Embodiments
of Divine Love!
Lord Vishnu assumed the
Varâha (Boar) Avatâr to destroy
the demon Hiranyâksha.
Hiranyakas'ipu, the brother of
Hiranyâksha, witnessed his brother's death
at the hands of the Lord. As a result, he developed anger
and hatred toward the Lord. He considered
Nârâyana not as God but as a man, and
decided to destroy Him by any means.
-
Hiranyakas'ipu, Hater of the Lord
Hiranyakas'ipu
ordered all devotees and Vedic priests to be
killed. He destroyed brahmins on sight. The
kingdom fell into chaos. Not able to bear the separation
from his brother, Hiranya developed many
weaknesses. He gave up food, drink and sleep and
questioned all the time, "Where is this
Nârâyana?"? The Lord exists for one who
accepts Him but not for atheists. Yet, He is present in
everyone equally. The believer is like a blooming flower
while the atheist is a bud. The bud of today is the
flower of tomorrow. But if an insect destroys the bud, it
cannot become a flower.
Hiranya desired
immortality. To this end, he left his kingdom and began
performing arduous penance on Mount Mandara.
He had three sons: Samhridaya, Nayahridaya and
Hridaya. When he left his kingdom, his fourth son
was in the womb of his wife, Queen
Lîlâvatî. Taking advantage of
Hiranya's absence, the Gods attacked his kingdom. They
wanted to eradicate demons in the interest of world peace
and the establishment of human values. At this point,
Sage Nârada came and took
Lîlâvatî to the safety of his
hermitage.
Nârada
taught Lîlâvatî at length about
Lord Nârâyana.
Lîlâvatî pretended to listen to
Nârada by nodding her head, but inwardly she was
worried about her husband's welfare and constantly
thought of him. However, Lîlâvatî's
child absorbed Nârada's teachings and began to
repeat Om Namo Nârâyanâya
[our obeisances unto Lord
Nârâyana], even inside the womb!
At birth, this child, Prahlâda, had great
effulgence and a cheerful smile.
Soon Hiranya
returned from Mandara after propitiating Lord
Brahmâ. He had obtained a boon whereby he
couldn't be killed by any man or animal, on earth or in
the sky, by anything living or non-living during the day
or the night. Hiranya believed that he had tricked
Brahmâ into granting him immortality by the
peculiar conditions of the boon. He began considering
himself God and forced everyone to adore him by chanting
Om Namo Hiranyakasipave Namah!
-
Prahlâda's Education
Prahlâda was
old enough to be sent to school. Shanda and
Amarka [two sons of
S'ukrâcârya] were the gurus assigned to
teach him. They taught him that only artha
(wealth) and kâma (desire) were important,
not dharma (righteousness) and moksha
(liberation) [Purushârthas].
They also taught that Hiranya was God. Collecting
many other children of demons in their school, Shanda and
Amarka taught them demonic qualities. Day and night, they
rained upon them teachings opposed to Lord
Nârâyana.
Empty brains can be
filled with anything. But Prahlâda's heart was full
of contemplation on Nârâyana. He did
not imbibe any demonic teachings. Still, he pretended to
listen, and that made the gurus happy. After a few days,
the gurus took Prahlâda to his father.
Taking
Prahlâda in his lap with affection,
Hiranya asked while patting his head, "Son, what
did the gurus teach you?" Prahlâda said, "Father, I
have learnt teachings from the scriptures. I know the
nine kinds of devotion: s'ravanam, kîrtanam,
Vishnu-smaranam, pâda-sevanam, vandanam, archanam,
dâsyam, sakhyam, âtma-nivedanam.
[bhâgavata-dharma]"
Hiranya said,
"Indeed, you may reach me by any of these paths". "Not
you, father. These are meant for reaching Lord
Nârâyana", replied
Prahlâda.
Hiding his displeasure,
Hiranya asked again, "Let me hear you summarize
the essence of all scriptures in one sentence". "Om
Namo Nârâyanâya", said
Prahlâda.
Hiranyakas'ipu
became silent. He turned and glared at the gurus, who
looked at each other in bafflement. They thought, "This
boy is a big danger to us", and felt afraid for their
lives. Hiranya roared, "Take him away and teach him
demonic qualities!" This was the first time that he
didn't show anger toward Prahlâda
directly.
But the gurus were not
able to change Prahlâda. After a few months, they
brought him to the King again. As before,
Prahlâda repeated, "Om Namo
Nârâyanâya" in answer to his
father's questions. Hiranyakas'ipu became furious
and threw Prahlâda aside.
Hiranyakas'ipu was
the greatest scientist. He had explored nature, seasons
and the solar system. He once noticed that the Earth's
axis was tilted at 23.5 degrees. With his yogic
powers, he changed the tilt out of curiosity. He returned
it to normal when large-scale destruction resulted. With
his will power, he had control over the orbits of the Sun
and the Moon as well. That is why he thought of himself
as divine.
He thought, "School is
not doing any good to my son. I shall teach him." He
said, "Son, no Nârâyana or any other
imaginary being has my powers. The five elements are
under my control, as are the orbits of the Sun and the
Moon. I am the undisputed Master".
Prahlâda
burst out laughing, "Father, you have conquered
everything, but not your senses! One who bows to inner
enemies can never subdue external ones. First of all,
reduce your ego and cultivate love for God. Then your
kingdom will grow, and you will prosper".
Flying into a rage,
Hiranya caught Prahlâda by his neck and held
him down. "You are teaching ME?" he roared. Despite the
best efforts of gurus, no one could change
Prahlâda. Teachings learnt later in life or from
others' experiences can be changed. But the Lord's Name
was imprinted in Prahlâda's heart at a tender age -
it was impossible to erase it. Realizing that such a boy
would pose danger to his authority in the future,
Hiranya decided to kill his own son!
-
Prahlâda's Travails
Hiranyakas'ipu
summoned his men and had them stab Prahlâda with
their swords. But Prahlâda was unshaken by this
torture. "What is this body worth, composed of the
five elements? You are punishing only my body. I'm not
related to it. It is only a garment, to which I have no
attachment. Father! You have body-consciousness, which is
the root cause of 'I' and 'mine'. You trust the
perishable body to be permanent and forget the eternal
Âtmâ." Lîlâvatî
could not watch the atrocities. She fell at her
husband's feet and prayed for him to stop. Not able to
assuage her grief, Hiranyakas'ipu instructed his
men to take Prahlâda away and kill him
elsewhere.
Even the demons did not
have the heart to harm the innocent child. But the King's
command had to be followed. The boy was taken outside and
tied to the ground. Elephants were made to walk over him.
Why would one without attachment to his body experience
any pain? Moreover, Prahlâda believed in
Nârâyana and hence, there was no
question of suffering for him. He remained unharmed.Then
poisonous serpents were brought and let loose on him. The
only words he uttered incessantly were, Om Namo
Nârâyanâya. Nothing happened to
him. They threw him off a cliff, in vain. The demons,
along with Shanda and Amarka, returned to the king and
reported the miraculous events. "O King! When we attack
your son, he only called on Nârâyana.
He has no trace of fear, anger or hatred. With a charming
smile, he repeats, Om Namo
Nârâyanâya. His face shows no pain
or sorrow. There is some unknown Power protecting him. To
harm Prahlâda is a task beyond us".
Hiranyakas'ipu now
doubted if the demons were carrying out his orders or
lying to him. He decided that the boy be put to death in
front of his eyes! He had a bowl of deadly poison
brought, called Prahlâda near and instructed him to
drink it. Smiling all the while and chanting Om Namo
Nârâyanâya, Prahlâda calmly
quaffed it. Hiranyakas'ipu glared at him,
expecting him to collapse. All the demons watched with
bated breath. But Prahlâda didn't die. Hiranya
thought, "Shanda and Amarka were right. Maybe there is
some spirit or ghost in Prahlâda. It cannot be
Divine power because only my power is Divine"! Then he
called for experts in mantras and other sciences
to rid Prahlâda of the "evil spirit". Nothing
seemed to work. Frustrated and dispirited,
Hiranyakas'ipu addressed Prahlâda, "You say
'Nârâyana, Nârâyana' all
the time. Where is this
Nârâyana?"
-
Prahlâda Advises His Father
Today's scientists, after
many experiments, proclaim that the atom is the basic
element in creation. The atom is the basis for the
cosmos. It is present everywhere in the Universe. It took
scientists over a thousand years to discover and
understand this concept. But Prahlâda discovered
this principle long before them. He said that God is
present everywhere, as scientists talk about the atom.
"Do not fall into doubt that He is here but not there.
Wherever you look, you will find Him", he said.
Hiranyakas'ipu said, "Really? Is God present
everywhere? Fine, show Him to me".
Prahlâda replied,
"Father! Steeped in slavery to the senses and in
body-consciousness, you want to see God. It is
impossible. You struggle hard to earn fame and worldly
security but you do not yearn for God. God grants
whatever you want. You desire that your power and fame
increase. You live under the dominance of ego and
attachment. As long as the feelings of 'I' and 'Mine'
prevail, it is impossible for you to grasp the
âtmâ principle".
Even today, men search
for God while identifying with the body and reinforcing
their feelings of 'I' and 'Mine'. They will not find God,
no matter how long they try. The principle of the
non-dual âtmâ must first be
understood. You must offer yourself to God! Meaning what?
All actions must be performed with divine feelings. In
the food he ate, the water he drank, and the difficulties
he underwent, in everything, Prahlâda saw only
Nârâyana, Nârâyana,
Nârâyana. This divine principle is
unchanging. If you put sugar in coffee, in tea, in water,
in anything, it lends sweetness. In the same way,
Prahlâda introduced the sweetness of
Nârâyana into all his
actions.
Sweeter than
sugar,
tastier than curd,
more relishing than honey,
exuding nectarine taste upon repetition,
Such is the Name of the Lord.
"Father! You are
mistaking sugar for nectar. But really, even nectar is
tasteless when compared to the sweetness of God's Name.
This sweetness is not present in anything else. Instead
of repeating such a sweet Name, you spend life feeding
your ego. You are committing crimes against society based
on the strength of Brahmâ's boons. Your ego
will ruin you completely. You need humility to attain
God. Father! Education without character, worship
without sacrifice, wealth without effort, politics
without principles - these sins are the basis for all the
misery in the world".
What are the sins of
society? Education without character is one. Wealth
without effort is another. We must make effort! Without
effort how can you expect anything in return? Next,
worship without sacrifice. Yes, you are all praying. But
it is prayer without sacrifice. Sacrifice alone grants
bliss in worship. Politics without principles and science
without human values are on the increase. If science had
principles, how would bombs and other means of unrest
come about? Human values have become zero in
science.
"Father, you are a great
scientist, but without human values. Your demonic
tendencies show no signs of abating. First, bring your
senses under control. Without control over your senses
you can never perceive the omnipresent Lord".
Prahlâda advised his father in many ways. But no
matter how bright a bulb is held in front of a blind man,
he cannot see the brightness. Prahlâda continued,
"You do not have the eyes of divine love. You are blind
in wisdom. How do you expect to see God? Your body is
filled with the six enemies: lust, anger, greed, hatred,
jealousy and pride".
As is the color of the
eyeglasses, so is the vision. Prahlâda said, "When
your heart is full of anger, lust, jealousy, attachment
and ego, how do you expect to see God? Wherever I look I
see Nârâyana. Inside, outside, above,
below... He is present everywhere!
"Father! The whole world
is like an iron ball being burnt in fire. Where does this
fire reside? The heat is within the ball, outside it,
everywhere. Antar Bahisya Sarvavyaapya
Nârâyanah Sthitah - Nârâyana
is present inside, outside, everywhere. This world is
similarly engulfed in the fire of
jñâna. Father, heat is experienced
only by touching. Unless you experience something, you
cannot understand it. Your ignorance is the root cause of
all this confusion. Listen to my words. God is present
wherever you look."
But this foolish man
didn't leave his stubborn stand. "Is God really present
everywhere? Is He present in this pillar?" he asked,
pointing to a pillar. "Yes," said Prahlâda. "But I
cannot see Him. I'm going to destroy this pillar!"
thundered Hiranya. He took a heavy mace and
smashed the pillar with force. The pillar broke into two
pieces.
-
Narasimha Avatâra
Out emerged a most
terrifying form: Narasimha (Man-Lion)
Avatâra. It wasn't human, it wasn't animal. The
head was a lion's but the body, human. Hiranya
immediately recalled Brahmâ's boon - "neither by
man or by animal". He told himself that his death seemed
imminent. After fighting with him for some time,
Narasimha pulled Hiranyakas'ipu by his hand
and laid him across His thighs.
Hiranya recalled,
"I wanted to be killed neither on earth nor in the sky.
Now I am on the thighs of this being, above the ground
and below the sky. I asked for immunity against the
living and the non-living. The nails on this being's
claws are neither living nor non-living. It is the hour
of twilight, neither day nor night". Hiranya did
not have the sense to remember the name of
Nârâyana in his last moments. He only
kept remembering Brahmâ's boon and how all the
conditions had been satisfied. The tendencies cultivated
through our lifetime predominate during our final moments
and form the basis for our next birth. Not having
repeated Nârâyana's name during his lifetime,
Hiranyakas'ipu wasn't able to do it at death.
Narasimha Avatâra completed His task.
-
Prahlâda with the Lord
All were terrified by
Narasimha's ferocious form. They shivered with fright.
Prahlâda alone gazed at Him with unblinking eyes,
full of tears of joy. Narasimha asked him, "Child,
doesn't My form frighten you?" Prahlâda said,
"Lord Nârâyana, Yat Bhaavam Tat
Bhavati - As is one's thought, so is Your Form. Those
who think of You as terrible see you as such. To me, You
are the very form of Love and Bliss. Why should I be
afraid? All forms are Yours. I am not looking at this
particular name and form. I am looking at Your Divine
Form and repeating your Divine Name. So I have no
fear".
Hiranyakas'ipu's
body was laid on the floor. Prahlâda went close to
the body and paid his respects. "For birth and death our
own actions are responsible, not God. Each person reaps
his own happiness and sorrow. My father brought this
death upon himself. This is not God's doing", thought
Prahlâda. No one can escape the consequences of
one's actions. You cannot tell what you might experience
and when. So be ever ready. No one is exempt from this
vigilance. Even Hiranya's invincibility was won
because of past good deeds. But he could not enjoy God's
boons because of his wicked actions. In the end, he was
destroyed by the destiny he had carved for himself.
Prahlâda prayed for a good afterlife for his
father.
After Prahlâda's
prayer many gods began arriving there and discussing the
events. Before terminating His Avatâr as Narasimha,
the Lord asked Prahlâda what he wanted.
Prahlâda said, "O Lord, I want nothing but You. I
should never be distant from You, although You are
everywhere. I must live in You, You must live in me, and
I must experience this unity. I do not have any other
desires. It is meaningless if I waste this life by
desiring petty things". Then the Lord appeared in His
full glory as Nârâyana and said,
"Prahlâda, My child! Children like you are examples
to this world. Now take charge of your father's kingdom.
Teach human values to these demons and ensure that they
come closer to Me".
The distinction between a
human and a demon arises only from qualities. Demons do
not have any peculiar physical traits as portrayed in
cinemas and books. They are humans also. It is only by
qualities that a human becomes a demon. In the
Bhâgavatam there is a nice example.
Krishna was God Himself. His parents,
Devakî and Vasudeva, were true
humans. And Devakî's brother, Kamsa, was a
demon. Thus, all three categories - divine, human and
demon - can exist even within the same family! Kamsa was
a demon because of his anger and cruelty. Devakî
and Vasudeva were humans for their kindness and
compassion. Possessing divine traits, which are beyond
all attributes, Krishna was God.
The Lord told
Prahlâda, "I'm keeping you here so that you
transform these demons into humans and enable them to
recognize Divinity". Prahlâda said, "Lord, please
don't give me this responsibility. I want only You,
nothing else. All these tasks are Yours". He fell at the
Lord's feet and pleaded repeatedly. But we must act as
per the time, place and situation in which God places us.
It is impossible for anyone to disobey God.
The
Lord called Prahlâda near and took him on His lap.
Holding him close, He said, "Child! Do you want more than
this? This is the highest blessing - There is
nothing greater than seeing Me, touching Me, talking to
Me. These are the means to liberation. Think of these
moments ceaselessly and rule the world. Follow the divine
command", instructed the Lord as He
disappeared.
The Lord departed
quickly, lest Prahlâda ask more desires! No one has
the "knack" that God has! He acts in a very guarded and
cautious manner. He takes the middle path - He doesn't
hurt anyone nor inconvenience Himself! If the Lord
remained there longer, Prahlâda might have asked
Him something else. Without giving that chance, the Lord
disappeared promptly! Prahlâda ruled the kingdom,
all the while chanting Om Namo
Nârâyanâya.
-
Everything is Divine Will
In this manner the son
was a highly purified soul even though the father was a
demon. Although born to a demonic father,
Prahlâda had an element of divinity. But
what about his children? Prahlâda's children
inherited his father's qualities. Prahlâda's son,
Virochana, was a hater of God, like
Hiranyakas'ipu . Recognize these connections
between father and son. These relations are based not on
chance, but on qualities. This is Divine Will. Everything
is Divine Will.
Good, bad, everything is
God's Will. We should not differentiate between good and
bad. People believe that good events are God's Will and
unfortunate ones are not. In this world no one eats only
sweet food or only bitter food. Everyone eats both sweet
and bitter food. In other words, everyone experiences
both good and bad. If we inquire, bitter experiences are
necessary! Only then can we appreciate the value of
peace, contentment and bliss. Difficulties and joy go
together. No one can separate them. Happiness doesn't
exist alone anywhere. Happiness results when difficulties
are transcended.
A baby gradually becomes
a grandparent. But the two are not different. Similarly,
the good in us can turn bad and the bad can become good.
We should experience the unity of both. That which makes
us understand this unity is our Divinity. When we
distance ourselves from Divinity, we deteriorate to
demonic and animal states.
-
Attachment Causes Animal Qualities
To keep demonic and
animal tendencies at bay we must limit attachment and
pride. More attachment means more animal qualities. What
is animal nature? The loss of discrimination. Even
mistakes are perceived as good deeds when one is blinded
by attachment. This was the case with
Dhritarâshthra. He knew that
Duryodhana's actions were sins. But his fatherly
attachment repeatedly forgave those sins. As a result,
his entire family perished.
No doubt, attachment
is necessary, but only within limits. Yes, you may have
attachment in certain relations. You may look after your
wife and children with care. But while engaged in such
duties, the easiest path is to perceive everything as
belonging to God. All your actions must be done with this
feeling of Divinity. Then your actions will become
pleasing to God and earn His love.
-
The Divine Name
Proceeding on the Divine
path in this manner, become like Prahlâda
and strive for the welfare of your family, country, and
the whole world. Even if you do not have
Prahlâda's ideal qualities, at least never
forget God's Name. Whatever difficulties you may
encounter, remember God's name ceaselessly. No matter how
foolish or demonic a person, it is easy to bring the
Lord's name to one's lips during difficulties.
When you see something
strange or fearful, you exclaim, "O My God!" This is a
reflex action, done without premeditation. You don't say
"God" but "My God". This spiritual feeling is present
even in a foolish or wicked person. He may appear to be
an atheist, but still he refers to God as "My God"! He
admits the truth!
So follow the natural
discipline of chanting the Lord's Name. No matter what
difficulties you encounter, even if ridiculed, never
forget God's Name. Prahlâda respected his
father but disputed with him about the Truth when
necessary. You may also explain your faith to your
parents, but never yield to pressure from anyone and
change your attitude. Faith in God is our life-breath.
The Bhâgavatam lays special emphasis on the
constant remembrance of the Name of the Lord.
Swami
sang:
"Hari Bhajana Bina Sukha Shanti Nahi"
Purushârthas:
goals of a material life. In four: kâma, artha,
dharma, moksha; by (resp.) regulation of lust, profit and
religious duty one finds liberation. Often mentioned in
three not mentioning the moksha.
Mandara: the golden mountain
used for churning the ocean in the fight between the
suras and the asuras (S.B. 8.5,
6&7).
Bhâgavata-dharma:
devotional service in nine divisions: s'ravanam
(listening), kîrtanam (singing), Vishnu-smaranam
(remembering), pâda-sevanam (visiting, helping),
arcanam (worship of the idol), vandanam (prayer, japa),
dâsyam (deliver service), sakhyam (friendship),
âtma-nivedanam (surrender); (see 7.5:
23-24 &
5.12:
16).
- Also in six: 'Therefore unto You, o Best of the
Worshipable, do I offer my obeisances with prayers and
perform I worship, do I work for You, do I remember You,
attend to Your refuge and do I always listen to the talks
about You; how can without such devotional service unto
You in all these six forms a person attain the bhakti
that is there for the best of transcendence.' (S.B.
7.9:50).
Drawing: Nrisimha with
Prahlâda on his lap by: Maharani dasi
Sculpture in Mayapur
