SB 7.5.1 · Srimad-Bhagavatam

Devanagari

श्रीनारद उवाच पौरोहित्याय भगवान्वृत: काव्य: किलासुरै: । षण्डामर्कौ सुतौ तस्य दैत्यराजगृहान्तिके ॥ १ ॥

Verse text

śrī-nārada uvāca paurohityāya bhagavān vṛtaḥ kāvyaḥ kilāsuraiḥ ṣaṇḍāmarkau sutau tasya daitya-rāja-gṛhāntike

Synonyms

śrī — nāradaḥ uvāca — the great saint Nārada said ; paurohityāya — to work as priest ; bhagavān — the most powerful ; vṛtaḥ — chosen ; kāvyaḥ — Śukrācārya ; kila — indeed ; asuraiḥ — by the demons ; ṣaṇḍa — amarkau — Ṣaṇḍa and Amarka ; sutau — sons ; tasya — of him ; daitya — rāja — of the King of the demons, Hiraṇyakaśipu ; gṛha — antike — near the residence .

Translation

The great saint Nārada Muni said: The demons, headed by Hiraṇyakaśipu, accepted Śukrācārya as their priest for ritualistic ceremonies. Śukrācārya’s two sons, Ṣaṇḍa and Amarka, lived near Hiraṇyakaśipu’s palace.

Translation (Visvanatha Cakravarti Thakura)

Nārada said: The demons, headed by Hiraṇyakaśipu, accepted powerful Śukrācārya as their priest for ritualistic ceremonies. Śukrācārya's two sons, Ṣaṇḍa and Amarka, lived in Hiraṇyakaśipu’s palace. In the Fifth Chapter Prahlāda, asked by his father about his education, praises Kṛṣṇa, as taught by his guru. He is attacked by elephants and other calamities which were arranged by his father, but remains safe. Nārada begins to explain how Prahlāda’s bhakti was the cause of hatred. Kāvyaḥ is Śukrācārya. The two sons lived in the palace (verb is omitted).

Purport

The beginning of the life story of Prahlāda is recounted as follows. Śukrācārya became the priest of the atheists, especially Hiraṇyakaśipu, and thus his two sons, Ṣaṇḍa and Amarka, resided near Hiraṇyakaśipu’s residence. Śukrācārya should not have become the priest of Hiraṇyakaśipu because Hiraṇyakaśipu and his followers were all atheists. A brāhmaṇa should become the priest of a person interested in the advancement of spiritual culture. The very name Śukrācārya, however, indicates a person interested in obtaining benefits for his sons and descendants, regardless of how the money comes. A real brāhmaṇa would not become a priest for atheistic men.