violent intent alongside signs that such acts fail, the text highlights adharma in courtly intrigue and invites reflection on dharma, consequence, and the higher order that governs outcomes.

What is the theological takeaway about sovereignty and higher order in this context?

Even when Vishnu is not named in the verse, the Purāṇic worldview assumes a governing cosmic order ultimately rooted in the Supreme Reality; repeated failures of lethal schemes can be read as the narrative shadow of that sovereignty.