Live the Bhāgavatam · SB 7.10.15-17
Poṣaṇa· The Lord's protectionPray for Mercy Even After Being Hurt
“Prahlāda Mahārāja said: O Supreme Lord, because You are so merciful to the fallen souls, I ask You for only one benediction. I know that my father, at the time of his death, had already been purified by Your glance upon him, but because of his ignorance of Your beautiful power and supremacy, he was unnecessarily angry at You, falsely thinking that You were the killer of his brother. Thus he directly blasphemed Your Lordship, the spiritual master of all living beings, and committed heavily sinful activities directed against me, Your devotee. I wish that he be excused for these sinful activities.”
What the purport teaches
- Prahlāda Mahārāja asks the merciful Supreme Lord to excuse his father’s sinful activities. These included blaspheming the Lord and acting against His devotee.
- Hiraṇyakaśipu had already been purified by contact with the Lord’s lap and His glance. Still, Prahlāda wanted to hear the Lord personally confirm his father’s purification by causeless mercy.
- Despite the suffering his father had imposed upon him, Prahlāda could not forget his father’s affection. As a Vaiṣṇava son, he prayed on his father’s behalf.
Try this today
Offer one brief prayer asking the Lord to show mercy to someone whose actions have troubled you.
Ask yourself
Can I pray for the Lord’s mercy upon someone who has hurt me?
Carry the question through the day, then answer it in your own words before sleep.
The study points, practice and question are short summaries drawn from Śrīla Prabhupāda's translation and purport. Read the full purport to go deeper.