The Story of the Half Man, Half Lion

Story

A long time ago, there was a powerful and proud king named Hiranyakashyap. He wanted everyone to worship him instead of Bhagwan Vishnu. To become the strongest, he did long prayers and got a special boon from Bhagwan Brahma, that he could not be harmed:

• by a man or animal

• inside or outside the house.

• in the day or at night,

• on the ground or in the sky,

• by any weapon.

Hiranyakashyap misused his power to scare people and rule the world. He wanted everyone to treat him as Bhagwan, and no one should worship any other Bhagwan.

But his own son, Prahlad, was full of love and devotion for Bhagwan Vishnu! Every day, Prahlad prayed and chanted his name. 

His father was not happy with Prahlad and wanted him to stop worshipping Bhagwan Vishnu. 

But Prahlad was steadfast in his devotion to Bhagwan Vishnu and refused to accept his father as God.

One day, Hiranyakashyap decided to punish Prahlad. 

He asked him, “Where is your Vishnu now? Call him to save you!”

To this, Prahlad calmly replied, “Bhagwan Vishnu is everywhere.”

“Is he in this pillar?” asked Hiranyakashyap in anger.

Prahlad smiled and said, “Yes, he is even in this pillar.”

Hearing this, the king hit the pillar with his mace. As the pillar cracked, a loud roar filled the air. 

The pillar burst open, and out came a powerful being—half-man, half-lion. This was Bhagwan Narasimha, the fourth avatar of Bhagwan Vishnu.  

He was not a man, not an animal. He took Hiranyakashyap to the palace doorway (not inside or outside the house), placed him on his lap (not ground or sky), at sunset (not day or night), and used his claws (not a weapon) to stop the evil king. Thus, Bhagwan Narasimha, keeping the words of Bhagwan Brahma, punished the demon and brought back peace to the world.

Bhagwan Narasimha was still roaring with divine energy. But when Prahlad folded his hands and prayed gently, Narasimha calmed down. He smiled and blessed the brave boy.

What can we learn from this story?

• Have faith like Prahlad: Even if everyone is against you, stand by the truth.

• Bhagwan is everywhere: He watches and protects those who love Him.

• Good wins over evil: Always!

So, next time you feel scared or alone, remember the story of Prahlad. If your heart is full of faith and love, Bhagwan will always come to protect you.