Ek baccha tha — nanha sa, abhi ghutnon ke bal chalna chhode hue kuch hi saal hue the. Naam tha Prahlad. Aur uska pita tha Hiranyakashipu — asuron ka sabse taakatwar raja, jisne Brahma se aisa vardaan paaya tha ki use maarna lagbhag namumkin tha. Na manav maar sake na pashu. Na ghar ke andar na baahar. Na din mein na raat mein. Na dharti par na aakaash mein. Koi hathiyaar use chhoo tak na sake. Taakat ke nashe mein usne ailan kar diya — mere raajya mein koi devta pooja nahi paayega. Sab meri pooja karenge.
Us nafrat ki jad gehri thi. Prahlad ke janm se pehle, Vishnu ne Varaha roop mein Hiranyakashipu ke judvaan bhai Hiranyaksha ka vadh kiya tha. Tab se woh Vishnu ke naam se jalta tha. Lekin Prahlad ka Vishnu-prem koi ittefaq nahi tha. Jab uski maa Kayadhu garbhvati thi, rishi Narad ne use apne aashram mein sharan di thi. Roz bhakti ke updesh sunaate the. Maa ke garbh mein sunte-sunte woh gyaan bacche ke rom-rom mein bas gaya. Janm se hi uske honthon par Hari ka naam tha.
Uske guru use taakat aur ghamand ke paath padhaate. Prahlad bas Vishnu ka naam japta rehta. Pita ne poocha — beta, sabse badi shakti kya hai? Bacche ne kaha — Hari ka naam. Hiranyakashipu aag-baboola ho gaya. Uske apne bete mein itni himmat! Teenon lokon ke raja ko chunauti! Usne than liya — is zidd ko tod kar rahunga.
Phir shuru hua atyaachaar ka silsila. Bacche ko pahaadi se phenkwaaya — woh aise gira jaise komal haathon ne thaam liya ho. Haathiyon se kuchalwaane ki koshish ki — haathi aage badhe hi nahi. Zehreelay saanpon se katwaaya — zehar paani ban gaya. Khaane mein zehar milwaaya — woh meetha laga. Har saans mein Vishnu ko yaad rakhne waale bacche ko kuch chhoo tak nahi saka. Sochiye — itna bada raja, itni badi sena, aur ek nanha baccha... bas muskuraata raha.
Aakhir mein raja ki behen Holika aage aayi. Uske paas ek jaadui chaadar thi — aag use jala nahi sakti thi. Yojna bani: dhadhakti aag mein Holika Prahlad ko god mein lekar baithegi. Woh bach jaayegi, baccha jal jaayega. Aag ki laptein uthi — aur tabhi hawa ka ek jhonka aaya. Chaadar Holika ke kandhon se ud kar Prahlad ke ird-gird lipat gayi. Holika jal kar raakh ho gayi. Prahlad aag ke beech baitha muskuraata raha, Vishnu ka naam japta hua. (Waise, Holika ko vardaan mila tha — lekin shart thi ki woh uska durupyog na kare. Buraai ke kaam aate hi vardaan toot gaya. Vardaan kabhi buraai ke kaam nahi aate — yahi niyam hai.) Aaj bhi Holi se pehli raat Holika dahan hota hai — gaon-gaon mein aag jalti hai, aur log kehte hain: buraai ka ant nishchit hai.
Ab Hiranyakashipu paagal ho gaya. Mahal ke ek khambhe ki taraf ishaara karke chillaya — tu kehta hai tera Vishnu har jagah hai! Kya is khambhe mein bhi hai? Prahlad ne shaanti se kaha — haan, Pitaji. Woh hain. Raja ne gada se khambhe par prahaar kiya. Khambha phat pada. Usme se nikle Narasimha — aadha manav, aadha sher. Aankhein angaaron jaisi, nakhun talwaaron jaise.
Woh godhuli bela thi — na din, na raat. Narasimha daitya-raja ko ghasit kar mahal ki dehleez par le aaye — na andar, na baahar. Use apni god mein litaaya — na dharti, na aakaash. Aur nakhunon se cheer diya — jo hathiyaar nahi the. Brahma ke vardaan ki har shart poori ho gayi. Atyaachaari ka raaj ek pal mein khatm.
Lekin krodh abhi shaant nahi hua tha. Itna bhayankar ki swayam Lakshmi bhi paas jaane ka saahas na kar saki. Devta door khade haath jode rahe. Tab Prahlad aage badha — nanha sa, nirdar — aur apna chhota haath Bhagwan ke jataon par rakh diya. Jaise kaale baadal chhant-te hain, krodh shaant ho gaya. Narasimha ne use god mein bitha liya. Aashirvaad diya.
Aur Prahlad ne apne liye kuch nahi maanga. Sirf apne pita ke liye kshama maangi. (Sochiye — jis pita ne use maarne ki har koshish ki, usi ke liye kshama!) Baad mein Prahlad ek nyay-priya raja bana. Kehte hain, uske raajya mein koi bhookha nahi sota tha, koi dar ke saaye mein nahi jeeta tha.
Sacchi bhakti shor nahi machaati, doston. Woh ek bacche ka shaant saahas hoti hai — jo dar ke saamne jhukne se inkaar kar de. Bas.
Is katha ke paatra
- Prahlad
- Hiranyakashipu
- Narasimha
- Vishnu
- Holika
