Prahalada Chartiram

– Anindita Karthik from Toronto, Canada.

The early ruler of asuras, Hiranyakashipu, went to do penance to become the most powerful ruler in the whole world and to destroy Lord Vishnu. Lord Brahma was very pleased as Hiranyakashipu did penance for a hundred heavenly years (Since one day of the demigods equals six of our months, certainly this was a very long time). Anyway Lord Brahma granted Hiranyakashipu a boon. Out of all things, Hiranyakashipu asked to be invincible. He said “I wish not to die

naanthar bahir dhivaa naktham anyasmaadh api chaayuDhai:
na bhoomau naambare mRuthyu: na narai: na mRugair api || SBM 7.3.36 ||

and the list continued on and on. Meanwhile Kayadhu, Prahlada’s mother stayed in the ashrama of the divine sage in gratitude while listening to kathas told by Narada muni. As Prahlada listened to katha that was about Lord Vishnu when he was still in the womb, he had a strong faith and/or belief in Lord Vishnu.

His father didn’t like this so he made the prince go to the house of two very strict teachers Shanda and Amarga, so that maybe Prahlada may realize that Lord Vishnu is his enemy. But how much his teachers tried they could not make him forget about Lord Vishnu. In fact, Prahlada was encouraging the other students to chant the Lord’s name just as he did.

Prahlada says 9 ways to attain liberation
Shravanam, Keerthanam, Smaranam, Pada sevanam, Archanam, Vandanam, Dasyam, Aatma Nivedhanam

shree prahlaadha uvaacha  shravaNam keerthanam viShNo: smaraNam paadha sevanam 
archanam vandhanam dhaasyam sakhyam aathma nivedhanam||7.5.23||
ithi pumsaar pithaa viShNau bhakthish chen nava lakShaNaa 
kriyathe bhagavath yadhDhaa than manye Dheetham uththamam || 7.5.24||

So when Hiranyakashipu heard about all of this, he resolved to kill him. First, he poisoned Prahlada but he survived. When the daitya soldiers attacked their prince with weapons, Prahlada informed them that their efforts were no use since Lord Vishnu resided within them. 

Next, he sent asura elephants and when their tusks made contact with Prahlada they broke. He placed Prahlada in a room with venomous dark snakes, and they made a bed for him with their bodies. Prahlada was then thrown from a valley into a river but was saved by Bhudevi, the wife of Vishnu. Holika the sister of Hiranyakashipu was blessed in that she could not be hurt by fire. Hiranyakashipu put Prahlada on the lap of Holika as she sat on a pyre. Prahlada prayed to Lord Vishnu to keep him safe. Holika burned to death even as Prahlada was left unharmed. This event is celebrated as the Hindu festival of Holi.

The asuras Shambara and Vayu were tasked with slaying the prince, but both of them were driven away by Vishnu. The boy was entrusted to Shukra who educated him regarding his duties, the sciences, and justice, and was returned to his father after he was deemed to have become humble. The asura king once again broached the topic of God with his son only to discover that the latter had never wavered in his faith. Finally, the wicked daitya commanded all the daityas and the danavas to collect all the mountains of the earth to construct a barrier over the boy in the ocean so that his son would be submerged for a millennium. Even though they spread over him for a thousand miles, Prahlada bound hand and foot prayed to Vishnu who granted him a number of boons, and returned to prostrate before his father who was left bewildered. 

Finally, Hiranyakashipu himself went up to Prahlada and asked him if Prahlada’s Lord was in a specific pillar that the king pointed to. Prahlada didn’t say he was over there he said “I can see my Lord inside of that pillar”. Since Prahlada had this much faith in Bhagavan when the king hit the pillar with his weapon Bhagavan immediately emerged from that pillar in the form that was a man-lion. This means he had a head of a lion and a body of a man which didn’t interfere with Hiranyakashipu’s wish. This form of Bhagavan is called “Narasimha” and is the fourth form of Dasavataram. 

Narasimha Bhagavan immediately grabbed the king by his throat and brought him in between the courtyard (neither inside nor outside) and brought out his nails (not a weapon) and the time when he killed Hiranyakashipu was twilight (neither night nor day) and this all not interfering with the king’s wish Narasimha Bhagavan killed Hiranyakashipu. Even as the little boy saw his father being killed he didn’t get sad or even cry instead he surrendered himself to Bhagavan and chanted his famous stuti.

Here are the starting phrases from his stuti.

shree prahlaadha uvaacha 
brahmaadhaya: suragaNaa munayo [a]Tha sidhDhaa:
saththvai kathaana mathayo vachasaam pravaahai: 
naaraaDhithum puru guNair aDhunaapi pipru: 
kim thoShtu marhathi sa me harir ugra jaathe: || SBM 7.9.8 ||

And everyone in Hiranyakashipu’s kingdom was far happier and relieved that the previous king had died and now Prahlada was their leader.