Incompatible With This World

“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 am telling you right now, nice people end up at the bottom. They are ripe for exploitation. This world consists mostly of takers. They are never satisfied, either. Everything you read in Bhagavad-gita about the mode of passion and having to fend off desires like rushing rivers pouring into a reservoir is true.

आपूर्यमाणम् अचल-प्रतिष्ठं
समुद्रम् आपः प्रविशन्ति यद्वत्
तद्वत् कामा यं प्रविशन्ति सर्वे
स शान्तिम् आप्नोति न काम-कामी

āpūryamāṇam acala-pratiṣṭhaṁ
samudram āpaḥ praviśanti yadvat
tadvat kāmā yaṁ praviśanti sarve
sa śāntim āpnoti na kāma-kāmī

“A person who is not disturbed by the incessant flow of desires—that enter like rivers into the ocean which is ever being filled but is always still—can alone achieve peace, and not the man who strives to satisfy such desires.” (Lord Krishna, Bhagavad-gita, 2.70)

“A person struggles enough on their own. If they are nice, if they are kind, if they are after peace, that is one thing. But then so many others will look to take advantage. It is not enough that you help someone nine times. If you fail to deliver on the tenth instance, there will be punishment. There is no loyalty benefit. You are better off lying; tell someone that you have a pressing engagement. Make up some emergency. Never let them know that you have free time.

“The honest person thus succumbs to the evil forces around them. They have to create this fake image for the consuming public. This is just to keep people off their backs. How can you expect the devotional culture to thrive, then? Under such conditions, who will be able to withstand the onslaught? It is better to simply go along. Get along with others by behaving just like them. You will be more respected if you place name, fame, honor, and distinction at a high priority. That is my opinion based on personal experience. I can totally relate to these sadhus who live in a secluded place and never want to see people.”

The above criticism may be valid. His Divine Grace Shrila Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati Thakura remarked that the material world is no place for a gentlemen. Just consider the routine practices which nary a person questions. Mindless violence against innocent animals. The murder of children within the womb. The constant prodding with poison injections if those same children should happen to make it out of the womb alive. Lying, cheating, and fraud from government officials. Stealing from the treasury, while the person filling the treasury has to work hard and long. The honest person suffers while the dishonest rise in stature.

There is another angle of vision to consider. If someone is wise to the game, how exactly should they throw aside intelligence? If you can see something, it is not easy to pretend that you are blind. If you notice something wrong, it is the natural inclination to at least bring attention to the issue, if not try to fix it, outright. A person realized in the self has no interest in returning to illusion. If they see things as they are, they want to continue seeing properly. They wish to live with an advantage, rather than be intentionally handicapped, all to pass a short amount of time in the company of the ignorant.

For support, we have the historical example of Prahlada Maharaja. What to speak of trying to explicitly correct the ways of others, Prahlada became a target simply by innocently drawing symbols on a slate. He was only five years of age. He was the son of the king. Prahlada was in something like a privileged position. He would be the recipient of the affection of the father, who was the ruler of the Daityas. Hiranyakashipu could protect others, and especially the one most requiring protection, the innocent son.

Prahlada was inclined towards transcendence. This was from the time of birth. Prahlada showed devotion through the use of his slate. He drew a chakra in one section. He wrote the name of Krishna in another. No one had instructed Prahlada in this manner. It was not like Prahlada was trying to win an award to make the parents proud at the local temple. Just the opposite, this visible show of allegiance would get him into trouble.

But Prahlada did not change his ways. He was undeterred. He would openly praise Vishnu prior to answering unrelated questions from his father. Prahlada exposed the fraud that was the family affection to begin with. That affection was based on conditions. Only if Prahlada fulfilled obligations, falling properly in line, would Hiranyakashipu remain affectionate.

It is amazing to see the conditions break through something innocent like writing a name. Through giving praise to Vishnu. Through explaining the science of self-realization to other students in school. Through telling the father that the source of strength is the same in everyone and that no one can be entirely self-made. They must first receive the sanction of nature, and Vishnu is above that very nature.

प्रकृतेः क्रियमाणानि
गुणैः कर्माणि सर्वशः
अहङ्कार-विमूढात्मा
कर्ताहम् इति मन्यते

prakṛteḥ kriyamāṇāni
guṇaiḥ karmāṇi sarvaśaḥ
ahaṅkāra-vimūḍhātmā
kartāham iti manyate

“The bewildered spirit soul, under the influence of the three modes of material nature, thinks himself to be the doer of activities, which are in actuality carried out by nature.” (Lord Krishna, Bhagavad-gita, 3.27)

The devotional mindset might be incompatible with this world, but then saintly people are not of this world. They are like the lotus flower floating on the surface of the pond. The flower remains dry and pure, despite contact with the water. In the same way, someone like Prahlada can remain pure even within the very kingdom dedicated to eradicating dharma from this world. A single child can bring down the greatest of enemies, based on the support from Vishnu.

In Closing:

Entire kingdom bringing down,
From simple devotion profound.

Triggered by the name to write,
To father an offensive sight.

Why on slate Krishna to draw,
And sign of chakra saw?

Even if the entire world turning against,
Prahlada like from higher world sent.