Summary:

Due to the curse of the four Kumāras (Sanaka, Sanandana, Sanātana and Sanat), Jaya and Vijaya, the door-keepers of Vaikuṇṭha, took birth as Hiraṇyākṣa and Hiraṇyakaśipu, as the two sons of Diti and Kaśyapa Ṛṣi. Of the two sons, Hiraṇyakaśipu was senior and had fond affection to his brother. Lord Śrī Hari, in the form of Lord Varāha, took the side of the demigods and killed Hiraṇyākṣa. Desiring to take revenge, Hiraṇyakaśipu began to consider Lord Viṣṇu as his enemy and developed malicious intentions toward Him. He encouraged the demons to disturb ritualistic ceremonies and kill the brāhmaṇas and Ṛṣiṣ. He also decided to perform severe austerities for one hundred years to get the benediction of achieving unrivalled supremacy of the three worlds. When Lord Brahmā became pleased by his austerities and appeared before him. Hiraṇyakaśipu asked for the boon to become immortal. Lord Brahmā explained his inability to give him such a boon of immortality. So Hiraṇyakaśipu differently asked for the boon of immortality by requesting the following conditions: that he not be killed during the day or night, either inside or outside, in the sky or on the ground. He also asked that he not be killed by any weapon or by any living being created by Brahmā. Thus, Hiraṇyakaśipu became extremely powerful by the Brahmā’s boon and enslaved all the Lokapālas (presiding deities of the eight directions of the universe). He became the sole monarch of the three worlds and started enjoying worldly pleasures, while occupying Mahendra Bhavana (the residence of Indra). The demigods suffered due to his cruel behaviour and took refuge at the feet of Śrī Hari. Lord Hari then gave them confidence, saying, “When Hiraṇyakaśipu becomes jealous of his devotee-son, Prahlāda, he will be destroyed.”

Hiraṇyakaśipu had four sons: Saṁhlāda, Anuhlāda, Hlāda and Prahlāda. Of these, Prahlāda was the best due to his virtuous qualities. While in his mother’s womb, he had heard and assimilated the teachings of Nārada Muni. As he was always absorbed in meditation on the Supreme Lord, the peaceful and tranquil-hearted Prahlāda could not perceive anything in this world unrelated to God, who is all-good.

As a custom in those days to send children to the guru’s home for education, Hiraṇyakaśipu sent Prahlāda (who was well versed in ethics), to Ṣaṇḍa and Amarka, the two sons of the demon-guru Śukrācārya. Ṣaṇḍa and Amarka lived near the palace. They began to teach politics to Prahlāda, along with the other demon children. After hearing the teachings of his gurus, Prahlāda would always give the expected reply, but in his heart, he did not like these teachings. “This is my country, that is another’s country. This is our group, that is another group.” Politics is based upon the foundation of this division between “mine and thine.” There can be no politics without this “mine and thine” or “friend and foe” mentality. So, this is the demonic mentality. Here, the noteworthy thing is that although the highly learned Prahlāda understood the futility of the teachings of his teachers, he never behaved rudely or disrespectfully, but gave befitting respect to them. If a person respects his parents, teachers, elders, guardians and others senior to himself in age, he benefits and there remains consistency in the social arrangement. Selfishness and disrespect of elders and seniors will bring disorder everywhere. Prahlāda’s character is unique, and his every conduct is worthy to follow.

When Prahlāda’s teachers, Ṣaṇḍa and Amarka, saw that Prahlāda had attained a good education and was answering all their questions properly. They thought it wise to send him to his father, as he would be glad to see Prahlāda’s educational progress. Hiraṇyakaśipu was happy at the return of Prahlāda from his guru’s home. He took him on his lap and cordially said, “My dear son Prahlāda, tell me whatever you think to be saintly (sādhu).” By this, Hiraṇyakaśipu meant that he wanted Prahlāda to tell him some good words from whatever he remembered (learned) from his guru’s teachings that he could express without difficulty, as he was just a child.

Prahlāda understood the intentions of his father, but as the question was put before Prahlāda in the royal assembly, he thought that he ought to speak only the truth, which is saintly; otherwise, the court members would misunderstand him. So he replied, “O emperor of demons, for the corporeal souls who are always perplexed due to the acceptance of perishable things and contact with non-eternal relations, I think it to be saintly to renounce the home which is like a dark well, the place of downfall, and go to the forest to take refuge of and worship the lotus feet of Śrī Hari.”

Hearing his son’s view on the worship of Viṣṇu, Hiraṇyakaśipu smiled and thought that others must have spoiled the vulnerable intelligence of the child. He sternly ordered the demons to be careful in dealing with Prahlāda and to take care lest any Vaiṣṇava come in disguise and spoil his intelligence. After hearing about this order from Hiraṇyakaśipu, Ṣaṇḍa and Amarka became worried. They knew that they had never taught Prahlāda about Viṣṇu-worship, so he must have heard such things from some Vaiṣṇava and spoken about it. If they tried to find out the name of that Vaiṣṇava and tactfully inform the king about it, the king would not doubt them. With this intention, Ṣaṇḍa and Amarka addressed Prahlāda in a very pleasing manner and said, “O joy of the demon dynasty, we bless you for the sake of your welfare. You should not tell a lie before your teachers. Speak the truth. We have not taught you about devotion to Viṣṇu. We have taught you with other demon children, but their minds are not spoiled like yours. Did you speak for yourself in that manner, or has somebody spoiled your intelligence?” Prahlāda understood the intentions of his teachers. So he first offered praṇāmas to the Supreme Lord who controls the māyā potency that covers the intelligence of the living beings and creates the mentality of “mine and thine.” Then he said, “As iron is naturally attracted towards a magnet, my heart is similarly attracted towards the lotus feet of Cakrapāṇi Śrī Hari (Śrī Hari, the holder of the disc weapon). Śrī Hari has spoiled my intelligence.”

Prahlāda’s reply was not what Ṣaṇḍa and Amarka wished to hear. They thought that Prahlāda would mention someone’s name whom they could catch hold of, so they became angry and condemned Prahlāda, “O ruiner of the family, defamer of the demon dynasty, you are like a thorn tree in the sandalwood forest, which is the asura dynasty. Using you as an axe, Viṣṇu will destroy the sandal forest of the demons. Your intelligence is lost. There are four methods of politics, namely sāma (conciliation), dāma (monetary gratification), bheda (causing dissension) and daṇḍa (punishment), and your conscience will not be awakened without using the last method. Someone bring a cane immediately to flog this boy!” Thus, they tried to frighten Prahlāda by striking a cane on the table; because Prahlāda was the son of the emperor, they lacked the courage to beat him. They reproached him hastily, but Prahlāda remained calm. Again, they began to teach him the scriptures related to dharma, artha and kāma (piety, wealth and the fulfilment of desires), and tried to educate him in politics. After some time, Prahlāda’s teachers saw that Prahlāda had become an expert in the four pillars of politics. He properly replied to every question. This time, they would take him to the king. Thinking in this way, they first took Prahlāda to see his mother. Prahlāda made obeisances to his mother, and she bathed him very affectionately and decorated him with various jewels. Then, Prahlāda’s teachers took him to the royal assembly of King Hiraṇyakaśipu, where upon Prahlāda made prostrated obeisances before his father. Seeing Prahlāda, Hiraṇyakaśipu felt great affection for him. He took him on his lap, embraced him, kissed him, and bathed him with tears of happiness. After this, Hiraṇyakaśipu happily inquired, “O son Prahlāda, you have taken instruction from your gurus for so long. Now, please tell me something excellent from their teachings.” Hiraṇyakaśipu intended that Prahlāda should speak on what was best from the teachings of Ṣaṇḍa and Amarka, considering them as gurus. But Prahlāda was worried; he thought that if he replied according to his father’s wishes, the others present in the court would get the wrong impression about the teachings of a real guru. Ṣaṇḍa and Amarka were not real gurus (sad-gurus) even though they were family gurus. A guru should be śrotriya (well-versed in the śruti or Vedas) and have brahmaniṣṭha (firm devotion to Brahman or God). Prahlāda’s teachers were learned in śruti, but lacked firm devotion to Brahman. They were only devoted to their specific mundane subjects or worldly knowledge, so their teaching was not the instruction of a proper guru. Prahlāda decided to speak about the essence of all the lessons he had received from his real guru, Nārada, who possessed the both qualities of shrotriya and brahmaniṣṭha, and replied:

“Dedicating oneself to Viṣṇu and following the nine forms of devotion, with the only object being the propitiation of Viṣṇu, is the highest form of genuine knowledge.” The nine forms of devotional services are, respectively: shravaṇaṁ (hearing), kīrtanaṁ (chanting), smaraṇaṁ (remembrance of the name, form, attributes, personal associates and pastimes of the Lord), pāda-sevanaṁ (service of the lotus feet of the Lord. This also indicates service of the devotees of the Lord), arcanaṁ (worship of the Deity), vandanaṁ (offering prayers and obeisances), dāsyaṁ (service of God in the relationship of master and servant), sakhyaṁ (service of God in friendship), and ātma-nivedanaṁ (total self-dedication to God).

Upon hearing Prahlāda again speak about the worship of Viṣṇu, Hiraṇyakaśipu thought that he must have learned this from Ṣaṇḍa and Amarka, the sons of his guru, Shukrācārya. Thus, he became very angry and rudely condemned them, “O lowest of brāhmaṇas! O evil-minded ones! What did you do? You disobeyed me; you adopted the favour of my enemy and taught my son Prahlāda about worthless Viṣṇu-bhakti. A sinful person commits sin secretly, but his sin manifests in the form of disease; similarly, a deceptive and wicked-minded person, although living in the form of a friend, ultimately discloses his real form through his deeds.” At this, the guru’s sons said, “O King, you have conquered Indra, and all the Lokapālas are afraid of you. We are but poor brāhmaṇas. We would not dare to act against you. We have not taught Prahlāda about devotion to Viṣṇu, nor has anyone else. Prahlāda’s devotion to Viṣṇu is natural and inborn, so please restrain your anger.” In Satya-yuga, everyone spoke truthfully, so Hiraṇyakaśipu believed his guru’s sons. He asked Prahlāda, “O impolite one, O destroyer of the family, how have you become Kṛṣṇa conscious if your gurus did not teach you in this manner?”

Prahlāda replied, “Without the favour of a niṣkiñcana mahā-bhāgavata (a perfect pure devotee, completely emancipated from worldly concerns), a gṛhavrata (a person engaged in household affairs) cannot become devoted to Śrī Kṛṣṇa either by himself or by the help of other gṛhavratas.” In other words, Prahlada’s devotion to Śrī Kṛṣṇa was not due to his efforts or the help of the family guru’s sons. Rather, his devotion to Śrī Kṛṣṇa was due to the favour of niṣkiñcana maha-bhāgavata Śrī Nārada, the devotee of Śrī Kṛṣṇa. Upon hearing this undesirable statement from Prahlāda, Hiraṇyakaśipu became blind with rage and threw Prahlāda from the throne with such force that any five-year old child would have died at once, but the Lord saved him. Prahlāda remained patient, steady and peaceful. He did not raise an even finger against his father or use any harsh words. Hiraṇyakaśipu ordered the demons to kill Prahlāda. At first, the demons did not wish to kill the king’s son, but when Hiraṇyakaśipu repeatedly persuaded them to kill Prahlāda by quoting different reasons and maxims, they began to attack the vital parts of Prahlāda’s body with spears. As Prahlāda’s mind was fully absorbed in and devoted to the indescribable Supreme Lord of the universe, all the efforts of the demons proved futile. Seeing this, Hiraṇyakaśipu became even more suspicious and tried to kill Prahlāda by various methods, such as the celestial powerful elephant of the quarters, by bite of venomous serpents and by evil incantations. He tried to kill Prahlāda by hurling him from a high mountain, by burying him in a deep ditch, by poisoning him, by starvation, by exposure to severe cold and atmospheric pressure, by burning him in a fire and by stoning him. But, when all efforts proved to be in vain, he began to think that the power of the child was immeasurable. Prahlāda was not afraid of anything! Hiraṇyakaśipu began to think that Prahlāda was immortal and worried that he might die if he opposed him. Thus, Hiraṇyakaśipu sat down with his head hung low.

Seeing Hiraṇyakaśipu dejected, Ṣaṇḍa and Amarka tried to console him by saying, “O King, you have conquered the three worlds single-handedly, and all the Lokapālas are afraid of you. Therefore, you need not worry. Besides, one should not pay attention to the virtues and defects of a mere child.”

They suggested to him, “Until guru Śukrācārya returns, Prahlāda should be kept on an island, so that he might not run away out of fear. Growing up with the ācārya, serving the ācārya and learning from the ācārya will purify his intelligence.” Hiraṇyakaśipu accepted the proposal of both the guru’s sons and told them to instruct the boy in the piety and charity suitable for a king. They carefully took Prahlāda and the other demon children to an island. There, they began to teach him about dharma, artha and kāma—material religiosity, economic development and sense gratification. One day, the teachers went to their homes to do some work. When the children came to know about their teacher’s departure, they thought it was a good chance to play. Prahlāda’s school friends called him out to play, but the highly learned Prahlāda told them that he wished to say something to them, so they all changed their play-dress and gathered around Prahlāda. Though all the children were of the same age as Prahlāda, they had great respect and affection for him. Prahlāda told the children about the duties of human beings: “The human birth is very rare and valuable because in such a birth one can realise the Supreme Lord. After realising Him, no material desires will remain. But this golden chance is not permanent because life is momentary. So, wise persons will follow bhāgavata-dharma from their childhood and worship the Lord by hearing and chanting His glories. The thought that ‘I will perform devotional practices later on’ is not good. If the mind becomes attached to money, wife, son and relatives, then devotion will be difficult. If you do not devote yourself to the Lord’s worship now, many difficulties and problems will interfere with prayer later on.” Prahlāda discussed all these teachings in detail, enabling the children to understand. In order to gain their confidence, he related to them everything about how he had received the teachings of Kṛṣṇa-bhajana from Nārada while he was inmother’s womb. The demon children heard Prahlāda’s teachings, and thinking them to be superior, accepted them, thereby rejecting the teachings of their materialistic gurus.

Due to Prahlāda’s influence, the minds of the demon children became fixed on the Supreme Lord. The anxious brāhmaṇas Ṣaṇḍa and Amarka immediately went to the demon king to explain the situation. Hearing this implacable message, Hiraṇyakaśipu became extremely angry. With harsh words, he condemned the young Prahlāda who was standing politely with folded hands: “O impolite, dull-headed one! You are disobeying my rule. I shall send you to the abode of Yama right now. Even the Lokapālas are afraid of my anger. Why are you not afraid of me? Who has given you this strength?”

Prahlāda replied, “Strength only comes from the one Supreme Lord, Śrī Hari. Everyone gets their strength from Him. No one is our enemy except the uncontrolled mind. You should give up these demonic thoughts of ‘friend and foe.’ In ancient times, foolish persons like you had the false pride that they had conquered the earth, but they could not even conquer the six passions residing in their bodies. Those who have conquered the mind see no one as their enemy. Only the ignorant believe others to be their enemy.” By these words of Prahlāda, Hiraṇyakaśipu became more and more enraged and shouted, “O unintelligent fool! You condemn me and boast about conquering the six inherent cardinal passions of man. Certainly, you want to die! You rascal, there is no Lord in the world other than me. If there is, then where is He?”

“Father, He is everywhere,” said Prahlāda.

“Then why do I not see Him in this pillar?” retorted Hiraṇyakaśipu.

“I see Him even in this pillar,” replied Prahlāda.

The very powerful Hiraṇyakaśipu condemned Prahlāda with extreme anger and harsh words. “May your Lord save you!” Saying these words, he picked up his sword, rose from his throne and violently struck the pillar with his fist. As the pillar was struck, it emitted a terrible sound as if the whole universe were being shattered. Brahmā and the other demigods were afraid of this unique, terrifying sound and Hiraṇyakaśipu himself began to search out its source. Then, in order to prove the correctness of words of both his devotee Prahlāda and Lord Brahmā, the Supreme Lord appeared in a wonderful half-human and half-lion form called ‘Nṛsiṁha’. Even though the Lord appeared before his very eyes, Hiraṇyakaśipu still could not understand Him as the Lord; he saw Him as a strange creature. Without pure devotional eyes, one cannot see the Lord.

The terrible form of Lord Nṛsiṁha is described in the Bhāgavatam as follows: Both His eyes were full of anger and shining like molten gold, and His angry face was full of matted hairs and mane. He had terrible teeth, a sharp tongue like a razor’s edge, stretched eyebrows and raised ears, with a mouth and nose like the caves of a mountain. He had terribly divided jaws. His body was touching the sky. His neck was thick and short. His thighs and chest were broad. His stomach was thin. His body was covered with white hair and He had hundreds of arms and nails. Even though Hiraṇyakaśipu understood this unique ‘Nṛsiṁha Deity’ to be the cause of his death, he became ready to fight and struck the body of the Lord with his mace. Lord Nṛsiṁhadeva play-acted the battle for some time and then, neither in the daytime or at night but at dusk, neither inside the house nor outside, but on the threshold, neither in the sky nor on the ground but on His lap, and without any weapon, but His nails, He tore open Hiraṇyakaśipu’s chest and wore his intestines like a garland. The Lord also killed thousands of other demons with just His nails. After this, Lord Nṛsiṁhadeva exhibited the triumphant behaviour of a conqueror. He left Hiraṇyakaśipu and sat on the throne in the middle of the royal assembly in His angry form. Witnessing this terrible form of the Lord, no one could gather the courage to approach and serve Him, even though they were all ecstatic due to the demise of the cruel king. Brahmā, Rudra, Indra, the Ṛṣis, Vidyādharas, Nāgas, Manus, Prajāpatis, Gandharvas, Cāraṇas, Yakṣas, Kimpuruṣas, Vaitālikas, Kinnaras, Viṣṇu-pārṣadas and others, all prayed to Lord Nṛsiṁha from a distance.

Although Brahmā prayed to Lakṣmī to go to Śrī Nṛsiṁhadeva to allay His anger, she could not go before this terrible, never-seen-before Deity form. Then, Brahmā asked Prahlāda to go and pacify the anger of Nṛsiṁhadeva. The reason for this was that this terrible and angry form of the Lord had appeared only due to the torture of bhakta Prahlāda. Prahlāda made obeisances to Śrī Lakṣmī, Brahmā and the other demigods. Then he went to Nṛsiṁhadeva and fell at His lotus feet. Nṛsiṁhadeva, being in the mood of parental affection, put his lotus hand on Prahlāda’s forehead so that all of Prahlāda’s defects, which were due to having been born in a demon dynasty, were removed. Transcendental knowledge was revealed in his heart, and overwhelmed with ecstatic devotion, he began to offer prayers to Śrī Nṛsiṁhadeva.