Nothing Impossible

Siddhi B Ranjitkar

Hiranya Kasyapu is the name of an ambitious king in the mythical literature. He is so ambitious that he wants to be a god in other word a super natural being. In order to be a god he needs to be immortal. How could he gain such power? Kasyapu believes that Lord Shiva is a super natural being, so Lord Shiva could give him an eternal life. The only thing he needs is to please Lord Shiva.

Kasyapu goes to Himalaya and meditates on Lord Shiva day and night. He takes different poses to meditate. With all his physical and mental strength, he does everything possible to gratify Lord Shiva. After several years of watching Kasyapu meditating on him, Lord Shiva descends on earth from the cosmic world and appears before meditating Kasyapu.

Lord Shiva says, ‘Kasyapu, I am here to fulfill your desire. So, tell me what is on your mind and I will meet it.’

Rising from the prolonged sitting, Kasyapu clasping his hands at the chest says, ‘my lord, make me immortal.’

Lord Shiva says, ‘that is not possible. Everybody in this mundane world needs to die. So, ask something that I can give it to you.’

Kasyapu thinks a bit and quickly comes up with the idea of making a situation of impossible to kill him means he is going to live forever.

Kasyapu says, ‘Please make me so that none of the animals, birds, humans, and marine livings could kill me on earth in air or sea at night or day time by any arms or ammunition.’

Lord Shiva says, “So be it.” Lord Shiva returns back to his cosmic world.

Now, Kasyapu is sure that he is immortal. So, he wants to set up a new religious cult. He orders his courtiers not to worship anybody other than Kasyapu. He prohibits everybody to pray to any god other than him. He orders to replace the idols of any god and goddess from all the beautiful shrines and temples with his own idol in his domain. He orders all the teachers in his kingdom to teach only Kasyapu is god nobody else, and give glory to him not anyone else.

Lord Vishnu is watching from the cosmic world what Kasyapu has been doing in his mundane world. Kasyapu is surely bringing a catastrophic spiritual situation. So, the god sends one of his devotees to born as the son of Kasyapu.

A son is born to Kasyapu and his queen. They are very happy that they have finally a son. They name him ‘Prahald’. As a prince, Prahald grows very fast and becomes the most favorite of the king and his queen.

As Prahald grows, Kasyapu wants to impose the belief that Kasyapu is the god none else on the mind of the young Prahald. So, Kasyapu starts off saying ‘I am the god.’  However, even as a boy Prahald says, ‘no you cannot be a god, you are my father that is all.’

Kasyapu thinks Prahald is a boy not yet able to understand the god. However, Kasyapu wants to change Prahald’s ways of thinking from the early childhood. So, he orders all royal babysitters to teach Prahald ‘Kasyapu is the god; nobody else.’

However, as Prahald grows from a toddler to a boy, he starts off talking of Lord Vishnu, and refuses to agree on what the babysitters say to him: ‘only Kasyapu is the god.’ He refutes the babysitters saying, ‘only Lord Vishnu is the god nobody else, Kasyapu is my father. So, he is a human as you are and I am.’

Babysitters have difficulties in persuading Prahald to believe in ‘Kasyapu is the god in the kingdom, and everybody accepts it, and worships him not anyone else.’ However, they have continued their attempts on persuading Prahald to believe in what they say. Prahald does not budge from his stand on his belief and does not change his ways of thinking.

Kasyapu sends his son Prahald to the residence of a teacher for learning various subjects such as archery, economics, politics and sociology when Prahald is of the age of going to school. At that time, students need to stay with a teacher at the residence called ‘ashram’ of a teacher. During the stay with a teacher, students need to do all sorts of household chores, collect firewood, clean ‘ashram’ and live as simple as possible. So, royal kids staying with a teacher also need to do all sorts of these menial tasks. Prahald does all sorts of the menial jobs and learn whatever the teacher teaches him heartily.

One day, the teacher says to Prahald, ‘Kasyapu is the god in this kingdom; worship him; stop chanting the name of ‘Vishnu’. Kasyapu will punish me if he knows that I am letting you repeatedly chanting the name of ‘Vishnu’; so follow my teaching and stop chanting ‘Vishnu’ at least at my ‘ashram’.

Prahald says, ‘it is a disgraceful conduct of a teacher to stop me from chanting the name of ‘Vishnu’. Nobody is a god except ‘Vishnu’. Kasyapu is my father and he cannot be a god.’

Teacher says, ‘Kasyapu has ordered all the people living in his domain to worship him; any person defying his order will be subject to punishment. So everybody in his kingdom worship him not anyone else.’

Prahald does not listen to the teacher and continues to chant ‘Vishnu’ whenever he has some spare time. Prahald has been praying to Lord Vishnu and chanting ‘Vishnu’ everywhere at any time. The teacher has been frightened by the Prahald’s conduct. So, the teacher fearing Kasyapu reports to the palace on the conduct of Prahald.

Kasyapu orders his courtiers to bring Prahald back from the teacher’s ‘ashram’ to the palace. Kasyapu first wants to teach his son Prahald with love. He attempts on persuading Prahald not to chant ‘Vishnu’.

Kasyapu says, ‘my dear son Prahald, stop chanting ‘Vishnu’. Nobody in our kingdom recites the name of ‘Vishnu’. He is not a god for us. So, stop repeatedly reciting the name of ‘Vishnu’. If you want to do so, use my name for that purpose.’

Prahald says, ‘for me, Vishnu is the only god in the whole world. I cannot chant anybody’s name except for Vishnu.’

Kasyapu, says, ‘No my son, you cannot do that; you stop chanting ‘Vishnu’ and be the beloved son of the parent.’

Prahald says, ‘Yes, father only the god in this Hindu world is Lord Vishnu, nobody else.’

Kasyapu becomes furious with his son Prahald at the disobedience of his order and wants to get rid of Prahald rather than keeping such a son that defies his order and does something disgraceful to the father. So, Kasyapu orders his attendants to take life of Prahald by any possible means. Prahald does not care of what his father says and becomes ready to die rather than following the self-declared false god: Kasyapu.

Attendants take Prahald to a dark room filled with poisonous snakes obviously to poison Prahald. However, Prahald remains faithful to Lord Vishnu, and continue his heartfelt praise to the lord. Snakes become friendly to Prahald and keep him company contrary to the expectation of biting Prahald.

Then, attendants drag Prahald off into captivity. Prahald does not retreat from his position on worshipping only Lord Vishnu, and willingly suffers from any bad treatment inflicted upon him by the king’s attendants. Prahald emerges determined and even more powerful after every attempt on his life.

Seeing Prahald has survived so many attempts on his life, Kasyapu asks his sister Holika to burn Prahald in a bonfire. Holika has the godsend virtue of fire not burning her. So, thinking, fire will not harm Holika but will burn Prahald, Kasyapu urges Holika to take Prahald on her lap and then jump into a bonfire.

Holika is not for taking the life of her nephew Prahald. So, she finds many excuses for not doing what Kasyapu wants her to do. Prahald is beautiful and nice and always obedient to her. She does not want to take the life of the innocent kid for chanting the name of ‘Vishnu’ and for being the devotee of Lord Vishnu.

However, Holika cannot resist any more when Kasyapu threatens to take her life if she does not follow his order. Holika unwillingly and mournfully takes her nephew Prahald on her lap and transforming her godsend virtue of not getting burned by fire to Prahald jumps into the bonfire prepared for that purposes on the palace premises. Holika burns to ashes and Prahald emerges unhurt.

 In an uncontrollable fury, Kasyapu seizes Prahald by the collar and takes him to the palace sanctum and ties him at one of the pillars supporting the palace ceiling, and wants to cut him into pieces.

Kasyapu shouts, ‘Let me see now, who will protect you, Prahald; until now, you have claimed that you have survived by the god’s love, protection and blessing.’

Kasyapu is about to hit by his sword at Prahald; breaking up the pillar and releasing Prahald, Narashima comes out of the pillar. Narasimha is neither an animal, nor a human, or a bird or a marine animal. He has the head of a lion and the body of a human.

Narasimha seizes Kasyapu, and holds him on his thigh and say, ‘I am neither an animal, nor a human, or a bird or a marine animal, my thigh is neither earth nor air or sea, this evening time is neither a day nor night, and my nails are neither arms nor ammunition. I met all the conditions you have set for killing you.’ Then, Narasimha rips open the Kasyapu’s stomach by his fingernails and ends the life of Kasyapu and his tyranny.

March 19, 2010.