4 - Hiranyakashyap's Bad Deeds and His Son Prahlaad

Naarad Jee further said - "When Hiranyakashyap asked for such a Var, Brahmaa first hesitated, but he gave all of that whatever he asked for, to him because of his hard Tapasyaa. Hiranyakashyap worshipped Brahmaa Jee, and Brahmaa Jee went to his Lok. Now Hiranyakashyap became very mighty. He became jealous with Bhagavaan remembering his brother's death. He won all the living beings - Devtaa, Asur, Gandharv, Garud, Sarp etc etc. He snatched the powers of Lokpaal also. He started living in Swarg, enjoying Nandan Van (Indra's garden). He lived in Indra's palace which was built by Vishwakarmaa. His discipline was so strict that Devtaa and Daanav always prayed to him because of being scared of him. When he sat on the throne of Indra, the Vishwaavasu, Tumburu and all of us had to pray to him. He used to snatch Aahuti of large Yagya. He ruled all the seven Dweep of Prithvi. Whatever he wanted he got it. All seven seas used to send all kinds of gems to him through their waves. But all these pleasures were not able to satisfy him, after all he was the slave of Indriyaan.

Hey Yudhishthir, But don't forget that still he was the Paarshad of Vishnu, only that he was there in this form, to whom Sankaadi Muni gave Shaap. Thus lots of time passed. Everybody got tired of his rule. So one day they started praying Bhagavaan. They abandoned food, drink and sleep. One day they heard the Aakaashvaanee (Divine voice) - "I know everything. Just wait for the right time, I will make everything all right. Anyone when starts enmity with me he gets destroyed. When he will oppose his religious son then I will kill him." Hearing this Divine voice all came back satisfied. Hiranyakashyap had four sons - Prahlaad Jee was the youngest but in qualities he was the highest. He loved Bhagavaan very much. He was a great devote of Him. Hiranyakashyap tried to harm such religious boy."

Yudhishthir asked - "Naarad Jee, Father naturally love their sons, then why Hiranyakashyap didn't like his son? I am very curious to know that why did he behave like this with his son?"

[Naarad Jee said] - "Prahlaad was a very great devotee of Shree Hari, and Shree Hari was the greatest enemy of Hiranyakashyap, so Hiranyakashyap did not like this. He thought of killing Prahlaad. Daitya's Purohit was Shukraachaarya Jee. He had two sons - Shand and Amark. They were the teachers of Prahlaad and other Daitya children. They taught politics and economics to them. Prahlaad was an intelligent boy, he used to learn everything soon but he did not feel good about that education, because it was based on "mine and thine" philosophy.

One day Hiranyakashyap asked Prahlaad - "Tell me my son, What do you like in your school?" Prahlaad said - "Dear father, People are always sad because they are always involved in "mine and thine", So I understand that if people abandon their houses and go to forest and worship Shree Hari it will be rather better for them." Hiranyakashyap laughed at this and said - "It seems that there are some Vishnu's people around there who are misguiding my son. The child should be properly taken care of so that he should not go astray." Hiranyakashyap conveyed his idea to Guru Jee.

One day Guru Jee asked - "Dear son Prahlaad, Tell me the truth, don't tell me lie, who has affected your mind? Other children are not like that as you are. How did you become like this?" Prahlaad said - "Guru Jee, Whose mind is confused only those people are affected by Bhagavaan's Maayaa - that this is mine and that is thine. I bow to that Maayaa's Lord. When Bhagavaan is kind to somebody, only then his animal mind is gone. The same Paramaatmaa is this Aatmaa (soul).  A-Gyaanee describe the same by making distinction between mine and other's. They are also right because it is very difficult to know Him with Tattwa (elements). The same Paramaatmaa is misguiding my mind according to you. As iron is attracted to magnet, I am also attracted to Shree Hari." Purohit were the servants of Raajaa, so hearing this they got afraid. They scolded Prahlaad as he was defaming them. They tried in several ways to rectify the situation but could not correct Prahlaad. 

When they thought that Prahlaad has learnt all about Dharm, Arth, Kaam and Moksh, they took him to his mother. His mother gave him a nice warm bath, dressed him in fine clothes, then they took him to his father. Prahlaad touched his father's feet. Hiranyakashyap got very happy to see his son, he asked - "Son, What have you learned so far? Tell me some good things from them." Prahlaad said - "Bhakti (devotion) is of nine types - (1) hearing His names and His stories, (2) Keertan (singing His name), (3) remembering His Swaroop (Dhyaan or Meditation), (4) serving His feet, (5) worshipping Him, (6) praying Him, (7) slavery to Him, (8) friendship with Him, and (9) submission to Him. Who follows this type of Bhakti, he is the greatest." Hiranyakashyap got very angry at the teachers - "O Braahman, What have you taught to him? Certainly you are from our enemy's side." Guru's sons said - "Please don't be angry. Whatever he is saying, we haven't taught him that, he is saying all this of his own." Then he asked Prahlaad - "Tell me, if your teachers have not taught this to you, then who has taught you this? Prahlaad said - "Father, All people are grinding already ground things, chewing already the chewed things. Because they don't have any control on their Indriyaan that is why they want to enjoy the same pleasures again and again. Such people cannot think of Shree Hari." Prahlaad got quiet after saying this. 

Hiranyakashyap got filled with rage, he threw Prahlaad on the floor and said - "Take this boy out and kill him. Who has killed his uncle, he is praising the same person? Who has forgotten the love of his parents in the age of five, what good he will do to Vishnu? He is going to harm me so kill him by any means at any time." Hiranyakashyap's people started beating him, but Prahlaad always remembered His name. So there was no effect of beating on him. Then he asked them to put him under elephants' feet, to make him bite with poisonous snakes, produced Krityaa Raakshasee with the help of his Purohit to kill him, pushed him from the top of hill, used Shambaraasur's Maayaa on him, shut him up in a closed room, gave him poison, and stopped his food. He put him in an icy place, in burning fire, in sea, left him in storms, put him under the mountains, but he could not harm him, even his one hair, in any way.

Now he had no other way to kill him, so he thought - "This child seems intelligent and lives with me fearlessly. I tried to kill him in several ways but I could not harm him, it seems he must have some power. As Shunehshep was opposing his father because of his father's behavior, in the same way he will also not forget my all this behavior. Neither he is afraid of anything, nor he dies from anything. Maybe I will die if I oppose him, or maybe not." Thinking of this he got sad. When Shand and Amark saw him like this, they said - "Do not be so much worried about a child. Tie him with Varun's Paash until our father Shukraachaarya Jee comes. Sometimes people  get wisdom with age." Then Hiranyakashyap asked them to teach him Dharm, Arth (economics), and Kaam (worldly desires). Purohit again took him to school. Prahlaad used to behave very calmly and quietly but he did not like their teachings because he considered these teachings for Grihasth (family) people or who want to enjoy worldly pleasures. One day when Guru was away from the school, other children called Prahlaad for playing, but Prahlaad himself called them and started preaching them.

6-Prahlaad's Teachings to Asur Children

Prahlaad started teaching them - "To get human life is very difficult. And because from this life you can attain Prabhu, you must not lose even one moment of this life. Whatever pleasures are good for Indriyaan, they are available to them in any Yoni without any effort. So spending time and strength for them is useless. They will not help you to attain Shree Hari. Human age is of 100 years. Who have not controlled their Indriyaan, half of their age is gone just like that, because they spend night in sleeping, 20 years of childhood  go in ignorance, and 20 years of old age go in inactiveness. Remain only a few years of age, during that people are busy in fulfilling their desires or in indulging in Grihasth activities. There is no limit of these. Who is always busy in Grihasth activities, in spite of being very intelligent, he cannot attain Paramaatmaa. Therefore you leave these Daitya and accept Shree Hari.

You don't have to do much hard work to attain Him, because He is the soul of the whole Universe. Although Dharm, Arth, Kaam are described in Shaastra, but if they are helpful to attain Shree Hari, they are good otherwise not. First Brahmaa Jee transferred this knowledge to Naarad Jee, and I heard this from Naarad Jee." Children asked - "Prahlaad, We do not know anybody else as our teachers except these Guru's two sons. Besides you are such a young boy, and you have always lived along with your mother, so your meeting with Naarad Jee seems doubtful, could you convince us about this [that you heard this from Naarad Jee?]?"

Naarad Jee said - "Hey Yudhishthir, When Daitya children questioned him like this, then he recollected his old memories and said to them - "When my father went to Mandaraachal Valley to do Tap then Indra etc Devtaa planned to attack Daanav. Devtaa defeated Daanav and Daanav ran away. Devtaa entered the Daanav's palace and Indra imprisoned my mother Kayaadhu and took her along with him. Fortunately Naarad Jee came there and asked Indra to release her saying that she was innocent. Indra said - "She is pregnant. I will release her when she has given birth the child and I have killed it." Naarad Jee said - "She will give birth to a very great devotee Mahaatmaa child whom you will not be able to kill." Hearing this Indra revolved around my mother with devotion, released her and went to his Lok.

Then Naarad Jee took my mother to his Aashram and kept her till my father came back from Tapasyaa. In the meantime, my mother served Naarad Jee very well. Naarad Jee preached Bhaagvat Jee to my mother but he was looking at me all the time. My mother forgot that knowledge but I remembered it. If you trust me then I can deliver the same knowledge to you also, because by Shraddhaa women's and children's mind becomes very pure and clear. As according to Kaal, fruits appear, stay, grow, ripe, get spoiled and then are destroyed on the tree, in the same way the following six characteristics  - birth, feeling of existence, growing, result, deterioration and death - are only related to this body. They have no relationship with soul. Soul is immortal, clean, One, Kshetragya, Aashraya (resting place), Nir-Vikaar (without any impurities - pure), self-illuminated, cause of everything, vast, alone, and uncovered. These are the twelve characteristics of soul. That is why men should leave this "me and mine", because this is all Maayaa.

Aachaarya have told that Mool Prakriti, Mahat-Tattwa, Ahankaar and Panch Tanmaatraa (eight elements) make up Prakriti. Prakriti has three Gun (Sat, Raj, Tam) and 16 Vikaar (10 Indriyaan, one Man, 5 Mahaa Bhoot). All join together make a human body. This body is of two types - Sthaavar and Jangam. But there is no Aatmaa (soul) here, so one should search for Aatmaa. Aatmaa is in everything but still it is separate from everything. Thus people should think about the creation, maintenance and Pralaya (destruction) of this Universe with clear mind. One should not hurry about it. Conscious, subconscious and unconscious (waking, dream and sleep) - these are the three states of Buddhi (mind). By these three states we attain the knowledge of Paramaatmaa. As by fragrance we know about its Aashraya (dwelling place) air; in the same way one should know Aatmaa in all the three states.

Therefore, first of all you should destroy the seed of Karm, this will stop the flow of the states of Buddhi. This is called Yog or meeting Paramaatmaa. There are many ways to do this, but whatever way is easier to you to attain that situation, that is the best. Bhagavaan Himself has said - service of Guru; whatever you get for yourself, offer it to Him; or Satsang of Mahaatmaa, or worshipping Shree Hari, or hearing His stories, or chanting His name and qualities, or meditation on His feet, or Darshan of His idol in temple, or wherever develops your love in in Hari's feet, do it. Shree Hari exists in everybody, thinking in this line one should fulfill everybody's desire. Win Kaam, Krodh (anger), Lobh (greed), Moh (excessive love), Mad (pride), Matsar and worship Shree Hari then only one can attain the love of Shree Krishn.

Not only the pleasures of this world are short-lived, even Swarg etc Lok which are attained through Yagya etc are also short-lived. There are only two objectives to do Karm - enjoying pleasures and ending sorrows. If the Man does Karm with desire (Sa-Kaam Karm) then those pleasures are momentary and since they are done for the body which is also short lived. Desire for pleasure leads to Karm for body and body leads for Karm and that is the cause of sorrows, and this is because of ignorance. Therefore Karm should be done only to end sorrows. Bhagavaan is pleased only through desireless devotion ( Nish-Kaam Bhakti), everything else like Braahman, giving alms, Tap, Vrat etc being secondary. With the grace of Bhagavaan, Raakshas, women, Shoodra, birds, deer and many sinful beings have attained Mukti. Therefore love Bhagavaan and worship Him sincerely."

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