Srimad-Bhagavatam: Canto 7: “The Science of God”
by His Divine Grace A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada
Chapter Eight
Lord Nrsimhadeva Slays the King of the Demons
SB7.8Summary
As described in this chapter, Hiranyakasipu was ready to kill his own son Prahlada Maharaja, but the Supreme Personality of Godhead appeared in front of the demon as Sri Nrkesari, half lion and half man, and killed him.
Following the instructions of Prahlada Maharaja, all the sons of the demons became attached to Lord Visnu, the Supreme Personality of Godhead. When this attachment became pronounced, their teachers, Sanda and Amarka, were very much afraid that the boys would become more and more devoted to the Lord. In a helpless condition, they approached Hiranyakasipu and described in detail the effect of Prahlada’s preaching. After hearing of this, Hiranyakasipu decided to kill his son Prahlada. Hiranyakasipu was so angry that Prahlada Maharaja fell down at his feet and said many things just to pacify him, but he was unsuccessful in satisfying his demoniac father. Hiranyakasipu, as a typical demon, began to advertise himself as being greater than the Supreme Personality of Godhead, but Prahlada Maharaja challenged him, saying that Hiranyakasipu 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 Prahlada Maharaja glorified the Supreme Personality of Godhead, the more angry and agitated the demon became. Hiranyakasipu asked his Vaisnava son whether his God existed within the columns of the palace, and Prahlada Maharaja immediately accepted that since the Lord is present everywhere, He was also present within the columns. When Hiranyakasipu 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 Hiranyakasipu struck the column, there issued forth a tumultuous sound. At first Hiranyakasipu, the King of the demons, could not see anything but the pillar, but to substantiate Prahlada’s statements, the Lord came out of the pillar in His wonderful incarnation as Narasimha, half lion and half man. Hiranyakasipu 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 Hiranyakasipu, 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 Hiranyakasipu’s throne.
The entire universe was thus relieved of the rule of Hiranyakasipu, and everyone was jubilant in transcendental bliss. Then all the demigods, headed by Lord Brahma, approached the Lord. These included the great saintly persons, the Pitas, the Siddhas, the Vidyadharas, the Nagas, the Manus, the prajapatis, the Gandharvas, the Caranas, the Yaksas, the Kimpurusas, the Vaitalikas, 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.
This is the effect of the preaching of a pure devotee like Prahlada Maharaja. If a devotee is qualified, sincere and serious about Krsna consciousness and if he follows the instructions of a bona fide spiritual master, as Prahlada Maharaja did when preaching the instructions he had received from Narada Muni, his preaching is effective. As it is said in the Srimad-Bhagavatam (3.25.25):
satam prasangan mama virya-samvido
bhavanti hrt-karna-rasayanah kathah
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 Krsna consciousness and if one practices the process in his life, he is surely successful in returning home, back to Godhead. By the grace of Prahlada Maharaja, all his class friends, the sons of the demons, became Vaisnavas. They did not like hearing from their so-called teachers Sanda and Amarka, who were interested only in teaching them about diplomacy, politics, economic development and similar topics meant exclusively for sense gratification.
The words buddhim ekanta-samsthitam indicate that as an effect of Prahlada Maharaja’s preaching, the students who listened to him became fixed in the conclusion that Krsna 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 Krsna 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 Krsna conscious.
ayuh sriyam yaso dharmam
lokan asisa eva ca
hanti sreyamsi sarvani
pumso mahad-atikramah
“When one mistreats great souls, his life span, opulence, reputation, religion, possessions and good fortune are all destroyed.”
Hiranyakasipu condemned his Vaisnava son Prahlada for being durvinita—ungentle, uncivilized, or impudent. Srila Visvanatha Cakravarti Thakura, however, has derived a meaning from this word durvinita by the mercy of the goddess of learning, Sarasvati. He says that duh refers to this material world. This is confirmed by Lord Krsna in His instruction in Bhagavad-gita that this material world is duhkhalayam, full of material conditions. Vi means visesa, “specifically,” and nita means “brought in.” By the mercy of the Supreme Lord, Prahlada Maharaja was especially brought to this material world to teach people how to get out of the material condition. Lord Krsna says, yada yada hi dharmasya glanir bhavati bharata [Bg. 4.7]. When the entire population, or part of it, becomes forgetful of its own duty, Krsna comes. When Krsna is not present the devotee is present, but the mission is the same: to free the poor conditioned souls from the clutches of the maya that chastises them.
Srila Visvanatha Cakravarti Thakura further explains that the word mandatman means manda—very bad or very slow in spiritual realization. As stated in Srimad-Bhagavatam (1.1.10), mandah sumanda-matayo manda-bhagya. Prahlada Maharaja is the guide of all the mandas, or bad living entities who are under the influence of maya. He is the benefactor even of the slow and bad living entities in this material world. Kula-bheda-karadhama: by his actions, Prahlada Maharaja made great personalities who established big, big families seem insignificant. Everyone is interested in his own family and in making his dynasty famous, but Prahlada Maharaja was so liberal that he made no distinction between one living entity and another. Therefore he was greater than the great prajapatis 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 Krsna, not those of demons or nondevotees. He does not give any respect to a demon, even though the demon be his father. Mac-chasanodvrttam: Prahlada Maharaja was disobedient to the orders of his demoniac father. Yama-ksayam: every conditioned soul is under the control of Yamaraja, but Hiranyakasipu said that he considered Prahlada Maharaja his deliverer, for Prahlada would stop Hiranyakasipu’s repetition of birth and death. Because Prahlada Maharaja, being a great devotee, was better than any yogi, Hiranyakasipu was to be brought among the society of bhakti-yogis. Thus Srila Visvanatha Cakravarti Thakura has explained these words in a very interesting way as they can be interpreted from the side of Sarasvati, the mother of learning.
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 Krsna, being confident that in all dangerous conditions Krsna will protect His devotee. Krsna Himself says in Bhagavad-gita (9.31), kaunteya pratijanihi na me bhaktah pranasyati: “O son of Kunti, declare boldly that My devotee never perishes.” The Lord requested Arjuna to declare this instead of declaring it Himself because sometimes Krsna changes His view and therefore people might not believe Him. Thus Krsna asked Arjuna to declare that a devotee of the Lord is never vanquished.
Hiranyakasipu 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. Hiranyakasipu could understand that this boy must have been very powerful, since the boy did not heed his orders. Hiranyakasipu asked his son, kim balah: “How have you overcome my order? By whose strength have you done this?”
na kevalam me bhavatas ca rajan
sa vai balam balinam caparesam
pare ’vare ’mi sthira-jangama ye
brahmadayo yena vasam pranitah
Lord Krsna says in Bhagavad-gita (10.41):
yad yad vibhutimat sattvam
srimad urjitam eva va
tat tad evavagaccha tvam
mama tejo-’msa-sambhavam
“Know that all beautiful, glorious and mighty creations spring from but a spark of My splendor.” This is confirmed by Prahlada Maharaja. 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 mudha; in other words, he is not very intelligent. The mudhas, 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. The Lord says in Bhagavad-gita (7.19):
bahunam janmanam ante
jnanavan mam prapadyate
vasudevah sarvam iti
sa mahatma sudurlabhah
“After many births and deaths, he who is actually in knowledge surrenders unto Me, knowing Me to be the cause of all causes and all that is. Such a great soul is very rare.” Prahlada Maharaja was a great soul, a mahatma, and therefore he completely surrendered unto the lotus feet of the Lord. He was confident that Krsna would give him protection under all circumstances.
ojah sahah sattva-balendriyatma
sa eva visvam paramah sva-saktibhih
srjaty avaty atti guna-trayesah
Since the material world is being moved by the three material modes and since the Lord is their master, the Lord can create, maintain and destroy the material world.
jahy asuram bhavam imam tvam atmanah
samam mano dhatsva na santi vidvisah
rte ’jitad atmana utpathe sthitat
tad dhi hy anantasya mahat samarhanam
Unless one is able to fix the mind at the lotus feet of the Lord, the mind is impossible to control. As Arjuna says in Bhagavad-gita (6.34):
cancalam hi manah krsna
pramathi balavad drdham
tasyaham nigraham manye
vayor iva suduskaram
“For the mind is restless, turbulent, obstinate and very strong, O Krsna, and to subdue it, it seems to me, is more difficult than controlling the wind.” The only bona fide process for controlling the mind is to fix the mind by service to the Lord. We create enemies and friends according to the dictation of the mind, but actually there are no enemies and friends. panditah sama-darsinah [Bg. 5.18]. Samah sarvesu bhutesu mad-bhaktim labhate param [Bg. 18.54]. To understand this is the preliminary condition for entering into the kingdom of devotional service.
dasyun pura san na vijitya lumpato
manyanta eke sva-jita diso dasa
jitatmano jnasya samasya dehinam
sadhoh sva-moha-prabhavah kutah pare
In this material world, everyone thinks that he has conquered his enemies, not understanding that his enemies are his uncontrolled mind and five senses (manah sasthanindriyani prakrti-sthani karsati [Bg. 15.7]). In this material world, everyone has become a servant of the senses. Originally everyone is a servant of Krsna, but in ignorance one forgets this, and thus one is engaged in the service of maya through lusty desires, anger, greed, illusion, madness and jealousy. Everyone is actually dependent on the reactions of material laws, but still one thinks himself independent and thinks that he has conquered all directions. In conclusion, one who thinks that he has many enemies is an ignorant man, whereas one who is in Krsna consciousness knows that there are no enemies but those within oneself—the uncontrolled mind and senses.
It is said in Hitopadesa, upadeso hi murkhanam prokopaya na santaye. If good instructions are given to a foolish person, he does not take advantage of them, but becomes more and more angry. Prahlada Maharaja’s authorized instructions to his father were not accepted by Hiranyakasipu as truth; instead Hiranyakasipu became increasingly angry at his great son, who was a pure devotee. This kind of difficulty always exists when a devotee preaches Krsna consciousness to persons like Hiranyakasipu, who are interested in money and women. (The word hiranya means “gold,” and kasipu 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. Prahlada Maharaja’s Vaisnava preaching to his demoniac father was indirectly effective, for because of Hiranyakasipu’s excessive jealousy of Krsna and His devotee, he was inviting Nrsimhadeva to kill him very quickly. Thus he was expediting his being killed by the Lord Himself. Although Hiranyakasipu was a demon, he is described here by the added word sri. Why? The answer is that fortunately he had such a great devotee son as Prahlada Maharaja. Thus although he was a demon, he would attain salvation and return home, back to Godhead.
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-gita (7.25): naham prakasah sarvasya yogamaya-samavrtah. “I am never manifest to the foolish and unintelligent. For them I am covered by yogamaya.” The Lord is open to being seen by devotees, but nondevotees cannot see Him. The qualification for seeing God is stated in Brahma-samhita (5.38): premanjana-cchurita-bhakti-vilocanena santah sadaiva hrdayesu vilokayanti. A devotee who has developed a genuine love for Krsna can always see Him everywhere, whereas a demon, not having a clear understanding of the Supreme Lord, cannot see Him. When Hiranyakasipu was threatening to kill Prahlada Maharaja, Prahlada 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. Hiranyakasipu marked Prahlada’s observation and asked him, “Where is your God?” Prahlada Maharaja replied, “He is everywhere.” Then Hiranyakasipu 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.
Prahlada Maharaja has here been addressed by his father as “the most unfortunate.” Hiranyakasipu thought himself extremely fortunate because he possessed the property of the universe. Prahlada Maharaja, 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 Prahlada the most unfortunate because Prahlada would not be able to inherit his property. Hiranyakasipu did not know that Prahlada Maharaja was the most fortunate person within the three worlds because Prahlada 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 pratijanihi na me bhaktah pranasyati).
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. Hiranyakasipu did not believe Prahlada Maharaja when Prahlada asserted that his Lord is present everywhere. Because Hiranyakasipu, as a typical demon, was convinced that there is no God and that no one could protect Prahlada, he felt encouraged to kill his son. He challenged the idea that the devotee is always protected by the Supreme Lord.
evam duruktair muhur ardayan rusa
sutam maha-bhagavatam mahasurah
khadgam pragrhyotpatito varasanat
stambham tatadatibalah sva-mustina