srimadbhagavatham -skandha 7

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2. Chapter 2and3- Hiranyakasipu and his boons.

 

When

Hiranyaksha was killed by Lord Vishnu in the form of a boar, Hiranyakasipu got

angry and swore that he would kill Vishnu with whose support the devas were

victorious over the asuras. Since the Lord is in yajna and Vedas he ordered his

men to destroy all those who were performing yajnas and studying Vedas and the

accessories to the performance of yajna, especially brahmanas and cows.

 

But

this behaviour contrasted strongly with the manner he consoled his mother and

the wife and sons of Hiranyaksha. He preached philosophy like the devil quoting

the scriptures and lectured on the transient nature of worldly life and about

the body being perishable and the soul which is immortal etc. In Bhagavatham he

is mentioned as dheSakaalajnaH , one who know the time and place for everything.

In modern phraseology he was talking like a politician who preaches dharma

while following adharma.

 

Hiranyakasipu

wanted to become all powerful and free from death and old age. So he did penance

on Brahma and since every karma will have its fruit, Brahma appeared before him

and he asked for immortality to which Brahma replied that it could not be given

and Hiranyakasipu asked for a boon that he should not be killed by any creation

of Brahma, nor by any weapon and he should not meet his death either during the

day or in the night and either inside the house or outside. Brahma granted the

boon and Hiranya kasipu though that he had outwitted Brahma and got

immortality, little knowing that the

Lord who created even Brahma and who is jnanasvaroopa could outsmart him.

 

Chapter4- The terrorizing rule of Hiranyakasipu

and the Lord's assurance to devas

 

Hiranyakasipu terrorized all the three worlds obstructing yajna and Narayana- worship and thus tyrannized

the good and the devoted. He searched for Lord Vishnu to fight with him but he

did not find Him anywhere and decided that Vishnu was afraid of him and ran

away. AS the Lord has said in the Gita, naaham prakaaSah sarvasya yogamaayaa

samaavrthaH mooDo ayam na abhijaanaathi

loko maam ajam avyayam, Hiranyakasipu lacking in jnana and bhakthi could not

see the Lord.

 

Devas were in constant dread of him and prayed to Lord Narayana for

deliverance. Then they heard a divine voice saying "I will destroy him" The Lord said that since Hiranyakasipu was showing

hatred towards the Vedas, brahmanas, cows, devas and the good he will perish

soon. adhrama may flourish for a while

but it will be destroyed in the end. The Lord said that he was waiting

for the right time to destroy Hiranya kasipu and that time will come when he

shows hatred towards his own son who is a saintly soul because the Lord said "sarvam

aham sahishye na madhbhaktha dhroham", meaning, He will bear anything but not when

someone harms His devotee.

 

The incidents that led to the rising of devotion in Prahlada towards

the Lord are narrated in a later chapter.