Shloka 16
Prahlāda’s Prayers Pacify Lord Nṛsiṁhadeva
Prahlāda-stuti and the Lord’s Benediction Offer
त्रस्तोऽस्म्यहं कृपणवत्सल दु:सहोग्र- संसारचक्रकदनाद् ग्रसतां प्रणीत: । बद्ध: स्वकर्मभिरुशत्तम तेऽङ्घ्रिमूलं प्रीतोऽपवर्गशरणं ह्वयसे कदा नु ॥ १६ ॥
trasto ’smy ahaṁ kṛpaṇa-vatsala duḥsahogra- saṁsāra-cakra-kadanād grasatāṁ praṇītaḥ baddhaḥ sva-karmabhir uśattama te ’ṅghri-mūlaṁ prīto ’pavarga-śaraṇaṁ hvayase kadā nu
हे कृपणवत्सल, अजेय पराक्रमी प्रभो! असह्य व उग्र संसारचक्राच्या कडनाने मी भयभीत झालो आहे. माझ्या कर्मांमुळे मला असुरांच्या संगतीत टाकले गेले आहे. हे उत्तम प्रभो! कधी तू प्रसन्न होऊन मला तुझ्या चरणकमलांच्या आश्रयाला बोलावशील, जे मोक्षाचे परम शरण आहे?
Being in the material world is certainly miserable, but certainly when one is put into the association of asuras, or atheistic men, it is intolerably so. One may ask why the living entity is put into the material world. Indeed, sometimes foolish people deride the Lord for having put them here. Actually, everyone is put into conditional life according to his karma. Therefore Prahlāda Mahārāja, representing all the other conditioned souls, admits that he was put into life among the asuras because of the results of his karma. The Lord is known as kṛpaṇa-vatsala because He is extremely kind to the conditioned souls. As stated in Bhagavad-gītā, therefore, the Lord appears whenever there are discrepancies in the execution of religious principles ( yadā yadā hi dharmasya glānir bhavati bhārata … tadātmānaṁ sṛjāmy aham ). The Lord is extremely anxious to deliver the conditioned souls, and therefore He instructs all of us to return home, back to Godhead ( sarva-dharmān parityajya mām ekaṁ śaraṇaṁ vraja ). Thus Prahlāda Mahārāja expected that the Lord, by His kindness, would call him again to the shelter of His lotus feet. In other words, everyone should be eager to return home, back to Godhead, taking shelter of the lotus feet of the Lord and thus being fully trained in Kṛṣṇa consciousness.
FAQs
It describes the soul as terrified and dragged by the crushing wheel of saṁsāra, bound by karma, and teaches that true safety is found only when the Lord calls one to the shelter of His lotus feet.
After witnessing the Lord’s protection and the end of Hiranyakashipu, Prahlada expresses the devotee’s humility—recognizing karma-bondage and begging for the Lord’s mercy that grants apavarga (liberation).
Acknowledge how stress and fear intensify when life is driven by karma-centered goals, and consciously seek refuge through bhakti—regular prayer, chanting, and aligning choices with service to God rather than mere material survival.