“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 story is from an ancient time. The events described took place long ago. Even if a person is able to cross over the hurdle of disbelief, in the tendency to view the depictions of the Vedic tradition as mythology, it is a little difficult to relate to the way people lived back then. A powerful king. A single person in charge of a vast kingdom. No concern over a palace coup. No worry about being overthrown, precisely because the individual in charge reached their position through assistance. They specifically asked for a stature such that they would have no rival. No one would be able to outmaneuver them or overpower them. At least no one of this world.

व्यसुभिर्वासुमद्भ‍िर्वा सुरासुरमहोरगै:
अप्रतिद्वन्द्वतां युद्धे ऐकपत्यं च देहिनाम्
सर्वेषां लोकपालानां महिमानं यथात्मन:
तपोयोगप्रभावाणां यन्न रिष्यति कर्हिचित्

vyasubhir vāsumadbhir vā
surāsura-mahoragaiḥ
apratidvandvatāṁ yuddhe
aika-patyaṁ ca dehinām

sarveṣāṁ loka-pālānāṁ
mahimānaṁ yathātmanaḥ
tapo-yoga-prabhāvāṇāṁ
yan na riṣyati karhicit

“Grant me that I not meet death from any entity, living or nonliving. Grant me, further, that I not be killed by any demigod or demon or by any great snake from the lower planets. Since no one can kill you in the battlefield, you have no competitor. Therefore, grant me the benediction that I too may have no rival. Give me sole lordship over all the living entities and presiding deities, and give me all the glories obtained by that position. Furthermore, give me all the mystic powers attained by long austerities and the practice of yoga, for these cannot be lost at any time.” (Shrimad Bhagavatam, 7.3.37-38)

This is the story of Hiranyakashipu, the infamous leader of the Daityas. He tried what many people have attempted throughout history. He went after immortality. The preservation of the present lifetime, featuring protection of a position of prominence and domination. Imagine if you became CEO of the world, but without an expiration date. The leader for eternity. The topmost person, both in terms of your own mind and what others say. This is what Hiranyakashipu was after.

He reached that position; at least for a while. Interestingly, his subsequent demise could be blamed on an interaction with a five-year old boy. That child happened to be the son of Hiranyakashipu. Prahlada Maharaja was not a rival. He was not an enemy. He was not looking to bring down the father. The only crime was speaking the truth. Prahlada explained the preciousness of the human birth and the naturally deduced emphasis on making the most out of that birth. To reach saphala, or success, is to worship the Supreme Personality of Godhead, who is the source of everything. Just pay a little respect. Give an acknowledgment, steady and genuine. At least understand that everything you have can be destroyed in a second, as quickly as it was once provided.

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)

Hiranyakashipu could not tolerate these words. The child was speaking blasphemy, after all. The child was like a snake set to spoil the entire family. The child, therefore, had to be eliminated. There was only one problem. The powerful Hiranyakashipu could not harm Prahlada. Nothing worked. Literally, none of the attempts at inflicting serious bodily injury, egregiously crossing the line into the lethal category, succeeded. Prahlada was still standing.

Hiranyakashipu then met his own end, through an interesting sequence of events. To help us better understand, we present the following hypothetical situation. We transport ourselves to that scene, where Hiranyakashipu mocked Prahlada’s claim that God was everywhere and in everything. We have front-row seats to what happened next, where this amazing creature spontaneously appeared out of a pillar.

We are spectators to the event, and we have kindly assembled a panel of judges. They will be consulted when the competition takes place. You see, this creature is actually the object of worship. It is the person Prahlada has been describing the entire time. The victims in this case appeal to the judges on site. They want to know how this attack on Hiranyakashipu is possible. Hiranyakashipu was assured of protections from the creator himself, Lord Brahma. Hiranyakashipu was quite specific in what he wanted; it is like he created the armor of immortality through his own cunningness.

Into our hypothetical time travel, we bring a television broadcaster along. He is giving play-by-play for the viewing audience. He describes the different objections and the result of checking with the judges.

1. Not by a human being or an animal

“Alright, hold on. Someone has blown the whistle. It appears to be the attendants of Hiranyakashipu. They want to know how this is possible. The leader of the Daityas had asked for protection against human beings and animals. This strange looking and ferocious creature is having its way with Hiranyakashipu. How is this fair, the people are asking.

“We are checking with the judges. They have come back with a decision. They are going to allow it. They say that this being is neither a man nor a beast. It looks like a combination of human and lion. We can refer to it as Narasimha.”

2. Not on the land or in the sky

“Boy, this does not seem like a fair fight. Hiranyakashipu is getting a taste of his own medicine, it seems. He tried to dominate over the much smaller Prahlada. None of those violent attempts made a dent. Now Hiranyakashipu is getting manhandled by Narasimha. This is not going to be pretty. Wait a second, we have another objection. The supporters of the king want to know how this is fair. Hiranyakashipu had asked for protection in both the land and the sky. How is this attack possible, then?

“We are checking with the judges. They have come back with a decision. They are going to allow it. Narasimha has placed the victim on His lap. This means that the attack is occurring neither on the land nor in the sky. It seems like this man-beast has found a loophole in the proposal.”

3. Not during the day or at night

“Blood and guts everywhere. We remind everyone watching that this is really for mature audiences, only. Viewer discretion is advised. Hiranyakashipu has no chance, it seems. Wait a second, the whistle is blown again. We have another objection. The supporters want to know how this is possible, since Hiranyakashipu asked for safety during the day and at night.

“We are checking with the judges. They have reached a decision. They are going to allow it. You see, right now it is dusk. It is neither day nor night. Boy, this Narasimha sure picked the right time to appear. How could He have known, though? Hiranyakashipu was the one who triggered the affair by striking that pillar. It is like he invited his own demise. Hiranyakashipu is surely regretting that move right about now.”

4. Not inside the home or outside of it

“Let me tell you, whoever has to clean up this place will have their hands full. It is not a pretty sight. Alright, so there is another whistle. Yet another objection raised by the supporters. They are saying that Hiranyakashipu is supposed to be safe inside of the home. Even outside he is supposed to be safe. How is Narasimha allowed to attack, then?

“We are checking with the judges. They have reached a decision. They are going to allow it. They say that this attack is taking place at the threshold of the palace. This means that the victim is neither inside nor outside. It seems like Hiranyakashipu cannot catch a break. Talk about literally being at the wrong place at the wrong time. My goodness!”

5. Not by any weapons

“Let us remind our viewers that this was entirely unexpected. This is a sudden attack against someone who had every protection going for him. Every kind of weapon you can think of, Hiranyakashipu could not lose. Now it appears that the karma itself is literally digging into him. We do not have much longer, folks. Okay, so there is yet another whistle. This happens sometimes. It is like the defense attorney in a courtroom objecting to everything the prosecution asks. This time, they are upset with the means of attack. They are claiming that Hiranyakashipu is supposed to be immune from weapons.

“We are checking with the judges. They have reached a decision. They are going to allow it. They say that nails are not weapons, in the traditional sense. This Narasimha sure is clever. He is ripping through the victim, using only the nails. Hiranyakashipu might be rethinking that immortality idea right about now. You have his own son, Prahlada, who never worried about such things. He seems to be fully at peace, in worshiping Narasimha. It is like Prahlada understood the reality the entire time.”

In Closing:

No concern in him to find,
Understanding the entire time.

That immortality the fool to chase,
Acquisitions destiny to erase.

Better from this human birth gift,
Through the temporary to sift.

And find one the highest of all,
Perhaps as Narasimha to call.

Categories: the five

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