Prahläda Pacifies Lord Nåsiàhadeva with Prayers

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Prahläda Pacifies Lord Nåsiàhadeva with Prayers

SB 7.9 Summary

 

As related in this chapter, Prahläda Mahäräja, following the order of Lord

Brahmä, pacified the Lord when the Lord was extremely angry after having killed

Hiraëyakaçipu. After Hiraëyakaçipu was killed, the Lord continued to be very

angry, and the demigods, headed by Lord Brahmä, could not pacify Him. Even

mother Lakñmé, the goddess of fortune, the constant companion of Näräyaëa,

could not dare come before Lord Nåsiàhadeva. Then Lord Brahmä asked Prahläda

Mahäräja to go forward and pacify the Lord's anger. Prahläda Mahäräja, being

confident of the affection of his master, Lord Nåsiàhadeva, was not afraid at

all. He very gravely appeared before the Lord's lotus feet and offered Him

respectful obeisances. Lord Nåsiàhadeva, being very much affectionate toward

Prahläda Mahäräja, put His hand on Prahläda's head, and because of being

personally touched by the Lord, Prahläda Mahäräja immediately achieved

brahma-jïäna, spiritual knowledge. Thus he offered his prayers to the Lord in

full spiritual knowledge and full devotional ecstasy. The instructions given by

Prahläda Mahäräja in the form of his prayers are as follows.

Prahläda said, "I am not proud of being able to offer prayers to the Supreme

Personality of Godhead. I simply take shelter of the mercy of the Lord, for

without devotion one cannot appease Him. One cannot please the Supreme

Personality of Godhead simply by dint of high parentage or great opulence,

learning, austerity, penance or mystic power. Indeed, these are never pleasing

to the Supreme Lord, for nothing can please Him but pure devotional service.

Even if a nondevotee is a brähmaëa qualified with the twelve brahminical

symptoms, he cannot be very dear to the Lord, whereas if a person born in a

family of dog-eaters is a devotee, the Lord can accept his prayers. The Lord

does not need anyone's prayers, but if a devotee offers his prayers to the

Lord, the devotee benefits greatly. Ignorant persons born in low families,

therefore, can sincerely offer heartfelt prayers to the Lord, and the Lord will

accept them. As soon as one offers his prayers to the Lord, he is immediately

situated on the Brahman platform.

Lord Nåsiàhadeva appeared for the benefit of all human society, not only for

Prahläda's personal benefit. The fierce form of Lord Nåsiàhadeva may appear

most awful to a nondevotee, but to the devotee the Lord is always affectionate

as He is in other forms. Conditioned life in the material world is actually

extremely fearful; indeed, a devotee is not afraid of anything else. Fear of

material existence is due to false ego. Therefore the ultimate goal of life for

every living entity is to attain the position of being servant of the servant

of the Lord [Cc. Madhya 13.80]. The miserable condition of the living entities

in the material world can be remedied only by the mercy of the Lord. Although

there are so-called material protectors like Lord Brahmä and the other

demigods, or even one's own father, they are unable to do anything if one is

neglected by the Supreme Personality of Godhead. However, one who has fully

taken shelter of the Lord's lotus feet can be saved from the onslaught of

material nature. Therefore every living entity should be unattracted by

material so-called happiness and should take shelter of the Lord by all means.

That is the mission of human life. To be attracted by sense gratification is

simply foolish. Whether one is a devotee of the Lord or is a nondevotee does

not depend upon one's birth in a high or low family. Even Lord Brahmä and the

goddess of fortune cannot achieve the full favor of the Lord, whereas a devotee

can very easily attain such devotional service. The Lord's mercy is bestowed

equally upon everyone, regardless of whether one is high or low. Because

Prahläda Mahäräja was blessed by Närada Muni, Prahläda became a great devotee.

The Lord always saves the devotee from impersonalists and voidists. The Lord is

present in everyone's heart as the Supersoul to give the living being

protection and all benefits. Thus the Lord acts sometimes as the killer and

sometimes as the protector. One should not accuse the Lord for any

discrepancies. It is His plan that we see varieties of life within this

material world. All of them are ultimately His mercy.

Although the entire cosmic manifestation is nondifferent, the material world is

nonetheless different from the spiritual world. Only by the mercy of the

Supreme Lord can one understand how the wonderful material nature acts. For

example, although Lord Brahmä appeared from the lotus seat that had grown from

the abdomen of Garbhodakaçäyé Viñëu, he could not understand what to do after

his appearance. He was attacked by two demons, Madhu and Kaiöabha, who took

away Vedic knowledge, but the Lord killed them and entrusted to Lord Brahmä the

Vedic knowledge. Thus the Lord appears in every millennium in the societies of

demigods, human beings, animals, saints and aquatics. All such incarnations are

meant to protect the devotees and kill the demons, but this killing and

protecting does not reflect any sense of partiality on the part of the Supreme

Lord. The conditioned soul is always attracted by the external energy.

Therefore he is subjected to lust and greed, and he suffers under the

conditions of material nature. The Lord's causeless mercy toward His devotee is

the only means by which to get out of material existence. Anyone engaged in

glorifying the Lord's activities is always unafraid of this material world,

whereas one who cannot glorify the Lord in that way is subjected to all

lamentation.

Those interested in silently worshiping the Lord in solitary places may be

eligible for liberation themselves, but a pure devotee is always aggrieved to

see others suffering. Therefore, not caring for his own liberation, he always

engages in preaching by glorifying the Lord. Prahläda Mahäräja, therefore, had

tried to deliver his class friends by preaching and had never remained silent.

Although being silent, observing austerities and penances, learning the Vedic

literature, undergoing ritualistic ceremonies, living in a solitary place and

performing japa and transcendental meditation are approved means of liberation,

they are meant for nondevotees or for cheaters who want to live at the expense

of others. A pure devotee, however, being freed from all such deceptive

activities, is able to see the Lord face to face.

The atomic theory of the composition of the cosmic manifestation is not

factual. The Lord is the cause of everything, and therefore He is the cause of

this creation. One should therefore always engage in devotional service by

offering respectful obeisances to the Lord, offering prayers, working for the

Lord, worshiping the Lord in the temple, always remembering the Lord and always

hearing about His transcendental activities. Without these six kinds of

activity, one cannot attain to devotional service.

Prahläda Mahäräja thus offered his prayers to the Supreme Lord, begging His

mercy at every step. Lord Nåsiàhadeva was pacified by Prahläda Mahäräja's

prayers and wanted to give him benedictions by which Prahläda could procure all

kinds of material facilities. Prahläda Mahäräja, however, was not misled by

material facilities. Rather, he wanted to remain always a servant of the

servant of the Lord