“Prahlada Maharaja said: O Supreme Lord, because You are so merciful to the fallen souls, I ask You for only one benediction. I know that my father, at the time of his death, had already been purified by Your glance upon him, but because of his ignorance of Your beautiful power and supremacy, he was unnecessarily angry at You, falsely thinking that You were the killer of his brother. Thus he directly blasphemed Your Lordship, the spiritual master of all living beings, and committed heavily sinful activities directed against me, Your devotee. I wish that he be excused for these sinful activities.” (Shrimad Bhagavatam, 7.10.15-17)

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श्रीप्रह्राद उवाच
वरं वरय एतत्ते वरदेशान्महेश्वर
यदनिन्दत्पिता मे त्वामविद्वांस्तेज ऐश्वरम्
विद्धामर्षाशय: साक्षात्सर्वलोकगुरुं प्रभुम्
भ्रातृहेति मृषाद‍ृष्टिस्त्वद्भ‍क्ते मयि चाघवान्
तस्मात्पिता मे पूयेत दुरन्ताद् दुस्तरादघात्
पूतस्तेऽपाङ्गसंद‍ृष्टस्तदा कृपणवत्सल

śrī-prahrāda uvāca
varaṁ varaya etat te
varadeśān maheśvara
yad anindat pitā me
tvām avidvāṁs teja aiśvaram

viddhāmarṣāśayaḥ sākṣāt
sarva-loka-guruṁ prabhum
bhrātṛ-heti mṛṣā-dṛṣṭis
tvad-bhakte mayi cāghavān

tasmāt pitā me pūyeta
durantād dustarād aghāt
pūtas te ’pāṅga-saṁdṛṣṭas
tadā kṛpaṇa-vatsala

“Leave it to me to find the negative. While everyone else takes away a valuable lesson from the story, considering how to be more forgiving in their dealings with others, how to be nicer, kinder, gentler, and the like, I am focusing on specific words that are used. Words mean things, after all. At least they do to me, and so that is why I am not eager to jump on the bandwagon of appreciation for these kinds of stories.

“You have likely heard it before, even without me referencing particular names or circumstances. One person is the victim to something horrible. Perhaps a tragedy. Maybe they are on the receiving end of verbal abuses, in a setting that leads to embarrassment. It could be that their daily life was made extremely unpleasant due to the instigation, the targeted attacks, and the vile hatred from someone else.

“The victim in this case gives this testimony, after the fact. They say that they have forgiven the perpetrator. The reason? Well, because their faith tells them to. Blanket amnesty. Applying to killers, murderers, liars, cheaters, and any sort of deplorable behavior you can imagine. Their faith guides them to the destination of forgiveness. This is supposed to be a good thing. It shows that this person follows their faith. They are faithful to the religion. This religion is the best, you see, because it commands the followers to forgive.

“Excuse me, but doesn’t that mean the forgiveness is fake? Like that CEO who apologizes only after there is an uproar from the public. The child apologizing to the student in school, for having punched them in the face, only because their parents made them. These apologies aren’t real. Moreover, who are you to stand there in judgment of others? Why should I care whether you forgive me or not? What does my viewpoint on the situation have to do with the reality? What impact should your viewpoint have? Either someone did something horrible or they didn’t. Either they got punished for it today or they will reap the rewards in the future. Is that not what Shri Hanuman explains, in so beautifully demystifying what is otherwise plain and obvious?”

गुणदोषकृतं जन्तुस्स्वकर्म फलहेतुकम्
अव्यग्रस्तदवाप्नोति सर्वं प्रेत्य शुभाशुभम्

guṇadoṣakṛtaṃ jantussvakarma phalahetukam
avyagrastadavāpnoti sarvaṃ pretya śubhāśubham

“Driven by a virtuous or evil purpose, each living entity performs some work, which has consequences associated with it. After death, the same person steadily reaps all those auspicious and inauspicious results.” (Hanuman speaking to Tara, Valmiki Ramayana, Kishkindha Kand, 21.2)

Bhagavad-gita confirms the same, that the living entities find different situations and conditions due to association with the modes of nature, which are known as gunas in Sanskrit. The timeline for the sufferings and enjoyments is as vast as the mind can consider. Up to a kalpa, and beyond, which is like the largest conceivable unit of time.

पुरुषः प्रकृति-स्थो हि
भुङ्क्ते प्रकृति-जान् गुणान्
कारणं गुण-सङ्गो ऽस्य
सद्-असद्-योनि-जन्मसु

puruṣaḥ prakṛti-stho hi
bhuṅkte prakṛti-jān guṇān
kāraṇaṁ guṇa-saṅgo ‘sya
sad-asad-yoni-janmasu

“The living entity in material nature thus follows the ways of life, enjoying the three modes of nature. This is due to his association with that material nature. Thus he meets with good and evil amongst various species.” (Lord Krishna, Bhagavad-gita, 13.22)

Forgiveness can be based on knowledge rather than faith. Instead of feeling compelled to move on because a book or religious leader tells me to, I can carefully study the situation and figure out the root cause. Just why did a person lose their mind? Why did they become so angry? Why did they lash out suddenly, in a manner resembling a person who has lost all rational thought?

क्रोधाद् भवति सम्मोहः
सम्मोहात् स्मृति-विभ्रमः
स्मृति-भ्रंशाद् बुद्धि-नाशो
बुद्धि-नाशात् प्रणश्यति

krodhād bhavati sammohaḥ
sammohāt smṛti-vibhramaḥ
smṛti-bhraṁśād buddhi-nāśo
buddhi-nāśāt praṇaśyati

“From anger, delusion arises, and from delusion bewilderment of memory. When memory is bewildered, intelligence is lost, and when intelligence is lost, one falls down again into the material pool.” (Lord Krishna, Bhagavad-gita, 2.63)

Shri Krishna explains that there is a chain of events which begin with kama. This refers to material desire, lust, or even uncontrolled sex life. Kama is like the original spark, which can then turn into a scorching blaze if left unchecked. Kama leads to anger. Anger leads to wrath, which can consume a person to the point that they lose all proper judgment. Once a person succumbs to wrath, they are capable of practically anything.

A saintly person like Prahlada Maharaja understands that kama is on the side opposite to bhakti, which is devotion. Bhakti is the proper condition; it is the state in healing. Kama is the disorientation. Someone like Hiranyakashipu follows kama so strongly that he eventually turns against the Supreme Lord. The leader of the Daityas falsely considers the leader of all universes to be antagonistic. He thinks God is an enemy.

This incorrect viewpoint leads Hiranyakashipu to attempt unspeakable violence on an innocent five-year old boy, who happened to be his own son. Prahlada forgave in the truest sense, when there was nothing to be gained from a show of grace and kindness. After the father had received the justice that was rightly deserved, Prahlada asked for forgiveness. He asked the deliverer of that justice, God in the amazing vision of Narasimha, for pardon. Let the father not suffer for his mistakes.

His faith did not compel Prahlada to make the request. It was his own intelligence combined with his unimaginable level of compassion. If ever I need justification for viewing the world with the proper lens, I can take strength from the example of Prahlada. He shows me things as they are, and especially the way towards transcendence, which is at the very feet of his personal protector.

In Closing:

Not by faith compelled,
After his father felled.

In justice delivered unexpected,
By Vishnu in pillar undetected.

Prahlada still asking to forgive,
That not with consequences to live.

Since father the truth not knowing,
Vision of real saint showing.

Categories: questions

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