Shloka 29

Devanagari script

काले ऽतीते ऽतिमहति प्रह्लादम् असुरेश्वरः समाहूयाब्रवीद् गाथा काचित् पुत्रक गीयताम्

Transliteration

kāle 'tīte 'timahati prahlādam asureśvaraḥ samāhūyābravīd gāthā kācit putraka gīyatām

Translation

When a very long time had passed, the lord of the Asuras summoned Prahlāda and said, “My child, let some song—some ancient verse—be sung.”

Word by Word

• काले: when time
• काले: Adhikarana (Locative/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: काल (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सप्तमी (7th), एकवचन

• अतीते: having passed
• अतीते: Adhikarana (Locative absolute/सप्तमी-सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: अति-इ (धातु) → अतीत (कृदन्त, क्त)
• Form: सप्तमी (7th), एकवचन; क्त-प्रत्ययान्त कृदन्त; ‘काले अतीते’ = locative absolute (‘when time had passed’)

• अतिमहति: very great (in amount)
• अतिमहति: Adhikarana (Locative/अधिकरण) (qualifier)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: अति + महत् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग/नपुंसकलिङ्ग, सप्तमी (7th), एकवचन; विशेषण (काले)

• प्रह्लादम्: Prahlada
• प्रह्लादम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: प्रह्लाद (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd), एकवचन

• असुरेश्वरः: lord of the asuras
• असुरेश्वरः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: असुर + ईश्वर (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st), एकवचन; षष्ठी-तत्पुरुष: ‘असुराणाम् ईश्वरः’

• समाहूय: having summoned
• समाहूय: Purvakala (पूर्वक्रिया)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: सम्-आ-ह्वे (धातु) → समाहूय (क्त्वान्त कृदन्त)
• Form: क्त्वा-प्रत्ययान्त अव्यय (gerund), पूर्वकालिक क्रिया

• अब्रवीत्: said
• अब्रवीत्: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: ब्रू (धातु)
• Form: लङ्-लकार (Imperfect/Past), प्रथमपुरुष (3rd), एकवचन; परस्मैपद

• गाथा: a verse/song
• गाथा: Karma (Object/कर्म) (as thing to be sung; nominative used as topic)
• Type: Noun
• Root: गाथा (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st), एकवचन

• काचित्: some
• काचित्: Modifier (विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: क (प्रातिपदिक, सर्वनाम)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st), एकवचन; अनिश्चितवाचक सर्वनाम-विशेषण (indefinite)

• पुत्रक: O dear son
• पुत्रक: Sambodhana (Vocative/सम्बोधन)
• Type: Noun
• Root: पुत्रक (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सम्बोधन (8th), एकवचन; स्नेहवाचक

• गीयताम्: let it be sung
• गीयताम्: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: गै (धातु)
• Form: लोट्-लकार (Imperative), प्रथमपुरुष (3rd), एकवचन; कर्मणि प्रयोग (passive imperative): ‘let it be sung’

Speaker

Sage Parāśara (narrating to Maitreya)

Parashara-Maitreya Dialogue

Speaker: Parasara

Topic: How Hiraṇyakaśipu probes Prahlāda and what Prahlāda expresses in reply.

Teaching: Historical

Quality: revealing

Prahlada Narrative

Phase: Teaching (Prahlada's schools)

Bhakti Quality: Fearless truthfulness: readiness to speak/sing what is right even when summoned by a hostile authority.

Characters & Entities

• Prahlada
• Hiranyakashipu (Asureshvara)

FAQs

What is the significance of Kāla (Time) in this Vishnu Purana verse?

The verse foregrounds Kāla as a vast, impersonal force that ripens narrative events—setting the stage for moral and theological turning points in the Prahlāda episode.

How does Sage Parāśara explain the Prahlāda episode through dialogue structure?

Parāśara narrates in a story-within-a-story mode: he reports the Asura-lord’s direct speech to Prahlāda, using it to introduce a didactic “gāthā” that will carry the teaching forward.

What is the theological importance of Lord Vishnu in this context?

Even before Vishnu is explicitly named in this line, the narrative momentum points toward Vishnu’s supreme guardianship of the devotee: time and circumstance move toward the revelation of divine sovereignty over Asuric power.