Narasimhadev Chaturdasi marks one of the most auspicious days of the Vaishnava Calendar; the day Lord appeared to kill the demon Hiranyakasipu. While the dramatic chunk of the story is usurped by Lord Narasimhadev ripping out the bloody intestines of Hiranyakasipu and wearing them around His neck like a garland, the story stems from the unflinching faith of a 5-year-old whose sole aim was to distribute love for God to everyone he saw.
For me, the life and troubles of Prahalad Maharaj sows a seed of inspiration because it resonates with the ever-troubled life of a 21st century jiva. The only fine line between his life and the ordinary jiva, are Prahalad Maharaj’s divine reactions to his life threatening troubles.
“He’s one of the 12 Mahajans. It is almost obvious that someone so great will behave that way. How can I relate to someone celestial?” I thought so too.
I have been someone who has grown in the movement, from a young age. However, despite being introduced to Krsna Consciousness over two decades ago, I only truly appreciated Srila Prabhupada’s philosophy and literature very recently. Before my turning point, Srila Prabhupada’s books was justa composition of many disjointed paragraphs. Overtime, I began to appreciate the philosophy a lot more, and it seemed lesser like a burdensome list of regulations. But there was one thing that I struggled with the most. Preaching.
Preaching for me meant getting out of my comfort zone and talking to people who may not take up what I was telling them. “If I am not comfortable, I don’t have to do it” I convinced myself. In my head, there were two reasons I thought my preaching was unnecessary; 1) I could not handle the adverse judgment, if they were to ridicule my ideologies, and 2) the recipient did not “look” like someone who would appreciate spirituality.
Preaching is the essence of Srila Prabhupada’s teachings! But somehow, it did not matter to me. What was I eating, if I did not taste the essence?
One day someone told me something so profound. “You can only preach if you are convinced of the philosophy yourself” I thought, sure. I know I am obviously not the body; I am the soul. Did I truly know it, though? I did not. Both my reasons to not preach, were so body based, even the most obvious statement of Srila Prabhupad did not pierce deep enough.
It took many months of self-reflection to realize, that I neededto offer a sincere prayer to someone who preached in the most adverse circumstances, with an endless threat to life. Prahalad Maharaj. He truly believed in “itonrisimhahparatonrisimho, yatoyatoyamitatonrisimhah”, “Lord Nrisimha is here and also there. Wherever I go Lord Nrisimha is there.” Prahalad saw the hand of the Lord and his mercy in all that transpired. Despite so many difficulties and obstacles, he continued to preach the glories of Lord Vishnu.
Today, I am neither an avid preacher, nor have I convinced people that they are not their bodies. But by the mercy of Prahalad Maharaj, I am far less fearful of holding a conversation with a friend,or distributing Srila Prabhupada’s literature, to uphold the philosophy of Sanatan Dharma.
On this day of Narasimha Chaturdasi, let us take a moment, to glorify and offer a sincere prayer to His most favorite devotee, Prahalad Maharaj to constantly send us the strength to withstand what it takes to be a part of Srila Prabhupada’s army.
Author Name – Anusha Arora
Leave A Comment