“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

1. They authored many books

“Who can be greater than the acharya? Think of how many books they wrote. They started the formidable endeavor when they were advanced in years. The little time remaining did not discourage them. They proceeded with full vim and vigor. We do not have to remain in the dark. We do not have to lament the lack of direct access. We can consult one of the many books. The author left behind life-changing wisdom. We can never celebrate such a person enough.”

2. They travelled the world

“Who can be greater than the acharya? They travelled from place to place. They took the great risk of crossing the ocean. They embodied the parivrajaka spirit. They were not content to sit in some isolated place, being praised by an adoring public. They took risks in speaking out, in front of audiences who were not always receptive, kind, or polite. We can never celebrate such a person enough.”

3. They opened many temples

“Who can be greater than the acharya? Think of how many temples they opened. I am struggling. I am lost in life. I need some direction. I crave a safe haven, a place I can go where I know the names of the object of worship. Thankfully, there are such places in the world. They were built from the ground up. It is the lasting legacy of saintly people. We can never celebrate such accomplishments enough.”

4. They left home

“Who can be greater than the acharya? Here I am, sitting in my climate controlled apartment. I have every facility available to me. My routine is so fixed that my biggest problem is falling asleep on time. The stimulus for the senses is constant. In contrast, think of how this person left home; abruptly, at that. They were never sure when the next meal would be or from where it would come. They took spiritual life seriously. They took the great risk of removing distractions. They are a role model for the world.”

5. They wrote on a slate

Consider the following situation. You are interested in bhakti-yoga, devotional service, with an ever-increasing enthusiasm, known as utsaha in Sanskrit. Not that you are necessarily broadcasting this interest, but it guides your decisions on a daily basis. It also plays a factor in long-term planning, such as where to visit in the future, during brief moments away from the daily responsibilities associated with a full-time job.

Your immediate objective is to attend as many Hari-katha programs as possible. You are not too particular as to the qualifications. If someone follows the acharya who started the institution from scratch, if they follow the same acharya today while lacking affiliation with a living spiritual leader, or if they have no formal relationship to any institution at all, as long as they like Krishna consciousness, the Supreme Personality of Godhead, and the timeless devotional culture that is bhakti-yoga, you are eager to have their association.

The formal version of that association is some kind of program, where people discuss topics relating to Shri Hari, which is one of countless names for God. The people at the program might discuss the lila of Hari or the amazing things that the devotees of Hari have done. If for some reason the people running the program are unable to think of content to share, they can at least go over what they have done in their own lives. They can describe any of the subjects covered above, for celebrating a saintly person.

The reality is that the level of achievement is not an absolute factor in making the determination. A simple devotee, doing simple things, can be celebrated. The ideal example for our discussion is Prahlada Maharaja. He is well-known today since his story has been immortalized in sacred texts such as Bhagavata Purana, Vishnu Purana, and Narasimha Purana. His is a story of perseverance, of triumph, of forgiveness, and also of unimaginable compassion.

The visuals commonly associated with Prahlada are perilous conditions. It would be difficult to imagine the same occurring today, in real life. A five-year old boy tossed into a pit of snakes. The same boy thrown off a cliff. The father instigating such attacks, in wanting Prahlada dead by any means. Prahlada’s crime is discussing the science of self-realization, in revealing to the father that the source of strength is the same in everyone. As the source is the same, no one can really claim to be any better than anyone else. The stronger person by metrics has merely been gifted a temporarily higher level of exhibition in strength. That ability can be taken away in an instant, as it was for Hiranyakashipu, who was smashed by all-devouring time in the form of a half-man/half-lion named Narasimha.

श्री-प्रह्राद उवाच
न केवलं मे भवतश् च राजन्
स वै बलं बलिनां चापरेषाम्
परे ’वरे ’मी स्थिर-जङ्गमा ये
ब्रह्मादयो येन वशं प्रणीताः

śrī-prahrāda uvāca
na kevalaṁ me bhavataś ca rājan
sa vai balaṁ balināṁ cāpareṣām
pare ’vare ’mī sthira-jaṅgamā ye
brahmādayo yena vaśaṁ praṇītāḥ

“Prahlada Maharaja said: My dear King, the source of my strength, of which you are asking, is also the source of yours. Indeed, the original source of all kinds of strength is one. He is not only your strength or mine, but the only strength for everyone. Without Him, no one can get any strength. Whether moving or not moving, superior or inferior, everyone, including Lord Brahma, is controlled by the strength of the Supreme Personality of Godhead.” (Shrimad Bhagavatam, 7.8.7)

We celebrate Prahlada for his perseverance, for his dedication in a vow, dridha-vrata, but that vow was established from the time of birth. What we mean to say is that Prahlada was fit to be celebrated long before he endured the torture unfairly directed his way. We can celebrate Prahlada for innocently writing the name of Krishna with great adoration, adarat. This was on a slate, which was associated with the beginning period of formal instruction. At the top of that slate was the symbol of the chakra. Prahlada was essentially worshiping in his spare time. As children do not know any better, they might follow what is known as homework through their own desires. They write sentences pertaining to a subject matter that interests them. They draw on a chalkboard to have fun, to reproduce symbols of which they are fond.

If we can celebrate Prahlada for innocently worshiping in the hostile kingdom of the Daityas, then we can similarly honor our compatriots in the community of devotion. They may only be known for chanting the holy names in response to a call: Hare Krishna Hare Krishna, Krishna Krishna, Hare Hare, Hare Rama Hare Rama, Rama Rama, Hare Hare. Perhaps all they do is make food and offer it in front of the deity. They help to keep the lights on, so to speak, at the institution which furthers the cause of devotion to Hari. As Goswami Tulsidas accurately describes, even the lowborn can rise to the highest stature due to their affiliation with the holy name:

राम नाम सुमिरत सुजस भाजन भए कुजाति
कुतरूक सुरपुर राजमग लहत भुवन बिख्याति

rāma nāma sumirata sujasa bhājana bhae kujāti
kutarūka surapura rājamaga lahata bhuvana bikhyāti

“By remembering Shri Rama’s holy name, even those who are born into a low caste become worthy of fame, just as the wild trees that line the roads in the heavenly realm are famous throughout the three worlds.” (Dohavali, 16)

In Closing:

Consider that only a little to do,
Chanting names and offering too.

Or maybe their presence alone,
Affiliation with Hari shown.

Still worthy to celebrate,
Since as saint to demonstrate.

That rebirth finally to forsake,
And gift of liberation to take.

Categories: prahlada and his slate, the five

Tags: dailyprompt, god, hare krishna, hinduism, poem, poems, poetry, religion