Canto 5 - Chapter 14: Jaḍabharata elucidated the meaning of the allegory ...

Discourse XIV

Jaḍabharata elucidated the meaning of the allegory

He (Śrī Śuka) said : The six Indriyas (the five senses of perception and their ruler, the mind) are the only media (for the Jiva) of going through the beginningless (ordeal of) metempsychosis in the shape of being united with and torn away from, as well as of undergoing the pleasurable and painful experiences of, a series of (corporeal) bodies brought into existence by virtuous, sinful or mixed actions—prompted by Sattva and other qualities—on the part of human souls looking upon the body as their very self. Lured by these into the aforesaid track, which is as difficult to tread as a (mountain) defile, and swayed by Māyā (the principle of cosmic illusion that makes the Jiva forget his essentially blissful character and seek delight without) functioning under the control of the all-powerful Lord Viṣṇu, the multitude of embodied souls mentioned heretofore, like a company of (itinerant) traders intent on amassing wealth, enters the forest of worldly existence which is most inauspicious like a crematorium and where they reap the fruit of actions wrought with their own body. And, even though their endeavours (generally) prove abortive and are impeded by many an obstacle, they fail even to this day to get to the path of those who resort like the honey bee to the lotus-feet of Śrī Hari in the form of their preceptor—the path (of Devotion) which (when duly followed) relieves the agonies experienced in that forest, where dwell the aforesaid six, which, though (passing as) Indriyas by name, are actually robbers by action.(1)
For whatever fortune—acquired with great hardship—belongs to a man is of use only when it is directly conducive to (the practice of) Dharma (virtue); and that (alone) is Dharma, which consists in the worship of the Supreme Person Himself and it is such Dharma that the wise declare as contributory to happiness in the other world. In the case of those who are guided by a perverted intellect and whose mind has not been subdued, as in the case of a company of (itinerant) traders led by an unworthy chief and having an unsubdued spirit, the Indriyas take away that wealth which is fit to be devoted to (the practice of) such virtue through the medium of sensuous enjoyment at home in the form of seeing, touching, hearing, tasting, smelling, seeking after and determining (the nature of the various) objects. (2)
Nay, in that forest members of their family, wife and children by name but really wolves and jackals by action, snatch away before their very eyes the wealth of those stingy householders, unwilling though they are (to part with the same)—wealth which is being jealously guarded (by them) even as a lamb (by shepherds). (3)
Just as a field, in spite of its being ploughed (and cleared of weeds and grass etc.), every year, grows dense as it were with shrubs, grass and creepers at the time of sowing seeds again; in cases where the (very) seeds have not been burnt (by fire), so is the case with the life of a householder—a field for sowing the seeds of actions—where actions never come to an end; for this stage of life is (after all) a storehouse of desires (which are the seeds of actions of various kinds). (4)

In the aforesaid stage of life their wealth (which constitutes their external life-breath as it were) is squeezed by men, vile as gnats and mosquitoes, as well as by locusts, birds (peacocks etc.), thieves, rats and so on. Now, sauntering on the aforementioned road (of worldly life) with a mind corrupted by ignorance, desire and actions, they erroneously regard this mortal world—which is as unreal as an imaginary city (seen in the sky through optic illusion) as real (lit., something whose existence is proved). (5)
Again, on that road they pursue sometimes the mirage-like pleasures of sense, fondly addicted as they are to the vicious habits of eating (delicious food), drinking (wine), copulation and so on. (6)
Now, even as one tormented with a longing to get fire may pursue ignis fatuus, they run after gold, the (mere) excreta of fire and the abode of all evils, their mind being swayed by the quality of Rajas which is of the same colour as gold and therefore bears a natural affinity to it. (7)
Again, sometimes, with their thought centred on their dwelling, water, wealth and other things essential to life, they run about here and there in the forest of worldly existence. (8)
And now placed on the lap (embraced) by a young woman throwing dust in their eyes like a whirlwind, and steeped as it were in ignorance due to the element of Rajas prevailing at the time, they abandon the path of the virtuous. And their reason being entirely clouded with passion, they—like one whose eyes are blinded with dust—no longer perceive (mind) the deities presiding over the quarters (who witness all their doings). (9)
Sometimes, in spite of their having spontaneously realized but for a moment the illusory nature of sense-objects, they are deprived of their reason by identifying themselves with the body (which is other than their self); and, guided by the same (perverted reason), they run after those very objects, which are as deceptive and tantalizing as a mirage. (10)
Now their ears and heart are extremely tormented by the threats of enemies and the royal court; conveyed in the sternest spirit and with an overbearing demeanour before their very eyes, like the hooting of owls, (by the king's servants) and behind their back, like the (shrill) notes of the cricket (by the enemies). (11)

When they have exhausted their merit earned in previous existences, and are (thus) themselves reduced to a dying state, though (actually) living, they seek the protection of men whose wealth is of no use (to them) either here or hereafter (who neither use it for their own gratification nor for the gratification of others and thus indirectly for their own benefit in the other world), and who (thus) resemble accursed trees and creepers like the Kāraskara and Kākatunda (two species of poisonous trees) and wells containing poisonous water and are as good as dead, though living. (12)
On some occasion, their mind being perverted through close association with vile men, they embrace a heretic creed, which entails misery both here and hereafter like slipping into (the rocky bed of) a waterless stream. (13)
When no food is forthcoming for themselves even through persecution of others, they indeed proceed to devour their own father or sons or those who are in possession of (even) a straw belonging to these. (14)
Now, reaching their home, divested of (all) agreeable (enjoyable) objects and attended with miseries, like a forest conflagration, they are scorched with the fire of grief and give way to extreme despondency. (15)
Sometimes, robbed of their very life in the form of wealth—which is most dear to them—by the demon in the form of a king's household, angered by (adverse) times, they appear quite dead, destitute as they are of all symptoms of liveliness. (16)
Now, recognizing to be real their deceased father, grandfather and so on as appearing in fancy, they experience joy like that in a dream. (17)
Sometimes, eager to carry out the huge mountain-like volume of precepts relating to household duties, they are distracted by worldly calamities and feel miserable like one entering a stretch of land full of thorns and sharp-edged gravels. (18)
Now, with their energy sapped by hunger (lit., the gastral fire burning within their body) which is hard to bear, they vent their anger on their own people. (19)
Again, caught in the grip of a boa constrictor in the shape of (deep) sleep and steeped in ignorance, they remain lying down, cast off like a dead body in a lonely forest and unconscious of everything else. (20)

Sometimes, on their teeth in the form of pride being crushed by biting animals in the shape of wicked men, they are unable to get (even) a wink of sleep and, their consciousness getting fainter and fainter because of a distressed heart, they fall like a blind man into a covered well. (21)
Now when, seeking after small drops of honey in the form of sensuous enjoyment and laying their hands on another's wife and property, they are killed by the king or by the husband or owner, they descend into the abysmal (depths of) hell. (22)
Therefore, the wise speak of action in both forms (virtuous as well as sinful) on (the part of those treading) this path (of worldly activity) as a field bearing to the Jiva (the crop of) mundane existence in quick succession without fail. (23)
(Even) if they escape from bondage (etc., inflicted by the king or the husband and owner by bribing them), a Devadatta snatches away from them the woman and property seized by them and from the said Devadatta a Viṣṇumitra wrests them. In this way the objects of enjoyment never stay (with a single individual). (24)
And sometimes unable to ward off (provide against) cold wind and many other (adverse) situations brought about by divine will or (by the will of) other created beings or related to one's own body or mind, they remain cast down with anxiety difficult to get rid of. (25)
Now, carrying on business transactions on a very small scale with those of their own company or snatching from others even (a trifling sum of) twenty cowries or any amount (even less than that), they incur (their) hatred due to their (own) grabbing nature. (26)

There are on this path (of worldly activity) these (obstacles, viz., great hardships, monetary losses and so on—vide verse 13 of Discourse XIII above) and other obstacles too—such as joy and sorrow, likes and dislikes, fear and pride, error and insanity, grief and infatuation, greed and spite, jealousy and ignominy, hunger and thirst, worries and ailments, birth, old age and death. (27)
Sometimes folded by woman—who is (no other than) the Lord's (own) deluding potency (personified)—in her arms, (tender and slender) like a pair of creepers, they are deprived of their discriminating wisdom; and, anxious at heart to build a pleasure-house for her and lured by the (sweet) words, (affectionate) glances and (delighting) gestures of their sons, daughters and daughters-in-law, brought together under her protection, these men of uncontrolled mind hurl themselves in the bottomless and dark (regions of) hell. (28)

Now their heart is filled with terror at the thought of the discus of the almighty Lord Viṣṇu, manifested in the form of the ever-wakeful time (with its manifold divisions) from the minutest point (corresponding to an atom) to the period covering two Parārdhas (the life-span of Brahmā, equivalent to 31, 10, 40, 00, 00, 00, 000 human years), which sweeps away all created beings—while they keep looking on—from Brahmā (down) to the (merest) clump of grass, by means of its quick movement representing the passage of time (from childhood to youth and from youth to old age and so on). Nevertheless they ignore that very almighty Lord, who is no other than the Deity presiding over sacrifices and wields the wheel of time as His own (characteristic) weapon, and betake themselves to the deities worshipped by heretics and discarded by Vedic tradition—deities who are no better than buzzards, vultures, herons and quails (which are unable to protect one against the lion of death)—on the authority of the sacred works of heretics. (29)
When they are grossly betrayed by those self-deluded heretics, they take up their residence with the Brāhmaṇa race. But, not liking their (pious) way, such as investiture with the sacred thread and the worship of Lord Viṣṇu (the Deity presiding over the sacrifices carried on by them) through the performance of rituals enjoined (both) by the Vedas and the Smṛti-texts, they join the Śūdra community, who like the monkey race get paired and maintain their families by recourse to (what is regarded as) impurity when judged from the standard of right conduct as laid down in the Vedas. (30)
Indulging in unrestrained licence there too, they feel sorely distressed in mind and remaining engrossed in vulgar pursuits such as looking at the face of their wife and vice versa, forget (even the time of their) death. (31)
Sometimes, seeking delight in the household life, which like trees serves their worldly interests alone, they conceive (excessive) fondness for their sons and wife and find pleasure like the monkey race in coition (alone and are thus unable to secure release from the bondage of worldly existence). (32)

Thus experiencing joy and sorrow on the way, they fall into adversity in the form of ailments and so on, fearful as a ravine, and remain in (constant) terror of the elephant (there) in the form of death. (33)
Now, unable to counteract manifold unpleasant experiences—such as cold, wind and so on—brought about by divine agency or any other being or those relating to one's own body or mind, they are worried with (the thought of) innumerable objects of sense. (34)
Sometimes entering into business dealings with their own fellow-men, they secure some wealth through stinginess. (35)
Now, reduced to poverty and deprived of (all) enjoyments (comforts) in the shape of a bed (to sleep on), a mat to squat on, food to eat and other such things, they make up their mind to attain (by foul means such as theft) the objects of their desire when denied to them and meet with ignominy and so on at the hands of (different) people. (36)
In this way though their feeling of enmity (with others) is enhanced through (mutual) attraction for wealth, they enter into matrimonial alliances with one another and subsequently dissolve them according to the tendencies of their past lives. (37)
(Nay,) if anyone, afflicted with manifold agonies and obstacles, meets with a calamity or dies on this road, others—as is well-known—leave him wherever he is and, taking (with them) every new-born child, give way to grief, infatuation and fear, quarrel (with those who oppose them), cry (in distress), are transported with joy (under favourable circumstances), sing (in a sprightly mood) and are bound (by others stronger than they). With the exception of pious souls this company of men, however, never returns even to this day to the point (God) whence this road (of mundane existence) commences and which the learned declare as the end of the road (as well). (38)
The aforesaid men do not take to the discipline of Yoga (Devotion) nor do they attain the supreme state (which can be reached through Devotion alone and) which is easily attained (only) by sages who have shed (all forms of) violence, who are naturally given to self-control and who have withdrawn their mind from all worldly objects. (39)
Nor do the royal sages who have conquered the elephants guarding the quarters as well as the four intervening corners, and who perform (big) sacrifices listen to this teaching; they would rather bite the dust in battle (and remain lying) on the very earth for whose sake they entered into enmity with others, accounting it as their own, and which they had ultimately to abandon, themselves withdrawing (from the scene). (40)
Then clinging to the creeper of Karma (action in the shape of remedial measures) and somehow rid of the hellish tortures in the shape of ailment and other troubles, they revert to the path of transmigration as aforesaid and join (back) the company of men; and similar is the case with those who have risen above (to the higher regions such as heaven). (41)

Thus do they sing of Bharata's career :—

No (other) king can follow even mentally the example of the high-souled royal sage Bharata (the son of Lord Rṣabha) any more than a fly can think of emulating the speed of Garuḍa (the king of birds). (42)
(With a heart) full of longing for the Lord of excellent renown, he abandoned, while still young, (his) wife and sons, kinsmen and kingdom, (so) difficult to renounce and (so) delightful to the heart, even as one would throw away excrement. (43)
(Lo!) he did not long for (the sovereignty of) the earth, sons, kinsfolk, riches and wife—so hard to renounce—nor even for Śrī (the goddess of fortune), who, though coveted (even) by the foremost gods, cast Her gracious look on him. This was (only) as it should be; for, in the eyes of exalted souls whose mind is devoted to the service of Lord Viṣṇu (the Slayer of the demon Madhu), even liberation (immunity from rebirth) is of no value. (44)
"Hail to Lord Śrī Hari, who is Yajña (personified), the Defender of righteousness, punctiliously carrying out the injunctions of scriptures (Himself in order to set a noble example before the world at large), an embodiment of Yoga (the diverse methods of God-Realization) and the principal theme (as Brahma) of Sāṅkhya (the science of Self-Realization), the Lord of Prakṛti (Māyā, the divine energy that brings forth this cosmos), the Ruler of all Jivas!" thus did he loudly (piteously) and distinctly pray even before casting off the form of a deer. (45)

Whosoever repeatedly listens to or recites and celebrates this story of the royal sage Bharata, whose spotless virtues and actions are extolled (even) by (eminent) devotees of the Lorda story which brings good fortune and confers longevity, wealth, celebrity, heavenly bliss and even final beatitude—attains all his desired objects by himself and seeks nothing from others. (46)

Thus ends the fourteenth discourse entitled "The allegorical meaning (of the description of the forest of mundane existence) elucidated," forming part of the story of Bharata, in Book Five of the great and glorious Bhāgavata-Purāṇa, otherwise known as the Paramahārṣa-Sarhhitā.