Story of Prahlad

Story

A long time ago, there was a demon king named Hiranyakashyap. He did a lot of meditation and got a special power from Lord Brahma. As per this power, he couldn't be killed by humans, animals, or weapons. He would not die during the day or night, neither on the earth nor in the sky, and neither inside nor outside a house.

Because of this power, Hiranyakashyap became very proud. He believed he was like a god and wanted everyone to worship him.

Hiranyakashyap had a son named Prahlad, who was a true devotee of Lord Vishnu. Prahlad refused to worship his father as a god, Prahlad only believed in Lord Vishnu.

This made Hiranyakashyap very angry, and he ordered his servants to punish Prahlad severely.

(Hiranyakashyap made several attempts to kill Prahlad. He tried throwing him off a mountain, crushing him with elephants, mixing poison in his food, and even attempting to burn him alive with the help of his sister Holika. Holika had a boon that she could not be harmed by fire. She placed Prahlad on his lap and entered the fire with him, Holika got burnt but Prahlad was unharmed. It is advisable for parents to consider the feelings of their children before talking to them on this subject.)

However, Prahlad believed in Lord Vishnu and trusted that he would keep him safe. True to his faith, Prahlad faced no harm from any of the punishments, and his devotion to Lord Vishnu deepened.

In a final attempt to convince Prahlad, Hiranyakashyap called him to the court and said, "If you want to avoid the punishment, call upon your god. Where is your god?"

Prahlad said, "My god is everywhere in the world." Hiranyakashyap pointed to a pillar and asked, "Is your god in this pillar too?"

"Yes, definitely," Prahlad confidently replied. Hearing this, Hiranyakashyap angrily attacked the pillar with his weapon. The pillar broke, and Lord Vishnu appeared in the form of Lord Narasimha – his face was like a lion, and his body was like a human. He was neither a complete human nor a complete animal. Lord Narasimha grabbed Hiranyakashyap, took him to the palace threshold, not inside or outside, and with his sharp claws, defeated him.

Prahlad's true devotion pleased god and he asked him to make a wish. Prahlad wished to always stay devoted to god and follow the path of truth. God granted his wish. As Prahlad grew up, he became a king and, while staying devoted to god, did all his duties well.

This story teaches us two things.

First, if we believe, we can see God in everything.

Second, no matter how hard things get, we should always stick to the truth and do the right thing, just like Prahlad.