Lord Narasimha and Bhakta Prahlada, Images of Narasimha

Narasimha  Jayanti 2020

The story of Narasimha is one of Vishnu’s ten avatars taken to restore Dharma and righteousness in the world. The story revolves around Hiranyakashyapu and his son, "Prahlada".

Lord Narasimha is the most intense and Fourth Incarnation of Lord Vishnu.

Once during the Satya Yuga, there was a demon king named Hiranyakasipu, whose younger brother Hiranyaksa was killed by Vishnu’s other avatar Varaha, because his brother (Hiranyaksa) had started to disturb mankind and other demigods, hence he started to despise Vishnu and wanted to avenge him. He knew to avenge him would not be a piece of cake; hence he undertook a tough penance and worshipped Lord Brahma until impressed by his devotion he was willing to grant him the boon of his choice.

While Hiranyakashyapu was in meditation, Indra, King of God's attacked Hirankashyapu’s kingdom and was massacring subjects. Indra almost killed Kayadhu, Hiranyakashyapu’s wife but Narada intervened and took Kayadhu to his Ashram. At the time, Kayadhu was pregnant with a child.

When Brahma appeared before Hiranyakashyapu, he asked for immortality, he was refused for every being had to die. So, Hiranyakashyapu chose the following conditions for his death:

1.      He cannot be killed in the sky, on earth, or in water.

2.      He cannot be killed inside a house or outside of a house.

3.      He cannot be killed by man, Deva, animal, or Asura.

4.      Hiranyakashyapu cannot be killed during the daytime or nighttime.

5.      Hiranyakashyapu could not be killed by any sort of celestial or divine weapons.

 As time passed, he grew proud of his powers and prohibited the worship of Vishnu or any other lord in his kingdom, Hiranyakashyapu ordered to stop prayers of Devas and had people worship him, meanwhile his wife Kayadhu gave birth to a baby boy, His name was kept "Prahlada". Hiranyakashyapu loved Prahlada very much and loved to be with the child.

Prahlada was a keen and sincere devotee of Lord Vishnu, The bhakti of Prahlada was true and selfless. He submitted his body, soul, and mind to the Lord. Even after his father’s numerous attempts to forbid him from worshipping Vishnu, his dedication towards his Lord never dwindled.

When it came to the boy's education, the King sent the child to the Ashram of the Royal Sage to learn scriptures etc. and also learn his father's greatness. But the child had eyes for Vishnu alone. While at the Ashram, Prahlada converted all the other students to worship Vishnu rather than Hiranyakashyapu.

The teachers got afraid and told this to the King. Hiranyakashyapu called Prahlada to him. When Hiranyakashyapu asked Prahlada to praise him, Prahlada praised Vishnu. The king’s pride and aversion for Vishnu grew so much that he couldn’t bear the sight of his son who believed Vishnu to be present in every nook and corner of the world.  

Hiranyakashyapu understood that the boy was a strong devotee of his enemy. Hiranyakashyapu was angry at the child and subjected him to many kinds of torture and punishments. Some of them are:

·         Had Prahlada stuck neck-deep in mud and had elephants trample his head

·         Threw the boy off a cliff

·         Threw the child in a cell with snakes and scorpions

·         Tried to burn the child using his sister, Holika.

In the burning incident, Holika, despite having a boon of not being hurt by fire, was burned to death while the child escaped each torture unharmed for Vishnu kept protecting the child.

He made several attempts to get his son killed but every time he came out safe and untouched, with every attempted to kill Prahlada, his belief in lord increases.

Hiranyakashyapu was frustrated. One day, Hiranyakashyapu called Prahlada and asked him where Vishnu was. Prahlada spoke to his father that Vishnu is omnipotent and omnipresent and can be found everywhere. Hiranyakashyapu pointed to a pillar and asked “in there too?” Prahlada nodded yes.

Hirankashyapu took his mace and struck the pillar. From the pillar came a terrifying roar. A man with the face of a lion came out, angry and blood lusted, with the aim of killing Hiranyakashyapu.

Vishnu had understood the demon's power, then creatively adapts into a mixed avatar that is neither man nor animal too kills the demon at the junction of day and night, inside and outside.

This avatar of Lord Vishnu is called "Narasimha". he held the king in his lap, which was neither sky nor ground, in the evening i.e. neither day nor night, with his nails which are not a weapon, between the door that is neither inside nor outside and tore away his body and freed him of his evil ways. This way Lord Vishnu took various avatars protected mankind from evil.

Later when the sages and the Devas were scared to go nearer to the angry Narasimha, Prahlada who is humble and sincere in devotion toward lord Vishnu, dared to go near him to reduce his wild anger. To the amaze of everyone, the Lord Narasimha burning with anger like the explosion of thousand volcanoes at a time got pacified by the incessant Bhakti of Prahlada.

 May Lord Narasimha Bless All.