Shloka 3

प्रह्लादचरितम् (हिरण्यकशिपोः स्वर्गापहरणं, प्रह्लादस्य विष्णुभक्तिः, उपदेशः)

Devanagari script

इन्द्रत्वम् अकरोद् दैत्यः स चासीत् सविता स्वयम् वायुर् अग्निर् अपां नाथः सोमश् चासीन् महासुरः

Transliteration

indratvam akarod daityaḥ sa cāsīt savitā svayam vāyur agnir apāṃ nāthaḥ somaś cāsīn mahāsuraḥ

Translation

ആ ദൈത്യൻ ഇന്ദ്രത്വവും ഏറ്റെടുത്തു; അവൻ തന്നേ സവിതൃ (പ്രേരക സൂര്യൻ) ആയി. വായുവിന്റെയും അഗ്നിയുടെയും സ്ഥാനങ്ങൾ പിടിച്ചെടുത്തു, ജലങ്ങളുടെ നാഥനായി, സോമന്റെ സ്ഥാനത്തും ആ മഹാസുരൻ തന്നെ നിലകൊണ്ടു.

Word by Word

इन्द्रत्वम्the state of Indra-hood

अकरोत्made, assumed

दैत्यःthe Daitya (demon)

सःhe

चand

आसीत्was

सविताthe Sun (Savitṛ)

स्वयम्himself

वायुःVāyu (wind)

अग्निःAgni (fire)

अपाम्of the waters

नाथःlord

सोमःSoma (moon)

चand

आसीत्was

महासुरःthe great Asura

Speaker

Sage Parāśara (narrating to Maitreya)

Parashara-Maitreya Dialogue

Speaker: Parasara

Topic: Description of the extent of Hiraṇyakaśipu’s tyranny—he appropriated the very deva offices sustaining the cosmos.

Teaching: Cosmological

Quality: authoritative, vivid, emphasizing systemic cosmic disruption

Cosmological Context

Cosmic Hierarchy: Lokas (worlds)

Philosophical Teaching

Concept: Dharma is upheld through rightful offices and functions; when adharmic power captures institutions, the cosmos itself appears inverted.

Vedantic Theme: Dharma

Application: In society and personal life, honor rightful roles and responsibilities; resist institutional capture by ego and cultivate integrity in one’s ‘office’.

Vishishtadvaita: The deva ‘functions’ are not ultimate; they are delegated powers within the Lord’s order—implying a hierarchy where Nārāyaṇa alone is sovereign and all others are instruments.

Prahlada Narrative

Phase: Persecution

Bhakti Quality: Foreshadows bhakti’s triumph over cosmic-scale coercion; Prahlāda’s devotion stands even when all ‘supports’ (deva offices) are subverted

Vaishnava Theology

Vishnu Form: Para-Brahman

Characters & Entities

Daitya/Asura (unnamed in this verse)

Indra

Savitṛ (Sun)

Vāyu

Agni

Varuṇa (implied by 'lord of waters')

Soma

FAQs

What is the significance of an Asura taking Indra’s position in the Vishnu Purana?

It signals a breakdown of cosmic governance: when a Daitya seizes Indra’s sovereignty, the delegated order of the universe is disturbed, setting the stage for divine correction and restoration of dharma.

How does Sage Parāśara explain the idea of ‘divine offices’ in this context?

By listing roles like Indra, Savitṛ, Vāyu, Agni, lord of waters, and Soma, Parāśara frames them as functional stations that uphold the world—stations that can be usurped, revealing their dependence on a higher, regulating principle.

What is the theological importance of Lord Vishnu here, even though he is not named in the verse?

The verse highlights that cosmic powers are not ultimate in themselves; their order and legitimacy rest on the Supreme Reality who governs the cosmos—classically understood in the Vishnu Purana as Vishnu, who restores balance when usurpation disrupts dharma.