Nārāyaṇa’s Impartiality, Absorption in Kṛṣṇa, and the Jaya–Vijaya Descent
Prelude to Prahlāda’s History
श्रीयुधिष्ठिर उवाच विद्वेषो दयिते पुत्रे कथमासीन्महात्मनि । ब्रूहि मे भगवन्येन प्रह्लादस्याच्युतात्मता ॥ ४८ ॥
śrī-yudhiṣṭhira uvāca vidveṣo dayite putre katham āsīn mahātmani brūhi me bhagavan yena prahlādasyācyutātmatā
ユディシュティラ王は尋ねた。「我が主ナーラダ牟尼よ、なぜヒラニヤカシプは愛する息子である大魂プラフラーダにこれほどの憎しみを抱いたのですか。プラフラーダはいかにしてアチュタ(主クリシュナ)の偉大な帰依者となったのですか。どうかお説きください。」
All the devotees of Lord Kṛṣṇa are called acyutātmā because they follow in the footsteps of Prahlāda Mahārāja. Acyuta refers to the infallible Lord Viṣṇu, whose heart is always infallible. Because the devotees are attached to the Infallible, they are called acyutātmā.
This verse records Yudhiṣṭhira’s inquiry into how intense enmity could arise even toward one’s own beloved son, setting up the explanation that devotion to Viṣṇu provoked the demon’s hostility.
Yudhiṣṭhira wants to understand the cause of Prahlāda’s unwavering God-centered consciousness—how his heart became fixed in Acyuta despite living amid extreme opposition.
The shloka highlights steadiness in devotion and values even when misunderstood; it encourages maintaining spiritual integrity without hatred, trusting the Lord while responding with patience and faith.