Prahlada

Prahlada: Spiritual - Theosophy Dictionary on Hiranyagarbha

Hiranyakasipu (Sanskrit) (from hiranya golden + kasipu clothing, vesture)

Golden clothing; one of the most celebrated of the Hindu titans or daityas, son of the sage Kasyapa and Diti. As related in the Mahabharata, he obtained the favor of Brahma and was granted sovereignty of the three worlds for a million years. He became all-powerful because he could not be slain either by god, man, or animal. But his power was used evilly, so that he became notorious for his impiety. He persecuted his son Prahlada for worshiping Vishnu until once, when Prahlada was engaged in his observances, Vishnu during his fourth avataric incarnation appeared out of a pillar in the form of Narasimha (half man, half lion) and tore Hiranyakasipu to pieces.

Hiranyakasipu, after being slain by the Narasimha-avatara was born as Ravana, who in turn was slain by Rama (another avatara of Vishnu); after which he is reborn as Sisupala, who was slain by Krishna (the latest avatara of Vishnu).

"This parallel evolution of Vishnu (spirit) with a Daitya, as men, . . . gives us the key not only to the respective dates of Rama and Krishna but even to a certain psychological mystery" (SD 2:225).

Prahlada: Bhakti Yoga Dictionary on Sneha

Sneha - affection. In chapter twenty-one two kinds of sneha are being described by Babaji Mahasaya. He says that sneha is related to sakhya-bhava, this does not mean in the intimate sense of relationship. That kind of sakhya-bhava comes under the category of sambandha-rupa.

Sakhya-bhava in this chapter means the ordinary type of sakhyam, which comes in the nine items of bhaktithat Prahlada Maharaja mentions in Srimad-Bhagavatam. Here sakhyam is in vaidhi-bhakti, and it means to serve Krsna with an ordinary sense of friendliness (sakhya-bhava) , and to know Krsna as a friend (sakha). Since this comes under the jurisdiction of vaidhi-bhakti, it is not part of raganuga-bhakti. The other kind of sneha comes in the category of prema (sneha, mana, pranaya, etc.) , and therefore cannot be performed in raganuga-sadhana, but it can come in ragatmika-bhakti. It cannot be followed. It can only develop in prema after vastu-siddhi, when the bhakta has taken birth in the womb of a vraja-gopi, and so it cannot be practiced in raganugasadhana- bhakti.

(See also: Sneha, Bhakti, Bhakti Yoga, Bhakti Dictionary, Body Mind and Soul)

Prahlada: Sai Baba Dictionary on Holi

Holi:

Holi: Present day India knows the tradition of the holi-celebrations, the festival of colors once year on the morning after the full moon in early March every year, where one plays this game. It celebrates the arrival of spring and the death of the demoness Holika. Holika was the sister of Hiranyakasipu who fighting Prahlada couldn't succeed in killing him [see 7.5]. She, said to be fire resistant,sitting with him in a fire couldn't harm him. He remained unscathed, but she burns in the fire to ashes. Thus are with holi the night before great bonfires lit to commemorate the story. Although holi is observed all over the north, it's celebrated with special joy and zest at Mathura, Vrindavana, Nandgaon, and Barsnar (the places where Lord Krishna and S'ri Radha grew up. Lord Krishna, while growing up in Vraja, popularized the festival with His ingenious pranks. The Gopis of Vraja responded with equal enthusiasm and the festivities have continued ever since. Role reversal with travesty, feminism etc. are accepted customs for the duration of the festival. Men and women of Vraja clash in a colorful display of a mock battle of the sexes. A naturally occurring orange-red dye, Kesudo, is used to drench all participants. (SB, 10:75-15 etc.)

Prahlada: Encyclopedia II - Narasimha - Places of Pilgrimage

The main places of pilgrimage associated with Sri Narasimha are those places where the events described above are reputed to have taken place. These are: Ahobilam Antarvedhi Kadiri Simhachalam Yadagirigutta Mangalagiri Namakkal Melukote Chintalvadi Ghatikachala (Known today as Sholingur, derived from Chola singa oor) The first six are located in the present-day state of Andhra Pradesh in India. Namakkal, Ghatikachala and chintalvadi is located in ...