“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

There is a theory as to why religion may not be as popular today as it used to be. We look back several hundred years and see that the majority of education took place under the auspices of a church or church-affiliated group. In other parts of the world, there was the spiritual guide known as the guru, who ran his own school known as the gurukula. It was like a family affair, where the students were taken care of, nurtured, but also taught discipline, austerity, and respect.

Today, the education takes place in secular institutions, which are mostly free of charge. There is no direct payment involved, though there is funding through local and state taxes. One of the explanations for the trend away from religion is the following:

“We prayed for everything. We got all the stuff we wanted. Those people of the past were poor. They begged the heavens to bless them with rain every year. That’s why there were so many famines. If food didn’t grow, there was no other way. There was no mechanism to transport vital necessities from one region to another.

“Just look at what we have now. We are doing well. What do we need religion for? What else could we possibly ask for? Why should we pray? Oh, so that we can maintain everything? That is fine. We can do that once a week. We’ll go along with the song and dance. We will dress up and sit in the pews. We will pretend that we care, when we really don’t. We are more focused on the football games upcoming, later in the afternoon. We can’t wait to consume endless streaming content. Everything is laid out for us; we barely have to work.”

Some would say this viewpoint is widespread, that it accurately reflects the sentiments of the general population. If religion is nothing more than a sentiment, why not direct that sentiment towards something else? If it is nothing more than a rubberstamp, why should someone worry after they have received approval? After they have been initiated into a specific tradition, through a formal ritual well-attended by friends and family, what else is there to do? Better to focus on enjoying rather than repenting.

“Human civilization is meant for purifying the senses, and objects of sense satisfaction should be supplied as much as absolutely required, but not for aggravating artificial sensory needs. Food, shelter, defense and sense gratification are all needs in material existence. Otherwise, in his pure, uncontaminated state of original life, the living entity has no such needs. The needs are therefore artificial, and in the pure state of life there are no such needs. As such, increasing the artificial needs, as is the standard of material civilization, or advancing the economic development of human society, is a sort of engagement in darkness, without knowledge.” (Shrila Prabhupada, Shrimad Bhagavatam, 2.5.30 Purport)

The fallacy here is that convenience does not equate to advancement. Convenience may alleviate suffering. It may facilitate improvements in efficiency. It may remove some disturbances, but advancement is something entirely different. There is a Sanskrit principle to consider: ajitendriyah.

The historical example of the Daitya kingdom ruled by Hiranyakashipu perfectly illustrates this principle. Though the story takes place thousands of years ago, we can compare against our own hopes and desires for what success would look like. What if we ruled the entire universe? What if we had dominion over everyone and everything? What if every material amenity could be summoned by a single gesture of the hand? Snap your fingers and you have food and wine, in endless quantities. If you feel lazy in the aftermath, someone else can take care of responsibilities for you. There is nothing to stand in your way of enjoyment.

स इत्थं निर्जितककुबेकराड् विषयान् प्रियान्
यथोपजोषं भुञ्जानो नातृप्यदजितेन्द्रिय:

sa itthaṁ nirjita-kakub
eka-rāḍ viṣayān priyān
yathopajoṣaṁ bhuñjāno
nātṛpyad ajitendriyaḥ

“In spite of achieving the power to control in all directions and in spite of enjoying all types of dear sense gratification as much as possible, Hiranyakashipu was dissatisfied because instead of controlling his senses he remained their servant.” (Shrimad Bhagavatam, 7.4.19)

Shrimad Bhagavatam applies the label of ajitendriyah to Hiranyakashipu. He was conquered by the senses. Since he was otherwise so advanced, how could this happen? Could he not order someone to control the senses for him? Could he not swat away the agitation, like removing the annoying fly buzzing around the room? Could he not force medical personnel to excise the overgrowth of disturbance within his mind?

The most obvious symptom of the ajitendriyah condition was Hiranyakashipu’s paranoia towards his own son. The five-year old Prahlada was worshiping in his spare time. That worship was not encouraged in the community. It was not explicitly taught in school. Like writing the name of someone most dear to him, Prahlada would print the names of Vishnu and Krishna on his slate.

The father was outraged by this. He could not tolerate it. He could not convince Prahlada to change ways, either. All that convenience could not compel someone else out of knowledge. Prahlada was fixed in his worship. It was the dridha-vrata described in Bhagavad-gita. The intelligence was singularly focused, instead of many-branched.

व्यवसायात्मिका बुद्धिर्
एकेह कुरु-नन्दन
बहु-शाखा ह्य् अनन्ताश् च
बुद्धयो ऽव्यवसायिनाम्

vyavasāyātmikā buddhir
ekeha kuru-nandana
bahu-śākhā hy anantāś ca
buddhayo ‘vyavasāyinām

“Those who are on this path are resolute in purpose, and their aim is one. O beloved child of the Kurus, the intelligence of those who are irresolute is many-branched.” (Lord Krishna, Bhagavad-gita, 2.41)

Hiranyakashipu tried to shame Prahlada out of the allegiance. The other students would make fun of Prahlada, you see. They would compare his worship of Vishnu to a cat praising a mouse or a peacock honoring a snake. It was the work of someone lacking intelligence, buddhi, after having reached the height of opulence, aishvarya.

‘श्रद्धा’-शब्दे — बिश्बास कहे सुदृঢ় निश्चय
कृष्णे भक्ति कैले सर्बकर्म कृत हय

‘śraddhā’-śabde — viśvāsa kahe sudṛḍha niścaya
kṛṣṇe bhakti kaile sarva-karma kṛta haya

“By rendering transcendental loving service to Krishna, one automatically performs all subsidiary activities. This confident, firm faith, favorable to the discharge of devotional service, is called shraddha.” (Chaitanya Charitamrita, Madhya 22.62)

The wise Prahlada did not mistakenly equate aishvarya with advancement. Real religion is without conditions. Whether we think we are living in the stone ages or are right in the middle of the greatest period of technological innovation, the connection to Vishnu should remain. He is our sole objective, when considering the temporary and miserable material nature.

In Closing:

Troubles of past leave behind,
And enjoy blessings to find.

That endless content to consume,
In height of convenience to assume.

But Hiranyakashipu in that place already,
But neither intelligence nor senses steady.

Whereas Prahlada in free time to write,
Vishnu and Krishna the beacon of light.

Categories: religion, supplicating the inferior

Tags: dailyprompt, poem, poems, poetry, prahlada, science, technology