Text 25
tasmin praviṣṭe varuṇasya sainikā
yādo-gaṇāḥ sanna-dhiyaḥ sasādhvasāḥ
ahanyamānā api tasya varcasā
pradharṣitā dūrataraṁ pradudruvuḥ
tasmin praviṣṭe — when he entered the ocean; varuṇasya — of Varuṇa; sainikāḥ — the defenders; yādaḥ-gaṇāḥ — the aquatic animals; sanna-dhiyaḥ — depressed; sa-sādhvasāḥ — with fear; ahanyamānāḥ — not being hit; api — even; tasya — his; varcasā — by splendor; pradharṣitāḥ — stricken; dūra-taram — far away; pradudruvuḥ — they ran fast.
On his entering the ocean, the aquatic animals who formed the host of Varuṇa were stricken with fear and ran far away. Thus Hiraṇyākṣa showed his splendor without dealing a blow.
Materialistic demons sometimes appear to be very powerful and are seen to establish their supremacy throughout the world. Here also it appears that Hiraṇyākṣa, by his demoniac strength, actually established his supremacy throughout the universe, and the demigods were afraid of his uncommon power. Not only were the demigods in space afraid of the demons Hiraṇyakaśipu and Hiraṇyākṣa, but so also were the aquatic animals within the sea.