Shloka 5

विषप्रयोगः कृत्योत्पादनं च (प्रह्लादस्य अवध्यता, कृत्याविनाशः, पुरोहितानां रक्षणम्)

Devanagari script

हालाहलं विषं घोरम् अनन्तोच्चारणेन सः अभिमन्त्र्य सहान्नेन मैत्रेय बुभुजे तदा

Transliteration

hālāhalaṃ viṣaṃ ghoram anantoccāraṇena saḥ abhimantrya sahānnena maitreya bubhuje tadā

Translation

ഹേ മൈത്രേയാ! ആ പ്രഹ്ലാദൻ ഭയങ്കരമായ കാളകൂടവിഷത്തെ അനന്തന്റെ (വിഷ്ണുവിന്റെ) നാമം ഉച്ചരിച്ചുകൊണ്ട് ശുദ്ധീകരിച്ച് ഭക്ഷണത്തോടൊപ്പം ഭക്ഷിച്ചു.

Word by Word

• हालाहलम्: Hālāhala poison (name)
• हालाहलम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: हालाहल (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति (कर्म), एकवचन

• विषम्: poison
• विषम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: विष (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन; हालाहलम् इति विषस्य विशेषणार्थे अपि

• घोरम्: terrible
• घोरम्: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: घोर (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन; विषम् इति विशेषणम्

• अनन्त-उच्चारणेन: by the utterance of (the name) Ananta
• अनन्त-उच्चारणेन: Karana (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: अनन्त (प्रातिपदिक) + उच्चारण (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, तृतीया-विभक्ति (करण), एकवचन; षष्ठी-तत्पुरुषः (अनन्तस्य उच्चारणम्)

• सः: he
• सः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन; सर्वनाम

• अभिमन्त्र्य: having consecrated/enchanted (it)
• अभिमन्त्र्य: Kriya-visheshaṇa (Adverbial/क्रियाविशेषण)
• Type: Verb
• Root: अभि+मन्त्र् (धातु)
• Form: क्त्वान्त-अव्यय (absolutive/gerund); ‘अभिमन्त्र्य’ = अभिमन्त्रणं कृत्वा

• सह-अन्नेन: together with food
• सह-अन्नेन: Sahakari (Accompaniment/सह)
• Type: Noun
• Root: सह (अव्यय) + अन्न (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, तृतीया-विभक्ति (सह-योग/साधन), एकवचन; अव्ययीभावः (अन्नेन सह)

• मैत्रेय: O Maitreya
• मैत्रेय: Sambodhana (Address/सम्बोधन)
• Type: Noun
• Root: मैत्रेय (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सम्बोधन-प्रथमा (vocative), एकवचन

• बुभुजे: ate/consumed
• बुभुजे: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: भुज् (धातु)
• Form: लिट्-लकार (परोक्षभूत/Perfect), प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन, परस्मैपद

• तदा: then
• तदा: Kāla (Time/काल)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: तदा (अव्यय)
• Form: कालवाचक-अव्यय (temporal adverb)

Speaker

Sage Parāśara (narrating to Maitreya)

Parashara-Maitreya Dialogue

Speaker: Parasara

Teaching: Devotional

Quality: authoritative

Philosophical Teaching

Concept: Hari-nāma (here, Ananta’s name) functions as rakṣā—making even lethal forces powerless for the devotee.

Vedantic Theme: Dharma

Application: Cultivate steady japa/smaraṇa in crises, treating the divine name as refuge rather than mere ritual.

Vishishtadvaita: The Lord’s śakti operates through nāma and grace, protecting the surrendered jīva without denying the world’s reality.

Prahlada Narrative

Phase: Persecution

Bhakti Quality: Unshakable śraddhā in Hari, fortified by nāma-smaraṇa (Ananta-nāma) even under mortal threat.

Persecution: Poison

Vaishnava Theology

Vishnu Form: Hari

Bhakti Type: Shanta

Characters & Entities

• Maitreya
• Ananta (Shesha)

FAQs

What is the significance of Hālāhala poison in the Vishnu Purana?

Hālāhala symbolizes a cosmic crisis produced even by sacred endeavors (like Samudra Manthana); its containment/consumption preserves universal balance and prevents creation from being overwhelmed by chaos.

How does Sage Parāśara explain the role of mantra here?

By stating that the poison is ‘abhimantrita’ through the utterance of Ananta’s name, Parāśara presents sacred sound as a real protective force that renders what is harmful bearable in service of cosmic order.

What is the theological importance of Ananta in this context?

Ananta (Shesha) functions as the cosmic support and a divine principle of stability; invoking his name signifies reliance on the Supreme’s sustaining power to uphold dharma when destructive forces arise.