srimadbhagavatham -skandha 7- Narsimhavathara

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Chapter9and 10- Prahladha varadha

 

When

the Lord caught Hirnayakasipu like Garuda catching a snake or a mouse and

killed him by tearing him apart placing him on his thighs on the doorstep, all

the devas including Brahma and Siva appeared there and praised Him but no one

dared to go near Him. Even Lakshmi knowing very well that it was her Lord

appearing as Narsimha felt afraid. Then Brahma told Prahlada to approach the

Lord and calm Him.

 

Prahlada

went near and prostrated before the Lord. On seeing His devotee the Lord

Narasimha became pacified and lifted Prahlada

up and placed His lotus hand on

his head. Prahlada started praising Lord Hari with words faltering with

emotion.

 

Prahlada

said that he was indeed blessed that the Lord, whom even Brahma and others are

not able to attain, had shown mercy on him who was born in asurakula, which

shows the the Lord cares only for deep devotion and not for any other

austerities. Even a chandala who has offered

himself to the Lord is better than a learned Brahmin.

 

Prahlada

told the Lord that he was not afraid of the

fierce form of Narasimha but only

of the terrible wheel of birth and death and asked the Lord when he would reach

the lotus feet of the Lord.

 

Prahlada

extolled the Lord for His mercy shown by placing the hand on his head which good fortune was not available

even to devas. Prahlada said that he only wanted to lead all the suffering

souls to mukthi and implored the Lord to show mercy on the suffering souls.

 

The

Lord said that He was pleased with Prahlada and told him to ask a boon to which

Prahlada replied that one who asks for a boon is not a devotee but a vaNik,

trader. Only when a man gives up all his desires he is qualified to be a

devotee. Then the Lord blessed him and said that after enjoying the fruit of

his punya he would attain the Lord.

 

Brahma

expressed his delight that the asura who terrorized all the worlds had been

killed and the Lord admonished him for giving such boons to the asuras and He disappeared.

 

It

is interesting to note that Brahma never seemed to have learnt his lesson because

he gave the same kind of boons to Hiranyakasipu again when he was born as Ravana

!

 

Narada

then told Yudhishtira that Brahma with Sukracharya the asuraguru, made Prahlada king and all the devas also

returned to heaven.

 

Those

who hear this story of Narasimhavathra and the glory of Prahlada will attain

the supreme abode.

 

Then

Narada said that the supreme being, parabrahman was residing with them in human

form as Krishna and the sages keep coming to them because of that and hence the

pandavas are blessed and even more fortunate than Prahlada because the Lord was

serving them as messenger, charioteer etc. and was with then as a friend,

relation and guru always whereas Narasimhavathara lasted only for shortwhile.