132 Srimad-Bhagavatam [Canto 7, Ch. 8
kvdsau yadi sa sarvatra
kasmat stambhe na drsyate

yah—the one who; tvaya—by you; manda-bhagya—O unfortunate
one; uktah—described; mat-anyah—besides me; jagat-isvarah—the
supreme controller of the universe; kva—where; asau—that one;
yadi—if; sah—He; sarvatra—everywhere (all-pervading); kasmat—
why; stambhe—in the pillar before me; na drsyate—not seen.

TRANSLATION

O most unfortunate Prahlada, you have always described a
supreme being other than me, a supreme being who is above
everything, who is the controller of everyone, and who is all-
pervading. But where is He? If He is everywhere, then why is He
not present before me in this pillar?

PURPORT

Demons sometimes declare to a devotee that they cannot accept the ex-
istence of God because they cannot see Him. But what the demon does
not know is stated by the Lord Himself in Bhagavad-gita (7.25): naham
prakasah sarvasya yogamayda-samdavrtah. “| am never manifest to the
foolish and unintelligent. For them I am covered by yogamaya.”” The
Lord is open to being seen by devotees, but nondevotees cannot see Him.
The qualification for seeing God is stated in Brahma-samhita (5.38):
prem4ijana-cchurita-bhakti-vilocanena santah sadaiva hrdayesu vi-
lokayanti. A devotee who has developed a genuine love for Krsna can al-
ways see Him everywhere, whereas a demon, not having a clear under-
standing of the Supreme Lord, cannot see Him. When Hiranyakasipu was
threatening to kill Prahlada Maharaja, Prahlada certainly saw the col-
umn standing before him and his father, and he saw that the Lord was
present in the pillar to encourage him not to fear his demoniac father’s
words. The Lord was present to protect him. Hiranyakasipu marked
Prahlada’s observation and asked him, “Where is your God?” Prahlada
Maharaja replied, ‘“‘He is everywhere.” Then Hiranyakasipu asked,
“Why is He not in this pillar before me?” Thus in all circumstances the
devotee can always see the Supreme Lord, whereas the nondevotee can-
not.
