Shloka 1
प्रह्लादस्य अव्यभिचारिणी भक्ति, मायाविनाशः, तथा विष्णोः विश्वरूप-स्तुतिः
हिरण्यकशिपुः श्रुत्वा तां कृत्यां वितथीकृताम् आहूय पुत्रं पप्रच्छ प्रभावस्यास्य कारणम्
hiraṇyakaśipuḥ śrutvā tāṃ kṛtyāṃ vitathīkṛtām āhūya putraṃ papraccha prabhāvasyāsya kāraṇam
हिरण्यकशिपूने ऐकले की त्याने करवलेली कृत्या निष्फळ झाली आहे; त्याने पुत्राला बोलावून विचारले—“ही कृत्या मोडून टाकणाऱ्या या प्रभावाचे कारण काय?”
Sage Parāśara (narrating to Maitreya)
FAQs
It signals that hostile ritual power cannot prevail when opposed by the higher, divinely protected order—setting the stage for Prahlāda’s steadfast devotion to triumph over asuric force.
Through the narrative frame, Parāśara shows that apparent power (like sorcery or royal command) is contingent, while the deeper cause lies in alignment with dharma and the Supreme Lord’s sovereignty, which overrides lesser forces.
Even when Viṣṇu is not named in the verse, the episode implies His supremacy: forces opposed to dharma become ineffective, highlighting the Purāṇa’s core Vaishnava principle that the Supreme Reality governs outcomes beyond human or asuric control.