The OG Truthteller

“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

“Let me describe to you a disturbing trend that I have noticed. I have the proper conception in my mind, and I only hope to properly convey that idea through words. More and more, we are seeing individuals previously unknown becoming prominent. It is usually due to their ability to speak, to convey a message, and to rally others around a cause. They might travel through something informally known as the ‘podcast circuit’. Instead of sitting down with traditional media outlets for mindless, short ‘gotcha’ interviews, they engage in a long-form discussion. They might sit with a single host for up to three hours at a time.

“The listeners really appreciate the sacrifice. They are open to the in-depth discussion. They prefer the format with an honest and open dialogue, without the host inserting their agenda into the conversation. Surely, sections emerge which are easy to clip. These are smaller videos cut out from the full episode, to allow for viral sharing online. The reason these guests become popular is obvious; at least to me. They are more or less speaking the truth. They are saying things that need to be said, but which are otherwise never said. The corporate media types parrot the same message, the same headline, and the same criticisms. It has turned into a joke. The dishonesty is everywhere, if you care to notice. You cannot call such media outlets partisan or biased; they are simply dishonest.

“The part that bothers me here is that the people speaking honestly often have lots of money. They are billionaires. They made their money some way or another. That is their point of entry, for attention. In other words, if the average person were to voice the same truths, no one would listen to them. The hosts of the shows would ask for additional credentials. They would need to justify to their audience why someone of relative anonymity should be provided such an important platform.

“There is also the risk involved. If you or I were to speak openly, we would be at risk of retribution. We could lose our job. How would we feed our family, then? These billionaires have a sort of cushion. Don’t get me wrong; I like their message. I am glad they are speaking out, but why should only people with money be heard? Why is that a prerequisite? Are we not establishing a dangerous precedent?”

This is simply the way of the world. The degradation in the age of Kali is multifaceted. We have the basic signs predicted long ago in sacred texts such as Shrimad Bhagavatam, but the nuance and detail permeate every nook and cranny of society. For example, if a person witnesses corruption today, rather than jump towards exposing that corruption, their first instinct is to remain silent. Their silence essentially buys confidence into the scheme. They will remain in the good graces of the coconspirators. What is to be gained by speaking out, anyway? You will be a hero to one or two people for speaking the truth, but the power of the majority in smearing you will ensure a negative reputation wherever you go. Just see what has happened to honest scientists who speak the truth about poison injections forced upon children. They get sanctioned by licensing boards. They lose their ability to practice medicine. They might even be sent to jail.

A positive to take away from the situation is that the truthtellers become more worthy of glorification. We have the original truthteller in a five-year old boy named Prahlada. He knew the actual truth, tattva, from a young age. This was due to hearing. The message most warranting censorship is from the bhagavata, who reveals the fraud in the life of illusion, in associating with maya. This message goes against what everyone else is doing. This message exposes their interests as something like a dead-end. This message has a corresponding call to action, in searching out the true identity and the meaning to an existence destined for destruction. That destruction applies only to the temporary, which lacks endurance. This is the missing piece of the knowledge-puzzle.

नासतो विद्यते भावो नाभावो विद्यते सतः
उभयोरपि दृष्टोऽन्तस्त्वनयोस्तत्त्वदर्शिभिः

nāsato vidyate bhāvo
nābhāvo vidyate sataḥ
ubhayor api dṛṣṭo ’ntas
tv anayos tattva-darśibhiḥ

“Those who are seers of the truth have concluded that of the nonexistent there is no endurance, and of the existent there is no cessation. This seers have concluded by studying the nature of both.” (Lord Krishna, Bhagavad-gita, 2.16)

Prahlada spoke the truth in a place where simply uttering the name of a single person would get you in trouble. Prahlada did not hold back. If provided a slate for learning in school, Prahlada would write the name of that outlaw. Prahlada would write the name of Krishna, in a beautiful and reverential way. He would draw a symbol associated with Lord Vishnu, who is the Supreme Personality of Godhead.

There was nothing to cushion the blow. Prahlada could not fall back on shares in a publicly traded company worth billions of dollars in a hypothetical liquidation. He could not buy attackers off. He could not apply physical force to defend himself against retaliation. The force attacking him would be the very head of state. Prahlada’s father, Hiranyakashipu, ran the kingdom of the Daityas. This kingdom happened to wield the greatest authority in the world at the time.

Prahlada showed devotion to Vishnu and the father did not like it. The father could not tolerate hearing the message, what to speak of sitting down and patiently deliberating upon the principles presented. This was not your typical case of dogmatic insistence. Prahlada could teach better than any of the instructors at school. He could back up his allegiance to Vishnu with solid foundational principles. Though only five years of age, the kid knew what he was talking about.

श्री-प्रह्राद उवाच
न केवलं मे भवतश् च राजन्
स वै बलं बलिनां चापरेषाम्
परे ’वरे ’मी स्थिर-जङ्गमा ये
ब्रह्मादयो येन वशं प्रणीताः

śrī-prahrāda uvāca
na kevalaṁ me bhavataś ca rājan
sa vai balaṁ balināṁ cāpareṣām
pare ’vare ’mī sthira-jaṅgamā ye
brahmādayo yena vaśaṁ praṇītāḥ

“Prahlada Maharaja said: My dear King, the source of my strength, of which you are asking, is also the source of yours. Indeed, the original source of all kinds of strength is one. He is not only your strength or mine, but the only strength for everyone. Without Him, no one can get any strength. Whether moving or not moving, superior or inferior, everyone, including Lord Brahma, is controlled by the strength of the Supreme Personality of Godhead.” (Shrimad Bhagavatam, 7.8.7)

The father tried to censure Prahlada. That did not work. The father tried to censor Prahlada. That did not work. The father could criticize, condemn, and even physically attack. Prahlada would not change his ways. His devotion was so strong that it was protected by the very object of devotion. Hiranyakashipu failed to see the supposedly invisible hand of Vishnu supporting Prahlada. That is, until the invisible turned visible in the amazing vision of Narasimha.

In Closing:

The invisible to visible turned,
In that auspicious vision earned.

By father most deadly in attacking,
Because son Vishnu backing.

Child only the truth to speak,
And not the temporary to seek.

Like original whistleblower brave,
Narasimha his position to save.