“’You said that He is indeed everywhere, so why can He not be seen in this pillar? If I do see that Vishnu right now in the middle of the pillar, then I will not kill you. Otherwise, you will be divided into two.’ Having seen (his father) in that way, Prahlada began to meditate on that Supreme Lord.” (Narasimha Purana, 44.10-11)

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त्वयोक्तं स हि सर्वत्र कस्मात् स्तम्भे न दृश्यते
यदि पश्यामि तं विष्णुम् अधुना स्तम्भमध्यगम्

तर्हि त्वां न वधिष्यामि भविष्यसि द्विधान्यथा
प्रह्लादो ऽपि तथा दृष्ट्वा दध्यौ तं परमेश्वरम्

tvayoktaṃ sa hi sarvatra kasmāt stambhe na dṛśyate
yadi paśyāmi taṃ viṣṇum adhunā stambhamadhyagam

tarhi tvāṃ na vadhiṣyāmi bhaviṣyasi dvidhānyathā
prahlādo ‘pi tathā dṛṣṭvā dadhyau taṃ parameśvaram

If standing in front of an audience, holding a microphone, Prahlada could likely fill an entire recorded special with what is known in the business as “crowd work.” Impromptu jokes at the expense of someone seated nearby. In this case, it would be one person, who happens to be Prahlada’s father. The son could poke fun at the lack of intelligence in the otherwise superior authority figure. Prahlada could make jokes left and right, if he so chose, as that is one benefit to possessing superior knowledge. Instead, the child tried his best, in a peaceful way, to correct the errors of the father. Sadly, Hiranyakashipu would not listen. He was insistent, defiant, and persistent, until he was essentially forced to see the highest truth manifest before him.

To highlight the gross lack of intelligence in that leader of the Daityas, we take a look at the final moments. Hiranyakashipu decided on a clinical trial of sorts. Prahlada kept bringing up this Vishnu person, who is supposed to be all-pervading. The Sanskrit word is sarvatra. Thus far, there was no visible evidence to the claim. In a sense, there was proof, but only the wise could see it. Prahlada kept surviving lethal attacks. He was being cancelled by the state for spreading disinformation. His dissent was not to be tolerated, no matter his family connections. Hiranyakashipu ordered all those hits, but each one failed. Maybe this Vishnu person was indeed real. Maybe Vishnu was actually there.

Anyway, Hiranyakashipu settled upon a trial using an inanimate object. You see, if Vishnu could show Himself in the nearby pillar, the struggle would end. Hiranyakashipu would finally take it easy. But if not, then the powerful sword known as Chandrahasa would be struck against Prahlada. That sword would split the child into two. Though only five years of age, Prahlada would not be spared. The failing test would carry consequences. In the following review, we consider the potential danger in conducting such a test, in the obvious vulnerabilities that Hiranyakashipu failed to identify.

1. That Vishnu might actually exist

It is a test, after all. Hiranyakashipu was so sure that Vishnu is not sarvatra that there was no consideration given to the other side. Vishnu had previously defeated Hiranyaksha, who was Hiranyakashipu’s brother. Vishnu was obviously a person who could be identified. Had not the creator, Lord Brahma, himself suddenly appeared before Hiranyakashipu? That was at a previous time, but it still happened. Does Brahma not worship Vishnu? Shrimad Bhagavatam explains that Vishnu was there before Brahma, in fact.

अहम् एवासम् एवाग्रे
नान्यद् यत् सद्-असत् परम्
पश्चाद् अहं यद् एतच् च
यो ऽवशिष्येत सो ऽस्म्य् अहम्

aham evāsam evāgre
nānyad yat sad-asat param
paścād ahaṁ yad etac ca
yo ‘vaśiṣyeta so ‘smy aham

“Brahma, it is I, the Personality of Godhead, who was existing before the creation, when there was nothing but Myself. Nor was there the material nature, the cause of this creation. That which you see now is also I, the Personality of Godhead, and after annihilation what remains will also be I, the Personality of Godhead.” (Shrimad Bhagavatam, 2.9.33)

2. That Vishnu might be as Prahlada described

If we consider that a positive result to the test is on the table, maybe Vishnu would be as someone described Him. You know, that son standing right in front, the child named Prahlada. He spoke at length about Vishnu. He understood that the personal God can be addressed by other names, such as Hari, Rama, and Krishna. Prahlada revealed that Vishnu is the source of strength in every person. Vishnu was the reason that Prahlada managed to survive the unwarranted attacks against him. Vishnu was also the strength in Hiranyakashipu.

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. That Vishnu might have witnessed everything thus far

This is likely the most significant vulnerability to overlook. The test was for the sarvatra property. If Vishnu proved Himself to exist within the pillar, then it means He also exists elsewhere. You know, in places as high as the cliff atop the mountain. In the pit of venomous snakes. Within the raging fire with Hiranyakashipu’s sister named Holika. At the bottom of the ocean, where Prahlada was pinned down with heavy weights. Vishnu would exist in those places, as well.

4. That Vishnu might have perfect memory

Bhagavad-gita specifically addresses this issue. The same Vishnu, but as the kindest charioteer named Krishna, explains the difference in memory capacity. For the living beings, the hard drive, of sorts, gets reformatted after each iteration. After a spin on the cycle of birth and death, the conceptions of life carry over, but the exact details held within memory do not.

शरीरं यद् अवाप्नोति
यच् चाप्य् उत्क्रामतीश्वरः
गृहीत्वैतानि संयाति
वायुर् गन्धान् इवाशयात्

śarīraṁ yad avāpnoti
yac cāpy utkrāmatīśvaraḥ
gṛhītvaitāni saṁyāti
vāyur gandhān ivāśayāt

“The living entity in the material world carries his different conceptions of life from one body to another as the air carries aromas.” (Lord Krishna, Bhagavad-gita, 15.8)

It is different with the Supreme Lord. He can remember everything. From any period of time. From any previous birth for the living being. This means that not only was Vishnu present during the many heinous crimes committed against an innocent five-year old boy, but He would also be able to remember each instance. Those memories just might play a role in His mood, should He appear from the pillar.

श्री-भगवान् उवाच
बहूनि मे व्यतीतानि
जन्मानि तव चार्जुन
तान्य् अहं वेद सर्वाणि
न त्वं वेत्थ परन्तप

śrī-bhagavān uvāca
bahūni me vyatītāni
janmāni tava cārjuna
tāny ahaṁ veda sarvāṇi
na tvaṁ vettha parantapa

“The Blessed Lord said: Many, many births both you and I have passed. I can remember all of them, but you cannot, O subduer of the enemy!” (Bhagavad-gita, 4.5)

5. That Vishnu might have a superior weapon

Hiranyakashipu held the Chandrahasa. This would be used to strike the pillar. If Vishnu manifested from the pillar, it would mean that Vishnu is all-pervading. It would also mean that Vishnu has superior powers. Perhaps that origin of everything, the source of all strength, would carry a weapon sufficient to return the favor of wicked deeds against the perpetrator. In other words, an angry Vishnu, with memories of torture against Prahlada fresh on His mind, could possibly carry through on the original promise. That is to say, instead of Prahlada being split into two, the means of punishment would be bifurcation, for the foolish leader of the Daityas. Vishnu could turn simple nails into the most powerful weapons, ones that no one previously saw coming.

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)

In Closing:

Confident as Chandrahasa to hold,
But irony in future to unfold.

That when pillar to strike,
Not of weapon alike.

But of superior in strength,
Short as nail’s length.

Deep into perpetrator to tear,
Vishnu the whole time aware.

Categories: chandrahasa, the five

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