Beyond Colors: Prahlad’s Teachings & the Spiritual Significance of Holi – Part 2

In the second part of our exploration into Prahlad’s teachings, we delve into his profound insights on the nature of God and the path to divine bliss. Prahlad imparted to the asura children that God is the very embodiment of bliss—pure, unalloyed joy that transcends worldly pleasures. 

He emphasized that :

“God is present everywhere and is the soul of all beings. There are no restrictions of place, time, or rules in His devotion; therefore, no effort is needed.”

“God is the very embodiment of bliss. He is the essence of experience and joy. There is nothing in Him except divine bliss. His very form is made of bliss. His hands, feet are all made of divine bliss. His entire being is composed of divine bliss—transcendental, indescribable, immeasurable, beyond human comprehension, and filled with the joy of divine love.

“I am speaking these words, but what is true bliss? That can only be known when one experiences it. For now, just try to understand.”

The asura  children asked, “Brother, you were always imprisoned in the royal palace. How did you attain such deep wisdom? Your words make sense, but tell us, where did you gain this knowledge?”

Prahlad replied, “I have received a lot of knowledge. I attained it while in my mother’s womb.”

(Prahlad’s mother was Kayadhu, as I mentioned before. When Indra was taking her captive, Narad Ji freed her. Narad Ji then imparted the teachings of devotion to her, and through her, they were passed on to Prahlad even before his birth. Kayadhu forgot everything because she belonged to an asura (demonic) nature).  

But knowledge only stays where the heart is ready to receive it, or when it is revised repeatedly. When you hear spiritual wisdom, you feel you have understood it completely. But have you really understood?  If you do not contemplate on what you hear, then you cannot attain a high spiritual state.

Your mind is not yet a stable vessel that can firmly retain what is being taught. It may hold it for some time, but eventually, it leaks out. Then you come with questions again to me. Your vessel (mind) is not yet at such a high level that what I speak, you remember and will not forget ever. Such a vessel belonged to Prahlad.  

Just like a container, it depends on the limit of its flaws—for some, the knowledge stays for a day, for others two days, some retain it for four days, ten days, a month, or two months—but eventually, it fades away. And when forgetfulness sets in, the soul returns to its previous state—just as it was before. This is what happens in household life because it is surrounded by an impure environment. 

“It is like heating iron. When in fire, iron becomes red-hot, glowing with the fire’s intensity. But once removed, it gradually cools down and returns to its original state.” When you touch fire, your hand burns. You realize that fire burns and avoid it. But after some time, you forget, and the same mistake is repeated. This is why contemplation is necessary—otherwise, today’s learning becomes tomorrow’s forgotten lesson.

“Similarly, when we stay in the company of saints and enlightened beings, our mind is uplifted. We feel transformed, as if we are beyond worldly influences. However, once we return to worldly environments, indulge in sensory pleasures, and engage with materialistic distractions, our spiritual fervour diminishes. The warmth of wisdom fades, and knowledge is forgotten.”

The asuras were curious to hear more, “Please, tell us more, brother.” 

“See, first of all, Narad Ji gave knowledge to mother that the soul is beyond death; it is immortal. The soul has 12 qualities. First, understand the soul, meaning understand yourself. If you understand yourself, then it will be easier to understand God. When you do not understand yourself, then how will you understand your relationship? This This is where the mistake happened in life.”

We forgot our true self and identified with our body. And our relationship with God was damaged. Like when a girl gets married and goes to her husband’s house, her connection with her parental home fades. Now, she considers her husband’s house as her own. This is our house, this is our car, this is our husband, this is our elder brother-in-law, this is our younger brother-in-law. 

Now these became her real relations and her mother’s relations became distant. This is an illusory relationship of Maya; attachment was already there earlier, and a little bit of it still will remain. But when we considered ourselves as only the body, then knowledge related to the soul ended.

Our Guru Ji first explained to us that the soul is eternal (nitya), pure (shuddh), and one (eka). It is full of consciousness (chetan) and serves as the support of the senses (grah ashraya). The soul is imperishable (avyaya), unchanging (avikari), and the ultimate witness (drashta) of all actions. Though subtle, it pervades the entire body and remains self-contained, requiring nothing external. Most importantly, its very essence is divine bliss (anand swaroop), untainted and ever-existing.  Prahlad has spoken of 12 qualities but actually there are 1200.

To attain God, you only need to do God’s bhakti.  Neither actions (karma), knowledge (jnana), nor austerity (tapasya) are required. God cannot be attained through any external means. Even if one performs auspicious acts, rituals, or chants thousands of names, without true devotion, God remains beyond reach.

The Bhagavatam presents a challenge: “You will attain Him only through Bhakti and not through any other means.” If you perform austerities (tapasya), seek knowledge (gyan), engage in actions (karma), follow religion (dharma), or adhere to any discipline, true liberation (kalyan) will not be attained. 

The Kathopanishad and the Vedas state that there are two distinct paths—Shreya and Preya. One who chooses Shreya, the path of ultimate good and God-realization, attains true liberation (kalyan). On the other hand, one who chooses Preya, the path of temporary pleasures and worldly attachments, faces downfall (patan). In essence, those who cling to the material world are bound to fall, while those who surrender to God attain true upliftment and eternal well-being.

The Vedas, Shastras, Puranas, and other scriptures describe thousands of ways to attain kalyan (liberation), but is this liberation limited or unlimited? To understand, we must first define true kalyan.

For example, religious rituals may grant a person Swarga (heaven)—one might think they have achieved kalyan. But after enjoying heavenly pleasures, they are cast back into the lower births of dogs, cats, or donkeys after heaven—what kind of liberation is that?

Even in Swarga, as long as one resides there, they will constantly envy those above them, just like in this mortal world. Here, someone with a bicycle envies the one with a car. In Swarga, a lesser deva will envy the higher devas. Thus, desires, jealousy, and suffering exist even in Swarga, just as they do on Earth. So, what kind of kalyan is that? What is the worth of material success if it still leads to suffering?

That is why Prahlad declares that true kalyan is not in performing thousands of rituals, but in developing anurag (divine love for God)—for that alone leads to eternal liberation.

So the asura balaks questioned, “Yes, but how will this come about?”

“First, get the association of a true saint, surrender to Him, serve Him, and through His satsang, you will attain the devotion I am pointing towards.”

“It is being repeated again:—He is the Soul of all souls, their Master, their Protector, and their Beloved—He is God. That is why there is no effort needed to attain Him. First, accept His grace, there is no labour involved in this.”

Again, I say—why struggle? The divine essence you seek is already within you. There is no need to search for it elsewhere; you only need to realize it. 

It is like a person wearing a necklace tightly around their neck yet forgetting it and believing it to be lost. They ask everyone around for help, only to later discover it was with them all along—and then apologize for their oversight.

The ocean of bliss is not far away—you are already within it. Yet, the thirsty one fails to reach it, like a washerman dying of thirst while standing in a river or a fish searching for water while being submerged in it.

But remember, God is only pleased through pure devotion. 

Everything else is mere deception. All the means, methods, and rituals prescribed in the Vedas and scriptures are nothing but distractions and unnecessary labor because their results are ultimately incorrect.

Now, if someone insists, “No, I only want to go to heaven!” and firmly believes this to be their ultimate goal, then so be it—there is a path for that as well. But remember, Shreyas (the path of true welfare) is superior to Preyas (the path of temporary pleasure).

The asura children understood.  Then, Prahlad dropped a spiritual atom bomb: 

“One must devote oneself solely to Govind and no one else. True self-interest lies in cultivating exclusive devotion to Him alone.”

“My dear children, you all know how to love?” 

“Yes, we love our mother, sister, brother, rasgulla (sweet) etc. “

“Why do you do so?”  

“Because there is self interest. Wherever love exists, there is self-interest. This is our innate nature.”

“This self-interest is of two types—if you identify yourself as the body, then your worldly attachments and material benefits will seem like self-interest. However, if you identify yourself as the soul, then spiritual progress and divine connection will be your true self-interest. This is true swarth.”

That is why Prahlad said, “One must become an exclusive Bhakt of Govind, chanting His name everywhere. Chant the name of Lord Ram in mind, word, and action.” 

Upon hearing these final words, everyone of the demon children accepted that Prahlad was absolutely right. However, the demon children did not possess the spiritual qualification to completely surrender just by listening to these teachings once.

In this way, if we engage in Shri Krishna Bhakti, then Prahlad’s character will manifest within us. Narad Ji has stressed again and again, with great emphasis, it has been declared—Bhakti alone is the supreme means, and love for God is the ultimate goal.

The Rigveda contains a mantra stating that if you earnestly and innocently cry out to the Lord, He, possessing countless powers and hands, will rush to embrace you. Therefore, cry out to Him with genuine yearning. Engage in satsang and practice sāsang bhakti (devotion with deep attachment), not anāsang bhakti (devotion without attachment).

In sāsang bhakti, the mind focuses on the divine form, cultivating an intense longing for His vision. In contrast, anāsang bhakti involves merely verbal activities like singing without deep emotional involvement. Thus, we should aim for sāsang bhakti.

Begin with rūpadhyān (meditation on the divine form), crying out while understanding the significance of His names, qualities, and pastimes. This contemplation can occur alone, during kīrtan (devotional singing), or while listening to discourses. However, smaraṇ (remembrance) is compulsory. Therefore, whether observing a vow of silence or engaging in kīrtan, continuous contemplation is essential.

Behave according to the principles of a true devotee. If a slight emotion arises, don’t create a commotion during kīrtan for others to notice. Performing devotion to please others is dangerous.

Narad Ji in Narad Bhakti Sutra emphasizes—One must love, only love. Repeatedly, the Narada Bhakti Sutra upholds Bhakti as the sole path, considering it both the means and the fruit. Just as karma granted heaven and perished, and knowledge destroyed ignorance and perished itself, but bhakti gave bhakti, and bhakti remained eternal—even in Golok, for all eternity.

Thus, when Prahlad imparted this wisdom to the asura children, he was caught and seized by the senapatis. Hiranyakashipu was enraged and questioned – “How should he be punished? What should be done with him?”

Prahlad was harshly rebuked and brought before the throne. Sitting on the throne, his father asked, “Where is your God? Why can’t I see Him in this pillar?”

And Prahlad, smiling, responded, “Father, I see him, you may have some problem with your eyesight, what can I say?”

The furious king struck the pillar with full force, delivering such a mighty blow that the pillar shattered and Lord Nrismha appeared. And he killed Hiranyakashipu.  I am explaining this to you in brief. 

When Lord Nrisimha killed Hiranyakashipu, at that time Brahma, Shiva and all the other celestial gods were present.  They held a small meeting to welcome Shri Krishna who had descended as Nrisimha especially to kill this dreaded demon.  They decided, “We should offer our thanks and salutations to the Lord.”  

A problem arose – who should lead the welcome delegation?  Lord Nrsimha was seated majestically, glowing with an aura like a thousand suns.  At the same time He also appeared dreadful, His hands dripping with blood and His body entangled in the intestines of Hiranyakashipu.  Everyone present felt scared and none volunteered to go before Him.

Gradually everyone turned to Brahma and said, “You are the creator of this universe and you are also the son of Lord Nrisimha (the descension of Lord Vishnu), you are therefore duty-bound to lead us to Him.”  Brahma replied, “You may be right, but I’m scared to go in front of Him.” .

Even in our world, if our mother or father angrily scolds someone, everyone close by feels uneasy thinking they could be the next in line.  Ultimately everyone decided that little Prahlada should lead the delegation because after all, the Lord had appeared exclusively to protect him.  It is a well-known fact that God is ever ready to offer Himself for the sake of His devotees, the Saints.

In this way, everyone requested Prahlada to go before the Lord and thank Him for descending to Earth and for protecting him.  In the world, little children are generally fearless, aren’t they?  In the same manner, Bhakta Prahlada walked fearlessly in front of Lord Nrisimha with palms joined to thank Him.  

The moment he came close, Lord Nrisimha abandoned all His anger and gently picked Prahlada up, placing him in His lap.  The Lord embraced him in an outpouring of love and affection.  He said, “My dear son, ask Me for a boon?  Everyone does when I appear before them.”  But Prahlad was no ordinary child.

When Prahlada heard that God wanted him to ask for a boon, he became confused and said, “O my Lord! A servant who asks for anything from his master is no servant; he is a mere businessman.  The word servant implies doing service, the service of the Lord.  A true servant engages selflessly in the service of his master.  If he wishes to ask for something, he behaves like a master instead of a servant.  Only the master has the authority to ask or make demands.  So my Lord, when I am Your servant then why are You forcing me to ask for a boon?”

God replied, “Alright My son!  All that you say is fine.   All devotees ask Me for something whenever I appear before them, therefore you must also ask.”  Prahlada started to wonder why God was being so insistent.  

He said,  “Dear Lord, I am that kind of servant who never asks for anything.  I am also aware that You desire nothing from me.  After all, what do I have to offer?  A dirty body, a dirty mind and an even dirtier intellect!  That’s all I have to offer.  On the other hand, everything You have is divine and blissful.  So neither do You desire anything from me, nor I from You, yet You are insisting that I ask something from You?”

“Yes My son.  I do understand your point, but even so still you must like everyone else,” replied God.  Prahlad realised that now there was no other choice and so he asked,

“Grant me a boon that I should never ask You for anything and that my intellect should never create any desire at all.”

The all-powerful, almighty God finally had to accept defeat.   God realised that today He had encountered a true Devotee who would not budge from his resolve.  

In the meantime, Prahlada said, “O Lord, may I say something?” “Yes, yes,” replied the Lord.

“The growth of desires in the mind causes the destruction of all noble faculties of man – the strength of his senses, his mind, his vital energy and of his body.  He loses his sense of righteousness, determination, understanding, good fortune, modesty, prowess, memory and adherence to truth.”

God finally gave up and said “Alright My dear child, If you are determined not to ask for anything let it be so, but for the sake of My own happiness, I have a command for you. I grant you the kingship of the entire Earth for one manvantara. Rule for one Manvantara, which lasts for 45,20,000 years. Even then, perform the Shradh of your father for the establishment of righteousness in the world.”

Then all the celestial gods, including Brahma, approached Lord Nrisimha as he returned to his calm state. The Lord summoned Brahma and sternly instructed him never to grant such a boon to demons again. He said, “It was you who bestowed this boon, and I had to devise a way to circumvent it. And if I were not the all-knowing Supreme, how could I have accomplished it?”  With these words, the Lord disappeared from the scene.

Bhakta Prahlada had such strong faith in the omnipresence of God that God Himself was left with no choice other than to protect Him at all costs.  Whatever resources were deployed to kill Prahlad, he only saw the presence of God in each one of them.

We must therefore practise feeling the presence of God everywhere, exactly in the same manner as we feel that God is always present in this divine abode, Goloka.  There is absolutely no difference between the Shri Krishna in Goloka and the Shri Krishna residing within every particle.  He is equally present everywhere with all His powers.  There cannot be any fractions of God.  It is only because of this fact that Prahlad was protected by God in every adverse situation.

Holi also signifies and gives prominence to the victory of bhakti over evil.  One should not forget that the demon Hiranyakashipu was such a great tapasvi that even celestial gods could not withstand the yogic power and might of his austere penance.  However, he had to accept total defeat in front of the power of bhakti.  The story of Prahlada proves that bhakti stands on the highest pedestal in God’s kingdom.  It is infinitely more powerful than jnana, yoga and karma.

Therefore, this day is the celebration of the supremacy of bhakti or devotion.  Everyone celebrates in his own unique way, but we should not lose sight of the real significance of this festival.  Just as Prahlad felt the presence of God in each and every particle of this world, in the same way we too should feel the presence of God and Guru within us, and everywhere around us, at all times.

Footnote:

Each year, Shri Kripalu Dham hosts the Holi Sadhana Shivir, a devotional retreat that draws countless devotees from across India and around the world. During this sacred gathering, we immerse ourselves in singing the glories of God’s names, forms, attributes, abodes, and devotees. 

Interspersed with these heartfelt kirtan sessions, we have the privilege of listening to enlightening discourses by our beloved master, Jagadguru Shri Kripalu Ji Maharaj, deepening our spiritual understanding and reinforcing our commitment to selfless, exclusive devotion to Lord Krishna. This form of bhakti aligns seamlessly with the teachings of Prahlad, exemplifying unwavering devotion and surrender to the Divine.

JKP wishes all devotees a very Happy Holi.

By Jagadguru Shri Kripalu Ji Maharaj

*A brief introduction of Jagadguru Shri Kripalu Ji Maharaj*

(Known by His devotees as Shri Maharaj Ji)

The original title of Jagadguruttam (Greatest Spiritual Teacher of the World) was bestowed upon Shri Kripalu Ji Maharaj on January 14, 1957, by Kashi Vidvat Parishad (a council of 500 greatest scholars saints of India). He composed divine texts like Prem Ras Madira, Prem Ras Siddhant, and Radha Govind Geet to lead us on the right path of devotion. He also gave priceless monuments as gifts to the world which include Bhakti Mandir located in Bhakti Dham, Mangarh, Prem Mandir located in Vrindavan Dham, and Kirti Mandir located in Barsana Dham. Shri Maharaj Ji also built hospitals for the impoverished, the Jagadguru Kripalu Chikitsalaya in Vrindavan, Jagadguru Kripalu Chikitsalaya in Barsana, and another one in Pratapgarh. All three help millions of underprivileged to gain free access to medical care. His Kindergarten, School, and College for impoverished girls Jagadguru Kripalu Parishat Education is located in Kunda and provides completely free education.