Vyasadev
Praneetha
The Mad Bhagavatam
Canto 7
Chapter 8
Lord Nrisimhadeva Slays the King of the Demons
As described in this chapter, Hiraṇyakaśipu was ready to kill his own son Prahlāda Mahārāja, but the Supreme Personality of Godhead appeared in front of the demon as Śrī Nṛkeśarī, half lion and half man, and killed him.
Following the instructions of Prahlāda Mahārāja, all the sons of the demons became attached to Lord Viṣṇu, the Supreme Personality of Godhead. When this attachment became pronounced, their teachers, Ṣaṇḍa and Amarka, were very much afraid that the boys would become more and more devoted to the Lord. In a helpless condition, they approached Hiraṇyakaśipu and described in detail the effect of Prahlāda's preaching. After hearing of this, Hiraṇyakaśipu decided to kill his son Prahlāda. Hiraṇyakaśipu was so angry that Prahlāda Mahārāja fell down at his feet and said many things just to pacify him, but he was unsuccessful in satisfying his demoniac father. Hiraṇyakaśipu, as a typical demon, began to advertise himself as being greater than the Supreme Personality of Godhead, but Prahlāda Mahārāja challenged him, saying that Hiraṇyakaśipu was not God, and began to glorify the Supreme Personality of Godhead, declaring that the Lord is all-pervading, that everything is under Him, and that no one is equal to or greater than Him. Thus he requested his father to be submissive to the omnipotent Supreme Lord.
The more Prahlāda Mahārāja glorified the Supreme Personality of Godhead, the more angry and agitated the demon became. Hiraṇyakaśipu asked his Vaiṣṇava son whether his God existed within the columns of the palace, and Prahlāda Mahārāja immediately accepted that since the Lord is present everywhere, He was also present within the columns. When Hiraṇyakaśipu heard this philosophy from his young son, he derided the boy's statement as just the talk of a child and forcefully struck the pillar with his fist.
As soon as Hiraṇyakaśipu struck the column, there issued forth a tumultuous sound. At first Hiraṇyakaśipu, the King of the demons, could not see anything but the pillar, but to substantiate Prahlāda's statements, the Lord came out of the pillar in His wonderful incarnation as Narasiḿha, half lion and half man. Hiraṇyakaśipu could immediately understand that the extraordinarily wonderful form of the Lord was surely meant for his death, and thus he prepared to fight with the form of half lion and half man. The Lord performed His pastimes by fighting with the demon for some time, and in the evening, on the border between day and night, the Lord captured the demon, threw him on His lap, and killed him by piercing his abdomen with His nails. The Lord not only killed Hiraṇyakaśipu, the King of the demons, but also killed many of his followers. When there was no one else to fight, the Lord, roaring with anger, sat down on Hiraṇyakaśipu's throne.
The entire universe was thus relieved of the rule of Hiraṇyakaśipu, and everyone was jubilant in transcendental bliss. Then all the demigods, headed by Lord Brahmā, approached the Lord. These included the great saintly persons, the Pitās, the Siddhas, the Vidyādharas, the Nāgas, the Manus, the prajāpatis, the Gandharvas, the Cāraṇas, the Yakṣas, the Kimpuruṣas, the Vaitālikas, the Kinnaras and also many other varieties of beings in human form. All of them stood not far from the Supreme Personality of Godhead and began offering their prayers unto the Lord, whose spiritual effulgence was brilliant as He sat on the throne.
7.8.1
jagṛhur niravadyatvān
naiva gurv-anuśikṣitam
(1) Nârada Muni said [to Yudhishthhira]: 'Having heard his explanations accepted thereupon all the attending daitya sons his words because of their profundity and rejected they what their teachers taught them.
This is the effect of the preaching of a pure devotee like Prahlāda Mahārāja. If a devotee is qualified, sincere and serious about Kṛṣṇa consciousness and if he follows the instructions of a bona fide spiritual master, as Prahlāda Mahārāja did when preaching the instructions he had received from Nārada Muni, his preaching is effective. As it is said in the Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam (3.25.25):
satāḿ prasańgān mama vīrya-saḿvido
If one tries to understand the discourses given by the sat, or pure devotees, those instructions will be very pleasing to the ear and appealing to the heart. Thus if one is inspired to take to Kṛṣṇa consciousness and if one practices the process in his life, he is surely successful in returning home, back to Godhead. By the grace of Prahlāda Mahārāja, all his class friends, the sons of the demons, became Vaiṣṇavas. They did not like hearing from their so-called teachers Ṣaṇḍa and Amarka, who were interested only in teaching them about diplomacy, politics, economic development and similar topics meant exclusively for sense gratification.
7.8.2
athācārya-sutas teṣāḿ
ālakṣya bhītas tvarito
(2) When the two sons of the guru [S'ukrâcârya's sons Shanda and Amarka] realized how the intelligence was fixed on the one subject matter, contacted they in fear the king to submit to him what was going on.
The words buddhim ekānta-saḿsthitām indicate that as an effect of Prahlāda Mahārāja's preaching, the students who listened to him became fixed in the conclusion that Kṛṣṇa consciousness is the only object of human life. The fact is that anyone who associates with a pure devotee and follows his instructions becomes fixed in Kṛṣṇa consciousness and is not disturbed by materialistic consciousness. The teachers particularly observed this in their students, and therefore they were afraid because the whole community of students was gradually becoming Kṛṣṇa conscious.
7.8.3-4
kopāveśa-calad-gātraḥ
āhekṣamāṇaḥ pāpena
praśrayāvanataḿ dāntaḿ
baddhāñjalim avasthitam
(3-4) All over his body trembling of anger and with a mind determined to kill his son he rebuked Prahlâda, who shouldn't really be blamed, thereto with the harshest words staring at him in fury about his offenses. He so very mild and of restraint had folded his hands with him before him who was hissing like a vicious snake trampled by foot.
When one is impudent toward a highly authorized devotee, one is punished by the laws of nature. The duration of his life is diminished, and he loses the blessings of superior persons and the results of pious activities. Hiraṇyakaśipu, for example, had achieved such great power in the material world that he could subdue practically all the planetary systems in the universe, including the heavenly planets (Svargaloka). Yet now, because of his mistreatment of such a Vaiṣṇava as Prahlāda Mahārāja, all the results of his tapasya diminished. As stated in Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam (10.4.46):
āyuḥ śriyaḿ yaśo dharmaḿ
puḿso mahad-atikramaḥ
"When one mistreats great souls, his life span, opulence, reputation, religion, possessions and good fortune are all destroyed."7.8.5
he durvinīta mandātman
stabdhaḿ mac-chāsanodvṛttaḿ
(5) Hiranyakas'ipu said: 'O you impudence, utter stupidity, you intriguer of the family, you outcast, you obstinate one wide of my rule, today I'll take you to Yamarâja's.
Hiraṇyakaśipu condemned his Vaiṣṇava son Prahlāda for being durvinīta — ungentle, uncivilized, or impudent. Śrīla Viśvanātha Cakravartī Ṭhākura, however, has derived a meaning from this word durvinīta by the mercy of the goddess of learning, Sarasvatī. He says that duḥ refers to this material world. This is confirmed by Lord Kṛṣṇa in His instruction in Bhagavad-gītā that this material world is duḥkhālayam, full of material conditions. Vi means viśeṣa, "specifically," and nīta means "brought in." By the mercy of the Supreme Lord, Prahlāda Mahārāja was especially brought to this material world to teach people how to get out of the material condition. Lord Kṛṣṇa says, yadā yadā hi dharmasya glānir bhavati bhārata [Bg. 4.7]. When the entire population, or part of it, becomes forgetful of its own duty, Kṛṣṇa comes. When Kṛṣṇa is not present the devotee is present, but the mission is the same: to free the poor conditioned souls from the clutches of the māyā that chastises them.
Śrīla Viśvanātha Cakravartī Ṭhākura further explains that the word mandātman means manda — very bad or very slow in spiritual realization. As stated in Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam (1.1.10), mandāḥ sumanda-matayo manda-bhāgyā. Prahlāda Mahārāja is the guide of all the mandas, or bad living entities who are under the influence of māyā. He is the benefactor even of the slow and bad living entities in this material world. Kula-bheda-karādhama: by his actions, Prahlāda Mahārāja made great personalities who established big, big families seem insignificant. Everyone is interested in his own family and in making his dynasty famous, but Prahlāda Mahārāja was so liberal that he made no distinction between one living entity and another. Therefore he was greater than the great prajāpatis who established their dynasties. The word stabdham means obstinate. A devotee does not care for the instructions of the asuras. When they give instructions, he remains silent. A devotee cares about the instructions of Kṛṣṇa, not those of demons or nondevotees. He does not give any respect to a demon, even though the demon be his father. Mac-chāsanodvṛttam: Prahlāda Mahārāja was disobedient to the orders of his demoniac father. Yama-kṣayam: every conditioned soul is under the control of Yamarāja, but Hiraṇyakaśipu said that he considered Prahlāda Mahārāja his deliverer, for Prahlāda would stop Hiraṇyakaśipu's repetition of birth and death. Because Prahlāda Mahārāja, being a great devotee, was better than any yogī, Hiraṇyakaśipu was to be brought among the society of bhakti-yogīs. Thus Śrīla Viśvanātha Cakravartī Ṭhākura has explained these words in a very interesting way as they can be interpreted from the side of Sarasvatī, the mother of learning.
7.8.6
trayo lokāḥ saheśvarāḥ
(6) When I am angry do all in the three worlds and their leaders tremble of me; by what power do you so fearlessly overstep my rule, you idiot?' [compare B.G. 9: 31].
The relationship between a pure devotee and the Supreme Personality of Godhead is extremely relishable. A devotee never claims to be very powerful himself; instead, he fully surrenders to the lotus feet of Kṛṣṇa, being confident that in all dangerous conditions Kṛṣṇa will protect His devotee. Kṛṣṇa Himself says in Bhagavad-gītā (9.31), kaunteya pratijānīhi na me bhaktaḥ praṇaśyati: "O son of Kuntī, declare boldly that My devotee never perishes." The Lord requested Arjuna to declare this instead of declaring it Himself because sometimes Kṛṣṇa changes His view and therefore people might not believe Him. Thus Kṛṣṇa asked Arjuna to declare that a devotee of the Lord is never vanquished.
Hiraṇyakaśipu was perplexed about how his five-year-old boy could be so fearless that he did not care for the order of his very great and powerful father. A devotee cannot execute the order of anyone except the Supreme Personality of Godhead. This is the position of a devotee. Hiraṇyakaśipu could understand that this boy must have been very powerful, since the boy did not heed his orders. Hiraṇyakaśipu asked his son, kiḿ balaḥ: "How have you overcome my order? By whose strength have you done this?"
7.8.7
brahmādayo yena vaśaḿ praṇītāḥ
(7) Prahlâda said: 'He indeed, the Strength of the Strong is not just mine or yours, o King; He is also the exalted of all others subordinate who move or do not move around, and who He, beginning with Lord Brahmâ, has brought under His control.
"Know that all beautiful, glorious and mighty creations spring from but a spark of My splendor." This is confirmed by Prahlāda Mahārāja. If one sees extraordinary strength or power anywhere, it is derived from the Supreme Personality of Godhead. To give an example, there are different grades of fire, but all of them derive heat and light from the sun. Similarly, all living entities, big or small, are dependent on the mercy of the Supreme Personality of Godhead. One's only duty is to surrender, for one is a servant and cannot independently attain the position of master. One can attain the position of master only by the mercy of the master, not independently. Unless one understands this philosophy, he is still a mūḍha; in other words, he is not very intelligent. The mūḍhas, the asses who do not have this intelligence, cannot surrender unto the Supreme Personality of Godhead.
Understanding the subordinate position of the living entity takes millions of births, but when one is actually wise he surrenders unto the Supreme Personality of Godhead
7.8.8
(8) He the controller, the time-factor, is the unique Lord who is the one strength of mind and life, the steady of one's physical power and senses; He, the Real of the self, is by all His potencies indeed the Supreme One Master of the natural modes who creates, maintains and winds up again the entire universe.
7.8.9
(9) Just give up the asura ways. You, of yourself, be equalminded, on the path of error there is no other enemy but the mind that ran out of control, a problem for which the unlimited Lord is the best remedy.
7.8.10
(10) Formerly there were plunderers who not in control with the six enemies [the mind and the five senses] stole away everything. They considered themselves as people who had conquered the ten directions, but where are those enemies created from one's own illusion with the saint who is equipoised towards all embodied beings?'
7.8.11
yo 'timātraḿ vikatthase
mumūrṣūṇāḿ hi mandātman
(11) S'rî Hiranyakas'ipu said: 'Apparently do you, boasting so limitless, want to die; clearly do the words of people who are about to die become nonsensical, you stupid rascal.
It is said in Hitopadeśa, upadeśo hi mūrkhāṇāḿ prokopāya na śāntaye. If good instructions are given to a foolish person, he does not take advantage of them, but becomes more and more angry. Prahlāda Mahārāja's authorized instructions to his father were not accepted by Hiraṇyakaśipu as truth; instead Hiraṇyakaśipu became increasingly angry at his great son, who was a pure devotee. This kind of difficulty always exists when a devotee preaches Kṛṣṇa consciousness to persons like Hiraṇyakaśipu, who are interested in money and women. (The word hiraṇya means "gold," and kaśipu refers to cushions or good bedding.) Moreover, a father does not like to be instructed by his son, especially if the father is a demon. Prahlāda Mahārāja's Vaiṣṇava preaching to his demoniac father was indirectly effective, for because of Hiraṇyakaśipu's excessive jealousy of Kṛṣṇa and His devotee, he was inviting Nṛsiḿhadeva to kill him very quickly. Thus he was expediting his being killed by the Lord Himself. Although Hiraṇyakaśipu was a demon, he is described here by the added word śrī. Why? The answer is that fortunately he had such a great devotee son as Prahlāda Mahārāja. Thus although he was a demon, he would attain salvation and return home, back to Godhead.
7.8.12
(12) O unfortunate one, the one you describe besides me as the controller of the universe, where is He to be found? If He is omnipresent, then why don't I see Him in this pillar before me? [see also B.G. 7: 25]
Demons sometimes declare to a devotee that they cannot accept the existence of God because they cannot see Him. But what the demon does not know is stated by the Lord Himself in Bhagavad-gītā (7.25): nāhaḿ prakāśaḥ sarvasya yogamāyā-samāvṛtaḥ. "I am never manifest to the foolish and unintelligent. For them I am covered by yogamāyā." The Lord is open to being seen by devotees, but nondevotees cannot see Him. The qualification for seeing God is stated in Brahma-saḿhitā (5.38): premāñjana-cchurita-bhakti-vilocanena santaḥ sadaiva hṛdayeṣu vilokayanti. A devotee who has developed a genuine love for Kṛṣṇa can always see Him everywhere, whereas a demon, not having a clear understanding of the Supreme Lord, cannot see Him. When Hiraṇyakaśipu was threatening to kill Prahlāda Mahārāja, Prahlāda certainly saw the column standing before him and his father, and he saw that the Lord was present in the pillar to encourage him not to fear his demoniac father's words. The Lord was present to protect him. Hiraṇyakaśipu marked Prahlāda's observation and asked him, "Where is your God?" Prahlāda Mahārāja replied, "He is everywhere." Then Hiraṇyakaśipu asked, "Why is He not in this pillar before me?" Thus in all circumstances the devotee can always see the Supreme Lord, whereas the nondevotee cannot.
Prahlāda Mahārāja has here been addressed by his father as "the most unfortunate." Hiraṇyakaśipu thought himself extremely fortunate because he possessed the property of the universe. Prahlāda Mahārāja, his legitimate son, was to have inherited this vast property, but because of his impudence, he was going to die at his father's hands. Therefore the demoniac father considered Prahlāda the most unfortunate because Prahlāda would not be able to inherit his property. Hiraṇyakaśipu did not know that Prahlāda Mahārāja was the most fortunate person within the three worlds because Prahlāda was protected by the Supreme Personality of Godhead. Such are the misunderstandings of demons. They do not know that a devotee is protected by the Lord in all circumstances (kaunteya pratijānīhi na me bhaktaḥ praṇaśyati).
7.8.13
so 'haḿ vikatthamānasya
gopāyeta haris tvādya
(13) Let Him, that Lord you desired as your protector, now protect you as I am going to sever the head from the body of someone like you, speaking such nonsense.'
Demons always think that the God of the devotees is fictitious. They think that there is no God and that the so-called religious feeling of devotion to God is but an opiate, a kind of illusion, like the illusions derived from LSD and opium. Hiraṇyakaśipu did not believe Prahlāda Mahārāja when Prahlāda asserted that his Lord is present everywhere. Because Hiraṇyakaśipu, as a typical demon, was convinced that there is no God and that no one could protect Prahlāda, he felt encouraged to kill his son. He challenged the idea that the devotee is always protected by the Supreme Lord.
7.8.14
sutaḿ mahā-bhāgavataḿ mahāsuraḥ
khaḍgaḿ pragṛhyotpatito varāsanāt
(14) Thus with a stream of abuses enraged chastising his son, that great devotee, struck Hiranyakas'ipu, rising from his throne and taking up his sword, with his hard fist a column.
7.8.15
tadaiva tasmin ninado 'tibhīṣaṇo
(15) At that very time could from within the column a most fearful sound be heard as if the covering of the universe cracked open. That sound, reaching as far as the place where the godly of Lord Brahmâ resided, my dearest, made them believe that the destruction of their abodes was at hand.
7.8.16
(16) He who in his display of power wanted to kill his son, hearing the tumultuous sound one had never heard before, stood with the assembly present amazed about the fact that one couldn't determine its origin, and thus were all the ones in power seized by fear.
7.8.17
(17) To prove the words true spoken in defense of His omnipresence of pervading each and every thing, could of Him a most wonderful form be seen taking shape in a pillar in the middle of the assembly hall; it was not an animal nor a man.
When Hiraṇyakaśipu asked Prahlāda Mahārāja, "Where is your Lord? Is He present in this pillar?" Prahlāda Mahārāja fearlessly replied, "Yes, my Lord is present everywhere." Therefore, to convince Hiraṇyakaśipu that the statement of Prahlāda Mahārāja was unmistakably true, the Lord appeared from the pillar. The Lord appeared as half lion and half man so that Hiraṇyakaśipu could not understand whether the great giant was a lion or a human being. To substantiate Prahlāda's statement, the Lord proved that His devotee, as declared in Bhagavad-gītā, is never vanquished (kaunteya pratijānīhi na me bhaktaḥ praṇaśyati). Prahlāda Mahārāja's demoniac father had repeatedly threatened to kill Prahlāda, but Prahlāda was confident that he could not be killed, since he was protected by the Supreme Lord. By appearing from the pillar, the Lord encouraged His devotee, saying in effect, "Don't worry. I am present here." By manifesting His form as Nṛsiḿhadeva, the Lord also preserved the truth of Lord Brahmā's promise that Hiraṇyakaśipu was not to be killed by any animal or any man. The Lord appeared in a form that could not be said to be fully a man or a lion.
7.8.18
stambhasya madhyād anunirjihānam
(18) The king, studying it from all sides, saw how a living being emerged from the middle of the pillar, and not being able to ascertain whether it was an animal or a human being said he in wonder: 'What is this form of half a man and half the king of the animals?'
A demon cannot calculate the unlimited potency of the Supreme Lord. As stated in the Vedas, parāsya śaktir vividhaiva śrūyate svābhāvikī jñāna-bala-kriyā ca: the different potencies of the Lord are always working as an automatic exhibition of His knowledge. For a demon it is certainly wonderful that the form of a lion and the form of a man can be united, since a demon has no experience of the inconceivable power for which the Supreme Lord is called "all-powerful." Demons cannot understand the omnipotence of the Lord. They simply compare the Lord to one of them (avajānanti māḿ mūḍhā mānuṣīḿ tanum āśritam [Bg. 9.11]). Mūḍhas, rascals, think that Kṛṣṇa is an ordinary human being who appears for the benefit of other human beings. paraḿ bhāvam ajānantaḥ: fools, rascals and demons cannot realize the supreme potency of the Lord, but He can do anything and everything; indeed, He can do whatever He likes. When Hiraṇyakaśipu received benedictions from Lord Brahmā, he thought that he was safe, since he received the benediction that he would not be killed either by an animal or by a human being. He never thought that an animal and human being would be combined so that demons like him would be puzzled by such a form. This is the meaning of the Supreme Personality of Godhead's omnipotence.
7.8.19-22
mīmāḿsamānasya samutthito 'grato
nṛsiḿha-rūpas tad alaḿ bhayānakam
candrāḿśu-gauraiś churitaḿ tanūruhair
viṣvag bhujānīka-śataḿ nakhāyudham
durāsadaḿ sarva-nijetarāyudha-
(19-22) As he was contemplating the miracle that took place in front of him, appeared the extraordinary, most frightening form of Nrisimhadev. He had flashing eyes like molten gold and deadly teeth to a face extending in manes. He waved His tongue like a sword sharp as a razor, looking with a dreadful frown. His ears stood straight up and His wide open mouth and nostrils most amazingly gaping like a mountain cave, covered the sky. His body was short and fat with a broad neck and chest over a small waist. Like the rays of the moon was His body covered with whitish hairs and hundreds of arms stretched in all directions with hard to challenge fatal nails for weapons in combination with all His personal weapons. Faced with that excellence fled the Daityas and Dânavas away.
Hiraṇyakaśipu studied the form of the Lord, trying to decide who the form of Nṛsiḿhadeva standing before him was. The Lord's form was extremely fearsome because of His angry eyes, which resembled molten gold; His shining mane, which expanded the dimensions of His fearful face; His deadly teeth; and His razor-sharp tongue, which moved about like a dueling sword. His ears were erect and motionless, and His nostrils and gaping mouth appeared like caves of a mountain. His jaws parted fearfully, and His entire body touched the sky. His neck was very short and thick, His chest broad, His waist thin, and the hairs on His body as white as the rays of the moon. His arms, which resembled flanks of soldiers, spread in all directions as He killed the demons, rogues and atheists with His conchshell, disc, club, lotus and other natural weapons.
7.8.23
vadhaḥ smṛto 'nena samudyatena kim
evaḿ bruvaḿs tv abhyapatad gadāyudho
(23) 'I guess this is what the Lord so full of mystical potency is trying in order to get me killed, but what's the use?' so Hiranyakas'ipu murmured to himself, and taking up his weapon threw the Daitya himself like an elephant forward attacking the loudly roaring Lord Nrisimha.
7.8.24
alakṣito 'gnau patitaḥ patańgamo
(24) As invisible as an insect fallen into a fire, disappeared he, the Asura, in the effulgence of Nrisimha; a thing which at the time was not so astonishing at all considering the fact that He from within the effulgence of His own goodness formerly had swallowed all the darkness of creation.
The Lord is situated transcendentally, in pure goodness. The material world is generally controlled by tamo-guṇa, the quality of ignorance, but the spiritual world, because of the presence of the Lord and His effulgence, is free from all contamination by darkness, passion or contaminated goodness. Although there is a tinge of goodness in this material world in terms of the brahminical qualifications, such qualifications sometimes become invisible because of the strong prevalence of the modes of passion and ignorance. But because the Lord is always transcendentally situated, the material modes of passion and ignorance cannot touch Him. Whenever the Lord is present, there cannot be any darkness from the mode of ignorance.
"Godhead is light. Nescience is darkness. Where there is Godhead there is no nescience." This material world is full of darkness and ignorance of spiritual life, but by bhakti-yoga this ignorance is dissipated. The Lord appeared because of the bhakti-yoga exhibited by Prahlāda Mahārāja, and as soon as the Lord appeared, the influence of Hiraṇyakaśipu's passion and ignorance was vanquished as the Lord's quality of pure goodness, or the Brahman effulgence, became prominent. In that prominent effulgence, Hiraṇyakaśipu became invisible, or his influence became insignificant. An example illustrating how the darkness of the material world is vanquished is given in the śāstra. When Brahmā was created from the lotus stem growing from the abdomen of Garbhodakaśāyī Viṣṇu, Lord Brahmā saw everything to be dark, but when he received knowledge from the Supreme Personality of Godhead, everything became clear, as everything becomes clear when one comes from night to sunshine. The important point is that as long as we are in the material modes of nature, we are always in darkness. This darkness cannot be dissipated without the presence of the Supreme Personality of Godhead, which is invoked by the practice of bhakti-yoga. Bhakti-yoga creates a transcendental situation with no tinges of material contamination.
7.8.25
tato 'bhipadyābhyahanan mahāsuro
ruṣā nṛsiḿhaḿ gadayoruvegayā
taḿ vikramantaḿ sagadaḿ gadādharo
mahoragaḿ tārkṣya-suto yathāgrahīt
(25) Thereafter attacking struck the greatest of the demons in fury Lord Nrisimhadev with his club, showing his prowess in moving Him with great force by that club, but the Lord who also had a club, seized him just like the son of Târkshya [Garuda] would capture a great snake.
7.8.26
vikrīḍato yadvad ahir garutmataḥ
(26) When the Asura slipped from His hands while He was playing with him the way Garuda plays with a snake, thought the godly and the rulers of heaven whose places he had taken, from behind the clouds that to be a bad turn of events, o son of Bharata.
7.8.27
yad dhasta-mukto nṛhariḿ mahāsuraḥ
(27) Thinking that because of letting him go He was frightened by his display of manliness, attacked the greatest of the demons, after a pause in the battle taking up his sword and shield, with great force Nrisimhadeva again.
When a sinful man enjoys material facilities, foolish people sometimes think, "How is it that this sinful man is enjoying whereas a pious man is suffering?" By the will of the Supreme, a sinful man is sometimes given the chance to enjoy the material world as if he were not under the clutches of material nature, just so that he may be fooled. A sinful man who acts against the laws of nature must be punished, but sometimes he is given a chance to play, exactly like Hiraṇyakaśipu when he was released from the hands of Nṛsiḿhadeva. Hiraṇyakaśipu was destined to be ultimately killed by Nṛsiḿhadeva, but just to see the fun, the Lord gave him a chance to slip from His hands.
7.8.28
(28) With him moving fast as a hawk, with his moonspotted shield and sword maneuvering up and down not to offer any opportunity, made the Lord a very shrill, loud sound of laughter that was so frightening that he, with his eyes closed, was captured by the Greatest of all Speed.
7.8.29
viṣvak sphurantaḿ grahaṇāturaḿ harir
vyālo yathākhuḿ kuliśākṣata-tvacam
(29) In protest with his limbs wrestling to get away placed the Lord him, whose skin couldn't even be cut by Indra's thunderbolt, like a snake or mouse over the edge of His thigh and pierced He him with His nails as easy as Garuda does seizing a viper.
Hiraṇyakaśipu had received from Lord Brahmā the benediction that he would not die on the land or in the sky. Therefore, to keep the promise of Lord Brahmā intact, Nṛsiḿhadeva placed Hiraṇyakaśipu's body on His lap, which was neither land nor sky. Hiraṇyakaśipu had received the benediction that he would not die either during the day or at night. Therefore, to keep this promise of Brahmā, the Lord killed Hiraṇyakaśipu in the evening, which is the end of day and the beginning of night but is neither day nor night. Hiraṇyakaśipu had taken a benediction from Lord Brahmā that he would not die from any weapon or be killed by any person, dead or alive. Therefore, just to keep the word of Lord Brahmā, Lord Nṛsiḿhadeva pierced Hiraṇyakaśipu's body with His nails, which were not weapons and were neither living nor dead. Indeed, the nails can be called dead, but at the same time they can be said to be alive. To keep intact all of Lord Brahmā's benedictions, Lord Nṛsiḿhadeva paradoxically but very easily killed the great demon Hiraṇyakaśipu.
7.8.30
saḿrambha-duṣprekṣya-karāla-locano
asṛg-lavāktāruṇa-keśarānano
(30) He with His most fearful eyes full of anger, was difficult to behold. With His mouth wide open licking the edges with His tongue and with His manes and face smeared red with traces of blood, wore He the intestines like a garland around His neck as if He was a lion that just has killed an elephant.
7.8.31
nakhāńkurotpāṭita-hṛt-saroruhaḿ
dordaṇḍa-yūtho 'nupathān sahasraśa
(31) The heart was by Him with His pointed nails ripped out completely and thrown aside, and the thousands of followers who with their weapons raised attended to their leader He all killed with His nails and the other weapons in His countless hands.
Since the creation of the material world, there have been two kinds of men — the devas and the asuras. The devas are always faithful to the Supreme Personality of Godhead, whereas the asuras are always atheists who defy the supremacy of the Lord. At the present moment, throughout the entire world, the atheists are extremely numerous. They are trying to prove that there is no God and that everything takes place due to combinations and permutations of material elements. Thus the material world is becoming more and more godless, and consequently everything is in a disturbed condition. If this continues, the Supreme Personality of Godhead will certainly take action, as He did in the case of Hiraṇyakaśipu. Within a second, Hiraṇyakaśipu and his followers were destroyed, and similarly if this godless civilization continues, it will be destroyed in a second, simply by the movement of one finger of the Supreme Personality of Godhead. The demons should therefore be careful and curtail their godless civilization. They should take advantage of the Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement and become faithful to the Supreme Personality of Godhead; otherwise they are doomed. As Hiraṇyakaśipu was killed in a second, the godless civilization can be destroyed at any moment.
7.8.32
ambhodhayaḥ śvāsa-hatā vicukṣubhur
nirhrāda-bhītā digibhā vicukruśuḥ
(32) Shaking His manes He scattered the clouds and with His glaring glance He outshone the luminaries; the waters and oceans struck by His breathing swirled in perturbation and frightened of His roar cried the elephants that guarded the quarters.
7.8.33
protsarpata kṣmā ca padābhipīḍitā
(33) With Him tossing His hair slipped the celestial chariots crowding in the sky from their place, the earth shook under the heavy weight of His feet, His intolerable force moved the mountains and hills and His effulgence outshone everything else in the ten directions of the sky.
That there were airplanes flying in the sky long, long ago can be understood from this verse. Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam was spoken five thousand years ago, and the statements of this verse prove that the symptoms of a very advanced civilization then existed, even in the upper planetary systems, as well as in the lower planetary systems. Modern scientists and philosophers foolishly explain that there was no civilization prior to three thousand years ago, but the statement of this verse nullifies such whimsical judgments. The Vedic civilization existed millions and millions of years ago. It existed since the creation of this universe, and it included arrangements all over the universe with all the modern amenities and even more.
7.8.34
alakṣita-dvairatham atyamarṣaṇaḿ
(34) Thereafter had He, in the assembly hall seated on the highest seat of man with a most fearsome, terrible countenance, no one to challenge Him nor anyone to worship Him.
When the Lord sat on the throne of Hiraṇyakaśipu, there was no one to protest; no enemy came forward on behalf of Hiraṇyakaśipu to fight with the Lord. This means that His supremacy was immediately accepted by the demons. Another point is that although Hiraṇyakaśipu treated the Lord as his bitterest enemy, he was the Lord's faithful servant in Vaikuṇṭha, and therefore the Lord had no hesitation in sitting on the throne that Hiraṇyakaśipu had so laboriously created. Śrīla Viśvanātha Cakravartī Ṭhākura remarks in this connection that sometimes, with great care and attention, great saintly persons and ṛṣis offer the Lord valuable seats dedicated with Vedic mantras and tantras, but still the Lord does not sit upon those thrones. Hiraṇyakaśipu, however, had formerly been Jaya, the doorkeeper at the Vaikuṇṭha gate, and although he had fallen because of the curse of the brāhmaṇas and had gotten the nature of a demon, and although he had never offered anything to the Lord as Hiraṇyakaśipu, the Lord is so affectionate to His devotee and servant that He nonetheless took pleasure in sitting on the throne that Hiraṇyakaśipu had created. In this regard it is to be understood that a devotee is fortunate in any condition of his life.
7.8.35
prasūna-varṣair vavṛṣuḥ sura-striyaḥ
(35) But upon hearing how he, the Daitya that was the headache of the three worlds, in the battle had been killed by the Lord, were there exclamations of joy, blossoming faces and showered the wives of the demigods incessantly a rain of flowers.
7.8.36
tadā vimānāvalibhir nabhastalaḿ
surānakā dundubhayo 'tha jaghnire
(36) At that time was there an overcast formed by all the celestial chariots of the demigods desirous to attend and were drums and kettle drums sounded and sang and danced the greatest singers and angels of heaven.
7.8.37-39
tatropavrajya vibudhā
brahmendra-giriśādayaḥ
vidyādhara-mahoragāḥ
gandharvāpsara-cāraṇāḥ
sunanda-kumudādayaḥ
nātidūracarāḥ pṛthak
(37-39) There assembled all the godly, Brahmâ, Indra and S'iva, the sages, the ancestors, the perfected, the scientific experts, and the great serpent[ ego]s; the founding fathers came, the leaders of mankind, the residents of heaven and the best of the angels just as did the venerable ones, the keepers of the wealth and the monkey-like, o my best. So came also the goblins [the comedians, the bards], the ones of superpower and they who were Vishnu's personal associates like Sunanda and Kumuda. With their hands folded before their heads to offer worship they each approached Him who had appeared as half a man, half a lion and now sat there on the throne displaying His effulgence.
My dear King Yudhiṣṭhira, the demigods then approached the Lord. They were headed by Lord Brahmā, King Indra and Lord Śiva and included great saintly persons and the residents of Pitṛloka, Siddhaloka, Vidyādhara-loka and the planet of the snakes. The Manus approached, and so did the chiefs of various other planets. The angelic dancers approached, as did the Gandharvas, the Cāraṇas, the Yakṣas, the inhabitants of Kinnaraloka, the Vetālas, the inhabitants of Kimpuruṣa-loka, and the personal servants of Viṣṇu like Sunanda and Kumuda. All of them came near the Lord, who glowed with intense light. They individually offered their obeisances and prayers, their hands folded at their heads.
7.8.40
śrī-brahmovāca
sva-līlayā sandadhate 'vyayātmane
(40) Brahmâ said: 'I bow down before You, o Inscrutable, Unlimited One; with all Your might and prowess and the pure of Your actions are You of the Universe the creation, maintenance and destruction who by the modes playfully performs without ever changing Yourself. '
The activities of the Lord are always wonderful. His personal servants Jaya and Vijaya were confidential friends, yet they were cursed, and they accepted bodies of demons. Again, in the family of one such demon, Prahlāda Mahārāja was caused to take birth to exhibit the behavior of an exalted devotee, and then the Lord accepted the body of Nṛsiḿhadeva to kill that same demon, who by the Lord's own will had taken birth in a demoniac family. Therefore, who can understand the Lord's transcendental activities? Not to speak of understanding the transcendental activities of the Lord, no one can understand even the activities of His servants. In Caitanya-caritāmṛta (Madhya 23.39) it is said, tāńra vākya, kriyā, mudrā vijñeha nā bhujhaya: no one can understand the activities of the Lord's servants. Therefore, what to speak of the activities of the Lord? Who can understand how Kṛṣṇa is benefiting the entire world? The Lord is addressed as duranta-śakti because no one can understand His potencies and how He acts.
7.8.41
hato 'yam asuro 'lpakaḥ
tat-sutaḿ pāhy upasṛtaḿ
(41) Lord S'iva said: 'The end of the yuga is the right time for You to kill in anger this insignificant demon; just protect his son, this bhakta of surrender next to You, o caretaker of the devotees.'
The Supreme Personality of Godhead is the creator of the material world. There are three processes in creation — namely creation, maintenance and finally annihilation. During the period of annihilation, at the end of each millennium, the Lord becomes angry, and the part of anger is played by Lord Śiva, who is therefore called Rudra. When the Lord appeared in great anger to kill Hiraṇyakaśipu, everyone was extremely afraid of the Lord's attitude, but Lord Śiva, knowing very well that the Lord's anger is also His līlā, was not afraid. Lord Śiva knew that he would have to play the part of anger for the Lord. Kāla means Lord Śiva (Bhairava), and kopa refers to the Lord's anger. These words, combined together as kopa-kāla, refer to the end of each millennium. Actually the Lord is always affectionate toward His devotees, even though He may appear very angry. Because He is avyayātmā — because He never falls down — even when angry the Lord is affectionate toward His devotees. Therefore Lord Śiva reminded the Lord to act like an affectionate father toward Prahlāda Mahārāja, who was standing by the Lord's side as an exalted, fully surrendered devotee.
7.8.42
daityākrāntaḿ hṛdaya-kamalaḿ tad-gṛhaḿ pratyabodhi
(42) S'rî Indra said: 'Our share of the sacrifices is recovered by Your Lordship protecting us, o Supreme One; we have no words to describe how afflicted by the Daitya our lotus-like hearts were that really are Your residence. Alas o Lord, how insignificant is our world in the grip of Time, but for the sake of the devoted in Your service to find liberation from their bondage have You brought light. What else, o Nrisimhadeva, would, in considering the visible world indeed as not so important, to them be of use?'
7.8.43
tad vipraluptam amunādya śaraṇya-pāla
(43) The honorable saints said: 'You are the example of instruction for our austerity. By the power of Your self is this world, o Original Personality of Godhead, created, maintained and merged again. That all was stolen by that unwise one but is now, o Shelter of the Needy, by the protection of Your embodiment brought back to us with Your blessing.'
The living entities wandering within the jurisdiction of the 8,400,000 species of life get the opportunity for self-realization in the human form and gradually in such other elevated forms as those of the demigods, Kinnaras and Cāraṇas, as will be described below. In the higher statuses of life, beginning from human life, the main duty is tapasya, or austerity. As Ṛṣabhadeva advised His sons, tapo divyaḿ putrakā yena sattvaḿ śuddhyet. To rectify our material existence, austerity (tapasya) is absolutely necessary. However, when people in general come under the control of a demon or a demoniac ruling power, they forget this process of tapasya and gradually also become demoniac. All the saintly persons, who were generally engaged in austerity, felt relieved when Hiraṇyakaśipu was killed by the Lord in the form of Nṛsiḿhadeva. They realized that the original instruction concerning human life — that it is meant for tapasya for self-realization — was reaffirmed by the Lord when He killed Hiraṇyakaśipu.
7.8.44
śrāddhāni no 'dhibubhuje prasabhaḿ tanūjair
(44) The honorable ancestors said: 'The demon who by force enjoyed our sacrifices of s'râddha that were offered by our sons and grandsons, he who even at the holy bathing places drank our offerings of sesame water, from piercing the intestines of his belly with the nails of Your hand have these offerings reached their final destination; unto Him our obeisances who maintains the universal principles of religion and who appeared as a man-lion.'
7.8.45
(45) The ones of perfection said: 'The person most uncivilized and dishonest who took away the purpose of our perfection in yoga and who by the power of his mysticism and penance was so proud of his wealth, has been torn apart by Your nails; unto Him, unto You, we bow down o Nrisimha.'
On earth there are many yogīs who can exhibit some feeble mystic power by manufacturing pieces of gold like magic, but the inhabitants of the planet Siddhaloka are actually extremely powerful in mysticism. They can fly from one planet to another without airplanes. This is called laghimā-siddhi. They can actually become very light and fly in the sky. By a severe type of austerity, however, Hiraṇyakaśipu excelled all the inhabitants of Siddhaloka and created disturbances for them. The residents of Siddhaloka were also beaten by the powers of Hiraṇyakaśipu. Now that Hiraṇyakaśipu had been killed by the Lord, the inhabitants of Siddhaloka also felt relieved.
7.8.46
vidyāḿ pṛthag dhāraṇayānurāddhāḿ
(46) The scientific experts said: 'Our formulas, that each by different ways of concentration are attained, were blocked by this fool puffed up about his strength and capacity; He who in battle killed him like he was an animal, unto Him who appeared as Nrisimha, we yield for sure ever obliged.'
7.8.47
(47) The snakepeople said: 'That greatest sinner that took our jewels and wives away; by piercing his chest are You to all our women the Source of all Pleasure; may there be our proof of respect for You.'
No one is peaceful if his wealth and wife are forcibly taken away. All the inhabitants of Nāgaloka, which is situated below the earthly planetary system, were in great anxiety because their wealth had been stolen and their wives kidnapped by Hiraṇyakaśipu. Now, Hiraṇyakaśipu having been killed, their wealth and wives were returned, and their wives felt satisfied. The inhabitants of various lokas, or planets, offered their respectful obeisances unto the Lord because they were relieved by the death of Hiraṇyakaśipu. Disturbances similar to those created by Hiraṇyakaśipu are now taking place all over the world because of demoniac governments. As stated in the Twelfth Canto of Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam, the men of the governments of Kali-yuga will be no better than rogues and plunderers. Thus the populace will be harassed on one side by scarcity of food and on another by heavy taxation by the government. In other words, the people in most parts of the world in this age are harassed by the ruling principles of Hiraṇyakaśipu.
7.8.48
(48) The honorable founding fathers said: 'We, the inspirers of humanity are the order-carriers of Your Lordship who contrary to the codes of morality and class were disrespected, o Lord, by this son of Diti; with You having killed this rascal o master, please tell us, Your eternal servants, what we can do for You.'
7.8.49
na yena prajā vai sṛjāmo niṣiddhāḥ
(49) The leaders of mankind said: 'We, the creators of the generations originate from You o Supreme Controller, and not from him; the living beings indeed that we put on this world were by him denied a life and of him, who now lays slain, have You split open his chest for the wellbeing of the world by means of the incarnation of the form of Your goodness.'
7.8.50
(50) The musicians of heaven said: 'We o Lord are Your dancers and singers, Your performers, who were brought under the control of the valor and force of his influence. He, this one, has been reduced to this condition by You; whoever could, in the face of Your goodness, be such an upstart?'
7.8.51
bhavāpavargam āśritāḥ
tvayāsuraḥ samāpitaḥ
(51) The venerable ones said: 'O Lord, Your lotus feet are the only shelter for liberation, we duly seek shelter there because this Asura, this stake in the heart of all honest people, has been finished by You.'
7.8.52
ta iha diti-sutena prāpitā vāhakatvam
(52) The keepers of the wealth said: 'We, the foremost among Your servants will here and now try to please You with our services; by the son of Diti we were forced to carry his palanquin but he caused the poverty of each and everyone; thus we acknowledge You because You are the one that has put him to death, o twenty-fifth principle [that is the time, see 3.26: 10-15].'
The Supreme Lord is the controller of the ten senses, the five material elements, the five sense objects, the mind, the intelligence, the false ego and the soul. Therefore He is addressed as pañca-viḿśa, the twenty-fifth element. The inhabitants of the Yakṣa planet are supposed to be the best of all servants, but Hiraṇyakaśipu engaged them as palanquin carriers. The entire universe was in trouble because of Hiraṇyakaśipu, but now that Hiraṇyakaśipu's body was mixing with the five material elements — earth, water, fire, air and sky — everyone felt relief. Upon Hiraṇyakaśipu's death, the Yakṣas were reinstated in their original service to the Supreme Personality of Godhead. Thus they felt obliged to the Lord and offered their prayers.
7.8.53
ayaḿ kupuruṣo naṣṭo
(53) The monkey-like said: 'We are but insignificant Kimpurushas Your Lordship, however, this monster of sin has been slain by You after he had been condemned by the seekers, o Supreme Personality, our Controller.' [see also: B.G. 4: 7-8]
7.8.54
(54) The kings bards said: 'In great gatherings and arenas of sacrifice in purity singing the glory of Your reputation we achieved the greatest position of respect; that crooked character that put us under his control was to our great fortune killed by You, o Supreme Lord, like he was a disease.'
7.8.55
ditijena viṣṭim amunānukāritāḥ
(55) The ones of superpower said: 'O Controller, we the Kinnaras are Your faithful servants; by that son of Diti we had to perform without remuneration, but by You o Lord was he being so sinful destroyed, o Nrisimha, o Master, please be with us for the sake of our happiness and welfare.'
7.8.56
dṛṣṭaḿ naḥ śaraṇada sarva-loka-śarma
tasyedaḿ nidhanam anugrahāya vidmaḥ
(56) The associates of Lord Vishnu said: 'Today have You been seen in a wondrous human-like form. For us You are the lasting shelter and good fortune of all worlds and this state-manager of Yours, o Controller, has, being cursed by the learned [see 7.1: 36-39], because of that been killed; we understand that to be Your special grace.'
Hiraṇyakaśipu's coming to this earth and acting as the Lord's enemy was prearranged. Jaya and Vijaya were cursed by the brāhmaṇas Sanaka, Sanat-kumāra, Sanandana and Sanātana because Jaya and Vijaya checked these four Kumāras. The Lord accepted this cursing of His servants and agreed that they would have to go to the material world and would then return to Vaikuṇṭha after serving the term of the curse. Jaya and Vijaya were very much perturbed, but the Lord advised them to act as enemies, for then they would return after three births; otherwise, ordinarily, they would have to take seven births. With this authority, Jaya and Vijaya acted as the Lord's enemies, and now that these two were dead, all the Viṣṇudūtas understood that the Lord's killing of Hiraṇyakaśipu was special mercy bestowed upon them.
(My humble salutations to the lotus feet of Swamyjis, Philosophers, Scholars and Knowledge Seekers for the collection)
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