“Others will also ridicule and scorn saying, ‘This child is an asura but prays to the gods. It is like a cat offering prayers to a mouse or a peacock to a snake.’ This is indeed a bad omen, behavior resembling an enemy, as even after obtaining great wealth and power, an unintelligent person can fall down.” (Hiranyakashipu speaking to Prahlada, Narasimha Purana, 41.59-60)

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अन्येपि त्वां हनिष्यन्ति वदिष्यन्ति जनास्त्विदम्
असुरोयं सुरांस्तौति मार्जार इव मूषकान्
द्वेष्यान् शिखीव फणिनो दुर्निमित्तमिदं ध्रुवम्
लब्ध्वापि महदैश्वर्यं लाघवं यान्त्यबुद्धयः

anyepi tvāṃ haniṣyanti vadiṣyanti janāstvidam
asuroyaṃ surāṃstauti mārjāra iva mūṣakān
dveṣyān śikhīva phaṇino durnimittamidaṃ dhruvam
labdhvāpi mahadaiśvaryaṃ lāghavaṃ yāntyabuddhayaḥ

“Sorry to be presumptuous, but it sure appears that you have things well under control. Your bhakti life is rather easy, by comparison. It doesn’t seem that others are interfering, that you are a target because of your visible allegiance. Rather, it is likely that the worship of the Supreme Lord, in the saguna form, is encouraged by your family. Perhaps it is a longstanding tradition, dating back many generations. No one really thinks you are an oddball for repeating Sanskrit prayers, for applying certain markings to the body, for circumambulating a tree, and for restricting food intake to those life forms which lack a face.

“You have no idea what I go through. My family is inimical. They think I am crazy to discuss the difference between matter and spirit. They think of religion only in the formal sense, in receiving a rubberstamp of approval from the powerful institution. They insist that I go through with the rites of passage, dressed appropriately and all, for snapping photos to share with the rest of the community. As long as you show up to the house of worship on a regular basis, even if guilted into doing so, you are all set. The rest of the life experience is for enjoyment, while keeping an eye out for obviously immoral behavior. We have to live in fear of God, you see. It is not like we can make Him a friend or think that He has somehow agreed to live in our home.

“I have to keep real quiet about everything that I do. I have to hide the books that I read. I have to keep my mouth shut when I hear people complaining about problems that could easily be solved by studying a verse or two from Bhagavad-gita. I have to make up excuses for why I can’t eat what is on the dinner table.

“You really have no idea what it’s like. Bhakti-yoga is easy for you. It is difficult for me. What advice could you possibly offer? You have never walked in my shoes. You have never felt the wrath of defying the conventional practices of the area, of the family, of the community, in disregarding the expectations associated with your ethnicity. What could you possibly say to me that would help in this endeavor?”

Every person has their liabilities and assets. This applies to both the gunas, which are material qualities, and the conditions in which they reside. Shri Hanuman accurately describes that such distinctions are due to past work. Everyone is working, in the system known as karma, and they will get rewarded or punished accordingly.

गुणदोषकृतं जन्तुस्स्वकर्म फलहेतुकम्
अव्यग्रस्तदवाप्नोति सर्वं प्रेत्य शुभाशुभम्

guṇadoṣakṛtaṃ jantussvakarma phalahetukam
avyagrastadavāpnoti sarvaṃ pretya śubhāśubham

“Driven by a virtuous or evil purpose, each living entity performs some work, which has consequences associated with it. After death, the same person steadily reaps all those auspicious and inauspicious results.” (Hanuman speaking to Tara, Valmiki Ramayana, Kishkindha Kand, 21.2)

Looks can also be deceiving. For instance, we see a family that appears to have it all. Husband and wife who are happily married. Two children, one boy and one girl. Regular attendance at a house of worship. Politeness. Participation in important functions. Everything is going well, but that is just the vision from the surface. At home, there might be so many problems. The children are becoming spoiled. The wife no longer respects the husband. There is constant screaming and yelling. Fighting without justification. Unhappiness and a lack of purpose in life.

If we want to conduct a comparative analysis, to see whose sob story wins the first prize, of who is justified in garnering the most sympathy, it would be difficult to compete with the historical personality known as Prahlada Maharaja. He was born into circumstances that simply did not align with his nature. He was a Daitya by birth, but a devotee at heart. He happened to take birth in the family of the greatest Daitya, in terms of power and opposition to the devotional culture.

Prahlada had little outlet for devotion. His spontaneous attraction for worship of Vishnu, the Supreme Personality of Godhead, was due to hearing. He happened to hear in secret, when no one else was around. He happened to hear while in an enclosed space. You see, Prahlada heard about the science of self-realization while within the womb. He heard about Vishnu and the meaning of life even prior to taking birth. This was due to the grace of Narada Muni, who travels the three worlds and lifts others out of darkness through discussing transcendental topics.

Imagine being so inspired to worship someone while simultaneously enjoying the benefits of youth. The vibrancy. The enthusiasm. The innocence. The lack of attention on sleep. No need for anti-anxiety medication because you have no idea what anxiety is. You are not concerned with impressing others, in winning a popularity contest, or gathering possessions. All you want to do is worship. The devotion is so strong in you that it cannot be contained. If others ask you questions, you can’t help but direct your responses towards worship of Hari, which is another name for Vishnu.

Imagine having such inspiration while facing the greatest opposition. More than a mere antagonist to righteous principles [dharma], Hiranyakashipu had the authority to stomp out any opposition. He could literally beat the devotion out of Prahlada, if necessary. The father first tried to shame the boy into relinquishing the allegiance.

You see, Vishnu was actually the inferior party. The Daitya leader was ahead of everyone. Hiranyakashipu thought that Prahlada was crazy for prostrating in front of someone worthy of disdain. The father compared the practice to a cat honoring a mouse. A peacock thinking that the snake is superior. They would show this allegiance through stuti, which is prayer.

What loving child isn’t after the approval of their parents? Especially if the father is in a respected position such as king, wouldn’t the child want to make the father proud? Except Prahlada was turning into the black sheep of the family. Hiranyakashipu considered the allegiance to Vishnu to be the work of an enemy, dveshyan. Applying this label to Prahlada provided justification for taking bold steps. You see, Prahlada worshiping Vishnu innocently would be the foolishness of a child. But if Prahlada was acting like an enemy, then it was like an emergency situation that warranted immediate attention.

Hiranyakashipu thus proceeded to apply lethal force. If we think we have it bad, just consider how that innocent child was harassed simply for worshiping God. The boy had no means to convert others. He could not use force. He could not change minds by threatening punishment. He was a five-year old boy, after all. That steady and unwavering devotion made him a bigger target as time went by, but that meant that the protection from Vishnu only continued to increase, eventually leading to the wonderful appearance of the amazing avatara known as Narahari.

In Closing:

Always miserable and sad,
Considering my position bad.

Into worst circumstances to throw,
What possibly could you know?

Comparing in travelling time back,
How Prahlada means to lack.

From father relentless attack,
But steady in devotion’s track.

Categories: questions, supplicating the inferior

Tags: bhakti, dailyprompt, poem, poems, poetry, prahlada, yoga