“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

1. Candy and toys

“If you agree to this one request, I promise to take you to the store tomorrow. You know, the one with all the toys. You can pick out any one you want. You know what? How about getting two toys? That’s right, and don’t worry about the price. It is my treat. But you have to agree with my request first.”

2. Approval of the parents

“Do you really want to disappoint your father? He loves you so much. He sacrifices everything for your benefit. Why would you hurt him this way? You are breaking his heart. You know how upset he gets when he sees you doing that. It is no fun going through life alone.”

3. Stature within the community

“If you agree to this one request, everyone in the community will love you. They will support you. They will say nice things about you. They will invite you to parties and exclusive gatherings. You will get to hang out with so many other like-minded folks. Come on, give it up already. What are you waiting for?”

4. Wealth

“If you agree to this one request, you will get everything. The entire balance will be transferred to you. I promise. You will never have to work a day in your life. Everyone will listen to you. Your wish is their command. You will reach a position that everyone else is competing for. Everyone else is struggling, but you will be free. Just side with me and everything will be yours.”

5. Personal safety

“If you don’t agree with this request, there will be trouble. I am not saying who or when, but there will be a strike. It will hurt. You will be tortured in a multitude of ways. I am looking out for you. If you know what’s good for you, you will give up this nonsense you have been talking about recently.”

…

The five-year old son of the Daitya king was not a paid spokesperson. Prahlada Maharaja was not like one of those professional racecar drivers that we see, with their uniform taken up almost entirely by advertisements. Their car flying through the race is a literal billboard on wheels. That is the way to finance the race and the drivers, after all. No one thinks twice about the agreement. The same occurs throughout society. This world moves through money. They say that money is the mother’s milk of politics.

Adding to the intrigue was the period of life. Prahlada was a child. Individuals in that stage of life are known to be fickle in their interests. Buy them a toy today, and tomorrow that toy lies on the floor, unused. The child moved on to something else. Their interest changed, almost on a whim. Parents, who know better, can take advantage of this tendency. If the child should complain about an unfavorable situation, the parent knows to simply wait out the tantrum. The child will soon forget all about what they were previously upset over. If they are really into something, show them an alternative. The child might choose to move on without extra encouragement.

We see from the above hypothetical examples that there are time-tested measures for winning something like a bidding war for the interest of a child. A parent usually doesn’t have to go beyond one or two measures. They know how to succeed. They are advanced in maturity, in comparison to the child. They have experience to support their decisions. The child is innocent. The child can be tricked easily. Deception is often to the parent’s benefit. What is a small lie between parent and child?

For some reason, Prahlada could not be bribed out of his devotion to Vishnu. The father disapproved. Hiranyakashipu strongly objected to Prahlada showing signs of allegiance to the enemy of the kingdom. Hiranyakashipu considered that the source of strength in everyone was actually evil. The truth was that Vishnu presented something like a challenge to the smoke and mirrors of a self-made king and his kingdom. Hiranyakashipu deep down knew that there were higher beings, that someone or some force has to cooperate for a person to advance to a higher standard. Hiranyakashipu himself rose to the level of most feared ruler only after receiving assistance from Lord Brahma, who is the creator.

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)

If Prahlada could not be bribed, it must mean that something better was there. The child had a higher taste. He had an experience that was superior to leading an influential kingdom. There must have been some kind of reciprocation from Vishnu, such that the disapproval of the father did not matter. The threat of lethal punishment could not change Prahlada’s mind, and eventually Vishnu had enough of the attempted torture. Vishnu decided to give visual evidence of the supreme standing of God, shocking the steadily defiant father of Prahlada with the vision of Narasimha.

In Closing:

Steady in those efforts blocking,
So to give visual evidence shocking.

To that father belligerently fighting,
After signs of devotion sighting.

In innocent one of Prahlada the name,
No bribe or influence could change.

Because higher taste to be found,
When to company of Vishnu bound.

Categories: prahlada and his slate

Tags: children, dailyprompt, life, parenting, poem, poems, poetry