srimadbhagavatham -skandha 7- Narsimhavathara

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Chapter6 and 7- Prahlada's advice to other boys

Prahlada

told the boys that even if he is a guru one should not listen to him if he

instructs only on arThah and kama and not

aathma thathva and bhagavatbhakthi because they tell anarTha as arTha. From

childhood one should follow bhaagavathadharma like the butter and flowers taken

in the early morning when they are fresh. Prahlada said that it is easy to

please Kesava who is the anthryami, inner self, of all.

He

told them to leave off their aasurik tendencies and become devotees of the

Lord.

 

Then

they asked him from where did he get this knowledge since he had been with

them all the time from his birth.

Prahlada said that he got the wisdom from Narada while he was in his mother's

womb and narrated the story of his getting upadesa from Narada.

 

When

Hiranya kasipu went to do penance , Indra kidnapped his wife who was pregnant with

Prahlada. When Narada tried to dissuade him from doing so he said that she had

the offspring of Hiranyakasipu in her womb who is sure to be more terrible than

his father. Narada told him that he was wrong because the child was going to be

a great devotee through whom the devas are going to get back their power. Then

Indra left her and Narada took her under his care till Hiranyakasipu came back.

She served him with sincere devotion and Narada instructed her about dharma and

the glory of Lord Narayana which she forgot in course of time but the baby

inside her womb listened attentively and acquired the jnana and bhakthi.

 

Prahlada

told them that to please Lord Hari there is no need to do dhaana, or tapas or

yajna or any vratha. He is pleased by pure bhakthi alone. Asuras, rakshasas,

women, sudras, cowherds, birds, animals and sinners all have got the supreme

status through bhakthi, he said.

 

(Vrthra,

Vibheeshana, the wives of rshis gave

food for the gopas through devotion to Krishna

, Guha, Jatayu, Jambavan, the gopis, sugreeva and Hanuman are the examples of

devotees who proved this.)

 

Chapter8- Narasimhavathara

 

The

guruputhras seeing what Parahlada had done, fearing punishment and went and told

Hiranyakasipu what happened. Hiranyakasipu became as furious as a serpent which

was trod on and threatened to kill Prahlada and asked him who gave him the

strength to disobey his father and protected him so far. Prahlada replied ,

 

na kevalam me bhavathaScha rajan

sa vai balam balinaam chaapareshaam

 

"

Not only to me but to you also Oh king, He is the strength of the strong as

well as others."

 

sa eva viSvam paramaH svaSakthibhiH

srjathi avathi atthi gunathrayeSaH

 

"

He alone creates this universe by His powers, protects it and devours it and thus He is the supreme Lord with His

three gunas of creation , protection and destruction"

 

Hiranyakasipu

said that Prahlada was nearing his death and that was why he was prattling thus

and said,

 

yasthvayaa mandhabhaagyoktha

madhanyaH jagadheeSvaraH

kvaasou yadhi sa sarvathra kasmaath

sthambhe na dhrSyathe

 

"

If your Lord of the universe, other than me,(because I am the lord of the

universe) as said by you, who is unfortunate(because you are going to die) that

He is everywhere. Why is He not seen in this pillar?"

 

Saying, if Hari was really the refuge of Prahlada

let Him protect now, Hiranyakasipu drew his sword and leaping from his throne

hit the pillar nearby with his fist. The next moment there was a sound that

terrified the whole universe and Narasimha came out of the pillar.

 

Srimadbhagavatham

describes the Narasimhavathara thus:

 

sathyam viDhaathum nija bhrthya

bhaashitham

vyaapthim cha bhootheshu akhileshu

cha aathmanaH

adhrSyatha adhbhutharoopam udhvahan

sthambhe sabhaayaam na mrgam na

maanusham

 

In

order to make true the words of His devotee and to prove His all pervasiveness the

Lord was seen assuming a wonderful form. Neither animal nor man, in the pillar

of the court hall.

 

karaala dhamshtram karavaala

chanchala

kshuraantha jihvam

bhrukuteemukholbaNam

sthabDhorDhvakarNam

girikandharaadhbhutha

vyaatthaasyanaasam hanubhedha

bheeshaNam

 

His

canine teeth were fearful, His tongue rotated like a sharp sword, His face with

arched eyebrows shone with lustre, His ears stiff and turned upward, His nose

and wide mouth looking like the caves of a mountain and His jaws fierce looking.

 

The form of Narasimha was to protect the word

given by another bhaktha, Brahma, who gave the boons to Hiranyakasipu , in

order to kill him satisfying all the conditions put by him.