The Hindu : Miscellaneous / Religion : Rationale of an incarnation

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Monday, Apr 11, 2005

Miscellaneous

Miscellaneous - Religion

Rationale of an incarnation

CHENNAI, APRIL 11 . Among the various incarnations of the Supreme Being in this world that assumed in the form of a man-lion, Narasimha, was undertaken to prove the word of a child-devotee who reposed implicit faith in Him. The Puranas and the hymns of mystics wax eloquent on the singular devotion of this child, Prahlada, who withstood unimaginable torture at the hands of his own father for being devoted to the Lord. And what did this child do when the Almighty granted him a boon? He beseeched Him to pardon his father and redeem him. Why should such an exemplary devotee be born as the son of one who hated the Lord so much? The Puranas highlight that it was the divine will that Prahlada was born as the son of Hiranyakasipu.

In his discourse, Sri P.R.Vaidyanatha Sastrigal said the Bhagavata Purana described the Lord's manifestation as undertaken to validate Prahlada's trust in Him. The Purana states, "In order to substantiate the utterance of His servant and His presence in all objects, the Lord appeared in the pillar of the court, assuming a queer form, which was neither of a beast nor of a human being." Hiranyakasipu in anger had struck a pillar when Prahlada kept insisting that the Almighty was omnipresent and He had no choice but to emerge from that very pillar.

Though this manifestation was for the sake of Prahlada, the Supreme Being at once kept His promise to His attendants, Jaya and Vijaya, who were also His devotees, and He also fulfilled the creator, Brahma's boon to Hiranyakasipu. When Jaya and Vijaya stopped Sanaka and other sages from entering Lord Vishnu's abode they cursed them to be born in the world. When they beseeched them to mitigate its effect they were given the choice of being born thrice as haters of God and the Lord promised to liberate them during His incarnations. In the Varaha and Narasimha incarnations He thus liberated Jaya and Vijaya who were born as the brothers Hiranyaksha and Hiranyakasipu. To avenge his brother's death Hiranyakasipu performed intense penance and obtained a boon from Brahma setting many conditions to ensure that it would be impossible to kill him. Hence the Almighty had to incarnate for his sake also, as he was His devotee. The thrust of the Vishnu Purana is Prahlada's exceptional devotion and the Lord's incarnation is incidental to the narration. Another variation in this Purana is the reconciliation of father and son after Prahlada sought God's pardon when he was blessed with His vision.

Printer friendly page
Send this article to Friends by E-Mail

Miscellaneous

News Update

Stories in this Section

The Hindu Crossword 8264

Solution to puzzle 8263

Rationale of an incarnation

dated April 11, 1955: Pant's appeal to people

dated April 11, 1955: Russia to annul pacts

dated April 11, 1955: New light on life on Mars

Weather