The Srimad Bhagavatam, also known as the Bhagavat Purana, contains volumes of spiritual knowledge about the Supreme Person and his devotees. Prahlad Maharaja was only 5 years old , but despite the youth of his body he was a surrendered soul, totally fixed up in his relationship with Lord Govinda – who is the reservoir of all pleasure.
Being full of compassion and wisdom , Prahlad would always try to encourage his friends and family to use there time more beneficially, rather than endlessly playing, wasting precious time and trying to enjoy sensory activities. This human form of life is a precious gift; but unfortunately we don’t act upon this opportunity, and instead we are bewildered by the material energy.
This human form of life is very rare , as there are 8,400,000 different types of bodies, we can inhabit; ranging from complex ones – like humans, to those that are minute cellular in size – amoeba . The body that we wear is a material vehicle; the one we carry around is determined by our consciousness. We do need to care for our mental and physical needs, but its not the goal of life. The human form is a platform for spiritual seeking , and we should inquire into our deeper purpose.
By nature we are described as being Sat-cit-ananda, meaning we are eternal by nature, full of knowledge and bliss. But why aren’t we experiencing the happiness we are always seeking. There is a general perception that people engaging in spiritual life , live a boring existence ; but on the contrary real satisfaction is synonymous to spiritual life. Real pleasure can only be experienced when we act upon our eternal spiritual nature, and dovetail our propensity to serve and love on the Supreme Person.
So why do we always put our spiritual life on hold, and pursue happiness in the world of temporary sense flashes and temporary enjoyment. Something always gets in the way, e.g. career, having a family, and thinking we will become spiritual in our final years in this body. A great part of our life is spent sleeping, just passing our time on things that are unfulfilling.
This is why Prahlad was enthusiastic to be a well wisher of all, including his hot-tempered atheistic father, as he was experiencing the highest form of happiness, and wanted others to also taste its sweetness. We shouldn’t over endeavour for sense gratification as it will naturally come without striving for it. These things will take care of themselves, as they are controlled by a higher order.
It’s never too late to begin our real eternal life of spiritual happiness, and it has never been easier than meditating on the names of the Supreme, to taste that happiness that the saintly persons work so hard for us to experience. This is the wish of Prahlad Maharaja.