Sometimes The Child Tells The Father

“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

“You would have to admit that the bhagavata perspective on living is a little different. You could call it alternative, new-age, or counter-culture. I am not trying to be combative; it is simply the lay of the land. In one part of the world, someone gives you weird looks if you don’t eat meat. They think something is wrong if you abstain from alcohol. In a different part of the world, the person who drinks, smokes, and eats meat is like the worst kind of outcaste; they have fallen from the standard of the high culture.

“It is all based on perspective, and what I am trying to say is that anyone genuinely interested in trying to end the cycle of birth and death will stand out. At least in today’s climate. They will be like the weird ones in society. Compound the difficulty by trying to raise children. How do you broach the subject? Where to begin? At what point do you tell the children that the family is a little weird, in comparison with the neighbors, with the community, with the nation, at large?

“After some time, the child will wonder why the family cannot be normal. Why not behave in a way that blends in? Why not be like everyone else? Why go through life with such difficulty? How do the parents respond to such inquiry? What is the best way to tell the children about the temporary and how sanatana-dharma is focused on the individual, in the true definition of spirit soul?”

There is always independence. If there is life, there is independence. If there is an individual, there is independence. The individual is a living being. They are in the jiva category for the very reason that they have a choice. They can fall on the side of transcendence, in aligning with the interests of the Supreme Personality of Godhead. They can also choose to fight their own battles, to associate with the illusory energy of maya, which tries to make the individual only forget more and more about their true position and their eternal relationship with the one who is always wishing well.

भोक्तारं यज्ञ-तपसां
सर्व-लोक-महेश्वरम्
सुहृदं सर्व-भूतानां
ज्ञात्वा मां शान्तिम् ऋच्छति

bhoktāraṁ yajña-tapasāṁ
sarva-loka-maheśvaram
suhṛdaṁ sarva-bhūtānāṁ
jñātvā māṁ śāntim ṛcchati

“The sages, knowing Me as the ultimate purpose of all sacrifices and austerities, the Supreme Lord of all planets and demigods and the benefactor and well-wisher of all living entities, attain peace from the pangs of material miseries.” (Lord Krishna, Bhagavad-gita, 5.29)

The father might have a difficult time sitting down the child and trying to explain the practices which stand against the prevailing traditions and customs. Refraining from meat eating, intoxication, gambling, and illicit sex. Reading regularly from sacred texts such as Bhagavad-gita and Shrimad Bhagavatam. Worshiping as a way of life, in trying to extend yajna from morning until night. Finding true and lasting happiness in accepting religion as dharma instead of a formality, a box to check on a form, or a perfunctory weekly visit that feels more like a check-in with a parole board.

यत् करोषि यद् अश्नासि
यज् जुहोषि ददासि यत्
यत् तपस्यसि कौन्तेय
तत् कुरुष्व मद्-अर्पणम्

yat karoṣi yad aśnāsi
yaj juhoṣi dadāsi yat
yat tapasyasi kaunteya
tat kuruṣva mad-arpaṇam

“O son of Kunti, all that you do, all that you eat, all that you offer and give away, as well as all austerities that you may perform, should be done as an offering unto Me.” (Lord Krishna, Bhagavad-gita, 9.27)

Another perspective to consider is that sometimes it is the child who instructs the father. That is to say, the family lineage might be firmly entrenched in material life, in a strong antagonism towards dharma and the principles of dharma. Such was the case in the home of Hiranyakashipu, who was the leader of the Daitya kingdom. In that period of time, his may as well have been the only kingdom. Hiranyakashipu wielded such influence that it was like the entire universe was afraid of him.

It is within such a home that Prahlada Maharaja appeared. The same concerns as outlined above. How will the family tradition move forward? At what point should the child learn that their family is different, that they are not following what everyone else is inclined towards? At what point should Prahlada learn about the father’s rivalry with Vishnu, a rivalry which was really one-sided?

The obvious first opportunity is with formal education. When Prahlada starts school, he will surely learn about the four principal means of diplomacy. The father would be so thrilled if Prahlada showed a natural interest in how to administer a kingdom, in how to form alliances, in how to expand power, in how to assert authority such that no one dared breach lines of demarcation.

Instead, it was Prahlada teaching the father about transcendence. It began innocently enough. Prahlada held a slate in his hand. This was after returning home from school. There was the sign of the chakra at the top. Prahlada had also written the name of Krishna in a reverential manner. These symbols are associated with Vishnu. It is like Prahlada was worshiping in his spare time.

The child was teaching the father the proper way. The child was showing the proper utilization of the material elements. The child had the priorities aligned. The child understood that the purpose to all possessions is transcendence; otherwise there is only maya. The child was ready to teach the father, but the father was not ready to learn. He would have to see proof the hard way, in the eventual arrival of Vishnu Himself.

In Closing:

Not with others to align,
Different our tradition to find.

How ever to child to explain?
That not with classmates the same.

Sometimes the young one to teach,
Like Prahlada to father to preach.

About glories of Vishnu expanding,
And how highest authority commanding.