“In spite of achieving the power to control in all directions and in spite of enjoying all types of dear sense gratification as much as possible, Hiranyakashipu was dissatisfied because instead of controlling his senses he remained their servant.” (Shrimad Bhagavatam, 7.4.19)

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स इत्थं निर्जितककुबेकराड् विषयान् प्रियान्
यथोपजोषं भुञ्जानो नातृप्यदजितेन्द्रिय:

sa itthaṁ nirjita-kakub
eka-rāḍ viṣayān priyān
yathopajoṣaṁ bhuñjāno
nātṛpyad ajitendriyaḥ

“It is this strange cause-and-effect, where the underlying logic is almost circular. You start with someone who has nothing. Their beginnings are what you would describe as humble. The father works long hours at the factory. The mother manages the household entirely on her own. There is no guarantee of dinner being on the table in the evening. The family has to share clothes. They purchase used automobiles. They rarely go on vacation.

“This person who came from nothing ends up making it big. The classic rags to riches story. It is through hard work, determination, grit, perseverance, and a little good fortune. They end up making so much money that they don’t know what to do with it. They literally can’t spend it all. They decide to set up a trust fund. Their own children will never have to work. Their grandchildren will be able to benefit. Several generations, in fact, will be taken care of. The interest produced is enough to cover expenses. The principal balance will never have to be touched.

“The founder wants the future generations to avoid the same struggle. He faced so much difficulty growing up and so he wants to spare others of the same heartache and grief. The problem is that the lack of struggles ends up causing a disturbing situation. These children who inherit a trust fund end up with the worst attitude. They look down at others. They laugh at the problems of the common man. These children cling to their elite status. They make sure their parties are just expensive enough so that the average person is not able to attend.

“Not to mention the addictions. To drugs. To alcohol. To the worst kinds of behavior. The descension into debauchery is real. There is nothing to check them, you see. If they had the pressure of a job to maintain, then maybe it would be a different story. That is the thing; there is no pressure. Why would there be? The ancestor did the hard work. The ancestor created the financial empire. The ancestor paved the path for the future generations, to enjoy as they see fit, to live without consequence.

“Why does this happen? Do people not see what is going on? I am not judging, in any way. It would be helpful to have an explanation. It would be helpful for others to see the truth, to get this peek into the future. That way, they will avoid the same mistakes. Where is the line between struggle and comfort? Should people intentionally struggle, even when they do not have to? It seems everyone is trying to get rich, while the offspring of the rich end up miserable and depressed.”

His Divine Grace A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada emphasizes that the human birth is for tapasya. This is a kind of regulation or penance. The corresponding path is nivritti-marga. This is the way of withdrawal. The animals follow pravritti-marga. This is the way of enjoyment. Only thinking of enhancing the experience in eating, sleeping, mating, and defending.

“Bhagavad-gita (16.7) says, pravrittim cha nivrittim cha jana na vidur asurah: demons, who are less than human beings but are not called animals, do not know the meaning of pravritti and nivritti, work to be done and work not to be done. In the material world, every living entity has a desire to lord it over the material world as much as possible. This is called pravritti-marga. All the shastras, however, advise nivritti-marga, or release from the materialistic way of life. Apart from the shastras of the Vedic civilization, which is the oldest of the world, other shastras agree on this point. For example, in the Buddhist shastras Lord Buddha advises that one achieve nirvana by giving up the materialistic way of life. In the Bible, which is also shastra, one will find the same advice: one should cease materialistic life and return to the kingdom of God. In any shastra one may examine, especially the Vedic shastra, the same advice is given: one should give up his materialistic life and return to his original, spiritual life.” (Shrila Prabhupada, Shrimad Bhagavatam, 6.5.20 Purport)

It is almost counterintuitive. The human being has a higher potential for intelligence. You would think that intelligence could be used for enjoyment, for engaging the senses, but the opposite is what tends to bring happiness. Nivritti-marga is putting a cap on the fever of desire, which is kama. Nivritti-marga is like taking poison in the beginning, while knowing it will eventually turn into nectar.

यत् तद् अग्रे विषम् इव
परिणामे ’मृतोपमम्
तत् सुखं सात्त्विकं प्रोक्तम्
आत्म-बुद्धि-प्रसाद-जम्

yat tad agre viṣam iva
pariṇāme ’mṛtopamam
tat sukhaṁ sāttvikaṁ proktam
ātma-buddhi-prasāda-jam

“That which in the beginning may be just like poison but at the end is just like nectar and which awakens one to self-realization is said to be happiness in the mode of goodness.” (Lord Krishna, Bhagavad-gita, 18.37)

If the human being should take the route of pravritti-marga and succeed, with no checks in place, then there is the vulnerability to suffering from the worst of conditions, which is ajitendriyah. We have a practical example in the Daitya leader named Hiranyakashipu. He actually followed nivritti-marga in the beginning, but with ill-intent. He was only going to stay with austerity and penance until he received something on the other side. The vrata, or vow, was saphala, or successful. Hiranyakashipu achieved a position of world domination in return for his dedication to the simplest life.

Shrimad Bhagavatam says that the long-term result was ajitendriyah. Hiranyakashipu had so much that he had no idea what to do. The senses were constantly pulsing. They were prodding him at every second. It is like a linear function charted in the inverse direction. The more the leader indulged, the more miserable he became.

Meanwhile, there was the son. Prahlada was the classic “trust fund baby” of ancient times. At five years of age, he went to school, but the pressure wasn’t the same. He was the son of the king, after all. Prahlada was only learning what he needed to in order to one day enjoy in the same way as the father. Prahlada had the greatest safety net to fall back on. The father was practically immortal. No one could remove Hiranyakashipu from the throne. Whatever the father said was the final word in the kingdom.

Except Prahlada had a different inclination. Not only did he side with nivritti-marga, but he could explain the justification for it. He could try to convince others, especially impressionable youths, of the benefits of withdrawing for the purpose of self-realization. Prahlada was so committed to this path that not even the father could change his mind. The father attempted to use force, to apply the boons of his austerity in order to curse the son and his affiliation, but this did not work. The one who supposedly had nothing ultimately triumphed over the one who was only after enjoying.

In Closing:

From boons of Brahma to get,
Largest and secure safety net.

Such that nothing more to do,
Infinite comfort and pleasures too.

But the aftermath just see,
At how miserable was he.

By ajitendriyah condition afflicted,
Wise from start could have predicted.

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