Prahlada Pacifies the Lord with Prayers 183

the lotus seat that had grown from the abdomen of Garbhodakasayi
Visnu, he could not understand what to do after his appearance. He was
attacked by two demons, Madhu and Kaitabha, who took away Vedic
knowledge, but the Lord killed them and entrusted to Lord Brahma the
Vedic knowledge. Thus the Lord appears in every millennium in the
societies of demigods, human beings, animals, saints and aquatics. All
such incarnations are meant to protect the devotees and kill the demons,
but this killing and protecting does not reflect any sense of partiality on
the part of the Supreme Lord. The conditioned soul is always attracted by
the external energy. Therefore he is subjected to lust and greed, and he
suffers under the conditions of material nature. The Lord’s causeless
mercy toward His devotee is the only means by which to get out of ma-
terial existence. Anyone engaged in glorifying the Lord’s activities is al-
ways unafraid of this material world, whereas one who cannot glorify the
Lord in that way is subjected to all lamentation.

Those interested in silently worshiping the Lord in solitary places may
be eligible for liberation themselves, but a pure devotee is always ag-
grieved to see others suffering. Therefore, not caring for his own libera-
tion, he always engages in preaching by glorifying the Lord. Prahlada
Maharaja, therefore, had tried to deliver his class friends by preaching
and had never remained silent. Although being silent, observing
austerities and penances, learning the Vedic literature, undergoing
ritualistic ceremonies, living in a solitary place and performing japa and
transcendental meditation are approved means of liberation, they are
meant for nondevotees or for cheaters who want to live at the expense of
others. A pure devotee, however, being freed from all such deceptive ac-
tivities, is able to see the Lord face to face.

The atomic theory of the composition of the cosmic manifestation is
not factual. The Lord is the cause of everything, and therefore He is the
cause of this creation. One should therefore always engage in devotional
service by offering respectful obeisances to the Lord, offering prayers,
working for the Lord, worshiping the Lord in the temple, always remem-
bering the Lord and always hearing about His transcendental activities.
Without these six kinds of activity, one cannot attain to devotional ser-
vice.

Prahlada Maharaja thus offered his prayers to the Supreme Lord, beg-
ging His mercy at every step. Lord Nrsitnhadeva was pacified by
