हिरण्यकशिपू राजन्नजेयमजरामरम् ।
आत्मानमप्रतिद्वन्द्वमेकराजं व्यधित्सत ॥१॥
Å›rÄ«-nÄrada uvÄca
hiraṇyakaÅ›ipÅ« rÄjann
ajeyam ajarÄmaram
ÄtmÄnam apratidvandvam
eka-rÄjaá¹ vyadhitsata
Å›rÄ«-nÄradaḥ uvÄca - NÄrada Muni said; hiraṇyakaÅ›ipuḥ - the demoniac king HiraṇyakaÅ›ipu; rÄjan - O King Yudhiá¹£á¹hira; ajeyam - unconquerable by any enemy; ajara - without old age or disease; amaram - immortal; ÄtmÄnam - himself; apratidvandvam - without any rival or opponent; eka-rÄjam - the one king of the universe; vyadhitsata - desired to become.
NÄrada Muni said to MahÄrÄja Yudhiá¹£á¹hira: The demoniac king HiraṇyakaÅ›ipu wanted to be unconquerable and free from old age and dwindling of the body. He wanted to gain all the yogic perfections like aṇimÄ and laghimÄ, to be deathless, and to be the only king of the entire universe, including Brahmaloka.
Such are the goals of the austerities performed by demons. HiraṇyakaÅ›ipu wanted to receive a benediction from Lord BrahmÄ so that in the future he would be able to conquer Lord BrahmÄ’s abode. Similarly, another demon received a benediction from Lord Åšiva but later wanted to kill Lord Åšiva through that same benediction. Thus self-interested persons, by demoniac austerity, want to kill even their benedictors, whereas the Vaiṣṇava wants to remain an ever-existing servant of the Lord and never to occupy the post of the Lord. Through sÄyujya-mukti, which is generally demanded by asuras, one merges into the existence of the Lord, but although one sometimes thus achieves the goal of the theory of monism, one falls down again to struggle in material existence.
