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Bhagavatapurana 5.14

English (machine translation) 5.14

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5.14.1

He said:
This world of living beings, who identify the body with the self, is subjected by the creative power of the supreme Lord Viṣṇu to an impassable path like a perilous roadway, through the group of six senses which serves as the gateway to the experience of beginningless transmigration—marked by union and separation brought about by various bodies produced through the conjunction of virtuous and non-virtuous deeds determined by the qualities of purity and the rest. Like a caravan of merchants intent on wealth, experiencing the fruits of deeds performed with their own bodies, they have entered the forest of the cycle of rebirth, which is most inauspicious like a cremation ground; and even today, their diverse counter-efforts proving futile, they do not attain the path of the bumblebees at the lotus feet of Hari and the guru, which quenches that misery.

5.14.2

In that forest, indeed, these six which bear the name of senses are robbers by their action. Just as a merchant caravan under a bad leader, with uncontrolled mind, is plundered, so do they plunder whatever wealth a man has that is suitable for dharma and obtained with great difficulty—that dharma whose distinguishing mark is the direct worship of the Supreme Person, which they declare to be for the hereafter—through the domestic, sensual enjoyment of seeing, touching, hearing, tasting, smelling, intending, and determining.

5.14.3

And moreover, where those of the household—wife, children, and the rest—are by name and action wolves and jackals, they carry off, even as he looks on, what is being guarded like a ram, even against the will of the miserly householder.

5.14.4

For just as a field, though plowed year after year, whose seeds are not burnt, becomes dense again at sowing time with shrubs, grasses, and creepers, exactly so is the stage of the householder a field of action, in which karmas never perish, because this dwelling is a casket of desires.

5.14.5

Having entered there, with his outward life-breaths harassed by vile men like gnats and mosquitoes, and by locusts, birds, thieves, mice, and the like, wandering somewhere on this path, with his mind tainted by ignorance, desire, and action, he of false vision regards the human world, whose reality is unfounded, as real, like a city of Gandharvas.

5.14.6

And there, somewhere, greedy for the vices of drinking, eating, sexual intercourse, and the rest, he runs after sense objects resembling the waters of a mirage.

5.14.7

And somewhere, with a mind captivated by its color and quality, he desires to grasp gold—a particular kind of excrement and the abode of endless faults—like one eager for fire frightened by a will-o'-the-wisp.

5.14.8

Then sometimes, intent on various means of self-sustenance such as dwelling, water, and wealth, he runs here and there in this forest of the cycle of rebirth.

5.14.9

And somewhere, mounted onto the lap of a woman who is like a whirlwind, blinded as it were by the dust of passion of that moment, abandoning proper boundaries of conduct, with eyes full of dust and mind entirely blinded by passion, he does not recognize the guardian deities of the directions.

5.14.10

Somewhere, having once understood the falsity of sense objects, he has his memory bewildered by dwelling upon another, and runs after those very same objects that are like mirage waters.

5.14.11

Somewhere, with his ears and heart deeply pained by the reproaches of an enemy or royal family, sounding like the harsh and vehement screech of owls and crickets, whether spoken directly or behind his back;

5.14.12

When his past merit is exhausted, he, dying while still living, runs after men whose wealth is devoid of both this world and the next and who are living-dead, like trees and creepers of ill omen such as the kāraskara and the kākatuṇḍa, or poisoned wells;

5.14.13

Sometimes, his mind ruined by association with the wicked, he goes over to heresy, which causes misery both here and hereafter, like tumbling into a waterless stream;

5.14.14

When, however, blinded by the tormenting of others, nothing comes to himself, then indeed he preys upon his fathers and sons who perform sacrifices, or upon his fathers and sons;

5.14.15

Somewhere, finding a home like a forest fire, bereft of cherished objects and resulting in sorrow, burning with the fire of grief, he falls into utter despondency;

5.14.16

Somewhere, his most cherished life-breath of wealth snatched away by the demon of the royal house disguised by the poison of Time, he sits like a corpse, devoid of the signs of life;

5.14.17

Sometimes, regarding unreal things like fathers and grandfathers appearing through daydreams as real, he experiences a state characterized by the fleeting joy of a dream;

5.14.18

Somewhere, desiring to climb the mountain of the excessive burden of duties prescribed for the householder, with mind worn down by worldly distress, he flounders as if entering a field of thorns and pebbles;

5.14.19

And somewhere, his strength sapped by the intolerable fire within his body, he becomes angry with his own family;

5.14.20

Again, seized by the python of sleep and plunged into blinding darkness, he lies down as if in a desolate forest, knowing nothing else, like an abandoned corpse;

5.14.21

Sometimes, with the fangs of his pride broken by the venomous serpents of wicked men, obtaining no moment of sleep, with his discernment gradually fading in his anguished heart, he falls like a blind man into a blind well;

5.14.22

At times, while gathering drops of the honey of pleasure, when he lays hold of another's wife or another's property, being slain by the king or the owners, he falls into boundless hell;

5.14.23

And for that reason, they declare action in this world, either way, to be the field of sowing transmigration for the self;

5.14.24

If freed from that bondage, Devadatta snatches it away; and from him, Viṣṇumitra takes it—thus there is no stability;

5.14.25

And somewhere, unable to ward off the many conditions—supernatural, elemental, and internal—such as cold and wind, he sits dejected with endless anxiety;

5.14.26

Somewhere, transacting with one another, or taking away even a mere cowrie's worth of wealth from others, or incurring some enmity due to dishonesty over money;

5.14.27

On this road there are these afflictions, as well as pleasure and pain, attachment and aversion, fear, pride, negligence, madness, sorrow, delusion, greed, malice, jealousy, insult, hunger, thirst, mental agony, disease, birth, old age, death, and so forth.

5.14.28

Somewhere, embraced by the creeper-like arms of a woman through divine creative power, his discriminating insight fallen away, his heart agog with plans to build a house for sporting with her, his heart stolen by the talk, glances, and movements of his sons, daughters, and wife who cling to that shelter, he, having no self-mastery, plunges himself into endless, blinding darkness.

5.14.29

Sometimes, his heart terrified by the swiftly rotating wheel of the Lord God Viṣṇu—which marks time from an atom up to the end of two parārdhas—which takes away the life of all beings from Brahmā down to a clump of grass while they watch helplessly without batting an eyelid, he disregards that very Lord who has the wheel of time as his personal weapon, the Lord in person, the sacrificial Puruṣa, and under conventional names designates heretical deities who resemble herons, vultures, cranes, and false mendicants, shunned by the traditional doctrine of the noble.

5.14.30

When he has been greatly deceived by those heretics who are themselves deceived, he resides among a community of brāhmaṇas; but not liking their conduct, which consists simply of worshipping the Lord, the sacrificial Puruṣa, through the performance of Vedic and traditional rites beginning with the sacred thread investiture, he resorts to a śūdra community, being unfit for Vedic conduct, whose only purpose is sexual union and feeding a family, like that of the monkey species.

5.14.31

There too, wandering unrestrained at his own will, of extremely wretched mind, through mere vulgar acts such as gazing into each other's faces, he forgets the limit of his time.

5.14.32

Somewhere, like a monkey who loves his offspring and wife, seeking his moment for sexual indulgence, he finds delight in household pursuits aimed at worldly ends, like [a monkey] on trees.

5.14.33

Thus being trapped on the path through fear of the elephant of death, [he falls] into darkness like a mountain cave.

5.14.34

Somewhere, incapable of warding off the manifold miseries—caused by gods, nature, and oneself, such as cold and wind—he sits dejected by endless worldly cares.

5.14.35

Somewhere, dealing with one another, he acquires a little wealth through financial deceit.

5.14.36

Somewhere, his wealth depleted, deprived of enjoyments such as a bed, seat, and food, his mind intent on seizing whatever may fulfill his unrealized desires, he incurs insults and the like from people at every step.

5.14.37

Though enmity constantly increases through business dealings with wealth in this manner, yet driven by past impressions he marries and gives in marriage among them.

5.14.38

Afflicted by various miseries and visitations on this road of transmigration, having encountered calamity and ruin, abandoning there whoever dies, taking up each one that is born, grieving, bewildered, fearing, disputing, crying, rejoicing, singing, and bound fast, devoid of virtuous devotees, this caravan of human beings has not returned even to this day to the place from which it set out, which they teach to be the end of the road.

5.14.39

This teaching of yoga they do not master, which sages who have laid down their staff of punishment, of peaceful disposition and restrained selves, fully understand.

5.14.40

Even those royal sages, conquerors of the elephants of the quarters and performers of sacrifices, though they lie dead on the battlefield in this very earth, having formed continuous enmities thinking 'this is mine,' leaving it behind, have themselves been withdrawn [by death].

5.14.41

Clinging to the creeper of karma, somehow released from hell and its misfortunes, [the jīva], once again moving on this road of transmigration, joins the caravan of human beings; in this way, even if he has gone upward [to heaven, he returns].

5.14.42

Concerning him, they sing this: / 'No king in this world can follow even in mind the path of the high-souled royal sage born of Ṛṣabha, / any more than a fly can follow the path of Garuḍa.'

5.14.43

'He who, while still young, eager for Him of highest renown, / cast away like feces his wife, sons, friends, and kingdom, which touch the heart and are so hard to abandon.'

5.14.43.p1

'He who [renounced] earth, sons, kinsmen, wealth, and wife, so hard to abandon, and Fortune herself, whose compassionate glance is sought after by the foremost gods—'

5.14.44

'The king did not desire them; this is fitting for exalted devotees whose minds are attached to the service of the Enemy of Madhu, for whom even liberation from rebirth is trifling.'

5.14.44.p2

To the sacrifice, the Lord of dharma, proficient in ritual, / to yoga, the summit of Sāṅkhya, the Lord of material nature;

5.14.44.p3

To the sacrifice, the Lord of dharma, proficient in ritual, / to yoga, the summit of Sāṅkhya, the Lord of material nature;

5.14.45

'Thus he nobly proclaimed even when he was about to give up his body as a deer.'

5.14.46

Whoever listens to, will narrate, or rejoices in this life of the royal sage Bharata, whose pure qualities and deeds are celebrated by the Bhāgavatas—which brings welfare, longevity, wealth, renown, heaven, and liberation—secures all blessings for himself and desires nothing from anyone else.

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