“Hiranyakashipu could not kill his son by throwing him beneath the feet of big elephants, throwing him among huge, fearful snakes, employing destructive spells, hurling him from the top of a hill, conjuring up illusory tricks, administering poison, starving him, exposing him to severe cold, winds, fire and water, or throwing heavy stones to crush him. When Hiranyakashipu found that he could not in any way harm Prahlada, who was completely sinless, he was in great anxiety about what to do next.” (Shrimad Bhagavatam, 7.5.43-44)

Download as podcast episode (right click and save)

दिग्-गजैर् दन्दशूकेन्द्रैर्
अभिचारावपातनैः
मायाभिः सन्निरोधैश् च
गर-दानैर् अभोजनैः
हिम-वाय्व्-अग्नि-सलिलैः
पर्वताक्रमणैर् अपि
न शशाक यदा हन्तुम्
अपापम् असुरः सुतम्
चिन्तां दीर्घतमां प्राप्तस्
तत्-कर्तुं नाभ्यपद्यत

dig-gajair dandaśūkendrair
abhicārāvapātanaiḥ
māyābhiḥ sannirodhaiś ca
gara-dānair abhojanaiḥ
hima-vāyv-agni-salilaiḥ
parvatākramaṇair api
na śaśāka yadā hantum
apāpam asuraḥ sutam
cintāṁ dīrghatamāṁ prāptas
tat-kartuṁ nābhyapadyata

“Perhaps a relic of the past, or maybe something we tell ourselves in the hopes that no one has to suffer the same in the future, but it was seen that parents would, on occasion, boast of their disciplinary efforts. If a child misbehaved, there were any number of ways to teach them a lesson. The child could go to the backyard and pick out a branch. This added to the humiliation, as they were essentially choosing the weapon that would be struck against them. Maybe there was a strap, passed down within the family, reserved for the worst offenses.

“A sophisticated method is not a requirement. The father just brought his hands up and started beating the child. Whatever the preferred implementation, the severity was intended to prevent any future uprising. In other words, the child would be so scarred from the incident, sometimes literally, that they would never dare to break the rules again. Forget crossing the line, they would not step within two feet of it. The injury imposed by the lawmaker, who happened to be the father, was never to be forgotten.

“Fortunately, I never experienced such injury, but I was certainly afraid. Kids don’t know much. You can easily trick them. The mere threat of the injury is often enough to prevent bad behavior. I bring this up today in light of remembering the plight of Prahlada Maharaja, the famous Daitya devotee of the Supreme Personality of Godhead. Though he was a Daitya, which is a race of demons, Prahlada was higher than any sura, or god. Though the family business was to harass and dominate the suras, Prahlada was peaceful by nature. His name suits him; he was joyful, and there was a reason.

“Except the father should have removed any future opportunity to experience joy. You see, Prahlada’s father was like the wickedest punisher this world has ever known. The violence wasn’t necessarily to teach a lesson. Hiranyakashipu wanted to eliminate Prahlada. The crime was speaking out of turn. The violation was giving praise to the enemy, who was Vishnu. No amount of deprogramming worked. The teachers could not change Prahlada’s inclination. Therefore, the father resorted to violence.

“Okay, but I want to know how Prahlada stood up after each attempt? Wouldn’t it have been better to hide? Let the father think that the fall from the mountaintop worked. Prahlada could then move someplace else. Perhaps live in a cave. Go somewhere that did not have interference. Do you see what I am saying? It is like Prahlada kept inviting the violence. I am not blaming the victim, here. I am merely considering their safety and wellbeing.”

You could say Prahlada was adopting the policy of nonviolent protest, but there was no ill-will. Prahlada was simply revealing his heart. He wanted his father to view the world the same way. Most importantly, the precious opportunity for elevation of consciousness should not be wasted. Prahlada gave a similar message to anyone who would listen. Even the other children in school were a suitable audience. Though the children were young and inexperienced, they could make use of what Prahlada was teaching them.

श्रीप्रह्राद उवाच
कौमार आचरेत्प्राज्ञो धर्मान्भागवतानिह
दुर्लभं मानुषं जन्म तदप्यध्रुवमर्थदम्

śrī-prahrāda uvāca
kaumāra ācaret prājño
dharmān bhāgavatān iha
durlabhaṁ mānuṣaṁ janma
tad apy adhruvam arthadam

“Prahlada Maharaja said: One who is sufficiently intelligent should use the human form of body from the very beginning of life—in other words, from the tender age of childhood—to practice the activities of devotional service, giving up all other engagements. The human body is most rarely achieved, and although temporary like other bodies, it is meaningful because in human life one can perform devotional service. Even a slight amount of sincere devotional service can give one complete perfection.” (Shrimad Bhagavatam, 7.6.1)

Taking any of the assassination attempts in isolation, it would appear that Prahlada did not stand a chance. Being attacked by pointed weapons. Consuming poison. Serving as the ground for walking elephants. Spending time with venomous snakes. Hiranyakashipu went for the extreme. He tried everything he could think of. Nothing happened to Prahlada. The five-year old boy remained safe.

This was indeed a special case. Prahlada meditated on Vishnu. Prahlada was in yoga. It is not expected that every person devoted to Vishnu will be able to reach the same level in their link. Hiranyakashipu’s demise was set in motion, even prior to the birth of Prahlada. The objective was to have Vishnu Himself arrive on the scene, to return the favor to the father. To rise again, repeatedly, to show the enemy that they were not going anywhere, is a sign of determination. Prahlada was neither afraid nor looking to taunt. As confirmed in Bhagavad-gita, this is how devotees at the highest standard are known to behave.

सततं कीर्तयन्तो मां
यतन्तश् च दृढ-व्रताः
नमस्यन्तश् च मां भक्त्या
नित्य-युक्ता उपासते

satataṁ kīrtayanto māṁ
yatantaś ca dṛḍha-vratāḥ
namasyantaś ca māṁ bhaktyā
nitya-yuktā upāsate

“Always chanting My glories, endeavoring with great determination, bowing down before Me, these great souls perpetually worship Me with devotion.” (Lord Krishna, Bhagavad-gita, 9.14)

In Closing:

Not to buckle or to cave,
Known this way to behave.

That once feet into path set,
Steady determination to get.

Such that not even interference to clear,
Or having potential revenge to fear.

Like Prahlada the many attempts survived,
Despite wickedness father contrived.

Categories: questions

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