“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)

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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

Imagine the following situation. You are a school-aged child. You have just begun formal education, in fact. The last two years were mostly spent playing with other classmates. This year is the beginning of actual instruction. To show evidence to the parents that their children are learning, the children receive the typical paraphernalia, such as notebook and pencil.

The women of the households prepare the children for school. They take care of the children after school ends for the day, as well. The school happens to be at the home of a celebrated teacher. This is the way education occurred in many places around the world, up until modern times. You learn different things while attending. You take to different interests. You are influenced by both what the teachers teach and what the students talk about, during recess time.

You know that your father will ask about school when you return home. When he is free to have a visit, when he is ready to receive you, there will be questions about your experience. For instance, what did you learn? What did you find most interesting? What topics did you find boring? What goals have you now set for the future? He might even ask what you want to be when you grow up.

In this regard, you have a general idea of what answers will be acceptable. By acceptable, we mean that which the father will react to positively. He will be encouraged if you say this thing or that. If you talk about wanting to dominate the world, for instance, that would make him most proud. If you want to pursue the literary arts, in chronicling the celebrated history of the family, that would also be well-received.

In truth, almost anything will be tolerated: except for one thing. That one interest will actually put you in danger. The father will turn quizzical at first, later rising to inimical. There will be no service to call for protection. That is because the father runs the government. He is at the very top. He has no fear of embarrassment or a loss of popular support. This is because he stands tall based on his own strength. Mind you, that strength had to be acquired. It was received only after supplication of a higher authority. There is hardly anyone in the world dedicated enough to go through the intense austerity necessary to catch the attention of this benefactor. It is safe to say that your father is in a safe position. No outside force can influence him.

What if this one interest is what inspires you most? What if you have no inclination towards any other topics? What if you know that the teachers are not revealing the true mission in life? What if you feel that their instruction is lacking? What if you are actually better suited to instructing the other students? What if you know that this interest would actually do the most good, bhala, for your otherwise powerful father?

प्रीति प्रतीति सुरीति स्ॐ राम राम जपु राम
तुलसी तेरो है भलेआ आदि मध्य परिनाम

prīti pratīti surīti soṃ rāma rāma japu rāma
tulasī tero hai bhaleā ādi madhya parināma

“Chanting Shri Rama’s holy name with love, faith and according to regulative principles will be beneficial for you from beginning to end, says Tulsi.” (Dohavali, 23)

Prahlada Maharaja faced this very situation. He one time appeared before his father. The women of the kingdom had prepared him beforehand. Prahlada had recently returned from the home of the guru. In other words, he was back from school. Prahlada carried a slate in his hand. The father, Hiranyakashipu, was eager to hear what Prahlada had learned.

The father was perhaps expecting to hear about the four principal means of diplomacy. The Sanskrit words are sama, dana, bheda, and danda. These are pacification, charity, division, and force, respectively. Who even knows about these measures today? To show such knowledge at an early age would surely please the father, as Prahlada would then be on the right track to inheriting the family business at a later time. Prahlada would be on an express MBA program of sorts, ready to one day rule the kingdom of the Daityas, proudly accepting the throne from his father.

Instead, Prahlada showed the one interest that would get him censored within the community. At the top of the slate was a mark of the chakra. This object is auspicious due to the association with Lord Vishnu. The Supreme Personality of Godhead known as the resident of the Vaikuntha realm has four arms, and in one of those arms He is showing the chakra. Maybe this was a mistake. Surely, Prahlada would not be showing a visible allegiance to the one person the father hated the most. The chakra may have been accidentally drawn, to give clues on how to identify the great enemy to the kingdom.

Except there was something else on the slate. The name of Krishna. The Sanskrit word to describe how this name was written is adarat. The decoration, ankita, was with reverence. Krishna is another name for Vishnu. Even Krishna sometimes shows the chakra; as He is always the same Vishnu. To write someone’s name with reverence on a slate is to show affection. Since Prahlada was so young, that affection could not be tainted by material desires. It is not like Prahlada wanted anything from Vishnu.

As Vishnu was like a great enemy to the cruel and wicked [khalah] Hiranyakashipu, any person showing allegiance to Vishnu would fall into the same category. Prahlada revealed the one interest that would put him in immediate danger. It was the one interest that would not be tolerated. It was the one interest that would make him the victim of the worst abuse known to mankind. The difference was that this one interest was not a mere thought in the wind. That chakra and that name are non-different from the person they represent. That person is the most powerful. No leader, whether governing a vast kingdom or a tiny hut, can overcome that power.

In Closing:

Meeting father of awesome power,
After school’s completion hour.

Child any interest could have shown,
But not towards enemy known.

Like proof of writing demonstration,
Chakra and Krishna name decoration.

Both censor and censure to come,
But by Prahlada innocently done.

Categories: prahlada and his slate

Tags: atheism, childhood, dailyprompt, parenting, poem, poems, poetry