“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

“This was a topic of discussion recently. One of those think pieces, to stimulate the brain to start writing. I guess people are known to be lethargic in this area. I must admit to falling into the same trap. I have noticed that if I am home for an entire day, it is like the bed creates this magnetic force, drawing me to it. I know that lying down will be the worst thing for me. I won’t be able to easily get back up. But for some reason I cannot help it. Better to be offsite, in a place that does not have a bed. I guess that’s why coffee shops and libraries are popular. The setting compels you to be active to a degree, making it conducive for mind-intensive tasks.

“Anyway, the think-piece, if you will, asked for responses to the issue of eliminating words. If there was one word you never wanted to see, hear, or use again, what would it be? You get responses like ‘fine’, ‘nice’, ‘therefore’, and ‘rather.’ I hear ‘you know’ way too often for my comfort. Granted, those are two words, but you know what I mean. See what I did there?

“Naturally, this got me to thinking about bhakti-yoga, especially with the recommended implementation for the current age. The golden avatara Himself, Shri Krishna Chaitanya Mahaprabhu, made popular the chanting of the holy names: Hare Krishna Hare Krishna, Krishna Krishna, Hare Hare, Hare Rama Hare Rama, Rama Rama, Hare Hare. Whenever we hear the exultation of ‘Haribol’, we immediately think of an ecstatic Gauranga and His trusted companion, Nityananda Prabhu.

“This chanting of the holy names is equivalent with formal worship, the likes of which takes place in a sanctified area like the temple room in a home or a house of worship managed by an institution. It is yajna, all the same, as the beneficiary is the Supreme Personality of Godhead. He is synonymous with yajna, which is sacrifice.

“Okay, but what if someone or something got in the way of those sounds being produced? What if the local government issues an ordinance banning the use of the words in the maha-mantra? What if it became a crime to say the name of Krishna, for instance? Do you see the problem? Would that not cut right through the culture of devotion? Would that not stop real religion, in the sense of dharma, from carrying forward? If we have such a heavy reliance on sound, does that not make the entire process vulnerable to destruction, by the work of a few bad actors?”

We are in the age of Kali, which is known for an increase in disputes. Imagine that you are happy. You are at peace. Things are going well. You have no immediate causes for concern. At any time, you can visit the comment section to a post on a social media app. Then, everything will change. You will be upset. You might get depressed. You will join in the argument, be it about sports, politics, news, or even how to educate children. Every value, every tradition, every virtue, and every characteristic is now up for debate.

Chanting of the holy names is perfectly suited for this age, as a mantra is a way to deliver the mind. To hear and say a mantra is a kind of meditation, which is dhyana. Meditation is the way to escape from the disparate interests leading to endless disputes, over matters which are trivial at the end of the day. The flight of the individual, who is spirit soul, towards liberation is of utmost priority within the precious human birth.

We worry what would happen today if the holy names were banned, but consider the plight of a five-year old boy living in an ancient period of time. He innocently wrote the name of Krishna on a slate. He drew the symbol of the chakra, which is also associated with Divinity. Prahlada was worshiping in his spare time. This worship was his primary interest, to which he was spontaneously drawn.

What to speak of banning the word Krishna, the leader of the community eventually decided upon banning Prahlada himself. Hiranyakashipu would not tolerate any allegiance towards Vishnu. He would not let Prahlada continue to speak about Krishna and the need for devotional service. In that special circumstance, the devotion continued. It survived and it thrived. It withstood direct threats to its existence, in the form of violence through gravity, through fire, and through snakes.

स वै पुंसां परो धर्मो
यतो भक्तिर् अधोक्षजे
अहैतुक्य् अप्रतिहता
ययात्मा सुप्रसीदति

sa vai puṁsāṁ paro dharmo
yato bhaktir adhokṣaje
ahaituky apratihatā
yayātmā suprasīdati

“The supreme occupation [dharma] for all humanity is that by which men can attain to loving devotional service unto the transcendent Lord. Such devotional service must be unmotivated and uninterrupted to completely satisfy the self.” (Shrimad Bhagavatam, 1.2.6)

Shrimad Bhagavatam explains that real religion is dharma and that this dharma at the highest level continues without motivation and without interruption. Someone may try to interfere. They may succeed in their interference every now and then, but the devotion never perishes when there is dridha-vrata. When someone like Prahlada has a firm vow, he finds a way to follow dharma no matter what is allowed and what is not. His devotion is so strong that eventually Vishnu decides to personally appear, to reinstate the proper order, where a new name can now be added to the list of worshipable sounds: Narasimha.

In Closing:

Because he can,
Worship to ban.

Triggered by the sound,
In that devotion found.

Of young child his own,
Who door to punishment shown.

But Vishnu protecting that life,
Emerged from pillar to strike.

Categories: prahlada and his slate

Tags: dailyprompt, hare krishna, holy name, poem, poems, poetry