Post by Tapan Mukherjee on Jan 6, 2008 8:58:58 GMT -5
There was once a king, Hiranyakasha, whose dominion extended over all known lands. A man of might, naturally, but his worldly power blinded him to the powers beyond who were yet more glorious than he. Hiranyakasha did not believe in God, and since no man could challenge his sovereignty, he assumed that his was the ultimate majesty. He declared that worship should be offered to himself only. The true God was to be wiped from memory and no one should even repeat any of His names. With all the means at his disposal, the King persecuted those who dared disobey so that the people submitted from practicality and fear, always doing as he commanded.
Now it happened that the Queen was with child, and the everyday miracle that was taking place in her body set her wondering about the great truths behind life and death. Often she would sit in her garden contemplating these mysteries in the company of other fertile and growing things. Then one day, the great sage Narada made his way to the Queen's garden and, resting under a shady tree, he began to sing.
His song flew straight to the Queen's soul, answering the questions that she harboured there. Approaching the sage she said:
-Muniji, what is the song you sing that brings peace to my heart?
-Devi, he replied, I sing only the name of God, who has dominion over the hearts of all mankind. It is he who brings you peace.
Like a sweet dream reaching out into the daylight, the teachings of her childhood were revived and she demanded:
-Teach me your song.
So the Queen was initiated by Narada, and her heart sang God's name to her unborn child.
In due time she was delivered of a fine son who was called Prahlad. As he grew up, it became clear that he was no ordinary child, for Prahlad was filled with the awareness of God, and spoke of him always. This caused great consternation in the royal court. Though they felt the truth of his words, the servants would not attend Prahlad and his tutors refused to teach him, for they lived in fear of the king.
Hiranyakasha would not tolerate such defiance, especially from his own son, and he threatened, punished and tortured Prahlad. All to no effect. Eventually the king decided to murder his son and ordered that he be thrown from the highest mountain. Although his henchmen carried out Hiranyakasha's bidding, Prahlad was mysteriously saved.
Hiranyakasha was furious and came to believe that he had been tricked. So he called upon Prahlad's sister, Holika, to assist him with his evil designs. Like her father, Holika did not believe in God, but she knew that the old rituals could awaken man's dormant super-faculties. So she studied the old ways, exploiting them for her own ends, and in this way obtained the magic power of immunity to fire.
- Holika, my true daughter, said the king, we must be rid of Prahlad and his subversive blasphemies. He has bewitched the hearts of the people and they refuse to obey my instructions. When I order that Prahlad be killed, they protect him by trickery and try to deceive me.
- Yes father, I would gladly see Prahlad dead and I will be faithful in executing your desires. If we cannot burn him as a corpse, we will burn him alive. You must build a great pyre and I will take a seat there with Prahlad, beguiling him with sweets and stories. He is so affectionate and trusting that he will suspect nothing and since I know the secrets of fire, I will be unharmed.
So it was that a tremendous bonfire was built and Prahlad chained there by his sister's arms. The fire was ignited, the blaze continuing for hours, and Hiranyakasha was confident that he was now free of his son and enemy. However, when the embers cooled, the king was dismayed to see that ashes were all that remained of Holika. It was Prahlad who stepped from the holocaust, triumphantly singing God's name, a living testament to the power of faith in the divine.
SO, DON’T WASTE YOUR TIME TO WORSHIP ANY HUMAN, HOW POWERFUL HE OR SHE IS, RATHER WORSHIP GOD – OM THE ULTIMATE MANTRA.
Now it happened that the Queen was with child, and the everyday miracle that was taking place in her body set her wondering about the great truths behind life and death. Often she would sit in her garden contemplating these mysteries in the company of other fertile and growing things. Then one day, the great sage Narada made his way to the Queen's garden and, resting under a shady tree, he began to sing.
His song flew straight to the Queen's soul, answering the questions that she harboured there. Approaching the sage she said:
-Muniji, what is the song you sing that brings peace to my heart?
-Devi, he replied, I sing only the name of God, who has dominion over the hearts of all mankind. It is he who brings you peace.
Like a sweet dream reaching out into the daylight, the teachings of her childhood were revived and she demanded:
-Teach me your song.
So the Queen was initiated by Narada, and her heart sang God's name to her unborn child.
In due time she was delivered of a fine son who was called Prahlad. As he grew up, it became clear that he was no ordinary child, for Prahlad was filled with the awareness of God, and spoke of him always. This caused great consternation in the royal court. Though they felt the truth of his words, the servants would not attend Prahlad and his tutors refused to teach him, for they lived in fear of the king.
Hiranyakasha would not tolerate such defiance, especially from his own son, and he threatened, punished and tortured Prahlad. All to no effect. Eventually the king decided to murder his son and ordered that he be thrown from the highest mountain. Although his henchmen carried out Hiranyakasha's bidding, Prahlad was mysteriously saved.
Hiranyakasha was furious and came to believe that he had been tricked. So he called upon Prahlad's sister, Holika, to assist him with his evil designs. Like her father, Holika did not believe in God, but she knew that the old rituals could awaken man's dormant super-faculties. So she studied the old ways, exploiting them for her own ends, and in this way obtained the magic power of immunity to fire.
- Holika, my true daughter, said the king, we must be rid of Prahlad and his subversive blasphemies. He has bewitched the hearts of the people and they refuse to obey my instructions. When I order that Prahlad be killed, they protect him by trickery and try to deceive me.
- Yes father, I would gladly see Prahlad dead and I will be faithful in executing your desires. If we cannot burn him as a corpse, we will burn him alive. You must build a great pyre and I will take a seat there with Prahlad, beguiling him with sweets and stories. He is so affectionate and trusting that he will suspect nothing and since I know the secrets of fire, I will be unharmed.
So it was that a tremendous bonfire was built and Prahlad chained there by his sister's arms. The fire was ignited, the blaze continuing for hours, and Hiranyakasha was confident that he was now free of his son and enemy. However, when the embers cooled, the king was dismayed to see that ashes were all that remained of Holika. It was Prahlad who stepped from the holocaust, triumphantly singing God's name, a living testament to the power of faith in the divine.
SO, DON’T WASTE YOUR TIME TO WORSHIP ANY HUMAN, HOW POWERFUL HE OR SHE IS, RATHER WORSHIP GOD – OM THE ULTIMATE MANTRA.