Bhakta Prahlaada Contributed By: Rajalakshmi SrinivasaGopalan The Karma that a garbhavati does will have a magnifying effect

on the baby. As a negative example of this, we saw Valmiki maharshi s story. The positive example i s that of Prahlaada, the putra of Hiranyakashipa and Leelaavati: When Prahlaada was in the garbham of Leelaavati, his pita, Hiranyakashipa did a severe Tapas for Brahmadeva. Hence Leelaavati had the adrushtam of staying in th e pivitra aashramam of Naarada maharshi. Due to the tapashshakti of Naarada, sna kes-vultures, lions-elephants and other such animal pairs which have natural ene mity, left their anger on one another and were co-existing in peace. Because of living in such an environment, Leelaavati used to always think about good and us ed to listen to the puraanams told by Naarada maharshi. One day, when Naarada maharshi was describing Shri Hari Leelas and greatness of Hari-bhakti, Leelaavati slept off, but Prahlaada who was in her garbham was list ening a telling ok ok to all the tattvam that Naarada maharshi was telling. Thus eve n before Prahlaada was born he got Gnyaanopadesham from Naarada maharshi. On one shubha-lagnam, Prahlaada was born. Devatas showered pushpa-varsham. Brahmadeva, who was impressed by the severe Tapas of Hiranyakashipa, appeared be fore him and said Vatsa! Your tapas is advitiiyam. Ask Me your abhiishtam and i w ill grant it . Hiranyakashipa had duraasha. He believed this shariiram is shaashva tam and satisfying physical senses itself is aanandam. Hence he asked Brahmadeva Svaami! I must have no maranam (death) . Brahmadeva said Kumaara! This is against S hrushti-niyamam. Ask any other varam . Hiranyakashipa asked Either on land, in wate r, in fire, in air, in aakaasham, by animals or humans or deva-daanavas or yaksh a or kinnera or siddha or vidyaashara adi praanis, by any shastra-astras, during day or night I must never get maranam. Also I must always have vijayam in yuddh am, I must get more power than Indra aadi loka-paalakas and be the King of Tribh uvanams . Brahmadeva replied Kashyapa-putra! no one ever asked such varams previous ly. But since you have done tapas and impressed Me, I am granting you this varam . But be a buddhi-sampanna and live . Even though Hiranyakashipa was putra of the great Kashyapa maharshi and had grea t tapashshakti, he got ahankaaram because of the varam he got from Brahmadeva. H e, with his vara-gravam, forgot that Brahmadeva said be a buddhi-sampanna and liv e , and started to torture worlds, saadhu-sajjanas, pativratas. Who can save a fly that gets attracted to fire and gets burnt? He started saying he is only God, e veryone should pray to him and do pooja to him. His paapam was increasing day-by -day and finally by torturing his own child, Prahlaada, who was a great Shri Har i bhakta, he himself became the cause for his death: Hiranyakashipa tried to torture Prahlaada by throwing him down cliffs, getting h im stamped by elephants, burning him in fire etc., but nothing happened to the g reat Hari bhakta. Prahlaada, who had only Shri Hari in his mind, never even thou ght about anything else. Hence Shri Hari saved him from the tortures of Hiranyak ashipa.

One day at Sandhya-samayam, fed up with Prahlaada saying Shri Hari is only Param aatma, His bhakti is only shaashvatam, Hiranyakashipa said where is your Hari? I even went to Vaikuntham and searched for him to kill him, but he was not there. There is no Hari. I am only Bhagavaan . Prahlaada replied Dont have the doubt that He is here, He is there. He is everyone. Wherever you search for Him with Bhakti , He will be there . Then with anger Hiranyakashipa said is it? If so, show Him to

Me in this pillar . Then Mahaavishnu appeared from the pillar in the form of Narasimham, placed Hiranyakashipa in His lap, and teared him into pieces using His n akhas (nails).

Thus even though Hiranyakashipa asked for a varam so that it was difficult to ki ll him, he forgot the fact that Paramaatma is more powerful and his duraasha, ah ankaaram only lead to his downfall.

Morals in the Story: A garbhavati s other name is dauhrudi (one who has two hrudayams). According to ou r shaastras, whatever a garbhavati does has magnifying effects on the child. Hen ce our shaastras recommend, atleast during that period, listening to Harikathas, Puraanams etc. and always think good. Since Leelaavati did all these, her son P rahlaada became a great Hari-bhakata and a Dharmaatma. Duraasha always leads to difficulties (see Prataapabhaanu s story). Hiranyakashipa , with his duraasha, believed this shariiram is shaashvatam and asked for a vara m which no one else asked. Brahmadeva also said if he is good and has sadbuddhi then the varam will be of use. But having vara-garvam he tortured the worlds and himself became a reason for his end. The Bhakti of Prahlaada is ananyam. Though he was kid and his father tortured hi m so much, he never thought about anything other than Shri Hari. Hence Mahaavish nu saved him. Prahlaada comes first in the list of Bhaktas and is a maarga-darsh i for us.