“Others will also ridicule and scorn saying, ‘This child is an asura but prays to the gods. It is like a cat offering prayers to a mouse or a peacock to a snake.’ This is indeed a bad omen, behavior resembling an enemy, as even after obtaining great wealth and power, an unintelligent person can fall down.” (Hiranyakashipu speaking to Prahlada, Narasimha Purana, 41.59-60)

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अन्येपि त्वां हनिष्यन्ति वदिष्यन्ति जनास्त्विदम्
असुरोयं सुरांस्तौति मार्जार इव मूषकान्
द्वेष्यान् शिखीव फणिनो दुर्निमित्तमिदं ध्रुवम्
लब्ध्वापि महदैश्वर्यं लाघवं यान्त्यबुद्धयः

anyepi tvāṃ haniṣyanti vadiṣyanti janāstvidam
asuroyaṃ surāṃstauti mārjāra iva mūṣakān
dveṣyān śikhīva phaṇino durnimittamidaṃ dhruvam
labdhvāpi mahadaiśvaryaṃ lāghavaṃ yāntyabuddhayaḥ

It appears that the father recognized properly the sincerity of the son. It is like deep down he knew the truth. The father accepted the reality. It was this reality that he could not tolerate. It went against the very ethos of the community. The kingdom of the Daityas was for the betterment, upliftment, honor, and entitlement of the…well, Daityas. How in the world could the beloved and cherished son, the heir apparent, the one to keep the tradition alive for the next generation and beyond, ever think of honoring Vishnu?

Hiranyakashipu considered the peer pressure angle. The children have limited experience in life. This is based on the time factor. The adults have simply had more time to see more. They know the difference between adult life and childhood. This is because they have experienced both. If the adult attended school as a child, sitting in the formal setting of the classroom, they understand the pressure that accompanies dealing with peers.

This means that appealing to that pressure, in painting the potential of a negative situation, might fix the problem. Prahlada was only five years of age. He was spontaneously worshiping Vishnu. Prahlada attributed everything to Vishnu. Strength, beauty, wealth, proprietorship, the predictability of outcomes, the meaning to life itself – these were all rooted in the Supreme Personality of Godhead.

Prahlada considered such acknowledgment to be the most important instruction for man. If they were to attend school, this is the first thing they should learn. It would be like the root from which the tree could emerge. The branches, the leaves, the future growth, the ability to stand tall, the shelter and shade for other living beings – the root has to be there first. The root must be firmly planted. The person who appreciates the tree and its fruit should first acknowledge the root.

Vishnu is like that for the entire universe. In the material world, we experience something like a reflection. We see the branches and leaves and forget entirely about the source. We become so enamored by what we see that we are fooled into accepting the temporary as permanent. Someone like Hiranyakashipu might even acknowledge higher beings, but he does so only for extracting a benefit.

This was the irony in the appeal of peer pressure. You see, if the other children saw Prahlada worshiping Vishnu, they would think the child had lost his mind. You do not see a cat praising a mouse. The peacock does not humble itself in front of the snake. The strong dominate the weak. The strong instill fear and respect in the weak. Prahlada was a Daitya. He should be proud of his birth. He should honor the standing of the Daityas, which is also against Vishnu and devotion to Vishnu.

Except Hiranyakashipu had a history of worship. He once humbled himself in front of Lord Brahma, who is the creator. Brahma is considered svayambhu, or self-born, but that actually refers to the lack of a traditional birth. Brahma emerged from the lotus flower tied to the navel of Vishnu. Brahma takes birth from the one who is known as Padmanabha. Brahma is a separate, individual living being, but his alignment is always with Vishnu.

उत्थाय प्राञ्जलि: प्रह्व ईक्षमाणो द‍ृशा विभुम्
हर्षाश्रुपुलकोद्भ‍ेदो गिरा गद्गदयागृणात्

utthāya prāñjaliḥ prahva
īkṣamāṇo dṛśā vibhum
harṣāśru-pulakodbhedo
girā gadgadayāgṛṇāt

“Then, getting up from the ground and seeing Lord Brahma before him, the head of the Daityas was overwhelmed by jubilation. With tears in his eyes, his whole body shivering, he began praying in a humble mood, with folded hands and a faltering voice, to satisfy Lord Brahma.” (Shrimad Bhagavatam, 7.3.25)

Hiranyakashipu said things that he did not mean. He praised Brahma simply to flatter. Hiranyakashipu wanted something. It is like the used car salesman saying nice things about the potential customer. It was a business transaction. It was more like stealing, in the eyes of the Daitya. Hiranyakashipu thought he was getting away with the heist of the century; hence his excitement.

If Prahlada were doing the same, then perhaps the father would not have been so upset. If Prahlada was exploiting the connection to Vishnu for personal gain, then the asura-minded could understand. They might even appreciate. They could trade notes in a lunch-and-learn focused on exploiting the higher powers.

Prahlada actually meant what he said. That honesty was tested through physical torture and lethal attacks. Prahlada did not budge. His devotion did not waver. This must mean that something valuable is there. This must mean that the relationship offered something that Hiranyakashipu did not have. It must mean that Prahlada was in the superior position, despite being a dependent to the more physically capable father.

In Closing:

In that direction to head,
Meaning what he said.

That Vishnu the source of all,
In devotion His name to call.

Not for benefit to extract,
Or building immortality exact.

Because genuine and real,
Father then plotting with zeal.

Categories: prayer, supplicating the inferior

Tags: dailyprompt, hare krishna, poem, poems, poetry, prayer