Srimad Bhagavatam — Saptama Skandha, Shloka 15
Prahlāda Rejects Material Boons; Forgives His Father; Tripura and the Power of Remembrance
श्रीप्रह्राद उवाच वरं वरय एतत्ते वरदेशान्महेश्वर । यदनिन्दत्पिता मे त्वामविद्वांस्तेज ऐश्वरम् ॥ १५ ॥ विद्धामर्षाशय: साक्षात्सर्वलोकगुरुं प्रभुम् । भ्रातृहेति मृषादृष्टिस्त्वद्भक्ते मयि चाघवान् ॥ १६ ॥ तस्मात्पिता मे पूयेत दुरन्ताद् दुस्तरादघात् । पूतस्तेऽपाङ्गसंदृष्टस्तदा कृपणवत्सल ॥ १७ ॥
śrī-prahrāda uvāca varaṁ varaya etat te varadeśān maheśvara yad anindat pitā me tvām avidvāṁs teja aiśvaram
Prahlāda Mahārāja said: O Supreme Lord, because You are so merciful to the fallen souls, I ask You for only one benediction. I know that my father, at the time of his death, had already been purified by Your glance upon him, but because of his ignorance of Your beautiful power and supremacy, he was unnecessarily angry at You, falsely thinking that You were the killer of his brother. Thus he directly blasphemed Your Lordship, the spiritual master of all living beings, and committed heavily sinful activities directed against me, Your devotee. I wish that he be excused for these sinful activities.
Although Hiraṇyakaśipu was purified as soon as he came in contact with the Lord’s lap and the Lord saw him, Prahlāda Mahārāja still wanted to hear from the Lord’s own mouth that his father had been purified by the Lord’s causeless mercy. Prahlāda Mahārāja offered this prayer to the Lord for the sake of his father. As a Vaiṣṇava son, despite all the inconveniences imposed upon him by his father, he could not forget his father’s affection.
FAQs
He asked that his father be forgiven for blaspheming the Lord out of ignorance of the Lord’s divine power and sovereignty.
Because Prahlāda embodies pure bhakti—he holds no hatred, and he sees the Lord as the supreme protector; therefore he prays for his father’s purification rather than revenge.
It teaches forgiveness and compassion: even when harmed, a devotee seeks the spiritual upliftment of others, recognizing ignorance as the root of offensive behavior.