Chapter Five
Prahlāda Mahārāja, the Saintly Son of Hiraṇyakaśipu
TEXT 36
viṣṇor vā sādhv asau kiṁ nu
kariṣyaty asamañjasaḥ
sauhṛdaṁ dustyajaṁ pitror
ahād yaḥ pañca-hāyanaḥ
SYNONYMS
viṣṇoḥ—unto Viṣṇu; vā—either; sādhu—good; asau—this; kim—whether; nu—indeed; kariṣyati—will do; asamañjasaḥ—not trustworthy; sauhṛdam—affectionate relationship; dustyajam—difficult to relinquish; pitroḥ—of his father and mother; ahāt—gave up; yaḥ—he who; pañca-hāyanaḥ—only five years old.
TRANSLATION
Although Prahlāda 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 Viṣṇu.
TEXT 37
paro ’py apatyaṁ hita-kṛd yathauṣadhaṁ
sva-dehajo ’py āmayavat suto ’hitaḥ
chindyāt tad aṅgaṁ yad utātmano ’hitaṁ
śeṣaṁ sukhaṁ jīvati yad-vivarjanāt
SYNONYMS
paraḥ—not belonging to the same group or family; api—although; apatyam—a child; hita-kṛt—who is beneficial; yathā—just as; auṣadham—remedial herb; sva-deha-jaḥ—born of one’s own body; api—although; āmaya-vat—like a disease; sutaḥ—a son; ahitaḥ—who is not a well-wisher; chindyāt—one should cut off; tat—that; aṅgam—part of the body; yat—which; uta—indeed; ātmanaḥ—for the body; ahitam—not beneficial; śeṣam—the balance; sukham—happily; jīvati—lives; yat—of which; vivarjanāt—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
Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu 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, Hiraṇyakaśipu 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. Cāṇakya Paṇḍita advises, tyaja durjana-saṁsargaṁ bhaja sādhu-samāgamam. 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. Prahlāda Mahārāja maintained an attitude of noncooperation with the philosophy of his father, Hiraṇyakaśipu, yet he was tolerant and humble. Hiraṇyakaśipu, 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.
TEXT 38
sarvair upāyair hantavyaḥ
sambhoja-śayanāsanaiḥ
suhṛl-liṅga-dharaḥ śatrur
muner duṣṭam ivendriyam
SYNONYMS
sarvaiḥ—by all; upāyaiḥ—means; hantavyaḥ—must be killed; sambhoja—by eating; śayana—lying down; āsanaiḥ—by sitting; suhṛt-liṅga-dharaḥ—who has assumed the role of a friend; śatruḥ—an enemy; muneḥ—of a great sage; duṣṭam—uncontrollable; iva—like; indriyam—the senses.
TRANSLATION
Just as uncontrolled senses are the enemies of all yogīs engaged in advancing in spiritual life, this Prahlāda, 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.
PURPORT
Hiraṇyakaśipu planned a campaign to kill Prahlāda Mahārāja. 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 Hiraṇyakaśipu 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.
TEXTS 39–40
nairṛtās te samādiṣṭā
bhartrā vai śūla-pāṇayaḥ
tigma-daṁṣṭra-karālāsyās
tāmra-śmaśru-śiroruhāḥ
nadanto bhairavaṁ nādaṁ
chindhi bhindhīti vādinaḥ
āsīnaṁ cāhanañ śūlaiḥ
prahrādaṁ sarva-marmasu
SYNONYMS
nairṛtāḥ—the demons; te—they; samādiṣṭāḥ—being fully advised; bhartrā—by their master; vai—indeed; śūla-pāṇayaḥ—having tridents in their hands; tigma—very sharp; daṁṣṭra—teeth; karāla—and fearful; āsyāḥ—faces; tāmra-śmaśru—coppery mustaches; śiroruhāḥ—and hair on the head; nadantaḥ—vibrating; bhairavam—fearful; nādam—sound; chindhi—chop; bhindhi—divide into small parts; iti—thus; vādinaḥ—speaking; āsīnam—who was sitting silently; ca—and; ahanan—attacked; śūlaiḥ—with their tridents; prahrādam—Prahlāda Mahārāja; sarva-marmasu—on the tender parts of the body.
TRANSLATION
The demons [Rākṣasas], the servants of Hiraṇyakaśipu, thus began striking the tender parts of Prahlāda Mahārāja’s body with their tridents. The demons all had fearful faces, sharp teeth and reddish, coppery beards and hair, and they appeared extremely threatening. Making a tumultuous sound, shouting, “Chop him up! Pierce him!” they began striking Prahlāda Mahārāja, who sat silently, meditating upon the Supreme Personality of Godhead.
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