Hiranyakasipu's Austerities

[et_bloom_inline optin_id=optin_1]

03 April 2017 Srimad-Bhagavatam 7.3 ¬Hiranyakasipu gave his relatives good advice. He told them the story of Yamaraja taking on the form of a boy and instructing the lamenting family of the dead king Suyajna. “Why are you crying?” Yamaraja asked. “The king has gone.” “Where has he gone? Will he come back?” “No, he won’t come back.” “Then why are you crying? Anyone who does not cultivate relationship with Paramatma will suffer endlessly, while those who make such a relationship will enter the eternal home of God. The king’s relationship with God is what is important. Your relationship with him is not even based on reality. The soul is the self and it takes on different bodies according to karma. Everyone’s karma is different. Even if you entered the funeral pyre with this body that you are so attached to, you would all have different destinations. Don’t be so weak.” Hiranyakasipu repeated this advice of Yamaraja. Demonic persons give others advice, but they do not follow practically what they advise. Some people practice but do not preach and some people preach but do not practice. One must do both if his advice is to be of any worth. Hawker-speakers and professors give advice, but it is mundane, and simply for their own livelihood or name and fame. They are not thinking of how to help the soul within the bodies of those they are speaking to. Hearing the advice of Hiranyakasipu, Diti and Hiranyaksa’s wife and offspring gave up their lamentation. Hiranyakasipu then began to perform austerities to make his body immortal. But even the demigods, who drink amrta, must die. Those who are demonic think, “I will live forever. I will be strong and victorious over my enemies.” Hiranyakasipu’s ambition was to become an immortal and the supreme autocrat of all 14 worlds and, of course, to kill Lord Visnu. He stood on his toes with hands reaching toward the sky and did not move from that position for thousands of years. When they saw that Hiranyakasipu had begun to engage himself in penance, the demigods, who had been wandering restlessly throughout the planets, returned to their homes. They knew that he could not attack them while he was doing that austerity. But a fire blazed from the head of the demon. Those flames scorched both the lower and upper planetary systems, disturbing everyone. He agitated the oceans and reversed the flow of rivers. Planets and stars trembled. Greatly distressed, the demigods left their abodes once more and went to Brahmaji. They prayed to him, “O creator of the universe, you undoubtedly know of the fearsome tapasya presently being executed by the wicked Hiranyakasipu. He thinks: anyathedaṁ vidhāsye 'ham ayathā pūrvam ojasā kim anyaiḥ kāla-nirdhūtaiḥ kalpānte vaiṣṇavādibhiḥ Srimad-Bhagavatam 7.3.11 “By dint of my severe austerities, I shall reverse the results of pious and impious activities. I shall overturn all the established practices within this world. Even Dhruvaloka will be vanquished at the end of the millennium. Therefore, what is the use of it? I shall prefer to remain in the position of Brahmā.” The demigods continued, “He does not care that all living entities are distressed now by his actions; in fact, He wants to change the ways of nature and destroy all goodness. He wishes to steal your post and will preach the way of the demons and make everyone tamasik. His austerity is not like that of Druva Maharaja, but very dangerous and based on the mode of darkness. Please stop this!” iti vijñāpito devair bhagavān ātmabhūr nṛpa parito bhṛgu-dakṣādyair yayau daityeśvarāśramam O King, being thus informed by the demigods, the most powerful Lord Brahmā, accompanied by Bhṛgu, Dakṣa and other great sages, immediately started for the place where Hiraṇyakaśipu was performing his penances and austerities. Arriving at the place of Hiranyakasipu’s tapasya, Brahmaji saw that ants had eaten the meat, flesh, and blood of Hiranyakasipu’s body. He was covered by an ant-hill and only his bones remained. Brahmaji said to Hiranyakasipu, “I am quite amazed by your determination and austerities which you have now performed for one-hundred celestial years. Please ask for a boon. O asura-srestha, I am a resident of a higher realm where personalities are not subject to death in the way that you are. Therefore, you are fortunate to have my audience, for I can grant all kinds of benedictions.” Brahmaji thus indirectly established that it would be impossible for Hiranyakasipu to become immortal by offering him benediction. He then sprinkled water from his kamandalu onto Hiranyakasipu, who immediately became possessed of a glowing youthful form as bright and strong as a thunderbolt. Hiranyakasipu saw Brahma carried in the air by his swan, and became very happy. Tears fell from his eyes and he offered sweet prayers. Wicked people can speak very sweetly when they wish to fulfill some kind of selfish desire. Offering repeated pranamas, Hiranyakasipu said: tvaṁ sapta-tantūn vitanoṣi tanvā trayyā catur-hotraka-vidyayā ca tvam eka ātmātmavatām anādir ananta-pāraḥ kavir antarātmā Srimad-Bhagavatam 7.3.30 My dear lord, by your form as the Vedas personified and through knowledge relating to the activities of all the yajñic brāhmaṇas, you spread the Vedic ritualistic ceremonies of the seven kinds of sacrifices, headed by agniṣṭoma. Indeed, you inspire the yajñic brāhmaṇas to perform the rituals mentioned in the three Vedas. Being the Supreme Soul, the Supersoul of all living entities, you are beginningless, endless and omniscient, beyond the limits of time and space. vyaktaṁ vibho sthūlam idaṁ śarīraṁ yenendriya-prāṇa-mano-guṇāṁs tvam bhuṅkṣe sthito dhāmani pārameṣṭhye avyakta ātmā puruṣaḥ purāṇaḥ Srimad-Bhagavatam 7.3.33 O my lord, being changelessly situated in your own abode, you expand your universal form within this cosmic manifestation, thus appearing to taste the material world. You are Brahman, the Supersoul, the oldest, the Personality of Godhead. He glorified him so much, as if He were the Supreme Lord. Hiranyakasipu was against the true Supreme Lord Hari, and therefore glorified Brahmaji as such. This is the work of demons. They come to you and glorify you and serve you. Even if you tell them to worship that person whom you worship, they will not listen and will instead say, “No. You are everything to me.” These people are nothing but agents of your destruction and should be removed from your path of progress in bhakti. Hiranyakasipu said, “You are the original teacher. No one is as helpful as you. You have the power to promote jivas to higher realms. If you would like to give me a boon then grant me this: May no one in your creation have the power to kill me. Also grant me the benediction that I will not die within or without any residence, during the day or night, on the land or in the sky. Grant me that I shall not meet with death by any human, weapon, or beast. Grant me that I not meet death from any entity, living or nonliving. Please further grant me that I cannot be killed by any demon or demigod or by any serpent from the lower realms. As no one can kill you on the battlefield and you are without a competitor, I too wish that you grant me the boon of having no rival. Also, give me sole lordship over all living beings and presiding deities and give me all the glories obtained by having that position. Furthermore, bestow upon me all the types of mystic power, which are the fruit of long tapasya and practice of yoga and which cannot be lost once attained.”