Further Talks Between King Rahugana and Jada Bharata

Verse 1 (bhagavata.5.13.1)

ब्राह्मण उवाच दुरत्ययेऽध्वन्यजया निवेशितो रजस्तमःसत्त्वविभक्तकर्मदृक् । स एष सार्थोऽर्थपरः परिभ्रमन् भवाटवीं याति न शर्म विन्दति ॥ १ ॥

brāhmaṇa uvāca duratyaye ’dhvany ajayā niveśito rajas-tamaḥ-sattva-vibhakta-karmadṛk sa eṣa sārtho ’rtha-paraḥ paribhraman bhavāṭavīṁ yāti na śarma vindati

The brahmana said: Placed by the Lord's unconquerable maya upon a path exceedingly hard to cross, this same being — his very way of seeing action split apart by passion, ignorance and goodness — wanders about intent on gain, like the leader of a merchant caravan, going ever deeper into the forest of worldly existence, yet finding no happiness there.

Verse 2 (bhagavata.5.13.2)

यस्यामिमे षण्नरदेव दस्यवः सार्थं विलुम्पन्ति कुनायकं बलात् । गोमायवो यत्र हरन्ति सार्थिकं प्रमत्तमाविश्य यथोरणं वृकाः ॥ २ ॥

yasyām ime ṣaṇ nara-deva dasyavaḥ sārthaṁ vilumpanti kunāyakaṁ balāt gomāyavo yatra haranti sārthikaṁ pramattam āviśya yathoraṇaṁ vṛkāḥ

O lord of men, in this forest six such thieves forcibly plunder the caravan of whoever leads it foolishly; and there, jackals, seizing upon the man once he is off his guard, carry away his goods just as wolves seize a lamb.

Verse 3 (bhagavata.5.13.3)

प्रभूतवीरुत्तृणगुल्मगह्वरे कठोरदंशैर्मशकैरुपद्रुतः । क्वचित्तु गन्धर्वपुरं प्रपश्यति क्वचित्क्वचिच्चाशुरयोल्मुकग्रहम् ॥ ३ ॥

prabhūta-vīrut-tṛṇa-gulma-gahvare kaṭhora-daṁśair maśakair upadrutaḥ kvacit tu gandharva-puraṁ prapaśyati kvacit kvacic cāśu-rayolmuka-graham

Harassed by hard-biting mosquitoes amid the dense thickets of creepers, grass and bushes, he sometimes glimpses a phantom city of the Gandharvas, and elsewhere, now and again, a swiftly darting will-o'-the-wisp.

Verse 4 (bhagavata.5.13.4)

निवासतोयद्रविणात्मबुद्धि- स्ततस्ततो धावति भो अटव्याम् । क्वचिच्च वात्योत्थितपांसुधूम्रा दिशो न जानाति रजस्वलाक्षः ॥ ४ ॥

nivāsa-toya-draviṇātma-buddhis tatas tato dhāvati bho aṭavyām kvacic ca vātyotthita-pāṁsu-dhūmrā diśo na jānāti rajas-valākṣaḥ

His intelligence fixed on home, water and wealth as though these were his very self, he runs here and there through that forest; and sometimes, his eyes reddened and blinded with the dust flung up by a whirlwind, he cannot even tell one direction from another.

Verse 5 (bhagavata.5.13.5)

अदृश्यझिल्लीस्वनकर्णशूल उलूकवाग्भिर्व्यथितान्तरात्मा । अपुण्यवृक्षान् श्रयते क्षुधार्दितो मरीचितोयान्यभिधावति क्वचित् ॥ ५ ॥

adṛśya-jhillī-svana-karṇa-śūla ulūka-vāgbhir vyathitāntarātmā apuṇya-vṛkṣān śrayate kṣudhārdito marīci-toyāny abhidhāvati kvacit

His inner self troubled by the ear-piercing chirr of an unseen cricket, and pierced by the cries of owls, tormented by hunger he takes shelter beneath barren trees, and at times runs after the water of a mere mirage.

Verse 6 (bhagavata.5.13.6)

क्वचिद्वितोयाः सरितोऽभियाति परस्परं चालषते निरन्धः । आसाद्य दावं क्वचिदग्नितप्तो निर्विद्यते क्व च यक्षैर्हृतासुः ॥ ६ ॥

kvacid vitoyāḥ sarito ’bhiyāti parasparaṁ cālaṣate nirandhaḥ āsādya dāvaṁ kvacid agni-tapto nirvidyate kva ca yakṣair hṛtāsuḥ

Sometimes he runs toward rivers that hold no water; and having no recourse he craves one thing after another. At times, reaching a forest fire, he is scorched by it and grows despondent; and at other times his very life is stolen away by demons.

Verse 7 (bhagavata.5.13.7)

शूरैर्हृतस्वः क्व च निर्विण्णचेताः शोचन् विमुह्यन्नुपयाति कश्मलम् । क्वचिच्च गन्धर्वपुरं प्रविष्टः प्रमोदते निर्वृतवन्मुहूर्तम् ॥ ७ ॥

śūrair hṛta-svaḥ kva ca nirviṇṇa-cetāḥ śocan vimuhyann upayāti kaśmalam kvacic ca gandharva-puraṁ praviṣṭaḥ pramodate nirvṛtavan muhūrtam

Sometimes, his wealth carried off by robbers, his mind despondent, grieving and bewildered, he falls into utter despair; and sometimes, entering a phantom city of the Gandharvas, he rejoices for a passing moment as though truly content.

Verse 8 (bhagavata.5.13.8)

चलन् क्वचित्कण्टकशर्कराङ्घ्रि- र्नगारुरुक्षुर्विमना इवास्ते । पदे पदेऽभ्यन्तरवह्निनार्दितः कौटुम्बिकः क्रुध्यति वै जनाय ॥ ८ ॥

calan kvacit kaṇṭaka-śarkarāṅghrir nagārurukṣur vimanā ivāste pade pade ’bhyantara-vahninārditaḥ kauṭumbikaḥ krudhyati vai janāya

Sometimes, walking with his feet pierced by thorns and sharp pebbles, longing to climb a mountain, he sits down utterly dejected; and at every step, tormented by the fire of hunger within, this man burdened with a family grows angry at his own people.

Verse 9 (bhagavata.5.13.9)

क्वचिन्निगीर्णोऽजगराहिना जनो नावैति किञ्चिद्विपिनेऽपविद्धः । दष्टः स्म शेते क्व च दन्दशूकै- रन्धोऽन्धकूपे पतितस्तमिस्रे ॥ ९ ॥

kvacin nigīrṇo ’jagarāhinā jano nāvaiti kiñcid vipine ’paviddhaḥ daṣṭaḥ sma śete kva ca danda-śūkair andho ’ndha-kūpe patitas tamisre

Sometimes swallowed by a python-like serpent, the man lies cast down in the forest, aware of nothing at all; and sometimes, bitten by venomous snakes, he lies there fallen, blind, into a dark well of utter darkness.

Verse 10 (bhagavata.5.13.10)

कर्हि स्म चित्क्षुद्ररसान् विचिन्वं- स्तन्मक्षिकाभिर्व्यथितो विमानः । तत्रातिकृच्छ्रात्प्रतिलब्धमानो बलाद्विलुम्पन्त्यथ तं ततोऽन्ये ॥ १० ॥

karhi sma cit kṣudra-rasān vicinvaṁs tan-makṣikābhir vyathito vimānaḥ tatrāti-kṛcchrāt pratilabdhamāno balād vilumpanty atha taṁ tato ’nye

Sometimes, searching after some paltry, honey-like pleasure, he is stung and driven off by the swarming bees around it; and even when, with great difficulty, he does manage to obtain it, others soon come and plunder it from him by force.

Verse 11 (bhagavata.5.13.11)

क्वचिच्च शीतातपवातवर्ष- प्रतिक्रियां कर्तुमनीश आस्ते । क्वचिन्मिथो विपणन् यच्च किञ्चिद् विद्वेषमृच्छत्युत वित्तशाठ्यात् ॥ ११ ॥

kvacic ca śītātapa-vāta-varṣa- pratikriyāṁ kartum anīśa āste kvacin mitho vipaṇan yac ca kiñcid vidveṣam ṛcchaty uta vitta-śāṭhyāt

Sometimes, powerless to shield himself from cold, heat, wind and rain, he simply endures as best he can; and sometimes, in trading one thing for another with his fellows, he draws upon himself their hostility through the deceit that surrounds wealth.

Verse 12 (bhagavata.5.13.12)

क्वचित्क्वचित्क्षीणधनस्तु तस्मिन् शय्यासनस्थानविहारहीनः । याचन् परादप्रतिलब्धकामः पारक्यदृष्टिर्लभतेऽवमानम् ॥ १२ ॥

kvacit kvacit kṣīṇa-dhanas tu tasmin śayyāsana-sthāna-vihāra-hīnaḥ yācan parād apratilabdha-kāmaḥ pārakya-dṛṣṭir labhate ’vamānam

Sometimes, his wealth all spent, bereft of bed, seat, dwelling and any comfort there, he begs from others yet still cannot get what he desires; and with his gaze fixed on what belongs to others, he earns nothing but dishonor.

Verse 13 (bhagavata.5.13.13)

अन्योन्यवित्तव्यतिषङ्गवृद्ध- वैरानुबन्धो विवहन्मिथश्च । अध्वन्यमुष्मिन्नुरुकृच्छ्रवित्त- बाधोपसर्गैर्विहरन् विपन्नः ॥ १३ ॥

anyonya-vitta-vyatiṣaṅga-vṛddha- vairānubandho vivahan mithaś ca adhvany amuṣminn uru-kṛcchra-vitta- bādhopasargair viharan vipannaḥ

From getting entangled with one another over wealth, enmity grows and deepens between those bound together in trade or marriage; and wandering along this path, afflicted by great hardship, loss of wealth and manifold calamities, he comes at last to ruin.

Verse 14 (bhagavata.5.13.14)

तांस्तान् विपन्नान् स हि तत्र तत्र विहाय जातं परिगृह्य सार्थः । आवर्ततेऽद्यापि न कश्चिदत्र वीराध्वनः पारमुपैति योगम् ॥ १४ ॥

tāṁs tān vipannān sa hi tatra tatra vihāya jātaṁ parigṛhya sārthaḥ āvartate ’dyāpi na kaścid atra vīrādhvanaḥ pāram upaiti yogam

Leaving behind, one after another, those who have thus perished along the way, and taking on new ones in their place, this caravan goes on even now; and no one here, O hero, attains the far shore of this path through the practice of yoga.

Verse 15 (bhagavata.5.13.15)

मनस्विनो निर्जितदिग्गजेन्द्रा ममेति सर्वे भुवि बद्धवैराः । मृधे शयीरन्न तु तद्व्रजन्ति यन्न्यस्तदण्डो गतवैरोऽभियाति ॥ १५ ॥

manasvino nirjita-dig-gajendrā mameti sarve bhuvi baddha-vairāḥ mṛdhe śayīran na tu tad vrajanti yan nyasta-daṇḍo gata-vairo ’bhiyāti

Proud-minded men, conquerors of the mighty elephants that guard the directions of the earth, all bound to one another in enmity over 'mine,' would rather lie down dead in battle than walk that path which is trodden only by one who has laid down every weapon and become wholly free of enmity.

Verse 16 (bhagavata.5.13.16)

प्रसज्जति क्वापि लताभुजाश्रय- स्तदाश्रयाव्यक्तपदद्विजस्पृहः । क्वचित्कदाचिद्धरिचक्रतस्त्रसन् सख्यं विधत्ते बककङ्कगृध्रैः ॥ १६ ॥

prasajjati kvāpi latā-bhujāśrayas tad-āśrayāvyakta-pada-dvija-spṛhaḥ kvacit kadācid dhari-cakratas trasan sakhyaṁ vidhatte baka-kaṅka-gṛdhraiḥ

Sometimes he clings to the shelter of arms like clinging vines, longing there for hidden, unseen delights; and sometimes, trembling with fear of the wheel of time, he strikes up friendships with cranes, herons and vultures.

Verse 17 (bhagavata.5.13.17)

तैर्वञ्चितो हंसकुलं समाविश- न्नरोचयन् शीलमुपैति वानरान् । तज्जातिरासेन सुनिर्वृतेन्द्रियः परस्परोद्वीक्षणविस्मृतावधिः ॥ १७ ॥

tair vañcito haṁsa-kulaṁ samāviśann arocayan śīlam upaiti vānarān taj-jāti-rāsena sunirvṛtendriyaḥ parasparodvīkṣaṇa-vismṛtāvadhiḥ

Cheated by such company, he then turns toward the company of swans — the genuine saints — but finding no satisfaction there, unable to keep to their ways, he falls back again into the company of monkeys; and delighting in the company of his own kind, his senses well indulged, forever gazing back and forth at one another, he forgets all sense of limit.

Verse 18 (bhagavata.5.13.18)

द्रुमेषु रंस्यन् सुतदारवत्सलो व्यवायदीनो विवशः स्वबन्धने । क्वचित्प्रमादाद् गिरिकन्दरे पतन् वल्लीं गृहीत्वा गजभीत आस्थितः ॥ १८ ॥

drumeṣu raṁsyan suta-dāra-vatsalo vyavāya-dīno vivaśaḥ sva-bandhane kvacit pramādād giri-kandare patan vallīṁ gṛhītvā gaja-bhīta āsthitaḥ

Sporting among the trees of household life, doting on children and wife, wretched where sexual matters are concerned, helpless within his own self-made bondage, sometimes falling carelessly into a mountain ravine, he clutches at a creeper and remains stranded there, terrified of the elephant waiting below.

Verse 19 (bhagavata.5.13.19)

अतः कथञ्चित्स विमुक्त आपदः पुनश्च सार्थं प्रविशत्यरिन्दम । अध्वन्यमुष्मिन्नजया निवेशितो भ्रमञ्जनोऽद्यापि न वेद कश्चन ॥ १९ ॥

ataḥ kathañcit sa vimukta āpadaḥ punaś ca sārthaṁ praviśaty arindama adhvany amuṣminn ajayā niveśito bhramañ jano ’dyāpi na veda kaścana

O subduer of enemies, thus somehow freed from that peril, he re-enters the caravan once more; and placed upon this path by the Lord's own maya, wandering on and on, this being still, even now, understands nothing of the way out.

Verse 20 (bhagavata.5.13.20)

रहूगण त्वमपि ह्यध्वनोऽस्य सन्न्यस्तदण्डः कृतभूतमैत्रः । असज्जितात्मा हरिसेवया शितं ज्ञानासिमादाय तरातिपारम् ॥ २० ॥

rahūgaṇa tvam api hy adhvano ’sya sannyasta-daṇḍaḥ kṛta-bhūta-maitraḥ asaj-jitātmā hari-sevayā śitaṁ jñānāsim ādāya tarāti-pāram

O Rahugana, may you too, with respect to this path, lay down the rod of kingly punishment, make friendship with every being, and free your mind from all attachment; and taking up the sword of knowledge, sharpened through service to Hari, cross over to the farthest shore.

Verse 21 (bhagavata.5.13.21)

राजोवाच अहो नृजन्माखिलजन्मशोभनं किं जन्मभिस्त्वपरैरप्यमुष्मिन् । न यद्धृषीकेशयशःकृतात्मनां महात्मनां वः प्रचुरः समागमः ॥ २१ ॥

rājovāca aho nṛ-janmākhila-janma-śobhanaṁ kiṁ janmabhis tv aparair apy amuṣmin na yad dhṛṣīkeśa-yaśaḥ-kṛtātmanāṁ mahātmanāṁ vaḥ pracuraḥ samāgamaḥ

The king said: Ah, how glorious indeed is this human birth, above every other kind of birth! What use is there even in other, seemingly higher births, if in them one does not have the abundant chance of meeting great souls like you, whose very being is shaped by the glory of the Lord of the senses?

Verse 22 (bhagavata.5.13.22)

न ह्यद्भुतं त्वच्चरणाब्जरेणुभि- र्हतांहसो भक्तिरधोक्षजेऽमला । मौहूर्तिकाद्यस्य समागमाच्च मे दुस्तर्कमूलोऽपहतोऽविवेकः ॥ २२ ॥

na hy adbhutaṁ tvac-caraṇābja-reṇubhir hatāṁhaso bhaktir adhokṣaje ’malā mauhūrtikād yasya samāgamāc ca me dustarka-mūlo ’pahato ’vivekaḥ

It is no wonder at all that one whose sins are destroyed by the dust of your lotus feet attains pure, unalloyed devotion to the Transcendent Lord; for even from my association with you for a mere moment, my very lack of discrimination, rooted in faulty reasoning, has been driven clean away.

Verse 23 (bhagavata.5.13.23)

नमो महद्भ्योऽस्तु नमः शिशुभ्यो नमो युवभ्यो नम आवटुभ्यः । ये ब्राह्मणा गामवधूतलिङ्गा- श्चरन्ति तेभ्यः शिवमस्तु राज्ञाम् ॥ २३ ॥

namo mahadbhyo ’stu namaḥ śiśubhyo namo yuvabhyo nama āvaṭubhyaḥ ye brāhmaṇā gām avadhūta-liṅgāś caranti tebhyaḥ śivam astu rājñām

Obeisance to the great, obeisance to children, obeisance to the young, and obeisance to mere infants — to whichever brahmanas wander this earth wearing the guise of a wandering ascetic — may good fortune come, through them, upon kings such as I.

Verse 24 (bhagavata.5.13.24)

श्रीशुक उवाच इत्येवमुत्तरामातः स वै ब्रह्मर्षिसुतः सिन्धुपतय आत्मसतत्त्वं विगणयतः परानुभावः परमकारुणिकतयोपदिश्य रहूगणेन सकरुणमभिवन्दित चरण आपूर्णार्णव इव निभृतकरणोर्म्याशयो धरणिमिमां विचचार ॥ २४ ॥

śrī-śuka uvāca ity evam uttarā-mātaḥ sa vai brahmarṣi-sutaḥ sindhu-pataya ātma-satattvaṁ vigaṇayataḥ parānubhāvaḥ parama-kāruṇikatayopadiśya rahūgaṇena sakaruṇam abhivandita-caraṇa āpūrṇārṇava iva nibhṛta-karaṇormy-āśayo dharaṇim imāṁ vicacāra.

Shri Shuka continued: O child, having thus instructed the lord of Sindhu, out of the deepest compassion, in the true nature of the self, that being of surpassing glory, the son of a brahmarshi, was worshipped with humble reverence at his feet by Rahugana; and with his mind unmoved, like an ocean ever full, its waves and inner currents utterly stilled, he went on wandering over this earth as before.

Verse 25 (bhagavata.5.13.25)

सौवीरपतिरपि सुजनसमवगतपरमात्मसतत्त्व आत्मन्यविद्याध्यारोपितां च देहात्ममतिं विससर्ज । एवं हि नृप भगवदाश्रिताश्रितानुभावः ॥ २५ ॥

sauvīra-patir api sujana-samavagata-paramātma-satattva ātmany avidyādhyāropitāṁ ca dehātma-matiṁ visasarja; evaṁ hi nṛpa bhagavad-āśritāśritānubhāvaḥ.

The lord of Sauvira too, having thus come, through this good association, to know the truth of the Supreme Self, cast off the false identification of self with body that ignorance had superimposed upon him. Such, O King, is the power of one who takes shelter of those who have themselves taken shelter of the Lord.

Verse 26 (bhagavata.5.13.26)

राजोवाच यो ह वा इह बहुविदा महाभागवत त्वयाभिहितः परोक्षेण वचसा जीवलोकभवाध्वा स ह्यार्यमनीषया कल्पितविषयो नाञ्जसाव्युत्पन्नलोकसमधिगमः । अथ तदेवैतद्दुरवगमं समवेतानुकल्पेन निर्दिश्यतामिति ॥ २६ ॥

rājovāca yo ha vā iha bahu-vidā mahā-bhāgavata tvayābhihitaḥ parokṣeṇa vacasā jīva-loka-bhavādhvā sa hy ārya-manīṣayā kalpita-viṣayo nāñjasāvyutpanna-loka-samadhigamaḥ; atha tad evaitad duravagamaṁ samavetānukalpena nirdiśyatām iti.

The king said: O great devotee, so vastly learned, this path of the living being's worldly existence, which you have set forth to me through such indirect, allegorical language — its meaning has been shaped for me through the understanding of the wise; yet I have not grasped it directly and clearly, as ordinary understanding would. Please, then, explain this same matter once more, in a manner suited to easier comprehension.