“My Lord, who are never conquered by anyone, I am certainly not afraid of Your ferocious mouth and tongue, Your eyes bright like the sun or Your frowning eyebrows. I do not fear Your sharp, pinching teeth, Your garland of intestines, Your mane soaked with blood, or Your high, wedgelike ears. Nor do I fear Your tumultuous roaring, which makes elephants flee to distant places, or Your nails, which are meant to kill Your enemies.” (Prahlada Maharaja, Shrimad Bhagavatam, 7.9.15)

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नाहं बिभेम्य् अजित ते ’तिभयानकास्य-
जिह्वार्क-नेत्र-भ्रुकुटी-रभसोग्र-दंष्ट्रात्
आन्त्र-स्रजः-क्षतज-केशर-शङ्कु-कर्णान्
निर्ह्राद-भीत-दिगिभाद् अरि-भिन्-नखाग्रात्

nāhaṁ bibhemy ajita te ’tibhayānakāsya-
jihvārka-netra-bhrukuṭī-rabhasogra-daṁṣṭrāt
āntra-srajaḥ-kṣataja-keśara-śaṅku-karṇān
nirhrāda-bhīta-digibhād ari-bhin-nakhāgrāt

1. An avatara of Vishnu

The Vedic tradition presents this concept of an avatara. There is only one God. He is the Supreme Personality of Godhead. He is the source of both the material and spiritual worlds. He is simultaneously anadi and ananta. There is no beginning to His existence and there is no end to His standing as Purushottama, or the topmost person.

That single source is a person, though there is also a way to view Him through an impersonal lens. He is nirguna in the sense that there are not any attributes tied to Him. Attributes are limiting, after all. If someone is tall, they are not short. If they are a man, they are not a woman. If they have two eyes, then they do not have four eyes, and so on.

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)

At the same time, the Supreme Lord is saguna. He is kind enough to give a visual with distinguishable features. He appears in this manifest realm in a manifest form, vyakta, from time to time. He has His reasons. No one can compel Him. Known as Vishnu and Narayana, the source of men is under no obligation to anyone. He creates the rules of the universe; He is never under the direction of those rules.

जन्म कर्म च मे दिव्यम्
एवं यो वेत्ति तत्त्वतः
त्यक्त्वा देहं पुनर् जन्म
नैति माम् एति सो ऽर्जुन

janma karma ca me divyam
evaṁ yo vetti tattvataḥ
tyaktvā dehaṁ punar janma
naiti mām eti so ‘rjuna

“One who knows the transcendental nature of My appearance and activities does not, upon leaving the body, take his birth again in this material world, but attains My eternal abode, O Arjuna.” (Lord Krishna, Bhagavad-gita, 4.9)

The nature of the appearance and activities in the manifest world is divyam. This is for Vishnu and His avataras, which are like eternally existing expansions. Vishnu descends to this world as Narasimhadeva, but it is not like that form ever gets created or destroyed. The janma for Narasimha is unique in that there is no visible seed. This amazing avatara of Vishnu appears from a pillar, of all places.

2. The protector of Prahlada

Narasimhadeva is well-known as the protector of Prahlada Maharaja. There is the added contrast in the age of Prahlada. When Narasimhadeva arrives, when He manifests from the pillar, Prahlada is only five years of age. The child requires protection. There is an antagonistic force of epic proportions. There is interference within the home from the leader of the Daitya kingdom.

It is Prahlada’s own father who is the cause of trouble. Prahlada has an inclination since birth towards worship of Vishnu. That worship is not necessarily hurting anyone. At worst, there are some words of wisdom shared with other children in the community. The father has to stomach hearing about how Vishnu is the source of strength in everyone.

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)

3. The slayer of Hiranyakashipu

Narasimha emerged from the pillar to protect Prahlada. The time was up for Hiranyakashipu. The father had tortured the son in so many ways. Prahlada somehow survived the otherwise lethal attacks. Through meditation, through remembering Vishnu, through connecting the individual soul with the Supersoul, the power of yoga overcame the intense interference.

Hiranyakashipu was the greatest materialistic force a person can imagine. To compare the struggle to a “David versus Goliath” situation does not do it justice. Prahlada had nothing going for him. Hiranyakashipu had everything going for him.

The leader of the Daityas thought that he was invincible. Even with the entire world hiding in fear of him, the disposition was still ajitendriyah. Hiranyakashipu was conquered by the senses. It was like he was owned by the mind, despite every comfort available to him.

4. Narahari

Narasimha is also known as Narahari. This compound Sanskrit word has several different meanings. Nara refers to a man. Hari can refer to a monkey, a lion, or Vishnu Himself. As Narahari, the Supreme Lord exploited the vulnerability to the boons of protection previously offered to Hiranyakashipu.

Since He was a half-man/half-lion, Narahari was neither a creature nor a man. Narahari killed Hiranyakashipu at dusk, which was neither nighttime nor daytime. Narahari used His fingernails to slay the perpetrator of wicked deeds. This meant that conventional weapons were not used, from which Hiranyakashipu was otherwise protected.

5. The husband of Lakshmi

Despite the amazing appearance, the amazing janma, the amazing strength, the amazing display of strength, and the amazing extension of protection to cover Prahlada, Narahari is still Vishnu. This means that He is the husband of Lakshmi Devi, who is the goddess of fortune. The pair can be worshiped today, tomorrow, and into the infinite future. That worship is itself sanatana-dharma, which is our eternal occupation.

In Closing:

Hurdle of boons clearing,
For Prahlada appearing.

Against father the boy’s own,
Avatara as Narasimha known.

To the troubled bringing relief,
Against those causing grief.

With Lakshmi Devi by His side,
In that vision can always reside.

Categories: the five

Tags: dailyprompt, hare krishna, narasimha, poem, poems, poetry, prahlada