Shloka 44
Brahmā’s Boons, Hiraṇyakaśipu’s Cosmic Tyranny, and Prahlāda’s Transcendental Qualities
श्रीयुधिष्ठिर उवाच देवर्ष एतदिच्छामो वेदितुं तव सुव्रत । यदात्मजाय शुद्धाय पितादात् साधवे ह्यघम् ॥ ४४ ॥
śrī-yudhiṣṭhira uvāca devarṣa etad icchāmo vedituṁ tava suvrata yad ātmajāya śuddhāya pitādāt sādhave hy agham
શ્રી યુધિષ્ઠિરે કહ્યું: હે દેવર્ષિ, હે સુવ્રત, હું જાણવા ઇચ્છું છું—પિતા હિરણ્યકશિપુએ પોતાના જ પુત્ર, શુદ્ધ અને સાધુ પ્રહ્લાદને કેવી રીતે અને શા માટે એટલું દુઃખ આપ્યું? કૃપા કરીને કહો।
To know about the Supreme Personality of Godhead and the characteristics of His pure devotee, one must inquire from authorities like Devarṣi Nārada. One cannot inquire about transcendental subject matters from a layman. As stated in Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam (3.25.25) , satāṁ prasaṅgān mama vīrya-saṁvido bhavanti hṛt-karṇa-rasāyanāḥ kathāḥ: only by association with devotees can one authoritatively understand the position of the Lord and His devotees. A devotee like Nārada Muni is addressed as suvrata. Su means “good,” and vrata means “vow.” Thus the word suvrata refers to a person who has nothing to do with the material world, which is always bad. One cannot understand anything spiritual from a materialistic scholar puffed up with academic knowledge. As stated in Bhagavad-gītā (18.55) , bhaktyā mām abhijānāti: one must try to understand Kṛṣṇa by devotional service and from a devotee. Therefore Yudhiṣṭhira Mahārāja was quite right in wanting to learn further about Prahlāda Mahārāja from Śrī Nārada Muni.
FAQs
This verse frames Yudhiṣṭhira’s inquiry: Prahlāda was pure and saintly, yet his father punished him—highlighting how intense envy of bhakti can drive adharma even within family ties.
Yudhiṣṭhira approaches Nārada as a trustworthy divine authority to understand the paradox of a righteous, devoted son receiving cruelty from his own father, setting up Nārada’s explanation of devotion and demoniac mentality.
The verse encourages seeking guidance from realized teachers and recognizing that hostility may arise even from close relations; one should remain steady, pure in intention, and anchored in devotion rather than reacting with bitterness.