Prahlad, the Greatest

Alexander, Ashoka and Akbar are the three celebrities enjoying the title of ‘the great’ for right, wrong or no reasons in our part of the world. While the first one was a cruel invader and the second one a clear native, the third one was a hybrid (though he tried to be more of a native but belonged to lineage of invaders). All three have made their own contributions to history that have impacted the life of ordinary Indians and continues to produce social aftershocks even today. Inclusion of one each from Hindu, Christian and Muslim communities in the Indian great-trio seems to be yet another handiwork of suicidal secularism propagated by the dominant folk of leftist-historians in India. Though debatable whether it is mandatory to agree with these worthless historians, let us leave the trio as such for the sake of saving our time. But it is definitely warranted to search for more greats and even the greatest from our own history. I find no better candidate than Bhakta Prahlad to be anointed as the greatest.

Skewed JNU historians will definitely frown on this choice because, according to them, Bhakta Prahlad is part of our mythology and not recorded history. But how is the two differentiated when we have all ‘mythological’ landmarks associated with Ramayana and Mahabharata readily available in front of eyes and none related to the over-publicized ‘historical’ visit of Saint Thomas to India in 52 AD? Yet we are told and taught that Lord Ram and Lord Krishna were mythological figures, but Saint Thomas was a historical truth!! The humiliating effect of such distorted historical studies, imposed earlier by the British and now by the followers of suicidal secularism, has already destroyed the self-respect of three or four generations of Indians since 1947. It is now time for those who love India and its true history to re-discover the true heroes from our own version of history, of which our mythology is an integral part. Scanning back from the heights of human knowledge as of today, Bhakta Prahlad who revealed the eternally truthful concepts of Advaita and Evolution stands out as one of the greatest ever in human history.

Omnipresent Ishwar

It took almost two thousand years of Western history to reach the conclusion that energy and matter are same and interchangeable. But it was a simple truth known to a boy like Bhakta Pahlad during immemorial times. In fact he went a step further when he said that Ishwar is present everywhere. He knew that Ishwar is energy, Ishwar is matter and Ishwar is everywhere and everything. Seed of the supreme and matchless philosophy of Advaita was sown in human mind then and thereon. When Ishwar is present in everything, its presence in energy, humans, animals and inanimate is understood. It took millions or thousands of years for Adi Sankara to pick up the thread again and enunciate it further. And we had to wait until Albert Einstein to put together an expression (e=mc^2) for a part of the grand theory of Advaita. The equation between Ishwar and energy or matter is still awaited.

By declaring to his father Hiranyakasipu that Ishwar is present everywhere, Bhakta Prahlad also made the profound statement that Ishwar is present within him too. According to me, this is the most significant statement ever made by any individual in the history of mankind. By one simple statement Bhakta Prahlad broke the myths of an external entity of Ishwar and the concepts about other worlds. The whole universe including its animate and inanimate is only manifestations of Ishwar and IT is present in everywhere in everything at every time. The recorded revelation of Ishwar in an appropriate form to Hiranyakasipu from the nearest pillar proves this beyond even an iota of doubt. Now it takes only our own efforts to understand this simple truth and realize the Ishwar within each of us to usher in a truly socialistic, secular and sustainable society anywhere in the world.

Evolutionary Narasimha

In the bicentennial year of Charles Darwin who is credited with the discovery of human evolution, it must be difficult for the Western world to digest that the concept of evolution was illustrated to the whole world by a simple devotee during immemorial times in India. The biography of Bhakta Prahlad is too well known for all lovers of our mythology. When confronted by his ignoramus father as to demonstrate the existence of Ishwar everywhere, Bhakta Prahlad had little choice but to point to the nearest pillar. And what came out of the shattered pillar was an eye-opener not only for Hiranyakasipu but to the entire scientific world. The form Ishwar (remember IT is everything everywhere everytime) chose was the form of Narasimha, half lion and half human. This peculiar form not only opened Hiranyakasipu’s eyes, but revealed so many truths to body of human knowledge.

The fearful form of half-lion and half-man is a symbolic combination of the most powerful among animals and humans. The meaningful figure depicts a critical stage of evolution of animal into human form. If Advaita concept connects the inanimate to the animate, the majestic form of Narasimha points to an evolutionary trend from animals into humans. It is indeed difficult for any other religion other than Hinduism to accept the truth in evolution. But for a Hindu like Bhakta Prahlad there was no better way than presenting Narasimha Moorthy to illustrate the truth in evolution. The ten incarnations of Ishwar, some in animal form and some in human form, in an evolutionary cycle confirm the concept of evolution in no uncertain terms.

It is a well known ‘secret’ that the twin concepts of Advaita and Evolution have shattered the very foundations of many established religions in the present day world. Myths of monopoly god, its father, holy spirit, prophets, angels, paradise etc., are completely meaningless in world which knows about evolution of species and that energy, matter and Ishwar are all one and the same. But for the political agenda behind these religious facades, the entire humanity would have discarded them by now. It is now only a matter of time before every human recognize the Ishwar within and try realizing in his or her own lifetime. And when that happens, the first human who can claim to have led them out of ignorance will definitely be etched in human history as Bhakta Prahlad, the greatest.