When the evil Harnakash started committing cruelty and wrongdoing, the devotee Prahlad was born in his family to oppose him.
เจเจฐเจฟ เจนเจฐเจฃเจพเจเจธเจผ เจฆเฉเจค เจฆเฉ เจเจฒเจฐเจฟ เจเจตเจฒเฉ เจญเจเจคเฉ เจชเฉเจฐเจนเจฟเจฒเจพเจฆ เฅค
Prahlad, the saint, was born in the house of demon (king) Haranakhas like a lotus is born in the alkaline (barren) land.
– Bhai Gurdas: Vaar 10 Pauri 2
Harnakash, who was very arrogant and cruel, thought of himself as the creator and ruler of everything and even claimed to be Lord. But, as the Gurbani says, “เจนเจฐเจฟ เจเฉเจ เจ
เจนเฉฐเจเจพเจฐเฉ เจจ เจญเจพเจตเจ” the all-pervading Lord, Hari, does not like arrogance.
So, to destroy the arrogant Harnakash and to protect the honor of His true devotee, the formless and all-powerful Lord created the form of Narsingh. Through this form, Waheguru used His divine power to destroy the evil Harnakash and save His devotee Prahlad. This way, He honored devotion. After bringing justice, the Lord withdrew his power from Narsingh’s form, and it disappeared.
Confused people started to believe that the form of Narsingh was the Supreme Lord and began to worship it as such. The form of Narsingh was a miraculous display of the Timeless, Formless Lordโs power and not the Lord Himself. The Formless One used His power to defeat the wicked Harnakash, Gurbani says:
เจนเจฐเจฃเจพเจเจธเฉ เจฆเฉเจธเจเฉ เจนเจฐเจฟ เจฎเจพเจฐเจฟเจ เจชเฉเจฐเจนเจฒเจพเจฆเฉ เจคเจฐเจพเจเจ เฅฅ
The Lord killed the wicked Harnaakhash, and saved Prahlaad.
– Guru Granth Sahib: Ang 451
This verse clearly shows that Lord Hari is the one who, throughout the ages, supports and protects His devotees, and it was Lord Hari who defeated the wicked Harnakash and saved Prahlad.
Some people believe that it was the Narsingh avatar who did all this. This is their mistake. It is the Timeless, Formless, and All-Powerful Lord who grants strength. The incarnations with physical forms are given strength by Him and use it to perform His wondrous deeds. All the incarnations and forms that appeared received their power and abilities from the Timeless Lord.ย
This concept is beautifully explained by Guru Gobind Singh Ji through Gurvak:
เจเฉฐเจกเจพ เจชเฉเจฐเจฟเจฅเจฎเฉ เจธเจพเจเจฟ เจเฉ เจเจฟเจจ เจธเจญ เจธเฉเจธเจพเจฐเฉ เจเจชเจพเจเจเฅฅ
เจฌเฉเจฐเจนเจฎเจพ เจฌเจฟเจธเจจเฉ เจฎเจนเฉเจธ เจธเจพเจเจฟ เจเฉเจฆเจฐเจคเจฟ เจฆเจพ เจเฉเจฒ เจฐเจเจพเจ เจฌเจฃเจพเจเจ เฅฅ
เจธเจฟเฉฐเจง เจชเจฐเจฌเจค เจฎเฉเจฆเจจเฉ เจฌเจฟเจจเฉ เจฅเฉฐเจฎเฉเจนเจพ เจเจเจจเจฟ เจฐเจนเจพเจเจเฅฅ
เจธเจฟเจฐเจเฉ เจฆเจพเจจเฉ เจฆเฉเจตเจคเฉ เจคเจฟเจจ เจ
เฉฐเจฆเจฐเจฟ เจฌเจพเจฆ เจฐเจเจพเจเจ เฅฅ
เจคเฉ เจนเฉ เจฆเฉเจฐเจเจพ เจธเจพเจเจฟ เจเฉ เจฆเฉเจคเจพเจ เจฆเจพ เจจเจพเจธเฉ เจเจฐเจพเจเจเฅฅ
เจคเฉเจฅเฉเจ เจนเฉ เจฌเจฒเฉ เจฐเจพเจฎ เจฒเฉ เจจเจพเจฒ เจฌเจพเจฃเจพ เจฆเจนเจธเจฟเจฐเฉ เจเจพเจเจ เฅฅ
เจคเฉเจฅเฉเจ เจนเฉ เจฌเจฒเฉ เจเฉเจฐเจฟเจธเจผเจจ เจฒเฉ เจเฉฐเจธเฉ เจเฉเจธเฉ เจชเจเฉเจฟ เจเจฟเจฐเจพเจเจเฅฅ
เจฌเจกเฉ เจฌเจกเฉ เจฎเฉเจจเจฟ เจฆเฉเจตเจคเฉ เจเจ เจเฉเจ เจคเจฟเจจเฉ เจคเจจเฉ เจคเจพเจเจเฅฅ
เจเจฟเจจเฉ เจคเฉเจฐเจพ เจ
เฉฐเจคเฉ เจจ เจชเจพเจเจ เฅฅเฉจเฅฅ
– Dasam Granth Sahib
It is clear from the above words of Guru Gobind Singh Ji that the acts of destroying demons and evil beings performed by deities like Durga, Ram, and Krishna were all accomplished by getting strength and power from the Timeless Lord. The Timeless Lord alone gave them power, and it was His special ability that vanquished the wicked demons. The deities themselves did not possess this power inherently; rather, it was the Timeless Lord who used His own divine abilities to defeat the evil ones.
All this greatness and power come from the Timeless, Formless Lord. Without His strength and support, none of His creations could achieve such amazing things. Everything shows the Lord’s incredible abilities.ย
