Prahlāda Instructs the Sons of Demons: Begin Bhakti from Childhood; Household Attachment as Bondage; Nārāyaṇa as the All-Pervading Supersoul
धर्मार्थकाम इति योऽभिहितस्त्रिवर्ग ईक्षा त्रयी नयदमौ विविधा च वार्ता । मन्ये तदेतदखिलं निगमस्य सत्यं स्वात्मार्पणं स्वसुहृद: परमस्य पुंस: ॥ २६ ॥
dharmārtha-kāma iti yo ’bhihitas tri-varga īkṣā trayī naya-damau vividhā ca vārtā manye tad etad akhilaṁ nigamasya satyaṁ svātmārpaṇaṁ sva-suhṛdaḥ paramasya puṁsaḥ
所谓宗教、财富与欲乐,吠陀称之为“三类目标”;其中还包括学问、依吠陀而行的祭仪、逻辑、治安刑法之学,以及谋生之道。我认为这些皆为吠陀的外在课题,仍属物质。然而,将自我奉献于毗湿奴——至上人格——的莲花足下,才是超越的真髓。
These instructions of Prahlāda Mahārāja stress the transcendental position of devotional service. As confirmed in Bhagavad-gītā (14.26) :
This verse states that the essential truth of all scripture culminates in offering oneself fully to the Supreme Person, the true well-wisher of all beings.
Prahlāda teaches that worldly goals and even formal Vedic pursuits are incomplete unless they lead to bhakti—complete self-surrender to the Supreme Lord.
By aligning daily choices with devotion—remembering God, offering one’s work and results, cultivating self-control, and acting with the intention to please the Supreme rather than the ego.