by Bibek Debroy
‘“When his mother had bathed and ornamented him, he was presented before the Indra among the daityas. The child fell down at his feet and the asura welcomed him and pronounced his benedictions. For a long time, he embraced him in his arms and felt great relief. He made him sit on his lap and inhaled the fragrance of his head, sprinkling his smiling face with drops of tears. O Yudhishthira! He spoke to him. Hiranyakashipu said, ‘O Prahlada! O son! May you live for a long time. You have spent quite some time in the abode of your preceptors. Tell me something extraordinary that you have learnt from them, or through your own studies.’ Prahlada replied, ‘There are nine forms of being devoted to Vishnu—hearing about him; chanting his name; remembering Vishnu; serving at his feet; worshipping him; praying to him; servitude to him; friendship; and offering one’s entire self. I think that if a man offers himself in this way, he performs devotion towards the illustrious one. This is my supreme learning.’ Hearing the words of his son, Hiranyakashipu’s lips quivered in rage and he told his preceptor’s son, 695 ‘O brahma-bandhu! 696 What is this? You have taken the side of the enemy. O evil-minded one! You have shown me disrespect and made the child learn nonsense. In this world, there are wicked people who use their garb to disguise themselves. They are evil friends. They are like sinners. They are like a disease that manifests itself over a period of time.’ The preceptor’s son said, ‘O Indra’s enemy! I have not taught your son what he has spoken. Nor has it been taught to him by anyone else. O king! This is his natural intelligence. Control your anger. The blame does not devolve on us.’ Answered by the preceptor in this way, the asura spoke to his son again. ‘O unfortunate one! Since the preceptor has not taught you this, how has this evil intelligence come upon you?’ Prahlada replied, ‘The mind does not turn towards Krishna because of what one does or because of what someone else does. Nor does it develop from the combined efforts of those who follow the vows of householders. It does not develop in those who are unable to control their senses. Instead, they are plunged into darkness and repeatedly chew what has been chewed before. 697 Those who pursue selfish objectives do not know Vishnu. They pursue external objectives and their wishes are impossible to satisfy. They are like the blind being led by the blind, firmly bound by the lord’s strong ropes. As long as the pursuit of undesirable objectives does not disappear, they cannot touch Urukrama’s lotus feet. As long as they do not crave nothing, they cannot consecrate themselves with the dust from the great one’s feet.’ His son said this and stopped. Blind with rage, Hiranyakashipu threw him down from his lap on to the ground.
‘“He was filled with great anger and his eyes turned coppery red. He said, ‘O nairittas! 698 He deserves to be killed. Quickly take him away and kill him. He is the killer of my brother. This wretched one has abandoned his well-wishers. Like a servant, he is worshipping the feet of Vishnu, his paternal uncle’s slayer. Indeed, since he cannot be trusted, what good will he do to Vishnu? He is only five years old and has now given up the affection for his parents, which is so very difficult to cast aside. Even if it is someone else’s child, a beneficial one is like a medicinal herb. However, even if he is born from one’s own body, a son who causes harm is like a disease. If a limb is injurious to one’s own self, it should be lopped off. Through casting it aside, what remains will live happily. He bears the signs of a well-wisher, but is an enemy, just as wicked senses are to a sage. Whether he is eating, lying down or is seated, he must be killed through whatever means can be used.’ Instructed by their master, the nairittas wielded tridents in their hands. Their teeth were sharp and their faces were fierce. Their beards and hair were coppery red. They roared, uttering terrible yells. They shouted, ‘Cut him. Pierce him.’ Prahlada was seated. They struck him in all his inner organs with their tridents. The illustrious one is in all atmans and his atman was immersed in the supreme brahman who cannot be fathomed. Therefore, like the virtuous rites of a person who possesses no good merits, these attempts were unsuccessful. When this effort was repulsed, the Indra among daityas became alarmed. O Yudhishthira! He persistently devised other methods to kill him. Elephants that guarded the directions, poisonous snakes, magical rites, causing him to be hurled down, maya, imprisonment, administering poison through food, lack of food, cold, wind, fire, water, crushing him with boulders—but the asura was incapable of killing his son. He thought for a very long time, but could not think of any other means. ‘I have addressed him in many abusive words. I have devised many methods of killing him. I have caused harm through techniques that are not in conformity with dharma. However, using his own energy, he has freed himself. He is not far away from me now. Though he is only a child, his mind has not suffered from any fear. Like the lord Shunahshepa, he will not forget my ignoble conduct. 699 His sentiments are immeasurable. Like an immortal, he is not scared of anyone. Therefore, by opposing him, I may ensure my death. Or perhaps not.’ With his radiance somewhat faded and with his face cast downwards, he thought in this way.
‘“Shanda and Amarka, the sons of Ushanas, spoke to him in private. ‘Through the furrowing of your eyebrows, you have conquered the three worlds and all the lords. O protector! We do not see any reason for you to be scared or thoughtful. The behaviour of children is neither good, nor bad. Bind him down with Varuna’s noose. Capture him, so that he cannot run away when he is scared. A man’s intelligence improves with age and the serving of noble ones. Let our preceptor, Bhargava, 700 return.’ He agreed to what his preceptor’s sons said and instructed, ‘Let him be instructed about the dharma that householder kings should follow.’ O king! Prahlada was humble and submissive and was progressively taught everything about dharma, artha and kama. The teachers instructed him about these three objectives of existence. However, these instructions described the delight from opposite pairs of sentiments and he did not take these to be desirable. When the teachers were engaged in their household duties, his friends, the other children, found an opportunity and summoned him. 701 However, the immensely intelligent and learned one replied to their sweet words, smiling compassionately, since he knew they were devoted to him. All of them respected his words and cast aside the objects they used to play. They were children and their intelligence was not sullied. They did not find pleasure in injurious instructions about the opposite pair of sentiments. The asura, a great devotee of the illustrious one, addressed them in compassionate words of friendship.”’
Chapter 7(6)
‘“Prahlada said, ‘In this world, from childhood, one must follow the dharma of being devoted to the illustrious one. Birth as a human is extremely difficult to obtain. Though it is transient, it is capable of achieving the objective. A person must approach the feet of Vishnu. He is the beloved atman in all creatures. He is the lord and the well-wisher. O daityas! Because of association with the body, all embodied beings everywhere experience happiness and unhappiness that comes through the senses. That happens because of destiny and requires no effort. Therefore, one should not make efforts that amount to nothing more than a wastage of the lifespan. The benefit that comes from Mukunda’s lotus feet cannot be obtained through such means. Therefore, having come into this life, an accomplished person must strive for that benefit, as long as the human body is strong and is not incapacitated. A man has a lifespan of one hundred years. However, if a person has not controlled himself, half of that is wasted. He sleeps during the night and is submerged in blinding darkness. Confused, twenty years are spent in playing during childhood and youth. When the body is no longer capable, twenty years pass when old age grasps the body. If a person is confounded, desire is strong and is impossible to satisfy. For a distracted person who is attached to the householder mode, the remaining years are wasted in this way. If a man is attached to the householder stage, how can he conquer his senses? The bonds of affection are extremely firm. Bound in this way, who is able to free himself? How can one cast aside thirst, more desired than one’s own life? It 702 is so desired that thieves, servants and merchants try to purchase it with their own lives. Th
e association with a beloved wife is pleasant. Her dalliance and counsel are agreeable. A person is bound to her and to his children by bonds of affection. The mind is attached to their faltering tones. In his heart, he remembers his sons and daughters, his brothers, his sisters and his helpless parents. The house is full of agreeable objects. There is the vocation of the family. There are large numbers of animals and servants. Like a silkworm, he is sheathed in acts of avarice and the increasing desires are not satisfied. He pays a great deal of attention to the genital organs and the tongue. 703 This is a great illusion. How can one give it up easily? Seeking to sustain his family, he does not understand that his own lifespan is passing away. He is distracted and counters the objective. Everywhere, he suffers from the three kinds of hardship. 704 Without understanding, he thinks that joy comes from maintaining the family. His mind is always interested in accumulating wealth. Though he knows the punishments, in this world and in the next world, of stealing the riches of others, he does that, because he cannot conquer his senses, because his desires are unmet and because of the family. O sons of Danu! Despite being learned, a person seeks to sustain his family and does not know himself, 705 nor is he capable of knowing it. His sentiments are based on differences of “mine” and “belonging to others” and like a confused person, faces darkness. Whoever he is and wherever he is, he is miserable and incapable of knowing his atman. He can never free himself from the lascivious glances of women who treat him like a plaything. He has created his own bonds. O daityas! Therefore, give up the association with daityas who are addicted to material objects, and keep them far away. Approach Narayana, the original god. He is the path to liberation and his association is sought by those who seek liberation. O sons of asuras! Achyuta is in the atmans of all creatures and he is everywhere in this world. One can succeed in pleasing him without great efforts. The illustrious and undecaying lord exists in all mobile and immobile objects and inferior and superior creatures, ending with Brahma. He is in the gunas, the equilibrium of the gunas and the transformation of the gunas. He is the single and supreme atman. His form is inside the atman and everything that can be seen is also him. He is described as pervasive and pervades everything. But he cannot be described. Nor is he differentiated. The own form of the supreme lord is only a feeling of bliss. However, he hides his powers behind maya, leading to the creation of gunas. Therefore, show compassion and fraternal feelings towards all beings. Free yourselves from the sentiments of asuras. Adhokshaja will be satisfied through this. When the infinite and original one is satisfied, what cannot be obtained? In this world, anything that is the result of the three gunas will automatically be obtained. When we are beyond the gunas, why should we aspire for dharma and the others? 706 We will chant about the delight of his feet and taste its essence. Dharma, artha and kama, said to be the three objectives of existence, the self-realization described in the three Vedas, good policy, self-control, many kinds of conduct and the sacred texts—I think that all of them are true, but only as a means of offering oneself to the supreme being, who is one’s well-wisher. This pure knowledge is difficult to comprehend and Narayana, Nara’s friend, taught it to Narada. If an embodied being single-mindedly desires nothing other than the illustrious one and bathes in the dust of his lotus feet, he may obtain it. This is the pure dharma of devotion towards the illustrious one and I have earlier heard about this jnana and vijnana from Narada, who sees the divinity.’
‘“The sons of the daityas said, ‘O Prahlada! You and we do not know any preceptor other than these two sons of the preceptor. Since childhood, they have been our masters. For a child in the inner quarters, association with great people is extremely difficult. O amiable one! Dispel our doubt. Give us a reason to trust you.’”’
Chapter 7(7)
‘Narada continued, “Thus, the sons of the daityas asked the asura who was a great devotee of the illustrious one. Remembering what I had told him, he seemed to smile and replied.
‘“Prahlada replied, ‘Our father left for Mount Mandara to perform austerities. At that time, the gods made a great effort to fight against the danavas. Vasava and the others said, “It is good fortune that the wicked one, 707 the scorcher of the worlds, has been devoured by his own sins, like a snake eaten by ants.” The leaders of the asuras heard about their extremely great strength and efforts. Scared of being slaughtered by the gods, they fled in all the directions. All of them hastened to save their own lives and did not glance towards their wives, sons, riches, relatives, homes, animals and belongings. Desiring victory, the immortals plundered the king’s abode. Indra captured the king’s queen, my mother. While she was being taken away, scared and anxious, she wept like a female osprey. Wandering around as he willed, the devarshi saw her along the path and said, “O lord of the gods! She is innocent. You should not take her away. Free her. O immensely fortunate one! Set her free. She is faithful and is married to someone else.” Indra replied, “In her womb, there is the intolerable seed of someone who hates the gods. Let her remain with me until she has delivered. After that, after having attained my objective, 708 I will free her.” Narada said, “He is without sin and is a great devotee of the illustrious one. He is Ananta’s powerful follower and you will not be able to achieve what you want.” Thus addressed, Indra honoured the devarshi’s words and released her. Devotedly circumambulating Ananta’s beloved, he went to heaven. The rishi took my mother to his own hermitage. He comforted her and said, “O child! Until your husband returns, be comfortable here.” She agreed to this and in the devarshi’s presence, lost all fear, as long as the lord of the daityas did not return from his terrible austerities. With supreme devotion, the virtuous one tended to the rishi. She desired the safe delivery of the one who was inside her womb. Out of compassion towards her, the powerful rishi instructed both her and me about pure and true knowledge and dharma. Because she is a woman, after a long period of time, the teachings of the rishi vanished from my mother’s mind. However, because of his favours, that memory has not left me even now. If you have trust in my words and possess devotion, your intelligence will also become accomplished, just as it does for women and children like me. Since birth, six kinds of transformations 709 are seen in the body, but not in the atman. Because the lord assumes the form of time, they are also seen in fruits on trees. The atman is eternal and without decay. It is pure and one. It is the witness and is the refuge. It is without transformation and self-illuminating. It is the cause behind all causes and pervasive. It is not touched or covered by any contamination. The learned know these twelve supreme signs of the atman. 710 They abandon confused sentiments of “I” and “mine”, associated with the body. A goldsmith extracts gold out of an ore. A person accomplished in yoga does that with the body. From the body that is the field, a person who knows about adhyatma, uses yoga to himself realize the brahman. There are said to be eight prakritis, three gunas and sixteen transformations. 711 However, the preceptors know that a single entity brings them together. The body is the combination of all these and everything is of two types, mobile and immobile. This is where the being must be sought out, discarding on the basis of, “This is not it”, “This is not it”. With a pure mind, direct and indirect discrimination must be used, analysing aspects of creation, preservation and destruction. Those who are patient examine it in this way. There are the states of wakefulness, dreaming, deep sleep and intelligence. 712 The one who perceives these is the supreme entity, the one with oversight. One can deduce the nature of the wind from the fragrance it bears. Like that intelligence must be used to differentiate and the three gunas and the outcomes of activities. Rejecting these, the nature of the atman can be deduced. Samsara is the gate for bondage through gunas and activities. Its foundation is ignorance and therefore it is not real. It is like a dream presented to a man. Therefore, your task is to use your intelligence and burn down the seed, the three gunas, and the activities they engender. When these cease, the supreme can be reached. There are thousands of ways. However, the swiftest is love
towards the lord and illustrious one, instructed by the honoured one. 713 Serving the preceptor, devotion, offering everything obtained to him, 714 association with virtuous devotees, worshipping the lord, faithfully hearing his accounts, chanting about his qualities and his deeds, meditating on his lotus feet and worshipping his forms—these are the methods. The illustrious lord and Hari is in all creatures. With this thought in mind, one should respect the wishes of all creatures as virtuous. When one acts with such devotion towards the lord, the six categories are vanquished. 715 Through love, one obtains the illustrious Vasudeva. When he 716 hears about his unmatched deeds and qualities, valour and deeds and pastimes in different bodies, his body hair stands up and tears of joy choke his throat. He chants loudly, cries and dances. It is as if he has been possessed by an evil spirit. He weeps, meditates and worships people. 717 Without shame, his intelligence is in the atman and he sighs and exclaims, “O Hari! O lord of the universe! O Narayana!” Such a person is then freed from all kinds of bondage. His mind and body are completely in tune with his 718 sentiments. Through the great mode of devotion, all the seeds of desire are burnt down and one attains Adhokshaja. In this world, the embodied being’s mind is always associated with inauspicious objects. However, Adhokshaja destroys the wheel of samsara. The learned know this as the bliss of nirvana in the brahman. Therefore, in your hearts, worship the lord who is in all hearts. O sons of asuras! What is difficult about this effort? Hari’s seat and form are inside you, in the core space of your hearts. He is a friend to embodied beings and bestows unlimited benedictions. Why should one bother about objects of pleasure that can generally be obtained? Wealth, wives, animals, sons, homes, land, elephants, treasure and all the other objects that lead to artha and kama are temporary, as is the lifespan itself. What kind of pleasure can these bring to mortals? In this way, the worlds that are obtained through rites may bring greater pleasure. But since they are destroyed, this is also not pure. No taints have been seen, or heard about, in the supreme one. The lord has been spoken about with devotion. Therefore, be devoted to him and obtain him. In this world, taking himself to be learned, for objectives, a man repeatedly undertakes many kinds of acts. However, these acts fail to yield the desired fruits and lead to opposite effects. These acts are driven by the motivation of obtaining happiness and freedom from unhappiness. However, they always lead to unhappiness, cloaked under the cover of happiness. In this world, a man pursues the objective of satisfying desire and wishes for desirable objects. But this body is temporary and is enjoyed by others. 719 The entity 720 goes away and embraces another. There is no need to mention offspring, wives, abodes, riches, kingdoms, treasuries, elephants, advisers, servants, relatives and so on. Though regarded as “mine”, these are only indirectly connected. What will the atman do with these trifles? They are destroyed with the body. Appearing in the garb of the desirable, they are undesirable in the path of obtaining the ocean of nectar in the form of eternal bliss. O asuras! Determine how much of self-benefit an embodied being can obtain in this world through sexual gratification and other means. Because of his past deeds, he suffers hardships in this unfortunate state. The body follows his will and an embodied being undertakes acts. However, deeds undertaken by the body and the embodied being—both are consequences of the lack of discrimination. Those who worship the lord Hari without any motives obtain dharma, artha, kama and everything else that is desired. The beloved lord Hari is in all creatures. Through Mahat and the elements, he has himself created everything that is described as living. Like us, by worshipping Mukunda’s feet, anyone can obtain benedictions—a god, an asura, a human, a yaksha or a gandharva. O sons of asuras! Being a brahmana, a god or a rishi isn’t sufficient to please Mukunda. Nor are good conduct, great learning, donations, austerities, rites, purity and vows. Hari is pleased through unadulterated devotion alone. Everything else is irrelevant. O danavas! Therefore, act with devotion towards the illustrious Hari. Since the lord is in all creatures, regard everyone else as your own atman. Thus, even daityas, yakshas, rakshasas, women, shudras, residents of Vraja, 721 birds, animals and those with wicked lives have obtained Achyuta. In this world, this is said to be supreme well-being for a person—single-minded devotion towards Govinda and seeing him everywhere.’”’