The following is a transcription of a discourse delivered by Śrīla Bhaktivedānta Nārāyaṇa Mahārāja in Badger, California, on May 14, 2003

 

Today is the auspicious appearance day of Lord Nṛsiṁhadeva. Who is Nṛsiṁhadeva? He is Kṛṣṇa Himself “Keśava dhṛta-narahari-rūpa.” Kṛṣṇa Keśava. He is the same Keśava (a name of Kṛṣṇa meaning that He has fine hair), but not directly. He is none other than Cakra. Kṛṣṇa’s cakra (wheel-shaped weapon) becomes Nṛsiṁhadeva. When there is a temple installation of Cakra, the prayers are offered to Nṛsiṁhadeva.

Lord Nṛsiṁhadeva’s main mercy is to protect the devotees. The Cakra who saved Ambarīṣa Mahārāja was Nṛsiṁhadeva Himself, and the Cakra who killed Śiśupāla was also Nṛsiṁhadeva; there is no difference between the two. All the paraphernalia (weapons) in the hands of Kṛṣṇa manifest as His Viṣṇu incarnations; and it can also be said that His incarnations are manifestations of Baladeva prabhu.

If you have any difficulties or problems given by demons or others, and you call Nṛsiṁhadeva, He will come and save you. Vaiṣṇavas, therefore, have a special consideration regarding Nṛsiṁhadeva. We do not worship many other incarnations, like Vāmanadeva, Kurmadeva, or Kalki, but we worship Nṛsiṁhadeva.

Since there will be no cooking in the morning or midday today, I would like all the sannyāsīs and prominent speakers, one by one, to read continuously from the Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam, Seventh Canto, and to also explain the verses up to Prahlāda Mahārāja refusing to accept a material boon from Lord Nṛsiṁhadeva.* The readings should include how Prahlāda taught all the demon boys and made them mahā-bhāgavatas; that is, it should include the chapter in which the verse beginning with “guru-śuśrūṣayā” is included. I would like all of you to attend and hear these readings.

There is no need to take prasādam before dusk, the time of Nṛsiṁhadeva’s appearance. Only children and those old and sick, or those whose doctors have advised them not to fast, may take something for their maintenance. If Nṛsiṁhadeva sees that you are all fasting and taking so much trouble, He will be pleased. Otherwise, if you joke and make merry, He will neglect you. It is for Nṛsiṁhadeva that you are accepting this tapasya (austerity), for all to attract His mercy.

Today we do this austerity, as we do on Ekādaśī, Caitanya Mahāprabhu’s appearance day (Gaura Pūrṇimā), Rāma-navamī (the appearance day of Śrī Rāmacandra), and other holy appearance days like Janmāṣṭamī and Rādhāṣṭamī. These austerities are not like those performed by the yogīs; these are performed to attract Kṛṣṇa’s mercy, so try to follow.

I now want to begin our glorification of Lord Nṛsiṁhadeva.

Yudhiṣṭhira Mahārāja once performed a Rājasūya sacrifice.** He sent his army under the guidance of Bhīma and Arjuna to conquer the entire world, but He did not want to kill anyone. He told his leaders that if the kings and princes of the other lands surrendered without fighting, they should simply take a tax from them, and those kings and princes who wanted to fight could fight. Bhīma and Arjuna travelled everywhere and took taxes from all the other kings, and when they returned, a very high-class fire sacrifice was performed.

The question arose at the sacrifice as to who would be worshipped first so that their festival would be successful. Sahadeva proposed, “Kṛṣṇa should be worshipped first, because He is the Lord of Lords, the Supreme Lord, and He is here.” Bhīṣma Pitāmaha and others supported this proposal, but Śiśupāla became very angry. At that time, Śiśupāla was the leader of Duryodhana and all the other demons. He was envious of Kṛṣṇa and wanted to kill Him. He knew about the foretelling at his birth that Kṛṣṇa would kill him, so he thought that he should kill Kṛṣṇa first and be saved. He had previously wanted to marry Rukmiṇī, but clever Kṛṣṇa had kidnapped her in front of him and all the other princes and kings, defeated them all, and then married her.

Kṛṣṇa is satisfied and complete (pūrṇa). He needs nothing in this world and has nothing to take from anyone. Still, for the enactment of His transcendental pastimes, He kidnapped Rukmiṇī and married her, and Śiśupāla and the others could simply wring their hands. When Kṛṣṇa was leaving their midst with Rukmiṇī, the other princes and kings had exclaimed, “Alas, this bogus black person, in front of generals like Jarāsandha and others, kidnapped her and they could not stop Him. He defeated them all and took her away!” Thus, Śiśupāla wanted to take revenge.

Now, at the Rājasūya sacrifice, he looked at Kṛṣṇa and began to call Him ill names. He challenged, “Who is this person?!” Kṛṣṇa actually has no father or mother, but Śiśupāla accused Him, “This person has two fathers, and no one knows who His real father is. He has no varṇa (caste), and no one knows where He is from. He is not only a thief, but a very lusty person. When he sees any lady, He becomes attracted; somehow, by trick, He brings those ladies to Him. Moreover, He is not satisfied with only one lady; He must have thousands and millions of ladies. Also, He once climbed a tree with the garments of the gopīs who were taking a bath naked, and He told them that they should come before Him one by one to get their clothes. What is this silly thing?! You have no intelligence and are so mad that you have selected Him to worship first. As long as I am here, I will not allow this!”

Hearing this, Duryodhana and other demons clapped.

Śiśupāla considered that as long as he was present, he would not let anyone perform their first worship of Kṛṣṇa. He said he would fight for this not to happen, and thus managed to utter his one hundredth offence.

When Śiśupāla’s mother had given birth to him, he had four arms. At that time, an aerial voice announced that the person whom Śiśupāla would see and cause two of his arms to disappear would later kill him. All the relatives had come to see this beautiful and strong four-handed child. Out of social custom, Kṛṣṇa took many ornaments for that boy, and being a representative of His father, He came to see His cousin-brother. When He came near Śiśupāla, He wanted to take him in His arms, but Śiśupāla’s two arms at once disappeared. His mother began to weep loudly, saying, “Kṛṣṇa, You are my nephew, so I want to request a boon from You. It has been foretold by an aerial voice that whoever my son sees, thus making his two arms disappear, would later kill him. I pray for You not to kill him even if he offends You.” Kṛṣṇa replied, “Oh yes, I am giving you this boon. I will kill him only when he abuses Me more than 100 times. Otherwise, I will not. His mother was very happy and said, “He will never do this. I will train him and advise him on good behaviour.”

When Śiśupāla became older, he learned of this fact. He, therefore, became angry and continuously abused Kṛṣṇa. Now, when he had abused Him more than 100 times, Kṛṣṇa took His Cakra. The Cakra wanted to go very fast, not slowly, as it had moved when it had chased Durvāsā. It had been only following behind Durvāsā and not killing him. For Śiśupāla, on the other hand, it sliced off his head at once. A very effulgent light immediately came from Śiśupāla’s body. That light went into the sky and then entered the body of Kṛṣṇa.

Yudhiṣṭhira Mahārāja wondered why ṛṣis, yogīs and maharṣis, after thousands of births of chanting mantras like “so ‘ham, so ‘ham” could not attain the destination of sāyujya-mukti (impersonal liberation). How wonderful it was, then, that this light entered the lotus feet of Kṛṣṇa. But where did it go?

Nārāyaṇa was present within Kṛṣṇa’s body because all the incarnations are always in Kṛṣṇa, the Supreme Lord. Śiśupāla thus returned to Nārāyaṇa in Vaikuṇṭha and became His doorkeeper Jaya, but this was not seen externally. The entire world is in the stomach of Kṛṣṇa. Nārāyaṇa and other incarnations can also easily fit there, but still His stomach can be empty, and He can feel hungry.

Yudhiṣṭhira Mahārāja was not an ordinary person. Bhīma was very strong and powerful, and so was Arjuna. However, when we consider who was stronger, Yudhiṣṭhira, Bhīma, or Arjuna, we find that where Arjuna and Bhīma were not successful, Yudhiṣṭhira Mahārāja was successful by his mere glance. Bhīma was once wrapped up in the body of a snake, and that snake would not release him. Yudhiṣṭhira then came, simply glanced at that serpent, and it left at once. So, do not think Bhīma and Arjuna are more powerful than Yudhiṣṭhira. Arjuna’s bhakti is superior to the others, but dharma was especially present in Yudhiṣṭhira Mahārāja. That is why he was called Dharmarāja, which is why he was so powerful.

When Yudhiṣṭhira Mahārāja saw Śiśupāla’s soul enter Kṛṣṇa’s body, he began to think, “How wonderful! Even a yogī, ṛṣi or muni does not have this kind of mercy from Kṛṣṇa.” He then asked Nārada Ṛṣi, “You know everything and can remove my doubts. So, please explain this: Kṛṣṇa has no fear of anyone and does not want anything from anyone. He is pūrṇatama (complete), ātmārāma (always happy internally), and āptakāma (satisfied and equal to all). Why does He take the side of devotees and demigods? And why does He defeat or kill demons? I want to know why.”

Nārada replied that the cause of all this is kāla (Time), the results of past activities. Sometimes, like during Satya-yuga (the age of goodness), the demigods and others like them become prominent. In Kali-yuga, on the other hand, the demons are more powerful. It seems that Kṛṣṇa helps certain personalities, but actually the events of this world are controlled by Time. Kṛṣṇa is equal to all, and everything here is thus due to kāla.

You should not be angry or criticise anyone. If you are in distress or disturbed by many problems, it is due to you, yourself:

tat te ’nukampāṁ su-samīkṣamāṇo
bhuñjāna evātma-kṛtaṁ vipākam
hṛd-vāg-vapurbhir vidadhan namas te
jīveta yo mukti-pade sa dāya-bhāk

Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam (10.14.8)

[“My dear Lord, one who earnestly waits for You to bestow Your causeless mercy upon him, all the while patiently suffering the reactions of his past misdeeds and offering You respectful obeisances with his heart, words and body, is surely eligible for liberation, for it has become his rightful claim.”]

Evātma-kṛtam. What one has done in the past is now coming back to them. If one is a pure bhakta and the results of all his past activities are finished, why would problems come to him? His so-called problems are due to the mercy of Kṛṣṇa. Problems are not coming; Kṛṣṇa is sending them. The Pāṇḍavas were praying for a great calamity so that Kṛṣṇa would be with them. Kṛṣṇa gave them great distress as he gave to Draupadī when Duśāsana tried to remove her clothes, and He did the same to Prahlāda Mahārāja.

He gave Prahlāda so many troubles. Why? He considered, “The entire world should know that My devotees are exalted; they do not care about saving themselves, so I must save them.” You can know all these truths by reading Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam.

You should read Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam, Seventh Canto, until 6:00 p.m., at which time I will return, and then we will perform the abhiṣeka (bathing ceremony) of Nṛsiṁhadeva. Some flowers should also be here for offering.

We will observe today as we do Ekādaśī, and we can break fast after Nṛsiṁhadeva’s birth (dusk). Anyone who wants to break their fast before that time may take only fruits and vegetables. Anyone who wants to fast until tomorrow morning can do so very easily. Then, tomorrow we will worship Nṛsiṁhadeva, and after that we will take prasāda. Now, bring the Seventh Canto and begin.

Gaura-premānande.

* [Hiraṇyakaśipu was ready to kill his own son Prahlāda Mahārāja, but the Supreme Personality of Godhead appeared in front of the demon as Śrī Nṛkeśarī, half lion and half man, and killed him.

Following the instructions of Prahlāda Mahārāja, all the sons of the demons became attached to Lord Viṣṇu, the Supreme Personality of Godhead. When this attachment became pronounced, their teachers, Ṣaṇḍa and Amarka, were very much afraid that the boys would become more and more devoted to the Lord. In a helpless condition, they approached Hiraṇyakaśipu and described in detail the effect of Prahlāda’s preaching. After hearing of this, Hiraṇyakaśipu decided to kill his son Prahlāda. Hiraṇyakaśipu was so angry that Prahlāda Mahārāja fell down at his feet and said many things just to pacify him, but he was unsuccessful in satisfying his demoniac father. Hiraṇyakaśipu, as a typical demon, began to advertise himself as being greater than the Supreme Personality of Godhead, but Prahlāda Mahārāja challenged him, saying that Hiraṇyakaśipu was not God, and began to glorify the Supreme Personality of Godhead, declaring that the Lord is all-pervading, that everything is under Him, and that no one is equal to or greater than Him.

Thus he requested his father to be submissive to the omnipotent Supreme Lord.

The more Prahlāda Mahārāja glorified the Supreme Personality of Godhead, the more angry and agitated the demon became. Hiraṇyakaśipu asked his Vaiṣṇava son whether his God existed within the columns of the palace, and Prahlāda Mahārāja immediately accepted that since the Lord is present everywhere, He was also present within the columns.

When Hiraṇyakaśipu heard this philosophy from his young son, he derided the boy’s statement as just the talk of a child and forcefully struck the pillar with his fist.

As soon as Hiraṇyakaśipu struck the column, there issued forth a tumultuous sound. At first Hiraṇyakaśipu, the King of the demons, could not see anything but the pillar, but to substantiate Prahlāda’s statements, the Lord came out of the pillar in His wonderful incarnation as Narasiṁha, half lion and half man. Hiraṇyakaśipu could immediately understand that the extraordinarily wonderful form of the Lord was surely meant for his death, and thus he prepared to fight with the form of half lion and half man. The Lord performed His pastimes by fighting with the demon for some time, and in the evening, on the border between day and night, the Lord captured the demon, threw him on His lap, and killed him by piercing his abdomen with His nails. The Lord not only killed Hiraṇyakaśipu, the King of the demons, but also killed many of his followers. When there was no one else to fight, the Lord, roaring with anger, sat down on Hiraṇyakaśipu’s throne.

The entire universe was thus relieved of the rule of Hiraṇyakaśipu, and everyone was jubilant in transcendental bliss. Then all the demigods, headed by Lord Brahmā, approached the Lord. These included the great saintly persons, the Pitās, the Siddhas, the Vidyādharas, the Nāgas, the Manus, the prajāpatis, the Gandharvas, the Cāraṇas, the Yakṣas, the Kimpuruṣas, the Vaitālikas, the Kinnaras and also many other varieties of beings in human form. All of them stood not far from the Supreme Personality of Godhead and began offering their prayers unto the Lord, whose spiritual effulgence was brilliant as He sat on the throne. (Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam 7.8 summary)]

** [“After gaining victory in the Battle of Kurukṣetra, Mahārāja Yudhiṣṭhira, the Emperor of the world, performed the Rājasūya sacrificial ceremony. The emperor in those days, upon his ascendance to the throne, would send a challenge horse all over the world to declare his supremacy, and any ruling prince or king was at liberty to accept the challenge and express his tacit willingness either to obey or to disobey the supremacy of the particular emperor. One who accepted the challenge had to fight with the emperor and establish his own supremacy by victory. The defeated challenger would have to sacrifice his life, making way for another king or ruler. So Mahārāja Yudhiṣṭhira also dispatched such challenging horses all over the world, and every ruling prince and king all over the world accepted Mahārāja Yudhiṣṭhira’s leadership as the Emperor of the world.” (Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam 1.9.41 purport)]

Source: Purebhakti.com

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Unless indicated differently, all verse translations and quotes are from the books by Śrīla Prabhupāda (Vedabase.com)