Srimad Bhagavatam – day 414
Janārdhanāya namah
Prahlāda continued, “O Lord, You have extreme love and compassion towards the downtrodden. Bound by sinful actions of my past births I have been born amidst these demons, who are cruel by nature”.
Perhaps I have harmed innocent people in my past births or perhaps murdered them. Perhaps I have tortured noble saints. The sins of the many past births have resulted in this situation. As a result of my past sins I had to now be born among demons.
“I do not fear these demons as much as I fear the unbearable suffering that arises in this repeated cycle of re-births (samsāra).”
I fear the future bondages; the future time that I have to face. I fear that I will get trapped in this endless useless well called repeated cycle of re-births.
“Without sorrows, this world lacks taste. People claim that life without happiness is a waste. In reality, in life both happiness and sorrows exist, but sorrows take up greater percentage of life.
I never grieved when my father tortured me, because as my protector, I knew You will come to my rescue. But in case of worldly afflictions (tāpatraya), even if You protect, I will have to undergo the suffering. As per the inexcusable rule laid down by You, both joys and sorrows have to be mandatorily experienced by every living entity! You therefore cannot eliminate my sorrows while retaining only my joys.
O Lord, I request You to retain Your compassion upon me. During times of sorrows there is a great possibility that I may abuse You. O Lord, at such critical times please ensure that I do not abuse You. If perchance I commit a mistake, I should punish myself immediately, O Lord. Please let me realize my mistake then and there. Please punish me that moment itself.
You are the epitome of compassion, O Lord. Due to Your limitless compassion, You will undoubtedly protect me who am trapped in these worldly bondages. But O Lord, even if You come to my rescue, it is inevitable for me to go through my destiny and face the troubles that arise.
These worldly bondages are all illusory, yet trapped in this illusory world I am suffering. Neither can I live happily inside nor outside. I dread my future. I tremble when I see this world. How can I, whom am living amidst cruel demons, find goodness and purity in this world, O Lord? Traits of goodness are not to be seen in them as these demons are filled purely with traits of passion and ignorance. How can I lead a pure sattvik life in this world which is filled with such demonic traits?
These worldly bondages come and land upon the head. I dread them. My father, upon whom You bestowed liberation, is truly fortunate. Now it is my turn to face these bondages. I do not know how You will protect me. When will you, being pleased with me, destroy all my bondages and pull me towards Your lotus feet?
O infinite Lord, in the innumerable births that I have taken, I have lost that which I dearly seek, while obtaining that which I absolutely dislike. Moreover, all the remedies which appear to dispel sorrows, create more sorrows.
Through these remedies I escape from one sorrow only to land in another. Due to seeing the Self (atma) in the non-Self (anātma) objects I continue to rotate endlessly in this repeated cycle of re-births.
bhūman bhramāmi vada me tava dāsya-yogam –
Hence O Lord, kindly initiate me into the services (seva) that can be offered to You!
While offering services to You, I will associate with supremely knowledgeable persons who eternally meditate upon Your lotus feet and who sing Your divine transcendental glories. Please bestow me with this opportunity. I will not fall into this terrible well called samsāra. I seek to spend my time exclusively thinking about You and Your glories.
O form of the Self! O well-wisher of living entities! Even Lord Brahma sings Your divine glories. By associating with holy persons and by offering You services, I will be freed from the bondages caused by the three attributes of Nature (trigunas) and will cross over every form of difficulty. O Supreme Lord, please bless me with this. I seek Your protection at all times. With my mind fixed upon You, I will take all decisions. I will mingle only with Your devotees. While spending time in their holy company I will exhaust my destiny. Due to this holy association, my destiny will not appear troublesome. Please do not test me by throwing me into worldly bondages. Please let my tests come to an end. I am unable to withstand them any longer.
O Lord Narasimha! All measures taken by living entities to dispel grief give temporary relief. The bonds of action (karma) are unending and the sins of the many past births continue to chase the entity.
In every birth I have sinned mentally, physically and verbally. In eating, talking, walking and in associating with others I have sinned. I have sinned due to friendships. I have uttered lies. Perhaps I have to cut my tongue due to this sin of abiding by falsehood. For having heard rumours and lies, I have to cut my ears. For eating impure food which I should not have eaten, I should cut my tongue and stomach”.
Janārdhanāya namah