SB 3.17 Text 18

Text

prajāpatir nāma tayor akārṣīd
yaḥ prāk sva-dehād yamayor ajāyata
taṁ vai hiraṇyakaśipuṁ viduḥ prajā
yaṁ taṁ hiraṇyākṣam asūta sāgrataḥ

Synonyms

prajāpatiḥ-Kaśyapa; nāma-names; tayoḥ-of the two; akārṣīt-gave; yaḥ-who; prāk-first; sva-dehāt-from his body; yamayoḥ-of the twins; ajāyata-was delivered; tam-him; vai-indeed; hiraṇyakaśipum-Hiraṇyakaśipu; viduḥ-know; prajāḥ-people; yam-whom; tam-him; hiraṇyākṣam-Hiraṇyākṣa; asūta-gave birth to; sā-she (Diti); agrataḥ-first.

Translation

Kaśyapa, Prajāpati, the creator of the living entities, gave his twin sons their names; the one who was born first he named Hiraṇyākṣa, and the one who was first conceived by Diti he named Hiraṇyakaśipu.

Purport

As will be revealed in later chapters, Hiraṇyakaśipu underwent severe austerity and penance to satisfy Brahmā and thus receive a benediction of immortality. Actually, it is impossible even for Lord Brahmā to give anyone the benediction of becoming immortal, but indirectly Hiraṇyakaśipu received the benediction that no one within this material world would be able to kill him. In other words, because he originally came from the abode of Vaikuṇṭha, he was not to be killed by anyone within this material world. The Lord desired to appear Himself to kill him. One may be very proud of his material advancement in knowledge, but he cannot be immune to the four principles of material existence, namely birth, death, old age and disease. It was the Lord's plan to teach people that even Hiraṇyakaśipu, who was so powerful and strongly built, could not live more than his destined duration of life. One may become as strong and puffed up as Hiraṇyakaśipu and bring under his control all the three worlds, but there is no possibility of continuing life eternally or keeping the conquered booty forever. So many emperors have ascended to power, and they are now lost in oblivion; that is the history of the world.