Prahlada

26 May 1995, Summer Course 1995, Brindavan

Published English.

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Punya Phalamu Cheta Puttenu Manujudai Dushta Vanchala Cheta Dushtudai Jnana Margamu Manavatvamu Veede Intakanna Rakshasatvamedi Kaladu? One is born a human by the fruit of meritorious deeds. By cultivating unholy desire, one becomes wicked, And abandons the path of wisdom and human values. Indeed, what else is demonic behavior?

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Lord assumed the (Boar) to destroy the demon . , the brother of , witnessed his brother’s death at the hands of the Lord. As a result, he developed anger and hatred toward the Lord. He considered not as God but as a man, and decided to destroy Him by any means.

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, hater of the Lord ordered all devotees and Vedic priests to be killed. He destroyed on sight. The kingdom fell into chaos. Not able to bear the separation from his brother, developed many weaknesses. He gave up food, drink and sleep and questioned all the time, "Where is this ?" The Lord exists for one who accepts Him but not for atheists. Yet, He is present in everyone equally. The believer is like a blooming flower while the atheist is a bud. The bud of today is the flower of tomorrow. But if an insect destroys the bud, it cannot become a flower.

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desired immortality. To this end, he left his kingdom and began performing arduous penance on Mount . He had three sons: , and . When he left his kingdom, his fourth son was in the womb of his wife, Queen . Taking advantage of ’s absence, the Gods attacked his kingdom. They wanted to eradicate demons in the interest of world peace and the establishment of human values. At this point, Sage came and took to the safety of his hermitage.

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taught at length about Lord . pretended to listen to by nodding her head, but inwardly she was worried about her husband’s welfare and constantly thought of him. However, ’s child absorbed ’s teachings and began to repeat , even inside the womb! At birth, this child, , had great effulgence and a cheerful smile.

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Soon returned from after propitiating Lord . He had obtained a boon whereby he couldn’t be killed by any man or animal, on earth or in the sky, by anything living or non-living during the day or the night. believed that he had tricked into granting him immortality by the peculiar conditions of the boon. He began considering himself God and forced everyone to adore him by chanting !

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’s education was old enough to be sent to school. and were the assigned to teach him. They taught him that only (wealth) and (desire) were important, not (righteousness) and (liberation). They also taught that was God. Collecting many other children of demons in their school, and taught them demonic qualities. Day and night, they rained upon them teachings opposed to Lord .

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Empty brains can be filled with anything. But ’s heart was full of contemplation on . He did not imbibe any demonic teachings. Still, he pretended to listen, and that made the happy. After a few days, the took to his father.

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Taking in his lap with affection, asked while patting his head, "Son, what did the teach you?"

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said, "Father, I have learnt teachings from the scriptures. I know the nine kinds of devotion: , , , , , , , , ."

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said, "Indeed, you may reach me by any of these paths.' ' Not you, father. These are meant for reaching Lord ," replied .

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Hiding his displeasure, asked again, "Let me hear you summarize the essence of all scriptures in one sentence.' ' ," said .

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became silent. He turned and glared at the , who looked at each other in bafflement. They thought, "This boy is a big danger to us," and felt afraid for their lives. roared, "Take him away and teach him demonic qualities!" This was the first time that he didn’t show anger toward directly.

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But the were not able to change . After a few months, they brought him to the King again. As before, repeated, '' in answer to his father’s questions. became furious and threw aside.

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was the greatest scientist. He had explored Nature, seasons and the solar system. He once noticed that the Earth’s axis was tilted at 23.5 degrees. With his yogic powers, he changed the tilt out of curiosity. He returned it to normal when large-scale destruction resulted. With his will power, he had control over the orbits of the Sun and the Moon as well. That is why he thought of himself as Divine.

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He thought, "School is not doing any good to my son. I shall teach him." He said, "Son, no or any other imaginary being has my powers. The five elements are under my control, as are the orbits of the Sun and the Moon. I am the undisputed Master."

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burst out laughing, "Father, you have conquered everything, but not your senses! One who bows to inner enemies can never subdue external ones. First of all, reduce your ego and cultivate Love for God. Then your kingdom will grow, and you will prosper."

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Flying into a rage, caught by his neck and held him down. "You are teaching ME?" he roared. Despite the best efforts of , no one could change . Teachings learnt later in life or from others’ experiences can be changed. But the Lord’s Name was imprinted in ’s heart at a tender age - it was impossible to erase it. Realizing that such a boy would pose danger to his authority in the future, decided to kill his own son!

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’s travails summoned his men and had them stab with their swords. But was unshaken by this torture. "What is this body worth, composed of the five elements? You are punishing only my body. I’m not related to it. It is only a garment, to which I have no attachment. Father! You have body-consciousness, which is the root cause of ‘I’ and ‘mine.’ You trust the perishable body to be permanent and forget the eternal ." could not watch the atrocities. She fell at her husband’s feet and prayed for him to stop. Not able to assuage her grief, instructed his men to take away and kill him elsewhere.

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Even the demons did not have the heart to harm the innocent child. But the King’s command had to be followed. The boy was taken outside and tied to the ground. Elephants were made to walk over him. Why would one without attachment to his body experience any pain? Moreover, believed in and hence, there was no question of suffering for him. He remained unharmed.

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Then poisonous serpents were brought and let loose on him. The only words he uttered incessantly were, . Nothing happened to him. They threw him off a cliff, in vain. The demons, along with and , returned to the king and reported the miraculous events. "O King! When we attack your son, he only called on . He has no trace of fear, anger or hatred. With a charming smile, he repeats, . His face shows no pain or sorrow. There is some unknown Power protecting him. To harm is a task beyond us."

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now doubted if the demons were carrying out his orders or lying to him. He decided that the boy be put to death in front of his eyes! He had a bowl of deadly poison brought, called near and instructed him to drink it. Smiling all the while and chanting , calmly quaffed it. glared at him, expecting him to collapse. All the demons watched with bated breath. But didn’t die. thought, " and were right. Maybe there is some spirit or ghost in . It cannot be Divine power because only my power is Divine"! Then he called for experts in and other sciences to rid of the 'evil spirit' . Nothing seemed to work. Frustrated and dispirited, addressed , "You say ‘, ’ all the time. Where is this ?"

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advises his father Today’s scientists, after many experiments, proclaim that the atom is the basic element in creation. The atom is the basis for the cosmos. It is present everywhere in the Universe.

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It took scientists over a thousand years to discover and understand this concept. But discovered this principle long before them. He said that God is present everywhere, as scientists talk about the atom. "Do not fall into doubt that He is here but not there. Wherever you look, you will find Him," he said. said, "Really? Is God present everywhere? Fine, show Him to me."

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replied, "Father! Steeped in slavery to the senses and in body-consciousness, you want to see God. It is impossible. You struggle hard to earn fame and worldly security but you do not yearn for God. God grants whatever you want. You desire that your power and fame increase. You live under the dominance of ego and attachment. As long as the feelings of ‘I’ and ‘Mine’ prevail, it is impossible for you to grasp the principle."

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Even today, men search for God while identifying with the body and reinforcing their feelings of 'I' and 'Mine' . They will not find God, no matter how long they try. The principle of the non-dual must first be understood. You must offer yourself to God! Meaning what? All actions must be performed with divine feelings. In the food he ate, the water he drank, and the difficulties he underwent, in everything, saw only , , . This divine principle is unchanging. If you put sugar in coffee, in tea, in water, in anything, it lends sweetness. In the same way, introduced the sweetness of into all his actions.

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"Father! You are mistaking sugar for nectar. But really, even nectar is tasteless when compared to the sweetness of God’s Name. This sweetness is not present in anything else. Instead of repeating such a sweet Name, you spend life feeding your ego. You are committing crimes against society based on the strength of ’s boons. Your ego will ruin you completely. You need humility to attain God. Father! Education without character, worship without sacrifice, wealth without effort, politics without principles - these sins are the basis for all the misery in the world."

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"Father, you are a great scientist, but without human values. Your demonic tendencies show no signs of abating. First, bring your senses under control. Without control over your senses you can never perceive the omnipresent Lord." advised his father in many ways. But no matter how bright a bulb is held in front of a blind man, he cannot see the brightness. continued, "You do not have the eyes of divine love. You are blind in wisdom. How do you expect to see God? Your body is filled with the six enemies: lust, anger, greed, hatred, jealousy and pride."

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As is the color of the eyeglasses, so is the vision. said, "When your heart is full of anger, lust, jealousy, attachment and ego, how do you expect to see God? Wherever I look I see . Inside, outside, above, below... He is present everywhere!

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"Father! The whole world is like an iron ball being burnt in fire. Where does this fire reside? The heat is within the ball, outside it, everywhere. - is present inside, outside, everywhere. This world is similarly engulfed in the fire of . Father, heat is experienced only by touching. Unless you experience something, you cannot understand it. Your ignorance is the root cause of all this confusion. Listen to my words. God is present wherever you look."

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But this foolish man didn’t leave his stubborn stand. "Is God really present everywhere? Is He present in this pillar?" he asked, pointing to a pillar. "Yes," said . "But I cannot see Him. I’m going to destroy this pillar!" thundered . He took a heavy mace and smashed the pillar with force. The pillar broke into two pieces.

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Out emerged a most terrifying form: (ManLion) . It wasn’t human, it wasn’t animal. The head was a lion’s but the body, human. immediately recalled ’s boon - "neither by man or by animal." He told himself that his death seemed imminent. After fighting with him for some time, pulled by his hand and laid him across His thighs.

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recalled, "I wanted to be killed neither on earth nor in the sky. Now I am on the thighs of this being, above the ground and below the sky. I asked for immunity against the living and the non-living. The nails on this being’s claws are neither living nor non-living. It is the hour of twilight, neither day nor night." did not have the sense to remember the name of in his last moments. He only kept remembering ’s boon and how all the conditions had been satisfied. The tendencies cultivated through our lifetime predominate during our final moments and form the basis for our next birth. Not having repeated ’s name during his lifetime, wasn’t able to do it at death. completed His task.

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with the Lord All were terrified by ’s ferocious form. They shivered with fright. alone gazed at Him with unblinking eyes, full of tears of joy. asked him, "Child, doesn’t My form frighten you?" said, "Lord , - As is one’s thought, so is Your Form. Those who think of You as terrible see you as such. To me, You are the very form of Love and Bliss. Why should I be afraid? All forms are Yours. I am not looking at this particular name and form. I am looking at Your Divine Form and repeating your Divine Name. So I have no fear."

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’s body was laid on the floor. went close to the body and paid his respects. "For birth and death our own actions are responsible, not God. Each person reaps his own happiness and sorrow. My father brought this death upon himself. This is not God’s doing," thought . No one can escape the consequences of one’s actions. You cannot tell what you might experience and when. So be ever ready. No one is exempt from this vigilance. Even 's invincibility was won because of past good deeds. But he could not enjoy God’s boons because of his wicked actions. In the end, he was destroyed by the destiny he had carved for himself. prayed for a good afterlife for his father.

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After ’s prayer many gods began arriving there and discussing the events. Before terminating His as , the Lord asked what he wanted. said, "O Lord, I want nothing but You. I should never be distant from You, although You are everywhere. I must live in You, You must live in me, and I must experience this unity. I do not have any other desires. It is meaningless if I waste this life by desiring petty things." Then the Lord appeared in His full glory as and said, ", My child! Children like you are examples to this world. Now take charge of your father’s kingdom. Teach human values to these demons and ensure that they come closer to Me."

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The distinction between a human and a demon arises only from qualities. Demons do not have any peculiar physical traits as portrayed in cinemas and books. They are humans also. It is only by qualities that a human becomes a demon. In the there is a nice example. was God Himself. His parents, and , were true humans. And ’s brother, , was a demon. Thus, all three categories - divine, human and demon - can exist even within the same family! was a demon because of his anger and cruelty. and were humans for their kindness and compassion. Possessing Divine traits, which are beyond all attributes, was God.

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The Lord told , "I’m keeping you here so that you transform these demons into humans and enable them to recognize Divinity." said, "Lord, please don’t give me this responsibility. I want only You, nothing else. All these tasks are Yours." He fell at the Lord’s feet and pleaded repeatedly. But we must act as per the time, place and situation in which God places us. It is impossible for anyone to disobey God.

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The Lord called near and took him on His lap. Holding him close, He said, "Child! Do you want more than THIS? This is the highest blessing - There is nothing greater than seeing Me, touching Me, talking to Me. These are the means to liberation. Think of these moments ceaselessly and rule the world. Follow the divine command," instructed the Lord as He disappeared.

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The Lord departed quickly, lest ask more desires! No one has the 'knack' that God has! He acts in a very guarded and cautious manner. He takes the middle path - He doesn’t hurt anyone nor inconvenience Himself! If the Lord remained there longer, might have asked Him something else. Without giving that chance, the Lord disappeared promptly! ruled the kingdom, all the while chanting .

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Everything is divine Will In this manner the son was a highly purified soul even though the father was a demon. Although born to a demonic father, had an element of Divinity. But what about his children? ’s children inherited his father’s qualities. ’s son, , was a hater of God, like . Recognize these connections between father and son. These relations are based not on chance, but on qualities. This is Divine Will. Everything is Divine Will.

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Attachment causes animal qualities To keep demonic and animal tendencies at bay we must limit attachment and pride. More attachment means more animal qualities. What is animal nature? The loss of discrimination. Even mistakes are perceived as good deeds when one is blinded by attachment. This was the case with . He knew that ’s actions were sins. But his fatherly attachment repeatedly forgave those sins. As a result, his entire family perished.

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The Divine Name Proceeding on the Divine path in this manner, become like and strive for the welfare of your family, country, and the whole world. Even if you do not have ’s ideal qualities, at least never forget God’s Name. Whatever difficulties you may encounter, remember God’s name ceaselessly. No matter how foolish or demonic a person, it is easy to bring the Lord’s name to one’s lips during difficulties.

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So follow the natural discipline of chanting the Lord’s Name. No matter what difficulties you encounter, even if ridiculed, never forget God’s Name. respected his father but disputed with him about the Truth when necessary. You may also explain your faith to your parents, but never yield to pressure from anyone and change your attitude. Faith in God is our life-breath. The lays special emphasis on the constant remembrance of the Name of the Lord.

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[ sang "".]