Prahlada was again under the tutelage of his gurus at the gurukul. The boy showed keen interest in studies. It pleased the gurus and they felt encouraged. But inwardly Prahlada was always spiritually linked to his idol Vishnu. Forgetting Vishnu was unthinkable for the boy.
The gurus knew little about the inner state of the mind of their mysterious royal pupil. They had began to trust Prahlada as the boy overtly engaged in the discussions related to politics, philosophy and economy.
One day, the teachers had gone away from the gurukul on an urgent mission. The students found themselves free to do anything. Such occasions come very rarely. The boys decided to play some game to make good use of the opportunity. Prahlada was also amongst them.
Prahlada suggested, “Friends! God has gifted us this life. We have mind, heart and energies. Using all these faculties we must redeem our lives. And the only way to redeem life is by being devoted to Lord Vishnu by word, mind and deeds.”
A demon boy said, “What God are you talking about Prince Prahlada? Our Lord is your father, the demon lord Hiranyakashipu. Vishnu is our enemy, so we have been taught. Haven’t we?”
“That is all misleading education,” Prahlada revealed, “We are being taught a falsehood by our gurus. My sire Hiranyakashipu is just a king. We may respect him for being our ruler and the conqueror of the worlds. But he is no God or Creator of Universe. Only Lord Vishnu is the Creator and the Master of the universe. Power Supreme He is. He is also the provider whose grace will redeem our lives.”
“But Prahlada, we study in the same gurukul and the same teachers teach us things on the same theme. Then why are our thoughts contradictory?”
Prahlada revealed, “Friends, the gurukul I was educated at in my early childhood and the guru I got was a great soul. His name is Sage Narada.”
“We have been living with you in this gurukul all these years. We never saw you going to gurukul of Narada or receiving education from him. What is the mystery, Prince Prahlada?”
Prahlada smiled before speaking, “I will unravel the mystery to you. Listen carefully.
It happened long time ago. I was not born then. In the womb of my mother I was. I had a very strange power to feel things happening outside and could hear people talking and understood the meaning of the spoken words.
Once my father had gone to Mandar hill to make a penance to propitiate Lord Brahma. In his absence the gods saw their opportunity to overpower demonic forces who would be powerless without the demon lord. Their assessment was not wrong.
The gods attacked the demonic empire. The demons could not defend their empire without Hiranyakashipu. They got defeated. The gods had gained victory over demons and in victory they behaved arrogantly. The demonic palaces were plundered and looted.
My mother Kayadhu was taken prisoner by the gods.
Lord Indra of the gods wanted to put my mother in the prison of the heaven although it was a very mean act and against the rules of the war. My mother was wailing as she was being carried to the heaven to be imprisoned. The cries of a helpless woman reached the ears of Sage Narada. He decided to see who was tormenting a woman.
He was shocked to see celestial Lord Indra forcibly taking away a hapless crying woman.
“Narayana! Narayana!!” Narada sang his signature tune and remarked, “Lord Indra! What do I see? You are abducting a helpless woman of noble nature to your kingdom! What a shameful sin!”
“Oh! Sage Narada,” Embarrassed Indra made his obeisance to the sage.
“But Lord Indra! You have not answered my question. “Why do you take this noble woman forcibly to your kingdom? It does not behove you.”
“Sage, it is a political matter,” Indra stammered and added, “Please use some patience, sir.”
“No Indra,” Narada shook his head. “Who is this noble lady you are abducting?”
“Sage, she is Queen Kayadhu of the demon king.”
“Aha! Queen Kayadhu is a very truthful and noble lady, Lord Indra.” Narada made some calculations on his fingers. “In her abduction you will be doing a very indignified and sinful act. If she puts a curse on you, a very sorry soul you will be. It also is against norms of battle.”
“I am not taking her with any evil intention, Sage Narada.”
“Then, why are you taking her?”
“Sage, at this time Queen Kayadhu is in a family way,” Indra explained, “The son she is going to give birth to will also grow into another demon. Tormentor who will make trouble for us. I will only kill her child and then send her back to the demon kingdom with all due respect.”
“Celestial lord! You won’t be able to kill the child of this noble queen.” Narada smiled.
“Why?”
“Because her child would be a great devotee of Lord Vishnu. You will ruin yourself if you killed that child.”
“What are you saying, Sage Narada?” Indra asked in real surprise. “How can a child born to the demonic race be devotee of Lord Vishnu?”
“It is a truth.”
That set Indra thinking.
Sage Narada remarked, “Celestial Lord, you shouldn’t have attacked demon empire in absence of the demon lord had you any dignity. And to make matters worse you are abducting his queen who is no part of rivalry between the gods and the demons. It is a pity.”
Lord Indra felt ashamed of himself and he could not meet the eyes of Sage Narada. His face was red. To make amends he bent down to touch the feet of Queen Kayadhu and duly apologised.
Sage Narada took Kayadhu to his ashram and looked after her in her pregnancy state. At the ashram Sage Narada revealed to my mother the divinity of Lord Vishnu, religious thoughts and the spiritual wisdoms of the holy books and the traditions. My mother also became very religious and a devotee of Vishnu.”
All the inmates of the gurukul were listening to Prahlada with great attention.
The boy was saying, “So friends, when Narada used to tell my mother about Lord Vishnu and his divine orgine as Power Eternal I used to listen to all lying in my mother’s womb. That is how I learnt all about Shri Hari Vishnu. Even before my birth I had become ardent devotee of Lord Vishnu. Sage Narada was my pre-birth guru and preceptor.”
“Aha! That is your mystery,” a boy spoke and asked, “Prince, then what happened?”
“Then, after making his penance my father came back to the demon kingdom. My mother returned to the palace to live as the queen. In a course of time my mother forgot all about Lord Vishnu and religious things she had picked up from Narada. But I could not forget because that spiritual knowledge was deeply etched in my mind just when it was evolving. The dharma of Vishnu became past of me, my mind and my heart. Eternal religion is the devotion to Lord Vishnu. My friends, I will ask all of you to come into the fold of Lord Vishnu and redeem your lives. Don’t waste life in false beliefs and faiths.”
A boy asked, “What is Bhagwat dharma?”
The path of devotion to Lord Vishnu is also known as Bhagwat dharma. We must tell about this dharma to others and discuss it amongst ourselves. That will multiply the devotional sentiment in you. It is the easiest path that will lead to the grace of Lord Vishnu. Whenever you find time you must invest your mind in the thoughts of Lord Vishnu. He is the manifest form of Power Eternal. He is the creator, sustainer and destroyer. Only his grace is capable of redeeming you in this world and after life. Worship Vishnu who is omnipresent, omnipotent and omniscient. Whatever happens in this world it is his will at work. Nothing in this universe happens without the work of his maya. The maya can not cast its spell on you if you have the grace of Lord Vishnu on your side. If you keep him in your mind, a stage will come when your mind will get beamed into the Lord. Vishnu is extra gracious to the children. Our love he values most. That is why I urge you to become the devotees of Lord Vishnu. You can mentally sing your prayers without moving your lips and giving it a voice. It is so simple, my dear friends.”
Prahlada was making a deep impression on his mates. They appeared to be swaying to devotional wind he was creating. Many of the boys had already decided to join the fold of Vishnu and become his devotee.
After a few days the gurus returned. To their shock they found that their gurukul had become temple of Vishnu devotees. All the worships and rites prescribed by Bhagwat dharma were being performed in great religious spirit. Shanda and Amarka could not believe their eyes. The gurukul of the Shukracharya, the guru of demons getting converted into devotional centre of the faith of Vishnu was indeed surprising. An unthinkable had happened.
Investigations told the gurus that Prahlada was the one behind that new wave of religious fever. He had instigated the students of the gurukul to abandon the demonic traditions in the favour of Bhagwat dharma. He had succeeded to a great extent. In dismay the gurus shook their heads.
