Hiraṇyakaśipu continued, “O infinite Lord (Ananta)! Your form which is beyond the perception of the senses pervades this entire world. You are the presiding deity for the energy of consciousness (chaitanya shakti) called knowledge as well as the energy of inertness (jada shakti) called illusion. To You, O Supreme Lord, I offer obeisance.
O best among those who shower boons! If at all You seek to bless me with boons, then bless that I should never face death from any living entity created by You. Bless that I should not die either in the morning or at night; neither indoors or outdoors; nor on the ground or in the sky; neither by humans nor by animals; nor by any weapon or by any lifeless object. I should not be killed by Devatas, demons or serpents (nāgas). There should be no opponent who can combat me in war. I should be the sole emperor of living entities. Your glory exists within all the Guardian-deities (lokapālakas). Please grant me that glory. Bless me with those endless supernatural powers which saints and siddha-puruṣas obtain due to power of penance”.
What strange boons he sought! Without leaving any possibility, he covered all forms though which death attacks!
With this the third chapter of the Seventh Canto comes to an end.
Seventh Canto Chapter Four
In this chapter, the atrocities of Hiraṇyakaśipu and the noble qualities of Prahlada are covered.
Nārada Maharishi continued, “O Yudhisthira! Pleased with the penance undertaken by the demon king, Lord Brahma decided to fulfill all his desires although such boons are very rarely bestowed.
He said to Hiraṇyakaśipu, “My dear son, these boons sought by you are beyond the scope of humans. Even then I am granting them to you.” Saying this Lord Brahma accepted the worship performed by Hiraṇyakaśipu.
The grace of the Supreme Lord is unfathomable! Due to the blessing showered by Brahma, Hiraṇyakaśipu’s body obtained a rare golden glow. He now recollected the ghastly death of his brother and with this intensified his hatred towards Srihari.
He conquered all the worlds and all the directions, including heaven, which is the residence for Devatas. He conquered not only the kings who rule earth but also rulers of other worlds such as Devatas, demons, Gandharvas, Garudās, Nāgās, Siddhas, Cāraṇas , Vidyadharas, fore-fathers (pitr-devatas), Maharishis, Yakshas and ghosts (piśaca) as well as bhootas-pretas. In this way having conquered all the kings who rule living entities in all planes of existence, he held them under his control.
He was now the sole ruler of the entire universe. To kill him was now impossible, since all living entities were under his control. He had no enemy anywhere in the creation. He usurped the positions of all the Guardian-deities together with their occult powers.
Hiraṇyakaśipu invaded heaven and became the King of heaven, leaving the Devatas helpless and powerless. He began to reside in the glorious residence of Indra, the original Lord of heaven and which had been constructed by the famous celestial architect Viswakarma. In this residence of Indra are contained the treasures pertaining to all the three worlds!
The steps in this palace were made of corals, the floors with expensive emeralds, the walls with crystals and the pillars were made of precious cat’s eye stones (vaidurya)”. Swamiji explains: Only when such detailed description is given we can appreciate the beauty of that palace. Only then it becomes valuable in our opinion.
“The palace was decorated with many multi-coloured gems and rubies, expensive sofas and other seats. The beds were as white and delicate as milk cream and were decorated with many white pearls. When the celestial ladies, whose milky white teeth shone beautifully, moved with their delicate gait, the melodious tinkling from their anklets could be heard. As they walked, they admired their reflection in the floor, pillars, walls of the buildings.
Hiraṇyakaśipu was a very arrogant and self-respecting demon. He was in a hurry to dispatch these Devatas to hell. For this reason he began to behave very cruelly with them”.
Madhavaya namah