“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. Bullying

“What happened in school today? Why is your face bruised like that? There was a fight. You didn’t start it. A bunch of the other kids were calling you names. What about the teacher? Why didn’t they intervene? You mean this has been going on for several months. You are only telling me about it now. Not good.”

2. Suffocation

“What happened in school today? Why are you wearing that face covering? Take it off immediately. You mean all the other children were wearing one, too? You tried to take it off in order to breathe and you got in trouble for it? The teacher basically forced it back on your face? What kind of demented people are they? They are supposedly in the position of authority, teaching everyone else, but they are the greatest fools. Not good.”

3. Endless injections

“What happened in school today? Why is there a bruise on your arm? You mean they put this injection into you without asking me. That is illegal. This is supposedly to keep you safe. From what? You are well beyond the age where those seventy-two injections are recommended. You have survived just fine thus far, on your own, as we have common sense. How dare they interfere in this way? Not good.”

4. Miseducation

“What happened in school today? They told you that you can grow up to be a girl, if you want. That is not true. Why is this happening? Why were they teaching this? I see, so someone asked the teacher a question. If the teacher does not understand this basic difference between the genders, then what do they really know? They are suffering from some kind of mental illness. Not good.”

5. Bad influence during recess

“What happened in school today? Why are you using that bad language? You mean you heard it from some kids. During recess, when no teachers were around. That is very bad. Never behave that way in front of us. This school is bad news, it looks like. Not good.”

…

The premise of this discussion is to consider placing someone like Prahlada Maharaja into the modern day. He is a figure from history, whose dealings with his inimical father are already the thing of legend. Prahlada’s story is not exclusive to a single book. In the Vedic tradition, there really is no equivalent of a Bible. The knowledge is never limited to a single publication, due to the very nature of the subject matter. God is ananta, or without end, and the same applies to the glorifications from saints that are first passed along in an aural tradition and then later written down to facilitate repeated reference and memorization.

We find the story of Prahlada, the saintly son of the Daitya king, in Bhagavata Purana. We find a similar story in Vishnu Purana. There is also a lengthy description within Narasimha Purana. It is within the latter that we find a description of the contents of the slate held in the hand of the child. This was after returning home from school one day. Prahlada had drawn a chakra at the top, which is a symbol well-known for its association with Vishnu. As if to remove any doubt on the matter, Prahlada had also written the name of Krishna on the slate. This was done in a reverential manner, adarat. Krishna is another name for Vishnu; it is a way to describe God, saying that He is all-attractive. It can also mean that the complexion in that particular personal manifestation is dark.

The question to ponder is what if the same occurred today. What if a child had a natural inclination towards worship of Vishnu? What if they decided to draw similar symbols during their time in the classroom? What would the teachers say? What would the teachers do? After all, in one of the important nations of the world there is this concept of separation of church and state. Would not Prahlada be considered an offender? Would not he be guilty of preaching a specific religion to children of parents who would strongly object?

What about parents of devotees of Vishnu? Would they welcome the additional spotlight? Would they rather not go along to get along, to have their child remain quiet while at school? At least then the child would learn reading and writing without obstruction. The teachers would not be inimical. A child as obstinate as Prahlada might risk expulsion today, if they continued to be vocal in their allegiance to Vishnu. Then what would the parents do? How would they educate their child? In the progressive landscape of today, both parents have to work in order to pay the bills. They have to send the children somewhere outside the home during the day.

The above review shows that there are already so many horrors taking place. The offenses are so commonplace that hardly anyone notices. If a parent should object, they might face the wrath of vengeance from the schoolboard, resembling the interference offered by Hiranyakashipu. After all, the father was not happy with Prahlada. He did not like to see those symbols on the slate. The father tried every which way to change course, to shake the devotion out of the child. Prahlada would not budge an inch. He was fixed in his vow, dridha-vratah, in the manner described in Bhagavad-gita.

सततं कीर्तयन्तो मां
यतन्तश् च दृढ-व्रताः
नमस्यन्तश् च मां भक्त्या
नित्य-युक्ता उपासते

satataṁ kīrtayanto māṁ
yatantaś ca dṛḍha-vratāḥ
namasyantaś ca māṁ bhaktyā
nitya-yuktā upāsate

“Always chanting My glories, endeavoring with great determination, bowing down before Me, these great souls perpetually worship Me with devotion.” (Lord Krishna, Bhagavad-gita, 9.14)

Whether young or old, within the school years or firmly planted in their seat inside the cubicle at the office, a person is truly fortunate if they should show an inclination towards Vishnu. If they worship on a regular basis, that is a great achievement, but just imagine if they should also worship in their free time, outside of the established schedule. If they draw symbols of Vishnu as a way to be happy, to pass the hours in bliss, then no level of opposition will be strong enough to prevent their future elevation to the transcendental realm.

In Closing:

No opposition to prevent,
Through consciousness sent.

Because even when free,
Inclination to see.

Like Prahlada on slate to draw,
Not fearing if father later saw.

And the name of Krishna to write,
For all most auspicious sight.

Categories: prahlada and his slate, the five

Tags: dailyprompt, education, hare krishna, poem, poems, poetry, school