Oppressive Ogre

Chapter 4

After being rewarded, Hiranyakasipu commenced his oppressive activities and conquered practically everyone in the universe. He lived in unimaginable opulence and was intoxicated by carnal pleasures, pride and power. He just couldn’t forget his brother’s death and seethed with vicious enmity towards Lord Vishnu.

Brahmanas cursed him, others nervously prayed for protection, while many just surrendered out of deep fear. The Lord reassured them that Hiranyakasipu’s oppressive atrocities would eventually be the cause of his demise. His most acute mistake would be to torment his own saintly son, Prahlada. That would be intolerable to the Lord; the final straw. When Narada described the outstanding qualities of Prahlada, Maharaja Yuddhistira was dumbfounded as to how his father could direct so much aggression and anger towards such a saintly son.