Shloka 9

प्रह्लादचरितम् (हिरण्यकशिपोः स्वर्गापहरणं, प्रह्लादस्य विष्णुभक्तिः, उपदेशः)

Devanagari script

तत्र प्रनृत्ताप्सरसि स्फाटिकाभ्रमये ऽसुरः पपौ पानं मुदा युक्तः प्रासादे सुमनोहरे

Transliteration

tatra pranṛttāpsarasi sphāṭikābhramaye 'suraḥ papau pānaṃ mudā yuktaḥ prāsāde sumanohare

Translation

There, in a most enchanting palace gleaming like crystal, amid Apsarases dancing, the Asura—delighted at heart—drank the intoxicating draught with joy.

Word by Word

• तत्र: there
• तत्र: Adhikarana (अधिकरण/Location)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: तत्र (अव्यय)
• Form: देशवाचक-अव्यय (locative adverb: there)

• प्रनृत्ता: having danced / dancing
• प्रनृत्ता: Karta (कर्ता/Subject qualifier)
• Type: Verb
• Root: प्र-नृत् (धातु)
• Form: क्त-प्रत्यय भूतकृदन्त (Past passive participle used adjectivally), स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; विशेषण (of अप्सरस्)

• अप्सरसि: in/at the Apsaras (presence)
• अप्सरसि: Adhikarana (अधिकरण/Location/occasion)
• Type: Noun
• Root: अप्सरस् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, सप्तमी-विभक्ति (7th/Locative), एकवचन

• स्फाटिकाभ्रमये: made of crystal-like clouds / crystal-built
• स्फाटिकाभ्रमये: Adhikarana (अधिकरण/Location qualifier)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: स्फाटिक + अभ्रमय (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग/नपुंसकलिङ्ग, सप्तमी-विभक्ति (7th/Locative), एकवचन; कर्मधारय (स्फाटिकमयः अभ्रमयः) विशेषण (of प्रासादे)

• असुरः: the Asura
• असुरः: Karta (कर्ता/Subject)
• Type: Noun
• Root: असुर (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन

• पपौ: drank
• पपौ: Kriya (क्रिया/Predicate)
• Type: Verb
• Root: पा (धातु)
• Form: लिट्-लकार (Perfect), प्रथमपुरुष (3rd), एकवचन, परस्मैपदी

• पानम्: drink, liquor
• पानम्: Karma (कर्म/Object)
• Type: Noun
• Root: पान (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, एकवचन

• मुदा: with joy
• मुदा: Karana (करण/Instrument; manner)
• Type: Noun
• Root: मुदा (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, तृतीया-विभक्ति (3rd/Instrumental), एकवचन

• युक्तः: endowed, filled
• युक्तः: Karta (कर्ता/Subject qualifier)
• Type: Verb
• Root: युज् (धातु)
• Form: क्त-प्रत्यय भूतकृदन्त (Past passive participle), पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; ‘endowed/connected’

• प्रासादे: in the palace
• प्रासादे: Adhikarana (अधिकरण/Location)
• Type: Noun
• Root: प्रासाद (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सप्तमी, एकवचन

• सुमनोहरे: very charming
• सुमनोहरे: Adhikarana (अधिकरण/Location qualifier)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: सु + मनोहर (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सप्तमी, एकवचन; कर्मधारय (सुष्ठु मनोहरः) विशेषण (of प्रासादे)

Speaker

Sage Parāśara (narrating to Maitreya)

Parashara-Maitreya Dialogue

Speaker: Parasara

Topic: Depiction of the daitya’s luxurious court life as a symptom of adharma

Teaching: Historical

Quality: authoritative

Philosophical Teaching

Concept: Sensual splendor and intoxication are unstable foundations of happiness and often accompany adharma.

Vedantic Theme: Maya

Application: Practice moderation; notice how indulgence dulls discernment and cultivate steadiness through sāttvika habits.

Vishishtadvaita: Worldly beauty is real yet dependent (śeṣa) and must be enjoyed in dharmic relation to the Lord; severed from Viṣṇu-centered purpose it becomes bondage.

Characters & Entities

• Asura
• Apsarases

FAQs

What is the significance of Apsarases and celestial pleasures in the Vishnu Purana?

In this verse, dancing Apsarases and a radiant palace function as narrative symbols of allure—pleasure that can captivate the mind and weaken discernment, especially for beings inclined toward adharma.

How does Sage Parāśara explain the role of such enchantment in the larger cosmic order?

Parāśara’s narration typically frames events as operating within a governed universe: even enjoyment and intoxication become mechanisms through which order is maintained and disruptive forces are checked.

The theological importance of Lord Vishnu in this context?

Though Vishnu is not named in this verse, the episode aligns with the Purana’s worldview that the Supreme Lord’s sovereignty encompasses all conditions—pleasure, delusion, and restraint—within the moral architecture of the cosmos.