Hare Krishna dear Devotees
I heard that Prahalad Maharaj was born as Vasudeva in His previous birth and had the association of a prostitute. Please tell me in such a condition how did He get a Devotee life in His next birth? How did He become such a great Devotee by unintentionally keeping fast for just one day? Although He was given all the opportunity of Bhakti, stil He choose a wrong path like what people in kaliyug do. Did He get punished for it?
Also what happened to that prostitute who equally kept the fast? Did she get any benefit from the fast? Why nothing about her is mentioned? What happened to her in her next life?
What can people or struggling devotees learn from this who face similar situation. They are blessed with bhakti and devotee association but still frequently give into maya and does sins; often repeating the same sins. They want to change but under the influence of Maya they don't try. They also get into the habit of watching bad content. What wil happen to them. Will they ever change? Can they get back to Krishna in this life time. What should be done?
Devotees please enlighten me regarding this.
Replies
Hare Krsna
Hari-bhakti-vilasa 14.418-441 - The glories of Nrsimha-caturdasi quotes from Brhan Nrsimha Purana, describing who Prahlada Maharaja was in his previous life and how he became a Narasimha Bhakta. Source
How did Prahlada get a Devotee life in His next birth?
In previous life, Prahlada performed fasting and staying awake on day of Narasimha Chaturdashi. Due to the merit of this Prahlada was granted Devotional service.
How did He become such a great Devotee by unintentionally keeping fast for just one day?
This is by mercy of Lord narasimha. Due to performing of fasting and staying awake on day of Narasimha Chaturdashi, Lord Narasimha was very pleased with him, hence granted him bhakti.
Although He was given all the opportunity of Bhakti, stil He choose a wrong path like what people in kaliyug do. Did He get punished for it?
This is not described in the conversation between Lord Narasimha & Prahlada. Anyone who surrenders to & is favoured by Lord Narasimha will not be punished , they will be liberated from sinful reactions.
what happened to that prostitute who equally kept the fast? Did she get any benefit from the fast? Why nothing about her is mentioned? What happened to her in her next life?
In her next life, the prostitute was born in heaven as an Apsara and after enjoying life there immensely, she entered My supreme abode. O Prahlada, you will also return to My abode
What can people or struggling devotees learn from this who face similar situation.
Lord Sri Krsna is extremely merciful. By receiving mercy of Sri Krsna one will be properly situated in Krsna consciousness.
They are blessed with bhakti and devotee association but still frequently give into maya and does sins; often repeating the same sins. They want to change but under the influence of Maya they don't try.
As long as one is truly in association of devotees, one is under the influnce of transcendental potency of Sri Krsna. Being situated under the transcendental potency of Sri Krsna, one cannot commit sins. If a person is committing sins in the association of devotees openly in front of devotees and devotees are not saying anything, then they are not devotees and hence not in association of devotees.
Typically when one is not in association of devotees, one comes under the influence of external potency of Sri Krsna or Maya. A conditioned jiva cannot overcome maya on their own.
daivī hy eṣā guṇa-mayī
mama māyā duratyayā
mām eva ye prapadyante
māyām etāṁ taranti te
This divine energy of Mine, consisting of the three modes of material nature, is difficult to overcome. But those who have surrendered unto Me can easily cross beyond it.(BG 7.14)
A conditioned soul will certainly be defeated by maya potency of Krsna, if they don't take shelter or Sri Krsna.
A man bound by the hands and feet cannot free himself – he must be helped by a person who is unbound. Because the bound cannot help the bound, the rescuer must be liberated. Therefore, only Lord Kṛṣṇa, or His bona fide representative the spiritual master, can release the conditioned soul. Without such superior help, one cannot be freed from the bondage of material nature. Devotional service, or Kṛṣṇa consciousness, can help one gain such release. Kṛṣṇa, being the Lord of the illusory energy, can order this insurmountable energy to release the conditioned soul. He orders this release out of His causeless mercy on the surrendered soul and out of His paternal affection for the living entity, who is originally a beloved son of the Lord. Therefore surrender unto the lotus feet of the Lord is the only means to get free from the clutches of the stringent material nature.(Purport BG 7.14)
Srila Prabhupada has given the solution to be freed from clutches of maya - Devotional service or Krsna consciousness
They also get into the habit of watching bad content. What wil happen to them. Will they ever change? Can they get back to Krishna in this life time. What should be done?
It is due to our sinful inclination that we want to go away from Krsna, forget Krsna and enjoy sense gratification.
We have keep ourselves absorbed or engaged in pure Krsna consciousness as much as possible. Association of devotees greatly helps in being engaged in Krsna consciousness. By prolonged and intense absorption in Krsna consciousness we revive natural taste for devotional service and lose taste from sinful sense gratification. When a person advances in Krsna consciousness, then they will not see any sense objects at all. They will see everyone and everything as expnasion or paraphernalia of Krsna.
Even when we fall prey to sense gratification, we come back to Sri Krsna, associate with devotees, perform service to Krsna and devotees, hear Krsna Katha, chant Hare Krsna, render menial service, pray to Sri Krsna for His mercy, observe holy days and holy months, etc. This way we show our sincerity to Sri Krsna to be freed from our anarthas. We have to be determined to follow path of Krsna consciousness even if we have personal set backs and restart again and again.
When Sri Krsna is convinced, by our prayers, seva, sincerity, then Sri Krsna will slowly give us taste for His holy names, katha etc. When we further enagge and absorb in Krsna consciousness then we'll gradually lose tase for material sense gratification. This is the gradual process of attaining Krsna's mercy.
One should be very careful not to commit offenses especially to vaishnavas. If we commit offense to those who are dear to Krsna, then Krsna will remove us from association and this will lead to more sense gratification.
Hare Krsna
Hare Krsna
Engaging in deity services like cooking,cutting vegetables, making flower garlands, temple cleaning, washing deity paraphernalia, Washing vessels, etc which engage our gross senses directly in service of deities of Sri Krsna along with chanting and hearing are very effective in reducing our inclination to enjoy sense gratification.
Hare Krsna
Hare Krishna mataji
There are stories of Narad Muni asking Prahalad maharaj (in vaikunth) to take the role as son of hiranyakashipu and he agreed only if Narad Muni would become his guru.
Second in Narsimha Purana we find that there was a Brahmin who worshipped lord but resides near the house of demons , who made a lot of cacophonies and disturbed him. While dying he was troubled by the noise of theirs and was thinking of them that's why he got birth in a demon family.
Also join being asked from Narasimha deva for a boon Prahalad maharaj asked to always be in association of Narad Muni, as only due to him he was able to become a devotee.
Even if you consider the story you gave, even then the reason is the association of a life devotee like Narad Muni.
There is no blunt that association of Narad Muni is the most beneficial things as we hear in story of nalkuvera and kanigriva, druv maharaj, and many other
The story about Prahlada Maharaj previously being Vasudeva is found in some devotional narrations and may vary by tradition; Srimad Bhagavatam mainly emphasizes that Prahlada became a great devotee through the mercy of Narada Muni and devotional impressions (bhakti-sukriti).