॥ ॐ नमो भगवते वासुदेवाय ॥
Friday, 13 January 2023 VII.02 - Sage Narada begins the story of Hiranyakashipu most impressively.
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Sage Vyasa warms up to the story of Narasimha Avatara. He makes Sage Narada begin to tell the story of Hiranyakashipu to King Yudhishthira.
There are many very interesting shlokas here. They paint the picture of a great asura who stopped at nothing to have his way. We understand that power, intelligence and communication skills manifest even more in those who pursue evil. They can mouth the highest wisdom better than even sages. The only difference is they never walk the talk!
I've created a slide show for you to read the shlokas. The audio is also playable in a separate window from my google drive by clicking the link below.
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Audio of recitation (opens in a separate window).
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Sage Narada narrates:
When Hranyakasha was slain by Varaha, the incarnation of Maha Vishnu, his elder brother Hiranyakashipu was stirred into uncontrollable rage. He looked fierce and ugly as he ground his teeth, grimaced and proclaimed to the asuras and Rakshasas following him, how Maha Vishnu, who is supposed to be fair and neutral, is easily won over by flattery and acts like a child impetuously to help Indra.
"I shall therefore sever Lord Vishnu’s head from His trunk by my trident, and with the profuse blood from His body I shall please my brother Hiranyaksha, who was so fond of sucking blood. Thus shall I too be peaceful. Once I kill Vishnu, the roots of the power that gods enjoy will be destroyed. While I get busy in this project, I want all of you to go and wreak havoc wherever people are pursuing prayer and purifying themselves by Brahminical rituals. These people engage in austerity, sacrifice, Vedic study, regulative vows, and charity. Destroy all the people thus engaged worshipping Vishnu as He is the personified reservoir of all Dharmic principles, and He is the shelter for all gods, pitris and common people. When the Brahmins are killed, no one will exist to encourage the Kshatriyas to perform Yajnas, and thus the gods, not being appeased by Yajna oblations, will automatically die. Set fire to every place where Vedas are chanted, cows worshipped and Yajnas conducted."
Hiranyakashipu's instructions were carried out meticulously, destroying cities and settlements everywhere. The demons killed mercilessly. The gods were distraught and wandered aimlessly.
Hiranyakashipu now turned to his grieving mother, Hiranyaksha's widow, and his sons. He consoled them with great philosophical words.
अम्बाम्ब हे वधू: पुत्रा वीरं मार्हथ शोचितुम्
दैवेनैकत्र नीतानामुन्नीतानां स्वकर्मभि:
नित्य आत्माव्यय: शुद्ध: सर्वग: सर्ववित्पर: ।
धत्तेऽसावात्मनो लिङ्गं मायया विसृजन्गुणान् ॥
T: "Dear mother, and sister-in-law, and dear nephews, grieve not the death of Hiranyaksha who has died as a great hero in battle. Indeed, people come together and get separated in life and death merely according to a divine plan over which no one has control, as it all functions according to one's past Karma. Know that the Atma is one, indivisible, eternal, pure and all-pervasive. It is beyond anyone's comprehension. Atma plays out this drama of life taking up various bodies."
"All life and its constant changes are like mere reflections of the moon in a lake, apparently moving due to the waves. "
"Birth, death, lamentation, foolishness and anxiety are due to mistaken identification with the body and its world. Thus we sometimes come to a proper understanding and sometimes fall again to a wrong conception of life."
Hiranyakashipu tells now a story to illustrate his point! He is indeed like a present-day Guru, good at telling stories!
Once a hero died in battle, by the name of Suyajna, the king of Ushinara. As he lay dead, his impressive ornaments in disarray, body drenched in blood, his women wailed unconsolably, embracing the corpse, and lamenting that they had lost their all. Yama decided to instil some wisdom in them, and appeared as an urchin.
The boy showed utter surprise at the scene. He spoke: "Alas, how amazing it is! These persons, who are older than me, know from experience that hundreds and thousands of living entities have taken birth and died. Thus they should understand that they also are apt to die, yet they are bewildered. The conditioned soul comes from an unknown place and returns after death to that same unknown place. There is no exception to this rule, which is the run of Prakriti. Knowing this, why do they uselessly lament? It is amazing that these elderly women do not have any higher sense of life than we do. Indeed, we are most fortunate, for although we are children and have been left to struggle in life, unprotected by father and mother, and although we are very weak, we have not been vanquished or eaten by ferocious animals. Thus we have a firm belief that the Supreme Being, who has given us protection even in the womb of the mother, will protect us everywhere."
"Oh weak women! Only by the will of God, who is never diminished, is the entire world created, maintained and again annihilated. This is the verdict of the Vedas. This world is His plaything.and He freely does as He pleases, to destroy and protect!"
"Is it not common that one dorps money on a public street, only to find it lying there afterwards as no one has picked it up! And yet, one is sometimes robbed within one's own house! That is the play of destiny. One remains alive, well protected at home by relatives and others. And one sometimes dies, no one being able to protect him."
"All life runs according to one's Karma. The body you loved so much is lying here lifeless. It is not matter, or even Pranic energy, that enlivens him. It is only the soul, or Atma, and once he is separated from the body and breath. he is gone, never to return!"
Now the boy (Yama indeed) tells a story. A female bird was entrapped by a hunter. Just as the male bird wailed and lamented at her predicament, and the fate of their young ones, the hunter shot and arrow and killed the male one! So evanescent is everyone's life. Where is the meaning in lamentation!!!???
Hiranyakashipu concluded that everyone was struck by the boy's philosophical words. They could understand that everything material is temporary, and will not continue to exist. They reconciled themselves as the boy vanished from the scene.
Sage Narada says Hiranyakashipu had done a splendid job in removing the grief of Diti and his sister-in-law.
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॥ ॐ नमो भगवते वासुदेवाय ॥
