“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

“I understand that His Divine Grace A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada recognized the rapidly declining condition of mankind. He saw that people were in desperate search for meaning, for lasting satisfaction, for fulfilling paramartha in a manner that provided assurance of a successful landing zone in the afterlife. To lift every person up, irrespective of their background, country of origin, religion, or even language spoken, he particularly took to teaching Bhagavad-gita. He authored his own translation and commentary, appropriately titled, ‘Bhagavad-gita As It Is.’

“There is a lot of confidence in that title. There is assertiveness. The title speaks to the urgency of the human birth. The title matches well with the famous Sanskrit aphorism of athato brahma-jijnasa. Now is the time for inquiring into spiritual matters, Brahman. There must be an inquiry. Man has the ability to reason. Man has the potential to learn. Man can deliberate upon what they have heard. They should utilize these tendencies for the highest goal, for understanding who they truly are.

“It is a bold approach, for sure. Because traditionally you wouldn’t teach sanatana-dharma to any random person. You would look for qualifications, which are described in the Gita itself. The student must offer some service. They should inquire in a humble manner. They should approach someone who has seen the truth, tattva-darshi.

“Time and circumstance dictate that not everyone will even know what is available to them. How will they seek out a tattva-darshi if they never come upon a concept such as tattva? I am not necessarily against the approach to be proactive in sharing the teachings of Krishna to Arjuna, but is there not some danger involved? The information getting into the wrong hands, for instance. A student misunderstanding a few key principles and then following the wrong path, adharma, based on that wrong interpretation.

“There is one particular teaching which I find to be most dangerous. You probably expect me to bring up the verses where Krishna encourages Arjuna to fight, to go up against his enemies in a military conflict. No, I think there is another section which is more dangerous. This is the one where Krishna describes various qualities of a saintly person. These people are particularly dear to Krishna.

“The most dangerous teaching is where Krishna describes someone who does not put others into difficulty. That person is dear to Him. Umm, hello? Isn’t that exactly what caused the problems with Arjuna and his family in the first place? They were busy being too nice. They should have put the Kauravas into some difficulty. They should have stepped up instead of serving as a punching bag.

“Do you see what I mean? Does not this teaching urge devotees to be weak? I will let you in on a little secret. This world runs on exploitation. From the highest levels down to the lowest. Even your own family can take advantage of you. They do not appreciate anything that you do. When you are calm, peaceful, and mind your own business, they still hate you. They think you have not done enough, when meanwhile you are not putting others into difficulty. Do you get what I am trying to highlight?”

यस्मान्नोद्विजते लोको लोकान्नोद्विजते च य:
हर्षामर्षभयोद्वेगैर्मुक्तो य: स च मे प्रिय:

yasmān nodvijate loko
lokān nodvijate ca yaḥ
harṣāmarṣa-bhayodvegair
mukto yaḥ sa ca me priyaḥ

“He for whom no one is put into difficulty and who is not disturbed by anxiety, who is steady in happiness and distress, is very dear to Me.” (Lord Krishna, Bhagavad-gita, 12.15)

This concern appears to be validated in studying the historical case of the Daitya prince named Prahlada. He was only five years old during the time of a conflict with his father, the king named Hiranyakashipu. Prahlada was not an unruly child. It is not like he was suffering from a medical condition induced by poisonous injections in the name of “science” pushed by supposed medical professionals, who are actually witches based on how they behave. Prahlada was not interfering in anyone’s work. By all accounts, he was well-behaved.

He did not put others into difficulty, and so that made him dear to Krishna. Prahlada would even write down the name of Krishna. Prahlada would write that name in a decorative manner, with reverence. Prahlada had this natural affinity towards Vishnu, who is like the detail behind the otherwise abstract concept of a Supreme Deity. This allegiance made Prahlada a target. Hiranyakashipu hated Vishnu. Hiranyakashipu hated that his son was showing such devotion. It drove the father mad.

The reality is already established. We know the landscape. If we take the pessimistic view, that people are fallen and cannot choose between right and wrong, what can be done? What is the best approach moving forward? Is it better to remain dear to the likes of Hiranyakashipu? Or do we actually trust Krishna when He describes who are dear to Him? Prahlada found trouble, but his devotion never wavered. Prahlada was so devoted that he singlehandedly triggered the appearance of the amazing avatara of Vishnu known as Narasimha. The five-year old boy who never bothered anyone was protected against the worst attacks, from the worst offender. That offender happened to eventually meet death square in the face, in the form of the nails-turned-weapons of the savior of Prahlada.

In Closing:

An easy target to make,
When those teachings to take.

About the ones considered dear,
Never others into harm or fear.

To themselves peacefully set,
But only interference to get.

Like Prahlada as just a child who,
But protected by Vishnu too.

Categories: prahlada and his slate, questions

Tags: bhagavad-gita, dailyprompt, hare krishna, poem, poems, poetry, prahlada