Shloka 20

Prahlāda Rejects Material Boons; Forgives His Father; Tripura and the Power of Remembrance

Devanagari script

सर्वात्मना न हिंसन्ति भूतग्रामेषु किञ्चन । उच्चावचेषु दैत्येन्द्र मद्भ‍ावविगतस्पृहा: ॥ २० ॥

Transliteration

sarvātmanā na hiṁsanti bhūta-grāmeṣu kiñcana uccāvaceṣu daityendra mad-bhāva-vigata-spṛhāḥ

Translation

О Прахлада, царь дайтьев! Привязанный ко Мне преданный не причиняет вреда ни одному существу; он не делит на низших и высших и никому не завидует.

Synonyms

• sarvātmanā: entirely, with all their being
• sarvātmanā: Kriyā-viśeṣaṇa (क्रियाविशेषण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: sarva + ātman (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Avyayībhāva adverbial compound; Instrumental-form used adverbially (तृतीया-प्रयोग) meaning ‘with whole self/entirely’

• na: not
• na: Pratiṣedha (प्रतिषेध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: na (अव्यय)
• Form: Negation particle (निषेध-निपात)

• hiṁsanti: they harm
• hiṁsanti: Kriyā (क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: hiṁs (धातु)
• Form: Present (लट्), 3rd person (प्रथमपुरुष), Plural (बहुवचन); parasmaipada

• bhūta-grāmeṣu: among groups of living beings
• bhūta-grāmeṣu: Adhikaraṇa (अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: bhūta + grāma (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Masculine (पुंलिङ्ग), Locative (सप्तमी/7), Plural (बहुवचन); षष्ठी-तत्पुरुष (bhūtānāṁ grāmeṣu)

• kiñcana: anything at all
• kiñcana: Karma (कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: kiñcana (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Indefinite pronoun (अनिश्चित-सर्वनाम), Accusative (द्वितीया/2), Singular (एकवचन), Neuter (नपुंसकलिङ्ग); object of hiṁsanti

• uccāvaceṣu: in high and low (conditions), in all varieties
• uccāvaceṣu: Adhikaraṇa (अधिकरण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: uccā + avaca (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Neuter (नपुंसकलिङ्ग), Locative (सप्तमी/7), Plural (बहुवचन); dvandva ‘high and low/varied’ used adjectivally

• daityendra: O lord of the Daityas
• daityendra: Sambodhana (सम्बोधन)
• Type: Noun
• Root: daitya + indra (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Masculine (पुंलिङ्ग), Vocative (सम्बोधन), Singular (एकवचन); षष्ठी-तत्पुरुष ‘lord of the Daityas’

• mad-bhāva-vigata-spṛhāḥ: free from longing for my position
• mad-bhāva-vigata-spṛhāḥ: Karta (कर्ता)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: mad + bhāva + vigata + spṛhā (प्रातिपदिक; √spṛh ‘to desire’)
• Form: Masculine (पुंलिङ्ग), Nominative (प्रथमा/1), Plural (बहुवचन); multi-member tatpurusha: ‘desire removed with regard to my state/being’ (mad-bhāve vigatā spṛhā yeṣām)

Characters & Entities

• Prahlada Maharaja

FAQs

What does the Srimad Bhagavatam say about nonviolence (ahimsa) as a quality of a devotee?

In this verse, Prahlada explains that devotees absorbed in the Lord and free from material craving do not harm any living being—high or low—showing ahimsa as a natural outcome of bhakti.

Why did Prahlada Maharaja speak about not harming any living being to the Daityas?

Prahlada was instructing the demoniac community on saintly conduct; he emphasizes that genuine devotion transforms character, making one compassionate and nonviolent toward all creatures.

Practical application of this teaching in modern life?

Cultivate devotion and reduce selfish desire; then practice conscious non-harm through speech, actions, and choices that respect all beings, regardless of their social position.