Prahlada Tortured

Chapter 5

Enraged, Hiranyakasipu threw him from his lap and ordered his assistants to execute him, outraged that the young boy was so lovingly attached to his archenemy, Vishnu. They contrived a variety of ways to kill the saintly boy – they threw him beneath elephants; cast him into the midst of huge, fearful snakes; cursed him with destructive spells; hurled him from a hilltop; conjured up frightening apparitions; administered him poison; starved him; exposed him to severe cold, winds, fire and water; and even threw heavy stones to crush him. Nothing worked! Throughout these trials, Prahlada unflinchingly meditated on Lord Vishnu and mystically remained unharmed.

Hiranyakasipu fell into deep anxiety, while the teachers unsuccessfully tried to brainwash the boy again. Ironically, it was Prahlada Maharaja who ended up doing the ‘brainwashing’! Completely unfazed, he boldly instructed all his class friends, the sons of the demons, in the science of spirituality.