Message of HH Sri Ganapathy Sachchidananda Swamiji in Bhakti TV Program telecast on May 7, 2020
Compiled by: Jaya Akkanapragada
Narasimha Avatāra Part 3
Sri Guru Datta. Aum Lakshmi Narasimha.
On the occasion of Narasimha Jayanti, we are talking about the story of Shiva Sharma. Without even drinking the nectar, the elderly couple was cured of the disease. All this was Sri Hari’s Māya. Sri Hari, Narasimha, Narayana – what tests Shiva Sharma subjected his children to!
Let us listen to the bhajan Narasimha Narasimha Narasimha (bhajan ID 963) sung by the children.
The entire story of Shiva Sharma told so far is related to Yoga. This is why Swami is known as Yoga Narasimha. The amrita kalasha which was protected by the yoga chakra was in fact stolen by Shiva Sharma. Soma Sharma was unable to recognize the father’s yoga śakti. The father had revived the second son, he had revived the mother. In spite of all this, Soma Sharma used his yogic powers only to protect himself. He did not want anyone to accuse him of stealing the nectar. For twelve years, while he protected the nectar, not once was he tempted to taste it. But the thoughts which he had those twelve years were not perfect. Even though he was very devoted to his parents, he did not realize their divine powers. When the father asked for the nectar, he believed the father was really going to drink it. He really believed the parents were diseased. While he was accomplished in yogic studies, he still lacked bhakti. This is why the father was not pleased with this son.
From that day onwards, the father started teaching bhakti tatva and its details in the Bhāgavatam to Soma Sharma. But within a few days, Shiva Sharma realized he did not have very long to live, so initiated his son into the Narayana mantra. Telling his son to lead a desire-free life and follow the path of bhakti, Shiva Sharma left his mortal coil. Soma Sharma realized his father was displeased with him but could not figure out why. He could tell that there was a difference in the earlier teachings and the more recent teachings. Soma Sharma had immense faith, trust and belief in his father’s teachings. He would constantly contemplate on these teachings. As he kept chanting the Narayana mantra, his thoughts became purer. He realized that the thoughts he had in the past while guarding the nectar were wrong. While introspecting like this, his life came to an end. He realized that Sri Hari was not biased towards one set of children – the devas. Because he had felt bad fir the demons and thought that Sri Hari was biased against them, in his next life, Soma Sharma was born in a demon clan. He was born as Prahlāda.
There is such a great story behind Prahlāda taking birth. We have already discussed how Jaya and Vijaya were fated to be born as the demons Hiranyakśa and Hirańyakaśipu. They became Kings of the demons. Around the time when Prahlāda was about to be born, the demon world was in chaos. Hirańyakśa and Hirańyakaśipu had spent a considerable amount of time doing tapas and had attained certain powers which they were using to wreak havoc on the devatās. The demons and the gods were at war for hundreds of years. Sometimes the gods would win, and sometimes the demons. There was no peace, and the threat of war was always lurking. To hurt Sri Hari, the elder brother Hirańyakśa attacked Mother Earth – Bhūdevi so that no beings could live on earth. He literally folded up the earth like a map and stamped it into the depths of the ocean. Since the earth is three-quarters water, and only one-quarter land, he simply pushed the land into the water. To rescue Bhūdevi, Sri Hari took the avatāra of Varāha Swami and restored Mother Earth to Her former state. This is a very big story that we have discussed in great detail in Bhāgavatam.
Because of the yagñās being performed by people and Maharśīs on Earth, the gods and Sri Hari’s powers were increasing every day. So Hirańyakaśipu had to think of new ways to wage war and defeat the gods. He therefore commanded all the demons to roam the earth and kill anybody who was performing yagñās. Meanwhile Hirańyakaśipu decided to meditate on Brahma to gain more powers. The bloodthirsty demons immediately set off to Bhūloka. As Hirańyakaśipu was about to leave for tapas, he noticed his grieving mother and pregnant wife.
Being the son of Kaśyapa Maharśi, he was quite learned, so he immediately consoled his mother – Diti by quoting the scriptures – tatva śāstrās and telling her how once we are born, death is inevitable. Although Diti’s children were also taught the same scriptures as the gods, since Rajōguńa was more predominant in them, they lacked Bhakti. That was the difference between Kaśyapa Maharśi’s children born to Diti and Aditi. They all performed tapas and yoga, but Diti’s children did not have any bhakti. Bhakti is most important here. For the past one week we have only been talking about the importance of bhakti. Bhakti means unselfish love. Hirańyakaśipu was able to preach tatva to his mother, and console her with stories of bhakti, but he himself did not have any bhakti.
Amongst these stories, a very nice one is Yama preta bandhu samvādam katha.
Once there was a King named Sūyagña who died in a war. Hearing news of her husband’s death, the wife refused to let go of his body and did not allow the last rites to be performed because she wanted her husband to live. Seeing this, Yama was very irritated since the sun was about to set and the last rites needed to be performed. He went in the form of a young boy to the Queen and asked “ O Mother, the one you are referring to as Sūyagña, is he this body or the life present in the body?” The Queen could not answer. Then the boy replied “Sūyagña is not this body, otherwise he would have responded by now since this body is here only. Is Prāńa then your husband? Prāńa is just air. Can the air be your husband? No, that is also not true. When the jīvi gives up a sense of identification with the body, then it leaves the body. Then the I-ness and Mine-ness will all go away. The wife, children and family, none of it matter anymore. Since the jīvi no longer identifies with the body, no matter how much you cry, he will not come back.”
On hearing these words, the queen did not know what to say. She thought and said “Okay, then I will also go with him. Hearing these words, the young boy laughed and told a short story of how a hunter had set a trap to capture a bird. When the female bird got trapped in the net, the male bird started crying that with his wife now dead, he and his children would not be able to survive. Hearing the chirps of the male bird, the hunter shot an arrow and killed it. on seeing the male bird dead, the female bird (which was trapped in the net) was heartbroken and immediately died. The baby birds which were already helpless in the nest now had no one to care for them. This is what happens to foolish people when they do not think before acting.
On hearing these words, the queen immediately came to her senses and regained her composure.
This was the story that Hirańyakaśipu told his mother Diti to console her. He then made the necessary arrangements to ensure his wife’s safety and left for his tapas. He went to Mandarigiri, and stood on the big toe of one foot and began his penance. Soon he attained samādhi state. Many snakes and other animals made nests and lived on his body. His skin, flesh and muscle were all gone, only his bones remained. While he was deep in penance, his subjects were roaming the other wreaking havoc and killing people who were performing yagñās. All the demons kept their King Hirańyakaśipu’s whereabouts a secret, but Indra and the gods slowly regained their strength and made an attack on his home.
As indra took his pregnant wife prisoner and was taking her away in a carriage, Narada Maharśi stopped Indra and said “How can you behave like this with a woman? This is against dharma.” Indra was embarrassed and said “O Maharśi, what are we to do? Anyways the gods will kill her child just as they kill every demon. Once her child is born, I will kill the child and return the woman unharmed.”
Indra was also filled with dread and hatred about how dangerous an enemy the unborn child might turn out to be. But Nārada did not agree to let Indra take them away and said “Nevertheless, the work you are about to do is not correct. How are you so sure that the unborn child will definitely be born a demon? Are you an astrologer? A great bhāgavata (devotee) is about to be born. So please spare this woman and her child.”
Indra immediately agreed and said “O Maharśi, please tell me what to do. If I try to return her safely to her home, the demons will not spare me. Please help me.” Narada thought a little and asked Indra to leave the queen with him and go. Narada did not have any ashrama of his own since he was always wandering from place to place. But for the sake of this woman, he created an ashrama where she lived. He would take care of her and provide food for her. Every day after completing his anuśthāna (rituals), he would spend time giving discourses on Bhagavān and Bhakti to the queen.
The baby in the womb remembered its past life as Soma Sharma and recollected all that he had learnt. As I have said many times before, every being while in the womb, has complete knowledge of its past lives. Soma Sharma was a Mahāyogi, so even before he entered the womb, he knew that he was going to be born in the family of demons whom he had supported while contemplating on the pot of nectar. He could see that even though they were blessed with so much knowledge and could perform great penance, they were filled with hatred and violence. He saw how much chaos they were causing and whatever illusions he had about their greatness were all dispelled. While in the womb itself, he realized that the gods abided by dharma and that is why even when they turned violent, their dharma did not allow them to go to extremes. Whereas the demons were killing innocent women and children on earth just to catch their enemies. Not only that, they thought themselves very great for behaving in such an obnoxious manner. If anyone so much as questioned the demons or tried to make them see reason, they were killed on the spot.
Everyday Soma Sharma (who was in the womb) was listening to the discourses given by Narada Maharśi. In fact, the Maharśi was only using the queen as a medium to impart knowledge to Soma Sharma. He remembered all that he had learnt before about Yoga, and tapas, the Siddhis he had attained as well as knowledge of the scriptures. But all these learnings remained discrete and disconnected. Now with Narada Maharśi’s teachings, all that he had learnt combined with bhakti became a beautiful interconnected stream of knowledge which was flowing into the Ocean known as Sri Hari. Love, respect, devotion and selflessness used to be mere words before. Now they had become his very heartbeat. Each day’s discourse by the Maharśi became a drop of nectar which strengthened his devotion further.
We shall continue the story of Prahlāda next time.
Jaya Guru Datta. Sri Guru Datta.