The Bhagavata Purana 3

by Bibek Debroy

  ‘“Yadu asked, ‘O brahmana! Though you do not do anything, how did you come to possess this greatly developed intelligence? Having acquired this knowledge, you are roaming around in this world, like a child. In general, men pursue dharma, artha and kama and for this purpose, try to obtain lifespan, fame and prosperity. You are capable, wise and accomplished. You are extremely handsome and your speech is like amrita. However, you do not desire to do anything. You are like a dumb or crazy person, like a pishacha. People are scorched in the fire of desire and avarice. However, you are not burnt by that fire. You are free, like an elephant stadning in the waters of the Ganga. 1057 O brahmana! What is the reason for your finding bliss in your own atman? We are asking you. Please tell us. How are you devoid of touch and the other senses? You are alone in your atman.’”

  ‘The illustrious one continued, “The immensely fortunate Yadu asked the immensely intelligent brahmana. Asked respectfully, the brahmana spoke to the one who was bent down in humility.

  ‘“The brahmana replied, 1058‘O king! Using my intelligence, I have had many preceptors. Having obtained my intelligence from them, I have become free and roam around this world. Listen. O king! I have accepted twenty-four as my preceptors—the earth, the air, space, water, fire, the moon, the sun, the pigeon, the python, the ocean, the moth, the bee, the elephant, the gatherer of honey, the deer, the fish, Pingala, the osprey, the child, the maiden, the maker of arrows, the snake, the spider and the wasp. My knowledge and conduct are derived from whatever I have learnt from them. O Yayati’s son! O tiger among men! I will tell you exactly what I have learnt from each of them. Listen to what I have to say. Even if a person is attacked by creatures, he must be patient and realize that they are under the control of destiny. Having grasped this, a person must not deviate from his path. I have learnt this conduct from the earth. Everything in this world must be for the sake of others. The benefit of others is the reason for one’s birth. As a student of the mountain and as a student of the tree, 1059 a virtuous person learns about living for others. A sage must be satisfied with whatever is necessary for physical subsistence and must not seek gratification of the senses. 1060 Knowledge must not be destroyed. Nor must speech and the mind be agitated. A yogi comes into contact with objects that possess many kinds of characteristics. However, like the air, his atman must not be attached to the good or the bad. In this world, one enters a body that is made out of the elements and thereby assumes their attributes. But just as the air bears scents, but is not attached to them, a yogi who has realized the atman must not be attached to these attributes. Space is present within all mobile and immobile objects. But though it pervades, it is unlimited and unattached. A sage must meditate and behave like the pervasive sky. Despite association, he must be unattached, with his atman immersed in the brahman. Space is not touched by clouds and other things that are borne along by the wind. In that way, like space, a man must not be touched by fire, water and food and other qualities that are created by time. Water is naturally pure, gentle and sweet. At tirthas, its purifying qualities are chanted about. In that way, a sage must be friendly towards men and must purify them. Like the fire, a person who is united with his atman blazes because of his austerities. He is unshakeable and uses his stomach as a vessel. 1061

  Chapter 11(8)

  ‘The brahmana continued, “O king! Embodied beings can experience happiness of the senses in heaven or hell too. Therefore, a learned person must desire to avoid unhappiness. Like the python, a person should not make any efforts, but should eat whatever turns up on its own. This is regardless of whether the food is tasty or tasteless, large in quantity or small. Like the giant serpent, he must be content with whatever fortune brings to him. Even if there is no food, he must not make any efforts and must fast. Even if it is for many days, he must lie down. Even if he possesses energy, physical strength and mental strength, he must not make efforts to maintain the body. He must lie down, without any sleep. Even if he possesses his senses, he must not make efforts. A sage must be as tranquil and deep as the ocean, fathomless and impossible to cross. He possesses no limits. He is as calm as the water and cannot be agitated. Depending on what rivers do, an ocean does not overflow or dry up. Like that, a sage who is devoted to Narayana is not affected by the fulfilment or non-fulfilment of his wishes. A woman has been fashioned by the god’s maya. On seeing her, a person who has not conquered his senses is tempted by her seductive behaviour. Like a moth headed towards a fire, he descends into blinding darkness. A foolish person’s mind is allured by a woman’s golden ornaments and garments and other objects fashioned out of maya. His mind is tempted by the desire to gratify the senses. With his vision destroyed, he is destroyed like a moth. A sage must follow the conduct of a bee and with each morsel, only eat a little, just enough to maintain the body. Without causing trouble, he must not tarry at any household for long. 1062 The bee collects the essence from flowers everywhere, big or small. Like that, an accomplished man gathers from all texts, great or small. “This is what I will eat when evening is over. This is what I will eat tomorrow.” What has been begged must not be collected in this fashion. The hand is the vessel and the stomach is the container. One must not collect, as the bee does. A mendicant must not collect for eating at night or the next day. If a person collects the way a bee does, he and his collection are destroyed. Even with a foot, a mendicant must not touch a young woman, not even an image made out of wood. Otherwise, like a male elephant that wishes to touch the limbs of a female elephant, he will be bound. A wise person must never approach a woman. She is like his death. A male elephant which does this is killed by a stronger male elephant. An avaricious person accumulates after making efforts. He does not give it away, nor enjoy it. The wealth is stolen and enjoyed by others, just as the gatherer of honey steals honey from a honeycomb. Those who desire the life of a householder aspire to acquire riches after a great deal of effort. However, like the honey gatherer, the mendicant enjoys this before the householder. A mendicant who roams around in the forest must never listen to songs about carnal pleasures. He must learn from the deer. Captivated by the hunter’s singing, it was captured. Addicted to the dancing, musical instruments and singing of vulgar women, Rishyashringa, the son of a deer, came under their subjugation and became like a puppet. If a person is bewitched by taste, the tongue becomes extremely powerful for him. His intelligence becomes wicked and he faces a futile death, like a fish through a hook. Through fasting, learned people quickly bring their senses under control, with the exception of the tongue. When one is without food, its power increases. Until this sense has been conquered, it cannot be said that a man has conquered his senses. The tongue must be defeated. When taste has been conquered, everything has been conquered.

  ‘“In ancient times, in the city of Videha, there used to be a courtesan named Pingala. O son of a king! Listen to what I learnt from her. Once, that svairini sought to entice a beloved into her house. At the right time, she stood outside her door, displaying her supreme beauty. O bull among men! She was greedy for money. She looked at the men who were passing along the road, considering who would pay her price. She wanted a wealthy lover. Prostitution was her means of subsistence and men came and went. She kept thinking, ‘Perhaps another wealthy person will approach me and give me a lot of money.’ As she waited at the door in this vain hope, she lost her sleep. Sometimes, she went out into the street. Sometimes, she again entered her house. In this way, midnight arrived. In her wish for money, her mouth dried up and her mind was distressed. As a result of her thoughts, a great sense of detachment arose in her and it brought happiness. Non-attachment is like a sword in a man’s hand. It severs the bonds of desire. Her mind was full of non-attachment, and hear her song from me. O king! A person in whom non-attachment has not been generated is unable to cast aside the bonds of the body. This is just like a man without vijnana being unable to give up the notion of ‘mine’.

  ‘“Pingala said, ‘Alas! Behold my pervasive delusion. I have not been ab
le to conquer my atman. Like a foolish person, I desire pleasure, even from a worthless lover. The most beloved person, the one who can give me pleasure, is near me. He will always give me riches, but I have forsaken him. Like an ignorant person, I am serving an inferior person who cannot satisfy my desires. This gives rise to misery, fear, mental distress, grief and delusion. I have tormented my atman in vain. My occupation has been that of a courtesan. It is a censured vocation. Hankering after riches, I sell myself to pitiable men who seek women. Thereby, I hope to obtain pleasure and riches for myself. Who but me would crave for this house made out of nine gates? 1063 It is fashioned out of bones, the spine, the ribs, the bones of the hands and the feet, body hair and nails, and is covered with skin. It is full of urine and excrement that oozes out. In this city of Videha, I am the only person who is foolish in intelligence. I did not desire Achyuta, who gives his own atman to others. Instead, like a wicked person, I wished for others. He is the most beloved well-wisher. He is the protector. He is the atman in all embodied creatures. I will sell myself to him and like Rama, find pleasure with him. What pleasure can men provide to wives who desire pleasure? They have a beginning and an end and time separates them from their wives. This is also true of gods. I must have done some karma that makes the illustrious Vishnu favour me. I have hankered after evil desires. However, this non-attachment, the bringer of pleasure, has been generated in me. For someone as unfortunate as me, the hardship has become a cause of non-attachment. A man who desires serenity can destroy all bondage through this. I will bow my head down and accept this favour, giving up all carnal pleasure and wicked desires. I will seek shelter in the lord. I am faithful and devoted. I will survive on whatever comes to me. I will enjoy myself and find pleasure in the atman. If a person falls down into the well of samsara, his vision is destroyed by material objects. His atman is devoured by a serpent in the form of time. Apart from the supreme lord, who can save such a person? When a person is not distracted, he can see that this entire universe is being devoured by a serpent in the form of time. He realizes that his atman is his own protector and he becomes detached towards everything that is material.’”

  ‘The brahmana said, “Having made up her mind in this way, she gave up and severed all the wicked desires for lovers. Resorting to serenity, she sat down on her bed. Hope is the greatest misery. Lack of hope is the greatest happiness. Therefore, severing all desire for lovers, Pingala slept well, in happiness.”’

  Chapter 11(9)

  ‘The brahmana said, “Whatever men love to possess is the cause of their misery. A learned person who possesses nothing obtains infinite happiness. Powerful ospreys who did not have any flesh attacked an osprey that had some flesh. When it gave up that piece of meat, it obtained happiness. I have no sense of honour or dishonour. I do not have to think about my home or children. I sport with my own atman and find pleasure in my own atman. Like a child, I thus roam around this world. There are two kinds of people who are free from anxiety and are flooded with supreme bliss. There is the dumb and ignorant child and there is the person who has gone beyond the gunas. Once, a maiden had to herself receive guests who had come to her house to choose her, 1064 her relatives having gone elsewhere. She welcomed them hospitably. O king! In private, she was pounding some paddy so that she could serve them food. However, the conch shell bangles on her hands rubbed against each other and made a sound while she was pounding. She was greatly ashamed at this and embarrassed because of what they would think. 1065 One by one, she broke all the bangles, so that only two remained on each hand. However, as she pounded, these still rubbed against each other and created a sound. Therefore, she broke one from each pair so that the other one would not create a sound. O scorcher of enemies! I wandered around the world, wishing to know the truth about the world. That is how I witnessed the lesson I learnt from the maiden. When many people reside together, there are quarrels. When there are two, there is conversation. Therefore, one must reside alone, like the maiden’s bangle. Having perfected the asana, 1066 one must control the breath and fix the mind. Non-attachment must be cultivated through the practice of yoga. The mind must be attentively steadied. When the mind is permanently fixed on him, the particles of karma are gradually shed off. As sattva increases, rajas and tamas are destroyed. Like a fire extinguished without kindling, one achieves nirvana. One’s mind is then completely immersed in one’s atman. One is no longer conscious of anything, inside or outside. This is like a maker of arrows who was so absorbed in the making of his arrow that he did not notice the king passing by his side. A person must move around alone, without a fixed residence. He must not be distracted and must seek out caves. 1067 The sage’s activities must be such that he is not noticed. He must be alone and must speak little. When a person attempts to construct a house, this is futile and leads to misery, since his existence is itself temporary. A snake enters a house that has been built by someone else and enjoys happiness. Narayana is the only divinity. Earlier, he used his own maya to create. At the end of the kalpa, using his portion known as time, he withdraws. 1068 He is the lord of the universe. He is absolute and without a second. He is the support of his atman and supports everything. Everything seeks refuge in him. Using his powers in the form of time, he brings his powers, sattva and the others, into a state of equilibrium and remains as the original being. He is the lord of Purusha and Pradhana. For both superior and inferior beings, he is the supreme. He has been described as kaivalya. He is the aggregate of pure consciousness and bliss, and there is nothing else that can designate him. His atman is pure consciousness. O scorcher of enemies! At the time of the original creation, he used his own maya to agitate the three gunas and create the thread. 1069 This thread is spoken of as the manifestation of the three gunas and creates the universe, which faces in all the directions. This universe is woven into that thread, through which, humans undergo samsara. From inside its heart, the spider expands its web through its mouth, plays for a while and then swallows it up again. The great lord behaves like that. If an embodied being fixes his mind and intelligence completely in something, out of love, hatred or fear, that will certainly be the form he obtains. O king! An insect is forced by a wasp to enter its nest and once there, it thinks about the wasp and assumes its form, without giving up its former form. O lord! My intelligence has learnt from these preceptors. Now hear about what my intelligence has learnt from my own body. I will tell you. Since it has caused non-attachment and discrimination, my body is my preceptor. Since it is subject to creation, preservation and destruction, it is a constant source of hardships. Nevertheless, I have used it to contemplate the truth. Having determined that it belongs to others, 1070 I roam around without being attached to it. It is with a desire to nourish and develop this beloved body that a person goes through great hardships to get a wife, offspring, riches, animals, servants, houses and relatives and accumulate wealth. However, at the end, it is destroyed, just as a tree follows its dharma and perishes, leaving a seed behind. The tongue drags such a person in one direction, thirst in another. The genitals drag in one direction, the stomach or the ears somewhere else. The sense of smell drags in one direction, the fickle eyes in another. The organs of action head elsewhere. These are like many co-wives who tug at the master of the household. In ancient times, using his own potencies, the one without origin created many species—trees, reptiles, animals, birds, gnats and fish. However, his heart was not satisfied with this and he fashioned humans. The divinity was delighted, because they possessed the intelligence to realize the brahman. Though it is not permanent, this birth as a human is extremely difficult to obtain and comes after many births. Before he dies, a persevering person must immediately make efforts to prevent his downfall. Indeed, the objects of the senses can be enjoyed as any kind of species. In this way, non-attachment was generated and I obtained insight about vijnana. Devoid of attachment, I roam around in this world and have no sense of ahamkara. Jnana obtained from a single preceptor is not stable and may not even be complete. Though
the brahman is without a second, rishis have chanted about it in many ways.”

  ‘The illustrious one concluded, “The brahmana, profound in his intelligence, spoke to Yadu in this way and sought his leave. The king honoured and worshipped him. Happy, he went to wherever he had come from. Hearing the words of the avadhuta, the forefather of our ancestors freed himself of all his attachments and his mind became impartial towards everything.”’

  Chapter 11(10)

  ‘The illustrious one said, “A person must seek refuge with me and carefully follow his own dharma, as instructed by me. Without harbouring any desire, he must observe the conduct appropriate to his varna, ashrama and lineage. With his atman purified, he must think about the truth and see that embodied beings are attached to material objects. Since these are based on the gunas, all efforts will lead to calamities. While asleep, one sees material objects, thinking and wishing for them, but this is futile. Similarly, because of the gunas, the intelligence thinks of the atman as many and differentiated. Immersed in me, a person must give up acts of pravritti and engage in acts of nivritti. A person must be engaged in inquiring and must not accept acts simply because they have been sanctioned. Having immersed himself in me, a person must always accept the norms of yama and, occasionally, the norms of niyama. 1071 He must be free from pride and envy. He must be accomplished, without a sense of ownership and firm in his friendship. He must not be hasty and must seek to know the truth. He must not be jealous and must not waste his words in unnecessary talk. He must be indifferent towards a wife, offspring, a house, fields, relatives, property and other things. He must be impartial and realize that all these are for the purposes of the atman. The gross is distinct from the subtle. Similarly, he must look at his own atman and know it as distinct from the body. The fire is different from the kindling that is burnt. The fire that burns is different from the one that illuminates. Depending on the qualities of what it has entered, the fire assumes those qualities—dormant, blazing, large, small. That is the way with the atman and the attributes of the body.