Srimad Bhagavatam — Saptama Skandha, Shloka 35
Nārada’s Protection of Kayādhu and Prahlāda’s Womb-Instructions: Ātma-tattva and the Path of Bhakti
यदा ग्रहग्रस्त इव क्वचिद्धस- त्याक्रन्दते ध्यायति वन्दते जनम् । मुहु: श्वसन्वक्ति हरे जगत्पते नारायणेत्यात्ममतिर्गतत्रप: ॥ ३५ ॥
yadā graha-grasta iva kvacid dhasaty ākrandate dhyāyati vandate janam muhuḥ śvasan vakti hare jagat-pate nārāyaṇety ātma-matir gata-trapaḥ
Parfois le dévot devient comme un possédé : tantôt il rit, tantôt il éclate en sanglots; tantôt il s’assoit en méditation et rend hommage à tout être, le voyant comme un dévot du Seigneur. Haletant sans cesse, oubliant les convenances, il clame à pleine voix comme un fou de bhakti : « Hare, Maître de l’univers, Nārāyaṇa ! »
When one chants the holy name of the Lord in ecstasy, not caring for outward social conventions, it is to be understood that he is ātma-mati. In other words, his consciousness is turned toward the Supreme Personality of Godhead.
FAQs
This verse describes spontaneous reactions—laughing, crying, bowing, deep meditation, and repeatedly calling “Hari, Nārāyaṇa”—that arise when one is overwhelmed by remembrance of the Lord, beyond social embarrassment.
In this chapter Prahlada teaches his schoolmates the path of devotion; he explains that genuine bhakti culminates in absorption in the Lord, where the devotee naturally expresses love through remembrance and holy-name calling.
Regularly remember and chant the Lord’s names (Hari, Nārāyaṇa) with sincerity; over time, devotion becomes more natural and less dependent on social approval, bringing steadiness and inner absorption.