Incarnation Of Sri RAGHAVENDRA TEERTH

Sri prahlada was the dear son of sri lilavathi and Hiranyakasipu. Even while in his mother 's womb, he was initiated into worship of Lord Narayana,by the sage Narada .Ever since birth ,he had been absorbed in the repetition of Lord Hari's name. He had no thought of this world. Hiranyakasipu, who considered Lord Narayana as his sworn enemy, did not like his son's behaviour. He sent his son, Prahlada, to the teachers of the demonrace, Chanda and Marka, in the hope of reforming him and educating him to be good and virtuous. Prahlada had no taste for the kind of instruction imparted by his teachers. He paid no heed to anything other than the meditation on the Lord. He began to teach his fellow -demon pupils the greatness of praying to Lord Narayana and led them to join him in singing the praises of Lord. Hiranyakasipu sent for the boy and asked him to recite a verse which he had learnt from his teachers.Thereupon ,the prodigy repeated a verse extolling the devine qualities of Lord and the efficacy of praying to him in these words. Those hands deserve the name that worship the Lord: The tongue which praises the Lord,desrve to be called so: The sight that beholds the Lord,deverse its name: The head that bows to Seshasayi(one who reclines onthe serpent - king Lord Adisesha) is fit to be called so: He then affirmed fearlessly that his mind which was drunk with the nectar of the meditation onthe Lotus feet of Lord(Narayana).could not rest on any thing else. The father then angrily demanded of him to say where Lord Hari is present ; The boy instantly replied; "Donot dought the presence of the Lord in one place or another.Chakri (the bearer of the wheel Vishnu) is present wherever you seek him in the world" In the end, Hiranyakasipu subjected prahlada to many cruel tortures inthe hope of making him giveup his devotion to Lord Vishnu.He caused the boy to be trampled over by elephants.He had the boy thrown down the slopes of mountains,immersed in the ocean ,cast into a blazing fire ,bitten by venomous serpants and even made him partake of a cup of the vilest poison.Prahlada came out unscathed and undeterred,because of his abiding and unflinching faith in Lord Vishnu. In utter disgust ,hiranyakasipu called his son and demanded of him to show his god,whome he had descibed omnipresent,in an adjacent pillar.Prahlada humbly but firmly agreed to do so .In his inveterato anger and arrogance,Hiranyakasipu struck the pillar with his mace .Instantaneously Lord Hari emerged from the pillar, in the manifestation of the man -lion; "Satyam vidhatum nijabhritya bhashitam"