SB 7.9.5 · Srimad-Bhagavatam

Devanagari

स्वपादमूले पतितं तमर्भकं विलोक्य देव: कृपया परिप्लुत: । उत्थाप्य तच्छीर्ष्ण्यदधात्कराम्बुजं कालाहिवित्रस्तधियां कृताभयम् ॥ ५ ॥

Verse text

sva-pāda-mūle patitaṁ tam arbhakaṁ vilokya devaḥ kṛpayā pariplutaḥ utthāpya tac-chīrṣṇy adadhāt karāmbujaṁ kālāhi-vitrasta-dhiyāṁ kṛtābhayam

Synonyms

sva — pāda — mūle — at His lotus feet ; patitam — fallen ; tam — him (Prahlāda Mahārāja) ; arbhakam — only a little boy ; vilokya — seeing ; devaḥ — Lord Nṛsiṁhadeva ; kṛpayā — out of His causeless mercy ; pariplutaḥ — very much afflicted (in ecstasy) ; utthāpya — raising ; tat — śīrṣṇi — on his head ; adadhāt — placed ; kara — ambujam — His lotus hand ; kāla — ahi — of the deadly snake of time, (which can cause immediate death) ; vitrasta — afraid ; dhiyām — to all of those whose minds ; kṛta — abhayam — which causes fearlessness .

Translation

When Lord Nṛsiṁhadeva saw the small boy Prahlāda Mahārāja prostrated at the soles of His lotus feet, He became most ecstatic in affection toward His devotee. Raising Prahlāda, the Lord placed His lotus hand upon the boy’s head because His hand is always ready to create fearlessness in all of His devotees.

Translation (Visvanatha Cakravarti Thakura)

When Lord Nṛsiṁhadeva saw the small boy prostrated at the soles of his feet, overcome with affection, he raised Prahlāda and placed upon the boy's head his lotus hand, which destroys fear in the minds of persons afraid of the snake of time. Kṛtābhayam means “his hand which creates fearlessness.”

Purport

The necessities of the material world are four — āhāra, nidrā, bhaya and maithuna (eating, sleeping, defending and mating). In this material world, everyone is in fearful consciousness ( sadā samudvigna-dhiyām ), and the only means to make everyone fearless is Kṛṣṇa consciousness. When Lord Nṛsiṁhadeva appeared, all the devotees became fearless. The devotee’s hope of becoming fearless is to chant the holy name of Lord Nṛsiṁhadeva. Yato yato yāmi tato nṛsiṁhaḥ: wherever we go, we must always think of Lord Nṛsiṁhadeva. Thus there will be no fear for the devotee of the Lord.