“’You said that He is indeed everywhere, so why can He not be seen in this pillar? If I do see that Vishnu right now in the middle of the pillar, then I will not kill you. Otherwise, you will be divided into two.’ Having seen (his father) in that way, Prahlada began to meditate on that Supreme Lord.” (Narasimha Purana, 44.10-11)

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त्वयोक्तं स हि सर्वत्र कस्मात् स्तम्भे न दृश्यते
यदि पश्यामि तं विष्णुम् अधुना स्तम्भमध्यगम्

तर्हि त्वां न वधिष्यामि भविष्यसि द्विधान्यथा
प्रह्लादो ऽपि तथा दृष्ट्वा दध्यौ तं परमेश्वरम्

tvayoktaṃ sa hi sarvatra kasmāt stambhe na dṛśyate
yadi paśyāmi taṃ viṣṇum adhunā stambhamadhyagam

tarhi tvāṃ na vadhiṣyāmi bhaviṣyasi dvidhānyathā
prahlādo ‘pi tathā dṛṣṭvā dadhyau taṃ parameśvaram

“You see these debates raging in the online space. Of course, when are debates not raging? That began way back in the days of the message boards and forums. Heaven forbid we have civilized discussion, accounting for nuance and detail. Nope, it is basically a shouting match, quickly descending into full-on name-calling. Highly regarded celebrities now present their best arguments at awards shows, wherein they use a single word, such as a profanity, and attach it to a prominent figure that they despise. This now readily passes for oratory skill and refined elocution. My, my, how far we have fallen.

“Anyway, the debates I referenced earlier pertain to conversion. More specifically, the history of forced conversion in a specific region of the world. One group was living peacefully, minding their own business. Then another group arrived, sometimes on the pretense of peaceful trade. With the passage of time, those foreigners realized the literal gold mine they could be sitting on. That is when they took out the sword. They decided to annex the area. They could then control all of the raw materials, minerals, and production of the precious artisanal output, which was an art form passed down for many generations within families. The one thing they could not usurp, however, was religion.

“You see, these invaders as we will call them had no idea what real religion is. They assumed you simply pay allegiance at specific intervals, identify a certain way in society, and you are all set. They tried to bring this version of religion to the people they conquered, but to little success. Then they resorted to force. You better declare your allegiance to such and such savior or literally face peril.

“Many years have passed since those days, and the people who remain claim that they are the only group in the world to have never compelled others to convert. In other words, they never invaded foreign territories, for goods or otherwise, and they never insisted that the people in those areas were worshiping false gods or lost because of their interest in the planets, the stars, the workings of time, and the constitutional makeup of living beings. You see, there was never any attempt at conversion.

“My question is if this is true or not. Also, is there anything inherently wrong with conversion? Isn’t that how someone makes an official change? They were following a certain way before. They later decided on something else. There may be an accompanying ceremony to mark the transformation. How else would foreigners visiting a specific area participate in what the locals do, as far as worship, study, and concentration?”

We can take the historical example of the dealings between a Daitya king and his five-year old son to get a better idea on the place of conversion within the science of self-realization, which is also known as sanatana-dharma. The king had his way. He had his outlook on life. He had his ultimate conclusion, if you will. The foundation was antagonism, namely towards genuine religion itself. Hiranyakashipu wanted to be self-made. He wanted to hold the highest position in the world. He wanted to reach that height, enjoy it, and then hold on to it. Forever, if possible, but if not, he would think of ways to protect himself. This is what literally took place when Hiranyakashipu happened to win the favor of Lord Brahma, who is the creator.

नान्तर्बहिर्दिवा नक्तमन्यस्मादपि चायुधै:
न भूमौ नाम्बरे मृत्युर्न नरैर्न मृगैरपि

nāntar bahir divā naktam
anyasmād api cāyudhaiḥ
na bhūmau nāmbare mṛtyur
na narair na mṛgair api

“Grant me that I not die within any residence or outside any residence, during the daytime or at night, nor on the ground or in the sky. Grant me that my death not be brought by any being other than those created by you, nor by any weapon, nor by any human being or animal.” (Hiranyakashipu praying to Lord Brahma, Shrimad Bhagavatam, 7.3.36)

The son of Hiranyakashipu had a different way about him. This began from the time of birth. Prahlada heard eternal wisdom. He heard it while within the womb of his mother. This was a special case, indeed, but just see the potency of sound. Prahlada happened to retain that wisdom when he was born. He was so adept in the science that he could explain it to others. In something like an instance of “Tell and Show”, Prahlada was open about his affiliation and preference. He would tell anyone about the meaning of life and how to fulfill it.

For Prahlada, that meaning could only be fulfilled through worship of Hari. This is the personal God. Hari has other names, like Vishnu, Rama, and Krishna. Never mind the exact image to reference, the beginning is to at least acknowledge. Admit that man has limitations. Come to terms with man’s fallibility. Understand that man only has strength because Hari provides it.

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)

Prahlada insisted that Vishnu is sarvatra. This means “all-pervading.” It is not that God is limited in His location. Sure, He is in the temple. You can worship Him there, but this does not mean that God is absent from the home. He is not absent from the field of play, kshetra. Rather, He is the supreme knower. He knows everything that happens across every instance of a field of play. This means that He knows me. He knows you. He knows past, present, and future.

क्षेत्रज्ञं चापि मां विद्धि सर्वक्षेत्रेषु भारत
क्षेत्रक्षेत्रज्ञयोर्ज्ञानं यत्तज्ज्ञानं मतं मम

kṣetra-jñaṁ cāpi māṁ viddhi
sarva-kṣetreṣu bhārata
kṣetra-kṣetrajñayor jñānaṁ
yat taj jñānaṁ mataṁ mama

“O scion of Bharata, you should understand that I am also the knower in all bodies, and to understand this body and its owner is called knowledge. That is My opinion.” (Lord Krishna, Bhagavad-gita, 13.3)

Up until this point, we do not find a hint of forced conversion. Is there really a conversion? Prahlada is requesting people think a certain way. They should acknowledge. He was living in the kingdom of the Daityas, after all. By birth and by nature they were against Vishnu. Prahlada’s own father considered Vishnu to be an enemy. Hiranyakashipu certainly wasn’t going to worship Vishnu.

The issue of conversion did manifest, but only due to the antagonism of the father. It is Hiranyakashipu who insists that Prahlada, his own son, follow a certain religion. Hiranyakashipu will not tolerate anything else. Prahlada is peaceful and joyful. Hiranyakashipu is agitated, upset, angry, and intolerant. How can that be? Prahlada has nothing. Hiranyakashipu has everything. The world lives in fear of that leader. The world considers him to be the most powerful person. What kind of religion is that leader following where the heights of safety provide no defense against the impulses of the senses? What kind of religion did Hiranyakashipu follow that he was triggered by words innocently and affectionately offered by his own son? What kind of religion did that king of Daityas follow that caused him to instigate violence against the epitome of nonviolence, who was Prahlada?

At the end, it was made clear that Prahlada was not free to follow his preferred way of life. There was one last chance. If Prahlada could prove that his way of thinking involved worship of a person, who also happened to be all-pervading, then the father would relent. Hiranyakashipu would not necessarily convert, but at least he would spare the son the dreaded fate of being sliced into two pieces, by a powerful sword. Alas, the child was telling the truth. He never insisted on conversion; just a change of consciousness. Hiranyakashipu insisted on forced conversion, and for that offense against the innocent he was forced to be torn apart, into two pieces, by the very Vishnu he despised.

In Closing:

Visible in irony’s course,
That boomerang in force.

Where Hiranyakashipu to insist,
That devotion of Prahlada to desist.

Never thinking of all-pervading way,
Or peacefully names of Hari to say.

At last moment the pillar to strike,
Proof there of God in all His might.

Categories: chandrahasa, questions

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