Narasimha: The Lion in the Mast
On the slowly
receding ocean that
covered all of the earth, the chosen group drifted on the vessel that
Matsya brought to them. The rain had ceased its damaging deluge
days before as the clouds
slowly faded away. The surface of the sea that had at once been
in a state of tumultuous torment now gently rocked the boat and its
passengers to sleep. Years passed by as the group slept, living
off of air and the solar energy that passed through the broken cloud
cover. The ocean that covered the whole of the earth continued
its relentless retreat, first falling by hundreds of feet each year,
then falling by thousands upon thousands of feet each and every
month. The gentle, soft peaks of the Appalachian Mountains had
been transformed by the erosive waters leaving only bare, craggy spires
that now jutted skyward through the surface of the once dominating body
of water that stretched as far as the eye could see. As the group
continued to drift in the now watery minefield of craggy peaks that
pierced the water's surface, a collision was only a matter of
time. The vessel dodged each jutting rock face as if it was
predestined, but then with a loud "Crash!", the ship ricocheted off of
the next rock, and the slumbering travelers sprung to their feet.
As the group struggled to regain conscious awareness of their surroundings, they huddled together, frightened by the noise that had brought an end to their slumber. As the confusion of the experience began to wane, the members of the group began to talk to one another and the confusion was replaced with fear, questions, and a general feeling that they had been betrayed. "Where is Matsya?" several members of the group asked accusingly of one another. Chaos erupted, and the group quickly turned angry as their faith in the now missing avatar of Vishnu faded away. A voice rose above the roar of the angry mob yelling, "Quiet! Quiet everyone! We must keep our faith in the supreme god, Vishnu. Our faith will be rewarded as you will see from what I am about to tell you."
"My name is Prahlada. I came on this journey with you to teach you the importance of devotion to and faith in the gods. The tenth and final avatar of Vishnu, Kalki, guided you safely through the terrifying deluge that nearly drowned us as we traveled the chosen path along the Appalachian Trail. He then reappeared as Matsya towing a ship that has brought us all to this point on our journey. Vishnu has promised you all that by having faith in him, you will be transported to the age of truth and light, the Satya Yuga. The importance of your devotion to and faith in Vishnu can not be overstated. Let the following story serve as an example."
"My father, Hiranyakashipu, was a terrible demon. Before I was born, my father's brother, Hiranyaksha, was killed by another avatar of Vishnu named Varaha. This angered my father terribly and he vowed revenge on Vishnu. My mother's name was Kayadu, and while I was in her womb, a wise, enlightened sage named Narada came to protect her while my home was being attacked by several gods. Just by his mere presence, I began to transform into a more spiritually enlightened being each and every day. After my birth, I began a life devoted to the supreme god Vishnu. This enraged my father, Hiranyakashipu. Eventually, he could take no more. He vowed to kill me. Many years before, he had asked for a boon or gift of protection from the god Brahma. In my father's arrogance, he stipulated very specific ways that he was to be protected believing that his clever description had covered all possible methods that could lead to his death. Among many specific requests, he asked to not be killed by man or beast, not be killed during the day or night, and not be killed on the ground or in the sky." As Prahlada continued telling his story to the chosen group, several passengers noticed what appeared to be a face in the mast of the ship, and a barely audible growl. They returned their attention to Prahlada's story as he continued, "My father asked me why I was so devoted to Vishnu, claiming the god was not even present in my life, and he asked me to identify him in my surroundings. He demanded that I identify Vishnu in a nearby pillar. He mocked me and Vishnu, and then lunged toward the pillar and smashed it in his rage." From the mast of the ship a louder growl resonated through the crowd, and another passenger stood up and walked toward Prahlada. "From the smashed pillar, Narasimha, another avatar of my beloved Vishnu, burst forth and grabbed my father. Since Narasimha was half-man and half-lion, he fulfilled the request to not be a man or a beast. He placed my father over his thigh killing him, neither on the ground nor in the sky, with his razor-sharp claws. Being twilight, it was also neither day nor night. My father had been fooled." The man that approached Prahlada reached for him and screamed, "Your disregard for me and your praise of Vishnu will once and for all be your end." It was Hiranyakashipu! He had been with the group the entire time. From the ship's mast, Narasimha burst out and destroyed Hiranyakashipu just as he had so many ages before.
With their renewed faith in Vishnu, the group, led by the wise Prahlada, began a life of truth and peace. The Satya Yuga had begun.
Author's Note: I wanted to continue the flood into the second story to illustrate the extremely long nature of the event. I also wanted to emphasize this by having the chosen group sleep for many years as the water receded. Another reason for having the group sleep for so long was to create a transition period between the two stories time frames and more importantly, to provide a transition between the end of the Kali Yuga and the beginning of the Satya Yuga. This sleep represented a cleansing of the individual's pasts, and a preparation for the age of peace and truth, the Satya Yuga. I also wanted to continue the theme of having the avatar of Vishnu, and in the case of this story, members of the original story appear in the telling of the story to the group. This method hopefully brings the story to life since the action not only occurred in the story retelling, but also in the present story as well. I really wanted to surprise the reader throughout the storybook, and that was the goal by having two of the travelers be members of the original story. By having the wise Prahlada tell the story of faith from his own past experience, I hoped that the travelers on the ship would gain a greater appreciation of the truth behind the story.
As the group struggled to regain conscious awareness of their surroundings, they huddled together, frightened by the noise that had brought an end to their slumber. As the confusion of the experience began to wane, the members of the group began to talk to one another and the confusion was replaced with fear, questions, and a general feeling that they had been betrayed. "Where is Matsya?" several members of the group asked accusingly of one another. Chaos erupted, and the group quickly turned angry as their faith in the now missing avatar of Vishnu faded away. A voice rose above the roar of the angry mob yelling, "Quiet! Quiet everyone! We must keep our faith in the supreme god, Vishnu. Our faith will be rewarded as you will see from what I am about to tell you."
"My name is Prahlada. I came on this journey with you to teach you the importance of devotion to and faith in the gods. The tenth and final avatar of Vishnu, Kalki, guided you safely through the terrifying deluge that nearly drowned us as we traveled the chosen path along the Appalachian Trail. He then reappeared as Matsya towing a ship that has brought us all to this point on our journey. Vishnu has promised you all that by having faith in him, you will be transported to the age of truth and light, the Satya Yuga. The importance of your devotion to and faith in Vishnu can not be overstated. Let the following story serve as an example."
"My father, Hiranyakashipu, was a terrible demon. Before I was born, my father's brother, Hiranyaksha, was killed by another avatar of Vishnu named Varaha. This angered my father terribly and he vowed revenge on Vishnu. My mother's name was Kayadu, and while I was in her womb, a wise, enlightened sage named Narada came to protect her while my home was being attacked by several gods. Just by his mere presence, I began to transform into a more spiritually enlightened being each and every day. After my birth, I began a life devoted to the supreme god Vishnu. This enraged my father, Hiranyakashipu. Eventually, he could take no more. He vowed to kill me. Many years before, he had asked for a boon or gift of protection from the god Brahma. In my father's arrogance, he stipulated very specific ways that he was to be protected believing that his clever description had covered all possible methods that could lead to his death. Among many specific requests, he asked to not be killed by man or beast, not be killed during the day or night, and not be killed on the ground or in the sky." As Prahlada continued telling his story to the chosen group, several passengers noticed what appeared to be a face in the mast of the ship, and a barely audible growl. They returned their attention to Prahlada's story as he continued, "My father asked me why I was so devoted to Vishnu, claiming the god was not even present in my life, and he asked me to identify him in my surroundings. He demanded that I identify Vishnu in a nearby pillar. He mocked me and Vishnu, and then lunged toward the pillar and smashed it in his rage." From the mast of the ship a louder growl resonated through the crowd, and another passenger stood up and walked toward Prahlada. "From the smashed pillar, Narasimha, another avatar of my beloved Vishnu, burst forth and grabbed my father. Since Narasimha was half-man and half-lion, he fulfilled the request to not be a man or a beast. He placed my father over his thigh killing him, neither on the ground nor in the sky, with his razor-sharp claws. Being twilight, it was also neither day nor night. My father had been fooled." The man that approached Prahlada reached for him and screamed, "Your disregard for me and your praise of Vishnu will once and for all be your end." It was Hiranyakashipu! He had been with the group the entire time. From the ship's mast, Narasimha burst out and destroyed Hiranyakashipu just as he had so many ages before.
With their renewed faith in Vishnu, the group, led by the wise Prahlada, began a life of truth and peace. The Satya Yuga had begun.
Author's Note: I wanted to continue the flood into the second story to illustrate the extremely long nature of the event. I also wanted to emphasize this by having the chosen group sleep for many years as the water receded. Another reason for having the group sleep for so long was to create a transition period between the two stories time frames and more importantly, to provide a transition between the end of the Kali Yuga and the beginning of the Satya Yuga. This sleep represented a cleansing of the individual's pasts, and a preparation for the age of peace and truth, the Satya Yuga. I also wanted to continue the theme of having the avatar of Vishnu, and in the case of this story, members of the original story appear in the telling of the story to the group. This method hopefully brings the story to life since the action not only occurred in the story retelling, but also in the present story as well. I really wanted to surprise the reader throughout the storybook, and that was the goal by having two of the travelers be members of the original story. By having the wise Prahlada tell the story of faith from his own past experience, I hoped that the travelers on the ship would gain a greater appreciation of the truth behind the story.
Bibliography:
"Narasimha".
Wikipedia. Website: Wikipedia for Narasimha
Image Information: Websource. EPrathana Site
Image Information: Websource. EPrathana Site