The Vultures Feast Around You Still

“One time, that wicked king of the Daityas saw his son of lotus-like face and beautiful eyes, surrounded by women, having returned from the home of the guru. In his hand, that boy was holding a slate which had the mark of a chakra at the top and the name of Krishna written with great adoration.” (Narasimha Purana, 41.35-36)

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तं पद्मवक्त्रं दैत्येन्द्रः कदाचित् स्त्रीवृतः खलः
बालं गुरुगृहायातं ददर्श स्वायतेक्षणम्
गृहीत्वा तु करे पुत्रं पट्टिका या सुशोभना
मूर्ध्नि चक्राङ्किता पट्टी कृष्णनामाङ्कितादरात्

taṃ padmavaktraṃ daityendraḥ kadācit strīvṛtaḥ khalaḥ
bālaṃ gurugṛhāyātaṃ dadarśa svāyatekṣaṇam
gṛhītvā tu kare putraṃ paṭṭikā yā suśobhanā
mūrdhni cakrāṅkitā paṭṭī kṛṣṇanāmāṅkitādarāt

It was a ghastly scene. One resembling the conclusion of a film documenting the daily life of the lion in the jungle. They found their prey. They took their victim to a secluded location. The lion then had its way. It tore into the insides of the hunted, who was reduced to a carcass. The same thing once happened to Hiranyakashipu, the leader of the Daityas. The wise understand that this scene depicting the end of life also showed the greatest blessing a person can receive.

The comparison is possible due to the potential in destinations. When there is life, there is death. When there is birth, there is the eventual departure, for good. As there are different ways to enter the world, in different circumstances, there is also variety in how to leave this world. The “when” is unknown. Actuaries make educated guesses, but this world is full of danger. The threefold sources of misery strike relentlessly. There is always the possibility of a heavenly calamity befalling a particular area, leaving the victims helpless.

A person can depart without prior warning. They can depart after suffering many months from a debilitating illness. They can depart with a smile on their face, going out gracefully, in peace. In the case of Hiranyakashipu, there was a fight. There was full potency in the ability to fight. Hiranyakashipu was otherwise feared throughout the world. This time, he finally met his match. He could not escape the clutches of Narasimha.

There is variety in how a person leaves, but what they leave behind is always the same. In the absence of funeral arrangements coordinated by the friends and family of the departed, what should happen to the body? We know that nature eventually works its way to the area. The vultures locate the dead living beings. It is like they have a sense for these things. They have an internal GPS which guides them towards areas with food.

That body is food for the vultures whether I was rich or poor. Whether I was the most famous person in the world. Whether I lived in relative obscurity. Whether my social media posts generated tons of hits. Whether many people were kind enough to like and subscribe to my channel. Whether I lived in a palatial residence or inside of a cave in a remote mountain.

Prahlada Maharaja tried to teach Hiranyakashipu about this truth. Prahlada was the son. Hiranyakashipu was the father. The son was supposed to follow in the footsteps of the father. Instead, the son became something like an itinerant preacher. He had the spirit of vairagya inside of him. He was elevated in consciousness like the greatest ascetic. Prahlada was liberal in offering the treasure of wisdom to the father.

The tragedy was that Hiranyakashipu would not listen. The father did not agree with Prahlada’s inclination. The father did not take pleasure in the sight of the chakra drawn on a slate. He did not like seeing the name of Krishna written in a reverential manner. He did not want to hear Prahlada offer praise to Vishnu prior to answering questions.

Hiranyakashipu did not realize that the same destination awaits the strong and the weak alike. What he saw as weakness in devotion to Vishnu was actually strength. What he saw as strength in pursuing ascendency in world domination was actually weakness, due to the lack of a connection with the Supreme Consciousness.

हरिः सुरेशो नरलोकपूजितो हिताय लोकस्य चराचरस्य
कृत्वा विरूपं च पुरात्ममायया हिरण्यकं दुःखकरं नखैश् छिनत्

hariḥ sureśo naralokapūjito hitāya lokasya carācarasya
kṛtvā virūpaṃ ca purātmamāyayā hiraṇyakaṃ duḥkhakaraṃ nakhaiś chinat

“Shri Hari, who is the Lord of the demigods, who is worshiped by the people of the world, for benefiting the moving and nonmoving beings of the world took that dreadful form through His own energy and tore apart Hiranyakashipu, who caused suffering to so many, with His nails.” (Narasimha Purana, 44.43)

Hiranyakashipu so detested worship of the Supreme Lord that he tried to beat it out of Prahlada. It was this violence that eventually triggered the arrival of Vishnu. The Supreme Lord appeared as a half-man/half-lion. This avatara was specifically for protecting Prahlada. It behaved like a lion in capturing its prey. Hiranyakashipu became a food for vultures, anyway, but his end was most glorious. His end was through Vishnu, and so Prahlada was successful in his influence.

In Closing:

Always nonsense to talk,
And without fear to walk.

Despite my wishes against,
On this Vishnu bhakti bent.

No longer wanting to hear,
A snake despite previously dear.

But now amazing Narasimha to see,
Ghastly visual of end for me.