Srimad Bhagavatam — Saptama Skandha, Shloka 14
Brahmā’s Boons, Hiraṇyakaśipu’s Cosmic Tyranny, and Prahlāda’s Transcendental Qualities
जगुर्महेन्द्रासनमोजसा स्थितं विश्वावसुस्तुम्बुरुरस्मदादय: । गन्धर्वसिद्धा ऋषयोऽस्तुवन्मुहु- र्विद्याधराश्चाप्सरसश्च पाण्डव ॥ १४ ॥
jagur mahendrāsanam ojasā sthitaṁ viśvāvasus tumburur asmad-ādayaḥ gandharva-siddhā ṛṣayo ’stuvan muhur vidyādharāś cāpsarasaś ca pāṇḍava
Ô Mahārāja Yudhiṣṭhira, descendant de Pāṇḍu, par sa puissance personnelle Hiraṇyakaśipu siégeait sur le trône d’Indra et tenait sous sa coupe les habitants de tous les autres mondes. Les gandharvas Viśvāvasu et Tumburu, moi-même, ainsi que les Vidyādharas, les apsarās et les sages, lui offrions sans cesse des prières, uniquement pour chanter sa gloire.
The asuras sometimes become so powerful that they can engage even Nārada Muni and similar devotees in their service. This does not mean that Nārada was subordinate to Hiraṇyakaśipu. Sometimes, however, it so happens in this material world that great personalities, even great devotees, can also be controlled by the asuras.
FAQs
They are celebrated Gandharvas—celestial musicians—who appear in the Bhagavatam as singers of divine praise, here joining others in glorifying Mahendra’s (Indra’s) seat.
The verse indicates that Mahendra’s seat remained established due to its inherent divine power (ojas), emphasizing that cosmic offices and their symbols are upheld by higher arrangement, not merely by physical force.
By regularly engaging in kīrtana, prayer, and remembrance—repeatedly praising the Lord and His order—one cultivates steadiness of mind and devotion, just as the celestial beings repeatedly offered hymns.