Prahlāda and Nara
Prahlāda, the daitya devotee of Bhagavān Vishṇu, ruled Pātāla and the three worlds. Chapters 7 and 8 of the Vāmana Mahā Purāṇa tell how he fought the divine ṛshi Nara, saw Nārāyaṇa in him, laid down his weapons, received the blessing of Bhagavān Vishṇu, and gave up his kingdom to Andhaka.
Prahlāda’s reign
After the great wars between devas and asuras of earlier kalpas, Prahlāda ruled Pātāla and held lordship over the three worlds as king of the daityas. His rule was strong and his people did well under dharma. He was known for his steady devotion to Bhagavān Vishṇu even while he led the asura line.
During this time the ṛshi Cyavana went down to Pātāla. This gives the setting for a teaching on the rank of tīrthas, in which Naimisha, Pushkara and Cakratīrtha are named among the foremost. (Chapter 7)
The battle with Nara
During the rule of Prahlāda, the divine ṛshi Nara came into conflict with the daitya king. Nara is one of the pair Nara and Nārāyaṇa, who do tapas without end at Badarī. The two were matched in battle, and the fight was fierce. Nara was a ṛshi, yet he held the warrior power (kshātra-śakti) of Bhagavān Vishṇu, because he was an aṃśa (a part) of Vishṇu himself. Prahlāda brought his whole army and all the strength of the asura world. (Chapter 8)
Surrender in bhakti
Prahlāda, for all his great power, could not win against Nara. As the battle turned, Prahlāda awoke to the truth. He saw that Nara was not only a human ascetic but a form of Bhagavān Nārāyaṇa himself, to whom he had always given his bhakti (devotion). His own bhakti rose up. He put down his weapons, folded his hands in añjali, and gave himself up to Nara in full humility. He declared that he knew the supreme nature of Nārāyaṇa, and he took his defeat as grace, not shame. (Chapter 8)
Vishṇu’s blessing
Bhagavān Vishṇu was moved by the surrender of Prahlāda and the purity of his bhakti. He appeared in his own divine form and blessed Prahlāda himself. The blessing showed that Prahlāda’s devotion was true, and that though he was born in the asura line he remained a pure-hearted Vaishṇava. Bhagavān Vishṇu promised him moksha (liberation) and honoured his surrender as the highest act of wisdom. (Chapter 8)
Prahlāda gives up the kingdom
After receiving the grace of Bhagavān Vishṇu, Prahlāda gave up rule over the three worlds. He made his grandson Andhaka king of the asuras. He himself withdrew from the duties of a king and gave himself wholly to bhakti and contemplation. In the Vāmana Purāṇa this is the end of his journey: from a devotee who kept his bhakti while ruling, to one who at last had no reason to hold on to worldly power. (Chapter 8)
Sources
- Vāmana Mahā Purāṇa, Chapter 7: the reign of Prahlāda, Cyavana in Pātāla, the rank of the tīrthas.
- Vāmana Mahā Purāṇa, Chapter 8: the battle with Nara, the surrender, the blessing of Bhagavān Vishṇu, the gift of the kingdom to Andhaka.