Bhagat Prahlada
Prahlada Bhagat has been given a separate identity in Gurmat. He was devotee to God so it's better to call him Bhagat Prahlad. His story is told in the Adi Granth and again in the Dasam Granth. Prahlad was a Gurmukh and support Gur Gyan. He was a God loving person. His father Hrinyakashyap was Manmukh, he do not believe in god but he believe in himself, he think that he is god and there is no other god present on earth. To remove his confusion God himself came in form of Gurmat i.e Narsingh.
ਹਰਿ ਜਗ ਜਗ ਭਗਤ ਉਪਾਇਆ ਪੈਜ ਰਖਦਾ ਆਇਆ ਰਾਮ ਰਾਜੇ ॥
In each and every age, He creates His devotees and preserves their honor, O Lord King.
ਹਰਣਾਖਸ ਦਸਟ ਹਰਿ ਮਾਰਿਆ ਪਰਹਲਾਦ ਤਰਾਇਆ ॥
The Lord killed the wicked Harnaakhash, and saved Prahlaad.
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ਜਨ ਨਾਨਕ ਝਸਾ ਹਰਿ ਸੇਵਿਆ ਅੰਤਿ ਲਝ ਛਡਾਇਆ ॥੪॥੧੩॥੨੦॥
Servant Nanak has so served the Lord, that He will deliver him in the end. ||4||13||20||
ਪਰਹਲਾਦ ਕੈ ਕਾਰਜਿ ਹਰਿ ਆਪ ਦਿਖਾਇਆ ॥
ਭਗਤਾ ਕਾ ਬੋਲ ਆਗੈ ਆਇਆ ॥੧੦॥
The father sent Prahlada for schooling. He carried the tablet and came to the teacher, "I will learn nothing else except the Name of the Lord- O my Lord! Write on this tablet." Prahlada's mother" instructed her son, "Do not read and learn any other lore". "The Fearless Lord is with me, if I leave the Lord my ancestry will be blamed". "Prahlada had led astray all the students, he does not listen to us and does everything on his own, he has spread devotion in all the town. Ths assembly of vicious people could not do anything. Sanda and Marka, the teachers cried out, all the demons acted violently. The lord protects the honour of his devotees, what can the created creatures do ?" Because of his past actions, the demon ruled, he did not comprehend the Lord and was led astray. He began the strife with his son Prahlada. The blind one did not know that the death had come near. He imprisoned Prahlada and locked him up. The fearless boy could not be frightened, "The Lord, my preceptor, is within me". If the created one, without any merit, falls into rivairy, the Lord writ works upon him, because he has begun strife, with a devotee. The father carried the mace towards Prahlada, now where is your Lord ?" The Life-Giver Beneficent Lord comes to help in the end for He pervades everything that we see. He manifested Himself, springing out from a column, He destroyed the egoistic demon. For the sake of Prahlada, the Lord had manifested Himself, the wish of the devotee was fulfilled. All the gods bow before Lakhmi (Lakshmi), "O mother! Remove this dreadful form of Narsimha (man-lion), because of fear, Lakshmi could not go there." And Prahlada, the devotee, fell at the feet of the Lord. (Bhairo M. 3, p. 1154)
Prahlada, the famous devotee of Vishnu, was the son of the demon king Hiranyakashipu (Sanskrit: हिरणढ़”यकशिपढ़) the [golden-haired] Asura. The demon king wanted himself to be worshipped by all his subjects. It was his son Prahlada, who did not obey his orders. He was a staunch devotee of Vishnu. The king tried hard to dissuade him from following his path, but without any success. He, therefore decided to do away with him. He was thrown in the water and put in the fire, but they could not harm the young devotee. It is recorded in Bhagavata Purana that the king at last asked his son, if according to hirn, Vishnu was everywhere, he was not seen even in the pillar nearby. In a great anger, he struck the column, and Vishnu in order to protect the honour of his devotee, sprang forth from the column in the form of NaraSingha or Narasimha (a man-lion) and with his nakhra (claws), he killed the tyrant. (Bhairo Namdev, p. 1165) and (Basant Kabir, p. 1194).
The Lord is said to have bestowed salvation to twenty-one dans (generations) of Prahlada. (Bhairo M. 3, p. 1133).
The story of Prahlada gives a number of moral instructions such as:
- God prevails everywhere.
- God will always save his devotees.
- Devotion can be practised at any point of time. Age does not matter.
- Constant faith in God leads to devotion.
- The people who are practising evil will be punished.
In Dasam Granh
In Chaubis Avtar, Guru Gobind SIngh showed how Prahlaad was saved by Hari i.e God. In that, Narsingh avtar born. Now what is Nar Singh? Nar Singh is Gurmat,(mal with heart like lion). Guru Gobind Singh cleared in Chandi Charitar that Chandi = Gurmat (ਤੂ ਨਰਸਿੰਘ ਹਵੈ ਕੈ ਹਿਰਾਨਾਛ ਮਾਰਯੋ ॥) is narsingh. Guru Gobind Singh changed whole definations of Hindu Granthsa according to Gurmat so all meanings of Gurmat. One thing is cleared that how Hari saved prahlaad, it's with Gurmat. A Brahmgyani named narsingh came and had gyan charcha with Hrinakashyap and HrinyaKashyap lost in that Battle or Gyan Charcha. There is no Mention of Holika, there's no mention of Brahma giving boon to Hrinyakashyap. It's all Gurmat katha.
See Also
References
- Adi Granth
- Dasam Granth
- Surindar Singh, Dictionary of Mythological References in Guru Granth Sahib 1993
