Shloka 18
Nṛsiṁhadeva Appears from the Pillar and Slays Hiraṇyakaśipu
स सत्त्वमेनं परितो विपश्यन् स्तम्भस्य मध्यादनुनिर्जिहानम् । नायं मृगो नापि नरो विचित्र- महो किमेतन्नृमृगेन्द्ररूपम् ॥ १८ ॥
sa sattvam enaṁ parito vipaśyan stambhasya madhyād anunirjihānam nāyaṁ mṛgo nāpi naro vicitram aho kim etan nṛ-mṛgendra-rūpam
Tandis qu’Hiraṇyakaśipu regardait de tous côtés pour trouver l’origine du son, cette forme merveilleuse surgit du milieu de la colonne. Elle n’était ni bête ni homme; stupéfait, il se dit : «Quelle étrangeté ! Qu’est-ce donc, une forme de Nṛsiṁha, mi-homme mi-lion ?»
A demon cannot calculate the unlimited potency of the Supreme Lord. As stated in the Vedas, parāsya śaktir vividhaiva śrūyate svābhāvikī jñāna-bala-kriyā ca: the different potencies of the Lord are always working as an automatic exhibition of His knowledge. For a demon it is certainly wonderful that the form of a lion and the form of a man can be united, since a demon has no experience of the inconceivable power for which the Supreme Lord is called “all-powerful.” Demons cannot understand the omnipotence of the Lord. They simply compare the Lord to one of them ( avajānanti māṁ mūḍhā mānuṣīṁ tanum āśritam ). Mūḍhas, rascals, think that Kṛṣṇa is an ordinary human being who appears for the benefit of other human beings. Paraṁ bhāvam ajānantaḥ: fools, rascals and demons cannot realize the supreme potency of the Lord, but He can do anything and everything; indeed, He can do whatever He likes. When Hiraṇyakaśipu received benedictions from Lord Brahmā, he thought that he was safe, since he received the benediction that he would not be killed either by an animal or by a human being. He never thought that an animal and human being would be combined so that demons like him would be puzzled by such a form. This is the meaning of the Supreme Personality of Godhead’s omnipotence.
FAQs
This verse states that the form emerging from the pillar was astonishing—neither animal nor human—revealing Nṛsiṁhadeva’s unique man-lion form that transcends ordinary categories.
Because he saw a being coming out of the pillar who did not fit any familiar identity—neither man nor beast—shattering his confidence in material logic and his supposed invincibility.
When arrogance and injustice seem unstoppable, this verse reminds devotees that divine help can appear in unexpected ways—so one should remain faithful, humble, and aligned with dharma.