“’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

1. Playing pretend

“Oh, you could hear us from the other room? Yes, guilty as charged. I was the principal guest at the tea party hosted by the kids. I’m surprised I didn’t break any of the furniture, given my size. I think I was sipping on chamomile with lemon, if you must know. Not sure why you are laughing; this is a regular occurrence. Sure, it is pretend, but why not? Who is it hurting?”

2. Moonlighting as a driver

“Sorry, man, but I am booked solid. I have to take one of the kids to soccer practice and then pick up the other one from their piano lesson. This is a typical Tuesday in my house. Yes, I went to work today. I logged hours at the office, dealing with boring meetings and approaching deadlines. That is stressful for sure, but the work never ends. At least I get to sleep at night.”

3. Saving money

“Wow, that is so cool you were able to snag tickets during the presale. I would love to join you, but that is out of my price range at the moment. I don’t begrudge the artists, since touring is their primary source of income nowadays. It’s just that I have to save money for other things. Vacations for the family. Clothes for the kids. The travel teams they play on. Equipment for their various activities. The expenses keep piling up.”

4. Sleeping early

“Oh wow, the game went to triple overtime? You stayed up for the entire thing? Man, I have fond memories of that, from my youth. No way I could do the same today. I have to sleep early and on time. There is just too much to do on a given day. There are no breaks that would allow me to catch up on rest during the daytime. That is the life we signed up for, so no complaining.”

…

There is an obvious disparity in such cases. One side has a specific interest, while another side is almost the opposite. The child is looking to enjoy. They do not know better, as they have yet to experience the world fully. They have to learn, either through hearing instruction or experimenting. For instance, one of the lessons they get early on is about the importance of sharing. They should not hoard toys, experiences, or relationships precisely because they would not like it if others did the same to them. Sharing with others is a kind of sacrifice, but one worth it in the long-term.

Meanwhile, the parent tends to be inclined towards sacrifice. They follow along in the above reviewed situations because they want the child to be happy. They put the interests of the child first. The parent might exhaust themselves in the process, but they do not mind. They would not like it if the child grows up spoiled or unappreciative, but that is the risk involved with guardianship.

Imagine, then, the case of a child only wanting the best for the parent. The child offers the highest wisdom, suddenly and unexpectedly, but also repeatedly. They are emphatic in their appeal towards transcendence. They wish that everyone acknowledge the universal source of strength, which is like a thread that holds all individual truths together. The one person is both the sum collection of everything and the controller of it all. He is the energetic to the energy. He is the soul of all, as once described by the gopis of Vrindavana.

अत्रोपविश्य सा तेन कापि पुष्पैर् अलंकृता
अन्यजन्मनि सर्वात्मा विष्णुर् अभ्यर्चितो यया

atropaviśya sā tena kāpi puṣpair alaṃkṛtā
anyajanmani sarvātmā viṣṇur abhyarcito yayā

“Here someone sat down, decorated with flowers by Him. She must have worshiped Vishnu, who is the soul of all, in a previous birth.” (Vishnu Purana, 5.13.34)

If the parent has never heard such wisdom before, they are fortunate to at least find it within their home. Their own child has exceeded all expectations, in reaching a point of understanding rare for even the inquisitive human beings. As confirmed in Bhagavad-gita, only after many births does a person reach such a position.

बहूनां जन्मनाम् अन्ते
ज्ञानवान् मां प्रपद्यते
वासुदेवः सर्वम् इति
स महात्मा सु-दुर्लभः

bahūnāṁ janmanām ante
jñānavān māṁ prapadyate
vāsudevaḥ sarvam iti
sa mahātmā su-durlabhaḥ

“After many births and deaths, he who is actually in knowledge surrenders unto Me, knowing Me to be the cause of all causes and all that is. Such a great soul is very rare.” (Lord Krishna, Bhagavad-gita, 7.19)

The infamous leader of the Daityas had a son just like this. Prahlada was only five years of age when he started sharing the knowledge he heard previously, while within the womb. Prahlada was not ashamed to be speaking in favor of Vishnu while knowing that the kingdom was against Vishnu. Prahlada was wishing well for the father. Prahlada wanted the father to be happy, to fulfill the highest potential of a birth in a conditioned existence. Moreover, Prahlada did not take into consideration the reception. That is to say, even if the father cursed the son for speaking in such a manner, the son would not desist. The son did not hold resentment. He did not become angry. He continued to wish the father well.

Meanwhile, the father, Hiranyakashipu, only wished well for himself. He could not fathom someone being so kind and merciful. He could never understand someone relentless in their devotion to one person, who was Vishnu. The father could never understand saintly people, and so this explained the ruthless aggression employed against Prahlada. The child’s crime was speaking words. It came to pass that mocking words from the father would be the conclusion to the affair. The sarcastic invitation for Vishnu to appear from a pillar was taken seriously. Vishnu gave the father the punishment that was due, which turned out to be the most auspicious ending. This was all because of the well-wishing Prahlada.

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

“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)

In Closing:

In games ending in defeat,
Sometimes at party’s seat.

Where drinking tea pretend,
Not child’s desires to offend.

Imagine if other way around,
Like in Daitya kingdom found.

Where Prahlada only wishing well,
Timeless wisdom to father to tell.

Categories: chandrahasa, the four

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