Transcendental Teachings of Prahlāda Mahārāja

What follows is based on a series of talks
Śrīla Prabhupāda gave in 1968 on the
Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam, Canto 7, Chapter 6plugin-autotooltip__small plugin-autotooltip_bigSB 7.6: Prahlāda Instructs His Demoniac Schoolmates

Prahlāda Instructs His Demoniac Schoolmates

This chapter describes Prahlāda Mahārāja’s instructions to his class friends. In speaking to his friends, who were all sons of demons, Prahlāda Mahārāja stressed that every living entity, especially in human society, must be interested in spiritual realization from the very beginning of life. When human beings are children, they should be taught that the Supreme Personality of Godhead is the worshipable Deity for everyone. One should not be very much …. ¶

1. The Dearmost Personplugin-autotooltip__small plugin-autotooltip_bigTTP 1: The Dearmost Person
   
   The Dearmost Person
   
   Today I shall speak to you of the history of a boy devotee named Prahlāda Mahārāja. He was born in a family that was stubbornly atheistic. There are two kinds of men in this world: the demons and the demigods. What is the difference between them? The main difference is that the demigods, or godly persons, are devoted to the Supreme Lord, whereas the demons are atheistic. They do not believe in God because they are materialists. These two classes of men always exist in this w…
2. "We Are Spoiling Our Lives"plugin-autotooltip__small plugin-autotooltip_bigTTP 2: “We Are Spoiling Our Lives”
   
   “We Are Spoiling Our Lives”
   
   Therefore, instead of being very anxious to stimulate our senses to increase material happiness, we should try to attain spiritual happiness by practicing Kṛṣṇa consciousness. As Prahlāda Mahārāja says, “
3. Family Illusionplugin-autotooltip__small plugin-autotooltip_bigTTP 3: Family Illusion
   
   Family Illusion
   
   Prahlāda Mahārāja told his friends, “You have to begin Kṛṣṇa consciousness immediately.” All the boys were born of atheistic, materialistic families, but fortunately they had the association of Prahlāda, who was a great devotee of the Lord from his birth. Whenever he found an opportunity, when the teacher was out of the classroom, he used to say,
4. "I Love Kṛṣṇa More Than Anything!"plugin-autotooltip__small plugin-autotooltip_bigTTP 4: “I Love Kṛṣṇa More Than Anything!”
   
   “I Love Kṛṣṇa More Than Anything!”
   
   Now Prahlāda Mahārāja makes a further statement about the complications of material life. He compares the attached householder to the silkworm. The silkworm wraps itself in a cocoon made of its own saliva, until he is in a prison from which he cannot escape. In the same way, a materialistic householder
5. Realizing that God Is Everywhereplugin-autotooltip__small plugin-autotooltip_bigTTP 5: Realizing that God Is Everywhere
   
   Realizing that God Is Everywhere
   
   Mahārāja Prahlāda informed his classmates about the all-pervasiveness of the Supreme Lord. But although the Supreme Lord is all-pervasive by means of His expansions and His energies, that does not mean He has lost His personality. That is significant. Although He is all-pervading, still He is a person. According to our material perception, if something is all-pervading, then it has no personality, no localized aspect. But God is not like that. For example, the s…
6. Kṛṣṇa Consciousness: The Perfection of Mercyplugin-autotooltip__small plugin-autotooltip_bigTTP 6: Kṛṣṇa Consciousness: The Perfection of Mercy
   
   Kṛṣṇa Consciousness: The Perfection of Mercy
   
   Prahlāda Mahārāja now gives his conclusion: “My dear friends, because the Supreme Lord is present everywhere and because we are part and parcel of the Supreme Lord, our duty is to be merciful to all living entities.