Shloka 12

प्रह्लादस्य अव्यभिचारिणी भक्ति, मायाविनाशः, तथा विष्णोः विश्वरूप-स्तुतिः

Devanagari script

ततस् तं चिक्षिपुः सर्वे बालं दैतेयकिंकराः पपात सो ऽप्य् अधः क्षिप्तो हृदयेनोद्वहन् हरिम्

Transliteration

tatas taṃ cikṣipuḥ sarve bālaṃ daiteyakiṃkarāḥ papāta so 'py adhaḥ kṣipto hṛdayenodvahan harim

Translation

Then all the Daitya attendants seized the child and hurled him down. Though cast headlong, he fell bearing Śrī Hari within his heart, whom no violence could dislodge.

Word by Word

• tatas: then, thereafter
• tatas: Sambandha (Adverbial/सम्बन्ध-क्रियाविशेषण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: tatas (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय (क्रियाविशेषण) = indeclinable adverb; अर्थे: 'ततः/then, thereafter'

• tam: him
• tam: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: tad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग/नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/कर्म), एकवचन

• cikṣipuḥ: they hurled/threw
• cikṣipuḥ: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: kṣip (धातु)
• Form: लिट् (Perfect/परोक्षभूत), प्रथमपुरुष, बहुवचन; परस्मैपद

• sarve: all (of them)
• sarve: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: sarva (सर्वनाम/प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/कर्ता), बहुवचन

• bālam: the boy
• bālam: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: bāla (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/कर्म), एकवचन

• daiteyakiṃkarāḥ: the Daitya-servants
• daiteyakiṃkarāḥ: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: daiteya + kiṃkara (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/कर्ता), बहुवचन; षष्ठी-तत्पुरुष: दैतेयानां किंकराः = servants of the Daityas

• papāta: fell
• papāta: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: pat (धातु)
• Form: लिट् (Perfect/परोक्षभूत), प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन; परस्मैपद

• saḥ: he
• saḥ: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: tad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/कर्ता), एकवचन

• api: also, even
• api: Sambandha (Particle/निपात)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: api (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय (निपात/particle) = 'also, even'

• adhaḥ: downwards
• adhaḥ: Sambandha (Adverbial/क्रियाविशेषण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: adhaḥ (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय (क्रियाविशेषण) = 'downwards/below'

• kṣiptaḥ: thrown
• kṣiptaḥ: Karta (Predicate adjective to subject/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: kṣip (धातु) + kta (कृत् प्रत्यय)
• Form: क्त-प्रत्ययान्त भूतकर्मणि कृदन्त (past passive participle); पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; 'thrown'

• hṛdayena: with (his) heart
• hṛdayena: Karana (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: hṛdaya (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, तृतीया (3rd/करण), एकवचन

• udvahan: bearing, carrying
• udvahan: Karta (Concomitant action of subject/सहक्रिया)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: ud + vah (धातु) + śatṛ (कृत् प्रत्यय)
• Form: शतृ-प्रत्ययान्त वर्तमानकाले कृदन्त (present active participle); पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; 'bearing/carrying'

• harim: Hari (Vishnu)
• harim: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: hari (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/कर्म), एकवचन

Speaker

Sage Parāśara (narrating to Maitreya)

Philosophical Teaching

Concept: The Lord as indwelling Hari cannot be displaced from the devotee’s heart even by extreme violence.

Vedantic Theme: Moksha

Application: In crisis, return to steady remembrance (japa/smaraṇa) rather than reactive fear, anchoring the mind in the Divine.

Vishishtadvaita: Antaryāmin-Nārāyaṇa abides within the jīva; devotion is a real relation of dependence (śeṣa-śeṣi-bhāva) that survives bodily threat.

Prahlada Narrative

Phase: Persecution

Bhakti Quality: Unshakable smaraṇa (heart-held remembrance) of Hari amid violence

Persecution: Cliff

Vaishnava Theology

Vishnu Form: Hari

Bhakti Type: Shanta

Antaryamin: Yes

Characters & Entities

• Hari (Vishnu)
• Daityas (asura clan)
• Daiteya attendants (kiṅkaras)
• Child devotee (bāla)

FAQs

What is the significance of carrying Hari in the heart in the Vishnu Purana?

This verse presents inner remembrance of Vishnu as an unshakable refuge—external harm can strike the body, but devotion rooted in the heart remains anchored in the Supreme.

How does Sage Parāśara explain steadfast devotion amid suffering?

By narrating that even while being violently cast down, the child continues to ‘bear Hari’ within—showing bhakti as continuity of God-consciousness, not dependent on safety or comfort.

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

Hari is implied as the supreme sustaining reality: when remembered inwardly, He becomes the devotee’s support, demonstrating Vishnu’s sovereignty over fear, hostility, and worldly power.