I was eight years old then. It was around the time a war was being fought in the Himalayan Region. Things were pretty difficult, in various ways. Life goes on nowadays almost uninterrupted even with wars being fought in various parts of the world. Not in those days. Fighting wars as well as fighting to lead a decent life were both manned by human beings with technology not in prominence as of now. Incomes were low, commodities used to disappear from the market and prices used to skyrocket. The friendly neighbourhood shopkeeper would hoard items and smilingly tell you that there is no stock of daily necessities.
We were on a short pilgrimage to some places in the nearby state, some 400 miles from our town. Those were the days of unscheduled travel by unreserved buses and trains. The group consisted of my parents, sister, aunt and grandmother. We were almost finished with our tour and returning to our native town. During the last leg of the journey, in the crowded train, someone picked my father's pocket. We were stranded in a big Railway Junction with no funds to buy tickets on the last train and reach home. No online transactions and credit cards in those days. Cash was the one and only King. We halted in a Dharamshala in that big city. My father managed to send wire (telegram) to his two friends in our town requesting for sending money to cover the expense for the remaining journey. As we were in the middle of the frugal lunch on the third day, a postman shouted TMO. Telegraphic Money Order was received from one of the two sources and facilitated the journey back home.
That is the first time I heard of how money can be sent through Post Office and by wire in case of an emergency. Banks were only for the rich and affluent and most people did not have bank accounts. Sending money by way of Demand Draft (DD) and MT (Mail Transfer) through banks was mostly confined to business transactions. But today, remittances are instantaneous. Our country is making records in UPI transactions. NEFT, RTGS and IMPS etc. are used even by street vendors. QR Codes are displayed on cows as well seeking donations. Beggars (?) display QR codes prominently. Technology absorption is so fast and wide spread nowadays that everyone uses it for transfer of funds then and there. "Fund Transfer" has well and truly replaced "Remittance".While working in the bank and handling international business some fifteen years later, in the 1970s and 1980s, we handled several voluminous code books for transfer of funds and authenticating documents between our banks and overseas correspondents. Each system was different and working on them was a real thrill. Things are simplified now with computerisation and one system handles all remittances and messages real time, then and there. Money that took days or even months to reach the destination now is done in a few minutes. There are instances where the recipient informs the sender that money is received before the sender advises that it has been sent!
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NEFT and RTGS are two of the popular tools for transferring funds in India nowadays. Similar systems are available in all parts of the world, may be with different names. In USA they are called ACH (Automated Clearing House) and Fed wire transfers. The basic difference is that one is a "Net Settlement System" while the other is a "Gross Settlement System".
Before introduction of advanced technology, bank representatives used to meet at an appointed time each banking day in a designated place known as the "Clearing House", and used to exchange cheques presented by their customers drawn on other banks. All banks had an account with the bank running the clearing house. The net difference payable or receivable for each bank was accounted by debit or credit to the respective individual bank accounts. As the settlement used to happen for the net amount payable or receivable, this is known as the Net Settlement method.
In present day net Settlement Systems like NEFT, the same clearing house system is followed but not by physically meeting by bankers. Advanced computer systems handle the transactions round the clock. In Gross Settlement Systems like RTGS, each transaction is recorded in the systems and happens real time (then and there). This gives the name RTGS which stands for Real Time Gross Settlement.
Thus settlement can be one on one or for a batch of transactions. Handle each issue separately as RTGS or dispose off a bunch of issues like NEFT!
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Asura Hayagreeva or Hayagreevaasura was a demon with the body of a human being and the face of a horse. The word "Haya" means horse and "Greeva" is neck. (Ravana was also known as Dashagreeva as he had ten necks/heads). Asura Hayagreeva was the son of sage Kashyapa and Danu. Being the first ruler of the Danavas, he did a long penance and got a boon from Brahma that he cannot be killed above the sea water and that he can be killed only by someone who was also like him, with the horse form above the neck. Once the boon was granted he became all powerful and snatched away the Vedas from Lord Brahma himself. Snatching Vedas does not mean stealing the books as they show in films. It actually means preventing the eligible ones from learning them and dispersing wrong meaning among the others. He harassed all the devas and righteous people endlessly.Hayagreeva Asura never came out of water and did all his mischief while hiding in the ocean. Lord Vishnu took the form of Hayagreeva, with the human body but horse above the neck, and killed Hayagreeva Asura and returned the knowledge of the Vedas to the custody of Brahma once again. That is why Lord Hayagreeva is worshipped for bestowing knowledge. He is the custodian of all pure and wholesome learning resources. The belief is that worshipping him or even chanting his name will enable a person to have a fluent tongue and enables command over speaking and languages. The flow of words and speech from such a blessed person is compared to the flow of water in the divine river Janhavi (Ganga). He is specially worshipped if a child in the family is unable to speak even after the expected period of growth, or has stammering or deficiency in speech.
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Sanaka, Sanandana, Sanaatana and Sanatkumara were born from the mind of Lord Brahma. They are called as "Maanasaputraas" of Brahna, Maanas meaning the mind. They are believed to be in the form of children even today and devoted their existence to teaching and spiritual living. Once they went to Vaikuntha, the abode of Lord Mahavishnu, to have the darshan of the Lord. Vaikuntha is believed to have four entrance and each entrance covered by two guards. Jaya and Vijaya were the guards and prevented the four brothers from going further.
- Enraged by the action of Jaya and Vijaya, the Sanat brothers cursed them to take birth as human beings three times since they did not display the qualities of the heavenly guards.
- Hearing the commotion, Lord Vishnu appeared and pacified the four brothers. He also assured the two guards, Jaya and Vijaya, that though they will be born as Demons (Asuras), he will himself kill them by reincarnation or by taking Avataras.
- During the first of the three births, Jaya was born as Hiranya Kashipu and Vijaya was born as Hiranyaksha. (They were twins. The popular belief is that Hiranyaksha was the elder one. It is not so. When twins are born, the practice is to consider the one coming out of the mother's womb first as the elder brother. But the one coming out of the womb first is conceoved second and hence is the younger brother. The one conceived first and stays in the mother's womb longer is the elder brother.) Hiranyaksha was killed first by Lord Vishnu in Varaaha form. Enraged by this, Hiranya Kashipu did a long penance and pleased Lord Brahma. He wanted a boon to be immortal. Brahma said this is not possible. Hiranya used his ingenuity and sought a special boon with many conditions. (These conditions can be compared to the ones impsoed by banks when they lend money to their borrowers).
- He should not be killed by anyone or object created by Brahma himself.
- He should not be killed inside the house or outside the house.
- He should not be killed by man or animal.
- He should not be killed by any living or non-living tool.
- He should not be killed during day or night.
- And many such other conditions.
- When Hiranya was engaged in penance, Lord Indra kidnapped his pregnant wife Kayaadu and tried to kill her, to prevent Hiranyas next generation harassing the devas. Sage Narada appeared before Indra and saved Kayaadu for reason that her son will be the cause for the end of Hiranya Kashipu.
- Hiranya Kashipu's son Prahlada was firm in his belief that the Lord exists everywhere. Even under severe threats and all sorts of attempts by his father to kill his own son, Prahlada never wavered and stuck to his belief.
- As Brahma had approved all of Hiranya's conditions and given the boon, it was necessary for Mahavishnu to make it true, by taking a form that was beyond all the imaginations of Hiranya and killing him by meeting all the conditions.
- In addition to all these, Lord Mahavishnu has himself declared that his true devotees will not come to grief at any cost. (न मे भक्तः प्रणश्यति - ನ ಮೇ ಭಕ್ತಃ ಪ್ರಣಶ್ಯತಿ). Here were many, starting from Brahma himself, Sanat brothers, Jaya and Vijaya, Naarada, Prahlada and many others.
Thus there were a batch of issues which were to be disposed off by one incarnation that took care of all these with one settlement.
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Hayagriva Asura's case was a very simple one. it was a direct one-to-one issue. The Supreme Lord settled it in the RTGS method. Hayagriva incarnation made it a straightforward gross settlement.
The case of Hiranya Kashipu and Prahlada was much more complex. There were many events which formed a chain. There wee also other assurances given by the Lord on different occasions. It was not straightforward one-to-one issue. One incarnation had to settle all these complex and intertwined issues. The Lord took the form of Narasimha and used the NEFT system of settlement!
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Bhagavata uses the adjective "Adhbhuta" (अध्भुत - ಅಧ್ಭುತ) for the many incarnations of the Supreme Lord. Indeed they are Adhbhuta. There appears to be no exact word in English to convey this effect, at least I am not aware of. The words that could be used are probably "Miracle" or "Awesome".
The incarnation of Narasimha as he comes out of the pillar to confront Hiranya Kashipu with Prahlada in attendance is described in Srimad Bhagavata as under:
सत्यं विधातुं निज भृत्य भाषितं
व्याप्तिञ्च भूतेशु अखिलेषुचात्मनः
अदृश्यत अत्यध्भुत रूपामुद्वहन्
स्तम्भे सभायां न मृगम् न मानुषम्
Satyam vidhatum nija bhrutya bhaashitam
Vyaaptimcha bhooteshu akhileshuchatmanah
Adrushyata atyadhbhuta roopamudvahan
Sthambhe sabhaayam Na Mrugam Na Maanusham
ಸತ್ಯಂ ವಿಧಾತುಂ ನಿಜ ಭೃತ್ಯ ಭಾಷಿತಮ್
ವ್ಯಾಪ್ತಿಮ್ ಚ ಭೂತೇಷು ಅಖಿಲೇಷುಚಾತ್ಮನಃ
ಅದೃಶ್ಯತ ಅತ್ಯದ್ಭುತ ರೂಪಮುದ್ವಹನ್
ಸ್ಥಮ್ಭೇ ಸಭಾಯಾಂ ನ ಮೃಗಂ ನ ಮಾನುಷಮ್
The word used to describe this incarnation is "Atyadhbhuta", which may transalate to probably "The most awesome".
Those involved in financial settlements for commercial transactions are familiar with an instrument or method of settlement known as "Documentary Credit" or "Letter of Credit" or its popular short form LC. Under this settlement method LC issuing bank will make payment only when all the conditions mentioned in the instrument, whether one considers them as major or minor, are fulfilled. Even with slight deviation (known as Discrepancy in banking language) payment may be rejected. A set of documents presented exactly in accordance with the terms and conditions of the LC will entail "Clean Negotiation". LC issuing bank is bound to pay.
Narasimha incarnation fulfils all the terms and conditions set by not just by Hiranya Kashipu, but by the supreme Lord himself in various utterances. There cannot be a better set of compliance. It is indeed अत्यध्भुत - Atyadhbhuta.
