Hrdayananda: Oh. "Thereafter Lord Brahma requested Prahlada Maharaja, who was standing very nearby, and asked Prahlada Maharaja to go forward and said, 'My dear son, Lord Nrsimhadeva is very, very angry upon your demonic father, and you can go forward and appease Him, the Lord.' "
Prabhupada:
prahradam presayam asa
brahmavasthitam antike
tata prasamayopehi
sva-pitre kupitam prabhum
[SB 7.9.3]
So all of them, all the demigods, they wanted to pacify. The Lord was very angry, but they failed. Then, at last, they requested Laksmiji to pacify the Lord. She could not dare to approach Him; what is the speaking of pacifying? Then, at last, they decided that "This five-years-old boy, the Lord may be compassionate upon him. And for him He has appeared, so let him be engaged in pacifying the Lord." So Brahma, the head of all the demigods presented there, he decided, prahladam presayam asa. He pushed him forward: "My dear Prahlada, my dear son, better you go forward and pacify." It is something like to push a little child in the cage of the lion. It is something like that. Nobody dared. So Prahlada Maharaja, he knew very well that "However ferocious He may be, I am not afraid. He is my Lord. I am not afraid." He was jolly, innocent, pure devotee. He had no fear. So he was sent: "My dear Prahlada, you try."
So brahma avasthitam antike. He was very near sitting, but he had no fear. Just on the lotus feet, near the lotus feet of the Lord, he was sitting. Others were contemplating. He was free, that "I am under the shelter of the Lord." Svapada-mule, mahat-padam punya-yaso murareh. "He is Murari, and everything is under His feet." This is the conclusion when one is advanced in Krsna consciousness. Prahlada Maharaja, although he was a boy of five years old, it did not matter. He was first-class devotee, maha-bhagavata. That is possible. The devotional service is nothing material. It is spiritual. So there is nothing impossible, impossible. That is real appreciation of spiritual life. If one thinks that "Prahlada Maharaja was only five years old. How he could offer such nice verses in glorifying the Lord?" that is possible. Bhakti does not depend on the age. Bhakti depends on sincerity of service. It is not that because one man is older than me, therefore he will be greater devotee. No. Ahaituky apratihata. First of all, bhakti must be without any motive, without any motive of personal sense gratification. That is real bhakti. Anyabhilasita-sunyam [Brs. 1.1.11]. We have to make all our desires zero. Jnana-karmady-anavrtam. People are trying to understand the whole creation by knowledge, but bhakti does not depend on knowledge. Jnana-karma... Or karma. Karma means fruitive action. Not that because you are a very big businessman, you are very successful, therefore it will be easy for you to understand Krsna. No. That is not possible. Or if you think one is very poor in knowledge, lowborn, no education, still he can understand bhakti and Lord, provided he is pure devotee.
So material conditions, they are not practically applicable to spiritual life. Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu, therefore, He said, eho bahya age kaha ara. Whatever Ramananda Raya was proposing, "This is the beginning of bhakti..." He suggested varnasrama-dharma, karma-tyaga, karma-sannyasa, even full surrender, sarva-dharman parityajya [Bg. 18.66]. All, everything, Caitanya Mahaprabhu said, eho bahya age kaha: "These are external formality. If you know something better than this, please explain." So Ramananda Raya, when, I mean to say, quoted a verse from Brahma's prayer, sthane sthitah sruti-gatam tanu-van-manobhih prayena ajita api jito... Krsna is ajita. Nobody can conquer Him. Krsna says in the Bhagavad-gita, mattah parataram nanyat [Bg. 7.7]. Nobody is greater in every respect. Not that "Krsna is shorter at least in this respect." He is shorter in one respect, that He could not repay back the obligation He received from the gopis. He was only shorter to the gopis. That is His grace. He said that "I cannot repay you. It is impossible. Please be satisfied with your own service." That is the gopis. So He was shorter always, especially before Radharani. He felt Himself shorter. Otherwise He is the Supreme. He is always the Supreme. Mattah parataram nanyat kincid asti dhananjaya [Bg. 7.7]. So if you want to conquer over this unconquerable Krsna, then, according to the prayer of Brahma and appreciated by Lord Caitanya Mahaprabhu, that sthane sthitah sruti-gatam tanu-van-manobhih: "You remain in your place, it doesn't matter, but you become very humble. Don't be puffed up." Jnane prayasam udapasya namanta eva. You should not think yourself that you are very advanced, "By my speculative knowledge I can understand God." That is mistake. That is not possible. You have to give up first of all this attempt, that "I am very learned," "I am very rich,"or "I am very this and that. Therefore for me to understand God, it is nothing." They think like that. Janmaisvarya-sruta-sribhih [SB 1.8.26]. Those who are very much proud, they do not take Krsna consciousness very seriously. They think, "These poor fellow who had no money, no foodstuff, they have come in the name of Krsna for begging. So it is for them. It is not for us. I am very rich. I am very opulent. I am very educated. I am very aristocratic. So for me there is no need of." The Indians say like that in your country. "Now we have known this Krsna, Hare Krsna. We have... Now it is not needed. Now it is technology."
So these puffed-up persons cannot understand Krsna. One has to become very humble. Christ also says, "The kingdom of God is for the humble and the meek." That is actually... And Krsna also says, sarva-dharman parityajya mam ekam saranam vraja [Bg. 18.66]. This is the beginning of humbleness: "Yes, I have nothing, insignificant." Bahunam janmanam ante jnanavan mam [Bg. 7.19]. This is real knowledge, to remain always insignificant before guru -- Krsna. Then it is profit. If somebody thinks that "I have become more than my guru, more than Krsna," then he is finished. So one should become very humble and meek. It doesn't matter where he is situated, either this institutionally, brahmacari, grhastha, vanaprastha, sannyasa. Even one has taken sannyasa, he should remain always humble. So never we should think that "I have become very big personality." That was the instruction of my Guru Maharaja, that bada vaisnava -- "I am very big Vaisnava. Everyone should come and obey my orders" -- this is condemned position. The real position is one should be very humble and meek. Jnane prayasam udapasya namanta eva. Namanta means humble. One should be prepared to learn from... Namanta eva san-mukhari... Those who are pure devotee. From them one should be very much anxious to hear. That, the same thing, anyabhilasita-sunyam [Brs. 1.1.11]. Who has no other desire in the material world except to serve Krsna, he is pure devotee. So one should be anxious in humbleness to hear from such personality. Sthane... It doesn't require to change. There are so many questions sometimes: whether it is necessary to take sannyasa and It is... By the routine work, it is necessary. But if one is serious, so for him it is not necessary -- ahaituky apratihata -- because for a serious student of devotion, Krsna is in his hand. So anyway, even if you are a sannyasi or grhastha or vanaprastha, it doesn't matter. You should remain very humble. That is required. Sthane sthitah. And you should hear from the realized soul in humbleness. Then the Krsna, the great, He will be conquered by you.
So Prahlada Maharaja was that type of maha-bhagavatam. He was not... As a child, he had... He did not know the sophistry or formality to become unnecessarily very prestigious. He was by nature a small boy. Just like here, these boys. If you insult, he doesn't care for it because he is child. Or if you praise him, he does not think himself very much puffed up. This is child's nature. So Prahlada Maharaja was in that position. He didn't care. His father wanted to chastise him in so many ways. He didn't care. He (was) always thinking, "He is my father. He is joking. That's all." This is simplicity. This is simplicity. This simplicity is very valuable. So Prahlada Maharaja was in that position. Therefore Brahma selected him, that "My dear Prahlada, my dear child, please approach the Lord. You can try to pacify Him." Prahradam presayam asa brahmavasthitam antike, tata: "My dear child, my dear boy," tata prasamayo upehi, "please go forward and try to pacify Him." Sva-pitre kupitam prabhum: "Our Lord, Prabhu, He has become very, very angry." Nobody can excess in His anger. Just like nobody can excel the Supreme Personality of Godhead in anything, similarly, when He is angry, nobody can excel Him. He becomes so angry. So He is always... "God is great" means great in everything. When He is angry, nobody can excel Him in His anger. And when He is very peaceful, nobody can excel Him. This is God. Asamaurdha. God means nobody is equal; nobody is greater. So when the Lord was angry, nobody can show His anger equally and nobody can become greatly anger or more greatly angry than Krsna. He is always topmost. This is... So such anger was exhibited. Why? Now, it is said, sva-pitre kupitam. He's inducing, Brahma inducing, that "We never seen the Lord so angry, but it is on account of your father, so it is your duty. You go there." (chuckles) The child will accept, "Yes. My father committed so many offenses. Therefore it is my duty to pacify the Lord." Therefore he is reminding because he was a child, "My dear child, it is for your father He has become so angry, so it is your duty. Go and pacify Him." So every word in Bhagavata, there is meaning. Sva-pitre kupitam prabhum: "Don't think that it is our duty; it is your duty. Although we are Brahma, Laksmi, all right. So real duty is yours." This is little joking.
So Prahlada Maharaja is prepared, "All right," either for his father or for everyone. That is Vaisnava. Vaisnava does not consider that "I have to pray to Krsna for my father, for my mother." No. Vaisnava is ready to offer prayer... Para-duhkha-duhkhi. He is always unhappy, seeing these fallen conditioned souls unhappy. Other... Vaisnava personally, he has no unhappiness. Naivodvije para duratyaya-vaitaranyah. That will be explained. Tvad-virya-gayana-mahamrta-magna-cittah, soce tato vimukha-cetasa, indriyartha-maya-sukhaya bharam udvahato vimudhan [SB 7.9.43]. So Vaisnava is always sorry for the rascals in the world. Otherwise he has nothing to be unhappy. He can sit down anywhere; he can sleep anywhere; he can eat anything. He doesn't require anyone's help. He... As Krsna is self-sufficient, similarly, Krsna, not exactly like that, but a Vaisnava is also self-sufficient, depending only on Krsna. That is Vaisnava. So he has nothing to lament or nothing to regret. He is always pleased in the service of the Lord, but he is always sorry for the conditioned souls who are for suffering the material pangs on account of ignorance.
Thank you very much. (end)
>>> Ref. VedaBase => Srimad-Bhagavatam 7.9.3 -- Mayapur, February 10, 1976
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