Shloka 8

विषप्रयोगः कृत्योत्पादनं च (प्रह्लादस्य अवध्यता, कृत्याविनाशः, पुरोहितानां रक्षणम्)

Devanagari script

दैत्यराज विषं दत्तम् अस्माभिर् अतिभीषणम् जीर्णं तच् च सहान्नेन प्रह्लादेन सुतेन ते

Transliteration

daityarāja viṣaṃ dattam asmābhir atibhīṣaṇam jīrṇaṃ tac ca sahānnena prahlādena sutena te

Translation

O king of the Daityas, we administered a most dreadful poison; yet your son Prahlada consumed and digested it—even along with his food—unharmed.

Word by Word

• दैत्य-राज: O king of the Daityas
• दैत्य-राज: Sambodhana (Address/सम्बोधन)
• Type: Noun
• Root: दैत्य (प्रातिपदिक) + राजन् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सम्बोधन-प्रथमा (vocative), एकवचन; तत्पुरुषः (दैत्यानां राजा)

• विषम्: poison
• विषम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: विष (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन; अत्र ‘दत्तम्’ इत्यस्य कर्म (द्वितीया)

• दत्तम्: given
• दत्तम्: Kriya (Predicative/विधेय)
• Type: Verb
• Root: दा (धातु)
• Form: क्त-प्रत्ययान्त भूतकर्मणि कृदन्त (past passive participle); नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, एकवचन; ‘विषम्’ इत्यस्य विशेषणम्

• अस्माभिः: by us
• अस्माभिः: Karta (Agent/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: अस्मद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: त्रिलिङ्ग, तृतीया-विभक्ति, बहुवचन; कर्तृकरणे (agent in passive)

• अति-भीषणम्: extremely dreadful
• अति-भीषणम्: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: अति (उपसर्ग/अव्यय) + भीषण (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन; विषम् इति विशेषणम्

• जीर्णम्: digested
• जीर्णम्: Kriya (Predicative/विधेय)
• Type: Verb
• Root: जॄ (धातु)
• Form: क्त-प्रत्ययान्त भूतकर्मणि कृदन्त; नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, एकवचन; ‘विषम्’ इत्यस्य विशेषणम्

• तत्: that (poison)
• तत्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, एकवचन; ‘विषम्’ इत्यर्थे

• च: and
• च: Sambandha (Connector/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: च (अव्यय)
• Form: समुच्चयार्थक-अव्यय (conjunction)

• सह-अन्नेन: together with food
• सह-अन्नेन: Sahakari (Accompaniment/सह)
• Type: Noun
• Root: सह (अव्यय) + अन्न (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, तृतीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन; अव्ययीभावः (अन्नेन सह)

• प्रह्लादेन: by Prahlāda
• प्रह्लादेन: Karta (Agent/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: प्रह्लाद (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, तृतीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन; कर्तृकरणे (agent in passive)

• सुतेन: (your) son
• सुतेन: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: सुत (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, तृतीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन; ‘प्रह्लादेन’ इत्यस्य विशेषणम्

• ते: of you/your
• ते: Sambandha (Genitive/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: युष्मद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, षष्ठी-विभक्ति, एकवचन; सम्बन्ध (possessive)

Speaker

Hiraṇyakaśipu’s attendants/Daitya agents reporting to their king (as narrated by Sage Parāśara to Maitreya)

Parashara-Maitreya Dialogue

Speaker: Parasara

Teaching: Historical

Quality: authoritative

Prahlada Narrative

Phase: Persecution

Bhakti Quality: Fearless purity: the devotee remains unharmed even when harm is administered with intent.

Persecution: Poison

Characters & Entities

• Prahlada
• Hiranyakashipu
• Daityas/Asuras

FAQs

What is the significance of poison being ineffective against Prahlāda in the Vishnu Purana?

It highlights the Purāṇic teaching that a devotee under Vishnu’s protection remains unharmed even by extreme worldly threats, emphasizing divine sovereignty over material forces.

How does Sage Parāśara explain the repeated failure of asuric plots against Prahlāda?

Through the narrative report of the Daityas to their king, Parāśara shows that violence and coercion cannot overpower steadfast devotion; the plot fails because higher divine order shields the righteous.

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

Even when Vishnu is not named in the verse, the episode implies Vishnu as the supreme protector whose grace makes bhakti spiritually invincible, a key Vaishnava theme supporting Vishishtadvaita and Dvaita devotion.