Srimad Bhagavatam — Saptama Skandha, Shloka 5
Prahlāda Rejects Demonic Diplomacy and Proclaims Navadhā Bhakti
श्रीप्रह्लाद उवाच तत्साधु मन्येऽसुरवर्य देहिनां सदा समुद्विग्नधियामसद्ग्रहात् । हित्वात्मपातं गृहमन्धकूपं वनं गतो यद्धरिमाश्रयेत ॥ ५ ॥
śrī-prahlāda uvāca tat sādhu manye ’sura-varya dehināṁ sadā samudvigna-dhiyām asad-grahāt hitvātma-pātaṁ gṛham andha-kūpaṁ vanaṁ gato yad dharim āśrayeta
Prahlāda Mahārāja replied: O best of the asuras, King of the demons, as far as I have learned from my spiritual master, any person who has accepted a temporary body and temporary household life is certainly embarrassed by anxiety because of having fallen in a dark well where there is no water but only suffering. One should give up this position and go to the forest [vana]. More clearly, one should go to Vṛndāvana, where only Kṛṣṇa consciousness is prevalent, and should thus take shelter of the Supreme Personality of Godhead.
Hiraṇyakaśipu thought that Prahlāda, being nothing but a small boy with no actual experience, might reply with something pleasing but nothing practical. Prahlāda Mahārāja, however, being an exalted devotee, had acquired all the qualities of education.
FAQs
In 7.5.5 Prahlāda says that attachment to temporary things (asat-graha) makes the mind anxious, and that the home can become an "andha-kūpa"—a dark pit—when it pulls one into spiritual downfall instead of devotion to Hari.
Hiraṇyakaśipu questioned Prahlāda about what he considered the best knowledge. Prahlāda replied that the highest good is to give up binding attachment and take shelter of Hari, even if that means renunciation like going to the forest.
Reduce asat-graha (grasping the temporary) by prioritizing bhakti—hearing and chanting Hari’s names, offering work and family duties to God, and cultivating detachment—so the home becomes a place of devotion rather than a cause of spiritual forgetfulness.