Prahlada's Realization

Day 165 

Prahlada's Realization

The Lord's Disappearance

Conclusion of Worship

After the Lord disappeared, Prahlada concluded his worship, sang hymns, and began deep contemplation.

Prahlada’s Contemplation

Self-Inquiry

Prahlada reflected on the Lord's command to be continually engaged in self-inquiry. He questioned, "What am I, who speaks, walks, stands, and functions in this world?"

Rejecting External Identifications

He realized he was not the external world or his physical body. He wasn't sound, touch, taste, sight, or smell, which are all momentary and depend on the infinite consciousness.

Realization of Pure Consciousness

Beyond the Senses

Prahlada concluded that he was beyond these senses and their functions. He identified himself as pure consciousness and peace beyond thought.

Recognition of Inner Light

He understood that the inner light of consciousness perceives everything from a small pot to the mighty sun. This self is omnipresent, formless, and the cause of all effects, including the manifestation of the universe.

The Nature of the Self

Self as Inner Light

Prahlada acknowledged that the inner light gives rise to the characteristics of diverse objects. This self is the cause of all manifestations, including the trinity (Brahma, Vishnu, and Shiva), but it itself remains uncaused.

Unity of Self

He saluted the self that is its own light, free from duality. In this self, all things exist and enter. It creates and ends all things through thought.

Purification and Cosmic Consciousness

Pure Consciousness

Prahlada recognized that the self, seen by the purified heart, exists in an undivided state throughout the three worlds. This self is the infinite, self-luminous consciousness that pervades all.

Experience and Manifestation

He saw that this self experiences everything and thus has many forms and functions. It is present in all beings, from gods to humans, embodying various roles and appearances.

Universal Presence and Role

Embodiment in All Forms

Prahlada understood that the self is present in all, from youth to old age, and in all aspects of nature. This self pervades the world, giving it reality and function, and ceases to give reality when not comprehended.

Essence of Existence

He realized that the self is the essence of everything, like butter in milk or liquidity in water. This self is the infinite consciousness in all things, making the universe exist without objectivity.

Infinite Consciousness

Pervasiveness

Prahlada acknowledged that the infinite consciousness pervades the entire universe, much like the cosmic ocean after creation. This world-appearance is insignificant to the vast self.

Continuous Expansion

He recognized that the form of the universe continues to expand from the house of the creator Brahma, driven by the infinite consciousness.

This contemplation highlights Prahlada’s deep realization of the self as the infinite consciousness, omnipresent and formless, underlying all existence and manifestations.