CONTENTS:
- NRSINGHADEVA APPEARED TO PROTECT PRAHLADA MAHARAJA
- SRILA PRABHUPADA'S APPRECIATION
- GURU MAHARAJA’S INSTRUCTIONS
1. NRSINGHADEVA APPEARED TO PROTECT PRAHLADA MAHARAJA
Nrsinghadeva is actually the angry mood of the Lord. The Lord has different moods and according to his moods and pastimes He assumes different forms. This form is the angry mood but this anger for the Lord is for whom? Those who are atheistic, mainly those who trouble the devotees. A beautiful example for that is Prahlada Maharaja became a devotee of Krishna and his father started to trouble him because he became a devotee of Krishna. His father was the King of the demons, leader of all the daityas, Hiranyakasipu. When he saw that Prahlada became a devotee of Krishna and when he saw that Prahlada was not going to give up his surrender and submission to Krishna then Hiranyakasipu decided to kill him. He ordered his soldiers and bodyguards to kill Prahlada, a five-year-old boy. When they tried to kill him, pierce his body with spears they could not do anything, before they could even touch his body all the weapons broke into pieces. Prahlada was thrown in a pit of venomous snakes and the snakes were biting Prahlada nothing happened to Prahlada. Prahlada was put under the feet of the wild elephant but the elephant instead of tramping Prahlada saluted Prahlada. They tried to burn him in fire, not just a small little fire, amount a of fire was created and Prahlada was thrown into that fire and nothing happened. Prahlada was put in the boiling pot of oil nothing happened to Prahlada. Prahlada was thrown from a mountain cliff nothing happened to Prahlada. Prahlada was thrown into the ocean and the demons were throwing the mountain to burry Prahlada in the water, nothing happened.
In Spite of trying to kill Prahlada in so many ways, when Hiranyakasipu did not succeed then he asked Prahlada where are you getting this power from then Prahlada Maharaja said, “My dear King, the source of my strength, of which you are asking, is also the source of yours. Indeed, the original source of all kinds of strength is one. He is not only your strength or mine, but the only strength for everyone. Without Him, no one can get any strength. Whether moving or not moving, superior or inferior, everyone, including Lord Brahma, is controlled by the strength of the Supreme Personality of Godhead.”
In this way when Prahlada answered then Hiranyakasipu became so angry and he replied, “You rascal, you are trying to minimize my value?” Hiranyakasipu used to think that he is the greatest, actually he became the greatest in the universe, he defeated all the devas, Indra, Chandra, Varuna and he subdued the mind they all were afraid of him so much so that just by hearing his name they used to tremble in fear. When he got angry all three planetary systems upper, lower and middle started to also shake and tremble with fear. He was so powerful and he became powerful because he received some boon from Brahma.
Hiranyakasipu tried to take revenge of his brother’s death. Hiranyakasipu had a brother whose name was Hiranyaksa. This Hiranyaksa was killed by Hari, Krishna and when the news came Hiranyakasipu decided to take revenge. He said you killed my brother; I will kill you, just the way people do in this material nature they want to take revenge but he didn’t know who Krishna was that’s why he decided to challenge him in that way. He understood one thing that this Krishna is more powerful than him because his brother was equally powerful to him and Hiranyaksa was killed by him. He decided to become extremely powerful meaning to become immortal. He thought if I become immortal then nobody can kill me. With the desire to become immortal he went to Mandara mountain and he stood on top of Mandara mountain just on one leg not only on one leg on top of his toe, just on his toe and he stood there with his hands raised upwards, not only for days or months together but for years together just standing there like that, such severe austerity.
In the meantime, the ants found an endless supply of food and started to eat his body. As a result of that the ants had been living there for so long that they created an ant hill around Hiranyakasipu’s body. His body was eaten up by the ants, not only his flesh, fat and skin, the inside of the body was eaten up, his lungs, intestine, brain, his heart was eaten up. Heart is the place where the soul resides what did Hiranyakasipu do when his heart was eaten up? He kept his soul within his bone marrow. This is how severely he was performing his austerity, his soul was within the bone marrow, there he preserved his soul. Due to his severe austerity a terrible heat was generated and that heat reached the heavenly planets and the demi-gods were being scorched they couldn’t stay there. They ran to Brahma to please do something about it. Brahma came andhe took some water from his waterpot (kamandalu) and he sprinkled some water on Hiranyakasipu’s body and his body was rejuvenated. Previously his body was just a skeleton standing and now he got a beautiful form but his body was so strong stronger than thunderbolt, even thunder could not do anything.
Hiranyakasipu became so strong when Indra threw thunder on him Hiranyakasipu felt like flower petals were being thrown at him so that is how powerful he became due to hid austerity. Brahm asked Hiranyakasipu, “Why are you performing such severe austerity, what do you want?” He said, “I want to become immortal so if you pleased with me grant me immortality.” Hiranyakasipu was under the impression that Brahma was the Supreme Personality. In the universe Brahma is the supreme, the highest so the people whose knowledge is only limited to this universe will think the Brahma is the highest.
He thought that pleasing Brahma would bring him immortality but when he told that to Brahma, Brahma said, “Look even I am not immortal so how can I give you the boon of immortality? Ask for any other boon but this I can’t grant.” Hiranyakasipu said, “Ok, give me the boon that no daitya, danava, sura, asura, raksasa, kinnera, gandarva, manusya can kill me. Brahma said this boon I can grant. Then he said give me the boon that no weapon can kill me; he said this boon I can also give you. Then he said give me the boon that I won’t be killed in the sky, on the land or water, he said fine that boon I can also give you. He said give me the boon that I won’t be killed during the day or night, he said fine I can give you this boon also. Give me the boon that I won’t be killed within the house or outside the house, I can give you that boon. He became almost immortal, nobody can kill him, no weapon can kill him, he won’t be killed during the day or at night, he won’t be killed inside or outside the room. He became so powerful.
Although he became so powerful his son Prahlada became a devotee. Prahlada received the mercy of Narada Muni, when Hiranyakasipu was away the demi-gods arrested his wife Kayadu at that time she was pregnant so demigods thought she must be carrying a demon in her womb so we will put her in prison and when she gives birth to the child we will kill the child so when they were taking Kayadu, Narada Muni appeared there and said, “why are you troubling this woman?” because in Vedic culture women should never be troubled, women should be protected but never troubled. When one troubles women, one loses all his piety, good fortune. When the demi-gods told they arrested her because she’s going to give birth to a demon. Narada Muni said, no the child in her womb is a great devotee, he’s not a demon so let her go.
Kayadu had no place to go so Narada Muni gave her shelter at his ashrama and when Narada Muni used to instruct his mother, sitting in the womb of his mother Prahlada used to hear these instructions and this is how Prahlada became a devotee from even before his birth. Hiranyakasipu came back and Narada Muni returned Kayadu to him, you wife was in my custody and now you are back so I am returning her. Narada Muni gave Kayadu one benediction that the child in her womb would not be born until his father returned that means until Hiranyakasipu returned so Prahlada was born only after Hiranyakasipu retuned. When Prahlada was five years old, he was sent to the Guru’s ashrama. Who became the teacher of Prahlada? The two sons of Sukracharya, the guru of the demons. One day Hiranyakasipu made Prahlada sit on his lap and asked, “My dear son, what did you learn in your school, what’s the most important knowledge?” and Prahlada said, “Daddy the most important knowledge is to surrender unto Krishna.” Hiranyakasipu just by hearing that became so angry he started to roar like a lion and said call the teachers, what education he is giving to my son? When Hiranyakasipu got angry the universe began to shake with fear so when Sanda and Amarka came in front of him you can well imagine their condition, it has been described they were shaking like a dry leaf in a storm. Hiranyakasipu asked what kind of education you are giving to my son? They said well we are teaching them economics, politics, finance, management. Where did he learn about Krishna bhakti? We don’t know maybe the demi-gods are coming in disguise and giving him that education.
Hiranyakasipu made arrangement that nobody would be able to go in that ashrama of his son’s teacher, not even a bird could enter there it was so well protected. After few days Hiranyakasipu asked Prahlada what was the most important instruction he learnt and he repeated the same thing. The Supreme Personality of Godhead who is the shelter of everyone to take His shelter is the goal of life. Hiranyakasipu became so angry and started saying that his kulanga, the family line, for the King it’s a dynasty, he considered that this child is going to burn the entire family line so he decided to kill him and no matter in how many ways he tried to kill Prahlada he could not. Then when he asked you are saying Hari is the source of all power, so where is your Hari, Krishna? Prahlada said He is everywhere; He is even in your heart but you are so unfortunate that you can’t see Him. He is in everyone’s heart, He is everywhere. Hiranyakasipu asked is He in this pillar? Because that’s the last place he thought anyone could be, can somebody be in a pillar? But Prahlada replied Yes, he is there also. Hiranyakasipu was so angry that he struck the pillar with his fist and the pillar broke, a massive pillar supporting the roof of the assembly hall where thousands of people can assemble a huge high pillar broke. Then he heard a terrible sound, the sound was so terrible that it seemed that the entire universe was trembling. He couldn’t figure out where the sound was coming from so, he looked here and there but then he saw a wonderful form, a unique form coming out from the pillar. The form is of Nrsinghadeva, half lion, the head of a lion and a body of a man. Immediately Hiranyakasipu attacked him, he pulled out his sword and attacked and a fight ensued between the two of them.
They practically fought the whole day throughout the day. Hiranyakasipu was very powerful and the Lord was more powerful but sometimes a more powerful opponent plays around with the weaker opponent. He was playing like that and then finally when the day is turning into night, sandya, evening, sandya coming from sandi, the day is turning into night. At that time the Lord picked Hiranyakasipu, placed him on His lap and He was sitting at the frame of the door and with His nails He tore Hiranyakasipu’s body. tava kara-kamala-vare nakham adbhuta-srngam dalita-hiranyakasipu-tanu-bhrngam with the names of your lotus like hands and what was Hiranyakasipu’s body like wasp, an insect. Wasp body is very soft. Hiranyakasipu’s body that was that strong that not even thunder could do anything to that body, the Lord with His nails tore open that body. He pulled out his intestine and he wrapped the intestine around his neck like a garland and he threw away the heart then He threw away the body of Hiranyakasipu. Hiranyakasipu had the boon that he would not be killed by anybody but the Lord appeared as neither a man or an animal. He won’t be killed by any weapon, He used His nails, is nails a weapon? No. He won’t be killed in sky, land or water he was on the Lord’s lap. He won’t be killed inside or outside the room, He sat at the door which is neither inside or outside. This is how Hiranyakasipu was killed by the Lord. Here we see two things no matter how powerful Hiranyakasipu was but in front of the Lord he became totally insignificant. No matter what kind of arrangements he made to become immortal the Lord could undo all those arrangements.
On the other hand, we see Hiranyakasipu was trying to kill Prahlada in so many ways but he didn’t succeed. What’s the difference between Prahlada and Hiranyakasipu? Prahlada is a devotee and Hiranyakasipu is a demon. The Lord protects His devotee under all circumstances and the demon no matter how powerful the demon may be the Lord can annihilate him. That is the lesson we learn from this pastime. After hearing this wonderful pastime and understanding this act of the Lord what do we learn? Should we become inimical towards the Lord or should we become submissive to the Lord? Simple lesson but very valuable because when you surrender to the Lord the Lord gives you all protection.
2. SRILA PRABHUPADA'S APPRECIATION
But that is not the case. Srila Prabhupada has always been that great personality. From his writing and his actions, we saw Srila Prabhupada’s surrender and sacrifice.
(Excerpt from Prabhupada Realizations)
3. GURU MAHARAJA’S INSTRUCTIONS
Should we become inimical towards the Lord or should we become submissive to the Lord? Simple lesson but very valuable because when you surrender to the Lord the Lord gives you all protection.
(The content of this E-magazine is based on a lecture given by HH Bhakti Charu Swami on 3 May 2015 on Narsimha Chaturdasi)
(Compiled and Edited by Hemavati Radhika Devi Dasi)