Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam 7.6.29—7.7.9 – March 15, 1971, Bombay

Prabhupada:

So after hearing from Prahlada Maharaja the son's of the demons, they said that, "You have stated that your knowledge was received from Narada. It appears to be little astonishing because, so far we are concerned, we do not know any other teacher than Sanḍa and Amarka." Two teachers were appointed for instructing Prahlada Maharaja, their names were Sanḍa and Amarka and these two teachers were strictly prohibited by Hiranyakasipu not to talk anything about Krsna.

When Prahlada Maharaja was chanting Hare Krsna the two teachers were called for, "Why you have taught all this nonsense to my son?" The teachers replied, "My dear Sir, we do not teach this boy Hare Krsna but naturally he chants Hare Krsna. We do not know what is the cause." And after that Hiranyakasipu decided that some of the men of Hare Krsna party must be stealthily coming to Prahlada and have had instructed him about this Krsna consciousness. So he tried to chastise him in different ways even by putting him on the fire or dropping him from the top of the hill, throwing him underneath the legs of an elephant, putting him amongst the snakes, in so many ways he wanted to stop him, but he was unsuccessful.

Then Prahlada Maharaja took the chance of preaching the Krsna cult amongst the boy-class-friends. And the boys, they were astonished, "How is that, Prahlada was preaching so nicely about spiritual matters? Wherefrom he learned it?" So Prahlada Maharaja replied that, "I have learned this from Sri Narada Maharaja. Narada Rsi." Therefore they're inquiring astonishingly, "How is that you have learned this knowledge from Narada?"

[coughs] "First thing is that your father has appointed only these two teachers and he is very strict not to allow you to meet any other one, neither it was possible for you to go from the palace anywhere to learn these transcendental subjects. So how can we believe that you have learned this transcendental Krsna consciousness from Narada Muni?" This was their question.

This story of Prahlada Maharaja was being narrated by Narada himself to Maharaja Yudhisthira. So after hearing. So Narada is a spiritual master of Prahlada Maharaja. Therefore Prahlada Maharaja, after hearing his class friends, the demoniac sons that, "How it is possible that you have learned it from Narada?" To answer this question he first of all remembered the lotus feet of his spiritual master Narada and smilingly began to reply as follows:

prahrada uvaca-Prahlada Maharaja said;

In this chapter Prahlada Maharaja will describe how he learned from Narada Rsi spiritual instruction even from within the womb of his mother.

So Prahlada Maharaja describes that there was fight between the demons and the demigods. So his father was leading the demons party, he was the leader of the demons but this side, the demons, were defeated very heavily. So much so that being afraid of being killed they left their homes, left their wealth and everything and they fled away, yudha param.

This time the demigods defeated the demons exactly like a serpent eats the ants. The serpent eats the ants. Just like a small ant is very insignificant before a venomous serpent similarly the demons were just like ants and the demigods were just like serpents and they swallowed up.

In this way, although they are very powerful, still they were scattered by the fighting of the demigods. So much so that they gave up their wives, children and wealth, house. Pasu-paricchadan-their animals and dresses. These are, for a family man, these are the objects of attraction. Kalatra-first, first attraction is wife, the second attraction is children, the third attraction is wealth and the fourth attraction is friends, the fifth attraction is house, the sixth attraction animals and seventh attraction is nice dresses.

Naveksyamanas tvaritaḥ sarve prana. All these paraphernalia are very attractive for a materialistic person but being afraid of their life they did not care for all these attractions, left home and fled away.

So the demon, kings, were practically lost of everything and the demigods, being too much encouraged by the defeat of the demons, they attacked all their camps and tents in the battlefield. That is the way after the battle, the victory is owed. The victorious party, they plunder the defeated party. I think this system is still going on in the modern age. That is called "booty".

Devotee: Plundering.

Prabhupada: Yes, plundering. So the soldiers are given freedom even to rape the women. The soldiers are very sexually that they do not get sex indulgence in the battlefield so after winning a country they are given freedom to rape the women. You know that?

Devotee: Yes.

Prabhupada: They do that. I have seen one picture during the war, of course that was a manipulated picture, the soldiers were raping. Not only that, I have seen, in my childhood. That the British soldiers were let loose and they used to go to the village and they used to rape the village woman as soon as they got some opportunity. The officers are supplied with the nurses. The so-called nurse means to satisfy the sex desires of the officers.

They take so many nurses in the battlefield, not for the purpose of giving nursing needs, wounded soldiers, but for satisfying the sex desires of the officers, that's all. And the general, ordinary soldiers, wherever they will have their camp, they will be allowed to go in the town and villages and capture any women and rape it. They're given. They're given wine and they are given flesh and facility for raping women just to keep them alive. This is the way of modern fighting.

So anyway the, that system was not at all absent in those days. So this... He says, Prahlada Maharaja says here:

Indra, Indra was the leader of the demigods. Prahlada Maharaja says that, "Indra, the king of heaven, personally attacked my mother. Personally:"

Cockled. "Where you are going?"

So when Indra was forcibly taking away Prahlada's mother, dragging her, and she was crying. At that time, all of sudden Narada Rsi was passing that way and he appeared on the scene.

"Oh Indra, what you are doing? You are taking a woman who is already married?" Eh? The idea is that the ksatriyas they can forcibly take away an unmarried girl, that is allowed. But they are forbidden to touch even, a married girl. So Narada Rsi, as soon as he saw that Indra was dragging Prahlada's mother, so immediately he objected, "What is this?" Nainam sura-pate netum arhasy anagasam. "Oh, this is not good for you because she is innocent, anagasam. Arhasy anagasam-without any fault. She is woman, married, without any fault and you are dragging. No, no, don't do this. Immediately release her, release her." Maha-bhaga-"Oh you are so great, you should not do this." Satim maha-bhaga. Satim-"And this woman is chaste, you can not touch."

[pause]

Then sri-indra uvaca. After Indra being checked by Narada he replied:

Indra says, "So for arresting this woman there is no other purpose, don't think that I shall misbehave with her. No, that's not the point. But she has. She is pregnant." Aste 'sya jathare viryam-"The semena of the demon Hiranyakasipu is there within her womb. Viryam avisahyam sura-dvisaḥ-"And therefore the child which is growing within her womb must be a great enemy of the demigods." Asyatam yavat prasavam-"Therefore I want to keep under my vigilance. I want to keep her under my vigilance until she gives birth to the child. There is no other purpose. So I want to arrest her."

So his father has gone to Mandaracala Hill for undergoing severe austerities and penances. Hiranyakasipu being defeated, he was not deserted, he left his wife, children, home, wealth. Everything and went to the forest to undergo austerities so that he may get power to kill the demigods. So in this case after severe austerities he got perfection so much so that Lord Brahma himself came to him. "What is your purpose of undergoing such severe austerities?" Then he asked that, "Make me immortal." That was not possible. That is different story.

So, aste 'sya jathare viryam. So Indra's reply was that, "I am just taking away this woman under my custody to see that the child-demon which is already in the womb of this woman. She is pregnant, as soon as the child-demon comes out I will kill and then let her go away anywhere she likes.

So the purpose of the-Kamsa the demon was planning to kill Krsna or the head of the demigods. Similarly Indra was also planning to kill the child of Hiranyakasipu. That, "As soon as the child is born I shall kill. Then I'll let her go away." That's all.

[pause] [indistinct] [break]

And those who are opposite numbers, they are demons. And these two kinds of men in all the planets. All countries, all planets, everywhere.

Devotee: Even on up to Brahmaloka?

Prabhupada: Eh?

Devotee: Even on up to Brahmaloka?

Prabhupada: Yes. Why not? Maybe majority demigods. Just like India. Majority demigods, minority demons. In your country majority demons. So this is all everywhere you will find. Visayaḥ khalu sarvataḥ syat, [SB 11.9.29]

Visayaḥ-eating, sleeping, mating, defending and demons and demigods-sarvataḥ. [End]