The story of Baktha Prahlada being saved by Lord Vishnu in the form of ‘Narasimha’ has many threads into the past and spreads its wings to the present and future also. The story encompasses family-relations and devotee-Lord relations of generations, starting from Brahma.

            It all began with the two door-keepers (known as Jaya and Vijaya) of Vaikuntha, the abode of Lord Vishnu, obstructing the Saints Sanaka-Sananda from entering the Vaikuntha. During the course of their argument, the two door-keepers are cursed to be born on Earth. Then, the Lord interferes and suggests that both Jaya and Vijaya can take three lives as Daityas (Demons), who oppose Lord Himself and come back to Vaikuntha, or they should take seven lives as devotees. On this offer, Jaya and Vijaya prefer to defer with Lord in three lives, so that their return to Him will be earlier. In the process, Jaya took incarnations as Hiranyakasipu, Ravana and Sisupala in three Yugas. Similarly, Vijaya took births as Hiranyaksha, Kumbhakarna and Dantavakra.  

            The relation between the Lord and Prahlada’s hierarchy from Marichi to Bana is given below:

In the second incarnation of Jaya and Vijaya as Ravana and Kumbhakarna, both of them were killed by Lord as Rama. Similarly, in their third birth as Sisupala and Dantavkra, they were killed by Lord as Krishna (who is their maternal uncle’s son).

From the above table, it can be seen that Lord Himself gave the boon to His gate-keepers, Jaya and Vijaya to have three births fighting with Him. This implies that Lord Himself has decided their births and He Himself took several avataras to kill them. That is, their life and death were designed by Him.

The birth story of Hiranyaksha and Hiranyakasipu also reveals the fact that, union of a couple during twilight hours is sinful, though Kashyap is a great Saint and grandson of Brahma. Similarly, Ravana and Kumbhakarna were also born to a Brahmin father (Vishrava, son of Pulatsya and grandson of Brahma) and daitya mother (Kaikasi). As Hrianyakhsa troubled Earth, Lord killed him as a Boar and as Hiranyakasipu troubled His beloved devotee, Prahlada, He killed Hiranyakasipu by adopting the Narasimha avatara (a combination of human form with lion’s face).  As Ravana troubles Sita, Lord Rama’s wife, Rama killed Ravana in war. In the same war, Kumbhakarna was also killed by Rama. As Sisupala and Dantavakra directly abuse the Lord, He kills them as Krishna.

From the above stories, it may be implied that the verse of the Bhagavadgita,

Whenever spirituality decays and materialism is rampant, then, O Arjuna, I  reincarnate Myself to protect the righteous, to destroy the wicked and to establish the kingdom of God, I am reborn from age to age. (Chapter- 4, Verses 7-8)

            In case of Jaya and Vijaya, though they were staunch devotees of Lord Vishnu, they still had to undergo the sufferings of three births on Earth, due to their wicked conduct against the Sages. This is also explained in the Gita as given below:

You have a right to perform your prescribed duty, but you are not entitled to the fruits of action. Never consider yourself the cause of the results of your activities, and never be attached to not doing your duty. (Chapter 2 verse 47).

That means the time made Jaya-Vijaya to perform the karma of stopping the sages, by which they go the curse. However, the Lord interfered and offered them a choice. This means, the Lord always tries to protect His devotees, but at the same time allows the Karma to take its own course. Even in that situation, the Lord gave His devotees a choice to be made, that means it also depends on the buddhi or sankalpa (thought) of the devotee. Since both the devotees wanted to be attached to Him, the Lord gave them a boon to be His opponents for a shorter duration. Even in this opposition, they regularly chant or remember His name and also try to search for Him everywhere.

Coming back to the Prahlada episode, his father Hirnayakasipa named his fourth son as ‘PRAHLADA’ meaning one who is supremely happy. He named his daughter as ‘Simhika’ and his elder son as ‘Samhlada’. So, for a long time he is fondling around with the name ‘Simha’. Prahlada was also protected and guided by Narada while he was in his mother’s womb. Later, Prahlada was subjected to several tests by his father in order to stop him chanting Lord’s name, but the Lord has shown His love and care towards His devotee every time when he was subjected to tests. 

Hiranyakasipa, though a staunch devotee of Lord Vishnu in his previous life, forgot all those bonds in his new life as a Demon. In every stage of his life, the Lord had shown him His powers, by killing his brother Hiranyaksha as a Boar (Varaha) and also protecting his son Prahlada during all the attempts to kill him. It clearly indicates that the souls of Jaya and Vijaya merely followed the instructions of Lord and their three terms were also ended by Lord. But, in their lives as Daityas, they have completely forgotten their past-life attachments to Him. Even then, the Lord liberated the past generations of Prahlada’s dynasty, down to the next generations of Bana.

After the killing of Hiranyakasipu, Prahlada pleads the Lord to forgive his father, for which Lord promises to liberate 21 generations of his family. Later on also, the Lord interacted with their family for generations. This episode is a clear example on how the Lord associates Himself with a dynasty for generations together. This story also depicts that though Hiranyaksha and Hiranyakasipu were born to Sage Kashyap, they exhibited cruel demonic nature. And Hrianyakasipu asks for a boon from Brahma, that he should not be killed by any natural living thing and also in any natural situation. This depicts the mind of a common man, who despite many ups and downs, still somehow wants to live longer. But as the Gita says, for all the beings who have a birth, death is inevitable (Chapter 3). 

No man can attain freedom from activity by refraining from action; nor can he reach

perfection by merely refusing to act .He cannot even for a moment remain really inactive, for the Qualities of Nature will compel him to act whether he wills or not. He who remains motionless, refusing to act, but all the while brooding over sensuous objects, that deluded soul is simply a hypocrite.

But, O Arjuna! All honour to him whose mind controls his senses, for he is thereby

beginning to practise Karma-Yoga, the Path of Right Action, keeping himself always

unattached. Do thy duty as prescribed, for action for duty’s sake is superior to inaction. Even the

maintenance of the body would be impossible if man remained inactive.

As a man can drink water from any side of a full tank, so the skilled religious person can wrest

from any scripture that serves his purpose.

            So, for better understanding of the Vedic scriptures and the Gita, the Puranic stories can be used as best tools, so that these values can be carried forward to the future generations with clear meaning. As mentioned above, do your duty with utmost devotion and without anticipating any personal gains, the Lord is there to take care of all.