8Boy Meets GodBy Venu Gopal DasBeing raised in a ‘near traditional’ South AfricanHindustani environment, it wasn’t long after justbeing able to understand, did I become highlyconfused about God. Nobody around me tried togo deeper into philosophy or practice, so I was notinspired either. All this changed when I came acrossthe epic of Lord Nrsimhadev and Prahlad Maharaj.Never before have I encountered such an accurateaccount, given to create solid foundations and toreach astounding conclusions in spirituality.Although this description of the Lord is not common,it has been mentioned in various Puranas with theearliest records found in the Mahabharath (3.272.56-60). Shri Rupa Goswami also states in his LaghuBhagavatamrita (5.16), that Nrshimadev is one ofthe paravastha avatars or ‘most important formsof the Lord’. Prahlad Maharaj is one of the twelvemahajans, a devotee of the Lord who is accepted asan authority in the science of worship. Thus there istremendous benefit in thisnarration, as it not onlyglorifies the Lord, but alsoreveals teachings of a truemahatma, to improve ourpractices.The brothers, Hiranyakshaand Hiranyakashipu werevicious demoniac leaderswho lived in the Satya Yuga. Due to his immensemystic power, Hiranyaksha tried to excavate allthe gold from pla<strong>net</strong> Earth. This began to cause anecological imbalance that would eventually destroythe pla<strong>net</strong>. Lord Vishnu took the form of Varahadev,and vanquished Hiranyaksha. Hearing that LordVishnu was responsible for the death of his belovedbrother, Hiranyakashipu swore vengeance. Heimmediately instructed his followers to destroyeverything beneficial for spiritual practice. Theyslaughtered cows and demolished temples. Tobecome stronger, Hiranyakashipu performed severeausterities.At the foothills of Mount Mandara, he stood on thetips of his toes, arms outstretched, whilst looking upto the skies. He remained in this position for eons. Thepotency of his meditation attracted various forms ofenergy, causing the formation of an intense fire. Thisfire produced heat that disrupted the entire universe.The demigods approached Lord Brahma for help. Heagreed to meet with Hiranyakashipu to request himto stop performing this austerity. Hiranyakashipuasked Lord Brahma for the boon of immortality. LordBrahma however, could not grant him immortality,as he himself will have to die too. So, Hiranyakashipuused his tactful intelligence to formulate a requestthat was “equal” to immortality. He asked to not bekilled by any man or animal, by any weapon, on landHearing that Lord Vishnuwas responsible for thedeath of his belovedbrother, Hiranyakashipuswore vengeance.or in the air and other such regulations. Lord Brahmathus met the demands of Hiranyakashipu.Whilst Hiranyakashipu was in deep meditation,the demigods attacked the demons and managedto reclaim their lost territories. In the process theyencountered Hiranyakashipu’s wife, Kayadhu, whowas pregnant. The demigods immediately consideredthe unborn offspring as a threat. They decided to holdKayadhu captive and kill the child upon birth. Whilsttransporting her, the demigods met the great sageNarada Muni, who said that the child was innocentand should not be harmed. He then agreed to letKayadhu reside in his ashram where he would revealto her the teachings of Lord Vishnu. While instructingher, the sincerity of Narada’s teachings touched theunborn child. This is the potency of pure unmotivatedservice to the Lord. Because Narada Muni’s onlyinterest was to glorify the Lord, the unborn child hadreceived full benefit from his mother’s participation.This is an example of a phenomenon called ahaitukyapratihata, implying that reception of spiritualknowledge is never checkedby any material condition.One should never think thatdue to physical, mental orfinancial position, one cannotbe spiritual.Once Hiranyakashipucompleted his meditation, itwas business as usual; he exploited his powers andtormented others. Kayadhu gave birth to a son,Prahlad. Hiranyakashipu wanted his heir to dislikeLord Vishnu as much as he did. But due to theteachings of his guru, Narada Muni, Prahlad alwaysremembered Lord Vishnu. At the age of five, hestarted spreading his love of God to his classmates,who studied materialism, politics and deception. Hisfirst instruction was that one should start engagingin spiritual activities at a young age, as human birthis very rare and one should take full advantage of itbecause in other species one cannot rapidly makespiritual advancement or attain liberation (SB 7.6.1).Prahlad’s father heard of this behaviour and at onceinterrogated him. After realizing that his son’s faithcould not be influenced, Hiranyakashipu decided toexecute him. Even after numerous attempts he failedto kill him.Hiranyakashipu could not understand how his sonwas protected. He eventually asked Prahlad whatwas shielding him. Prahlad answered, “Vishnu...”Hiranyakashipu furiously asked where Vishnu was.Prahlad explained that the Lord is present everywhere,in every atom, to which the demon mockingly replied,“Is Vishnu in this pillar?” and pointed towards one ofthe pillars in his courtyard. Unflinchingly, Prahladsaid, “Yes!” In fiery rage Hiranyakashipu smashedthe pillar to pieces. And to his bewilderment, LordVishnu appeared in the form that was part lion and
part man, Nrsimhadev. Lord Nrsimha was something that Hiranyakashipu’s restricted intelligence could notfathom. The Lord was neither man nor animal, He attacked Hiranyakashipu with His fingernails, which were notphysical weapons, and killed the demon on his lap, which was neither air nor ground…This clearly depicts the nature of materialistically minded people who perform sacrifices or yajnas solely fortemporary benefit to themselves. These people try to bargain with the Lord, thinking that because they offersomething to the Lord, the Lord is now indebted to them. Our thinking is limited, but the Lord is unlimited. TheLord cannot be hoodwinked by anybody. Nothing occurs without the sanction of the Supreme Lord, regardlessof how benefiting or hindering it may appear. Even the demigods who give blessings and benedictions get theirability to do so from the Supreme Lord.From this depiction, we notice that Prahlad was fearless, not on the bodily platform or through Brahmanphilosophy (I’m not this body, I am eternal), but because he had completely surrendered himself to the Lord.Although he had never seen the Lord, during his moments of despair he had full faith in the teachings of hisguru. All of the demigods, who are exalted devotees and had seen the Lord before, were too afraid to approachNrsimhadev, but Prahlad was not. We must remember thatregardless of how insignificant we are, Krishna notices everylittle action, partial thought, and modest word we performthat pleases Him.Prahlad also debunks the misconception that peopleshould only take to spirituality towards the end oftheir lives. Civilization today is not geared to suit thistheory. People are becoming more susceptibleto disease, and rising medical expensespartnered with zero economic safety, aredeadly combinations. Let us not forgetmortality rates which have increasedexponentially across all sectors.Always remember: in relationto death, it’s not a matter ofIF, but rather WHEN andHOW. The odds are against usand no material mechanismsor elaborate benedictions canstop this. The only protection istaking shelter of the Lord.The Shri Nrsimha-kavacha stotra,which destroys obstacles andoffer full protectionin one’s spiritualpractice, is acollection ofprayers recited byPrahlad Maharajto Nrsimhadev. Anaudio mp3 version,with full Sanskritand Englishtranslation,is freelydownloadableon the Shri ShriRadha Radhanathwebsite: www.iskcondurban.<strong>net</strong>. Look under<strong>Downloads</strong>.9
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