By Killing the Demon Hiraṇyākṣa God Fulfilled His Promise
The epic battles between the Supreme Lord and the cosmic demons are never ordinary worldly affairs. Śrīla Prabhupāda teaches that these monumental conflicts are expressions of the Lord's absolute power and His deep, transcendental reciprocation with His devotees. Even the most fearsome demons are ultimately tools in the Lord's divine plan to protect the universe and exhibit His unlimited opulences.
The Descent of the Devotees
Under the guidance of a bona fide guru, we understand that the enmity of certain demons is actually a divine arrangement. Śrīla Prabhupāda explains that because Kṛṣṇa wants to fight, some of His devotees come down to this material world to become His enemies and fight with Him; for example, the Lord descended to kill Hiraṇyakaśipu and Hiraṇyākṣa. These two associates of the Lord, Jaya and Vijaya, later descended to the material world, taking birth as the two sons of Diti, Hiraṇyakaśipu being the elder and Hiraṇyākṣa the younger, and they were very much respected by the Daityas and Dānavas. As previously explained, the demon Hiraṇyākṣa was originally a servitor of the Lord in Vaikuṇṭha, but somehow or other he fell as a demon, and his fight with the Supreme Lord was meant for his liberation. Ultimately, the Lord descends as an incarnation to deliver the devotees and kill the miscreants; the Lord of the universe and of everything would appear to kill the sons of Diti because of their offending the devotees of the Lord.
- Because Krsna wants to fight, some of His devotees come down to this material world to become His enemies and fight with Him. For example, the Lord descended to kill Hiranyakasipu and Hiranyaksa.
- These two associates of the Lord-Jaya and Vijaya later descended to the material world, taking birth as the two sons of Diti, Hiranyakasipu being the elder and Hiranyaksa the younger. They were very much respected by the Daityas and Danavas.
- As previously explained, the demon (Hiranyaksa) was originally a servitor of the Lord in Vaikuntha, but somehow or other he fell as a demon. His fight with the Supreme Lord was meant for his liberation.
- The Lord descends as an incarnation to deliver the devotees and kill the miscreants. The Lord of the universe and of everything would appear to kill the sons of Diti because of their offending the devotees of the Lord.
The Rescue of the Earth
The immediate cause of the Lord's appearance as Varāhadeva was the protection of the planetary systems. The asura Hiraṇyākṣa had dislocated the earth from its orbit and thrown it beneath the waters of the Garbhodaka Ocean, and then the Lord, in the shape of the original boar, rescued the earth. In the chronological sequence of these pastimes, appearing as Nṛsiṁhadeva, the Supreme Personality of Godhead, Śrī Hari, killed Hiraṇyakaśipu; when the Lord delivered the planet earth, which had fallen in the Garbhodaka Ocean, Hiraṇyākṣa tried to hinder Him, then the Lord, as Varāha, killed Hiraṇyākṣa. Plunging into the dark waters, he saw there the all-powerful Personality of Godhead in His boar incarnation, bearing the earth upward on the ends of His tusks and robbing him of his splendor with His reddish eyes, and the demon laughed, "Oh, an amphibious beast." Although apparently He fled from the challenge, it was just to protect the earth from calamity that He tolerated Hiraṇyākṣa's deriding words.
- The asura Hiranyaksa had dislocated the earth from its orbit and thrown it beneath the waters of the Garbhodaka Ocean. Then the Lord, in the shape of the original boar, rescued the earth.
- Appearing as Nrsimhadeva, the Supreme Personality of Godhead, Sri Hari, killed Hiranyakasipu. When the Lord delivered the planet earth, which had fallen in the Garbhodaka Ocean, Hiranyaksa tried to hinder Him, then the Lord, as Varaha, killed Hiranyaksa.
- He saw there the all-powerful Personality of Godhead in His boar incarnation, bearing the earth upward on the ends of His tusks and robbing him of his splendor with His reddish eyes. The demon laughed: Oh, an amphibious beast.
- Although apparently He (The Lord) fled from the challenge, it was just to protect the earth from calamity that He tolerated Hiranyaksa's deriding words.
The Transcendental Battle Begins
Driven by immense arrogance and guided by destiny, the demon eagerly sought the Lord's presence. Earlier, Varuṇa advised Hiraṇyākṣa to meet Viṣṇu in His boar incarnation so that his hankering for aggressive war would be satisfied and his powerful body would be vanquished. Thus, the demon Hiraṇyākṣa, upon seeing the Lord face to face, wanted to make a permanent solution by killing the Personality of Godhead with his powerful mace. The cosmic clash was terrifying to mundane observers, as the fighting enjoyment of the Supreme Lord with His devotee, who had been converted into a demon, appeared severe enough to bring about the dissolution of the universe. However, from the absolute perspective, the Lord felt Hiraṇyākṣa's striking on His body to be like flowers offered for worship; in other words, the Lord desired to fight in order to enjoy His transcendental bliss, and therefore He enjoyed the attack.
- Varuna advised Hiranyaksa to meet Visnu in His boar incarnation so that his hankering for aggressive war would be satisfied and his powerful body would be vanquished.
- The demon Hiranyaksa, upon seeing the Lord face to face, wanted to make a permanent solution by killing the Personality of Godhead with his powerful mace.
- The fighting enjoyment of the Supreme Lord with His devotee, who had been converted into a demon (Hiranyaksa), appeared severe enough to bring about the dissolution of the universe.
- The Lord felt Hiranyaksa's striking on His body to be like flowers offered for worship. In other words, the Lord desired to fight in order to enjoy His transcendental bliss; therefore He enjoyed the attack.
Conjuring Tricks and the Sudarśana Discus
Realizing he could not defeat the Lord through conventional physical combat, the demon resorted to mystical warfare. The demon employed many conjuring tricks against the Personality of Godhead, Varāhadeva, who is the master of all mystic yogīs and the Lord of yogamāyā, and at the sight of this the people were filled with alarm and thought that the dissolution of the universe was near. In a desperate attempt, hurled by the mighty demon with all his strength, the flying trident shone brightly in the sky, but the Personality of Godhead, however, tore it to pieces with His discus Sudarśana, which had a sharp-edged rim. The demon was enraged when his trident was cut to pieces by the discus of the Personality of Godhead; he therefore advanced toward the Lord and, roaring aloud, struck his hard fist against the Lord's broad chest. In response, the demon now began to strike the Lord with his hard fists, but Lord Adhokṣaja slapped him in the root of the ear, even as Indra, the lord of the Maruts, hit the demon Vṛtra.
- The demon (Hiranyaksa) employed many conjuring tricks against the Personality of Godhead (Varahadeva), who is the Lord of yogamaya. At the sight of this the people were filled with alarm and thought that the dissolution of the universe was near.
- Hurled by the mighty demon (Hiranyaksa) with all his strength, the flying trident shone brightly in the sky. The Personality of Godhead (Varahadeva), however, tore it to pieces with His discus Sudarsana, which had a sharp-edged rim.
- The demon (Hiranyaksa) was enraged when his trident was cut to pieces by the discus of the Personality of Godhead. He therefore advanced toward the Lord and, roaring aloud, struck his hard fist against the Lord's broad chest.
- The demon (Hiranyaksa) now began to strike the Lord with his hard fists, but Lord Adhoksaja slapped him in the root of the ear, even as Indra, the lord of the Maruts, hit the demon Vrtra.
Death and Ultimate Liberation
A single, effortless strike from the Lord was enough to end the cosmic terror. His one signal is sufficient to destroy all our attempts; His inconceivable power, as displayed here, is so strong that the demon, despite all his demoniac maneuvers, was killed by God when God desired, simply by one slap. Because he died in the direct presence of the Absolute Truth, a wondrous phenomenon occurred; although the demon was dead, his bodily luster was unfaded, which is very peculiar because when a man or animal is dead, the body immediately becomes pale, the luster gradually fades, and decomposition takes place. The reason for this miracle is that although the demon's soul had departed his body, the Supreme Spirit touched the body, and therefore his bodily luster did not fade, proving that the individual soul is different from the Supreme Personality of Godhead. Ultimately, by killing the demon Hiraṇyākṣa He fulfilled His promise to kill the demons and always protect the demigods headed by Brahmā, and the statement that the Lord returned to His own abode indicates that He has His own particular transcendental residence.
- His (God's) one signal is sufficient to destroy all our attempts. His inconceivable power, as displayed here (SB 3.19.26), is so strong that the demon (Hiranyaksa), despite all his demoniac maneuvers, was killed by God when God desired, simply by one slap.
- Although the demon (Hiranyaksa) was dead, his bodily luster was unfaded. This is very peculiar because when a man or animal is dead, the body immediately becomes pale, the luster gradually fades, and decomposition takes place.
- Although the demon's (Hiranyaksa's) soul had departed his body, the Supreme Spirit touched the body, and therefore his bodily luster did not fade. The individual soul is different from the Supreme Personality of Godhead.
- By killing the demon Hiranyaksa He (God) fulfilled His promise to kill the demons and always protect the demigods headed by Brahma. The statement that the Lord returned to His own abode indicates that He has His own particular transcendental residence.
Conclusion
Śrīla Prabhupāda’s teachings regarding Lord Varāhadeva and Hiraṇyākṣa brilliantly illuminate the absolute nature of the Supreme Lord’s pastimes. What appears to the material eyes as a desperate struggle between two formidable forces is, in reality, a perfectly orchestrated display of the Lord’s supreme opulence and His loving reciprocation with His devotees. Because Hiraṇyākṣa was originally a liberated soul from Vaikuṇṭha, the Lord mercifully accommodated his desire to fight, enjoying the battle immensely. By completely neutralizing the demon's mystic illusions with the Sudarśana discus and ending his life with a single slap, the Lord rescued the planet earth and upheld His promise to protect the universal order. The unfading luster of Hiraṇyākṣa's dead body eternally proves the purifying, absolute power of the Supreme Personality of Godhead’s divine touch.
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