Shloka 4
Varāha Confronts Hiraṇyākṣa: The Challenge, the Rescue of Earth, and the Opening of the Mace-Duel
त्वं न: सपत्नैरभवाय किं भृतो यो मायया हन्त्यसुरान् परोक्षजित् । त्वां योगमायाबलमल्पपौरुषं संस्थाप्य मूढ प्रमृजे सुहृच्छुच: ॥ ४ ॥
tvaṁ naḥ sapatnair abhavāya kiṁ bhṛto yo māyayā hanty asurān parokṣa-jit tvāṁ yoga-māyā-balam alpa-pauruṣaṁ saṁsthāpya mūḍha pramṛje suhṛc-chucaḥ
Ikaw na hangal, Ikaw ay pinalaki ng aming mga kaaway upang patayin kami, at pinatay Mo ang mga demonyo sa pamamagitan ng pagiging invisible. Ngayon ay papatayin Kita upang aliwin ang aking mga kamag-anak.
The demon used the word abhavāya, which means “for killing.” Śrīdhara Svāmī comments that this “killing” means liberating, or, in other words, killing the process of continued birth and death. The Lord kills the process of birth and death and keeps Himself invisible. The activities of the Lord’s internal potency are inconceivable, but by a slight exhibition of this potency, the Lord, by His grace, can deliver one from nescience. Śucaḥ means “miseries”; the miseries of material existence can be extinguished by the Lord by His internal potency, yoga-māyā. In the Upaniṣads ( Śvetāśvatara Upaniṣad 6.8) it is stated, parāsya śaktir vividhaiva śrūyate. The Lord is invisible to the eyes of the common man, but His energies act in various ways. When demons are in adversity, they think that God is hiding Himself and is working by His mystic potency. They think that if they can find God they can kill Him just by seeing Him. Hiraṇyākṣa thought that way, and he challenged the Lord: “You have done tremendous harm to our community, taking the part of the demigods, and You have killed our kinsmen in so many ways, always keeping Yourself hidden. Now I see You face to face, and I am not going to let You go. I shall kill You and save my kinsmen from Your mystic misdeeds.”
FAQs
This verse shows an asura attributing the Lord’s apparent vulnerability or “setup” in battle to Yogamāyā, indicating that the Lord’s līlā unfolds under His own divine potency, not due to any real weakness.
In the midst of the battle, Hiraṇyākṣa boasts and insults the Lord, claiming the Lord is being “propped up” by Yogamāyā and that he will remove the distress of the Lord’s supporters by defeating Him.
The verse reminds seekers that God’s actions are not limited by ordinary perception; cultivating humility and faith helps one see beyond ego-driven interpretations and find steadiness amid conflict.