Passage 6

Lesson from the Bhagavatha

Next, you have the Bhagavatha. The Bhagavatha teaches the lesson that anger destroys people. In the Bhagavatha, Hiranya Kashyapa looked upon God as his enemy. He deemed himself the supreme Lord. He felt that there was no power greater than himself. Hiranya Kashyapa was a great scientist. He plumbed the depths of the ocean. He had control over the five elements. Despite all these accomplishments he developed enmity towards God. He subjected his son, Prahlada, to innumerable ordeals because he was a devotee of Narayana. He tried to drown Prahlada in the ocean and hurl him from the top of a mountain. He got Prahlada bitten by snakes. But Prahlada survived all the ordeals. Prahlada was always chanting the name of Lord Narayana, whom Hiranya Kashyapa hated. Anger causes destruction of wisdom. And when wisdom is lost, everything is lost - honour, wealth, position and life itself. Scientific knowledge without wisdom is of no use. Along with science there should be discrimination. The Ramayana teaches how a person suffers on account of evil desires. The Bhagavatha teaches lessons as to how a person suffers on account of anger and hatred. All their knowledge and powers could not save Ravana or Hiranya Kashyapa. It is only God who can give protection. Developing enmity towards God, Ravana and Hiranya Kashyapa courted disaster.