ERROR: Your browser does not support scripts.

santi—are; hi—indeed; asadhavah—dishonest persons; loke—within this world; durmaitrah—cheating friends; chadma-vesinah—wearing false garbs; tesam—of all of them; udeti—arises; agham—the reaction of sinful life; kale—in due course of time; rogah—disease; patakinam—of sinful men; iva—like.

In due course of time, various types of diseases are manifest in those who are sinful. Similarly, in this world there are many deceptive friends in false garbs, but eventually, because of their false behavior, their actual enmity becomes manifest.

Being anxious about the education of his boy Prahlada, Hiranyakasipu was very much dissatisfied. When Prahlada began teaching about devotional service, Hiranyakasipu immediately regarded the teachers as his enemies in the garb of friends. In this verse the words rogah patakinam iva refer to disease, which is the most sinful and miserable of the conditions of material life (janma-mrtyu jara-vyadhi). Disease is the symptom of the body of a sinful person. The smrti-sastras say,

brahma-ha ksaya-rogi syat
surapah syavadantakah
svarna-hari tu kunakhi
duscarma guru-talpagah

Murderers of brahmanas are later afflicted by tuberculosis, drunkards become toothless, those who have stolen gold are afflicted by diseased nails, and sinful men who have sexual connections with the wife of a superior are afflicted by leprosy and similar skin diseases.

SB7.5.28

TEXT 28

sri-guru-putra uvaca

na mat-pranitam na para-pranitam

suto vadaty esa tavendra-satro

naisargikiyam matir asya rajan

niyaccha manyum kad adah sma ma nah

sri-guru-putrah uvaca—the son of Sukracarya, Hiranyakasipu’s spiritual master, said; na—not; mat-pranitam—educated by me; na—nor; para-pranitam—educated by anyone else; sutah—the son (Prahlada); vadati—says; esah—this; tava—your; indra-satro—O enemy of King Indra; naisargiki—natural; iyam—this; matih—inclination; asya—of him; rajan—O King; niyaccha—give up; manyum—your anger; kat—fault; adah—attribute; sma—indeed; ma—do not; nah—unto us.

The son of Sukracarya, Hiranyakasipu’s spiritual master, said: O enemy of King Indra, O King! Whatever your son Prahlada has said was not taught to him by me or anyone else. His spontaneous devotional service has naturally developed in him. Therefore, please give up your anger and do not unnecessarily accuse us. It is not good to insult a brahmana in this way.

SB7.5.29

TEXT 29

sri-narada uvaca

gurunaivam pratiprokto

bhuya ahasurah sutam

na ced guru-mukhiyam te

kuto ’bhadrasati matih

SYNONYMS

sri-naradah uvaca—Narada Muni said; guruna—by the teacher; evam—thus; pratiproktah—being answered; bhuyah—again; aha—said; asurah—the great demon, Hiranyakasipu; sutam—unto his son; na—not; cet—if; guru-mukhi—issued from the mouth of your teacher; iyam—this; te—your; kutah—from where; abhadra—O inauspicious one; asati—very bad; matih—inclination.

TRANSLATION

Sri Narada Muni continued: When Hiranyakasipu received this reply from the teacher, he again addressed his son Prahlada. Hiranyakasipu said: You rascal, most fallen of our family, if you have not received this education from your teachers, where have you gotten it?

PURPORT

Srila Visvanatha Cakravarti Thakura explains that devotional service is actually bhadra sati, not abhadra asati. In other words, knowledge of devotional service can be neither inauspicious nor contrary to etiquette. To learn devotional service is the duty of everyone. Therefore the spontaneous education of Prahlada Maharaja is supported as auspicious and perfect.

SB7.5.30

TEXT 30

sri-prahrada uvaca

matir na krsne paratah svato va

mitho ’bhipadyeta grha-vratanam

adanta-gobhir visatam tamisram

punah punas carvita-carvananam

sri-prahradah uvaca—Prahlada Maharaja said; matih—inclination; na—never; krsne—unto Lord Krsna; paratah—from the instructions of others; svatah—from their own understanding; va—either; mithah—from combined effort; abhipadyeta—is developed; grha-vratanam—of persons too addicted to the materialistic, bodily conception of life; adanta—uncontrolled; gobhih—by the senses; visatam—entering; tamisram—hellish life; punah—again; punah—again; carvita—things already chewed; carvananam—who are chewing.

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.

na te viduh svartha-gatim hi visnum

In this verse the words matir na krsne refer to devotional service rendered to Krsna. So-called politicians, erudite scholars and philosophers who read Bhagavad-gita try to twist some meaning from it to suit their material purposes, but their misunderstandings of Krsna will not yield them any profit. Because such politicians, philosophers and scholars are interested in using Bhagavad-gita as a vehicle for adjusting things materially, for them constant thought of Krsna, or Krsna consciousness, is impossible (matir na krsne). As stated in Bhagavad-gita (18.55), bhaktya mam abhijanati: only through devotional service can one understand Krsna as He is. The so-called politicians and scholars think of Krsna as fictitious. The politician says that his Krsna is different from the Krsna depicted in Bhagavad-gita. Even though he accepts Krsna and Rama as the Supreme he thinks of Rama and Krsna as impersonal because he has no idea of service to Krsna. Thus his only business is punah punas carvita-carvananam [SB 7.5.30]—chewing the chewed again and again. The aim of such politicians and academic scholars is to enjoy this material world with their bodily senses. Therefore it is clearly stated here that those who are grha-vrata, whose only aim is to live comfortably with the body in the material world, cannot understand Krsna. The two expressions grha-vrata and carvita-carvananam indicate that a materialistic person tries to enjoy sense gratification in different bodily forms, life after life, but is still unsatisfied. In the name of personalism, this ism or that ism, such persons always remain attached to the materialistic way of life. As stated in Bhagavad-gita (2.44):

bhogaisvarya-prasaktanam
tayapahrta-cetasam
vyavasayatmika buddhih
samadhau na vidhiyate

“In the minds of those who are too attached to sense enjoyment and material opulence, and who are bewildered by such things, the resolute determination for devotional service to the Supreme Lord does not take place.” Those who are attached to material enjoyment cannot be fixed in devotional service to the Lord. They cannot understand Bhagavan, Krsna, or His instruction, Bhagavad-gita. Adanta-gobhir visatam tamisram: their path actually leads toward hellish life.

As confirmed by Rsabhadeva, mahat-sevam dvaram ahur vimukteh: [SB 5.5.2] one must try to understand Krsna by serving a devotee. The word mahat refers to a devotee.

mahatmanas tu mam partha
daivim prakrtim asritah
bhajanty ananya-manaso
jnatva bhutadim avyayam

“O son of Prtha, those who are not deluded, the great souls, are under the protection of the divine nature. They are fully engaged in devotional service because they know Me as the Supreme Personality of Godhead, original and inexhaustible.” (Bg. 9.13) A mahatma is one who is constantly engaged in devotional service, twenty-four hours a day. As explained in the following verses, unless one adheres to such a great personality, one cannot understand Krsna. Hiranyakasipu wanted to know where Prahlada had gotten this Krsna consciousness. Who had taught him? Prahlada sarcastically replied, “My dear father, persons like you never understand Krsna. One can understand Krsna only by serving a mahat, a great soul. Those who try to adjust material conditions are said to be chewing the chewed. No one has been able to adjust material conditions, but life after life, generation after generation, people try and repeatedly fail. Unless one is properly trained by a mahat—a mahatma, or unalloyed devotee of the Lord—there is no possibility of one’s understanding Krsna and His devotional service.”

SB7.5.31

TEXT 31

durasaya ye bahir-artha-maninah

andha yathandhair upaniyamanas

te ’pisa-tantryam uru-damni baddhah

na—not; te—they; viduh—know; sva-artha-gatim—the ultimate goal of life, or their own real interest; hi—indeed; visnum—Lord Visnu and His abode; durasayah—being ambitious to enjoy this material world; ye—who; bahih—external sense objects; artha-maninah—considering as valuable; andhah—persons who are blind; yatha—just as; andhaih—by other blind men; upaniyamanah—being led; te—they; api—although; isa-tantryam—to the ropes (laws) of material nature; uru—having very strong; damni—cords; baddhah—bound.

Persons who are strongly entrapped by the consciousness of enjoying material life, and who have therefore accepted as their leader or guru a similar blind man attached to external sense objects, cannot understand that the goal of life is to return home, back to Godhead, and engage in the service of Lord Visnu. As blind men guided by another blind man miss the right path and fall into a ditch, materially attached men led by another materially attached man are bound by the ropes of fruitive labor, which are made of very strong cords, and they continue again and again in materialistic life, suffering the threefold miseries.

Since there must always be a difference of opinion between demons and devotees, Hiranyakasipu, when criticized by his son Prahlada Maharaja, should not have been surprised that Prahlada Maharaja differed from his way of life. Nonetheless, Hiranyakasipu was extremely angry and wanted to rebuke his son for deriding his teacher or spiritual master, who had been born in the brahmana family of the great acarya Sukracarya. The word sukra means “semen,” and acarya refers to a teacher or guru. Hereditary gurus, or spiritual masters, have been accepted everywhere since time immemorial, but Prahlada Maharaja declined to accept such a seminal guru or take instruction from him. An actual guru is srotriya, one who has heard or received perfect knowledge through parampara, the disciplic succession. Therefore Prahlada Maharaja did not recognize a seminal spiritual master. Such spiritual masters are not at all interested in Visnu. Indeed, they are hopeful of material success (bahir-artha-maninah). The word bahih means “external,” artha means “interest,” and manina means “taking very seriously.” Generally speaking, practically everyone is unaware of the spiritual world. The knowledge of the materialists is restricted within the four-billion-mile limit of this material world, which is in the dark portion of the creation; they do not know that beyond the material world is the spiritual world. Unless one is a devotee of the Lord, one cannot understand the existence of the spiritual world. Gurus, teachers, who are simply interested in this material world are described in this verse as andha, blind. Such blind men may lead many other blind followers without true knowledge of material conditions, but they are not accepted by devotees like Prahlada Maharaja. Such blind teachers, being interested in the external, material world, are always bound by the strong ropes of material nature.

SB7.5.32

TEXT 32

naisam matis tavad urukramanghrim

sprsaty anarthapagamo yad-arthah

mahiyasam pada-rajo-’bhisekam

niskincananam na vrnita yavat

na—not; esam—of these; matih—the consciousness; tavat—that long; urukrama-anghrim—the lotus feet of the Supreme Personality of Godhead, who is famous for performing uncommon activities; sprsati—does touch; anartha—of unwanted things; apagamah—the disappearance; yat—of which; arthah—the purpose; mahiyasam—of the great souls (the mahatmas, or devotees); pada-rajah—by the dust of the lotus feet; abhisekam—consecration; niskincananam—of devotees who have nothing to do with this material world; na—not; vrnita—may accept; yavat—as long as.

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.

Becoming Krsna conscious brings about anartha-apagamah, the disappearance of all anarthas, the miserable conditions we have unnecessarily accepted. The material body is the basic principle of these unwanted miserable conditions. The entire Vedic civilization is meant to relieve one from these unwanted miseries, but persons bound by the laws of nature do not know the destination of life. As described in the previous verse, isa-tantryam uru-damni baddhah: they are conditioned by the three strong modes of material nature. The education that keeps the conditioned soul bound life after life is called materialistic education. Srila Bhaktivinoda Thakura has explained that materialistic education expands the influence of maya. Such an education induces the conditioned soul to be increasingly attracted to materialistic life and to stray further and further away from liberation from unwanted miseries.

One may ask why highly educated persons do not take to Krsna consciousness. The reason is explained in this verse. Unless one takes shelter of a bona fide, fully Krsna conscious spiritual master, there is no chance of understanding Krsna. The educators, scholars and big political leaders worshiped by millions of people cannot understand the goal of life and take to Krsna consciousness, for they have not accepted a bona fide spiritual master and the Vedas. Therefore in the Mundaka Upanisad (3.2.3) it is said, nayam atma pravacanena labhyo na medhaya na bahuna srutena: one cannot become self-realized simply by having an academic education, by presenting lectures in an erudite way (pravacanena labhyah), or by being an intelligent scientist who discovers many wonderful things. One cannot understand Krsna unless one is graced by the Supreme Personality of Godhead. Only one who has surrendered to a pure devotee of Krsna and taken the dust of his lotus feet can understand Krsna. First one must understand how to get out of the clutches of maya. The only means is to become Krsna conscious. And to become Krsna conscious very easily, one must take shelter of a realized soul—a mahat, or mahatma—whose only interest is to engage in the service of the Supreme Lord. As the Lord says in Bhagavad-gita (9.13):

mahatmanas tu mam partha
daivim prakrtim asritah
bhajanty ananya-manaso
jnatva bhutadim avyayam

yasyasti bhaktir bhagavaty akincana
sarvair gunais tatra samasate surah

“One who has unflinching devotional faith in Krsna consistently manifests all the good qualities of Krsna and the demigods.” (Bhag. 5.18.12)

yasya deva para bhaktir
yatha deve tatha gurau
tasyaite kathita hy arthah
prakasante mahatmanah

“Only unto those great souls who have implicit faith in both the Lord and the spiritual master are all the imports of Vedic knowledge automatically revealed.” (Svetasvatara Upanisad 6.23)

yam evaisa vrnute tena labhyas
tasyaisa atma vivrnute tanum svam

“The Lord is obtained only by one whom He Himself chooses. To such a person He manifests His own form.” (Mundaka Upanisad 3.2.3)

These are Vedic injunctions. One must take shelter of a self-realized spiritual master, not a materially educated scholar or politician. One must take shelter of a niskincana, a person engaged in devotional service and free from material contamination. That is the way to return home, back to Godhead.

SB7.5.33

TEXT 33

ity uktvoparatam putram

hiranyakasipu rusa

andhikrtatma svotsangan

nirasyata mahi-tale

iti—thus; uktva—speaking; uparatam—stopped; putram—the son; hiranyakasipuh—Hiranyakasipu; rusa—with great anger; andhikrta-atma—made blind to self-realization; sva-utsangat—from his lap; nirasyata—threw; mahi-tale—upon the ground.

After Prahlada Maharaja had spoken in this way and become silent, Hiranyakasipu, blinded by anger, threw him off his lap and onto the ground.

SB7.5.34

TEXT 34

ahamarsa-rusavistah

kasayi-bhuta-locanah

vadhyatam asv ayam vadhyo

nihsarayata nairrtah

SYNONYMS

aha—he said; amarsa—indignation; rusa—and by severe anger; avistah—overpowered; kasayi-bhuta—becoming exactly like red-hot copper; locanah—whose eyes; vadhyatam—let him be killed; asu—immediately; ayam—this; vadhyah—who is to be killed; nihsarayata—take away; nairrtah—O demons.

TRANSLATION

Indignant and angry, his reddish eyes like molten copper, Hiranyakasipu said to his servants: O demons, take this boy away from me! He deserves to be killed. Kill him as soon as possible!

SB7.5.35

TEXT 35

ayam me bhratr-ha so ’yam

hitva svan suhrdo ’dhamah

pitrvya-hantuh padau yo

visnor dasavad arcati

SYNONYMS

ayam—this; me—my; bhratr-ha—killer of the brother; sah—he; ayam—this; hitva—giving up; svan—own; suhrdah—well-wishers; adhamah—very low; pitrvya-hantuh—of He who killed his uncle Hiranyaksa; padau—at the two feet; yah—he who; visnoh—of Lord Visnu; dasa-vat—like a servant; arcati—serves.

TRANSLATION

This boy Prahlada is the killer of my brother, for he has given up his family to engage in the devotional service of the enemy, Lord Visnu, like a menial servant.

PURPORT

Hiranyakasipu considered his son Prahlada Maharaja to be the killer of his brother because Prahlada Maharaja was engaged in the devotional service of Lord Visnu. In other words, Prahlada Maharaja would be elevated to sarupya liberation, and in that sense he resembled Lord Visnu. Therefore Prahlada was to be killed by Hiranyakasipu. Devotees, Vaisnavas, attain the liberations of sarupya, salokya, sarsti and samipya, whereas the Mayavadis are supposed to attain the liberation known as sayujya. Sayujya-mukti, however, is not very secure, whereas sarupya-mukti, salokya-mukti, sarsti-mukti and samipya-mukti are most certain. Although the servants of Lord Visnu, Narayana, in the Vaikuntha planets are equally situated with the Lord, the devotees there know very well that the Lord is the master whereas they are servants.

SB7.5.36

TEXT 36

visnor va sadhv asau kim nu

karisyaty asamanjasah

sauhrdam dustyajam pitror

ahad yah panca-hayanah

visnoh—unto Visnu; va—either; sadhu—good; asau—this; kim—whether; nu—indeed; karisyati—will do; asamanjasah—not trustworthy; sauhrdam—affectionate relationship; dustyajam—difficult to relinquish; pitroh—of his father and mother; ahat—gave up; yah—he who; panca-hayanah—only five years old.

Although Prahlada is only five years old, even at this young age he has given up his affectionate relationship with his father and mother. Therefore, he is certainly untrustworthy. Indeed, it is not at all believable that he will behave well toward Visnu.

SB7.5.37

TEXT 37

paro ’py apatyam hita-krd yathausadham

sva-dehajo ’py amayavat suto ’hitah

chindyat tad angam yad utatmano ’hitam

sesam sukham jivati yad-vivarjanat

SYNONYMS

parah—not belonging to the same group or family; api—although; apatyam—a child; hita-krt—who is beneficial; yatha—just as; ausadham—remedial herb; sva-deha-jah—born of one’s own body; api—although; amaya-vat—like a disease; sutah—a son; ahitah—who is not a well-wisher; chindyat—one should cut off; tat—that; angam—part of the body; yat—which; uta—indeed; atmanah—for the body; ahitam—not beneficial; sesam—the balance; sukham—happily; jivati—lives; yat—of which; vivarjanat—by cutting off.

TRANSLATION

Although a medicinal herb, being born in the forest, does not belong to the same category as a man, if beneficial it is kept very carefully. Similarly, if someone outside one’s family is favorable, he should be given protection like a son. On the other hand, if a limb of one’s body is poisoned by disease, it must be amputated so that the rest of the body may live happily. Similarly, even one’s own son, if unfavorable, must be rejected, although born of one’s own body.

PURPORT

Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu has instructed all devotees of the Lord to be humbler than the grass and more tolerant than trees; otherwise there will always be disturbances to their execution of devotional service. Here is a vivid example of how a devotee is disturbed by a nondevotee, even though the nondevotee is an affectionate father. The material world is such that a nondevotee father becomes an enemy of a devotee son. Having determined to kill even his son, Hiranyakasipu gave the example of amputating a part of one’s body that has become septic and therefore injurious to the rest of the body. The same example, of course, may also be applied to nondevotees. Canakya Pandita advises, tyaja durjana-samsargam bhaja sadhu-samagamam. Devotees actually serious about advancing in spiritual life should give up the company of nondevotees and always keep company with devotees. To be too attached to material existence is ignorance because material existence is temporary and miserable. Therefore devotees who are determined to perform tapasya (penances and austerities) to realize the self, and who are determined to become advanced in spiritual consciousness, must give up the company of atheistic nondevotees. Prahlada Maharaja maintained an attitude of noncooperation with the philosophy of his father, Hiranyakasipu, yet he was tolerant and humble. Hiranyakasipu, however, being a nondevotee, was so polluted that he was even prepared to kill his own son. He justified this by putting forward the logic of amputation.

SB7.5.38

TEXT 38

sarvair upayair hantavyah

sambhoja-sayanasanaih

suhrl-linga-dharah satrur

muner dustam ivendriyam

sarvaih—by all; upayaih—means; hantavyah—must be killed; sambhoja—by eating; sayana—lying down; asanaih—by sitting; suhrt-linga-dharah—who has assumed the role of a friend; satruh—an enemy; muneh—of a great sage; dustam—uncontrollable; iva—like; indriyam—the senses.

Just as uncontrolled senses are the enemies of all yogis engaged in advancing in spiritual life, this Prahlada, who appears to be a friend, is an enemy because I cannot control him. Therefore this enemy, whether eating, sitting or sleeping, must be killed by all means.

Hiranyakasipu planned a campaign to kill Prahlada Maharaja. He would kill his son by administering poison to him while he was eating, by making him sit in boiling oil, or by throwing him under the feet of an elephant while he was lying down. Thus Hiranyakasipu decided to kill his innocent child, who was only five years old, simply because the boy had become a devotee of the Lord. This is the attitude of nondevotees toward devotees.

SB7.5.39-40

TEXTS 39–40

nairrtas te samadista

bhartra vai sula-panayah

tigma-damstra-karalasyas

tamra-smasru-siroruhah

nadanto bhairavam nadam

chindhi bhindhiti vadinah

asinam cahanan sulaih

prahradam sarva-marmasu

nairrtah—the demons; te—they; samadistah—being fully advised; bhartra—by their master; vai—indeed; sula-panayah—having tridents in their hands; tigma—very sharp; damstra—teeth; karala—and fearful; asyah—faces; tamra-smasru—coppery mustaches; siroruhah—and hair on the head; nadantah—vibrating; bhairavam—fearful; nadam—sound; chindhi—chop; bhindhi—divide into small parts; iti—thus; vadinah—speaking; asinam—who was sitting silently; ca—and; ahanan—attacked; sulaih—with their tridents; prahradam—Prahlada Maharaja; sarva-marmasu—on the tender parts of the body.