Shloka 24
The Slaying of Hiraṇyākṣa and the Triumph of Varāha
विनष्टासु स्वमायासु भूयश्चाव्रज्य केशवम् । रुषोपगूहमानोऽमुं ददृशेऽवस्थितं बहि: ॥ २४ ॥
vinaṣṭāsu sva-māyāsu bhūyaś cāvrajya keśavam ruṣopagūhamāno ’muṁ dadṛśe ’vasthitaṁ bahiḥ
When the demon saw his magic forces dispelled, he once again came into the presence of the Personality of Godhead, Keśava, and, full of rage, tried to embrace Him within his arms to crush Him. But to his great amazement he found the Lord standing outside the circle of his arms.
In this verse the Lord is addressed as Keśava because He killed the demon Keśī in the beginning of creation. Keśava is also a name of Kṛṣṇa. Kṛṣṇa is the origin of all incarnations, and it is confirmed in Brahma-saṁhitā that Govinda, the Supreme Personality of Godhead, the cause of all causes, exists simultaneously in His different incarnations and expansions. The demon’s attempt to measure the Supreme Personality of Godhead is significant. The demon wanted to embrace Him with his arms, thinking that with his limited arms he could capture the Absolute by material power. He did not know that God is the greatest of the great and the smallest of the small. No one can capture the Supreme Lord or bring Him under his control. But the demoniac person always attempts to measure the length and breadth of the Supreme Lord. By His inconceivable potency the Lord can become the universal form, as explained in Bhagavad-gītā, and at the same time He can remain within the box of His devotees as their worshipable Deity. There are many devotees who keep a statue of the Lord in a small box and carry it with them everywhere; every morning they worship the Lord in the box. The Supreme Lord, Keśava, or the Personality of Godhead, Kṛṣṇa, is not bound by any measurement of our calculation. He can remain with His devotee in any suitable form, yet He is unapproachable by any amount of demoniac activities.
FAQs
This verse shows that when an asura’s deceptive powers fail, the Supreme Lord remains beyond their control—His position is steady and unconquerable.
After his magical strategies were destroyed, he resorted to raw rage and direct combat, trying to seize the Lord physically—yet the Lord remained beyond his reach.
When fear, anger, or manipulation intensify, remember the Lord’s steadiness; turn to sincere devotion and self-control instead of being dragged by reactive emotions.