Five Potential Rewards For Dridha-Vrata

“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

We heard it straight from the authority. Nothing lost in the translation, as the original text is still available. Though the transcription took place five thousand years ago, through the special vision gifted to the assistant named Sanjaya, the connection feels real. It is like we are right there. We marvel at the telecommunication technology of today, how we can talk face-to-face with someone across the globe, but recording ability carrying the same potency has existed for centuries.

This is the power of the written word. As Benjamin Franklin once referenced, there is the phrase in Latin, littera scripta manet. The written word remains. Bhagavad-gita shows the height of the positive potential of that reality. The written word that remains is the sound of the Supreme Personality of Godhead, Shri Krishna. His impromptu counselling session with the grief-stricken Arjuna is available for generation after generation to consult.

One of the principal teachings in that conversation is this concept of a vow in dedication. The Sanskrit is dridha-vrata. The concept is mentioned explicitly two different times. One refers to the preparation ground, in how the individual clears away past demerits to be properly situated in devotion to God the person. Another reference is in describing the overall culture of devotion practiced by saintly people of the highest esteem. They are always chanting the glories of the Almighty. They are so fixed in their vow that nothing can get in their way.

सततं कीर्तयन्तो मां
यतन्तश् च दृढ-व्रताः
नमस्यन्तश् च मां भक्त्या
नित्य-युक्ता उपासते

satataṁ kīrtayanto māṁ
yatantaś ca dṛḍha-vratāḥ
namasyantaś ca māṁ bhaktyā
nitya-yuktā upāsate

“Always chanting My glories, endeavoring with great determination, bowing down before Me, these great souls perpetually worship Me with devotion.” (Lord Krishna, Bhagavad-gita, 9.14)

We have the outline of the general conditions. We see what people in devotion do as opposed to people outside of devotion. We see that there is the prerequisite of setting aside pāpam, which is sin. Every saint has a past. Leave that sinful life in the past. Move forward. Move on.

But what about the future? What happens to the person who follows in a dedicated vow? What does their dridha-vrata get them? What is the yield? Okay, there is always variety in the settings. Individual circumstances may vary. Sometimes, we only see a short-term result, while impatiently waiting for the long-term impact. We have an idea of both in the historical example of Prahlada Maharaja. His vow was set since the time of birth, as he had heard the science of self-realization while within the womb.

1. Ridicule

Before anyone spoke a negative word, Prahlada heard about the potential. The father tried to scare the child based on a picture of peer pressure. You see, Prahlada appeared in a family of Daityas. This is like a race of creatures, but also identified based on their general tendencies. The Daityas are asuras. The asuras are the opposite of the suras. While the suras are the gods and look upwards towards their leader, their benefactor, and their protector, who is Vishnu, the asuras go in the opposite direction.

Here was Prahlada, the blessed son of the leader of the Daityas, saying nice things about Vishnu. Here was Prahlada, the heir apparent to the throne, spontaneously worshiping the person hated by the asuras. What would the children in school think? Surely, they would make fun of him. They would think that Prahlada had gone mad. After all, a cat does not submit before a mouse. The peacock does not offer prayers to the snake.

2. Scorn

Prahlada did not budge. He did not show signs of animosity. It was more like he wasn’t getting the message from the father. Hiranyakashipu’s portrayal of peer pressure at school did not make a dent. Rather, Prahlada would have no problem speaking the same to his classmates. While everyone else is interested in playing, in running around and tagging a fellow student, Prahlada would emphasize the importance of worshiping Vishnu from the tender age of childhood.

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)

3. Harassment

Hiranyakashipu was not happy. He scorned Prahlada for his dedication to Vishnu. It was like the child was showing his disloyalty. The child was no longer someone to protect. Harassment of the teachers was next. Indeed, they must be responsible. They probably said something to turn the child against the father. The teachers were on the brink of getting in trouble, all because of the devotion in Prahlada.

4. Attacks

Don’t want to play ball? Don’t want to listen to the father? Want to make the teachers look bad? Insist upon praising this Vishnu character? Poisoning the well of future stars, by teaching the other students about devotional service, bhakti-yoga? This earned Prahlada attacks. From people much bigger than him. From people of authority. From people who knew what they were doing. The reward for the dridha-vrata was lethal force.

5. Watching your object of worship appear in the most amazing form

Prahlada was a special case. The attacks did not work. The threats were long since abandoned. Tossing off a mountaintop. Placing inside a pit of fire. Feeding to poisonous snakes. The dridha-vrata continued. That aligns with the original promise, anyway. The individual might not continue in their current manifestation, but their devotion will never perish.

क्षिप्रं भवति धर्मात्मा
शश्वच्-छान्तिं निगच्छति
कौन्तेय प्रतिजानीहि
न मे भक्तः प्रणश्यति

kṣipraṁ bhavati dharmātmā
śaśvac-chāntiṁ nigacchati
kaunteya pratijānīhi
na me bhaktaḥ praṇaśyati

“He quickly becomes righteous and attains lasting peace. O son of Kunti, declare it boldly that My devotee never perishes.” (Lord Krishna, Bhagavad-gita, 9.31)

Thus far Prahlada experienced negative reactions to his devotion. This was all setting the stage for the most positive outcome. Imagine if your dridha-vrata warranted the appearance of your very object of worship. Imagine if Vishnu appeared in front of you and others in a vision that was never seen before. Imagine if the people who had abused you for so long, who insisted that you were crazy, who refused to acknowledge the reality of the highest power overseeing everything, suddenly had all of their claims squashed, both literally and figuratively. It was Prahlada who was laughing last. Except he felt no need to rub it in, to boast, or to take pleasure in the pain of others. The person devoted to Vishnu with such strength asked for pardon for the greatest aggressor, his own father.

श्री-भगवान् उवाच
त्रिः-सप्तभिः पिता पूतः
पितृभिः सह ते ’नघ
यत् साधो ’स्य कुले जातो
भवान् वै कुल-पावनः

śrī-bhagavān uvāca
triḥ-saptabhiḥ pitā pūtaḥ
pitṛbhiḥ saha te ’nagha
yat sādho ’sya kule jāto
bhavān vai kula-pāvanaḥ

“The Supreme Personality of Godhead said: My dear Prahlada, O most pure, O great saintly person, your father has been purified, along with twenty-one forefathers in your family. Because you were born in this family, the entire dynasty has been purified.” (Shrimad Bhagavatam, 7.10.18)

In Closing:

Hanging on every word,
Presentation dutifully heard.

Devotion setting in now,
Strong proceeding in vow.

What immediate reward to get?
Ridicule, scorn, and threat.

Even towards violence can proceed,
But Narasimha at end indeed.