॥ ॐ नमो भगवते वासुदेवाय ॥
Wednesday, 18 January 2023 VII.07 - The story of how Sage Narada takes care of Prahlada's mother during her pregnancy and the spiritual instruction he imparts to Prahlada in the womb.
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Prahlada begins telling his story to his friends.
When Hiranyakashipu went to do his severe Tapas, the gods thought he was dead. They attacked Asuras who ran away leaving behind their wives and children. Queen Kayadu who was carrying Prahlada in her womb was abducted by Indra with the intention of killing off her baby as soon as he was born as he would be a future enemy. But Sage Narada stopped Indra, telling him that the boy to be born would be a great Jnani and Bhakta receiving respect from all.
इत्युक्तस्तां विहायेन्द्रो देवर्षेर्मानयन्वच: । अनन्तप्रियभक्त्यैनां परिक्रम्य दिवं ययौ ॥
T: "When the sage Narada had thus spoken, King Indra, respecting Narada’s words, immediately released my mother. Because of my being a devotee of the Lord, he circumambulated her. Then he returned to heaven."
Kayadu was protected and cared for by Narada in his ashrama. She also served him faithfully, praying for safe delivery. Narada gave her the highest spiritual wisdom, too. Although she seemed to forget everything, her foetus Prahlada, absorbed everything like a great disciple.
Prahlada says:
भवतामपि भूयान्मे यदि श्रद्दधते वच: । वैशारदी धी: श्रद्धात: स्त्रीबालानां च मे यथा ॥
T:"My dear friends, if you can place your faith in my words, simply by that faith you can also understand this spiritual wisdom, just like me! This is true for all children and women, too. What is essential is reverential attention."
"Just as the fruits and flowers of a tree in due course of time undergo six changes — birth, existence, growth, transformation, dwindling and then death — the material body, which is obtained by the spirit soul under different circumstances, undergoes similar changes. However, there are no such changes for the Atma."
"Atma and Paramatma dwell in the body, as the supreme witness. The experiences and mental modifications do not touch them, just as space is never contaminated by the contents of a pot, even if it is liquor. Space coexists with the pot and its contents, but is unaffected."
"The spiritual aspirant can discover the Atma within himself experientially, just as one extracts gold from its ore. One must find the Atma by analysis, saying, “This is not it. This is not it.” Thus one must separate spirit from matter."
"Man's intellect could be in any of three states - wakefulness, dreaming and sleep. But the witness, Ishwara, is eternally awake and merely a witness. Also, without the Atma, there is no life."
How to progress spiritually? There are many paths. But
तत्रोपायसहस्राणामयं भगवतोदित: । यदीश्वरे भगवति यथा यैरञ्जसा रति: ॥
T: "Of all the paths, Bhagavan Himself has stated that the practices on the path of Bhakti are the best."
This path has many steps. Finding and serving the Guru with devotion. Dedicating everything one possesses to the Lord. Developing faith in His glories conveyed through the sacred stories. Participating in devotional singing and chanting. Worshipping His images and emblems. Serving all beings with devotion as all such service reaches Him alone."
"The Paramatma, or Bhagavan, is situated in the core of every living entity’s heart. Thus one should offer respect to every living entity according to that living entity’s position or manifestation."
Prahlada says one can recognise a true Bhakta by his manifest acts of devotion and ecstasy, unmindful of what others may think.
"One’s riches, a beautiful wife or girlfriends, one’s sons and daughters, one’s residence, one’s domestic animals like cows, elephants and horses, one’s treasury, all economic power and devices for sense gratification — indeed, even the lifetime in which one can enjoy all these material riches — are certainly temporary and flickering. Since the opportunity of human life is temporary, what benefit can these material riches give to a sensible man who has understood himself to be eternal and beyond the body?"
नालं द्विजत्वं देवत्वमृषित्वं वासुरात्मजा: । प्रीणनाय मुकुन्दस्य न वृत्तं न बहुज्ञता ॥
न दानं न तपो नेज्या न शौचं न व्रतानि च । प्रीयतेऽमलया भक्त्या हरिरन्यद् विडम्बनम् ॥
T: 'My dear friends, being a Brahmin, or even a god, a powerful Asura, a most learned man, a big Vedic ritualist, or such, is totally irrelevant to Bhagavan. All that matters is devotion and devotion alone. Nothing else- not generous donations, extreme Tapas, big Yajnas, extreme purity and cleanliness in physical terms, rigid routines of fasting and bathing etc. can help. Bhagavan is interested only in uncorrupted, undiluted Bhakti. All else is a waste and a paradox."
ततो हरौ भगवति भक्तिं कुरुत दानवा: । आत्मौपम्येन सर्वत्र सर्वभूतात्मनीश्वरे ॥
T: "Therefore, my dear Danava friends, practise Bhakti towards Bhagavan Sri Hari. See your own Atma in all, and therefore, Bhagavan as the indweller in everything."
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॥ ॐ नमो भगवते वासुदेवाय ॥
