Shrimad Bhagavatam and Advaita Bhakti – 10
Prahlada-Charitam: Part II
Hiranya-kashipu,
the father, hears about all this drama about his son Prahlada preaching to the
student-inmates of the Gurukulam, about Vishnu-Bhakti and Vishnu being the Self
of everybody. He decides to put an end to this ‘treachery’ going on under his
own roof. He brings Prahlada to his assembly hall and asks the million-dollar
question: Little one, Who is your source of strength?
(kaste balaM ?)
Prahlada’s reply to this is to be embedded in golden letters:
Not only for me, but, for you as well as for all this world,
nay, for all the three worlds, Lord Narayana is the strength.
balaM me
vaikunThas-tava ca jagatAM cApi sa balaM
sa eva
trailokyaM sakalam-iti dhIro’yam-agadhIt
(NarayaneeyaM :
25 – 9)
The
author of Narayaneeyam has condensed in this couple of lines what Shuka reports
to us more elaborately as Prahlada’s words: (Actually it is Narada’s telling of
the story to Yudhishtira)
Not only
for me, Oh King, but for you also and for all those who think of themselves as
‘strong’. All that is animate or inanimate, high or low, from the Creator
Brahma downwards, they are all controlled by that single Source of Might &
Power. He is the Almighty, the One who calls the tune (even) for Time; He is
the source of all our senses and of the physical and mental strength of us
all. He is the Master of all the three guNas. He is the One who creates,
sustains and absorbs the entire universe.
Na kevalaM me bhavatashca rAjan sa vai balaM balinAM cApareshhAM /
Pare’vare’mI sthira-jangamA ye
bhramAdayo yena vashaM praNItAH // VII –
8 – 8
Sa IshvaraH
kAla urukramo’sau ojas-sahaH sattva-balendriyAtmA /
Sa eva
vishvaM paramaM sva-shaktibhiH sRRijaty-avaty-atti guNa-trayeshaH // VII – 8 – 9
Kamban,
in Tamil, has this description of the Infinite Absolute, through the mouth of
Prahlada, in this context:
His qualities are three (satva, rajas and tamas);
His actions are three (Creation, Protection and Dissolution);
His forms are three (BrahmA, Vishnu and Shiva);
His eyes are three (the Sun, Moon and Fire);
His worlds are three (bhU, bhuvaH and suvaH).
All that have a beginning, a middle and an
end
Constitute a monumental proof of His existence.
This is also the bottomline of all the Vedas.
MunRu avan guNangaL cheigai mUnRu
avan uruvaM mUnRu
mUnRu
tOnRaluM iDaiyuM
IruM toDangiya poruLgaL ellAM
shAnRu avan
iduve veda muDivu idu cadaM enRAn
(Kamba Ramayanam : Iraniyan vadaip-paDalam Verse 251).
Hiranya-Kashipu
is at the height of his fury. With sword
in hand, he moves about the hall and asks to know where this Lord of Prahlada
is hiding.He is ready to settle the issue then and there. He challenges
Prahlada: If he is everywhere as you declare with
pride, tell me, do you see him here in this pillar? And he points out to one of
the gigantic pillars in that hall. Prahlada with infinite confidence, says:
Yes, I see Him. Not seeing what his son was seeing, the King,
gives the pillar a forceful kick as if he would break the pillar and see who is
within.
Lo and
behold! That was the time when the entire world and that assemblage in
particular, heard a deafening explosive noise as if the world itself was
exploding to pieces with a big bang! Even BrahmA
the
creator fell down from His seat in distant heavens, it appears, from the shock
wave sent by this gigantic noise. The author of Narayaneeyam says at this
point, he becomes dumb-founded in his narration of the events, because the
scene that followed was so scaring and hair-raising. The fact of the
matter was, the pillar split into two with that explosive noise which the three
worlds heard and right there the Lord appeared in a most unusual form. It was
the appearance of a half-lion half-man. The roar that the man-lion (nara-simha) raised at that time
sent jitters into the bones of even Hiranya-Kashipu. He did not expect anything
of the sort to happen. Much less did he expect to see this unusual figure of
the so-called enemy of his. He immediately remembered
his own boon he
got from BrahmA that he would not be killed by man or animal. Now right before
him there was neither a man nor an animal, but both in one form!
God appeared at that
time in that fashion, says VyAsa, for two reasons – one to prove true the words
of his favourite and two, to prove to the world His immanence and permeation in
everything:
satyaM vidhAtuM
nija-bhRRitya-bhAshhitaM
vyAptaM cha bhUteshh-vakhileshhu
chAtmanaH /
adRRishyata atyadbhuta-rUpam-udvahan
stambhe sabhAyAM na mRRigam na
mAnushhaM //
(Bh.
VII – 8 – 18)
Who was the
favourite whose words He had to prove true? First and
foremost it is the boy-devotee, Prahlada, no doubt. He asserted with the
greatest coinfidence that God is everywhere and therefore also in the pillar.
This was to be vindicated. But the vindication, simultaneously, was also of
other statements. BrahmA, the Creator, had given the
Asura king the unusual boon whereby he will not meet his death with either a man or an
animal. That had to be proved true. Even before Prahlada was born, Narada had assured Indra, the King of the gods, when
he was carrying away Hiranyakashipu’s Queen with Prahlada in her womb, that the
child in the womb was not going to die at the hands of Indra but on the other
hand he was going to be a great devotee of the Lord. Hiranyakashipu
himself had predicted on seeing the adamance of Prahlada’s devotion to
Vishnu that ‘this boy is going to bring my death if I do not kill him’, and
this was to be vindicated too. Thus the words ‘satyaM vidhAtuM nija-bhRRitya-bhAshhitaM’ is
pregnant with the secret of the Lord’s avatAra and substantiates that when the
Lord comes, He comes not with just a single purpose, but wills that it may
serve several causes.
And to
vindicate BrahmA’s boon in all its entirety,
the Narasimha form of the Lord which was now striking terror in everybody in
the assembly except Prahlada, jumped on Hiranya-kashipu and carried him aloft
to the gate of the palace so that it was neither inside the house nor outside.
All defenses of Hiranyakashipu were of no avail before the fiery Narasimha
Swami,who put him on his lap, so that it was neither
on the Earth nor in the sky. It was evening time so that it was neither day nor
night. The nails of the man-lion pierced the chest of the Asura King, tore open
the heart and put an end to his life. The end came therefore by neither the
living nor the non-living, because the nails of a body can be classified as
neither.
The gods and other
divine beings had already assembled in the heavens to watch this scene which
put an end to the longest period of humiliation for them and for the world. But
the fury of Narasimha avatAra had not subsided. He fought with those warriors
who rose up in defense
of the King and killed them all. BrahmA the Creator and all the other Gods sang praises of
the Lord but no one dared go near Him. Every one looked
at Prahlada. BrahmA signed to him to go near the Lord and pacify him. Prahlada went
near the Lord and prostrated before him. The Lord lifted him up and caressingly
touched him on the head.
How is it possible for me, says Prahlada, who have been born
in a family of asuras, to offer suitable prayers to the Lord? One may possess wealth, an aristocratic
family, beauty, austerity,education, sensory
expertise, lustre, influence, physical strength, diligence, intelligence and
mystic yogic power, all these qualifications will not satisfy the Lord if bhakti
– dedication and devotion -- is not there. Even if a brahmin has all these qualifications
but is not a devotee and is averse to the lotus feet of the Lord, he is
certainly lower than that devotee who may be a dog-eater but who has dedicated everything--
mind, words, activities, wealth and life-- to the Supreme Lord. Such a devotee
is better than a brahmin because while the devotee can
purify his whole family, the so-called brahmin in a position of false prestige
cannot purify even himself. My Lord Nrsimhadeva, please, cease Your anger now that my father,
the great demon Hiranyakasipu, has been killed.
My Lord, I
am certainly not afraid of Your ferocious mouth and tongue, Your eyes bright
like the sun or Your frowning eyebrows. I do not fear Your
sharp, pinching teeth, Your garland of intestines, Your mane soaked with blood,
or Your high, wedgelike ears. Nor do I fear Your tumultuous
roaring. But I am very much afraid of my condition of life within this material
world. When will that moment come when You will call
me to the shelter of Your lotus feet, which are the ultimate goal for
liberation from samsAra?
Prahlada goes on like this. The song
of praise that poured forth from this little boy in this context is full of
Vedanta content. Here are a few shlokas out of the 43
(VII – 9 - #s 8 to 50) that constitutes Prahlada-stuti:
tasmAd-amUs-tanu-bhRRitAM aham-Ashishho’jna
AyuH shriyaM
vibhavam-aindriyam-AvirinchyAt /
necchAmi te vilulitAn-uruvikrameNa
kAlAtmanopanaya mAM nija-bhRRitya-pArshvaM // VII – 9 - 24
I do not
wish for your benedictions for long
life, or the worldly opulence, mystic power,and other material pleasures enjoyed
by all living entities, from Lord Brahma down to the ant.As powerful Time, You
destroy them all. I only request You to place me in
touch with Your pure devotee and let me serve him.
kutrAshishhaH shruti-sukhA mRRiga-tRRishhNi-rUpAH
kvedaM kalevaram-asheshha-rujAM virohaH /
nirvidyate na tu jano yad-apIti vidvAn
kAmAnalaM madhu-lavaiH shamayan durApaiH // VII – 9 - 25
In this
material world, every living entity desires some future happiness, which is
exactly like a
mirage in the desert.So where is this happiness? Where is this body,
which is merely a generator of various diseases? The so-called learned person
does not get satiated and he aspires for more and more of this ‘happiness’. It
is very difficult to calm down the blazing fire of lusty desires by pouring
drops of honey-like happiness on it.
Ekas-tvam-eva jagad-etam-amushhya
yat tvaM
AdyantayoH pRRitag-avasyasi
madhyatashca /
sRRishhTvA guNa-vyatikaraM nija-mAyayedaM
nAneva tair-avasitas-tad-anupravishhTaH // VII – 9 - 30
You, a
single Person, has become this entire universe; In the
beginning, in the end, and also in the interregnum, you exist, independently
(of your own creation). By the play of the guNas you create this universe; by
your own mAyA this appears as the universe of multiplicity in which you have
subtly permeated.
tvaM vA idam sadasad-Isha bhavAms-tato’nyo
mAyA yad-Atma-para-buddhir-iyaM hy-apArthA /
yadyasya janma-nidhanaM sthitir-IkshhaNaM ca
tad-vai tad-eva vasukAlavad-ashTi-tarvoH // VII – 9 - 31
The entire
cosmic creation is caused by You,and the cosmic
manifestation is an effect of Your energy. Although the entire cosmos is but
You alone,You keep Yourself aloof from it. The
conception of "mine and yours," is certainly a type of illusion [maya]
because everything is an emanation from You and is
therefore not different from You. Indeed, the cosmic manifestation is
nondifferent from You, and the annihilation is also
caused by You. This relationship between Your Lordship and the cosmos is like that of the seed and
the tree, or the subtle cause and the gross manifestation.
prAyeNa deva munayaH sva-vimukti-kAmAH
maunaM charanti vijane na parArtha-nishhTAH /
naitAn vihAya kRRipaNAn vimumukshha eko
nAnyaM tvadasya sharaNaM bhramato’nupashye //VII – 9 – 44
Many
saintly persons are only interested in their own deliverance. They roam about
in solitary places in silence. They are not interested in the well-being of
their contemporaries. Leavising aside the feeble ones of the world I don’t want
to attain moksha all by myself. I don’t see any other resort for these deluded
ones, except Yourself, Oh Lord.
Yan-maithunAdi gRRiha-medhi
sukhaM hi tucchaM
kaNDUyanena karayoriva dukha-dukhaM /
tRRipyanti neha kRRipaNA bahu-dukha-bhAjaH
kaNDUtivan manasijaM vishhaheta dhIraH // VII – 9 – 45
The
pleasure that a householder obtains from sex is a trivial one; like scratching for the itching in
the hands, it is only a chain of distress. Even after suffering repeated
unhappiness, foolish ones do not cry a halt to the scratching-like pleasure.
Only the brave soul
overcomes what (lust) arises in the mind.
Mauna-vrata-shruta-tapo’dhyayana-svadharma-
vyAkhyA-raho-japa-samAdhaya ApavargyAH /
prAyaH paraM purushha te tvajitendriyANAM
vArtA bhavantyuta na vAtra tu
dAmbhikAnAM //
VII – 9 - 46
Silence,
austerities, learning, penance, vedic recitation, practice of one’s own dharma,
teaching, solitude, japa and samAdhi – are all means towards moksha, no doubt.
But mostly they are just professional aids ( jIvanopAya ) for those who have yet to control
their senses. And for those who are given to show themselves off, they do not
even serve as such.
rUpe ime sad-asati tava veda-sRRishhTe
bIjAnkurAviva na chAnyad-arUpakasya /
yuktAs-samakshham-ubhayatra vicakshhante tvAM
yogena vahnim-iva dArushhu nAnyataH syAt // VII – 9 – 47
All these
created forms either gross like earth, water and fire or subtle like air and
space – none of them are distinct from the formless you; it is like seed and plant; those who are one
with you see you through their yoga both externally and internally, like fire
in wood, as nothing else than you.
Recall *ahaM bIja-pradaH
pitA* (B.G. 14 – 4); *bIjaM mAM sarva-bhUtAnAM* (B.G. VII – 10); *nidhAnaM
bIjam-avyayaM* (B.G. 9 – 18).
tat te’rhattama namaH stuti-karma-pUjAH
karma-smRRitish-charaNayoH shravaNaM kathAyAM /
samsevayA tvayi vineti shhaD-angayA kim
bhaktiM janaH paramahamsa-gatau labheta // VII -9-50
I offer my
respectful obeisances to You, the most deserving of
those to whom we may pray. Without
rendering the six kinds of devotional service, such as singing your praise, working for you, worshipping you with spiritual activities, dedicating the results of all actions, always remembering
Your lotus feet and hearing about Your glories--who can achieve that which is obtainable
by the paramahamsas?
We may
recall here B. G. XVIII – 55: *bhaktyA mAm abhijAnAti ...* (Only) by bhakti I am known ...
Also
recall B.G. VIII -22 : *purushhas-sa paraH pArtha bhaktyA
labhyas-tvananyayA* -- That
transcendental purusha, Oh Arjuna, is obtainable only by advaita-bhakti. At the end of it all the Lord asked him to
ask for any boon. Prahlada refused to ask any boon except to say:
Yadi rAsIsha me kAmAn
varAmstvaM varadarshhabha /
kAmAnAM hRRidya-samrohaM bhavatastu vRRiNe varaM //
indriyANi manaH prANa AtmA dharmo dhRRitir-matiH /
hrIH shrIstejaH smRRitis-satyaM yasya nashyanti janmanA//
(VII -10 – 7, 8)
If you
want to grant me boons please grant me the non-sprouting of such desires in my heart as vanquish the
functioning of the senses, mind, prANa, body, dharma, courage, intelligence,
shame, opulence, memory, truth.
Lord
Narasimha was so pleased with Prahlada that He granted him a long life of
kingship of this world (until the end of the then-Manu) with all material
honours and prosperity, a life full of spiritual activity and at the end of it
all a union with the Absolute Divine.
Sage
Narada in his narration of this story of Prahlada to King Yudhishtira, winds up
with this phal-shruti:
Etad-ya Adipurushhasya
mRRigendra-lIlAM
Daityendra-yUthapa-vadhaM
prayataH paTheta /
daityAtmajasya cha satAM pravarasya puNyaM
shrutvAnubhAvam-akuto bhayameti lokaM // VII – 10 - 47
Whoever
recites or listens to, this story of the Narasimha – leela and his destruction
of the Asura king along with his gang, and also hears the story of the
meritorious Prahlada, such a one reaches the abode of the Lord. For him there
is no fear or anxiety.
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