“Shri Hari, who is the Lord of the demigods, who is worshiped by the people of the world, for benefiting the moving and nonmoving beings of the world took that dreadful form through His own energy and tore apart Hiranyakashipu, who caused suffering to so many, with His nails.” (Narasimha Purana, 44.43)

Download as podcast episode (right click and save)

हरिः सुरेशो नरलोकपूजितो हिताय लोकस्य चराचरस्य
कृत्वा विरूपं च पुरात्ममायया हिरण्यकं दुःखकरं नखैश् छिनत्

hariḥ sureśo naralokapūjito hitāya lokasya carācarasya
kṛtvā virūpaṃ ca purātmamāyayā hiraṇyakaṃ duḥkhakaraṃ nakhaiś chinat

“Listen, I am the first to admit that I am a little different. I don’t know the exact category you want to put me in, but I will start by laying the foundation. I love this stuff. I mean, I really love it. The stuff I am referring to is shastra, and specifically the Vaishnava tradition. The one dedicated to glorifying God as a person. He is the Supreme Person, in fact. He is Purushottama. He is Vishnu, which says that He is all-pervading in the manner of an individual in many places at the same time. Vishnu is not overstretched, overworked, exhausted, or divided. He is everywhere simultaneously, and He is also with me.

“I have merely forgotten Him, and so the corrective measure is bhakti-yoga. This is like a specific implementation of religion, wherein we link the individual with the Supreme. Shastra is like scripture; it is the recorded observations, truths, and teachings related to transcendence. It sometimes includes historical narratives. I really enjoy consulting shastra. I like reading it. I like when people discuss it. If you asked me to choose a favorite author, it would have to be His Divine Grace A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada.

“The thing is, whenever I go for association of other devotees, in what is known as sadhu-sanga, I get a totally different feeling. The vibe does not match what I am looking for. It seems like I am attending a gathering of salesmen. They are sharing trade secrets. They are giving the latest news on the industry. They keep talking about their successes, in how they distributed books to this demographic and in that particular area. They highlight their success stories in getting people to take a book.

“They debate the best strategies to use, as in what kind of clothes to wear, what terminology to use in casual conversation, and what food to prepare. That is well and good, but where is the discussion of Krishna? Is He not the Supreme Personality of Godhead? Are we not trying to be conscious of Krishna? If I ever should bring up questions that interest me, these people look at me funny. They are almost disgusted by my topic of interest. Especially when they see my ethnicity, they immediately write me off. I am not a customer eligible for conversion, in their eyes. They would rather focus on making a sale to someone else.

“Am I off base here? Everything in shastra is about people asking questions and receiving answers. They deal with the issues encountered in the typical human experience. From rich to poor. From youth to old age. From opulence to destitution. Works like Bhagavad-gita and Shrimad Bhagavatam cover everything. They tend to frown upon this idea of selling. We are advised to be cautious in that area.”

इदं ते नातपस्काय नाभक्ताय कदाचन
न चाश‍ुश्रूषवे वाच्यं न च मां योऽभ्यसूयति

idaṁ te nātapaskāya
nābhaktāya kadācana
na cāśuśrūṣave vācyaṁ
na ca māṁ yo ’bhyasūyati

“This confidential knowledge may not be explained to those who are not austere, or devoted, or engaged in devotional service, nor to one who is envious of Me.” (Lord Krishna, Bhagavad-gita, 18.67)

“Why are the swamis and the members in good standing not discussing these topics? It is like they only care about keeping the business going, for the money to flow in, such that the expenses of the institution will be covered.”

It may be that in isolated situations, the discussion focuses on the mission stipulated by the spiritual master. The guru recognized the difficulties of the situation, in navigating the complexities of competing cultures. One side has killing of innocent animals and the advancement of sense pleasure as fixtures, standing across centuries. The newly introduced culture is based on control over the senses, jitendriyah, and considering God a person. That person can be worshiped as a way of life. Instead of staying in maya, a person can live a life of yajna, which is sacrifice.

यत् करोषि यद् अश्नासि
यज् जुहोषि ददासि यत्
यत् तपस्यसि कौन्तेय
तत् कुरुष्व मद्-अर्पणम्

yat karoṣi yad aśnāsi
yaj juhoṣi dadāsi yat
yat tapasyasi kaunteya
tat kuruṣva mad-arpaṇam

“O son of Kunti, all that you do, all that you eat, all that you offer and give away, as well as all austerities that you may perform, should be done as an offering unto Me.” (Lord Krishna, Bhagavad-gita, 9.27)

In that regard, the specific strategies are important, as the foundation is difficult to maintain. The guru then assigns responsibilities within that category to the disciples. The disciples then tend to focus on the particulars of the mission, in spreading Krishna consciousness. They may discuss shastra here and there, but not at the level outsiders may prefer.

As far as what really matters, we can look to the example of Prahlada Maharaja. If he was a customer, he never had the chance to make a donation to the salesperson. In that case, Narada Muni was speaking to a womb. He did not receive any questions in response. Time was of the essence. Narada could not hang around after the birth of the child.

Amazingly, Prahlada retained the information. The sale was complete, so to speak. Prahlada then became something like a salesman himself, without prior training. He would teach the other students about the meaning of life. He would convey to them the urgency of reaching transcendence within the human birth. The Sanskrit word is durlabham. This human birth is not so easy to achieve. The opportunity for advancement in knowledge should not be squandered. Why settle for a lower standard when destiny has paved a different path?

श्रीप्रह्राद उवाच
कौमार आचरेत्प्राज्ञो धर्मान्भागवतानिह
दुर्लभं मानुषं जन्म तदप्यध्रुवमर्थदम्

śrī-prahrāda uvāca
kaumāra ācaret prājño
dharmān bhāgavatān iha
durlabhaṁ mānuṣaṁ janma
tad apy adhruvam arthadam

“Prahlada Maharaja said: One who is sufficiently intelligent should use the human form of body from the very beginning of life—in other words, from the tender age of childhood—to practice the activities of devotional service, giving up all other engagements. The human body is most rarely achieved, and although temporary like other bodies, it is meaningful because in human life one can perform devotional service. Even a slight amount of sincere devotional service can give one complete perfection.” (Shrimad Bhagavatam, 7.6.1)

If we are having a difficult time finding association that discusses the glories of the Supreme Lord, we at least have the descriptions, accounts, and explanations pertaining to Prahlada and his meeting with Vishnu as Narasimha. That half-man/half-lion had amazing features which were awe-inspiring and also fear-instilling. Except Prahlada was not afraid. He understood the kindness behind that amazing appearance. He knew that Narasimha could be contemplated upon, appreciated, and worshiped infinitely into the future.

In Closing:

He who Prahlada defending,
Of glories infinitely extending.

Such that each and every day,
Steady and ready to say.

For others perhaps hearing,
But for my own travel steering.

Whether interest in subject abound,
Or I am the only soul around.

Categories: questions

Tags: dailyprompt, poem, poems, poetry, sadhu sanga, satsanga