20170509 Śrī Narasiṁha Caturdaśī Lecture

20170509 His.Holiness.Jayapatākā Swami gave a class in Dallas, Texas on Śrī Narasiṁha Caturdaśī.

mūkaṁ karoti vācālaṁ

paṅguṁ laṅghayate girim

yat-kṛpā tam ahaṁ vande

paramānanda-mādhavam

Śrī Caitanya Iswaram 

Hari Oṁ Tat Sat.

I had a stroke and my voice is a little affected. So Shyāma Madhusudhana Dāsa will repeat what I say so you can understand better. 

Today is a very sacred day. The appearance of Lord Narasiṁhadevā. This month of Vaisaka is special month in the year. Everything you do, you get a hundred times the benefit, and today is the holiest day of the month - The appearance of Lord Narasiṁhadevā. 

In a devotee’s family sometimes non-devotees are born, and in a non-devotee family sometimes a devotee is born. So Hiranyakashipu was the leader of all the demons, and he had conquered the whole universe. He had a son while he was doing tapasyā (austerities). So the Devās were born to kidnap his wife that killed his son. Once the son was born...because it is too bad a karma to kill the son as an embryo. Heavy bad karma, but that is another topic. 

Nārada Muni came and he said that, “This son of Hiranyakashipu is a devotee.” So they gave her to him, and he respectfully brought her up in his ashram, and he would give class every day. She would hear and Prahlāda would hear, but Prahlāda remembered and she forgot. 

So Prahlāda, he was born with all spiritual knowledge and later he was sent to school where he taught the four parts of diplomacy – sama (sweet words), dana (gifts), veda( divide and rule), daṇḍa (smash and rule), but all he could do is remember the instructions of Nārada Muni. Other things he didn’t remember because he didn’t consider them much important. 

So his father asked, “What is the best thing you learned in school?” He said, “What is the best thing you learned? And he started talking about Viṣṇu and devotional service, and Hiranyakashipu threw him off his lap. “What is this? You are speaking about my enemy?” And the two teachers, the sons of Sukracharya, they said, “Oh, we don’t know how he learned these things. We didn’t teach him.” (laughter) We only taught him sama, dana, veda, daṇḍa. 

So then, Hiranyakashipu put armed guards around the school and he ordered, “If any Vaisanavā comes shoot them on sight. Spot dead.” 

Inside the school Prahlāda was telling the other students, he was like five or six years old, “That you should chant Hare Kṛṣṇa.”

“We are kids, we want to play.” 

“Half of your life you spent sleeping. Then you spent so much time eating. He showed them how most of your life’s were wasted, and convinced them that they should chant Hare Kṛṣṇa. So they began to chant. When the teachers came they hid their chanting. 

So this was going on. Prahlāda means transcendental bliss, and Hiryakashipu means soft bed and gold, in the other word Hiraṇya is gold, Kashyipu is soft bed. It seems that in every day of Brahmā there is a different incarnation of Lord Narasiṁhadevā. I don’t know how often, but in the Padma Purāṇa there is a līlā of Narasiṁhadevā mentioned, and also there it is says, “Narasiṁhadevā comes sometimes as a devotee of Brahmā, sometimes Lord Śiva”, and He has special powers. The Lord comes and liberates them.

In Māyāpur we have Narasiṁhadevā just as He comes out of the column and also it is said that Murāri Gupta was chanting the thousand names of Viṣṇu. When he got to the name of Narasiṁhadevā, Lord Caitanyā became ecstatic. Then he ran out with a stick in the street and he started yelling, “Where are the demons? Where are the demons? Where are the demons?” People were running away. 

When Lord Caitanyā saw people running away he felt bad. He went back and told Murāri Gupta, “I expressed my anger and people were running in fear.” Murāri Gupta said, “Actually by seeing you they are all liberated. So you have liberated so many people. And I found that to be significant”. 

How Lord Caitanyā took the mood of looking for the demons and how our Diety has the same mood, and here also I saw picture from Māyāpur, in B.B.T., but I am seeing Narasiṁhadevā everywhere. So Prabhupāda was saying how this shows the fight between the devotee and the demon- the atheist. 

Prahlāda means ecstatic and devotional. Hiranyakashipu you know means Gold and soft bed. So the materialist they want money and illicit sex. They theists are looking for the association with the supreme Lord. Actually whichever appearance the Lord has... his manifestation, he takes that mood, and generally he is addressed like that. 

So Narasiṁhadevā is in super anger. I mean whatever the Lord assumes that is the hyper love. So when he was angry... “Wow! Was He angry” He as so angry that even Brahmā wouldn’t go, even Laxmī wouldn’t go, his own wife. Never saw Him so angry. Everybody was afraid. Brahmā told Prahlāda, “It is all your fault.” (laughter) “Because of you He came. You should go there. Offer garland. Cool him down.” Prahlāda was only five or six, and so when he was told by Lord Brahmā, “This is all your fault.” He said, “It is true.” (laughter) He went and paid his obeisance’s. The Lord was so happy to see his young devotee offer his obeisance’s, that he started smiling and cooling down.

Now Prahlāda offered the garland, and in this way the Lord became cool, and took Prahlāda and had him seat on his lap, and then Prahalada spoke. Then He asked Prahlāda, “Is there anything you want? What do you want?” 

Prahlāda said, “My father has committed many offences. He didn’t ask for a boon.  So I pray that he may be forgiven for his offences and that he may be liberated.” 

“Why do you think like that? Him and another 14 generations are all liberated, seven before and seven after. Anyone who becomes my pure devotee, mother and father, grandfather and all, will all get liberated.” 

So that’s already taken care of, and here how many of you want liberation from the cycle of birth and death? [Haribol] So you just have to see that either you or one of your relatives become a pure devotee. So in this way Narasiṁhadevā became cooled down. 

So Lord Narasiṁhadevā, He was flying over the earth and He came to Nabadwip Dhāma, and then He decided that this is my eternal abode. So I should stay here for some time. He landed there and took bath in the Mandākinī river. Then He stayed in a simple house – grass hut, and all the Devās took the opportunity. They built cottages and wives cooked for the Lord, and they served the Lord up. So this place is known as Narasimhapalli or Devā Palli. All the Devās came there with their wives and served Lord Narasiṁhadevā. 

So Lord Narasiṁhadevā was the most angry. He assumed a very peaceful form in Nabadwipa Dhāma. He is in the far east of the Godruma Dwipā. We go there every year on the Parikramā, and different devotees speak about the glories of Lord Narasiṁhadevā. 

Our Narasimahdevā defeated Hiranyakashipu. He took a boon that he would not be killed in or out. So the Lord liberated him on His lap, and the doorway which was neither in nor out. He was at the doorway. 

In another Kalpa there was a different pastime. Hiranyakashipu had built a big airconditioned pavilion. I mean this was like a 150 miles long by 50 miles wide, and there was a feast for everybody, and when you are there you don’t grow old. All facilities. 

So then He took Prahlāda and ..27.14 him, at 6 P.M. “If you Lord doesn’t appear I will kill you. 

So our Lord appeared from a column at twilight, neither day nor night. This is a different pastime, in a different day of Brahmā. 

In our pastime Hirankashyipu had a different set of boons, and so in this time he was in a big pandal, and millions of people were gathered together. 

“Hiranyakashipu ki jaya................ Hiranyakashipu ki jaya.”

All glories to Hiranyakashi..... Hiranyakashipuuuuu..... (laughter) 

So right about before six Lord Narasimahdevā, He came flying down the street. People saw Him and ran. And then he entered into the pavilion, and he flying in the back. So Hiranyakashipu said, “No beasts allowed in the back.” He was half Lion and half man. 

Lord Narasiṁhadevā, He doesn’t take orders from Hiranyakashipu. So Hiranyakashipu sent his airforce. Then Lord Narasiṁhadevā spread out His name. So then when the airplanes hit his hairs, it was like the bug killers.. twik twik twik.... they became dust. Then Hiranyakashipu released his missiles. So Lord Narasiṁhadevā caught the missiles. (laughter) And finally Narasiṁhadevā and Hiranyakashipu fought in the sky. He sat on Hiranyakashipu’s heavenly throne and liberated him. 

So Lord Caitanyā, He was 24 years in the grihasthā, and 24 years as a sanyasa. When He as a boy, He was real naughty. When He grew up He was the best student. When He became a teacher He was the greatest teacher. And as a student what would take others one year, He would learn it in one day. And as a Pandit, Nimāi Pandit He would go and speak so eloquently that He became known as Vācaspati, the husband of the goddess of speech, Laxmī. 

So as a devotee He became the most merciful, as a sanyāsi He became the most peaceful and renounced. His mood is vipralambha, separation, and Kṛṣṇa’s mood is sweetness. So you have to worship Lord Caitanyā although He is Lord Kṛṣṇa in the Vipralambha mood. And just like Lord Narasiṁhādeva He appears today. That was a very nice song that the students sang, that Lord Narasiṁhādeva, He protects and who wants His protection? [Haribol] 

So He promises, anyone who surrenders to Him, will see that such a person never perishes. So on the way here, they say, “Thank you for choosing our airline. We know that there are many airlines, but we are very grateful that you chose us” So I asked here to a different crowd “If you had a choice to take the Karma Airline where you will get all you karma, all your good work, all your charity, all the bad work, all the sinful activities, everything just point by point. That’s one airline. The other airline is the airline of Lord Caitanyā’s mercy. One can achieve spiritual world in one birth, which by karma we take a 100 births, a long time. Even a hundred births are not enough. Hundred births you can become a Brahmā, if you live a perfect birth which in Kali Yuga is very hard.

So normally you want the great offer of the Karma airlines. Who will raise your hands? [laughter] 

Who wants the Lord Caitanyā’s mercy airlines?

So now in the Caitanya Bhāgavata, it says how the Lord is prayed in accordance with his mood. So we see that there is one Lord known as Kṛṣṇa, and He appears in different moods. He is known Rasa Shekhar, and in His mood of Nṛsiṁhadevā, He is angry with those who are harassing and abusing and trying to kill the theists. He promises to help to save the devotees. Help or Save. So that is His mood as Narasiṁhadevā, and as Lord Caitanyā He gives out mercy. Prabhupāda, he came with that mercy, and he gave us all. All glories to Śrīla Prabhupāda. [ Haribol] 

The Deities, here Radha-Kalachandji, Gaur-Nitai, Jagannath-Baldevā-Subhadrā and Narasiṁhadevā are very special Deities. These were worshipped personally by Prabhupāda. In India, the holy places where the deity is worshipped by some great devotee, that place is known either as a Dhāma or a Śrīpāda, and there people go from far and wide to see that Deity. Prabhupāda had made many spiritual abodes by visiting Dallas and those rare places. Prabhupāda made many abodes of which Dallas is one, because here he stayed and worshipped the Deities, he started the gurukuls, many things. That work is carried forward by Tamāla Kṛṣṇa Goswami. So you are all in a very special place. I am very honoured to be here on Narasiṁha Caturdashi in the sacred month of Vaiśākha. This month is especially good for japa, for charity and these things. Chanting Hare Kṛṣṇa.

The month of Dāmodara is good to start off offering lamps, but this month is good for sādhakas, chanting, charity, bathing in the holy rivers. 

In India it is hot weather. You can give up water and get good karma. 

Any question’s on today?

Questions: Prahalada Mahārāja is being attacked by his father and his soldiers, and everyone tries to kill him. He doesn’t retaliate. He just took shelter of Lord Narasiṁhadevā. Is that what is the best choice or the best path in Satya yuga.....

Gurumahārājā: 

I was thinking about different forms of the Lord and how they are in different moods. So like Rāvaṇa, he conquered the whole universe. So he would say he was the greatest military. It would say on the newspaper heading, “The Universe’s greatest military mind, challenged by two worldly princesses and an army of monkeys. The monkeys would get wiped out. What would just two princesses do against two universes most powerful military machinery?” That was Lord Rāma and Laxmana.

Rāvaṇa came down and asked Bali Mahārāja for help. Bali asked, “Help against Who?” He said, “He is Viṣṇu, he has come as Lord Ram.” Then Bali laughed ha, ha, ha. You are going to fight against Viṣṇu? Forget it. You can’t fight with God. 

Rāvaṇa got upset. “You said you will help me. Ok. You see that gold there, you see that mountain of gold there. You can have it.” He couldn’t lift it. “What’s the matter?” That was Hiranyakashipu’s earring. He couldn’t even lift it. He was defeated by Viṣṇu as Nrsmhadeva. (laughter) 

You want to fight with Ramchandra? Forget it. (laughter) So what could a five year old boy do when his father was the strongest man in the universe. His father told the soldiers, “Fire arms and spears on him.” 

Gaura Nitāi ki .... [Jaya]

Jagannath, Baladeva and Subhadrā Ki.... [ Jaya ]

But all the arrows and spears, as soon as they touched Prahlāda’s body, they were turned into blue lotuses. What could a little five year old do against a whole army? For him ...48.44... was the most appropriate. May be in other cases, he would run away. But here there is no hope in running. So he just surrendered to Lord Kṛṣṇa, and Kṛṣṇa protected him.

Lord Nṛsiṁhadeva said, “Prahlāda had so much faith. If you have faith, they are known to do miracles with the Lord.” 

Once Muktananda’s son, when his father went to go and see a dying disciple, and so he asked him, “Take of a plate of Laḍḍus, the Lord will eat the Laḍḍus, and then you return the plate to your mother.” So he went in and he offered to the Lord. He said, Here are Your laḍḍu’s. I offer you.” But the Lord wasn’t moving. So he started crying. “I did something wrong. My father told me that you will eat the laḍḍus, but you are not eating.” 

Normally the Lord just glances and eats. But this young boy he didn’t know that. So he was crying. The Lord then ate the laḍḍu’s. So he brought back the empty plate to his mother. She asked, “Where are the laḍḍus?”

“The Lord ate it............. Of course.” (laughter)

So eventually it was discovered that the Lord was eating from his hand. 

So Prahlāda had no doubt that the Lord will protect him, and it turns out that the Lord protected him. 

We may have some doubts, but if we are honest, Kṛṣṇa would be straight forward with us. If we take shelter, He will protect us. 

Nṛsiṁhadevā appeared from the column, God is present everywhere. He can appear anywhere. So these things were told by Nārada Muni to Prahlāda. Prahalada, he always remembered. 

Thankyou. Dhandavad. Nandri.