Bhagavatapurana 5.10

5.10.1

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/0 śrī-śuka uvāca
atha sindhu-sauvīra-pate rahūgaṇasya vrajata ikṣumatyās taṭe tat-kula-patinā śibikā-vāha-puruṣānveṣaṇa-samaye daivenopasāditaḥ sa dvija-vara upalabdha eṣa pīvā yuvā saṃhananāṅgo go-kharavad dhuraṃ voḍhum alam iti pūrva-viṣṭi-gṛhītaiḥ saha gṛhītaḥ prasabham atad-arha uvāha śibikāṃ sa mahānubhāvaḥ //

1. Sri Suka said:—On another occasion when Rahugana, king of Sindhu and Sauvira countries was journeying on the banks of the Ikshumati [to see the worshipful sage Kapila dwelling in a hermitage there], their chief [king's officer] who was in quest of (other) bearers of palanquin providentially came up and found that great Brahmana (Bharata) and thought, "This is a stout youthful man of adamantine frame and fit to bear any burden like a bull or a donkey and took him by force along with others who had been taken to do forced labour for nothing; and that great man of high virtue bore the palanquin under compulsion, though not fit to do it.

5.10.2

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yadā hi dvija-varasyeṣu-mātrāvalokānugater na samāhitā puruṣa-gatis tadā viṣama-gatāṃ sva-śibikāṃ rahūgaṇa upadhārya puruṣān adhivahata āha he voḍhāraḥ sādhv atikramata kim iti viṣamam uhyate yānam iti //

2. When the great Brahmana marched along, his eyes looking forward in front only to the distance of an arrow-shot and when the movement was not uniform, Raghugana perceiving his palanquin to be borne irregularly and inconveniently, said to the bearers "O bearers, walk properly. Why is the vehicle borne so irregularly".

5.10.3

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atha ta īśvara-vacaḥ sopālambham upākarṇyopāya-turīyāc chaṅkita-manasas taṃ vijñāpayāṃ babhūvuḥ //

3. Then hearing the reproving words of their Lord and afraid at heart of punishment (lit. the fourth resort) they humbly represented thus.

5.10.4

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na vayaṃ nara-deva pramattā bhavan-niyamānupathāḥ sādhv eva vahāmaḥ ayam adhunaiva niyukto 'pi na drutaṃ vrajati nānena saha voḍhum u ha vayaṃ pārayāma iti //

4. "O Lord, we are not careless; under thy command we carefully bear (the weight); here is one who, though just now engaged, does not walk fast enough and so we are not (now) able to trudge along with him"

5.10.5

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sāṃsargiko doṣa eva nūnam ekasyāpi sarveṣāṃ sāṃsargikāṇāṃ bhavitum arhatīti niścitya niśamya kṛpaṇa-vaco rājā rahūgaṇa upāsita-vṛddho 'pi nisargeṇa balāt kṛta īṣad-utthita-manyur avispaṣṭa-brahma-tejasaṃ jāta-vedasam iva rajasāvṛta-matir āha //

5. The fault of even but one will certainly become the fault of all the associates, by their company with him; being convinced of this truth and hearing the words of the afflicted, king Raghugana, though one that had sat at the feet of the great, still through the force of nature, got slightly enraged and having lost his judgment under rajoguna, said as follows to the Brahmana whose divine glory was not distinctly seen and who was like fire covered with ashes.

5.10.6

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aho kaṣṭaṃ bhrātar vyaktam uru-pariśrānto dīrgham adhvānam eka eva ūhivān suciraṃ nāti-pīvā na saṃhananāṅgo jarasā copadruto bhavān sakhe no evāpara ete saṅghaṭṭina iti bahu-vipralabdho 'py avidyayā racita-dravya-guṇa-karmāśaya-sva-carama-kalevare 'vastuni saṃsthāna-viśeṣe 'haṃ mamety anadhyāropita-mithyā-pratyayo brahma-bhūtas tūṣṇīṃ śibikāṃ pūrvavad uvāha //

6. "It is a pity, brother. Evidently thou art very much fatigued; a long way thou hast borne the burden (and for a long time); thou art not very stout, or well-built in limb; overtaken by old age thou art, friend; thou doest not, but only these thy (colleagues) (stumble)." Though very much mocked at in this ironical manner, still, with his mind not given to substance, qualities, and actions, having overcome Avidya in his final vesture of body, which is not real, but a form; not imbued with the false notion due to misapprehension as 'I' and 'mine', and almost become Brahman, he quietly (continued to) bear the palanquin as before.

5.10.7

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atha punaḥ sva-śibikāyāṃ viṣama-gatāyāṃ prakupita uvāca rahūgaṇaḥ kim idam are tvaṃ jīvan-mṛto māṃ kadarthī-kṛtya bhartṛ-śāsanam aticarasi pramattasya ca te karomi cikitsāṃ daṇḍa-pāṇir iva janatāyā yathā prakṛtiṃ svāṃ bhajiṣyasa iti //

7. Then again the palanquin being borne irregularly, Rahugana, in anger said, 'what does this mean, wretch? thou art dead while living; thou puttest me to trouble and neglectest the command of thy Lord; to thee so negligent I shall apply the remedy even as the god of rod (Yama) does to the people, so that thou wilt recover thy nature (natural wits).

5.10.8

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evaṃ bahv abaddham api bhāṣamāṇaṃ nara-devābhimānaṃ rajasā tamasānuviddhena madena tiraskṛtāśeṣa-bhagavat-priya-niketaṃ paṇḍita-māninaṃ sa bhagavān brāhmaṇo brahma-bhūta-sarva-bhūta-suhṛd-ātmā yogeśvara-caryāyāṃ nāti-vyutpanna-matiṃ smayamāna iva vigata-smaya idam āha //

8. To the king who irrelevantly thus spoke a good deal, in fullness of pride, in his haughtiness and infatuation brought on by Rajas and Tamas, and being conceited as a learned man and had treated many a god's devotee (this great sage, beloved of god) with contempt, but who was not conversant with the ways of great yogins,

that worshipful Brahmana who had realised Brahman, who was the well-wisher and the very self of all beings, quite untouched by pride, put on a smiling countenance and said this.

5.10.9

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/0 brāhmaṇa uvāca
tvayoditaṃ vyaktam avipralabdhaṃ bhartuḥ sa me syād yadi vīra bhāraḥ /
gantur yadi syād adhigamyam adhvā pīveti rāśau na vidāṃ pravādaḥ //

The Brahmana said:—

9. What you said is certainly true; it is no misrepresentation, O warrior; it would be so if there were any burden, if it rested upon the body of the bearer (and if it had anything to do with me); and if there were any destination for the goer, there would be a way, the description ‘being stout’ is but in relation to the collection of atoms and in the view of the wise it is not applicable to the intelligent being.

5.10.10

sthaulyaṃ kārśyaṃ vyādhaya ādhayaś ca kṣut tṛḍ bhayaṃ kalir icchā jarā ca /
nidrā ratir manyur ahaṃ madaḥ śuco dehena jātasya hi me na santi //

10. Stoutness, thinness, diseases, anxieties, hunger, thirst, fear, quarrel, desire, old age, sleep, pleasure, anger, insolence, griefs—these exist for him who is borne with a body, not for me.

5.10.11

jīvan-mṛtatvaṃ niyamena rājan ādyantavad yad vikṛtasya dṛṣṭam /
sva-svāmya-bhāvo dhruva īḍya yatra tarhy ucyate 'sau vidhikṛtya-yogaḥ //

11. Dead while living is absolutely seen true in the case of every thing subject to change, having a beginning and an end, O praise-worthy king, if the relation of one to another, as master and servant, were real, then would it be possible to recognise as real, the relation between command and duty?

5.10.12

viśeṣa-buddher vivaraṃ manāk ca paśyāma yan na vyavahārato 'nyat /
ka īśvaras tatra kim īśitavyaṃ tathāpi rājan karavāma kiṃ te //

12. We do not at all find occasion for the notion of difference (as king and servant) other than what exists in words. Then who is the ruler and what is it that is fit to be ruled? still (if thou continue

to entertain the wrong notion), O king, let us know what we should do unto thee.

5.10.13

unmatta-matta-jaḍavat sva-saṃsthāṃ gatasya me vīra cikitsitena /
arthaḥ kiyān bhavatā śikṣitena stabdha-pramattasya ca piṣṭapeṣaḥ //

13. To me who am like unto a mad, intoxicated or dull man but verily remaining in the state of self-realisation, O warrior, what purpose, and that, to what extent, will be fulfilled by the remedy, the punishment, or lesson which thou proposest for me; on the other hand, if I were an obdurate and careless fellow, it would be merely like grinding what is already ground.

5.10.14

/0 śrī-śuka uvāca
etāvad anuvāda-paribhāṣayā pratyudīrya muni-vara upaśama-śīla uparatānātmya-nimitta upabhogena karmārabdhaṃ vyapanayan rāja-yānam api tathovāha //

Sri Suka said:—

14. Having so far replied by way of recapitulating (one by one the king's remarks), the great sage, naturally tranquil and rid of the cause of the wrong notion regarding the body and intent on completely exhausting his Prarabdhakarma, continued to bear the king's vehicle.

5.10.15

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sa cāpi pāṇḍaveya sindhu-sauvīra-patis tattva-jijñāsāyāṃ samyak-śraddhayādhikṛtādhikāras tad dhṛdaya-granthi-mocanaṃ dvija-vaca āśrutya bahu-yoga-grantha-sammataṃ tvarayāvaruhya śirasā pāda-mūlam upasṛtaḥ kṣamāpayan vigata-nṛpa-deva-smaya uvāca //

15. O prince of Pandu's race, he, the Lord of Sindhu and Sowvira countries too, being thoroughly qualified through strong faith to enquire into truth, heard that speech, which was calculated to undo the knot at one's heart of the great Brahmana, consistent with the ideas found in many works on self-knowledge, soon alighted and, divested of pride as a king, prostrated himself at his feet, begged pardon of the sage and, free from the haughtiness of his royalty, said:—

5.10.16

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kas tvaṃ nigūḍhaś carasi dvijānāṃ bibharṣi sūtraṃ katamo 'vadhūtaḥ /
kasyāsi kutratya ihāpi kasmāt kṣemāya naś ced asi nota śuklaḥ //

16. "Who art thou of the great Brahmanas (Marichi and other sages) with thy true nature concealed and going about with the sacred thread on; Who art thou among (Dattatreya and other self-less ascetics? To whose race dost thou belong or to what place? What brings Thee here? If thou art here for our well-being, may it not be that thou art the sage Kapila?

5.10.17

nāhaṃ viśaṅke sura-rāja-vajrān na tryakṣa-śūlān na yamasya daṇḍāt /
nāgny-arka-somānila-vittapāstrāc chaṅke bhṛśaṃ brahma-kulāvamānāt //

17. "Afraid I am not of the Vajra of the king of the gods or of the soola of the three-eyed god, or, the rod of Yama, or, of the missiles

of Agni, Surya (the sun), Chandra, (the moon), Vayu, the wind-god), and Kubera the god of wealth; but I am very much afraid of treating with contempt any one of the Brahmana race.

5.10.18

tad brūhy asaṅgo jaḍavan nigūḍha- vijñāna-vīryo vicarasy apāraḥ /
vacāṃsi yoga-grathitāni sādho na naḥ kṣamante manasāpi bhettum //

18. “Be pleased therefore to answer me. Thou art without attachment; like a dull-witted man, with the concealed glory of superior wisdom, thou goest about in thy infinite greatness, O righteous one. Thy words are couched in yogic style conveying mysterious ideas and are not capable of being solved (understood) even by the mind. [Even those that are endowed with keen intellect cannot see through thy words of yogic knowledge.]

5.10.19

ahaṃ ca yogeśvaram ātma-tattva- vidāṃ munīnāṃ paramaṃ guruṃ vai /
praṣṭuṃ pravṛttaḥ kim ihāraṇaṃ tat sākṣād dhariṃ jñāna-kalāvatīrṇam //

19. “I am now proceeding to enquire and know what in this Samsara is the true asylum, at the feet of Kapila, the supreme yogin, who is Hari Himself, come down into the world to impart true knowledge and the great preceptor of those sages that have realised the true nature of Atman.

5.10.20

sa vai bhavā loka-nirīkṣaṇārtham avyakta-liṅgo vicaraty api svit /
yogeśvarāṇāṃ gatim andha-buddhiḥ kathaṃ vicakṣīta gṛhānubandhaḥ //

20. “Perhaps thou art himself, going about *incognito* to see how the world goes on. How could a mortal man bound to the house (the household life) see with his blind sense into the ways of the Lords of yoga?

5.10.21

dṛṣṭaḥ śramaḥ karmata ātmano vai bhartur gantur bhavataś cānumanye /
yathāsatodānayanādy-abhāvāt samūla iṣṭo vyavahāra-mārgaḥ //

21. “Pain is in actual experience through labour; for instance, as it is to me, the master, it is to thee that walkest (bearing the burden), I perceive it; the course of the practical world is admitted to be substantial at the bottom; for, on the other hand, there is no possibility of carrying water and the like with an unreal (pot).

5.10.22

sthāly-agni-tāpāt payaso 'bhitāpas tat-tāpatas taṇḍula-garbha-randhiḥ /
dehendriyāsvāśaya-sannikarṣāt tat-saṃsṛtiḥ puruṣasyānurodhāt //

22. “The heat of fire applied to the vessel leads to the heat of the water and that heat leads to the softening action on the inmost particles of rice; so the state of Samsara accrues to Jiva through the relation of the body, of the senses, the breaths, and the mind, the states of the environments affecting one another.

5.10.23

śāstābhigoptā nṛpatiḥ prajānāṃ yaḥ kiṅkaro vai na pinaṣṭi piṣṭam /
sva-dharmam ārādhanam acyutasya yad īhamāno vijahāty aghaugham //

23. “He who is a king ought to punish the wicked and protect the good and he who is a (true) servant of Achyuta does not grind

what is already ground; for, in trying to do his own righteous duty, he does worship Achyuta and cast off all his sin.

5.10.24

tan me bhavān nara-devābhimāna- madena tucchīkṛta-sattamasya /
kṛṣīṣṭa maitrī-dṛśam ārta-bandho yathā tare sad-avadhyānam aṃhaḥ //

24. "Therefore, O friend of the distressed, mayst thou be pleased to cast a friendly look on me who, intoxicated with the pride of being a king, has treated with contempt the most righteous persons; so that I may cross over the sin of having slighted the righteous.

5.10.25

na vikriyā viśva-suhṛt-sakhasya sāmyena vītābhimates tavāpi /
mahad-vimānāt sva-kṛtād dhi mādṛṅ naṅkṣyaty adūrād api śūlapāṇiḥ //

25. "There is no change in thee (in thy mind) who art a well-wisher and friend of all and who, from a sense of absolute equality with all, art free from all attachment; any one like me even if he were God Siva will certainly and soon enough come to peril through his violation of the great."