Lord Kṛṣṇa says: "Those who are envious of Me, I put them into the āsurī yoni."
So on the whole it is to be understood that those who are devotees, they, even born of pāpa-yoni, impious family, still bhagavad-bhakti, or Kṛṣṇa consciousness, is not impossible for them. That is being described herein by Prahlāda Mahārāja. He is himself . . .
(aside) Not like that. Here. Here.
. . . he himself giving evidence that, "Because Brahmā is pushing forward me to pacify the Lord, then the meaning is different. Because from material point of view I cannot pacify the Lord. I am born of demon father, and Brahmā is on the highest platform of material goodness. So why he is pushing me?" He could understand that "The only qualification I can see, that I have got implicit faith in the Supreme Personality of Godhead." Therefore he says:
- manye dhanābhijana-rūpa-tapaḥ-śrutaujas-
- tejaḥ-prabhāva-bala-pauruṣa-buddhi-yogāḥ
- nārādhanāya hi bhavanti parasya puṁso
- bhaktyā tutoṣa bhagavān gaja-yūtha-pāya
- (SB 7.9.9)
So material wealth, dhana . . . dhana means wealth, and jana, jana means manpower. So manye dhanājana, these are material acquisition: wealth, manpower; manye dhanābhijana-rūpa, beauty; tapaḥ . . . these are third-class acquisition—dhana, jana, tapa, er, rūpa, means wealth, manpower and beauty. But first-class acquisition is tapa, tapasya.
Tapa means by austerity getting power. Whatever they say that will happen, that is called tapasya. That does not depend . . . a wealthy man cannot say anything which will surely happen, but a person who is rich in tapasya, austerity, if he says something, it will . . . it is to be happen.
Just like Mahārāja Parīkṣit, he was king, he was very pious king, and he was cursed by a brahmin boy, "You have insulted my father, so within seven days you will meet your death." So that was powerful tapa. The brāhmaṇas were so powerful in their tapasya, austerity, that whatever they would say . . . he was not even a complete brahmin, he was born of a brahmin father, although he was initiated.
Still, just see how much powerful was the brahmins that even a boy of ten or twelve years old, he cursed a great king. And who was that king? Who was protected by Kṛṣṇa Himself. He was a great devotee also; so still he was cursed, and he had to meet his death within seven days. This is called tapasya.
(aside) Oh, don't allow to touch.
Manye dhana, jana, tapaḥ and śrutauja. Śrutauja. Śruta means education; especially śruta means Vedic education, to be very learned in Vedānta, in Upaniṣad and Vedic ritualistic performances, so many things. So by dint of all these things, if you have got money, you can do something wonderful. If you have got manpower, you can do something wonderful.
If you have got beauty, you can do something wonderful. Sometimes in the history of the world we see that a great hero was conquered by beauty. That in the history, you know, what is that? Cleopatra? Caesar and Cleopatra. So? Beauty has got so power that the greatest conqueror was conquered by a beautiful woman.
So these are . . . as one has got power of money, one has got power of manpower, similarly beauty has also got power. He is analyzing, manye dhanābhijana-rūpa. And similarly austerity, tapasya. Just like that boy, that brahmin boy, he was powerful by tapasya, by austerity.
His father was engaged in austerity, and because he born of such powerful father, he had also the power, austerity, and śrutaujas. Śrutauja means "by education." If one man is educated, highly educated, talented scholar, he has got power.
So by all this power . . . what is the meaning of this power? The power means that you can get . . . tejaḥ-prabhāva-bala-pauruṣa-buddhi-yogāḥ (SB 7.9.9). If you have got power . . . suppose if you have got money, you can purchase high intelligence. Suppose if you want to start some business or some industry, it doesn't require . . . you do not require to become yourself very talented technologist to start some industry. You pay somebody.
There are many technologists, they will come and help you. So by the power of money you can purchase strength and prabhāva, influence. And pauruṣa—pauruṣa means name, good name. Just like in your country Mr. Henry Ford is known as a very powerful businessman. That is called pauruṣa. So one side, to get such thing as wealth, manpower, beauty, austerity, education, and out of that you get strength, name, fame—everything. But these are all material acquisition.