Shloka 9
प्रह्लादचरितम् (हिरण्यकशिपोः स्वर्गापहरणं, प्रह्लादस्य विष्णुभक्तिः, उपदेशः)
तत्र प्रनृत्ताप्सरसि स्फाटिकाभ्रमये ऽसुरः पपौ पानं मुदा युक्तः प्रासादे सुमनोहरे
tatra pranṛttāpsarasi sphāṭikābhramaye 'suraḥ papau pānaṃ mudā yuktaḥ prāsāde sumanohare
അവിടെ സ്ഫടികംപോലെ തിളങ്ങുന്ന അതിമനോഹരമായ പ്രാസാദത്തിൽ, നൃത്തം ചെയ്യുന്ന അപ്സരസ്സുകളുടെ നടുവിൽ, ആ അസുരൻ ആനന്ദത്തോടെ മദ്യം പാനം ചെയ്തു।
Sage Parāśara (narrating to Maitreya)
FAQs
In this verse, dancing Apsarases and a radiant palace function as narrative symbols of allure—pleasure that can captivate the mind and weaken discernment, especially for beings inclined toward adharma.
Parāśara’s narration typically frames events as operating within a governed universe: even enjoyment and intoxication become mechanisms through which order is maintained and disruptive forces are checked.
Though Vishnu is not named in this verse, the episode aligns with the Purana’s worldview that the Supreme Lord’s sovereignty encompasses all conditions—pleasure, delusion, and restraint—within the moral architecture of the cosmos.