“’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

In the modern day, they refer to this category of content as “red-pill.” People are supposedly telling you the truth, after you were in denial for so long. These truths might be unpleasant to hear, but they are eye-opening, nonetheless. Once you see things in a different light, you can never go back. The only thing preventing this side from being more prominent is pushback. The people speaking the truth are generally not afraid of open and honest debate. It should actually be more like friendly dialogue and discussion. No need to raise tensions to the point that there is a debate, with a winner and a loser. But the pushback is often intense, beginning with mocking. The people on the other side make fun of the truthteller. In the case of Hiranyakashipu, there was one last sarcastic response to offer, just prior to the lethal punishment. Unfortunately, he didn’t realize that the joke was on him.

Just what got that leader of the Daityas so upset? What was it that he didn’t want to hear? It was the combination of the message and the source of delivery. Imagine that you are proud of your standing. Imagine that you consider yourself self-made. You rose to the top, on your own, without any assistance. You succeeded where others failed. You ascended where others stumbled and fell. You thrived in your chosen direction. You reached the rarified air of near-invincibility. It is seen that a certain part of the world has a history of countless invasions. For centuries on end, by different groups, with their different excuses. Conquering the world in the name of their religion, which is really only followed as a sort of formality. Acquiring valuable assets like gold, jewels, and spices. Taking control of key waterways for the passage of goods and services.

What if you could make it so that no one could invade you? No one would dare cross the boundary of aggression, even in words. What if you knew that you were safe, that the most powerful forces in the universe combined could not make a dent? This begins to describe the standing of Hiranyakashipu, who was a Daitya by birth and by inclination. Now imagine that someone tries to speak the truth to you, which goes against your core belief system. Imagine that this person speaking to you is your own son. He is only five years of age. He keeps talking. Even when not specifically asked about this truth, he knows no other way. He does not seem agitated in the slightest. It is like he is speaking from the heart, without nervousness or fear.

To the child, the Absolute Truth goes by names such as Vishnu, Hari, Krishna, and Rama. The child Prahlada is so familiar with this truth that he understands the equivalence between the name and the identity. Therefore, Prahlada is known to write the names of the Absolute Truth. He draws symbols associated with Vishnu. Parents today worry about too much screen-time for their children, but imagine if your child worshiped in their spare time. If it was their most enjoyable activity. If instead of being afraid of God, they viewed Him as the greatest friend.

Prahlada tried to inform the father that Vishnu was wishing well to everyone. Hiranyakashipu did not need to see Vishnu as an enemy. There would be nothing lost in that acknowledgment. In other words, Hiranyakashipu could stay where he was. It would not be a sign of weakness to worship Vishnu. Prahlada mentioned that Vishnu is sarvatra. This refers to omnipresence. There is not a single space lacking the presence of the Supreme Lord.

Hiranyakashipu was so triggered by hearing the truth that he resorted to violence. He wanted Prahlada eliminated. Rather than argue with sound logic and reasoning, he went the route of censorship. In the final moments, the father mocked the claim of sarvatra, but if we rewind to the beginning we see that sarvatra was at the foundation of the temporary ascension. You see, Hiranyakashipu was not entirely self-made. He indeed went through austerity and penance. He did not outsource the task to someone else. He could not necessarily see the benefactor. He had to trust that there was a witness to the sacrifices, that Lord Brahma, the creator, would eventually appear.

Hiranyakashipu was correct in that assumption. He eventually met Brahma. Hiranyakashipu wanted immortality, but that was off the table. The leader of the Daityas then proceeded to create something equivalent to the sarvatra property, but in terms of protection. Hiranyakashipu went to great lengths to specify different conditions in which a person might lose their life. In the daytime. At night. Against gods, beasts, and animals. Attacked by various kinds of weapons. Inside of the home and out. Brahma granted every request.

नान्तर्बहिर्दिवा नक्तमन्यस्मादपि चायुधै:
न भूमौ नाम्बरे मृत्युर्न नरैर्न मृगैरपि

nāntar bahir divā naktam
anyasmād api cāyudhaiḥ
na bhūmau nāmbare mṛtyur
na narair na mṛgair api

“Grant me that I not die within any residence or outside any residence, during the daytime or at night, nor on the ground or in the sky. Grant me that my death not be brought by any being other than those created by you, nor by any weapon, nor by any human being or animal.” (Hiranyakashipu praying to Lord Brahma, Shrimad Bhagavatam, 7.3.36)

In the end, Hiranyakashipu made fun of the sarvatra property purportedly attributed to Vishnu. There was indeed a key distinction. Vishnu never has to ask anyone. He is everywhere, all of the time. Sarvatra and sarvada apply not only to Him, but to devotion to Him, as well. Prahlada knew this secret, and so the child was not afraid when the father threatened to strike the nearby pillar. The sarvatra Vishnu would gladly appear after that strike, to provide the visual reality that Hiranyakashipu denied for so long.

In Closing:

For so long denied,
That not on others relied.

Through perseverance stayed,
To rule the world self-made.

But how soon to forget,
That only after boons to get.

Since now mocking property the same,
From pillar that Narasimha came.

Categories: chandrahasa

Tags: advaita, dailyprompt, hare krishna, poem, poems, poetry, vishnu