Today is Narasimha Jayanti. Thought to share the power of a simple question.
- Krishna Prakash
- Apr 30
- 2 min read
In coaching & leadership, we often celebrate powerful questions, but here is a quieter truth:
A question becomes powerful not because it is complex… but because it is clean.
The story of Hiranyakashipu is, in many ways, a lesson in over-engineering.
He didn’t lack intelligence but lacked simplicity.
When he sought a boon from Brahma, he tried to cover every possibility: not this, not that, not here, not there…
It mirrors what we sometimes see in our conversations:
* layered questions
* leading constructs
* intellectual gymnastics
* shades of mentoring
* hints of healing
The undiscovered intent is control, and the visible outcome is clutter 🫣
And then there is Prahlada…
No complexity.
No strategy.
No conditions.
No over thinking.
No attempt to be clever.
No intent to show off.
Just plain, simple alignment.
Content to be in “I don’t know” space when it comes to what could unfold next…
While one (Hiranyakasipu) tried to design certainty, the other (Prahlada) rested in clarity.
And when Narasimha emerged from the pillar, it wasn’t just the end of a tyrant.
It was a reminder - life doesn’t respond to how cleverly you frame things, but responds to how truthfully you align with them.
For us as coaches and leaders…
A powerful question is not one that impresses, but the one that reveals.
Three possible NOT and BUT to consider. In fact, not just in coaching but in daily conversations too.
The daily conversations are priceless and invaluable yet undervalued, underrated and under utilised…
1️⃣ Not: “What are all the possible scenarios you need to safeguard against?”
But: “What truly matters here?”
✨ no one can know ‘all possible scenarios.’
2️⃣ Not: “How do you ensure nothing goes wrong?”
But: “What are you holding on to?”
✨ “nothing can endure everything can go right.
3️⃣ Not: “What’s the perfect strategy?”
But: “What is the truth you already know?”
✨ perfection is a mirage!
Complexity seeks control, while simplicity invites insight
On this Narasimha Jayanti, a gentle reminder for all of us in the coaching & leadership space:
🙏🏼 Don’t try to outsmart the moment.
⁉️ Don’t overload the question.
🔆 Don’t perform intelligence.
🫡 Don’t try to figure out every question, beforehand.
🤐 Don’t try to hog the limelight.
Instead… let us hold space.
Let us ask simply, and trust what emerges.
Because sometimes, like the Divine in the pillar, the answer is already there.
Waiting… not for a better question, but for a simpler truer one.
PS 1: special thanks to Pon Latha & Venkateswaran Subramanian 🙏🏼
PS 2: today at sunset time kindly offer panakam and buttermilk to Sri Lakshmi Narasimha
Comments