Text 8
gṛham ānītam āhūya
prahrādaṁ daitya-yājakāḥ
praśasya ślakṣṇayā vācā
samapṛcchanta sāmabhiḥ
gṛham — to the place of the teachers (Ṣaṇḍa and Amarka); ānītam — brought; āhūya — calling; prahrādam — Prahlāda; daitya-yājakāḥ — the priests of the demon Hiraṇyakaśipu; praśasya — by pacifying; ślakṣṇayā — with a very mild; vācā — voice; samapṛcchanta — they questioned; sāmabhiḥ — by very agreeable words.
When Hiraṇyakaśipu’s servants brought the boy Prahlāda back to the gurukula [the place where the brāhmaṇas taught the boys], the priests of the demons, Ṣaṇḍa and Amarka, pacified him. With very mild voices and affectionate words, they inquired from him as follows.
Ṣaṇḍa and Amarka, the priests of the demons, were eager to know from Prahlāda Mahārāja who the Vaiṣṇavas were that came to instruct him in Kṛṣṇa consciousness. Their purpose was to discover the names of these Vaiṣṇavas. In the beginning they did not threaten the boy because when threatened he might not identify the real culprits. Therefore they very mildly and peacefully inquired as follows.