“Although Prahlada is only five years old, even at this young age he has given up his affectionate relationship with his father and mother. Therefore, he is certainly untrustworthy. Indeed, it is not at all believable that he will behave well toward Vishnu.” (Shrimad Bhagavatam, 7.5.36)

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विष्णोर् वा साध्व् असौ किं नु
करिष्यत्य् असमञ्जसः
सौहृदं दुस्त्यजं पित्रोर्
अहाद् यः पञ्च-हायनः

viṣṇor vā sādhv asau kiṁ nu
kariṣyaty asamañjasaḥ
sauhṛdaṁ dustyajaṁ pitror
ahād yaḥ pañca-hāyanaḥ

“This is for your own good.  You know, you have been spreading a lot of misinformation lately.  Make no mistake, we are all for freedom of speech around here.  Of course, we encourage honest and open dialogue.  Feel free to lodge your complaints, but at some point you have to stop.  You have been causing a disturbance with your recent criticism.  You are causing hesitancy in the citizens.  People are becoming unnecessarily skeptical of those in charge. It is no longer safe for people to hear from you.  We have to keep people safe, after all.  Never should someone hear lies that only discourage them from extending trust in institutions that only have their best interests at heart.  What you call censorship is actually content moderation.  It would be irresponsible of us to not be diligent in applying safeguards.  You would understand if you were in our shoes.”

The above is what you would typically hear from a corrupt managing authority, who is upset over people becoming wise to an ongoing scheme of fraud.  In just how deep it runs.  In just how long it has been in place.  In just how many people are in the know, who participate in the fraud.  In just how much damage has been done.

No, it is better to simply block the information from getting out.  Stop the bleeding, so to speak. Suppress at any and all costs.  Most people will never know.  After all, the person blowing the whistle will appear to be crazy.  The leaders will see to it. The critic will be the outlier, they still stand out for rising against authority.  If those in charge decide to incarcerate such a person, or perhaps place them in a mental health facility, it would make sense.  Everything can then return to normal, where every citizen thinks the same way, pursues the same goals, and views their caretakers with support and respect, even if it is out of fear.

Prahlada Maharaja might have been too young to know better.  He simply followed his inclination.  In the same way that no one has to tell a child to be bored on a trip to the shopping mall with the parents or dread the daily routine of waking up early and attending school to sit in a classroom for eight hours, Prahlada followed devotion without anyone necessarily encouraging it.  He initially heard from the esteemed Narada Muni.  It was like Prahlada had a front-row seat to a limited-time visit of a person delivering Hari-katha.  The speaker would not stay long.  They would share the message and then move on to a different place.

ऋषिः कारुणिकस् तस्याः
प्रादाद् उभयम् ईश्वरः
धर्मस्य तत्त्वं ज्ञानं च
माम् अप्य् उद्दिश्य निर्मलम्

ṛṣiḥ kāruṇikas tasyāḥ
prādād ubhayam īśvaraḥ
dharmasya tattvaṁ jñānaṁ ca
mām apy uddiśya nirmalam

“Narada Muni delivered his instructions both to me, who was within the womb, and to my mother, who was engaged in rendering him service. Because he is naturally extremely kind to the fallen souls, being in a transcendental position, he gave instructions on religion and transcendental knowledge. These instructions were free from all material contamination.” (Shrimad Bhagavatam, 7.7.15)

The amazing thing is that this exchange took place while Prahlada was still in the womb.  The boy obviously heard, since he later shared what he remembered.  And share he did, with anyone who would listen, whether they were favorable to the message or not.  Unfortunately, the father was on the opposing side.  He did not like to hear the message of devotional service, bhakti-yoga.  The object of that service is Vishnu, who is the Supreme Personality of Godhead.  Prahlada’s father, Hiranyakashipu, considered Vishnu to be an enemy.

What steps should be taken?  Hiranyakashipu was the governing authority both at home and for the kingdom at large, of the Daityas. What should be done to fix the situation?  Hiranyakashipu eventually settled upon the conclusion that his son of only five years of age was speaking nonsense.  It was the language of a madman.  Hiranyakashipu speculated that Prahlada would not even be a good devotee to Vishnu.  Since the son was going against the warnings of the father, expressed repeatedly, vehemently, and with the threat of force, what guarantee was there that Prahlada would stay loyal to Vishnu?

In this way, there were many justifications for proceeding with the unthinkable.  Violence.  Lethal in potency and regular in delivery.  Do whatever it takes to eliminate Prahlada.  Make the sounds go away.  Make sure that no one else gets influenced by the message, which speaks to the heart of the matter of the problem of material existence.  As Prahlada himself explained, it is like we are chewing the chewed.  We try to extract taste from something that has everything already taken out.  We continue in this pursuit for lifetime after lifetime, across a host of beings, which are nothing more than body types.

श्रीप्रह्राद उवाच
मतिर्न कृष्णे परत: स्वतो वा
मिथोऽभिपद्येत गृहव्रतानाम्
अदान्तगोभिर्विशतां तमिस्रं
पुन: पुनश्चर्वितचर्वणानाम्

śrī-prahrāda uvāca
matir na kṛṣṇe parataḥ svato vā
mitho ’bhipadyeta gṛha-vratānām
adānta-gobhir viśatāṁ tamisraṁ
punaḥ punaś carvita-carvaṇānām

“Prahlada Maharaja replied: Because of their uncontrolled senses, persons too addicted to materialistic life make progress toward hellish conditions and repeatedly chew that which has already been chewed. Their inclinations toward Krishna are never aroused, either by the instructions of others, by their own efforts, or by a combination of both.” (Shrimad Bhagavatam, 7.5.30)

We do not even have to cross the barrier of reincarnation to get a clear picture.  One day I am a child.  I am happy to sit quietly and play with my toys.  Another day, I am an adult.  I require intoxicants to make it through the torture of a trip to the office, where everyone is yelling, screaming, and getting in the way of what I need to complete.  One day, I am an old man, barely hanging on, requiring assistance to get out of bed and feed myself.  Throughout the changes I have stayed the same.  My identity is one, though the number of bodies I remember inhabiting are many.

Prahlada says that this one experience, in the human form of body, should be used for pursuing liberation.  Better to finally escape the experience than remain fixed in illusion.  Prahlada was only a child.  Hiranyakashipu was a powerful king.  Intoxicated by his high standing, Hiranyakashipu could not understand what Prahlada was saying.  The father went too far in trying to eliminate the speech of the one who spoke the truth.  Eventually, Vishnu Himself vouched for the validity of that message, through a dreadful, awe-inspiring, and merciful manifestation known as Narasimha.

In Closing:

At final moments saw,
Dreadful and inspiring awe.

Out of pillar to appear,
After mocking words to hear.

And torture observing from the start,
How father from decency to depart.

Eternal wisdom in Prahlada’s speech,
The truth fearlessly to teach.

Categories: preaching

Tags: dailyprompt, hare krishna, parenting, poem, poems, poetry, prahlada