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Narayaneeyam dasakam-24 The Story of Prahlad.
Once the lived Hiranyakasipu, the king of the demons. His brother, another demon who had been creating a disturbance, had been killed by Varaha, an incarnation of Lord Visnu. Hiranyakasipu also was creating a disturbance by harassing the sages and the demigods. Hiranyakasipu wanted to get revenge upon Lord Visnu for the killing of his brother so he performed severe austerities:
"Seeing Hiranyakasipu engaged in this austerity, the demigods returned to their respective homes, but while Hiranyakasipu was thus engaged, a kind of fire began blazing from his head, disturbing the entire universe and its inhabitants, including the birds, beasts and demigods. When all the higher and lower planets became too hot to live on, the demigods, being disturbed, left their abodes in the higher planets and went to see Lord Brahma, praying to him that he curtail this unnecessary heat. The demigods disclosed to Lord Brahma Hiranyakasipu's ambition to become immortal, overcoming his short duration of life, and to be the master of all the planetary systems, even Dhruvaloka
Finally, Lord Brahma appeared before Hiranyakasipu but could not give him the boon of immortality for even Lord Brahma is not immortal. Therefore, Hiranyakasipu tried to ask for benedictions that would make him almost as good as immortal. Hiranyakasipu asked that he not meet death in any of the following conditions
a) by any living entity created by Lord Brahma (b) within any residence or outside any residence(c) during the daytime or at night(d) on the ground or in the sky(e) by any weapon, human being, or any animal (h) by anything living or nonliving etc.Prahlada, the son of Hiranyakasipu, was a great devotee and he received initiation while within the womb of his mother:Hiranyakashipa tried to torture Prahlaada by throwing him down cliffs, getting him stamped by elephants, burning him in fire etc., but nothing happened to the great Hari bhakta. Prahlaada, who had only Shri Hari in his mind, never even thought about anything else. Hence Shri Hari saved him from the tortures of Hiranyakashipa. One day at Sandhya-samayam, fed up with Prahlaada saying Shri Hari is only Paramaatma, His bhakti is only shaashvatam, Hiranyakashipa said “where is your Hari? I even went to Vaikuntham and searched for him to kill him, but he was not there Prahlaada replied “Dont have the doubt that He is here, He is there. He is everyone. Wherever you search for Him with Bhakti, He will be there”. Then with anger Hiranyakashipa said “is it? If so, show Him to Me in this pillar”. Then Mahaavishnu appeared from the pillar in the form of Nara-simham, Hiranyakasipu struck the pillar with his fists not believing Prahlada'sstatement; however Lord Nrsimhadeva, half-man and half-lion incarnation of the Supreme Lord, appeared with A ROAR!
A great fight ensued and Lord Nrsimhadeva killed Hiranyakasipu with his nails.
Lord Nrsimhadeva killed Hiranyakasipu without violating any of the boons Hiranyakasipu had received from Lord Brahma:
(a) Hiranyakasipu was killed by Lord Nrsimhadeva who is not a living entity created by Lord Brahma nor anyone else for He is eternal and unborn.
(b) Hiranyakasipu was killed in the doorway which is neither within any residence nor outside any residence.
(c) Hiranyakasipu was killed in the evening which is neither daytime nor night.
(d) Hiranyakasipu was killed on the lap of Lord Nrsimhadeva which is neither on the ground nor in the sky.
(e) Hiranyakasipu was killed by a half-man and half-lion which is neither a human nor an animal.
(h) Hiranyakasipu was killed by the nails which are neither living nor dead nor count as weapons. etc.
The Bhakti of Prahlaada is ananyam. Though he was kid and his father tortured him so much, he never thought about anything other than Shri Hari. Hence Mahaavishnu saved him. Prahlaada comes first in the list of Bhaktas and is a maarga-darshi for us.
Dasakam: 024 -- Shlokam: 01
हिरण्याक्षे पोत्रिप्रवरवपुषा देव भवता
हते शोकक्रोधग्लपितधृतिरेतस्य सहज: ।
हिरण्यप्रारम्भ: कशिपुरमरारातिसदसि
प्रतिज्ञमातेने तव किल वधार्थं मधुरिपो ॥१॥
hiraNyaakshe pOtripravaravapuShaa deva bhavataa
hate shOka krOdha glapita dhR^itiretasya sahajaH |
hiraNya praarambhaH kashipuramaraaraati sadasi
pratij~naamaatene tava kila vadhaarthaM madhuripO || 1
O Lord! Slayer of Madhu! When Hiranyaaksha was killed by Thee, incarnate as the Divine Boar, his brother named Hiranyakashipu was smitten with sorrow and anger. In the assembly of the Asuras he swore to kill Thee.