न केवलं मे भवतश्च राजन्

श्री प्रह्लाद उवाच
न केवलं मे भवतश्च राजन्स वै बलं बलिनां चापरेषाम्।
परेऽवरेऽमी स्थिरजङ्गमा ये ब्रह्मादयो येन वशं प्रणीताः॥८॥
स ईश्वरः काल उरुक्रमोऽसावोजः सहः सत्त्वबलेन्द्रियात्मा।
स एव विश्वं परमः स्वशक्तिभिः सृजत्यवत्यत्ति गुणत्रयेशः॥९॥
जह्यासुरं भावमिमं त्वमात्मनः समं मनो धत्स्व न सन्ति विद्विषः।
ऋतेऽजितादात्मन उत्पथे स्थितात्तद्धि ह्यनन्तस्य महत्समर्हणम्॥१०॥
दस्यून्पुरा षण्न विजित्य लुम्पतो मन्यन्त एके स्वजिता दिशो दश।
जितात्मनो ज्ञस्य समस्य देहिनां साधोः स्वमोहप्रभवाः कुतः परे॥११॥
—श्रीमद्भागवते सप्तमस्कन्धेऽष्टमोऽध्यायः
śrī prahlāda uvāca
na kevalaṁ me bhavataśca rājansa vai balaṁ balināṁ cāpareṣām|
pare’vare’mī sthirajaṅgamā ye brahmādayo yena vaśaṁ praṇītāḥ||8||
sa īśvaraḥ kāla urukramo’sāvojaḥ sahaḥ sattvabalendriyātmā|
sa eva viśvaṁ paramaḥ svaśaktibhiḥ sṛjatyavatyatti guṇatrayeśaḥ||9||
jahyāsuraṁ bhāvamimaṁ tvamātmanaḥ samaṁ mano dhatsva na santi vidviṣaḥ|
ṛte’jitādātmana utpathe sthitāttaddhi hyanantasya mahatsamarhaṇam||10||
dasyūnpurā ṣaṇna vijitya lumpato manyanta eke svajitā diśo daśa|
jitātmano jñasya samasya dehināṁ sādhoḥ svamohaprabhavāḥ kutaḥ pare||11||
—śrīmadbhāgavate saptamaskandhe’ṣṭamo’dhyāyaḥ
Not just mine, but [He is] the source of your strength as well O King! and Indeed the strength of all those who are strong and others
Those superior, or inferior, moving or non-moving, beginning from Brahma, ae under His control!
He is the Supreme Ishvara (controller), that One Supreme Lord, the strength of the senses, mind, body and Atma!
Indeed He creates, maintains and dissolves the Universe by His power, the Lord of the three Gunas!
Give up your Asuric tendencies and percieve everything as equal to yourself (stop discriminating); [then] there are no enemies,
Except for the mind on the wrong path! [If that can be achieved] That is the greatest worship of the limitless Lord!
Many previous demons, not defeating the six enemies (काम/kāma: desire, क्रोध/krodha: anger, लोभ/lobha: greed, मोह/moha: delusion, मद/mada: pride/arrogance, मात्सर्यम्/mātsaryam: jealousy), which [actually] steal away [everything]
For the one who has conquered the senses, who views all beings with equanimity, for such a noble soul, where are the enemies, created by own’s own delusions!?

Amazing discourse by Prahlada to Hiranyakashipu, when he asks his son who gives him the power/fearlessness to stand and argue, culminating in further fury of Hiranyakashipu and the avatara of Lord Narasimha!


सत्यं विधातुम्

सत्यं विधातुं निजभृत्यभाषितं व्याप्तिं च भूतेष्वखिलेषु चात्मनः।
अदृश्यतात्यद्भुतरूपमुद्वहन्स्तम्भे सभायां न मृगं न मानुषम्॥७-८-१७॥
—श्रीमद्भागवते सप्तमस्कन्धेऽष्टमोऽध्यायः
satyaṁ vidhātuṁ nijabhṛtyabhāṣitaṁ vyāptiṁ ca bhūteṣvakhileṣu cātmanaḥ|
adṛśyatātyadbhutarūpamudvahanstambhe sabhāyāṁ na mṛgaṁ na mānuṣam||7-8-17||
—śrīmadbhāgavate saptamaskandhe’ṣṭamo’dhyāyaḥ
To make true the words uttered by Prahlada, under His care, [Bhagavan Narasimha] who his omnipresent in the entire Universe and
Assuming an unseen extremely wondrous form, [emerged] in the pillar in the royal court, neither an animal, nor human!

Another wonderful shloka, that demonstrates the vatsalyam of Bhagavan, He performed his Avatara, not just to protect Prahlada, but to make true Prahlada’s statement (satyam vidhatum!). When Hiranyakashipu brags to Prahlada about his might, Prahlada merely states that Lord Vishnu is the might underlying anyone and everyone’s might! When Hiranyakashipu gets enraged and asking why the Lord does not show himself in the pillar, and smashes it with his fist, Lord Narasimha appears, to protect his dear Prahlada’s words (and of course Prahlada himself)!

मतिर्नकृष्णे परतः स्वतो वा

मतिर्नकृष्णे परतः स्वतो वा
मिथोऽभिपद्येत गृहव्रताननम्।
अदान्तगोभिर्विशतां तमिस्रं
पुनः पुनश्चर्वितचर्वणानाम्॥७-५-३०॥
—श्रीमद्भागवते सप्तमस्कन्धे पञ्चमोऽध्यायः
matirnakṛṣṇe parataḥ svato vā
mitho’bhipadyeta gṛhavratānanam|
adāntagobhirviśatāṁ tamisraṁ
punaḥ punaścarvitacarvaṇānām||7-5-30||
—śrīmadbhāgavate saptamaskandhe pañcamo’dhyāyaḥ
Thoughts of Krishna [do not arise in their minds] either from others’ [goading] or from their own [understanding]
Or from a combination of both, for those rooted to materialistic life.
Uncontrolled by the their senses, they enter hell again and again, repeatedly chewing the already chewed [materialistic pleasures].

The critical point here is perhaps Krishna! Why does Prahlada mention Krishna, in Kritayugam, when Krishnavatara happens only in (the very end of) Dwaparayugam?! This clearly illustrates the repetitive enactment of all avataras, in every Kalpa! Indeed, Ramavatara/Krishnavatara have occurred infinite times in the past and will occur infinitely many times in the future!

कौमारं जहतुर्व्रजे

एवं विहारैः कौमारैः कौमारं जहतुर्व्रजे।
निलायनैः सेतुबन्धैर्मर्कटोत्प्लवनादिभिः॥१०-११-५९॥
—श्रीमद्भागवते दशमस्कन्धे एकादशोऽध्यायः
evaṁ vihāraiḥ kaumāraiḥ kaumāraṁ jahaturvraje|
nilāyanaiḥ setubandhairmarkaṭotplavanādibhiḥ||10-11-59||
—śrīmadbhāgavate daśamaskandhe ekādaśo’dhyāyaḥ
In this way [Krishna and Balarama] passed Their childhood age in Vrajabhumi by engaging in activities of childish play.
Such as playing hide-and-seek, constructing a “bridge on the ocean”, and jumping here and there like monkeys!

This is the last shloka of Chapter 11 in Dashama Skandha.

See also: http://ramasetu.blogspot.in/2007/08/rama-setu-and-krishna-i-kamyavana-setu.html : This beautiful post on Khaman Setu talks about how Krishna re-enacted the Setu-bandhana lila for the Gopis!

The tradition holds that once in His boyhood, Krishna with a party of his gopa-gopi friends wandered about this place. The area was filled with water up to a village on the hill, where they wanted to go. Being tired, not wanting to walk the long way around the water, the gopis said to Krishna that it is said that he was none other than Rama himself. Also well known was the saga of Lord Rama having built a stone bridge across the ocean to Lanka. So if that was true, gopi-s teased, and he was actually Rama Himself, then he should be able to call the monkeys to build a bridge across that water.

To fulill this desire of Gopi-s too, like all others, Krishna performed yet another leela. He played on His flute, it is said, and some monkeys gathered around Him. Krishna requested the monkeys to build a bridge across the water, so the party could walk across it. The monkeys quickly built a bridge across the water.

There indeed is a row of stones across a beautiful lake. This place is known as Setu-Bandhana-Kunda. Also at this place, just like at Rameshwaram, is worshipped a sacred Shiva Linga in the Sankara Mahadeva temple. There also is a Ashokavana nearby, representing the Ashoka Vatika of Lanka. There is also a mound here that represents the Trikuta parvat of Lanka.

The BIG Animation Movie Legendary Warrior, as also the TV episode so beautifully depicts that Setu Bandhana Lila!

सर्वं विष्णुमयम्

यावच्छीलगुणाभिधाकृतिवयो यावद्विहारादिकम्
सर्वं विष्णुमयं गिरोऽङ्गवदजः सर्वस्वरूपो बभौ॥१०-१३-१९॥
—श्रीमद्भागवते दशमस्कन्धे त्रयोदशोऽध्यायः
yāvacchīlaguṇābhidhākṛtivayo yāvadvihārādikam
sarvaṁ viṣṇumayaṁ giro’ṅgavadajaḥ sarvasvarūpo babhau||10-13-19||
—śrīmadbhāgavate daśamaskandhe trayodaśo’dhyāyaḥ
This is a beautiful description of Krishna’s Brahma Mohana leela, describing how Krishna assumed the forms of the various cowherds, calves, flutes, sticks, lunch boxes, etc. pervading everything (sarvaṁ viṣṇumayaṁ)
Exactly like the cowherd boys, the tender bodies of the calves, exactly to the hands, legs and limbs, [not only the bodies, but] exactly like their bugles, flutes, lunch boxes, sticks etc., exactly like their ornaments and clothes, exactly with their character, features, attributes and body features; exactly their tastes/amusements; everything [in every detail], embodiments of Lord Vishnu, with voices exactly ike theirs, Lord Krishna (ajaḥ) created everything in detail as Himself, [without any change].

See also: http://vedabase.net/sb/10/13/19/en

Find a beautiful rendition of this shloka by Smt. Vishakha Hariji here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QibPGimfgPw

सत्यव्रतं सत्यपरं त्रिसत्यम्

सत्यव्रतं सत्यपरं त्रिसत्यं सत्यस्य योनिं निहितं च सत्ये।
सत्यस्य सत्यम् ऋतसत्यनेत्रं सत्यात्मकं त्वां शरणं प्रपन्नाः॥१०-२-२६॥
—श्रीमद्भागवते दशमस्कन्धे द्वितीयोऽध्यायः

This prayer was made by the Devas to Lord Maha Vishnu, as He was going to embark upon Shri Krishnavataram:
One Who always observes the vow of Truth (He never deviates from satyam, and protects the Truth); One Who is The Absolute Truth, One Who is the three Truths of Creation, Maintenance and Dissolution; One who is the cause of all Truths; entering the material world.
One who is the Truth among all Truths, One who has for His Eyes Satyam and Rtam, the Embodiment of all Truths, We surrender unto your protection.

In a lighter vein, it is said (in a discourse of Shri Hariji) that the Devas were still in the [previous] Ramavataram mode, hence so many appellations of Satyam, which was a fundamental aspect of Lord Rama!

See also:

मल्लानामशनिर्नृणां नरवरः

मल्लानामशनिर्नृणां नरवरः स्त्रीणां स्मरो मूर्तिमान्
गोपानां स्वजनोऽसतां क्षितिभुजां शास्ता स्वपित्रोः शिशुः।
मृत्युर्भोजपतेर्विराडविदुषां तत्त्वं परं योगिनाम्
वृष्णीनां परदेवतेति विदितो रङ्गं गतः साग्रजः॥१७॥
—श्रीमद्भागवते दशमस्कन्धे त्रिचत्वारिंशोऽध्यायः
mallānāmaśanirnṛṇāṁ naravaraḥ strīṇāṁ smaro mūrtimān
gopānāṁ svajano’satāṁ kṣitibhujāṁ śāstā svapitroḥ śiśuḥ|
mṛtyurbhojapatervirāḍaviduṣāṁ tattvaṁ paraṁ yoginām
vṛṣṇīnāṁ paradevateti vidito raṅgaṁ gataḥ sāgrajaḥ||17||
—śrīmadbhāgavate daśamaskandhe tricatvāriṁśo’dhyāyaḥ
For the wrestlers, lightning; for the men, the best among men; for the women, the most handsome man; for all the Gopas, their relative; for all the bad men and kings, a punisher; for His parents, a child; for the King of Bhojas (Kamsa), Death; for the unintelligent, a helpless weakling; the Supreme Truth, for the Yogis; for the Vrishnis, the Supreme God; thus [Krishna was] understood, as He entered the arena with His Brother.