“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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Within the Vedic tradition, one of the names provided for describing the Almighty is Uttamashloka. This is a compound Sanskrit word consisting of terms that refer to the topmost, or that which is above darkness, and a verse, or collection of words.

Uttamashloka refers to a person who is described by the topmost collection of words. It is in this subject area where an aspiring devotee may feel inferior. They consider themselves to be unfit to offer proper glorification. They consider that subject area to already be accounted for, with beautiful glorifications documented in many wonderful and lengthy texts, such as the Ramayana and Mahabharata.

“Who am I to glorify? What ability in expression do I possess? I stumble upon answering the basic question of what I did the past weekend. If you ask me to describe a person at the scene of a crime, at identifying a potential suspect, I would have no idea where to start. You are asking me the shape of the eyebrows of the assailant, and meanwhile I am not sure if they were a man or a woman.”

What if we were to be informed that the same glorification can take place in the absence of explicit words? Highlighting the same qualities, focusing on the same individual, creating an unwavering connection in consciousness, but through antagonism instead of support.

This is one way to view the historical figure that was the leader of Daityas. Hiranyakashipu glorified Vishnu, but inadvertently. He did not mean to do it, but if not for his explicit intervention in dealing with the devotee named Prahlada, the world might never have witnessed the vision of the amazing avatara called Narasimha.

1. Anger

This was the beginning. Desire is the initial catalyst, and if a person cannot curb their appetite for meeting those desires, they open themselves up to a world of hurt. It is like taking off the bandage, going against the orders of the doctor, and exposing the wound to potential infection.

ध्यायतो विषयान्पुंसः सङ्गस्तेषूपजायते ।
सङ्गात्सञ्जायते कामः कामात्क्रोधोऽभिजायते ॥

dhyāyato viṣayān puṁsaḥ
saṅgas teṣūpajāyate
saṅgāt sañjāyate kāmaḥ
kāmāt krodho ’bhijāyate

“While contemplating the objects of the senses, a person develops attachment for them, and from such attachment lust develops, and from lust anger arises.” (Lord Krishna, Bhagavad-gita, 2.62)

The source of Hiranyakashipu’s anger was words. He heard words of praise, of support, of devotion towards Lord Vishnu, who happened to be well-known to the father. Hiranyakashipu considered Vishnu to be the greatest enemy. It was Vishnu who had killed Hiranyakashipu’s brother, Hiranyaksha.

Prahlada was aligned with Vishnu. Prahlada was the five-year old son of Hiranyakashipu. How could this be happening? How was this possible? A traitor in the midst, but what was the cause? A child would have had to have been corrupted; he must have been instructed in that manner. He was otherwise too innocent to even ponder the option of turning against the leaders.

2. Manipulation

Since Prahlada was so young, Hiranyakashipu assumed he could fix the problem through words. It is not difficult to fool a child. When they are small, they barely understand the days of the week. If they insist upon going to the park or the local playground, the parents can simply respond that the place is closed. The child will not know better.

In the same way, if the teachers could simply teach Prahlada about the importance of royal life, of running a kingdom, of dominating enemies, then everything would be squared away. The child would give up this crazy idea of worshiping the four-armed Vishnu.

3. Aggression

The deprogramming effort did not work. Prahlada would not budge from his stance. It was like his resolve grew even stronger. What made the situation more embarrassing for Hiranyakashipu was the lack of agitation in the son.

The father resorted to violence; implementing lethal means. The child survived every attempt. It looked as if Prahlada was not affected. He was not angry at the teachers, nor at the father. Prahlada explained the science of self-realization whenever questioned on pertinent topics. He was not dissuaded by the hostile reaction which had come to be expected.

4. Mockery

Hiranyakashipu continued in his efforts. He tried to use Prahlada’s own words against him. If God were indeed everywhere, then why not in the pillar? If God were indeed the source of strength in Prahlada, then show that strength. Reveal to the world how the nearby pillar was non-different from the Supreme Lord.

श्री-प्रह्राद उवाच
न केवलं मे भवतश् च राजन्
स वै बलं बलिनां चापरेषाम्
परे ’वरे ’मी स्थिर-जङ्गमा ये
ब्रह्मादयो येन वशं प्रणीताः

śrī-prahrāda uvāca
na kevalaṁ me bhavataś ca rājan
sa vai balaṁ balināṁ cāpareṣām
pare ’vare ’mī sthira-jaṅgamā ye
brahmādayo yena vaśaṁ praṇītāḥ

“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.” (Shrimad Bhagavatam, 7.8.7)

5. A miserably failed endeavor

There is the saying, “You ask and you shall receive.” The last piece in the imminent destruction of Hiranyakashipu was the appearance of Narasimhadeva. It was Vishnu, but this time looking a little different. One part man, and one part lion.

There was no escaping this time for the Daitya leader. Narasimha was providing visual evidence to the claims of Prahlada. The sophistry of the father, the foolish hope to continue in a stolen position, to dominate forever, came crashing down. These efforts were actually a glorification of Vishnu, as the protector of Prahlada is still celebrated and worshiped through that amazing avatara.

In Closing:

What if I told you,
That antagonism through?

From his position high,
With all means to try.

Hiranyakashipu glorifying this way,
Not with prayers or honors to say.

Prahlada’s devotion impeding,
To descent of Narasimha leading.

Categories: the five

Tags: god, hare krishna, narasimha, poem, poems, poetry, prahlada, religion