But He Always Plays The Fool

By krishnasmercy on May 22, 2026 • ( 0 )

“’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

“Who does this child think he is? Where does he get the courage to stand up to someone so powerful? Just what is he trying to accomplish? He has this crazy notion of some imaginary figure, invisible to all, pervading the entirety of space. He keeps referencing this person, in attributing strength, fame, honor, glory, victory, and everything else enjoyable to a single source. It is utter nonsense. Does the child not realize he is embarrassing himself? He is embarrassing the royal family, the kingdom, and the entire population of Daityas. It is one thing for a five-year old boy to play make-believe, but there is trouble if ever others should imitate. Children are impressionable, after all. They should not be encouraged along the path of illusion. They should not be rewarded for accepting nonsense. No, Prahlada has gone too far. He must be eliminated, once and for all.”

These were some of the thoughts of the infamous historical character known as Hiranyakashipu. According to his view, it was foolish to go outside of the realm of perception, for establishing truth. If you could not see it directly, it perhaps did not exist. Of course, Hiranyakashipu was not entirely honest in this presentation. He violated his own principle a long time back. That deviation from his standard turned out to be quite important. You see, it was the meeting with Lord Brahma, the creator, which lifted the leader of the Daityas into the stratosphere of unquestionable authority and impenetrable fortification.

Hiranyakashipu underwent severe penances. He did it on purpose. He had a mission to fulfill. He wanted a meeting with Brahma. A meeting takes place face-to-face. Even in the modern era of virtual phone calls, there is still a living, identifiable person on the other side. Even the massive head-fake that is AI-generated content relies on something real. In other words, the illusion must work off reality.

For Hiranyakashipu, the meeting was the future state. The beginning state was separation. We could say that Brahma was avyakta, or unmanifest. His movements were aprakata, or not visible to the eye. If applying the same lens that later criticized Prahlada for the belief in Vishnu, someone could say that Hiranyakashipu was foolish. Perhaps this Brahma person did not exist. Perhaps it was a fairytale or make-believe that a person far away could witness the extraordinary austerity carried out in a remote place.

श्री-ब्रह्मोवाच
उत्तिष्ठोत्तिष्ठ भद्रं ते
तपः-सिद्धो ’सि काश्यप
वरदो ’हम् अनुप्राप्तो
व्रियताम् ईप्सितो वरः

śrī-brahmovāca
uttiṣṭhottiṣṭha bhadraṁ te
tapaḥ-siddho ’si kāśyapa
varado ’ham anuprāpto
vriyatām īpsito varaḥ

“Lord Brahma said: O son of Kashyapa Muni, please get up, please get up. All good fortune unto you. You are now perfect in the performance of your austerities, and therefore I may give you a benediction. You may now ask from me whatever you desire, and I shall try to fulfill your wish.” (Shrimad Bhagavatam, 7.3.17)

The meeting did take place. This meant that Brahma is real. Brahma was real the entire time, even prior to the meeting. Hiranyakashipu was a fool during that meeting, as he asked for things that could not be delivered. He remained foolish through the refusal to accept the reality. You see, Hiranyakashipu considered ways to achieve immortality through component parts. Think of different conditions and settings. Consider the many forms of attack. Review the times of the day and the characteristics of the habitat. Land, air, ground, man, beast, weapon, and morning and night. Hiranyakashipu asked for protection everywhere and all of the time.

Brahma did the best that he could. He went with what was requested. This is what he had to work with, after all. Many years later, the son of Hiranyakashipu had similar protections, it seemed. Prahlada did not ask for them, though. He did not realize the protections were there until attacks started arriving. Hiranyakashipu was the instigator. The previously affectionate father turned inimical upon hearing praise of Vishnu within the kingdom. Hiranyakashipu was a fool for thinking that blatant censorship could somehow change the reality. Whether Prahlada spoke about Vishnu or not, it is the eternal truth that God has the most power, is the source of power, and has the power to remove someone from their position at any time.

In the final moments, Hiranyakashipu again showed himself to be a fool. He thought that since Prahlada had yet to produce any solid evidence on the all-pervading, sarvatra property of Vishnu, that the entire proposal was a myth. Prahlada was going to be split in half, by a powerful sword, but only after one last chance. This time, Vishnu had to show himself. It was an order. The stipulation was for this object of worship to finally reveal His amazing potency. Hiranyakashipu then struck a pillar with that sword, thinking that nothing would happen. The fool finally got the evidence he previously insisted upon. It was the kind of evidence that he would not like, but which continues to bring delight to devotees for all of time.