Varaha Avatar had killed Hrinyaksh for stealing Earth.
The rakshas’s older brother, Hrinyakashipu, vowed to avenge the death of his sibling. For this purpose, he observed severe austerities to gain powers to wipe off Vishnu’s name from the world. The heat generated by Harinyakashipu’s tapasya threatened to burn the world. Devatas then appealed to Brahma to pacify the rakshas king with some boon.
When Brahma appeared before Hrinyakashipu, the latter would settle for nothing less than a sure guarantee against death.
Ancients Speak
Suman K Sharma
“I don’t think that would be possible, my son! You may ask me anything else. I will grant you that.” said Brahma.
Hrinyakashipu thought for a while and then said, “I am aware of your limitations, O Creator of Universe! If you can’t bless me with deathlessness, I ask you this: Let no deva, no man, nor any beast kill me; let me not die during daytime or at night and let not death come to me indoors or in the open.”
‘So be it!’ said Brahma, with not a little hesitation and disappeared.
Emboldened by Brahma’s boon, Hrinyakashipu let out a reign of terror in the whole world, declaring himself the Supreme Power of the Universe. On Earth, anyone who uttered Vishnu’s name was to be put to death.
But Hrinyakashipu had not reckoned with his own son, Prahlad. The child declared openly that not his father but Vishnu was the Supreme Being and only He prevailed over everyone else. His aunt, Holika, Hrinyakshipu’s sister, had tried to burn him to death, but was killed in her own fire.
One day, at twilight, Hrinyakashipu decided that enough was enough. He made to strike his rebellious son dead and challenged him to call Vishnu to save him.
Prahlad cried out to the Deity. Sure enough, Godhead emerged from a pillar in the fearsome form of Narsingh, a huge man with the head of a lion. Clutching a startled Hrinyakashipu in His powerful claws, He laid him in his lap and tore open his belly. The time, the spot, and most significantly, the killer Narsingh, were beyond the assurances that the rakshas had sought from Brahma against death.
Brahma’s boon proved effective to the last word, and yet Hrinyakashipu died a terrible death.
What is there in the story for us? Plenty. Look at what we are doing to Nature. Poor Hrinyakashyapu had at least a reason for taking up cudgels against Vishnu. What wrong has Nature done to us that we are bent upon despoiling it? Then look at the ISIS and look at North Korea. They might have their grudges, but where are they heading for?
Even as individuals, we are more often lead by our arrogance and egotism than by reason.
Technology may have blessed us with near invincibility over Nature’s forces, but when in duress, neither our gadgets come to rescue, nor does God.Gadgets, like Brahma’s boons can do only so much, and God does not come because we don’t really call Him out as BhaktPrahlad did.
The Prahlads of the day plead for righteousness, but would the likes of Hrinyakashipu listen?
feedbackexcelsior@gmail.com
Follow our WhatsApp channel