Five Things I Could Write On My Slate At School

“One time, that wicked king of the Daityas saw his son of lotus-like face and beautiful eyes, surrounded by women, having returned from the home of the guru. In his hand, that boy was holding a slate which had the mark of a chakra at the top and the name of Krishna written with great adoration.” (Narasimha Purana, 41.35-36)

Download this episode (right click and save)

तं पद्मवक्त्रं दैत्येन्द्रः कदाचित् स्त्रीवृतः खलः
बालं गुरुगृहायातं ददर्श स्वायतेक्षणम्
गृहीत्वा तु करे पुत्रं पट्टिका या सुशोभना
मूर्ध्नि चक्राङ्किता पट्टी कृष्णनामाङ्कितादरात्

taṃ padmavaktraṃ daityendraḥ kadācit strīvṛtaḥ khalaḥ
bālaṃ gurugṛhāyātaṃ dadarśa svāyatekṣaṇam
gṛhītvā tu kare putraṃ paṭṭikā yā suśobhanā
mūrdhni cakrāṅkitā paṭṭī kṛṣṇanāmāṅkitādarāt

1. Bad words

“Okay, let the class see what you have written. You have been busy, writing away. I hope you have been paying attention. No need to try to hide anything. Why are you putting it under your desk? Please, do not reach for the eraser. I am approaching your desk. Something is definitely not right.

“Oh, my! Where did you learn such vile words? What will your parents say when they hear about this? At least you spelled the words correctly. Is this what goes through your mind? The rest of the children sit here and dutifully listen, while your mind is in the gutter, obviously. Wait until your parents hear about this.”

2. Apologies

“You are sitting here in detention. You are the only student here today. It must be a slow week. Do you feel any remorse? All your friends must have reached home already. They are eating a nice meal prepared by their parents. They are lounging on the sofa, watching their preferred programming. Meanwhile, you are stuck here. Actually, I am stuck with you, too. It is no picnic for me, either.

“I hope you realize how poorly you behaved today. I am ashamed to even review the things you did. Never mind, as you have that slate in front of you. Please write your statement of apology. Write it over and over. Use small letters, so that the words will fit. Every time the slate fills up, show the messages to me. Then, you can erase and repeat. I will decide when you have been punished sufficiently. The message has to resonate; you have to be sorry and truly mean it.”

3. The names of my friends

“Oh, what an interesting diagram you have created. Out of words, no less. These are various names, I presume? Of your closest friends. They must mean a lot to you. I wonder if they would write your name on a board, in return. Can you tell me a little bit about each of these friends?”

4. My goals for the future

“Do you understand the purpose to the assignment? This is not merely a task to test your writing ability. Words mean things, after all. If you write down the words, it is as if they gain additional meaning. This is in the relationship with the writer. If you write down the words, there is a kind of connection. You are the author, after all.

“By writing down your future goals, you can better envision what that life might look like. There is no harm in ambition. If you have potential, why not meet it? If you have ability, why not use it? The dream can only become a reality when you acknowledge that it is something worth pursuing. That acknowledgement begins with writing down the words.”

5. The name of Krishna

Hiranyakashipu was the leader of the Daitya kingdom. This was a long time ago, during ancient times. Prahlada was the five-year old son to that king. Prahlada was loved. Prahlada was cared for. The father had affection for the son; at least in the beginning.

Prahlada once came before the father. The child held a slate in his hand. The child had just returned from the place of the guru, who is the spiritual master. Translating to modern situations, it is like Prahlada had come home from school and was ready to show his father what he had learned.

Narasimha Purana describes what the slate looked like. It had the mark of a chakra at the top. This is a wheel-like symbol associated with Lord Vishnu, who is the Supreme Personality of Godhead. There can only be one God, but not everyone realizes or understands Him in the same way. Vishnu is like God in the personal form, free of anxieties while residing in the Vaikuntha realm and showing four arms. Each arm carries a different item. One of those items is the disc, which is known as the sudarshana-chakra.

Prahlada had also written the name of Krishna on the slate. It was like a decoration, drawn with adoration. Hiranyakashipu did not directly reference the slate in their conversation, but the decorations, ankita, were like an ominous sign. They portended bad things to come. This is because Hiranyakashipu hated Vishnu. He hated seeing the name of Krishna, which is another way to describe the same Vishnu. At that point in time, Krishna was also a future avatara of Vishnu, set to appear in the manifest world to deal with the trouble caused by the king named Kamsa.

“The Supreme Personality of Godhead will appear on the earth very soon along with His supreme powerful potencies, and as long as He remains on the earth planet to execute His mission of annihilating the demons and establishing the devotees, the demigods should also remain there to assist Him.” (Message of Lord Vishnu to Lord Brahma and the demigods, Krishna, The Supreme Personality of Godhead, Volume 1, Chapter 1)

The slate in this context is a tool of formal education. There are so many concepts, principles, and formulas that can be learned through the use of a single slate, but we see that Prahlada, firmly within the innocence of childhood, understood its best use. The slate was a tool for worship. Though not standard paraphernalia on an altar, the slate itself was worshipable, since it carried the auspicious signs of the Supreme Lord. In this way, the child had already mastered education, to the chagrin of the atheist father, who was wicked in character, khalah.

In Closing:

To father’s chagrin,
Disappointed in him.

From slate in sight,
Name of Krishna to write.

And image of Vishnu saw,
Where  chakra to draw.

But Prahlada worshiping in this way,
Natural devotion to display.