Significance of the appearance of Lord Narsimhadeva
- Retold from the 7th canto Srimad Bhagavatam: -

Dr. Sapam Nabakishore Singh *

Lord Varahadeva (Lord Vishnu) Killed Hiranyaksha

(The Appearance Day of the Half Man (Nara)- Half Lion (Simha) Avatar (Incarnation) of Lord Shri Krishna called LORD NRSIMHADEVA.

The powerful King of the Demons, Hiranyakashipu and his brother, Hiranyaksha were creating lots of disturbances. Hiranyaksha had been killed by Lord Varaha, an incarnation of Lord Vishnu.

Hiranyakashipu wanted to get revenge upon Lord Vishnu for the killing of his brother so he performed severe austerities.

"Seeing Hiranyakashipu’s great austerity, the devas returned to their respective homes, but while Hiranyakashipu was thus engaged, a kind of fire began blazing from his head, disturbing the entire universe and its inhabitants, including the birds, beasts and devas.

When all the higher and lower planets became too hot to live on, the devas, being disturbed, left their abodes in the higher planets and went to see Lord Brahma, praying to him that he curtail this unnecessary heat. The devas disclosed to Lord Brahma Hiranyakashipu’s ambition to become immortal, overcoming his short duration of life, and to be the master of all the planetary systems, even Dhruva loka.

Finally, Lord Brahma appeared before Hiranyakashipu but could not give him the the boon of immortality.

Finally, Lord Brahma appeared before Hiranyakashipu but could not give him the boon of immortality for even Lord Brahma is not immortal. Therefore, Hiranyakashipu asked for benedictions that would make him almost as good as immortal. Hiranyakashipu asked that he not meet death in any of the following conditions:

(a) By any living entity created by Lord Brahma, (b) within any residence or outside any residence, (c) during the daytime or at night, (d) on the ground or in the sky (e) by any weapon, human being, or any animal, (f) by anything living or nonliving etc.

Once having attained the powers from Lord Brahma, Hiranyakashipu began to harass all the living entities within the universe: All the brahmanas were dissatisfied with him, and they cursed him with determination. Eventually, all the living entities within the universe, represented by the devas and sages, prayed to the Supreme Lord for relief from Hiranyakashipu’s rule.

Lord Vishnu informed the devas that they and the other living entities would be saved from the fearful conditions created by Hiranyakashipu. Since Hiranyakashipu was the oppressor of all the devas, the followers of the Vedas, the cows, the brahmanas and the religious, saintly persons, and since he was envious of the Supreme Lord, he would naturally be killed very soon. Hiranyakashipu’s last exploit would be to torment his own son Prahlada, who was a maha-Bhagavata, an exalted Vaishnava. Then his life would end." Prahlada, the son of the Asura King, Hiranyakashipu, was a great devotee of Lord Vishnu and he received initiation from Narada Muni within the womb of his mother. This was against his father.

The sons of Hiranyakashipu’s spiritual master, Shukracharaya, began teaching Prahlada in their own way, but Prahlada Maharaja did not accept their instructions. While the teachers were absent from the classroom, Prahlada Maharaja began to preach Krsna consciousness in the school, and by his instructions all his class friends, the sons of the demons, became devotees like him.

The teachers of Prahlada, Sanda and Amarka, became afraid that the students would become more and more devoted to the Lord so they informed Hiranyakashipu about Prahlada's preaching. So Hiranyakashipu decided to kill his son himself. Prahlada tried to instruct him: "Prahlada Maharaja continued: My dear father, please give up your demoniac mentality. Do not discriminate in your heart between enemies and friends; make your mind equipoised toward everyone. Except for the uncontrolled and misguided mind, there is no enemy within this world. When one sees everyone on the platform of equality, one then comes to the position of worshipping the Lord perfectly."

Although Prahlada tried to instruct Hiranyakashipu, he was not about take the bonafide instructions because he was not interested in devotional service: The assistants of Hiranyakashipu struck Prahlada with sharp weapons, threw him under the feet of elephants, subjected him to hellish conditions, threw him from the peak of a mountain and tried to kill him in thousands of other ways, but they were unsuccessful. Hiranyakashipu therefore became increasingly afraid of his son Prahlada Maharaja and arrested him. And asked Prahalad,

Hiranyakashipu: "WHERE IS YOUR GOD?"
Prahlada replied that He is everywhere.
Hiranyakashipu: "IS HE IN THIS PILLAR, PRAHLADA???"
Prahlada: "Yes, He's everywhere."

Hiranyakashipu struck the pillar with his fists not believing Prahlada's statement; however Lord Nrsimhadeva, half-man and half-lion incarnation of the Supreme Lord, appeared with A ROAR! A great fight ensued and Lord Nrsimhadeva killed Hiranyakashipu with his nails.

(L) Lord Narshimhadeva coming out of the pillar: (R) Killing Hiranyakashipu with his nails.

Lord Nrsimhadeva killed Hiranyakashipu without violating any of the boons Hiranyakashipu had received from Lord Brahma:
(a) Hiranyakashipu was killed by Lord Nrsimhadeva who is not a living entity created by Lord Brahma nor anyone else for He is eternal and unborn.
(b) Hiranyakashipu was killed in the doorway, which is neither within any residence nor outside any residence.
(c) Hiranyakashipu was killed in the evening, which is neither daytime nor night.
(d) Hiranyakashipu was killed on the lap of Lord Nrsimhadeva, which is neither on the ground nor in the sky.
(e) Hiranyakashipu was killed by a half-man and half-lion which is neither a human nor an animal.
(f) Hiranyakashipu was killed by the nails, which are neither living nor dead nor count as weapons. Etc.

Lord Nrsimhadeva appeared in Ahovalam, Andra Pradesh state in South India.