THE MAN ON THE GOLDEN THRONE - ALLURE OF WEALTH AND WORLDLY PLEASURES

  

THE MAN ON THE GOLDEN THRONE  -  ALLURE OF WEALTH AND WORLDLY PLEASURES

                      
                                          

                                             

 

Hiranyakashipu is an Asura, the demon King, who rules all three worlds.

His name means -

Hiranya = Gold  and  Kashipu  = soft cushion

Hiranyakashipu sat on the soft cushion on the Golden Throne.  He wanted all people to worship him.

 

Hiraṇyakaśipu literally means “one who is fond of gold and sensual pleasures” — or metaphorically, “one who desires wealth and sensual enjoyment.”

 

Hiranyakashipu is an arrogant Demon King who ruled all three worlds. He sought wealth and material comforts. To attain longevity of his powers and to continue to receive worldly pleasures and immortality, he did a tapas to please Brahma.

 

 

 

   

 

Brahma was much pleased by his tapas, which he thought an ordinary being could not perform.

 

Brahma has reached out to him and asked him, "Oh! Son, what can I do for you?".

 

He sought immortality from Brahma. Brahma declined, stating that only Gods can be immortal.

 

"Is there anything else you want to ask me, my dear child?" Brahma checked with Hiranyakashipu.

 

Hiranyakashipu asked Brahma for a boon, provided certain conditions were met for his death. Neither any deva nor any mortal can kill him. He cannot be killed at home or outside of his house. He cannot be killed on earth or in the sky. No arms or ammunition to be used to kill him.

 

Brahma, after hearing the conditions set by him about his death, said "Thathasthu" or "Let it be that way".

 

After being granted the boon by Brahma, Hiranyakashipu was pleased that his arch-rival, Lord Vishnu, could not kill him.

 

Hiranyakashipu and his brother Hiranyaksha were gatekeepers of Vishnu's abode, Vaikuntha (Swarg), namely, Jaya and Vijaya, who were cursed by the Four Kumaras to be demons. His brother was killed by the Varaha (Boar) avatar of Vishnu, and Hiranyakashipu wanted to take revenge. His blood boiled to seek revenge and kill Vishnu for killing his brother.

  

He was born to Diti (daughter of Daksha Prajapathi) and a sage Kashyapa during their twilight lovemaking, which was not an auspicious time to engage in such a sexual act.

 

The mother of the asuras, Diti, was the daughter of Dakṣha Prajāpati and the wife of Sage Kaśhyapa, one of the ancient progenitors of life (Prajāpatis).

 

One evening, Diti was overwhelmed by desire and approached her husband for union. Kaśyapa, who was engaged in evening meditation, warned her that twilight (sandhyā-kāla) — the transition period between day and night — was an inauspicious time for physical union. This time is reserved for prayer, reflection, and spiritual observances, as it marks the meeting of light and darkness.

 

But Diti’s desire was too strong, and she insisted. Kaśhyapa, unable to refuse, reluctantly agreed but warned her of the consequences:

“Since this act is done in an impure hour, your children will be of demonic nature, causing destruction to the world and enmity to the gods.”

 

And thus, from that union were born two powerful sons:

• Hiraṇyākṣha (the elder)

• Hiraṇyakaśhipu (the younger)

 

Hiranyakashipu had a beautiful wife, Kayadhu. Hiranyakshipu engaged in sex with her. As a result, Kayadhu conceived the great devotee Prahlada Maharaja. First, Hiranyakshipu had heard the devotional recitation of the mantra, “namo narayanaya,” from the lips of Narada Muni. Then, just before uniting with his wife, he repeated that mantra to Kayadhu. While engaging in sex with his wife, he was constantly chanting the mantra “namo narayanaya” in his mind. Consequently, the child born to them became the great devotee of Lord Krishna, Bhakta Prahlada.

 

 

 

While Hiranyakashipu was performing tapas to be granted these boons, Indra and other devas attacked his home, seizing the opportunity in his absence. At this point, the divine sage Narada intervened to protect Hiranyakashipu's wife Kayadhu, whom he described as 'sinless'. Narada took Kayadhu into his care, and while she was under his guidance, her unborn child (Hiranyakashipu's son) Prahlada, became influenced by the transcendental instructions of the sage, even in the womb. Later, growing as a child, Prahlada began to reap the harvest of Narada's prenatal training and gradually became recognised as a devout follower of Vishnu, much to his father's anguish.

 

Prahlada was a devotee of Lord Vishnu, whom Hiranyakashipu did not approve of. He tried to kill Prahlada by throwing him from a mountain into the midst of venomous snakes. But Prahlada miraculously escaped all his father's attempts to kill him.

 

Hiranyakashipu could not tolerate Prahlad's devotion to Lord Vishnu. Hiranyakashipu objected to Prahlad's worship of Vishnu, who had killed his uncle. He wanted to sacrifice his son for worshipping Vishnu. Vishnu took the Narasimha avatar to protect Prahlada and thus saved karma. Hiranyakashipu challenged Prahlada to sight the god Vishnu and asked him where Vishnu is. Prahlad opined that Lord Vishnu is everywhere, including the dust and on the pillar. An enraged Hiranyakashipu took his mace and struck the pillar. From the pillar Narasimha emerged.

 

Nara = Man  

Simha = Lion

 

Narasimha = Half Lion, Half Man (Man-Lion).

 

Narasimha took Hiranyakashipu to the threshold, and not outside the house, and thus one condition was met. Narasimha was neither a mortal nor any deva, and another condition of Hiranyakashipu was taken care of. Narasimha took him and laid him on his lap, one more condition that neither on the earth nor in the sky should he be killed. And finally, no weapon should be used to kill him. Narasimha used his claws to kill Hiranyakashipu.

 

                           

                                      

 

 

The man who aspired to be immortal was thus killed after meeting all the conditions set by him for his death.

  

The Shiva Purana mentions that Hiranyakashipu asked Brahma that he would be invulnerable to dry or wet weapons, thunderbolts, mountains, trees, missiles or any form of weapon. The Vayu Purana mentions that Hiranyakashipu asked to be so powerful, only Vishnu would slay him. Other variations include not being slain by any living being, not at daytime or nighttime and not above or below.

 

 Hiranyakashipu was an asura and at the same time a rakshasa.

Rāvaṇa, the mighty king of Laṅkā from the Rāmāyaṇa, once tried to lift Hiraṇyakaśhipu’s earrings (kuṇḍalas) but failed because they were immensely heavy — symbolically and literally.

 

One of Hiranyakashipu's attempts to kill Prahlada was to have him sit on a burning pyre with his sister Holika. Holika had a special gift that prevented her from being harmed by fire. Prahlada chanted Vishnu's name, and in the battle of good against evil, Holika was burnt down, but nothing happened to Prahlada. The burning of Holika is celebrated as the Holi festival in Hinduism.

 

The Brahmanda Purana mentions that Hiranyakashipu ruled for 10,72,80,000 (107.28 million) years.

 

The story of Hiraṇyakaśipu is indeed one of the most powerful and symbolic episodes in Hindu mythology, found primarily in the Bhāgavata Purāṇa (Canto 7), with variations in other texts like the Vishnu Purāṇa, Vāyu Purāṇa, and Śiva Purāṇa.

 

Let’s summarize it clearly — both as a mythological tale and as a spiritual allegory.  

 

 

At the end, it was the victory of good over evil.