“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)

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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

“The image of Narasimha worshiped on countless altars throughout the world evokes a variety of sentiments, feelings, and responses. One of them is fear, which corresponds to the ghastliness of the scene depicted. You have this lion figure, who is also kind of a human being, ripping through the insides of a helpless victim. The intent is obvious. There is no ambiguity to the purpose. The lion-person wants to kill. They have found their target. They are getting to work, so to speak.

“Of course, since this image sits atop an altar, in a room which likely features marble flooring and a rose-like scent, in an establishment erected for the express purpose of worship, there are also people who meditate fondly on that image. There is an accompanying set of prayers the worshipers might memorize, called the Narasimha-kavacha-stotram. They look to this lion-man as a kind of god; actually, the highest god. They worship through this image.

“We understand that there is a reason for the worship. The violence is intentional and the victim supposedly deserved everything they received. The scene is ghastly, nonetheless. If God is taking the form of a lion, why is that a fair fight? What chance did the victim have? Why dominate over someone like Hiranyakashipu, who was a mere mortal? What does that prove from the side of God? Does He feel the need to show everyone just how powerful He is? The guarantee of death should be proof enough, if you ask me.

“Why not appear as an ordinary man and give Hiranyakashipu a fighting chance? Why tear through the insides of someone who is alive? Can you see why people might object to the reverence surrounding this image? If God can do this to one person, what is to stop Him from doing the same to others? Why try to make people more afraid than they already are?”

Was the violence perpetrated against Prahlada fair? Was it fair to target an otherwise innocent five-year old boy? Was it appropriate to violate the unspoken but well-established covenant between father and son, that the father will love and provide protection unconditionally? Was it fair to treat Prahlada worse than any prisoner held in captivity, pumped for secret information? Was it fair for the powerful father to torture someone so helpless?

दिग्-गजैर् दन्दशूकेन्द्रैर्
अभिचारावपातनैः
मायाभिः सन्निरोधैश् च
गर-दानैर् अभोजनैः
हिम-वाय्व्-अग्नि-सलिलैः
पर्वताक्रमणैर् अपि
न शशाक यदा हन्तुम्
अपापम् असुरः सुतम्
चिन्तां दीर्घतमां प्राप्तस्
तत्-कर्तुं नाभ्यपद्यत

dig-gajair dandaśūkendrair
abhicārāvapātanaiḥ
māyābhiḥ sannirodhaiś ca
gara-dānair abhojanaiḥ
hima-vāyv-agni-salilaiḥ
parvatākramaṇair api
na śaśāka yadā hantum
apāpam asuraḥ sutam
cintāṁ dīrghatamāṁ prāptas
tat-kartuṁ nābhyapadyata

“Hiranyakashipu could not kill his son by throwing him beneath the feet of big elephants, throwing him among huge, fearful snakes, employing destructive spells, hurling him from the top of a hill, conjuring up illusory tricks, administering poison, starving him, exposing him to severe cold, winds, fire and water, or throwing heavy stones to crush him. When Hiranyakashipu found that he could not in any way harm Prahlada, who was completely sinless, he was in great anxiety about what to do next.” (Shrimad Bhagavatam, 7.5.43-44)

The attempts were real. The attempts were many. There could only be more than one attempt because Prahlada kept surviving. The child attributed the defense to the presence of Vishnu, who is the Supreme Personality of Godhead. As Vishnu was inside of the weapons of the Daityas, so the same Vishnu was inside of Prahlada. It was a special case, but Prahlada managed to survive so much torture. None of the attempts made against him were fair.

विष्णुः शस्त्रेषु युष्मासु मयि चासौ यथा स्थितः
दैतेयास् तेन सत्येन मा क्रामन्त्व् आयुधानि वः

viṣṇuḥ śastreṣu yuṣmāsu mayi cāsau yathā sthitaḥ
daiteyās tena satyena mā krāmantv āyudhāni vaḥ

“O Daityas, just as Vishnu is in those weapons and also situated in me, so by that truth your weapons will not be able to overcome me.”  (Prahlada Maharaja, Vishnu Purana, 1.17.33)

Just what exactly was the father so paranoid about? Why was it intolerable for the son, Prahlada, to show allegiance to Vishnu? Hiranyakashipu was already safe. The safety was established through pleas presented to Lord Brahma, who is the creator. The requests were made after a period of long and intense austerity. Brahma is not in the business of selling counterfeit goods. The boons came with a warranty, in a sense. Brahma was good for what he offered.

Based on those very protections, Hiranyakashipu was safe. He was even safe from Prahlada, should the child decide to eventually retaliate. Prahlada was a mortal, after all. The father was safe against attacks from mortals. From celestials. From the conventional weapons of the day. From the daytime. From the night. From the land, and even from the sea. Hiranyakashipu thought he had all angles covered in his attempt to construct immortality through individual parts.

It was entirely fair for Vishnu to abide by the rules. Though He is above action and consequence, Vishnu decided to honor the protections offered by Brahma. It was a manner of etiquette to appear as a response to mocking words directed at a pillar. It was kindness for Vishnu to appear neither as a beast nor as a man. It was the topmost display of fairness for Vishnu to kill Hiranyakashipu using nails, while the victim was held in the lap; meaning he was neither on land nor in the air.

Given the violence inflicted against the helpless Prahlada, it was appropriate for Vishnu to appear and return the favor to the perpetrator. Devotees hold the scene in high regard due to the unbelievably kind nature of the Supreme Lord, who breaks from His position of neutrality to favor those who are dedicated to Him in an unbreaking vow, dridha-vrata.

In Closing:

Following unbreaking vow,
Explanation for how.

From a pillar to appear,
And rivals quickly to clear.

Where victim on lap to sit,
With nails in half to split.

All for devoted Prahlada came,
A return on father without shame.

Categories: questions

Tags: abuse, dailyprompt, life, narasimha, parenting, poem, poems, poetry