Sri Hari Is Everywhere, Hurt No One

After hearing about this, Hiranyakashipu called Prahlada and asked,

You seem to be very powerful. What mantra are you chanting which has made you so powerful, or are you born with this power?

Prahlada said – I neither chant any mantra nor am I born with any such power. Whatever has happened is just natural to those who have Sri Hari residing in their heart. If you do not think ill of others, if you do not think of harming others, no harm will happen to you. You do not need to have any power of your own. You do not have to be under anybody’s protection. If you see Sri Hari in everyone, you will not be able to harm anyone and no harm will happen to you.

Hiranyakashipu became blind with anger. He ordered that Prahlada be thrown down the fort. He was thrown down hundreds of feet through the rocks by the side of the mountain on top of which the fort was located. Nothing happened. Bhumidevi took him on her lap.

Hiranyakashipu called a demon Sambarasura who was expert in evil magic and asked him to kill Prahlada. Prahlada just sat there remembering Sri Hari. Bhagawan sent his Sudarshana Chakra and destroyed Sambarasura.

Hiranyakashipu ordered Vayu to kill him. Vayu turned himself into cold storm and attacked Prahlada. Bhagawan just swallowed Vayu. Hiranyakashipu gave up.

Prahlada went back to Gurukul and learned raja neeti, statesmanship. Upon completion, Hiranyakashipu asked him how a king should deal with his friends and how he should deal with his enemies, and how he should deal with those who are equidistant. How should a king deal with ministers, commanders, servants, and ordinary men? How will you deal with spies and what are battle strategies?

Prahlada folded his hands before his father and said, Father, it is true that the gurus have taught me all these. Sama, dana, bheda, danda, the chaturupayas, everything. But when I cannot see an enemy anywhere, or a friend anywhere, where am I going to apply all these? I think all these studies are futile. When I can see only Govinda everywhere, what strategy do I need to adopt or apply? I can see only Sri Hari in me as well as you as well as everyone else. We should leave aside all these thoughts – he is my friend, he is my enemy – and work towards whatever is auspicious.

Who does not want to become a king? Who does not want to be rich? But ultimately, only the lucky get there. When luck favors even a fool, the most ineligible would reach the top. You do not need to work towards that. If at all you want to work, work towards earning punya. If you want moksha, develop equanimity. Look at the whole universe as if it is your own, it is yourself. If Achyuta is happy with you, he will grant you the parama pada.

Hiranyakashipu got up and gave one kick on Prahlada’s chest. He told the asuras to tie him up with naga pasha and drown him in the sea, or he is going to convert everyone to the enemy’s side. As per his command, Prahlada was tied up and dumped in the ocean. The ocean became upset, huge waves rose up. Hiranyakashipu told the asuras to cover the ocean with mountains and leave it like that for a thousand years. Prahlada kept on meditating upon Sri Hari as if nothing happened.

In that state he did not sense or feel anything other than Sri Hari. Whatever little bit of ajnana he had, he was purified of that also. He became completely filled with Sri Hari. Suddenly the mountains used to cover the ocean fell apart and Prahlada emerged from the ocean as if nothing happened.

Bhagawan appeared before Prahlada. Prahlada asked for only one thing – achanchala bhakti, unrelenting faith at the lotus feet. That is a trick, a way of tricking gods into whatever you want. That one key opens every door. The master key, bhakti. That was what Prahlada asked for.

Prahlada prayed to Sri Hari, that he may not leave his heart even for a moment. Bhagawan granted his wish and asked what else he wanted. Prahlada said, whatever sin my father has incurred by harboring hatred towards me and by trying to harm me, may he be relieved of that sin. May he be relieved of the sin of harboring animosity towards an innocent devotee of yours and trying to cause harm to him?

Bhagawan asked Prahlada to ask for one more boon. Prahlada said, I have nothing else to ask for. Sri Hari on his own assured him of moksha.

What happened subsequently, the avatara of Narasimha and how he took Hiranyakashipu’s life, is well known to everyone.

• Is seeing Sri Hari in everyone practical or just poetry?
  It is practical. When you treat each person as a carrier of the same divine life, your anger drops and your decisions improve. Respect reduces conflict at the root, which is the most reliable form of protection.

• How does not thinking ill of others protect me?
  Harm begins as intention, grows into words, and ends as action. When intention is cleaned up, the chain is broken. A calm mind also spots danger early and chooses wiser responses.

• Does this mean I should never defend myself?
  No. Non-harm does not mean passivity. You set firm boundaries and act without hatred. Protecting life, including your own, is righteous; the key is a clean heart while you act.

• What is real power according to this view?
  Power is inner steadiness that does not depend on fear, praise, or position. When the heart is anchored in Sri Hari, courage stays even when circumstances shake.

• Is mantra unnecessary if a pure heart is enough?
  Mantra is a tool to purify the heart and keep the mind steady. A pure heart is the goal; mantra is one proven path to reach and maintain it.

• Why drop the idea of friend and enemy?
  Labels lock the mind into bias. When you see roles instead of enemies, you respond to what is right now, not to old grudges. Clarity replaces reactivity.

• If luck decides wealth and status, why work at all?
  Work to refine character and to serve. Results are shaped by many factors, but effort builds skill and punya. Even when outcomes vary, the worker becomes better.

• What is equanimity and why is it central?
  Equanimity is balanced awareness in pleasure and pain. It keeps wisdom online when emotions surge. With it, you choose dharma over impulse.

• Why is bhakti called a master key?
  Love focuses the mind, dissolves ego, and aligns will with dharma. When the heart rests in Bhagavan, fear shrinks and right action becomes natural.

• Does forgiveness let wrongdoers escape consequences?
  Forgiveness cleans your heart; it does not cancel justice. You can seek fair consequences while refusing to carry hatred that burns you from within.

• How do I start seeing the divine in difficult people?
  Begin with small practices: pause before reacting, silently wish welfare, look for one good trait, and remember your own faults. This softens the lens without ignoring truth.

• What is the role of karma here?
  Intention, speech, and action leave impressions that return as experience. Clean inputs lead to cleaner returns. Non-harm and devotion rewire that cycle.

• Is reliance on Bhagavan an escape from responsibility?
  No. Trust removes panic, not effort. You still act, but without inner violence. That combination is both spiritual and highly effective.

• What does moksha mean in this context?
  Freedom from inner bondage to fear, anger, and craving. When the same presence of Sri Hari is seen within and without, the mind rests and joy does not depend on events.

• How can I practice daily without big rituals?
  Short mindful pauses, truthful speech, one act of kindness, evening reflection, and a brief remembrance of Sri Hari on waking and before sleep. Small, steady steps reshape life.

Ramaswamy Sastry and Vighnesh Ghanapaathi