Shloka 12
Vāmanadeva Praises Bali; the Measure of Three Steps; Śukrācārya Warns Against the Gift
अपश्यन्निति होवाच मयान्विष्टमिदं जगत् । भ्रातृहा मे गतो नूनं यतो नावर्तते पुमान् ॥ १२ ॥
apaśyann iti hovāca mayānviṣṭam idaṁ jagat bhrātṛ-hā me gato nūnaṁ yato nāvartate pumān
ఆయన కనబడక హిరణ్యకశిపుడు అన్నాడు— నేను సమస్త జగత్తును వెదికాను; కానీ నా అన్నను చంపిన విష్ణువు కనబడలేదు. కాబట్టి ఆయన ఎవ్వరూ తిరిగి రాని స్థలానికి వెళ్లి ఉండాలి।
Atheists generally follow the Bauddha philosophical conclusion that at death everything is finished. Hiraṇyakaśipu, being an atheist, thought this way. Because Lord Viṣṇu was not visible to him, he thought that the Lord was dead. Even today, many people follow the philosophy that God is dead. But God is never dead. Even the living entity, who is part of God, never dies. Na jāyate mriyate vā kadācit: “For the soul there is never birth or death.” This is the statement of Bhagavad-gītā (2.20) . Even the ordinary living entity never takes birth or dies. What then is to be said of the Supreme Personality of Godhead, who is the chief of all living entities? He certainly never takes birth or dies. Ajo ’pi sann avyayātmā ( Bg. 4.6 ). Both the Lord and the living entity exist as unborn and inexhaustible personalities. Thus Hiraṇyakaśipu’s conclusion that Viṣṇu was dead was wrong.
FAQs
Indra says that despite searching everywhere, he cannot find the killer of his brother and concludes that the person has gone to a place of no return—implying death and the inevitability of karmic consequence.
Because he cannot locate him anywhere in the world; in the narrative this expresses Indra’s conclusion that the offender has met death (or entered an irreversible state), beyond Indra’s reach.
Wrongdoing brings consequences that cannot always be escaped; one should act responsibly, avoid violence and revenge, and remember the finality of death and the law of karma.