Lotus Pond - Bismark
Prahlad’s story
By R. Valencia, S. Bismark
Philippine Daily Inquirer
First Posted 00:31:00 09/06/2008
MANILA, Philippines—This is the story of a saintly boy named Prahlad and the Supreme Father. It’s also about how the Supreme Being protects people who persevere:
The boy’s father, Hiranyakashipu, was a great mystic king who was cruel and greedy. Thinking that he was the greatest person in the world, he hated hearing Prahlad glorify anyone but him.
Evil father
Hearing his son talk about the Supreme Lord made Hiranyakashipu envious, and he was determined to stop Prahlad. He tortured his son to give up his spiritual life, but this didn’t stop Prahlad. In the end, the Supreme Being saved Prahlad and killed his evil father.
This story tells us that if you take shelter in the Supreme Lord, even if demonic forces are working against you, God will be there to protect you. You need not worry. As the Supreme Lord says in the Bhagavad-gita, “I will give you protection!”
Hiranyakashipu wanted Prahlad to follow in his evil footsteps. He wanted his son to grow up to be domineering and exploitative. He thought it was his responsibility to teach Prahlad the “art” of diplomacy, duplicity, lying, cheating—and making people think you’re their friend when you really are not!
There are parents who are angered by the fact that their children want to engage in spiritual life. Why? Because they want their kids to be successful materialists—to make a lot of money, build a life that will bring sense gratification, exploit others, and be masters rather than servant! This is sad but true.
So, when we are confronted with a similar situation, always remember the story of the saintly boy. If the Supreme Father protected Prahlad from harm, you can be confident that He’ll do the same for you.
The “price” for the Supreme Father’s protection is your loving surrender. He takes care of those who put themselves in His charge. This is the greatest and most wonderful protection of all!
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