The Story of Lord Nrishimadevi, (for those who want to know the story I told Angharad!)

The Story of Lord Nrishimadevi,

(written using a mixture of the three versions I found on-line plus what I know myself)

The Daityas, though born of the same parentage as the Devas or gods, were always at war with the latter. Sometimes a strong leader would rise up among them and drive all the Devas from the heavens to seized the throne of the gods allowing them to rule for a time. Then the Devas would pray to Vishnu, the Omnipresent Lord of the universe, and He would help them out of their difficulty by driving out the Daityas and allowing the gods to reigned once more.

Hiranyakashipu (Hir-ran-ya-kash-i-pu) was a Daitya who performed great austerities. Eventually Brahma offered him a boon to which Hiranyakashipu proclaimed he wanted to be made immortal. Brahma professed that this was not possible as even he would die one day. Hiranyakashipu then requested not be killed by any weapon, nor by man or beast, not during the day or at night, not on the ground or in the air, not inside nor outside. Brahma agreed to this and satisfied that he was now immortal Hiranyakashipu went to war and became king of the Daityas. He succeeded in conquering his cousins, the Devas and seated himself on the throne of the heavens. From there he ruled the three worlds — the middle world, inhabited by men and animals; the heavens, inhabited by gods and godlike beings; and the nether world, inhabited by the Daityas.

Hiranyakashipu then declared himself to be the God of the whole universe and proclaimed that there was no other God but himself. He also declared that the Omnipotent Vishnu should have no worship offered to Him anywhere; and that all the worship should henceforth be given to himself only.

Now Hiranyakashipu had a beautiful wife called Kayadu, who gave birth to a heavenly son called Prahlâda. The king had great hopes for his son but even in his infancy Prahlada was devoted to Vishnu. The king of the Daityas, was furious and handed over his son to two teachers called Shanda and Amarka, who were very stern disciplinarians. They were given strict instructions that Prahlada was never to hear even the name of Vishnu mentioned. The teachers took the prince to their home, and there he was put to study with the other children of his age. But the little Prahlada, instead of learning from his books, devoted all the time in teaching the other boys how to worship Vishnu.



When the teachers found it out, they were frightened, for they feared the mighty king Hiranyakashipu would punish them. They tried their best to dissuade the child from such teachings, but Prahlada could no more stop his teaching and worshipping of Vishnu than he could stop breathing. The teachers had no choice but to tell the king that his son was not only worshipping Vishnu, but also spoiling all the other children by teaching them to worship Vishnu.

Hiranyakashipu was furious when he heard this and called the boy to his presence. He tried by gentle persuasions to dissuade Prahlada from the worship of Vishnu and taught him that he, the king, was the only God to worship. But it was to no use. Prahlada declared, again and again, that the Omnipresent Vishnu, Lord of the universe, was the only Being to be worshipped.



When Prahlada added that even the king held his throne only so long as it pleased Vishnu the rage of the king knew no bounds.

He ordered the boy to be killed immediately. So the Daityas struck him with pointed weapons but Prahlad's mind was so intent upon Vishnu that he felt no pain from them.

When Hiranyakashipu saw this, he became frightened but, driven by the worst passions of a Daitya, he contrived another diabolical way to kill the boy. He ordered him to be trampled under foot by an elephant, but the enraged elephant could not crush the boy any more than he could have crushed a block of iron.

Then the king ordered the boy to be thrown over a precipice but Vishnu resided in the heart of Prahlada and he came down upon the earth as gently as a flower drops upon the grass. Poison, starvation, throwing into a well, enchantments, and other measures were then tried on the child one after another, but to no purpose. Nothing could hurt him in whose heart dwelt Vishnu.

The king had a sister called Holika who had been blessed with the power to withstand fire. Hiranyakashipu declared that his sister should hold Pahlada on her lap as she sat in a huge pyre so that the boy would be burnt to death. Again Prahlada prayed to Vishnu to keep him safe and Holika was burnt to ashes while Prahlada remained unscathed.


(this event is now celebrated by the burning of bonfires during Holi)



When the king Hiranyakashipu found, to his horror, that all mortal means of getting rid of the boy who was perfectly devoted to his enemy, the God Vishnu, were powerless, he was at a loss to know what to do. The king had the boy again brought before him, and tried to persuade him once more to listen to his advice, through gentle means. 
 

But Prahlada made the same reply insisting that Vishnu was the Lord of the universe, the Beginningless, the Endless, the Omnipotent and the Omnipresent, and as such, he alone was to be worshipped. 

 

The king roared with anger and said: "Evil one, if your Vishnu is God omnipresent, why does he not reside in this pillar here?" Prahlada humbly submitted that Vishnu resided everywhere and was indeed in the pillar. "If that is so," cried the king, "let him defend you for now I shall kill you myself with this sword." The king rushed at Prahlada with his sword raised and dealt a terrible blow at the pillar. 

 

Instantly a thundering voice was heard, the pillar split apart to reveal Vishnu in His awful Nrisimha form — half-lion, half-man!

“He was splendid like thousands of rising suns, his eyes filled with anger, his roar like the ocean's roaring at the time of the world's end. His face blazed like the fires at the end of a kalpa.

As he roared, his sharp teeth glistened like stars in the sky at sunset. His roar sounded like a thousand thunderbolts from slow moving clouds and his loud shrill laughter shook the universe.

The Lord was extremely fearsome because of his restless eyes, which were like two blazing fires. His mane expanded the dimensions of his fearful face and His razor sharp tongue moved about like a dueling sword. His ears were erect and his nostrils and gaping mouth appeared like the caves of a mountain. His jaws parted fearfully and his body touched the sky.

His broad and frightening arms, hands, and fingers moved like the sun and the wind as his footsteps made the earth tremble. His splendour filled all directions with effulgent light so much that the demon Hiranyakasipu became invisible in the glaring light, just as a small insect disappears into a fire.”

Panic-stricken, the Daityas ran away in all directions; but Hiranyakashipu rushed toward the Lord with his sword, such was his arrogance that he thought he could kill God. 

 

Lord Nrsimha fought with Hiranyakashipu for awhile and finally at the right time, when the sun was setting in the horizon, Nrsimha put the demon on his lap at the doorway of the palace, and ripped him apart with his nails. In this way, Lord Brahma's promise was kept intact, for the demon was killed not by a weapon, but with nails, not by man nor beast, but a half-man-half-beast, not during the day nor at night, but at dusk, not on the ground or in the air, but on his lap, not inside nor outside, but in the doorway. 

 
Then the gods descended from heaven and offered hymns to Vishnu, and Prahlada also fell at His feet and sang exquisite hymns of praise and devotion.

The Voice of God spoke, saying, "Ask, Prahlada, ask for anything you desire, you are My most devoted child; therefore ask for anything you may wish."  Prahlada, choked with feelings replied, "Lord, I have seen Thee. What else can I want? Do not tempt me with earthly or heavenly boons."

Again the Voice said: "Yet ask something, my son."

And then Prahlada replied, "That intense love, O Lord, which the ignorant bear to worldly things, may I have the same love for Thee; may I have the same intensity of love for Thee, but only for love's sake!"

Having blessed Prahlada, the Lord Vishnu disappeared.

Then the gods headed by Brahma installed Prahlada on the throne of the Daityas and returned to their respective spheres.