The Avadhuta Brahmana's Remaining Teachers

Verse 1 (bhagavata.11.9.1)

श्रीब्राह्मण उवाच परिग्रहो हि दुःखाय यद् यत्प्रियतमं नृणाम् । अनन्तं सुखमाप्नोति तद् विद्वान् यस्त्वकिञ्चनः ॥ 9.1 ॥

śrī-brāhmaṇa uvāca parigraho hi duḥkhāya yad yat priyatamaṁ nṛṇām anantaṁ sukham āpnoti tad vidvān yas tv akiñcanaḥ

The saintly brahmana said: For men, whatever is held most dear inevitably becomes a cause of suffering through attachment to it. One who understands this and remains free from possessiveness attains boundless happiness.

Verse 2 (bhagavata.11.9.2)

सामिषं कुररं जघ्नुर्बलिनोऽन्ये निरामिषाः । तदामिषं परित्यज्य स सुखं समविन्दत ॥ 9.2 ॥

sāmiṣaṁ kuraraṁ jaghnur balino ’nye nirāmiṣāḥ tadāmiṣaṁ parityajya sa sukhaṁ samavindata

A kurara hawk was carrying a piece of meat when other, stronger hawks with no meat of their own attacked it. The instant it let go of the meat, it found real peace.

Verse 3 (bhagavata.11.9.3)

न मे मानापमानौ स्तो न चिन्ता गेहपुत्रिणाम् । आत्मक्रीड आत्मरतिर्विचरामीह बालवत् ॥ 9.3 ॥

na me mānāpamānau sto na cintā geha-putriṇām ātma-krīḍa ātma-ratir vicarāmīha bāla-vat

I have no concern for honor or dishonor, nor the anxieties that burden householders over home and children. Sporting and delighting in the Self alone, I wander this world like a carefree child.

Verse 4 (bhagavata.11.9.4)

द्वावेव चिन्तया मुक्तौ परमानन्द आप्लुतौ । यो विमुग्धो जडो बालो यो गुणेभ्यः परं गतः ॥ 9.4 ॥

dvāv eva cintayā muktau paramānanda āplutau yo vimugdho jaḍo bālo yo guṇebhyaḥ paraṁ gataḥ

Only two kinds of people are free of all anxiety and immersed in supreme joy: the innocent, unthinking child, and the one who has gone beyond the modes of material nature.

Verse 5 (bhagavata.11.9.5)

क्वचित् कुमारी त्वात्मानं वृणानान् गृहमागतान् । स्वयं तानर्हयामास क्वापि यातेषु बन्धुषु ॥ 9.5 ॥

kvacit kumārī tv ātmānaṁ vṛṇānān gṛham āgatān svayaṁ tān arhayām āsa kvāpi yāteṣu bandhuṣu

Once, when her relatives happened to be away, some men came to a young unmarried girl's house wishing to ask for her hand. Being alone, she herself received and welcomed them properly.

Verse 6 (bhagavata.11.9.6)

तेषामभ्यवहारार्थं शालीन् रहसि पार्थिव । अवघ्नन्त्याः प्रकोष्ठस्थाश्चक्रुः शङ्खाः स्वनं महत् ॥ 9.6 ॥

teṣām abhyavahārārthaṁ śālīn rahasi pārthiva avaghnantyāḥ prakoṣṭha-sthāś cakruḥ śaṅkhāḥ svanaṁ mahat

O King, to prepare a meal for them she went to a private place and began husking rice. As she pounded it, the conch-shell bangles on her wrists struck one another and made a loud sound.

Verse 7 (bhagavata.11.9.7)

सा तज्जुगुप्सितं मत्वा महती व्रीडिता ततः । बभञ्जैकैकशः शङ्खान् द्वौ द्वौ पाण्योरशेषयत् ॥ 9.7 ॥

sā taj jugupsitaṁ matvā mahatī vrīḍitā tataḥ babhañjaikaikaśaḥ śaṅkhān dvau dvau pāṇyor aśeṣayat

Thinking that sound shameful, she felt deep embarrassment. So, one by one, she broke off the bangles until only two remained on each wrist.

Verse 8 (bhagavata.11.9.8)

उभयोरप्यभूद् घोषो ह्यवघ्नन्त्याः स्वशङ्खयोः । तत्राप्येकं निरभिददेकस्मान्नाभवद् ध्वनिः ॥ 9.8 ॥

ubhayor apy abhūd ghoṣo hy avaghnantyāḥ sva-śaṅkhayoḥ tatrāpy ekaṁ nirabhidad ekasmān nābhavad dhvaniḥ

Even with two bangles left on each wrist, the pounding still made them collide and sound. So she broke one more from each wrist, and once only a single bangle remained on each, there was no sound at all.

Verse 9 (bhagavata.11.9.9)

अन्वशिक्षमिमं तस्या उपदेशमरिन्दम । लोकाननुचरन्नेतान् लोकतत्त्वविवित्सया ॥ 9.9 ॥

anvaśikṣam imaṁ tasyā upadeśam arindama lokān anucarann etān loka-tattva-vivitsayā

O subduer of enemies, wandering through these worlds seeking to know their true nature, I myself witnessed this and learned this teaching from her.

Verse 10 (bhagavata.11.9.10)

वासे बहूनां कलहो भवेद् वार्ता द्वयोरपि । एक एव वसेत्तस्मात् कुमार्या इव कङ्कणः ॥ 9.10 ॥

vāse bahūnāṁ kalaho bhaved vārtā dvayor api eka eva vaset tasmāt kumāryā iva kaṅkaṇaḥ

Where many live together, quarrel arises; and even between two there is idle talk and friction. Therefore, as taught by the example of the girl's bangle, one should live alone.

Verse 11 (bhagavata.11.9.11)

मन एकत्र संयुञ्ज्याज्जितश्वासो जितासनः । वैराग्याभ्यासयोगेन ध्रियमाणमतन्द्रितः ॥ 9.11 ॥

mana ekatra saṁyuñjyāj jita-śvāso jitāsanaḥ vairāgyābhyāsa-yogena dhriyamāṇam atandritaḥ

Having mastered the breath and the sitting posture, one should tirelessly fix the mind on a single point, steadying it through detachment and the practice of yoga.

Verse 12 (bhagavata.11.9.12)

यस्मिन् मनो लब्धपदं यदेत- च्छनैः शनैर्मुञ्चति कर्मरेणून् । सत्त्वेन वृद्धेन रजस्तमश्च विधूय निर्वाणमुपैत्यनिन्धनम् ॥ 9.12 ॥

yasmin mano labdha-padaṁ yad etac chanaiḥ śanair muñcati karma-reṇūn sattvena vṛddhena rajas tamaś ca vidhūya nirvāṇam upaity anindhanam

When the mind gains a firm footing in the Supreme, it gradually sheds the dust of material action. As goodness grows strong and passion and ignorance are cast off, the mind becomes still, like a fire that has run out of fuel.

Verse 13 (bhagavata.11.9.13)

तदैवमात्मन्यवरुद्धचित्तो न वेद किञ्चिद् बहिरन्तरं वा । यथेषुकारो नृपतिं व्रजन्त- मिषौ गतात्मा न ददर्श पार्श्वे ॥ 9.13 ॥

tadaivam ātmany avaruddha-citto na veda kiñcid bahir antaraṁ vā yatheṣu-kāro nṛpatiṁ vrajantam iṣau gatātmā na dadarśa pārśve

With the mind thus wholly absorbed in the Self, one perceives nothing further, neither outer nor inner — just as the arrow-maker, his mind entirely fixed on his arrow, failed to notice even the king passing right beside him.

Verse 14 (bhagavata.11.9.14)

एकचार्यनिकेतः स्यादप्रमत्तो गुहाशयः । अलक्ष्यमाण आचारैर्मुनिरेकोऽल्पभाषणः ॥ 9.14 ॥

eka-cāry aniketaḥ syād apramatto guhāśayaḥ alakṣyamāṇa ācārair munir eko ’lpa-bhāṣaṇaḥ

A sage should wander alone, without a fixed dwelling, ever vigilant and inwardly withdrawn, keeping his conduct unnoticed by others, remaining solitary, and speaking little.

Verse 15 (bhagavata.11.9.15)

गृहारम्भो हि दुःखाय विफलश्चाध्रुवात्मनः । सर्पः परकृतं वेश्म प्रविश्य सुखमेधते ॥ 9.15 ॥

gṛhārambho hi duḥkhāya viphalaś cādhruvātmanaḥ sarpaḥ para-kṛtaṁ veśma praviśya sukham edhate

For one whose own existence is impermanent, building a home only brings suffering and proves fruitless. The serpent, by contrast, simply enters a dwelling built by another and lives there happily.

Verse 16 (bhagavata.11.9.16)

एको नारायणो देवः पूर्वसृष्टं स्वमायया । संहृत्य कालकलया कल्पान्त इदमीश्वरः । एक एवाद्वितीयोऽभूदात्माधारोऽखिलाश्रयः ॥ 9.16 ॥

eko nārāyaṇo devaḥ pūrva-sṛṣṭaṁ sva-māyayā saṁhṛtya kāla-kalayā kalpānta idam īśvaraḥ eka evādvitīyo ’bhūd ātmādhāro ’khilāśrayaḥ

Bhagavan Narayana alone, the Lord, who earlier created this universe through His own maya, withdraws it again at the end of the kalpa through the power of time. Then He alone remains, one without a second, self-sustained and the shelter of all.

Verse 17 (bhagavata.11.9.17)

कालेनात्मानुभावेन साम्यं नीतासु शक्तिषु । सत्त्वादिष्वादिपुरुषः प्रधानपुरुषेश्वरः ॥ 9.17 ॥

kālenātmānubhāvena sāmyaṁ nītāsu śaktiṣu sattvādiṣv ādi-puruṣaḥ pradhāna-puruṣeśvaraḥ

When, through His own potency in the form of time, He brings the material energies — goodness and the rest — into a state of equilibrium, that primeval Person remains as the sovereign Lord of pradhana and of the individual souls.

Verse 18 (bhagavata.11.9.18)

परावराणां परम आस्ते कैवल्यसंज्ञितः । केवलानुभवानन्दसन्दोहो निरुपाधिकः ॥ 9.18 ॥

parāvarāṇāṁ parama āste kaivalya-saṁjñitaḥ kevalānubhavānanda- sandoho nirupādhikaḥ

He remains the Supreme, beyond both the higher and the lower, known by the name kaivalya. Free of all material designation, He is the very totality of pure, self-revealing bliss.

Verse 19 (bhagavata.11.9.19)

केवलात्मानुभावेन स्वमायां त्रिगुणात्मिकाम् । सङ्क्षोभयन् सृजत्यादौ तया सूत्रमरिन्दम ॥ 9.19 ॥

kevalātmānubhāvena sva-māyāṁ tri-guṇātmikām saṅkṣobhayan sṛjaty ādau tayā sūtram arindama

O subduer of enemies, at the beginning of creation, by His own unaided potency the Lord agitates His maya composed of the three modes, and through it brings forth the subtle sutra.

Verse 20 (bhagavata.11.9.20)

तामाहुस्त्रिगुणव्यक्तिं सृजन्तीं विश्वतोमुखम् । यस्मिन् प्रोतमिदं विश्वं येन संसरते पुमान् ॥ 9.20 ॥

tām āhus tri-guṇa-vyaktiṁ sṛjantīṁ viśvato-mukham yasmin protam idaṁ viśvaṁ yena saṁsarate pumān

The wise call that the manifestation of the three modes, which projects this universe on every side; upon it this whole cosmos is woven, and through it the soul undergoes worldly bondage.

Verse 21 (bhagavata.11.9.21)

यथोर्णनाभिर्हृदयादूर्णां सन्तत्य वक्त्रतः । तया विहृत्य भूयस्तां ग्रसत्येवं महेश्वरः ॥ 9.21 ॥

yathorṇanābhir hṛdayād ūrṇāṁ santatya vaktrataḥ tayā vihṛtya bhūyas tāṁ grasaty evaṁ maheśvaraḥ

Just as the spider draws thread from within its own body through its mouth, plays with it, and afterward draws it back in, so too the great Lord brings forth this creation from Himself and, in time, withdraws it back into Himself.

Verse 22 (bhagavata.11.9.22)

यत्र यत्र मनो देही धारयेत् सकलं धिया । स्नेहाद् द्वेषाद् भयाद् वापि याति तत्तत्स्वरूपताम् ॥ 9.22 ॥

yatra yatra mano dehī dhārayet sakalaṁ dhiyā snehād dveṣād bhayād vāpi yāti tat-tat-svarūpatām

On whatever object an embodied soul fixes his mind completely, whether out of affection, hatred, or fear, he comes to take on the very nature of that object.

Verse 23 (bhagavata.11.9.23)

कीटः पेशस्कृतं ध्यायन् कुड्यां तेन प्रवेशितः । याति तत्सात्मतां राजन् पूर्वरूपमसन्त्यजन् ॥ 9.23 ॥

kīṭaḥ peśaskṛtaṁ dhyāyan kuḍyāṁ tena praveśitaḥ yāti tat-sātmatāṁ rājan pūrva-rūpam asantyajan

O King, an insect shut up by the wasp within its nest meditates constantly upon it out of fear, and without ever giving up its former body, comes to take on that very same nature.

Verse 24 (bhagavata.11.9.24)

एवं गुरुभ्य एतेभ्य एषा मे शिक्षिता मतिः । स्वात्मोपशिक्षितां बुद्धिं शृणु मे वदतः प्रभो ॥ 9.24 ॥

evaṁ gurubhya etebhya eṣā me śikṣitā matiḥ svātmopaśikṣitāṁ buddhiṁ śṛṇu me vadataḥ prabho

O lord, this understanding I have thus gained from these teachers. Now hear from me the wisdom I have learned from my own body as well.

Verse 25 (bhagavata.11.9.25)

देहो गुरुर्मम विरक्तिविवेकहेतु- र्बिभ्रत् स्म सत्त्वनिधनं सततार्त्युदर्कम् । तत्त्वान्यनेन विमृशामि यथा तथापि पारक्यमित्यवसितो विचराम्यसङ्गः ॥ 9.25 ॥

deho gurur mama virakti-viveka-hetur bibhrat sma sattva-nidhanaṁ satatārty-udarkam tattvāny anena vimṛśāmi yathā tathāpi pārakyam ity avasito vicarāmy asaṅgaḥ

This body too is my teacher, for it teaches me detachment and discernment: bearing within itself the seed of its own decay, it always ends in suffering. Though I use it to reflect upon the truths of existence, knowing that it will finally belong to others, I move through this world unattached.

Verse 26 (bhagavata.11.9.26)

जायात्मजार्थपशुभृत्यगृहाप्तवर्गान् पुष्णाति यत्प्रियचिकीर्षया वितन्वन् । स्वान्ते सकृच्छ्रमवरुद्धधनः स देहः सृष्ट्वास्य बीजमवसीदति वृक्षधर्मः ॥ 9.26 ॥

jāyātmajārtha-paśu-bhṛtya-gṛhāpta-vargān puṣṇāti yat-priya-cikīrṣayā vitanvan svānte sa-kṛcchram avaruddha-dhanaḥ sa dehaḥ sṛṣṭvāsya bījam avasīdati vṛkṣa-dharmaḥ

Wishing to please the body, a man toils to nourish and provide for wife, children, wealth, animals, servants, home, and kinsmen. Having amassed wealth for it with great hardship, the body — like a tree that produces its seed before dying — leaves behind the seed of a future body, and then perishes.

Verse 27 (bhagavata.11.9.27)

जिह्वैकतोऽमुमपकर्षति कर्हि तर्षा शिश्नोऽन्यतस्त्वगुदरं श्रवणं कुतश्चित् । घ्राणोऽन्यतश्चपलदृक् क्व च कर्मशक्ति- र्बह्व्यः सपत्न्य इव गेहपतिं लुनन्ति ॥ 9.27 ॥

jihvaikato ’mum apakarṣati karhi tarṣā śiśno ’nyatas tvag udaraṁ śravaṇaṁ kutaścit ghrāṇo ’nyataś capala-dṛk kva ca karma-śaktir bahvyaḥ sapatnya iva geha-patiṁ lunanti

The tongue drags him one way, thirst another; the genitals pull elsewhere, and skin, belly, and ears each toward their own direction; smell pulls yet another way, the restless eyes another, and the working senses still another — like so many rival wives tearing apart one single householder among them.

Verse 28 (bhagavata.11.9.28)

सृष्ट्वा पुराणि विविधान्यजयात्मशक्त्या वृक्षान् सरीसृपपशून् खगदन्दशूकान् । तैस्तैरतुष्टहृदयः पुरुषं विधाय ब्रह्मावलोकधिषणं मुदमाप देवः ॥ 9.28 ॥

sṛṣṭvā purāṇi vividhāny ajayātma-śaktyā vṛkṣān sarīsṛpa-paśūn khaga-dandaśūkān tais tair atuṣṭa-hṛdayaḥ puruṣaṁ vidhāya brahmāvaloka-dhiṣaṇaṁ mudam āpa devaḥ

Having created through His own unborn potency many kinds of bodies — trees, reptiles, animals, birds, and serpents — the Lord's heart still remained unsatisfied. Then, having fashioned the human form, endowed with intelligence capable of perceiving the Absolute, He became joyful.

Verse 29 (bhagavata.11.9.29)

लब्ध्वा सुदुर्लभमिदं बहुसम्भवान्ते मानुष्यमर्थदमनित्यमपीह धीरः । तूर्णं यतेत न पतेदनुमृत्यु याव- न्निःश्रेयसाय विषयः खलु सर्वतः स्यात् ॥ 9.29 ॥

labdhvā su-durlabham idaṁ bahu-sambhavānte mānuṣyam artha-dam anityam apīha dhīraḥ tūrṇaṁ yateta na pated anu-mṛtyu yāvan niḥśreyasāya viṣayaḥ khalu sarvataḥ syāt

Having attained, after many births, this exceedingly rare human life — which, though temporary, grants the highest good — the wise should swiftly strive for that supreme goal before death overtakes them, for sense pleasure is found everywhere in every species, but this highest good is not.

Verse 30 (bhagavata.11.9.30)

एवं सञ्जातवैराग्यो विज्ञानालोक आत्मनि । विचरामि महीमेतां मुक्तसङ्गोऽनहङ्कृतः ॥ 9.30 ॥

evaṁ sañjāta-vairāgyo vijñānāloka ātmani vicarāmi mahīm etāṁ mukta-saṅgo ’nahaṅkṛtaḥ

Thus, having developed dispassion and the light of true realization within myself, I wander this earth free from attachment and false ego.

Verse 31 (bhagavata.11.9.31)

न ह्येकस्माद् गुरोर्ज्ञानं सुस्थिरं स्यात् सुपुष्कलम् । ब्रह्मैतदद्वितीयं वै गीयते बहुधर्षिभिः ॥ 9.31 ॥

na hy ekasmād guror jñānaṁ su-sthiraṁ syāt su-puṣkalam brahmaitad advitīyaṁ vai gīyate bahudharṣibhiḥ

From a single teacher alone, knowledge does not become firmly established or complete, for this one non-dual Brahman has been sung of by sages in many different ways.

Verse 32 (bhagavata.11.9.32)

श्रीभगवानुवाच इत्युक्त्वा स यदुं विप्रस्तमामन्त्र्य गभीरधीः । वन्दितः स्वर्चितो राज्ञा ययौ प्रीतो यथागतम् ॥ 9.32 ॥

śrī-bhagavān uvāca ity uktvā sa yaduṁ vipras tam āmantrya gabhīra-dhīḥ vanditaḥ sv-arcito rājñā yayau prīto yathāgatam

The Blessed Lord said: Having spoken thus to King Yadu, that brahmana of profound wisdom took his leave. Honored and duly worshiped by the king, he departed content, exactly as he had come.

Verse 33 (bhagavata.11.9.33)

अवधूतवचः श्रुत्वा पूर्वेषां नः स पूर्वजः । सर्वसङ्गविनिर्मुक्तः समचित्तो बभूव ह ॥ 9.33 ॥

avadhūta-vacaḥ śrutvā pūrveṣāṁ naḥ sa pūrva-jaḥ sarva-saṅga-vinirmuktaḥ sama-citto babhūva ha

Having heard the avadhuta's words, King Yadu — the forefather even of our own ancestors — became free from all material attachment, and his mind grew perfectly even and steady.