Sri Bhagavaam - Canto 5 (Skandah 5) Chapters 6 to 9

Vyasadev

Praneetha

The Mad Bhagavatam

 

Canto 5

Chapter 6: Lord Rishabhadeva's Activities

This chapter tells how Lord Ṛṣabhadeva left His body. He was not attached to His body even when it was being burned up in a forest fire. When the seed of fruitive activity is burned by the fire of knowledge, the spiritual properties and mystic powers are automatically manifest, yet bhakti-yoga is not affected by these mystic powers. An ordinary yogī is captivated by mystic powers and his progress checked; therefore a perfect yogī does not welcome them. Because the mind is restless and undependable, it must remain always under control. Even the mind of the advanced yogī Saubhari created such a disturbance that he lost his yogic mystic powers. Due to a restless mind, even a very advanced yogī can fall down. The mind is so restless that it induces even a perfect yogī to be controlled by the senses. Therefore Lord Ṛṣabhadeva, for the instruction of all yogīs, showed the process of quitting the body. While traveling in South India, through the provinces of Karṇāṭa, Koṅka, Veṅka and Kuṭaka, Lord Ṛṣabhadeva arrived in the neighborhood of Kuṭakācala. Suddenly there was a forest fire that burned the forest and Lord Ṛṣabhadeva's body to ashes. The pastimes of Lord Ṛṣabhadeva as a liberated soul were known by the King of Koṅka, Veṅka and Kuṭaka. This King's name was Arhat. He later became captivated by the illusory energy, and in this condition he set forth the basic principles of Jainism. Lord Ṛṣabhadeva set forth the principles of religion that can free one from material bondage, and He put an end to all kinds of atheistic activities. On this earth, the place known as Bhārata-varṣa was a very pious land because the Supreme Lord appeared there when He wanted to incarnate.
Lord Ṛṣabhadeva neglected all the mystic powers for which the so-called yogīs hanker. Because of the beauty of devotional service, devotees are not at all interested in so-called mystic power. The master of all yogic power, Lord Kṛṣṇa, can exhibit all powers on behalf of His devotee. Devotional service is more valuable than yogic mystic powers. Devotees who are sometimes misled aspire for liberation and mystic powers. The Supreme Lord gives these devotees whatever they desire, but they cannot attain the most important function of devotional service. Devotional service to the Lord is guaranteed for those who do not desire liberation and mystic power.

5.6.1

rājovāca

na nūnaṁ bhagava ātmārāmāṇāṁ yoga-samīrita-jñānāvabharjita-karma-bījānām aiśvaryāṇi punaḥ kleśadāni bhavitum arhanti yadṛc-chayopagatāni.

(1) The king said: 'O Supreme One, by those self-satisfied souls of whom the seed of fruitive action has been burned by the spiritual knowledge that was acquired by the practice of yoga, mystical powers are automatically achieved; how can they become a hindrance?'

5.6.2

ṛṣir uvāca

satyam uktaṁ kintv iha vā eke na manaso 'ddhā viśrambham anavasthānasya śaṭha-kirāta iva saṅgacchante.

(2) The sage said: 'You're quite right [in saying that yoga leads to certain powers], but in this world one, just like a cunning hunter, doesn't directly put faith in the mind that [just like game] always runs off.

5.6.3

tathā coktam—
na kuryāt karhicit sakhyaṁ
manasi hy anavasthite
yad-viśrambhāc cirāc cīrṇaṁ
caskanda tapa aiśvaram

 (3) Therefore one says that one should never make friends with the restless mind. Even the greatest ones [like Lord S'iva and sage Saubhari] were disturbed by it after for a long time having put faith in practicing austerities.

5.6.4

nityaṁ dadāti kāmasya
cchidraṁ tam anu ye 'rayaḥ
yoginaḥ kṛta-maitrasya
patyur jāyeva puṁścalī

(4) Just as a husband with an adulterous wife must guard against competitors, also yoga adepts will have to wake against putting faith in the mind that so easily is carried away by lust motives.

5.6.5

kāmo manyur mado lobhaḥ
śoka-moha-bhayādayaḥ
karma-bandhaś ca yan-mūlaḥ
svīkuryāt ko nu tad budhaḥ

(5) Which man of wisdom would confide in the [undirected] mind that is the breeding ground for the lust, anger, pride, greed, lamentation, illusion and fear that together constitute the bondage to one's karma?

5.6.6

athaivam akhila-loka-pāla-lalāmo 'pi vilakṣaṇair jaḍavad avadhūta-veṣa-bhāṣā-caritair avilakṣita-bhagavat-prabhāvo yogināṁ sāmparāya-vidhim anuśikṣayan sva-kalevaraṁ jihāsur ātmany ātmānam asaṁvyavahitam anarthāntara-bhāvenānvīkṣamāṇa uparatānuvṛttir upararāma.

 (6) Even though He [Rishabha] was the head of all kings and rulers of this universe, He in terms of this logic acted in the dress, with the language and the character of an avadhûta [5.5: 29] as if He was dumb. He concealed His supreme lordship in order to be able to teach the yogis by the example of His own personal vehicle of time how to forsake in yoga. As if He was a normal mortal being who tries to forsake his physical body He, according to the supreme command of the Soul, not hindered by the illusory of matter always kept to Himself the vision from within of the love transcendental to all vice and put an end to His material existence.

5.6.7

asya ha vā evaṁ mukta-liṅgasya bhagavata ṛṣabhasya yogamāyā-vāsanayā deha imāṁ jagatīm abhimānābhāsena saṅkramamāṇaḥ koṅka-veṅka-kuṭakān dakṣiṇa-karṇāṭakān deśān yadṛcchayopagataḥ kuṭakācalopavana āsya kṛtāśma-kavala unmāda iva mukta-mūrdhajo 'saṁvīta eva vicacāra.

(7) With Him the Supreme Lord Rishabhadeva who was free from any vital self-interest, we thus saw the apparent physical presence, the motivated appearance of His body in this illusory world. He all by Himself traveled the lands of South India: Konka, Venka and Kuthaka in the province of Karnâtha, and reached a forest nearby Kuthakâcala. There He with a handful of stones in His mouth, wandered around naked and with scattered hair like He was a madman.

5.6.8

atha samīra-vega-vidhūta-veṇu-vikarṣaṇa-jātogra-dāvānalas tad vanam ālelihānaḥ saha tena dadāha.

(8) In a fierce forest fire blazing all around that was caused by the friction of bamboo stalks tossed about by the force of the wind, His body in that forest then burned to ashes.

5.6.9

yasya kilānucaritam upākarṇya koṅka-veṅka-kuṭakānāṁ rājārhan-nāmopaśikṣya kalāv adharma utkṛṣyamāṇe bhavitavyena vimohitaḥ sva-dharma-patham akuto-bhayam apahāya kupatha-pākhaṇḍam asamañjasaṁ nija-manīṣayā mandaḥ sampravartayiṣyate.

(9) Hearing about His pastimes of being free from all ritual and custom, the king of Konka, Venka and Kuthaka who carried the name Arhat [the Jain, the venerable one] took to an imitation of them. Bewildered by an increase of irreligious life that forbode the arrival of the Kali-yuga Age of Quarrel, he gave up the safe path of religion that would ward off all fear and adopted a non-conformistic, wrong, heretical view by introducing most foolishly a concoction of His own.

5.6.10

yena ha vāva kalau manujāpasadā deva-māyā-mohitāḥ sva-vidhi-niyoga-śauca-cāritra-vihīnā deva-helanāny apavratāni nija-nijecchayā gṛhṇānā asnānānācamanāśauca-keśolluñcanādīni kalinādharma-bahulenopahata-dhiyo brahma-brāhmaṇa-yajña-puruṣa-loka-vidūṣakāḥ prāyeṇa bhaviṣyanti.

 (10) The lowest of mankind in this age of Kali who, lacking in character, cleanliness and dutifulness with the rules and regulations are bewildered by the illusory energy of God, will because of this [kind of practice] in neglect of the divine, self-willed and with wrong principles follow strange rules as not bathing, not cleaning the mouth, being dirty and plucking out the hair. With their consciousness spoiled by an abundance of modern time adharma [or forsaking of duties] they will fall into blaspheming the Vedas, the brahmins, rituals such as sacrifices and the Supreme Personality and the devotees.

5.6.11

te ca hy arvāktanayā nija-loka-yātrayāndha-paramparayāśvastās tamasy andhe svayam eva prapatiṣyanti.

 (11) They who encouraged by blind predecessors with a deviating practice have built their own little world [or cult] will themselves being blinded land in darkness [compare B.G. 16: 16, 16: 23].

5.6.12

ayam avatāro rajasopapluta-kaivalyopaśikṣaṇārthaḥ.

(12) This avatâra of the Lord was there for the purpoe of instructing the people who are overwhelmed by passion in the matter of emancipation or how they should reach eternal happiness [or final beatitude, kaivalya].

5.6.13

tasyānuguṇān ślokān gāyanti—
aho bhuvaḥ sapta-samudravatyā
dvīpeṣu varṣeṣv adhipuṇyam etat
gāyanti yatratya-janā murāreḥ
karmāṇi bhadrāṇy avatāravanti

 (13) About Him the people in line with these teachings sing the following verses: 'Oh, of all the lands on the continents of this world with its seven seas, this land [of Bhârata-varsha, India] is the most meritorious, for their people sing about the all-auspicious activities of Murâri in His many incarnations [Krishna as the enemy of the foolish one, Mura].'

5.6.14

aho nu vaṁśo yaśasāvadātaḥ
praiyavrato yatra pumān purāṇaḥ
kṛtāvatāraḥ puruṣaḥ sa ādyaś
cacāra dharmaṁ yad akarma-hetum

 (14) 'Oh what should one say about the pure and renown dynasty of King Priyavrata wherein the Original Person, the Supreme Personality descended as an incarnation? He, the Unparalleled One performed the religious duty that puts an end to profit-minded labor [the dharma that leads to akarma].'

5.6.15

ko nv asya kāṣṭhām aparo 'nugacchen
mano-rathenāpy abhavasya yogī
yo yoga-māyāḥ spṛhayaty udastā
hy asattayā yena kṛta-prayatnāḥ

(15) 'Is there any other yogi of perseverance and determination who, desiring the perfections that were rejected by Rishabha for being insubstantial, can follow but even in his mind the example of this unborn Godhead?

5.6.16

iti ha sma sakala-veda-loka-deva-brāhmaṇa-gavāṁ parama-guror bhagavata ṛṣabhākhyasya viśuddhācaritam īritaṁ puṁsāṁ samasta-duścaritābhiharaṇaṁ parama-mahā-maṅgalāyanam idam anuśraddhayopacitayānuśṛṇoty āśrāvayati vāvahito bhagavati tasmin vāsudeva ekāntato bhaktir anayor api samanuvartate.

(16) I have thus expounded on the pure activities of the Supreme Lord named Rishabha, who is the most worshipable master of all Vedic knowledge for the common man, the God-conscious ones, the brahmins and the cows. He who following in the footsteps of the great [the paramparâ], with a growing faith and devotion attentively listens to, speaks to others about or personally attends to this refuge of His great and supreme auspiciousness that puts an end to all the sins of every living being, will unto Him, the Supreme Lord Vâsudeva, be favorably disposed with unflinching devotion in both the forms of listening and speaking.

5.6.17

yasyām eva kavaya ātmānam avirataṁ vividha-vṛjina-saṁsāra-paritāpopatapyamānam anusavanaṁ snāpayantas tayaiva parayā nirvṛtyā hy apavargam ātyantikaṁ parama-puruṣārtham api svayam āsāditaṁ no evādriyante bhagavadīyatvenaiva parisamāpta-sarvārthāḥ.

(17) But in that devotion incessantly bathing themselves in order to be freed from suffering the various troublesome conditions of material existence, the ones of wisdom [among them] do not endeavor for that beatitude of retreat, that supreme and eternal purpose of all human beings, because having entered a relationship with the Supreme Personality all their material desires found their completion.

5.6.18

rājan patir gurur alaṁ bhavatāṁ yadūnāṁ
daivaṁ priyaḥ kula-patiḥ kva ca kiṅkaro vaḥ
astv evam aṅga bhagavān bhajatāṁ mukundo
muktiṁ dadāti karhicit sma na bhakti-yogam

 (18) Dear King [Parîkchit], He undoubtedly was the maintainer and teacher, the worshipable deity, friend and master of your Yadu line and sometimes He even acted as a servant. Thus my best one He indeed was Mukunda, the Supreme Lord who grants liberation [mukti], but to [confidentially] engage someone in His devotional service [like Arjuna on the battlefield] He did [nor does] not that easily.

5.6.19

nityānubhūta-nija-lābha-nivṛtta-tṛṣṇaḥ
śreyasy atad-racanayā cira-supta-buddheḥ
lokasya yaḥ karuṇayābhayam ātma-lokam
ākhyān namo bhagavate ṛṣabhāya tasmai

(19) All glories to Him, the Supreme Lord Rishabhadeva, He who always directed at His true identity, complete within Himself and without desires, was as graceful to expand for the true welfare of man His activities in the material field and in that capacity, for the materially identified human being whose intelligence slept a long time, was of instruction about the true self free from fear.'

Canto 5

Chapter 7: The Activities of King Bharata

In this chapter, the activities of King Bharata Mahārāja, the emperor of the whole world, are described. Bharata Mahārāja performed various ritualistic ceremonies (Vedic yajñas) and satisfied the Supreme Lord by his different modes of worship. In due course of time, he left home and resided in Hardwar and passed his days in devotional activities. Being ordered by his father, Lord Ṛṣabhadeva, Bharata Mahārāja married Pañcajanī, the daughter of Viśvarūpa. After this, he ruled the whole world peacefully. Formerly this planet was known as Ajanābha, and after the reign of Bharata Mahārāja it became known as Bhārata-varṣa. Bharata Mahārāja begot five sons in the womb of Pañcajanī, and he named the sons Sumati, Rāṣṭrabhṛta, Sudarśana, Āvaraṇa and Dhūmraketu. Bharata Mahārāja was very rigid in executing religious principles and following in the footsteps of his father. He therefore ruled the citizens very successfully. Because he performed various yajñas to satisfy the Supreme Lord, he was personally very satisfied. Being of undisturbed mind, he increased his devotional activities unto Lord Vāsudeva. Bharata Mahārāja was competent in understanding the principles of saintly persons like Nārada, and he followed in the footsteps of the sages. He also kept Lord Vāsudeva constantly within his heart. After finishing his kingly duties, he divided his kingdom among his five sons. He then left home and went to the place of Pulaha known as Pulahāśrama. There he ate forest vegetables and fruits, and worshiped Lord Vāsudeva with everything available. Thus he increased his devotion toward Vāsudeva, and he automatically began to realize further his transcendental, blissful life. Due to his highly advanced spiritual position, there were sometimes visible in his body the aṣṭa-sāttvika transformations, such as ecstatic crying and bodily trembling, which are symptoms of love of Godhead. It is understood that Mahārāja Bharata worshiped the Supreme Lord with the mantras mentioned in the Ṛg Veda, generally known as Gāyatrī mantra, which aim at the Supreme Nārāyaṇa situated within the sun.

5.7.1

śrī-śuka uvāca

bharatas tu mahā-bhāgavato yadā bhagavatāvani-tala-paripālanāya sañcintitas tad-anuśāsana-paraḥ pañcajanīṁ viśvarūpa-duhitaram upayeme.

(1) S'rî S'uka said: 'When Bharata ['to be maintained'] who was a most exalted devotee, to the order of his father decided to rule the earth he, assuming that supreme command, married the daughter of Vis'varûpa, Pañcajanî.

5.7.2

asyām u ha vā ātmajān kārtsnyenānurūpān ātmanaḥ pañca janayām āsa bhūtādir iva bhūta-sūkṣmāṇi sumatiṁ rāṣṭrabhṛtaṁ sudarśanam āvaraṇaṁ dhūmraketum iti.

 (2) The way one identified with matter has to deal with the five sense objects [of sound, taste etc.], Bharata likewise begot in her five sons who were just like him: Sumati, Râshthrabhrita, Sudars'ana, Âvarana and Dhûmraketu.

5.7.3

ajanābhaṁ nāmaitad varṣaṁ bhāratam iti yata ārabhya vyapadiśanti.

(3) This part of the world called Ajanâbha [referring to king Nâbhi, see 5: 3] is since the rule of Bharata celebrated as Bhârata-varsha [the land of Bharata, now India].

5.7.4

sa bahuvin mahī-patiḥ pitṛ-pitāmahavad uru-vatsalatayā sve sve karmaṇi vartamānāḥ prajāḥ sva-dharmam anuvartamānaḥ paryapālayat.

 (4) He who was a great scholar, was a ruler as great as his father and grandfather who governing with a caring heart kept himself and his citizens to the duties.

5.7.5

īje ca bhagavantaṁ yajña-kratu-rūpaṁ kratubhir uccāvacaiḥ śraddhayāhṛtāgnihotra-darśa-pūrṇamāsa-cāturmāsya-paśu-somānāṁ prakṛti-vikṛtibhir anusavanaṁ cāturhotra-vidhinā

 (5) He next to that worshiped the Supreme Lord with great and small sacrifices with and without animals. Full of faith agni-hotra, dars'a, pûrnamâsa, câturmâsya, pas'u and soma-rasa yajñas were performed in part or fully, which as was prescribed practically always were conducted by  four priests (*).

5.7.6

sampracaratsu nānā-yāgeṣu viracitāṅga-kriyeṣv apūrvaṁ yat tat kriyā-phalaṁ dharmākhyaṁ pare brahmaṇi yajña-puruṣe sarva-devatā-liṅgānāṁ mantrāṇām artha-niyāma-katayā sākṣāt-kartari para-devatāyāṁ bhagavati vāsudeva eva bhāvayamāna ātma-naipuṇya-mṛdita-kaṣāyo haviḥṣv adhvaryubhir gṛhyamāṇeṣu sa yajamāno yajña-bhājo devāṁs tān puruṣāvayaveṣv abhyadhyāyat.

(6) When the expert priests with all supplementary rites were engaged in performing the various sacrifices, he who constantly thinking of Vâsudeva, the Supreme Lord in the spirit of the hymns was freed from lust and anger, recognized that all the different demigods, the recipients of the results, the ingredients of the offering and he himself the sacrificer, were all part of the body of the One Original Person. He was the one enjoyer who, irrespective the results of the sacrificial ceremony for the dharma in question, was their controller, their doer and their origin, He was the one responsible for the complete of all the gods.

5.7.7

evaṁ karma-viśuddhyā viśuddha-sattvasyāntar-hṛdayākāśa-śarīre brahmaṇi bhagavati vāsudeve mahā-puruṣa-rūpopalakṣaṇe śrīvatsa-kaustubha-vana-mālāri-dara-gadādibhir upalakṣite nija-puruṣa-hṛl-likhitenātmani puruṣa-rūpeṇa virocamāna uccaistarāṁ bhaktir anudinam edhamāna-rayājāyata.

(7) He [Bharata] in the purity of his service was thus of the purest goodness unto the Supersoul within the heart of the ethereal body, unto the impersonal spirit of Brahman and unto Bhagavân, the Supreme Lord, Vâsudeva, the Supreme Personality whose form is recognized by the S'rîvatsa mark on the chest, the Kaustubha gem, the flower garland, the disc, the conch shell, the club and other symbols. Once He as an indelible image has appeared in the heart of the devotee, He who on the highest level is known by His radiating personal form, has the power to increase one's devotion day after day.

5.7.8

evaṁ varṣāyuta-sahasra-paryantāvasita-karma-nirvāṇāvasaro 'dhibhujyamānaṁ sva-tanayebhyo rikthaṁ pitṛ-paitāmahaṁ yathā-dāyaṁ vibhajya svayaṁ sakala-sampan-niketāt sva-niketāt pulahāśramaṁ pravavrāja.

 (8) Thus for a countless number of millennia [by this exemplary practice] having ascertained the wealth he had received from his forefathers, he personally, at the right moment for abandoning his earthly duties, properly divided his kingdom among his sons and then left that ancestral abode behind to go to the meditation resort of Pulaha in Hardwar.

5.7.9

yatra ha vāva bhagavān harir adyāpi tatratyānāṁ nija-janānāṁ vātsalyena sannidhāpyata icch-rūpeṇa.

(9) It is the place where even today the Supreme Lord Hari moved by His paternal affection shows Himself to the there residing devotees in the form they prefer.

5.7.10

yatrāśrama-padāny ubhayato nābhibhir dṛṣac-cakraiś cakra-nadī nāma sarit-pravarā sarvataḥ pavitrī-karoti.

(10) At different places that meditation resort is blessed with water from the main river the Cakra-nadî [the Gandakî]. In that river one finds the [round] stones with the concentric circles on top and below [the black oval pebbles that serve as objects of worship, the so-called S'âlagrâma-s'ilâs].

5.7.11

tasmin vāva kila sa ekalaḥ pulahāśramopavane vividha-kusuma-kisalaya-tulasikāmbubhiḥ kanda-mūla-phalopahāraiś ca samīhamāno bhagavata ārādhanaṁ vivikta uparata-viṣayābhilāṣa upabhṛtopaśamaḥ parāṁ nirvṛtim avāpa.

 (11) There in the fields of Pulaha's meditation resort he with offerings of roots, bulbs and fruits combined with water, twigs, tulasî leaves and all kinds of flowers, worshiped the Supreme Lord and was thus, delivered from all material desires, purified in a steady increase of transcendental tranquility that brought him satisfaction.

5.7.12

tayettham avirata-puruṣa-paricaryayā bhagavati pravardhamānā-nurāga-bhara-druta-hṛdaya-śaithilyaḥ praharṣa-vegenātmany udbhidyamāna-roma-pulaka-kulaka autkaṇṭhya-pravṛtta-praṇaya-bāṣpa-niruddhāvaloka-nayana evaṁ nija-ramaṇāruṇa-caraṇāravindānudhyāna-paricita-bhakti-yogena paripluta-paramāhlāda-gambhīra-hṛdaya-hradāvagāḍha-dhiṣaṇas tām api kriyamāṇāṁ bhagavat-saparyāṁ na sasmāra.

(12) By that constant practice of serving the Original Personality of the Supreme Lord, with the weight of the incessantly increasing attachment to Him the laxity of his heart disappeared. By the force of his transcendental bliss the hairs on his body stood on end with tears blurring his vision that sprang into his eyes because of his intense longing. Thus meditating upon the pink lotus feet of the Lord, there was from his bhakti-yoga an increase spreading everywhere of the highest and deepest spiritual ecstasy in his heart in which he was immersed as in a lake and because of which he, despite of  his intelligence, no longer in his efforts for the Lord was capable of remembering his regular service.

5.7.13

itthaṁ dhṛta-bhagavad-vrata aiṇeyājina-vāsasānusavanābhiṣekārdra-kapiśa-kuṭila-jaṭā-kalāpena ca virocamānaḥ sūryarcā bhagavantaṁ hiraṇmayaṁ puruṣam ujjihāne sūrya-maṇḍale 'bhyupatiṣṭhann etad u hovāca.

(13) Dressed in a deerskin he, with the mass of his beautiful brown, curly, matted hair being wet because of bathing three times a day, thus vowed to serve the Supreme Lord was of worship for the Original Personality in His golden appearance as the sun globe (**). Thereto he at sunrise payed homage to [Him as] the Sun God with reciting the following Vedic hymn:

5.7.14

paro-rajaḥ savitur jāta-vedo
devasya bhargo manasedaṁ jajāna
suretasādaḥ punar āviśya caṣṭe
haṁsaṁ gṛdhrāṇaṁ nṛṣad-riṅgirām imaḥ

(14) 'Beyond of passion [in goodness] minding this created universe, there is the self-effulgence illumining, the grace of God fulfilling with sacred knowledge. Time and again entering [this world with Your radiating sun globe or as a Vishnu avatâra] You supervise the living being hankering after material pleasure. All my respects for the One residing among us who moves all!' 

*: Such sacrifices are now impossible to conduct in this age due to the scarcity of expert brahmins or ritvijah who are able to take the responsibility. In the absence of these, is the sankîrtana-yajña singing of the holy names recommended. 

**: The deity of the sun is by the common Hindu nowadays worshiped by means of the Gâyatrî mantra, one of the most important mantras of purification and liberation kindred to the one expressed in this chapter by Bharata Mahârâj: om bhûr bhuvah svah, tat savitur varenyam, bhargo devasya dhîmahi, dhyo yonah prachodayat -, a prayer meaning:

The original form of the body,
the lifeforce and the supreme abode;
that source of life most excellent,
that divine luster we meditate -
may this light illumine our intellect.

 

Canto 5

Chapter 8: The Rebirth of Bharata Mahârâja

Although Bharata Mahārāja was very elevated, he fell down due to his attachment to a young deer. One day after Bharata Mahārāja had taken his bath as usual in the River Gaṇḍakī and was chanting his mantra, he saw a pregnant deer come to the river to drink water. Suddenly there could be heard the thundering roar of a lion, and the deer was so frightened that it immediately gave birth to its calf. It then crossed the river, but died immediately thereafter. Mahārāja Bharata took compassion upon the motherless calf, rescued it from the water, took it to his āśrama and cared for it affectionately. He gradually became attached to this young deer and always thought of it affectionately. As it grew up, it became Mahārāja Bharata's constant companion, and he always took care of it. Gradually he became so absorbed in thinking of this deer that his mind became agitated. As he became more attached to the deer, his devotional service slackened. Although he was able to give up his opulent kingdom, he became attached to the deer. Thus he fell down from his mystic yoga practice. Once when the deer was absent, Mahārāja Bharata was so disturbed that he began to search for it. While searching and lamenting the deer's absence, Mahārāja Bharata fell down and died. Because his mind was fully absorbed thinking of the deer, he naturally took his next birth from the womb of a deer. However, because he was considerably advanced spiritually, he did not forget his past activities, even though he was in the body of a deer. He could understand how he had fallen down from his exalted position, and remembering this, he left his mother deer and again went to Pulaha-āśrama. He finally ended his fruitive activities in the form of a deer, and when he died he was released from the deer's body.

5.8.1

śrī-śuka uvāca

ekadā tu mahā-nadyāṁ kṛtābhiṣeka-naiyamikāvaśyako brahmākṣaram abhigṛṇāno muhūrta-trayam udakānta upaviveśa.

(1) S'rî S'uka said: 'Once upon a time having taken a bath in the great Gandakî he [Bharata] after performing his daily duties sat for a few minutes down on the bank of the river to chant the transcendental syllable [AUM].

5.8.2

tatra tadā rājan hariṇī pipāsayā jalāśayābhyāśam ekaivopajagāma.

(2) O King, he then saw a single doe which being thirsty had come to the river.

5.8.3

tayā pepīyamāna udake tāvad evāvidūreṇa nadato mṛga-pater unnādo loka-bhayaṅkara udapatat.

(3) At the moment it eagerly drank from the water, nearby the loud roar of a lion sounded that terrifies all living beings.

5.8.4

tam upaśrutya sā mṛga-vadhūḥ prakṛti-viklavā cakita-nirīkṣaṇā sutarām api hari-bhayābhiniveśa-vyagra-hṛdayā pāriplava-dṛṣṭir agata-tṛṣā bhayāt sahasaivoccakrāma.

 (4) When the doe heard that tumultuous sound she fearfully looking about, immediately without having quenched her thirst out of fear for the lion leaped over the river.

5.8.5

tasyā utpatantyā antarvatnyā uru-bhayāvagalito yoni-nirgato garbhaḥ srotasi nipapāta.

(5) Because of the force of that leap in great fear she being pregnant lost her baby which having slipped from her womb fell into the water.

5.8.6

tat-prasavotsarpaṇa-bhaya-khedāturā sva-gaṇena viyujyamānā kasyāñcid daryāṁ kṛṣṇa-sārasatī nipapātātha ca mamāra.

(6) Exhausted from the miscarriage caused by the jumping and the fear, the black doe being separated from the flock fell somewhere down into a cave and died.

5.8.7

taṁ tv eṇa-kuṇakaṁ kṛpaṇaṁ srotasānūhyamānam abhivīkṣyāpaviddhaṁ bandhur ivānukampayā rājarṣir bharata ādāya mṛta-mātaram ity āśrama-padam anayat.

(7) Seeing how that deer calf being separated from its kind, helplessly floated away in the stream, the wise king Bharata considering it orphaned, took it as a friend compassionately to his âs'rama.

5.8.8

tasya ha vā eṇa-kuṇaka uccair etasmin kṛta-nijābhimānasyāhar-ahas tat-poṣaṇa-pālana-lālana-prīṇanānudhyānenātma-niyamāḥ saha-yamāḥ puruṣa-paricaryādaya ekaikaśaḥ katipayenāhar-gaṇena viyujyamānāḥ kila sarva evodavasan.

 (8) Adopting it as his own child, feeding it every day, protecting it, raising it and petting it, he got greatly attached to this deer calf. Within a couple of days he thus, having given up his routines, his self-restraint and his worship of the Original Person, lost his entire practice of detachment.

5.8.9

aho batāyaṁ hariṇa-kuṇakaḥ kṛpaṇa īśvara-ratha-caraṇa-paribhramaṇa-rayeṇa sva-gaṇa-suhṛd-bandhubhyaḥ parivarjitaḥ śaraṇaṁ ca mopasādito mām eva mātā-pitarau bhrātṛ-jñātīn yauthikāṁś caivopeyāya nānyaṁ kañcana veda mayy ati-visrabdhaś cāta eva mayā mat-parāyaṇasya poṣaṇa-pālana-prīṇana-lālanam anasūyunānuṣṭheyaṁ śaraṇyopekṣā-doṣa-viduṣā.

(9) 'Alas! [he thought to himself], by the Controller turning the wheel of time this creature was deprived of its family, friends and relatives. Finding me for its shelter, it has only me as its father, mother, brother and member of the herd. Surely having no one else it puts great faith in me as the support to rely upon and thus fully depends on me for its learning, sustenance, love and protection. I have got to admit that it is wrong to neglect someone who has taken shelter and must acccordingly act without regrets.

5.8.10

nūnaṁ hy āryāḥ sādhava upaśama-śīlāḥ kṛpaṇa-suhṛda evaṁ-vidhārthe svārthān api gurutarān upekṣante.

(10) Undoubtedly all honorable and pious souls will, however detached they are, put aside even their most important self-interests in order to live up to those principles as friends of the poor.'

5.8.11

iti kṛtānuṣaṅga āsana-śayanāṭana-snānāśanādiṣu saha mṛga-jahunā snehānubaddha-hṛdaya āsīt.

(11) Thus having grown attached as he sat, laid down, walked, bathed, ate etc. with the young animal, his heart became captivated by affection.

5.8.12

kuśa-kusuma-samit-palāśa-phala-mūlodakāny āhariṣyamāṇo vṛkasālā-vṛkādibhyo bhayam āśaṁsamāno yadā saha hariṇa-kuṇakena vanaṁ samāviśati.

(12) When he went into the forest to collect flowers, firewood, kus'a grass, leaves, fruits, roots and water, he, apprehensive about wolves, dogs and other animals of prey, always took the deer with him.

5.8.13

pathiṣu ca mugdha-bhāvena tatra tatra viṣakta-mati-praṇaya-bhara-hṛdayaḥ kārpaṇyāt skandhenodvahati evam utsaṅga urasi cādhāyopalālayan mudaṁ paramām avāpa.

(13) On his way he, with a mind and heart full of love, carried it on his shoulder now and then, and kept, fond as he was of the young, it fondling it on his lap or on his chest when he slept and derived great pleasure from it.

5.8.14

kriyāyāṁ nirvartyamānāyām antarāle 'py utthāyotthāya yadainam abhicakṣīta tarhi vāva sa varṣa-patiḥ prakṛti-sthena manasā tasmā āśiṣa āśāste svasti stād vatsa te sarvata iti.

(14) During worship the emperor sometimes got up despite of not being finished, just to look after the deer calf and then felt happy bestowing all his blessings saying: 'O my dear calf I wish you all the best.'

5.8.15

anyadā bhṛśam udvigna-manā naṣṭa-draviṇa iva kṛpaṇaḥ sakaruṇam ati-tarṣeṇa hariṇa-kuṇaka-viraha-vihvala-hṛdaya-santāpas tam evānuśocan kila kaśmalaṁ mahad abhirambhita iti hovāca.

 (15) Sometimes being separated from the calf he was so anxious that he got upset like a piteous, miserly man who has lost his riches. He then found himself in a state wherein he couldn't think of anything else anymore. Thus he ran into the greatest illusion entertaining thoughts like:

5.8.16

api bata sa vai kṛpaṇa eṇa-bālako mṛta-hariṇī-suto 'ho mamānāryasya śaṭha-kirāta-mater akṛta-sukṛtasya kṛta-visrambha ātma-pratyayena tad avigaṇayan sujana ivāgamiṣyati.

(16) 'Oh, alas! My dear child, that orphan of a deer, must be very distressed. It'll turn up again and put faith in me as being a perfectly gentle member of its own kind. It will forget about me being such an ill-behaved cheater, such a bad-minded barbarian.

5.8.17

api kṣemeṇāsminn āśramopavane śaṣpāṇi carantaṁ deva-guptaṁ drak-ṣyām

(17) Will I see that creature protected by the gods again walk around and nibble grass unafraid in the garden of my âs'rama?

5.8.18

api ca na vṛkaḥ sālā-vṛko 'nyatamo vā naika-cara eka-caro vā bhak-ṣayati.

(18) Or would the poor thing be devoured by one of the many packs of wolves or dogs, or else a lone wandering tiger?

5.8.19

nimlocati ha bhagavān sakala-jagat-kṣemodayas trayy-ātmādyāpi mama na mṛga-vadhū-nyāsa āgacchati.

 (19) Alas, the Supreme Lord of the entire universe, the Lord of the three Vedas who is there for the prosperity of all, is [in the form of the sun] already setting; and still this baby that the mother entrusted to me has not returned!

5.8.20

pi svid akṛta-sukṛtam āgatya māṁ sukhayiṣyati hariṇa-rāja-kumāro vividha-rucira-darśanīya-nija-mṛga-dāraka-vinodair asantoṣaṁ svānām apanudan.

(20) Would that princely deer of mine really return and please me who gave up his different pious exercises? It was so cute to behold. Pleasing it in a way befitting its kind drove away all unhappiness!

5.8.21

kṣvelikāyāṁ māṁ mṛṣā-samādhināmīlita-dṛśaṁ prema-saṁrambheṇa cakita-cakita āgatya pṛṣad-aparuṣa-viṣāṇāgreṇa luṭhati.

 (21) Playing with me when I with closed eyes feigned to meditate, it would angrily out of love, trembling and timidly approach to touch my body with the tips of its horns that are as soft as water drops.

5.8.22

āsādita-haviṣi barhiṣi dūṣite mayopālabdho bhīta-bhītaḥ sapady uparata-rāsa ṛṣi-kumāravad avahita-karaṇa-kalāpa āste.

(22) When I grumbled at it for polluting the things placed on the kus'a grass for worship, it immediately in great fear stopped its play to sit down in complete restraint of its senses, just like the son of a saint would do.

5.8.23

kiṁ vā are ācaritaṁ tapas tapasvinyānayā yad iyam avaniḥ savinaya-kṛṣṇa-sāra-tanaya-tanutara-subhaga-śivatamākhara-khura-pada-paṅktibhir draviṇa-vidhurāturasya kṛpaṇasya mama draviṇa-padavīṁ sūcayanty ātmānaṁ ca sarvataḥ kṛta-kautukaṁ dvijānāṁ svargāpavarga-kāmānāṁ deva-yajanaṁ

(23) Oh, what practice of penance performed by the ones most austere on this planet can bring the earth the wealth of the sweet, small, beautiful and most auspicious soft imprints of the hooves of this most unhappy creature in pain of being lost! For me they indicate the way to achieve the wealth of the body of her lands that, on all sides adorned by them, are turned into places of sacrifice to the gods and the brahmins desirous on the path to heaven!

5.8.24

api svid asau bhagavān uḍu-patir enaṁ mṛga-pati-bhayān mṛta-mātaraṁ mṛga-bālakaṁ svāśrama-paribhraṣṭam anukampayā kṛpaṇa-jana-vatsalaḥ

(24) Could it be that the moon [god] so very powerful and kind to the unhappy, out of compassion for the young that lost its mother in her fear for the great beast of prey, is now protecting this deer child which strayed from my protective âs'rama?

5.8.25

kiṁ vātmaja-viśleṣa-jvara-dava-dahana-śikhābhir upatapyamāna-hṛdaya-sthala-nalinīkaṁ mām upasṛta-mṛgī-tanayaṁ śiśira-śāntānurāga-guṇita-nija-vadana-salilāmṛtamaya-gabhastibhiḥ svadhayatīti ca.

 (25) Or would he out of love by means of his rays, which so peaceful and cool stream from his face like nectarean water, comfort my heart, that red lotus flower to which the little deer submitted itself as my son and which now in the fire of separation burns with the flames of a forest fire?'

5.8.26

evam aghaṭamāna-manorathākula-hṛdayo mṛga-dārakābhāsena svārabdha-karmaṇā yogārambhaṇato vibhraṁśitaḥ sa yoga-tāpaso bhagavad-ārādhana-lakṣaṇāc ca katham itarathā jāty-antara eṇa-kuṇaka āsaṅgaḥ sākṣān niḥśreyasa-pratipakṣatayā prāk-parityakta-dustyaja-hṛdayābhijātasya tasyaivam antarāya-vihata-yogārambhaṇasya rājarṣer bharatasya tāvan mṛgārbhaka-poṣaṇa-pālana-prīṇana-lālanānuṣaṅgeṇāvigaṇayata ātmānam ahir ivākhu-bilaṁ duratikramaḥ kālaḥ karāla-rabhasa āpadyata.

(26) He whose heart was saddened by a mind derived from bad karma, thus was carried away by the impossible desire of having a son that looked like a deer and consequently failed in his yoga exercises, his penances and devotional service to the Supreme Lord. How could he, attached as he was to the body of a different species, the body of a deer calf, fulfill his life's purpose now with such a hindrance... he who previously had abandoned the so difficult to forsake sons he with a loving heart had fathered? King Bharata, who, absorbed in maintaining, pleasing, protecting and fondling a baby deer, because of that obstacle was obstructed in the execution of his yoga, thus neglected [the interest of] his soul while with terribly rapid strides inevitably his time approached like a snake entering the hole of a mouse.

5.8.27

tadānīm api pārśva-vartinam ātmajam ivānuśocantam abhivīkṣamāṇo mṛga evābhiniveśita-manā visṛjya lokam imaṁ saha mṛgeṇa kalevaraṁ mṛtam anu na mṛta-janmānusmṛtir itaravan mṛga-śarīram avāpa.

(27) The moment he left this world he found at his side the deer lamenting like his son that had occupied his mind. With his body dying in the presence of the deer, he thereafter himself obtained the body of a deer [see also B.G. 8: 6]. [But] when he upon his death got another body, his memory of his previous existence was not destroyed.

5.8.28

tatrāpi ha vā ātmano mṛgatva-kāraṇaṁ bhagavad-ārādhana-samīhānubhāvenānusmṛtya bhṛśam anutapyamāna āha.

(28) In that birth as a consequence of his past devotional activities constantly remembering what the cause was of having obtained the body of a deer, he remorsefully said:

5.8.29

aho kaṣṭaṁ bhraṣṭo 'ham ātmavatām anupathād yad-vimukta-samasta-saṅgasya vivikta-puṇyāraṇya-śaraṇasyātmavata ātmani sarveṣām ātmanāṁ bhagavati vāsudeve tad-anuśravaṇa-manana-saṅkīrtanārādhanānusmaraṇābhiyogenāśūnya-sakala-yāmena kālena samāveśitaṁ samāhitaṁ kārtsnyena manas tat tu punar mamābudhasyārān mṛga-sutam anu parisusrāva.

 (29) 'Oh what a misery! I have fallen from the way of life of the self-realized, despite of having given up my sons and home, living solitary in a sacred forest as someone who perfectly in accord with the soul takes shelter of the Supersoul of all beings and despite of constantly listening to and thinking about Him, the Supreme Lord Vâsudeva, spending all my hours with being absorbed in chanting, worshiping and remembering. In due course of time a mind fixed in such a practice turns into a mind fully established in the eternal reality, but having fallen in my affection for a young deer, I by contrast am a great fool again!'

5.8.30

ity evaṁ nigūḍha-nirvedo visṛjya mṛgīṁ mātaraṁ punar bhagavat-kṣetram upaśama-śīla-muni-gaṇa-dayitaṁ śālagrāmaṁ pulastya-pulahāśramaṁ kālañjarāt pratyājagāma.

(30) Thus in silence turning away from the world [he as] the deer gave up his deer mother and turned back from the Kâlañjara mountain where he was born, to the place where he before had worshiped the Supreme Lord, the âs'rama of Pulastya and Pulaha in the village called S'âlagrâma that is so dear to the great saints living there in complete detachment.

5.8.31

tasminn api kālaṁ pratīkṣamāṇaḥ saṅgāc ca bhṛśam udvigna ātma-sahacaraḥ śuṣka-parṇa-tṛṇa-vīrudhā vartamāno mṛgatva-nimittāvasānam eva gaṇayan mṛga-śarīraṁ tīrthodaka-klinnam ut-sasarja.

 (31) In that place eating fallen leaves and herbs, he awaited his time in the eternal company of the Supersoul and existed, vigilantly guarding against bad association, with the only motivation to put an end to the cause of his deer body that he, bathing in the water of that holy place, ultimately gave up.'

Canto 5

Chapter 9: The Supreme Character of Jada Bharata

In this chapter Bharata Mahārāja's attainment of the body of a brāhmaṇa is described. In this body he remained like one dull, deaf and dumb, so much so that when he was brought before the goddess Kālī to be killed as a sacrifice, he never protested but remained silent. After having given up the body of a deer, he took birth in the womb of the youngest wife of a brāhmaṇa. In this life he could also remember the activities of his past life, and in order to avoid the influence of society, he remained like a deaf and dumb person. He was very careful not to fall down again. He did not mix with anyone who was not a devotee. This process should be adopted by every devotee. As advised by Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu: asat-saṅga-tyāga-ei vaiṣṇava-ācāra [Cc. Madhya

5.9.1-2

śrī-śuka uvāca

atha kasyacid dvija-varasyāṅgiraḥ-pravarasya śama-dama-tapaḥ-svādhyāyādhyayana-tyāga-santoṣa-titikṣā-praśraya-vidyānasūyātma-jñānānanda-yuktasyātma-sadṛśa-śruta-śīlācāra-rūpaudārya-guṇā nava sodaryā aṅgajā babhūvur mithunaṁ ca yavīyasyāṁ bhāryāyām yas tu tatra pumāṁs taṁ parama-bhāgavataṁ rājarṣi-pravaraṁ bharatam utsṛṣṭa-mṛga-śarīraṁ carama-śarīreṇa vipratvaṁ gatam āhuḥ.

(1-2) S'rî S'uka said: 'After having given up his life of being embodied as a deer Bharata, the most exalted devotee and most honored of all saintly kings, in his last incarnation acquired the brahmin status. He was the male half of a twin brother and sister so one says, who were born from the second wife of a high-minded brahmin in the line of saint Angirâ. This brahmin being endowed with all the qualities was of a perfect control over the mind and the senses, of penance, Vedic study and recitation, of renunciation, satisfaction, tolerance, kindness, knowledge, of no envy and of spiritual happiness in the wisdom of the soul. With his first wife he had nine sons all equal to him in education, character, behavior, beauty and magnanimity.

5.9.3

tatrāpi svajana-saṅgāc ca bhṛśam udvijamāno bhagavataḥ karma-bandha-vidhvaṁsana-śravaṇa-smaraṇa-guṇa-vivaraṇa-caraṇāravinda-yugalaṁ manasā vidadhad ātmanaḥ pratighātam āśaṅkamāno bhagavad-anugraheṇānusmṛta-sva-pūrva-janmāvalir ātmānam unmatta-jaḍāndha-badhira-svarūpeṇa darśayām āsa lokasya.

(3) Also in that birth by the special mercy of the Lord remembering his previous lives, he, being greatly apprehensive not to fall down again, was in associating with his own kind always afraid of being obstructed on the path of devotional service and kept his mind focussed upon his soul. For that purpose he by hearing and remembering the descriptions of the qualities which vanquish the bondage to fruitive labor, always thought of the two lotus feet of the Supreme Lord. But to the local people he posed as someone of a mad, dull and blind character [because of which he was called Jada].

5.9.4

tasyāpi ha vā ātmajasya vipraḥ putra-snehānubaddha-manā āsamāvartanāt saṁskārān yathopadeśaṁ vidadhāna upanītasya ca punaḥ śaucācamanādīn karma-niyamān anabhipretān api samaśikṣayad anuśiṣṭena hi bhāvyaṁ pituḥ putreṇeti.

(4) His brahmin father who affectionately felt obliged to his son, thought that he, as a father to a son, should teach him, although against his will, that the regulative principles should be followed, so that he until the end of his student life again as someone of the sacred thread would practice the duties of cleanliness of the purification process as prescribed by the s'âstras.

5.9.5

sa cāpi tad u ha pitṛ-sannidhāv evāsadhrīcīnam iva sma karoti chandāṁsy adhyāpayiṣyan saha vyāhṛtibhiḥ sapraṇava-śiras tripadīṁ sāvitrīṁ graiṣma-vāsantikān māsān adhīyānam apy asamaveta-rūpaṁ grāhayām āsa.

 (5) But he also in the presence of his father acted as if he couldn't understand a thing of what was instructed. During the onset of the rainy season the father wished to teach him the Vedic mantras including the Gâyatrî preceded by Omkâra, but despite of his thorough instruction, he during the four months of the summer didn't succeed in teaching him their full mastery.

5.9.6

evaṁ sva-tanuja ātmany anurāgāveśita-cittaḥ śaucādhyayana-vrata-niyama-gurv-anala-śuśrūṣaṇādy-aupakurvāṇaka-karmāṇy anabhiyuktāny api samanuśiṣṭena bhāvyam ity asad-āgrahaḥ putram anuśāsya svayaṁ tāvad anadhigata-manorathaḥ kālenāpramattena svayaṁ gṛha eva pramatta upasaṁhṛtaḥ.

(6) Thus supposing that his son, although he didn't feel for it, should be fully instructed by him in all the cleanliness, Vedic literature, vows, principles, sacrifice and service to the guru that belongs to the celibate state [the brahmacarya-âs'rama], the brahmin who considered his son to be his life breath, in reality with this engagement was heavily attached to his household so that he, when he [was seized] by death who was not as forgetful [as he was], died as a man full of frustration about the insistent faking of his son.

5.9.7

atha yavīyasī dvija-satī sva-garbha-jātaṁ mithunaṁ sapatnyā upanyasya svayam anusaṁsthayā patilokam agāt.

 (7) His youngest wife from whose womb the twins were born, thereafter entrusted them to the first wife and then followed her husband to where he resided in his afterlife [Patiloka].

5.9.8

pitary uparate bhrātara enam atat-prabhāva-vidas trayyāṁ vidyāyām eva paryavasita-matayo na para-vidyāyāṁ jaḍa-matir iti bhrātur anuśāsana-nirbandhān nyavṛtsanta.

(8) Jada Bharata's stepbrothers, who having fixed their minds upon the ritual culture of the three Vedas had no understanding for the true knowledge of the Self, after the death of the father gave up the endeavor to teach anything to their half brother whom they, unaware of his faculties, considered a dullard.

5.9.9-10

sa ca prākṛtair dvipada-paśubhir unmatta-jaḍa-badhira-mūkety abhibhāṣyamāṇo yadā tad-anurūpāṇi prabhāṣate karmāṇi ca kāryamāṇaḥ parecchayā karoti viṣṭito vetanato vā yācñayā yadṛcchayā vopasāditam alpaṁ bahu mṛṣṭaṁ kadannaṁ vābhyavaharati paraṁ nendriya-prīti-nimittam. nitya-nivṛtta-nimitta-sva-siddha-viśuddhānubhavānanda-svātma-lābhādhigamaḥ sukha-duḥkhayor dvandva-nimittayor asambhāvita-dehābhimānaḥ. śītoṣṇa-vāta-varṣeṣu vṛṣa ivānāvṛtāṅgaḥ pīnaḥ saṁhananāṅgaḥ sthaṇḍila-saṁveśanānunmardanāmajjana-rajasā mahāmaṇir ivānabhivyakta-brahma-varcasaḥ kupaṭāvṛta-kaṭir upavītenoru-maṣiṇā dvijātir iti brahma-bandhur iti saṁjñayātaj-jñajanāvamato vicacāra.

(9-10) When he was addressed as being mad, dull, deaf and dumb by the materialistic two-legged animals, he used to use likewise words in reply. The things that he by force was summoned to do he did. He used to eat whatever small or large quantity of palatable or tasteless food he obtained by begging, by wages or what came on its own accord. He never lived to please his senses as he had forever stopped to live for the material cause. All by himself he had accomplished the transcendental blissful vision as someone in knowledge of the true self who with the dual causes of happiness and distress, summer and winter, wind and rain, did not identify himself with the body. Firm of limbs he, as strong as a bull, never covered himself. Not bathing he was dirty from lying on the ground and he never massaged his body. With his loins covered by dirty cloth and with a of dirt darkened sacred thread, he in his spiritual splendor was like a hidden gem. He wandered around disrespected with ignorant folk calling him, a brahmin of birth, a mere brahmin's friend ['brahma-bandu'].

5.9.11

yadā tu parata āhāraṁ karma-vetanata īhamānaḥ sva-bhrātṛbhir api kedāra-karmaṇi nirūpitas tad api karoti kintu na samaṁ viṣamaṁ nyūnam adhikam iti veda kaṇa-piṇyāka-phalī-karaṇa-kulmāṣa-sthālīpurīṣādīny apy amṛtavad abhyavaharati.

 (11) Because he only looked for work in order to obtain in exchange food from others, even his stepbrothers engaged him in agricultural work in the fields - a job to which he had no idea of what should be leveled or left uneven or where he had to pile things up. Usually only eating broken rice, oil cakes, chaff, worm-eaten grains or burned rice that stuck to the pot, it was nevertheless all nectar to him.

5.9.12

atha kadācit kaścid vṛṣala-patir bhadra-kālyai puruṣa-paśum ālabhatāpatya-kāmaḥ.

(12) Then at a certain moment some dacoit leader appeared on the scene who was looking for a human son not better than an animal whom he could use for a sacrifice to the goddess Bhadra Kâlî.

5.9.13

tasya ha daiva-muktasya paśoḥ padavīṁ tad-anucarāḥ paridhāvanto niśi niśītha-samaye tamasāvṛtāyām anadhigata-paśava ākasmikena vidhinā kedārān vīrāsanena mṛga-varāhādibhyaḥ saṁrakṣamāṇam aṅgiraḥ-pravara-sutam apaśyan.

(13) The animal type he before had captured, had escaped and his followers on their way to find him could in the dead of night not catch that animalistic man. As arranged by providence they stumbled upon the brahmin son from the line of Angirâ who from an elevated position was guarding the fields against deer, wild pigs and other creatures.

5.9.14

atha ta enam anavadya-lakṣaṇam avamṛśya bhartṛ-karma-niṣpattiṁ manyamānā baddhvā raśanayā caṇḍikā-gṛham upaninyur mudā vikasita-vadanāḥ.

 (14) Discovering that he had the right character they next with shining faces understanding that he could serve for their master's work, elated took him to the temple of the goddess, tightly bound in ropes.

5.9.15

atha paṇayas taṁ sva-vidhinābhiṣicyāhatena vāsasācchādya bhūṣaṇālepa-srak-tilakādibhir upaskṛtaṁ bhuktavantaṁ dhūpa-dīpa-mālya-lāja-kisalayāṅkura-phalopahāropetayā vaiśasa-saṁsthayā mahatā gīta-stuti-mṛdaṅga-paṇava-ghoṣeṇa ca puruṣa-paśuṁ bhadra-kālyāḥ purata upaveśayām āsuḥ.

(15) In order to get him as the man animal ready for the sacrifice, the followers of the dacoit then according to their own customs bathed him, gave him new clothes, covered his body with ornaments, smeared him with sandalwood pulp and garlanded him. Vibrating songs, prayers, drums and bugles they seated him before the goddess Kâlî, fully dressed up and properly fed, with incense, lamps, strings of flowers, parched grains, twigs and sprouts, fruits and other articles of worship.

5.9.16

atha vṛṣala-rāja-paṇiḥ puruṣa-paśor asṛg-āsavena devīṁ bhadra-kālīṁ yakṣyamāṇas tad-abhimantritam asim ati-karāla-niśitam upādade.

(16) The priest of that dacoit leader in  preparation of  offering a flow of blood from the animalistic man to the deity of Bhadra Kâlî, next took a fearful razor sharp sword and consecrated it with the appropriate mantras.

5.9.17

iti teṣāṁ vṛṣalānāṁ rajas-tamaḥ-prakṛtīnāṁ dhana-mada-raja-utsikta-manasāṁ bhagavat-kalā-vīra-kulaṁ kadarthī-kṛtyotpathena svairaṁ viharatāṁ hiṁsā-vihārāṇāṁ karmāti-dāruṇaṁ yad brahma-bhūtasya sākṣād brahmarṣi-sutasya nirvairasya sarva-bhūta-suhṛdaḥ sūnāyām apy ananumatam ālambhanaṁ tad upalabhya brahma-tejasāti-durviṣaheṇa dandahyamānena vapuṣā sahasoccacāṭa saiva devī bhadra-kālī.

(17) These contemptible types who, being of a passionate and ignorant nature, in their materialistic bewilderment were driven by minds full of imagination and thus acting to their own notions followed a wrong course, were in offense with the heroic association of the Supreme Lord, the brahmins. Proceeding with a lust for violence against others they acted most cruelly directly against an expansion of the Lord Himself, someone of a brahmin birth, a son of spiritual wisdom who had no enemies and who was a well-wisher to all. But at the very last moment the goddess Bhadra Kâlî, who saw what was about to happen in defiance of the law and against the will of the Lord, broke out of her statue with a burning physical appearance that was of an excessively bright, unbearable, spiritual effulgence.

5.9.18

bhṛśam amarṣa-roṣāveśa-rabhasa-vilasita-bhru-kuṭi-viṭapa-kuṭila-daṁṣṭrāruṇekṣaṇāṭopāti-bhayānaka-vadanā hantu-kāmevedaṁ mahāṭṭa-hāsam ati-saṁrambheṇa vimuñcantī tata utpatya pāpīyasāṁ duṣṭānāṁ tenaivāsinā vivṛkṇa-śīrṣṇāṁ galāt sravantam asṛg-āsavam atyuṣṇaṁ saha gaṇena nipīyāti-pāna-mada-vihvaloccaistarāṁ sva-pārṣadaiḥ saha jagau nanarta ca vijahāra ca śiraḥ-kanduka-līlayā.

(18) Full of indignation she totally lost herself in the force of her anger with raised eyebrows, crooked teeth, bloodshot eyes, a frightening laugh and an agitated fearful face as if she wanted to destroy the entire universe. Released because of her great fury she, coming forth from the altar, severed with the same blade as they wanted to use [for the sacrifice] the heads from the bodies of all the sinful offenders and then together with her associates, drank from the blood that oozed from the necks as a very hot intoxicating beverage. Overwhelmed by all that intoxicating drinking she together with her associates next loudly sang and danced, making fun throwing the heads at each other like they were balls.

5.9.19

evam eva khalu mahad-abhicārāti-kramaḥ kārtsnyenātmane phalati.

(19) When one like this in relation to great souls has crossed the line, one will always for oneself have to face the exorcism as a result.

5.9.20

na vā etad viṣṇudatta mahad-adbhutaṁ yad asambhramaḥ sva-śiraś-chedana āpatite 'pi vimukta-dehādy-ātma-bhāva-sudṛḍha-hṛdaya-granthīnāṁ sarva-sattva-suhṛd-ātmanāṁ nirvairāṇāṁ sākṣād bhagavatānimiṣāri-varāyudhenāpramattena tais tair bhāvaiḥ parirakṣyamāṇānāṁ tat-pāda-mūlam akutaścid-bhayam upasṛtānāṁ bhāgavata-paramahaṁsānām.

(20) Oh, Vishnudatta ['protected by Vishnu'; Parîkchit], to those who are not perplexed this is not such a great miracle. They who without animosity are of goodness to all are by the Supreme Lord of the invincible Time who carries the best of all weapons [the Sudars'ana disc] personally fully liberated from the very strong and tight knot in the heart [that is the consequence] of a false physical concept of life. Even when threatened by decapitation [or other attacks on their lives], those liberated souls and devotees who full of surrender are protected at His lotus feet are never upset by these kinds of emotional conditions; they have nothing to fear.'

   

(My humble salutations to the lotus feet of Swamyjis, Philosophers, Scholars and Knowledge Seekers for the collection)