Virocana the son of Prahlada Maharaja and Chandgya Upanisad

[Paramananda das]

Virocana the son of Prahlada Maharaja and Chandgya Upanisad

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chandogya_Upanishad…

Virocana was not like his father a great devotee, he was completely ignorant .Srimad Bhagavatam states if one can not deliver ones children do not have them , however Virocana son was Bali Maharaja .Srila Bhaktisiddhanta Prabhupada said once that if he would be able to have a son that would be a pure Vaisnava he would have thousands of sons if they all became pure devotees, but he said you do not know how they will come out .So I choose life time of celibacy .

In Chandogya Upanisad it is mentioned how Virocana as the king of demons went ot see Lord Brahma for knowledge of the self, and so did Lord Indra, but Virocana did not pass Lord Brahmas test and left thinking I am this body and the goal of the body is to enjoy .

But interestingly though Chandogya Upanisad describes Virocana is ignorant I am reading this story on line that Virocana was a devotee of Visnu like Prahlada Maharaja ,Virocana practiced celibacy for 32 years in the Asrama of Lord Brahma along with Indra .

So this Puranic story tells the Indra killed Virocana later on, so I am looking for the reference in the Puranas where this is mentioned:

Death

Virochana like his father was a great devotee of Lord Vishnu, was a virtuous ruler and didn't oppose the devas, at least knowingly. Virochana on Shukracharya's advice decided to make penance to the sun god, Surya. But the day on which he had decided to go to the mountains for his penance happened to be the day his son was born, after he had seen his son, he went to the mountains for the penance. After about 10 years Surya was pleased with the penance and gave him a crown which would protect him as long as he wore it. Upon returning home he learnt that his son Mahabali had grown old enough to start the learning phase of his life or Brahmacharya and that was the day on which he would leave to begin his brahmacharya. As Virochan was a devotee of Vishnu he ordered that all the temples that belonged to the devatas inside his kingdom be turned into temples of lord Vishnu and that yagnas be performed only to Lord Vishnu. This caused the devas to starve as the offerings that were given to them in yagnas were their food. Thus Indra made a plan to kill Virochan, he had to use trickery because Virochana had protection of his magic crown. So, on the day Mahabali's Brahmacharya completed, Virochana and Devamba wanted to bring him back home themselves and as this was a personal cause, so instead of using a royal carriage, they used a simple chariot which Virochana himself drove. When they were crossing a particularly dry piece of land, Surya increased his brightness, so they started to get extremely thirsty with no source of water in view. Suddenly a hut came into view. Virochana stopped the chariot in front of the hut. Inside the hut were 2 sages, who were actually Indra and Varuna disguised. Virochana asked them for some water and the sages told him and Devamba to rest for a while inside the hut while they fetch some water from a well behind the hut. Inside the hut Virochana and Devamba waited and eventually fell unconscious from the thirst. Indra removed the crown from Virochana's head and threw it into the well, then Virochana regained consciousness and upon seeing Indra attacking him drew out his own sword. Varuna on seeing that Indra can't defeat Virochana alone joined in the fight. Finally both of them were able to kill Virochana and as Indra knew that Shukracharya had the Sanjeevni Mantra which can revive the dead and also knowing it will work only if the body existed, he set Virochana's corpse on fire. Devamba died of grief. This incident is what caused Mahabali to oppose the devas since his father had seen him only twice, when he was born and when he was leaving for brahmacharya and also because his father didn’t receive proper funeral rights.

May be a cartoon

2Suhaila Aaradhya Devidasi and Jiva Goswami Das Baba Ji
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Paramananda Das
in the Puranic Encyclpedia we find this information about VIrocana : Story of Virocana
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General information.
An asura. He was the son of Prahlāda and the father of Mahābali. Three sons Virocana, Kumbha and Nikumbha were born to Prahlāda by his wife Dhṛti. Virocana, though an asura, performed rites and rituals carefully. He was kind towards Brahmins. His son Bali became famous and got the name Mahābali. (Mahābhārata Ādi Parva, Chapter 65, Stanza 19).
Other details.
(i) Once there was a controversy between Virocana and Sudhanvā. (See under Sudhanvā II).
(ii) During the time of emperor Pṛthu, when the asuras milked the earth Virocana stood as the calf. (Mahābhārata Droṇa Parva, Chapter 69, Stanza 20).
(iii) Virocana is included among the ancient Kings of prominence. (Mahābhārata Śānti Parva, Chapter 227, Stanza 50).
(iv) There is a story about the quest for knowledge about universal and individual souls, by Indra and Virocana, in Chāndogyopaniṣad, as given below.
Once the Devas and the asuras approached Prajāpati to learn about Brahman, the impersonal God. Prajāpati told them: "Ātman (soul) is the first tattva (Essential being) which is sinless, eternal, desireless and unimaginable in the earth." Having heard this philosophy about the soul, the Devas selected Indra, and the asuras selected Virocana and to know the details, they sent them to Prajāpati as his disciples.
Indra and Virocana stayed with Prajāpati for several years to know more about Ātman. But Prajāpati did not reveal to them the secret about Brahman. At last to test them Prajāpati said "Your reflection that you see in water or mirror is the Ātman (soul)."
Virocana, who mistook what the Prajāpati said as truth immediately took his bath, put on costly dress and ornaments and stood near water and saw his reflection in water. After that, taking the reflection for soul, he spread this doctrine among his people. With this the asuras accepted body as soul. But the Devas did not recognize this philosophy. They accepted the doctrine that Ātman is that essence of Nature which is alien to body and mind and which is pure.
(v) There are two different statements about the death of Virocana in the Purāṇas.
(1) In the battle with Tārakāsura, Virocana was killed by Devendra. (Mahābhārata Śānti Parva, Chapter 99. Brahmāṇḍa 1. 20. 35; Matsya: 10: 11; Padma Purāṇa, Sṛṣṭi Khaṇḍa 16).
(2) The Sun God was pleased with Virocana and had given him a crown. The sun told him that death would come only if that crown was removed from the head by some body. Because of this boon Virocana became arrogant. So Mahāviṣṇu took the form of a beautiful woman and enticed Virocana towards him and taking away the crown killed him. (Gaṇeśa Purāṇa 2, 29).
According to Nārada Purāṇa, Mahāviṣṇu took the form of a Brahmin and reached the palace of Virocana. There changing the righteous wife of Virocana into a mad woman he killed Virocana.
(vi) Virocana had two wives called Viśālākṣī and Devī. Two children, Bala and Ya odharā were born by them. The wife of the famous Tvaṣṭā was this Yaśodharā. (Brahmāṇḍa. 3: 1: 86; Nārada Purāṇa 2: 32: Bhāgavata, Skandha 9).
(vii) Virocana had five brothers named Kumbha, Nikumbha, Āyuṣmān, Śibi and Bāṣkali and a sister named Virocanā. (Vāyu Purāṇa. 84, 19).

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Paramananda Das
This incident occurred in 5th major war between gods and demons. The war was named as Tarkamaya war. Lord Vishnu killed Kalnemi and Indra killed Virochana.

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Paramananda Das
ok this is found in Matsya Purana : At the time of churning the ocean for nectar, Indra conquered Prahlada, and then killed Virochana, the son of Prahlada, in the Tarakamaya war, for the latter was always after the life of Indra and never was friendly to the deeds of the Devas —48.49[1]
Ref: Matysa Purana Chapter 47 Page No 127