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.