CHAPTER FOUR

Hiranyakasipu Terrorizes the Universe

This chapter fully describes how Hiranyakasipu obtained power from
Lord Brahma and misused it by harassing all the living entities within
this universe.

By severe austerities, Hiranyakasipu satisfied Lord Brahma and ob-
tained the benedictions he desired. After he received these benedictions,
his body, which had been almost entirely consumed, was revived with
full beauty and a luster like gold. Nonetheless, he continued to be en-
vious of Lord Visnu, unable to forget Lord Visnu’s having killed his
brother. Hiranyakasipu conquered everyone in the ten directions and the
three worlds and brought all living entities, both demigods and asuras,
under his control. Becoming the master of all places, including the resi-
dence of Indra, whom he had driven out, he began enjoying life in great
luxury and thus became mad. All the demigods but Lord Visnu, Lord
Brahma and Lord Siva came under his control and began serving him,
but despite all his material power he was dissatisfied because he was al-
ways puffed up, proud of transgressing the Vedic regulations. All the
brahmanas were dissatisfied with him, and they cursed him with deter-
mination. Eventually, all the living entities within the universe, repre-
sented by the demigods and sages, prayed to the Supreme Lord for relief
from Hiranyakasipu’s rule.

Lord Visnu informed the demigods that they and the other living en-
tities would be saved from the fearful conditions created by
Hiranyakasipu. Since Hiranyakasipu was the oppressor of all the
demigods, the followers of the Vedas, the cows, the braéhmanas and the
religious, saintly persons, and since he was envious of the Supreme Lord,
he would naturally be killed very soon. Hiranyakasipu’s last exploit
would be to torment his own son Prahlada, who was a mahd-bhdgavata,
an exalted Vaisnava. Then his life would end. When the demigods were
thus reassured by the Supreme Personality of Godhead, everyone was
satisfied, knowing that the miseries inflicted upon them by
Hiranyakasipu would come to an end.

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