Shloka 17
Hiraṇyakaśipu’s Austerities and Brahmā’s Boons
The Architecture of ‘Conditional Immortality’
श्रीब्रह्मोवाच उत्तिष्ठोत्तिष्ठ भद्रं ते तप:सिद्धोऽसि काश्यप । वरदोऽहमनुप्राप्तो व्रियतामीप्सितो वर: ॥ १७ ॥
śrī-brahmovāca uttiṣṭhottiṣṭha bhadraṁ te tapaḥ-siddho ’si kāśyapa varado ’ham anuprāpto vriyatām īpsito varaḥ
Le Seigneur Brahmā dit : «Lève-toi, lève-toi, ô fils de Kaśyapa; que le bien t’advienne. Tu as atteint la perfection dans l’austérité; je suis venu comme dispensateur de grâces. Demande le don que tu désires».
Śrīla Madhvācārya quotes from the Skanda Purāṇa, which says that Hiraṇyakaśipu, having become a devotee of Lord Brahmā, who is known as Hiraṇyagarbha, and having undergone a severe austerity to please him, is also known as Hiraṇyaka. Rākṣasas and demons worship various demigods, such as Lord Brahmā and Lord Śiva, just to take the post of these demigods. This we have already explained in previous verses.
FAQs
This verse shows that when austerity is perfected (tapaḥ-siddhi), Brahmā appears as a boon-giver and invites the performer to choose a desired benediction.
Hiraṇyakaśipu had performed extreme austerities; Brahmā compassionately tells him to rise and acknowledges his success, signaling that the time has come to ask for a boon.
Discipline can bring powerful results, but the verse also prompts self-inquiry: after achieving success, choose goals wisely—seek blessings that elevate character and devotion, not merely power.