Dear souls of God!
Tonight by the grace of my Gurudev, Jagadguruttam Shree Kripalu ji Maharaj, I invite you on the extraordinary journey into the life of the great Saint and devotee Prahlad. It is through his inspiration that I have the opportunity to share these sacred teachings. The story of Prahlad is not just of faith, but of unwavering devotion, resilience, and Divine grace. While many people understand Holi as a festival of colors, feasting, and celebration, but the true essence of Holi lies in the timeless lessons of his life. Prahlad's unshakable devotion to God despite being in the face of or subjected to immense trials holds profound meaning for all the seekers. So let us delve into his story tonight and uncover the deeper Divine significance of this sacred tradition, this sacred celebration.
Have we ever imagined or wondered what it's like to live in a place that is perfect? Just imagine a world filled with beauty, infinite bliss, infinite kindness. Yes. That is the abode of Lord Maha Vishnu. His abode is Vaikunth, but what if the guards there become a little too big for their shoes? Let us explore.
The four sons of Brahma, Sanak, Sanandan, Sanatan, Sanatkumar also known as the Sankadik brothers; they are the oldest living beings in existence. But despite their age, they always appear to be only five years old due to their yogic powers. One day, they decided to visit Lord Maha Vishnu in His Divine abode, Vaikunth. And when they reached the abode of Maha Vishnu, they crossed six gates with absolutely no problem. However, they encountered a hurdle at the seventh gate where they were stopped by the two guards in Vaikunth, Jay and Vijay.
So Jay said, “Halt! Who goes there?”
And Vijay said, “This is not a playground! This is the abode of Maha Vishnu!”
So Sanak said, “We seek audience with the Lord, with Maha Vishnu.
And then Vijay asserted, “Do you have an appointment with Him?”
So Sanatan said in response,”We believe that everyone is welcome in His presence. But this is not a random gathering place, by the way, and you all are uninvited guests.
So the Sankadik brothers were taken aback by the rude behavior of the guards. They had never faced such discrimination ever before, and were filled with a sense of disappointment. They found themselves turned away by the guards, Jay and Vijay. Their confusion and frustration grew because they were not given a clear reason as to why they were denied access, And they firmly held the belief that everyone is welcomed in the abode of God without discrimination. So in their anger and sadness, they uttered a curse upon the guards.
And they said, “For your pride and disrespect, you will be reborn in a place tainted by discrimination filled with darkness where lust, greed, and anger reign supreme!”
So the guards, their faces turned pale with fear as they realized the gravity of their actions and they fell to their knees and bowed their heads in remorse. They humbly accepted the punishment that was meted out to them, and with their eyes lowered, they earnestly requested,
“Please, please grace us so that wherever we may dwell, that our minds may ever be attached and devoted to the Lord!”
And as a commotion reached a crescendo, the majestic lord Maha Vishnu with His eternal consort, Mother Lakshmi, Maha Lakshmi, arrived at the gate. And the Lord's presence exuded calm and authority. He quickly learned about the altercation that had transpired and then the Lord spoke,
“These attendants of mine have committed an offense, and the punishment that has been specified by You is approved by Me. And since Jay and Vijay are My attendants, I take personal responsibility for their actions, and I seek your forgiveness!”
Now that is humility. So after Maha Vishnu asked for forgiveness on behalf of His attendants, Jay and Vijay, and He sought forgiveness, the Sankadik brothers were impressed by the humility of Lord Maha Vishnu.
They asked the Lord, “Should we take back the curse?”
And the Lord said, “No! But allow them to come back to Me to return to Me after three consecutive births as demons.”
And then the Lord turned to Jay and Vijay and told them, “Now leave this place, but fear not! Your minds will always be attached to Me even though your minds will be attached to Me with feelings of hostility, hate, and anger. And after you are absolved from the sin of having insulted the sages, you will return to My abode and resume your service!” And in this way, after saying so, Maha Vishnu, He left.
So as a result of the formidable curse that was cast upon Jay and Vijay, they were reborn as twins Hiranyakashipu and Hiranyaksh. They were born to the revered sage Kashyap and his devoted wife Diti. So they entered the world during the illustrious Satyug, the golden age. And destined for an epic saga, their life took a dark turn when Hiranyak in his quest for power, plunged the earth into the depths of the ocean. And so the Lord, in order to rescue the earth, assumed the form of a boar’s (pig's) head and a human man's body to rescue the Earth. And a titanic battle ensued between Hiranyaksh and the mighty Lord Maha Vishnu. And the two titans battled for thousands of years. The skies roared and the elements trembled with fear, with anticipation, and in a dramatic showdown Hiranyakash was killed at the hands of Maha Vishnu.
So Hiranyakashipu was consumed with fury and heartbreak after the Lord, assuming the fearsome form of a war, vanquished his younger brother, Hiranyaksh. And the weight of the grief twisted into a seething rage in igniting belief that the Lord favored the devatas, the celestial gods, and plotted against the demons. So in a bid for revenge, he summoned his loyal servants, commanding them to unleash a reign of terror upon anyone and everyone who dared to honor the Vedic rituals and adhere to righteous conduct. This formidable quest was to weaken the Lord's influence and reclaim the dark supremacy of the demon king. In this way, a stage was set for an epic confrontation between good and evil. And thereafter, Hiranyakashipu set out on a mission to become invincible and reign over the three worlds. And his journey took him to the majestic heights of Mount Mandar, and there he engaged in very intense penance for an astonishing hundred Divine years, which is equivalent to a staggering 36,000 human years to please Lord Brahma. Meanwhile, believing Hiranyakashipu to be dead, Indra declared war on his kingdom. And the demons fought fiercely but being defeated, they left the battlefield. So Indra kidnapped Hiranyakashipu's wife, Kayadhu. He kidnapped her and started to take her away forcefully.
However, Narad Ji showed up on the scene and admonished him for taking away another man's wife. So Indra said that she was carrying his enemy's child, and he revealed his plan to keep her hostage until she gave birth, kill the child, and then set her free. But Narad Ji persuaded him to not harm the child and to just let her go, to release her.
Circle back to Hiranyakashipu and his intense penance. So when the celestial energies of his devotion started swirling around him his intense penance invoked the response from Lord Brahma. So from his penance he was able to move Lord Brahma, and He appeared shimmering with Divine light. So eagerly, this ambitious king, Hiranyakashipu started singing praises of Lord Brahma, started singing in his voice echoing through the mountains.
And with the heart racing, he boldly requested, “Grant me the boon of immortality! I want to live forever!”
But the powerful and wise lord Brahma shook His head and said, “You know what? Hiranyakashipu, let me tell you, I am not even immortal! This boon is beyond My reach. Ask for something else!” So the air crackled with anticipation. Now what boon is he going to ask?
So he passionately then declared, “I seek a boon of unimaginable power! Grant me the gift of invincibility!” And then he narrated his boon. So what did he say? He said, “Let it be that no human, no beast, or any other creature created by You in this creation can be the cause of my death. I demand that I should not be slain inside or outside on the earth or in the high heavens. No. Let neither day or night be my end. Finally decree that no weapon forged by man or any other person or any any creature harm me!
So this is the boon he asked for. And with the wave of His hand, lord Brahma bestowed this daring boon upon Hiranyakashipu. So Hiranyakashipu triumphed over the three worlds. The celestial world, Swarg, between the Earth and the shady depths of the underworld, Patal. Yes. And his invincibility stemmed from the powerful boon that he had received from Lord Brahman that made him unconquerable. Taking residence in the abode of Indra; he basked in glory. And Indra's once mighty service, they were now at the mercy of his whims, compelled to serve this tyrant king, Hiranyakashipu.
And the celestial abode trembled because of his fear of Hiranyakashipu. And despite his reign over the three worlds, there was a deep discontent that burned within his heart. Consumed by the memory of his younger brother's death, Hiranyaksh, he harbored this anger and this hate and that was rising. It was raging like a fire within him. And so in a bid for power and recognition, he issued a ruthless decree that no one in his kingdom was allowed to worship any other deity except for him.
And his reign of terror lasted a very, very, very, very long time, plunging the inhabitants of the three worlds into utter despair, and they all cried out to the Lord in unison, praying to be saved from his wrath. Yes. So what happened was when he returned home he found that he was the father to four sons, Prahlad being one of them.
So Prahlad was very devotional. He was never attracted by the world. He was very, very devotional. And when he grew older, he was sent to the home of his teachers who were the sons of the demon guru Shukracharya. And so he was sent to their home. Their home was near the palace and that's where they lived. And so whatever Prahlad was taught, even though he repeated and he remembered everything that he was taught by his teachers, he never agreed with those teachings.
So one day, his father, Hiranikashipu, called him, sat him in his lap, and asked him, “So tell me, what have you learned so far?” And his response was something that Hiranyakashipu absolutely did not expect.
And he said, “One must seek shelter of God.”
And hearing this response from his son, Hiranyakashipu laughed off the answer. But his teachers were visibly upset because they feared that Hiranyakashipu would be furious with them. And so when they were alone with Prahlad, they threatened him with physical punishment if he deviated from their teachings. In any case, a few months later, once again, Hiranyakashipu called him, sat him in his lap, and asked him the same question.
And this time he said, “I have learned navadha bhakti, the ninefold devotion, that will help me fall in love with God!”
So he (Prahlad) said that the ninefold bhakti is what I have learned. Now Hiranyakashipu was filled with rage. His anger knew no bounds whatsoever, and pushing Prahlad from his lap, he threw him on the floor and told his servants to kill the prince, to kill the little boy, and they followed his orders. So what did they do? They pushed him or they tossed him from great heights. They poisoned his food, and they prepared a deep pit in the earth and shoved him inside the pit. Yes. And they hurled him into a chaotic den with the mad elephants, and they shoved him in a pit teeming with venomous snakes. But against all odds, Prahlad rose from all chaos unscathed and triumphant, defying danger in the most exhilarating way. At last, they decided to throw him in a raging fire hoping that the fire would devour him.
But time and again, Prahlad rose, shrouded in Divine protection. Yes. And so every scheme they devised to end his life failed spectacularly even to scratch him, let alone taking his life. So because he had fully surrendered to the Lord, when Narad ji took Kayadhu, after he rescued her from Indra, he took her to his hermitage and instructed her to stay there until her husband returned. And there he instructed her on devotion. And because Prahlad was in her womb, he absorbed all the teachings. So the seeds of devotion were sowed and thus the early childhood influence of spirituality (grew). Yes.
So once what happened was when the teachers were attending to some chores and Prahlad was playing with his little friends, he gathered all of them and started sharing the teachings of the scriptures.
And he said, “Oh, each and every one of us at our age, even though we're quite young, we should start devotion and toward the realization of God because this life is precious. It's very precious and it can end at any time. There's no telling. Life is fleeting. Yes. So we must devote ourselves to Divinity and to bhakti and practice devotion. So when the teachers heard Prahlad sharing these teachings, they were alarmed. They reported the matter to Hiranyakashipu who then decided that he himself was going to kill his son, Prahlad. And Hiranyakashipu summoned Prahlad, a storm brewing in his heart because he was infuriated over the disobedience by Prahlad. Yes. And so with a fierce glare, he demanded an explanation, but Prahlad stood unfazed, his voice steady and full of conviction.
And he said, “Father, you really think I'm a bad son, don't you? But that's far from the truth. I'm here to guide you. I'm here to save you from your misguided desires. If only you would heed my words!”
Yes and he said further, “The Lord is brimming with mercy. He is not your enemy and I implore you to recognize that He has a power way greater than your own! He's not your enemy. It is your own mind that's leading you astray. Please subdue that enemy, that mind of yours, not the Lord!”
And so whatever Prahlad said, it enraged Hiranyakashipu and he said, “How dare you! You presume to guide me on the righteous path? If anything, you should be bowing to me as your guru and as your God! But enough of this meaningless chatter, Prahlad. You claim that your God is everywhere and He's more powerful than I, then where is this God of yours? Tell me. Where is this God of yours?! Yes. Show me the might that you speak of! Show it to me!”
So in a fit of rage, Hiranyakashipu was demanding to understand why his son was persistently defying his authority. So Prahlad responded, “The Lord is everywhere, my father! He is everywhere. He's the Lord of the Lord! He's Narayan! He's everywhere!”
“Everywhere?!” Hiranyakashipu bellowed, “Everywhere?!”, and his red eyes (were) scanning the hall with disdain, and then his eyes settled on a massive pillar.
And that enraged Hiranyakashipu (who) then demanded, “Is your God in this pillar?!
And with conviction Prahlad said, “Yes, my lord! He is in this pillar! He is residing in this pillar!”
And so what did he do? With great might, with all his might, he struck the pillar and a great roar was heard and there was a burst of radiant light. The pillar crumbled, and Lord Vishnu manifested with a golden body as Narsingh, the body of half lion and half man. He looked terrible, extremely fierce, and His eyes piercing and glaring at Hiranyakashipu, and His long tongue that was the color of blood was always visible, and His sharp claws waiting to attack. So what did Hiranyakashipu do? He attacked the Lord. And the Lord picked him up, raised him high in the air with His claws, but somehow he escaped His grasp. And then He grabbed Him again and threw Him on His thighs. Yes. And He sat at the threshold of the hall, and in this act, it was revealed that Hiranyakashipu was neither inside nor outside. He was on the threshold. He was not on the earth or above. No. It was dusk, so it was not day or night, it was dusk. And he was not killed with any weapons because the Lord shredded him apart with His claws. Yes.
In this way, the omnipresence of God was glorified. The omnipresence of glory of God was glorified and that is the reason Holi, the sacred celebration, the sacred occasion of Holi is celebrated. Now to conclude, I just want to say that true devotion is not measured in comfort but in how we hold on to faith during trials and one of the greatest examples of this is the story of Prahlad, whose unwavering devotion triumphed over the cruelty and tyranny of his own father, Hiranyakashipu. Despite being punished, tormented, and even thrown into life threatening situations, Prahlad was firm in his devotion. He was firm in his devotion.
Yes. He did not rebel in anger or resentment, but instead he held on to his unwavering love and devotion to the Lord. And in the end, the Lord manifested Himself as Narsingh Bhagwan proving that God is everywhere even in the palace of a demon. So what does this teach us? That life, our life too, places us in situations where our faith is tested. At times, we find ourselves surrounded by opposition, by people and circumstances that crush our beliefs. Sometimes we even question the presence of God in our life, and if the Divine is truly with us, yes. But just as Prahlad did, if we have unwavering devotion toward God, then the Divine reveals itself in ways that are way beyond our imagination. And while all of us here, we may not face a tyrannical ruler such as Hiranyakashipu, each one of us encounters challenges in life. Yes. Some of us struggle with difficult relationships and also we find people in our life who do not support our journey and our spiritual desires. Yes. And even our own internal struggles or battles with doubt and fear. At times, we find ourselves or we find that we're alone in our faith much like Prahlad must have felt knowing that he was opposed by his own father. But just as Prahlad did not waver, we too must remain rooted in devotion because when we trust the Divine, then what happens? We find the strength to endure, the wisdom to navigate hardships, and ultimately the grace that transforms all of our problems and struggles into profound realizations.
So true faith is not about asking to be freed or be released from obstacles. No. True faith is no matter the difficulty, we are not alone. That is true faith. Yes. That is true faith. A living example is of Bhakt Kannakdas. Now this principle is not a story from ancient times but it is something that continues to manifest in the lives of those who nurture deep, deep devotion. Yes. So one such beautiful example of Bhakt Kanak Das, he was a Saint from the 16th century from Karnatak, and he was born into a warrior family, but he chose devotion as his path, and dedicated his heart and mind to Shri Krishna. But because of the rigid societal norms of his time, he was not allowed to step foot into the Udupi Krishna Temple in his days. But despite being turned away by the temple priests and rejected, he did not fight back and he did not abandon his faith. What did he do? He stood outside and he chanted and worshiped God with full contemplation and full devotion and dedication. And guess what happened? A miracle happened. Something miraculous happened. It is said that the deity of Shri Krishna in that temple turned 180 degrees to face Bhakt Kanak Das creating an opening in the back wall so that he could have darshan of the Lord. He could have darshan of the Lord, so the deity turned and faced him, creating a window, a hole in the wall so that he could have darshan, and that window is called Kanakan Kindi, Kanak's window. So this Divine intervention revealed an eternal truth, and what is that eternal truth? That God is not bound by man made or human barriers. No. And devotion does not depend on external recognition. No.
And just as in the story and the life of Prahlad, the Divine does not ignore sincere faith, and true devotion always finds its way. Yes. So the life of Prahlad and Bhakt Kanak Das are a source of inspiration for us, and we learn from that from their lives that devotion is not about seeking comfort or reward or recognition. No. It's about surrender. It's about trust, and it's about perseverance. Yes. And not only that, their lives teach us that the Divine is not distant or inaccessible to us. No. But on the contrary, the Divine is ever-present, and watching over those who are steadfast in their love and in their faith. Yes. So true victory is not over others. That's not true victory. True victory is not defeating others. No. It's defeating our own doubts, our own fears, and our own limitations. Yes. That is true victory. And when we have or when we nurture unwavering faith and devotion and love toward God and Guru, then not only do we find the strength to overcome our battles and obstacles, but the Divine shines through us.
Shreemat Satguru Sarkar ki Jai!
Ladli Lal ki Jai!
Jai Jai Shri Radhey! Jai Jai Shri Radhey! Jai Jai Shri Radhey!
