Prahlada’s Mercy 

Prahlada’s Mercy 

It is rare to find anyone who has such faith, and love and affection, for Krsna, as Prahlada Maharaja. Prahlada tried to teach his demonic father this beautiful truth.

naisam matis tavad urukramanghrim

sprsaty anarthapagamo yad-arthah

mahiyasam pada-rajo-‘bhisekam

niskincananam na vrrnita yavat

 “Unless they smear upon their bodies the dust of the lotus feet of a Vaisnava completely freed from material contamination, persons very much inclined toward materialistic life cannot be attached to the lotus feet of the Lord, who is glorified for His uncommon activities. Only by becoming Krsna conscious and taking shelter at the lotus feet of the Lord in this way can one be freed from material contamination.”

Prahlada told his father that those in material consciousness are blind, and they are like dogs. Dogs think that they are intelligent, but they are not.

 

sri-prahlada uvaca

matir na krsne paratah svato va

mitho ‘bhipadyeta grha-vratanam

adanta-gobhir visatam tamisram 

punah punas carvita-carvananam

 “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 Krsna are never aroused, either by the instructions of others, by their own efforts, or by a combination of both.”

 

Some dogs once found a dry bone, which had absolutely no juice. One of the dogs approached that bone, quickly grabbed it with his teeth, and ran away. He then looked back towards the other twenty dogs, who now began to pursue him in order to take that dry juiceless bone away from him. At last they all caught hold of him and began to viciously attack him.

That dog, now full of injuries and blood, gave up that bone. His tail going inside his legs, he watched from the sidelines as another dog, while trying to relish the bone, was also violently attacked.

We are like this. Our fathers and forefathers have tried to take the juice of material enjoyment from this world, tasting only dry bone. If you ask your grandfathers, who are eighty, ninety, or a hundred years old, if they are happy with their life’s accomplishments, they will all say, “No.” 

When you ask, “Why not?” 

they will reply, “I am now old. I can no longer enjoy the taste of wonderful foods because I cannot digest anything I eat. I am going to die. I am not happy.”

Ironically, their children consider, “Doing what we have seen our fathers and grandfathers do, we will now be very happy.”

Suppose a man thinks, “I will drink a great quantity of wine;” what will happen to him? He will become like a madman. He will faint and fall in a drain, at which time he will think, “I am sitting on a golden throne. I am the monarch of all.” Dogs will approach him, smell his body, and think, “What a good smell!” They will taste him with their tongues and thus wash his face. Thus, there is no real pleasure in worldly objects of enjoyment.

 

Prahlada Maharaja explained this truth to Hiranyakasipu, hearing which, Hiranyakasipu became furious and decided to kill him. Hiranyakasipu tried several methods to kill him, which all subsequently failed, and he concluded, 

“I cannot kill him. I fear that my death will come from him. It is I who will die.”

This is a section of the book “Brilliant As the Sun”(English).

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