Prabhupada 0466 - Black Snake Is Less Harmful Than The Man Snake
Lecture on SB 7.9.8 -- Mayapur, February 28, 1977
A snake-quality man is very dangerous. Cāṇakya Paṇḍita has said,
- sarpaḥ krūraḥ khalaḥ krūraḥ
- sarpāt krūrataraḥ khalaḥ
- mantrauṣadhi-vaśaḥ sarpaḥ
- khalaḥ kena nivāryate
"There are two envious living entities. One is a snake, black snake, and one is a human being with the quality of black snake." He cannot see any good thing. Sarpaḥ krūraḥ. The snake is envious. Without any fault he bites. A snake is there on the street, and if you happen to pass by him he becomes so angry, immediately he bites. So this is the snake's nature. Similarly, there are persons like the snake. Without any fault they will accuse you. They are also snake. But Cāṇakya Paṇḍita says that "This black snake is less harmful than the man snake." Why? "Now, this black snake, by chanting some mantra or by some herb you can bring him under your control. But this man snake you cannot. It is not possible."
So there will be... This Hiraṇyakaśipu is also described by Prahlāda Mahārāja as a snake. When Nṛsiṁha-deva is so angry, so he will say later on that modeta sādhur api vṛścika-sarpa-hatyā (SB 7.9.14): "My Lord, You were very much angry on my father. Now he's finished, so there is no more reason for Your remaining angry. Be pacified. Nobody is unhappy for killing my father, be sure. So there is no cause of anguish. These all these demigods, Lord Brahmā and others, they are all Your servant. I am also Your servant's servant. So now the envious snake is killed, everyone is happy." So he gave this example that modeta sādhur api vṛścika-sarpa-hatyā: a sādhu, a saintly person, never likes killing of any living being. They are not happy... Even a small ant is killed, they are not happy: "Why ant should be killed?" What to speak of others, even a small ant. Para-duḥkha-duḥkhī. It may be an ant, insignificant, but at the time of death he has suffered, a Vaiṣṇava is unhappy: "Why an ant should be killed?" This is para duḥkha-duhkhi. But such Vaiṣṇava is happy when a snake and a scorpion is killed. Modeta sādhur api vṛścika-sarpa-hatya. So everyone is happy when a snake or scorpion is killed because they are very, very dangerous. Without any fault they bite and create havoc.
So there are these snakelike persons, they are envious about our movement; they are opposing. That is the nature. Prahlāda Mahārāja also was opposed by his father, what to speak of others. These things will happen, but we should not be disappointed, as Prahlāda Mahārāja never became disappointed although he was teased in so many ways. He was also served with poison, he was thrown amongst the serpents and he was thrown from the hill, he was put under the feet of elephant. In so many ways put... Therefore Caitanya Mahāprabhu has instructed us that "Do not be disappointed. Kindly forbear." Tṛṇād api sunīcena taror api sahiṣṇunā (CC Adi 17.31): be tolerant more than the tree. I mean to say, one shall be meek and humble more than the grass. These things will happen. In one life if we execute our Kṛṣṇa consciousness attitude, even there is suffering little, don't mind. Go on with Kṛṣṇa consciousness. Don't be disappointed or hopeless, even there is some trouble. That is encouraged by Kṛṣṇa in Bhagavad-gītā, āgamāpāyino 'nityās tāṁs titikṣasva bhārata (BG 2.14): "My dear Arjuna, even if you feel some pain, this bodily pain, it comes and goes. Nothing is permanent, so don't care for these things. Go on with your duty." This is the instruction of Kṛṣṇa. Prahlāda Mahārāja is the practical example, and our duty is to follow the footprints of such person like Prahlāda Mahārāja.