Copyright © r The Bhaktivedanta Book Trust International, Inc.His Divine Grace A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupāda, Founder Ācārya of the International Society for Krishna Consciousness
| Canto 7: The Science of God | Chapter 5: Prahlāda Mahārāja, the Saintly Son of Hiranyakaśipu |
Bhaktivedanta VedaBase: Śrīmad Bhāgavatam 7.5.6
SYNONYMS
śrī-nāradah uvāca — Nārada Muni said; śrutvā — hearing; putra-girah — the instructive words of his son; daityah — Hiranyakaśipu; para-paksha — on the side of the enemy; samāhitāh — full of faith; jahāsa — laughed; buddhih — the intelligence; bālānām — of small boys; bhidyate — is polluted; para-buddhibhih — by instructions from the enemy's camp.
TRANSLATION
Nārada Muni continued: When Prahlāda Mahārāja spoke about the path of self-realization in devotional service, thus being faithful to the camp of his father's enemies, Hiranyakaśipu, the King of the demons, heard Prahlāda's words and he laughingly said, "Thus is the intelligence of children spoiled by the words of the enemy."
PURPORT
Hiranyakaśipu, being a demon, would always consider Lord Vishnu and His devotees to be his enemies. Therefore the word para-paksha ("on the side of the enemy") is used here. Hiranyakaśipu never agreed with the words of Vishnu, or Krishna. Rather, he was angered by the intelligence of a Vaishnava. Lord Vishnu, Lord Krishna, says, sarva-dharmān parityajya mām ekam śaranam vraja [Bg. 18.66] — "Give up all other duties and surrender unto Me" — but demons like Hiranyakaśipu never agree to do this. Therefore Krishna says:
prapadyante narādhamāh
māyayāparhrita-jñānā
"Those miscreants who are grossly foolish, lowest among mankind, whose knowledge is stolen by illusion, and who partake of the atheistic nature of demons, do not surrender unto Me." (Bg. 7.15) The asura-bhāva, the atheistic nature, is directly represented by Hiranyakaśipu. Such persons, being mūdha and narādhama — fools and rascals, the lowest of men — would never accept Vishnu as the Supreme and surrender to Him. Hiranyakaśipu naturally became increasingly angry that his son Prahlāda was being influenced by the camp of the enemies. He therefore asked that saintly persons like Nārada not be allowed within the residential quarters of his son, for otherwise Prahlāda would be further spoiled by Vaishnava instructions.
Copyright © r The Bhaktivedanta Book Trust International, Inc.
His Divine Grace A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupāda, Founder Ācārya of the International Society for Krishna Consciousness