Five Mocking Questions To Highlight The Embarrassment Of Hiranyakashipu

“Prahlada Maharaja, a small child of only five years, became the object of envy for his great father, Hiranyakashipu, only because of his becoming a pure devotee of the Lord. The demon father employed all his weapons to kill the devotee son, Prahlada, but by the grace of the Lord he was saved from all sorts of dangerous actions by his father. He was thrown in a fire, in boiling oil, from the top of a hill, underneath the legs of an elephant, and he was administered poison.” (Shrila Prabhupada, Shrimad Bhagavatam, 1.15.16 Purport)

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To the casual observer it is a story of the triumph of good over evil. Something similar to a “David versus Goliath,” except the supposedly weaker party had no desire for conflict in this case. He wasn’t fighting back. It wasn’t a confrontation, in the classical sense.

To those who know more about the history, the episode is one of the more significant appearances of the Divine in this world. A sadhu required protection. This particular saintly person was a member of the Daitya race. They were not renounced, living in a forest, or formally within the brahmana occupation.

यदा यदा हि धर्मस्य
ग्लानिर् भवति भारत
अभ्युत्थानम् अधर्मस्य
तदात्मानं सृजाम्य् अहम्

yadā yadā hi dharmasya
glānir bhavati bhārata
abhyutthānam adharmasya
tadātmānaṁ sṛjāmy aham

“Whenever and wherever there is a decline in religious practice, O descendant of Bharata, and a predominant rise of irreligion – at that time I descend Myself.” (Lord Krishna, Bhagavad-gita, 4.7)

In order to provide protection in the visible sense, there must be an opposing force. If God descends from the spiritual world, in what is known as an avatara, then there is an accompanying actor in the play, so to speak. The villain to the hero. The bad guy to the person who is pure goodness [shuddha-sattva] personified.

With that understanding in mind, a person may feel compassion for the villain. They might ponder the plight of Hiranyakashipu, the Daitya leader whose consciousness was fully consumed by enmity towards the Supreme Personality of Godhead, Vishnu.

Why did Hiranyakashipu have to meet such a fate? Why did the gatekeeper descend from Vaikuntha to play the villain? Why was he compelled into demoniac tendencies? Why did he have to fight against Narasimhadeva?

We can analyze the situation in the opposite way. Hiranyakashipu was so fortunate to be defeated by God the person. His embarrassment was extraordinary, based on the circumstances. Few people in history would be fortunate to have such a chance, to highlight the glories of Vishnu and Vishnu’s devotees through aggression, anger, and a miserably failed endeavor.

1. You mean you couldn’t impress your own child?

“Bro, you were the king of the world. The demigods lived in fear. The whole world was afraid of you. Granted, this was because of boons you received from Lord Brahma, the creator. But I don’t see anyone else receiving the same favor.

“If it is so easy to capture the attention of the one known as Vidhata, why isn’t everyone doing it? No, you deserve credit. You got some amazing boons, though they fell short of providing one hundred percent immunity from death.

“But tell me something. How come you couldn’t impress your own son, Prahlada? At only five years of age, children tend to follow the adults. The best way to teach them is by example. Imitation. They will want to do whatever you are doing.

“How did you fail so miserably, then? How could someone with your power, strength, and influence not steer the beloved son in the right direction? How did Prahlada end up having allegiance to Vishnu, your nemesis?”

2. You mean you couldn’t educate him properly?

“Bro, I get it that children have a mind of their own. They don’t always dutifully abide by the example of the parents. We are individuals, after all. Each person has their proclivities, likes, dislikes, and aversions. Prahlada chose a path completely the opposite of yours.

“But come on. How could you not get his mind right? You had total control. There was no concept of free speech in your kingdom. You controlled the flow of information. Prahlada would have had no choice but to listen to the teachers.

“Were they not experts? You had to find the best ones, I’m sure. You could make anyone do anything. How could you not get Prahlada excited about ruling a kingdom, advancing on enemies, amassing power, and enjoying life to the fullest?”

3. You mean you couldn’t kill him the first time?

“Bro, I don’t think there was anyone in the world who would go after you. No one would be foolish enough to attack, especially when you have those boons of protection. I think they covered the different periods of the day and the different kinds of species. You even accounted for weapons that could inflict lethal harm.

“The fact that you couldn’t kill Prahlada the first time is laughable. Were you intoxicated or something? Did your guards have toy weapons or something? How is a person to believe that a five-year old innocent kid, who is not fighting back, was able to survive?”

4. You mean you still couldn’t kill him?

“Bro, there is no way. You dropped him off a mountain. You fed him to snakes. You had someone take him into a raging fire. And you still couldn’t kill him? Seriously?

“Are you not embarrassed? How could you show your face in public? People must have been laughing at you. I’m guessing you banned laughing in your kingdom. In any sane jurisdiction, you would be the object of endless mockery. Especially considering how proud you were to be king of the world.”

5. You mean you were defeated by something that came out of a pillar?

“Hold on a second. You mean to tell me that you invited your own destruction? You struck a pillar as a way to mock your son. And then out of that pillar came this half-man/half-lion creature? If you had just kept your mouth shut, nothing would have happened.

“I guess Narasimhadeva really embarrassed you. Fortunately, Prahlada was your son. That child of a saintly nature asked for your forgiveness. You received liberation due to contemplating Vishnu at the time of death. Yours is one of the greatest embarrassments in history, one that provides transcendental delight for those who are able to see the Divine nature to the interaction. In that sense, your glories are endless.”

In Closing:

With glories to extend,
From failure’s end.

In a spectacular way,
After mockingly to say.

That God not even in pillar found,
Resulting in terrible sound.

Narasimha vision to appear,
And your power to disappear.