Why go too deeply into this? They make good story material and illustrate social truths. Let's leave it at that. Logic will not solve the conundrum. ...Raghunath
Kambar picks the story of Hiranyakashipu from Bhagavata. He gives touches of his own to this well known story. Hiranyakashipu is colossal and all powerful. The waters of the rivers were too little for his colossal body. He had the combined force of all five elements of creation. He would rule the sun and the moon. Drunk with power he would usurp the functions of the elements, rule the winds and the storms, direct the motions of the oceans. His tread would crush the heads of thousand headed Adisesha - the primeval cobra that bears the earth on his shoulders. ..
Not only the universe we see, but the one beyond also acknowledged his sovereignty and only his. Devas, yogis, rishis and even The Supreme Three-- all were his vassals and would live only by praising and blessing his name. By intense tapas he had obtained this awful power....he was ruling tyrannically over the universe without a second or a rival. Many ages passed thus and at length a child was born to him whom he named Prahlada.
While still in womb, Prahlada hears sage Narada, the great Bhakta, teaching his mother that Narayana was the one supreme god and the only true salvation here and hereafter. This message stays with him and he becomes a bhakta of Narayana from the moment of his birth. At five he is sent by his father to study with the royal guru.When the guru begins with a worship to Hiranya as ordained, the child shocks his guru by chanting, aum namo Narayana.
His guru tries to correct him, but Prahlada is steadfast in his belief and in fact tells his guru, O master of mine, this is the highest good: I pray to thee, bow to him. Very scared, the guru runs to the asura king and says 'thy son has uttered words I cannot pronounce'. Afraid for his life he is unable to even mention the name of Narayana openly. A confused father sends for his son and learns why his teacher is upset.
He patiently explains to Prahlada that he is now the lord of the universe and that Narayana has fled unable to face him. And tells his son lovingly 'I pardon thee thy childhood's prattle' and advises him to listen to his guru. But Prahlada is obstinate and even tries to convert his father. Tells him ' And as I feared, father, that thy vast power, and thy life itself, might vanish by thy contempt to the supreme lord. I sang his praises that thy days may be long and thy power be lasting!'
When Prahlada finished, Hiranya's rising rage burst into a flame, throwing the very sun out of his sphere and the heavens out of their foundations. His eyes dropped blood. And to the terror of all worlds, he thundered out fierce words.....
Finally he ordered; 'Put him to death'. When deadly weapons failed, they tried to throw Prahlada into the raging fire and failed. Then the king ordered an elephant be brought to crush him to death. God Indra himself in fear supplied Airavata, but even that failed and so did many other attempts.
Finally Hiranya wants see the god who is protecting his son. A man-lion appears and there is a colossal battle and the ten thousand million asuras are killed and ultimately Hiranya meets his end as the man-lion takes hold of Hiranya's leg and turns him round and round and in the end places the body on his thighs and tears open the entrails.
It is again a story of the victory of good over evil. In the story we knew the man-lion came out of a pillar and devoured the asura. The story was much simpler and made for a good school play! I guess with today's animation techniques Kambars imagination which has run-riot will find a true dramatic representation!
No comments:
Post a Comment