Śukadeva Gosvāmī continued: My dear King, after this, King Rahūgaṇa, ruler of the states known as Sindhu and Sauvīra, was going to Kapilāśrama. When the King’s chief palan quin carriers reached the banks of the river Ikṣumatī, they needed another carrier. There fore they began searching for someone, and by chance they came upon Jaḍa Bharata. They considered the fact that Jaḍa Bharata was very young and strong and had firm limbs. Like cows and asses, he was quite fit to carry loads. Thinking in this way, although the great soul Jaḍa Bharata was unfit for such work, they nonetheless unhesitatingly forced him to carry the palanquin.(1) The palanquin, however, was very errati cally carried by Jaḍa Bharata due to his sense of nonviolence. As he stepped forward, he checked before him every three feet to see whether he was about to step on ants. Conse quently he could not keep pace with the other carriers. Due to this, the palanquin was shaking, and King Rahūgaṇa immediately asked the car riers, “Why are you carrying this palanquin un evenly? Better carry it properly.”(2)

When the palanquin carriers heard the threatening words of Mahārāja Rahūgaṇa, they became very afraid of his punishment and be gan to speak to him as follows.(3) O lord, please note that we are not at all negligent in discharging our duties. We have been faithfully carrying this palanquin according to your desire, but this man who has been recently en gaged to work with us cannot walk very swiftly. Therefore we are not able to carry the palanquin with him.(4)

King Rahūgaṇa could understand the speeches given by the carriers, who were afraid of being punished. He could also understand that simply due to the fault of one person, the palanquin was not being carried properly. Knowing this perfectly well and hearing their appeal, he became a little angry, although he was very advanced in political science and was very experienced. His anger arose due to his in born nature as a king. Actually King Rahūgaṇa’s mind was covered by the mode of passion, and he therefore spoke as follows to Jaḍa Bharata, whose Brahman effulgence was not clearly visible, being covered like a fire covered by ashes.(5) King Rahūgaṇa told Jaḍa Bharata: How troublesome this is, my dear brother. You certainly appear very fatigued be cause you have carried this palanquin alone without assistance for a long time and for a long distance. Besides that, due to your old age you have become greatly troubled. My dear friend, I see that you are not very firm, nor very strong and stout. Aren’t your fellow carriers cooperat ing with you?(6)

Thereafter, when the King saw that his palanquin was still being shaken by the carriers, he became very angry and said: You rascal, what are you doing? Are you dead despite the life within your body? Do you not know that I am your master? You are disregard ing me and are not carrying out my order. For this disobedience I shall now punish you just as Yamarāja, the superintendent of death, pun ishes sinful people. I shall give you proper treatment so that you will come to your senses and do the correct thing.(7) Thinking himself a king, King Rahūgaṇa was in the bodily conception and was influ enced by material nature’s modes of passion and ignorance. Due to madness, he chastised Jaḍa Bharata with uncalled-for and contradic tory words. Jaḍa Bharata was a topmost devo tee and the dear abode of the Supreme Person ality of Godhead. Although considering him self very learned, the King did not know about the position of an advanced devotee situated in devotional service, nor did he know his charac teristics. Jaḍa Bharata was the residence of the Supreme Personality of Godhead; he always carried the form of the Lord within his heart. He was the dear friend of all living beings, and he did not entertain any bodily conception. He therefore smiled and spoke the following words.(8)

The great brāhmaṇa Jaḍa Bharata said: My dear King and hero, whatever you have spoken sarcastically is certainly true. Actually these are not simply words of chastisement, for the body is the carrier. The load carried by the body does not belong to me, for I am the spirit soul. There is no contradiction in your state ments because I am different from the body. I am not the carrier of the palanquin; the body is the carrier. Certainly, as you have hinted, I have not labored carrying the palanquin, for I am de tached from the body. You have said that I am not stout and strong, and these words are befit ting a person who does not know the distinction between the body and the soul. The body may be fat or thin, but no learned man would say such things of the spirit soul. As far as the spirit soul is concerned, I am neither fat nor skinny; therefore you are correct when you say that I am not very stout. Also, if the object of this journey and the path leading there were mine, there would be many troubles for me, but be cause they relate not to me but to my body, there is no trouble at all.(9)

Fatness, thinness, bodily and mental distress, thirst, hunger, fear, disagreement, desires for material happiness, old age, sleep, attachment for material posses sions, anger, lamentation, illusion and identifi cation of the body with the self are all transfor mations of the material covering of the spirit soul. A person absorbed in the material bodily conception is affected by these things, but I am free from all bodily conceptions. Consequently I am neither fat nor skinny nor anything else you have mentioned.(10) My dear King, you have unnecessarily accused me of being dead though alive. In this regard, I can only say that this is the case everywhere because everything material has its beginning and end. As far as your thinking that you are the king and master and are thus trying to order me, this is also in correct because these positions are temporary. Today you are a king and I am your servant, but tomorrow the position may be changed, and you may be my servant and I your master. These are temporary circumstances created by providence.(11)

My dear King, if you still think that you are the King and that I am your serv ant, you should order me, and I should follow your order. I can then say that this differentia tion is temporary, and it expands only from us age or convention. I do not see any other cause. In that case, who is the master, and who is the servant? Everyone is being forced by the laws of material nature; therefore no one is master, and no one is servant. Nonetheless, if you think that you are the master and that I am the serv ant, I shall accept this. Please order me. What can I do for you?(12) My dear King, you have said, “You rascal, you dull, crazy fellow! I am going to chastise you, and then you will come to your senses.” In this regard, let me say that although I live like a dull, deaf and dumb man, I am actually a self-realized person. What will you gain by punishing me? If your calculation is true and I am a madman, then your punish ment will be like beating a dead horse. There will be no effect. When a madman is punished, he is not cured of his madness.(13)

Śukadeva Gosvāmī said: O Mahārāja Parīkṣit, when King Rahūgaṇa chastised the ex alted devotee Jaḍa Bharata with harsh words, that peaceful, saintly person tolerated it all and replied properly. Nescience is due to the bodily conception, and Jaḍa Bharata was not affected by this false conception. Out of his natural hu mility, he never considered himself a great dev otee, and he agreed to suffer the results of his past karma. Like an ordinary man, he thought that by carrying the palanquin he was destroy ing the reactions of his past misdeeds. Thinking in this way, he began to carry the palanquin as before.(14) Śukadeva Gosvāmī continued: O best of the Pāṇḍu dynasty [Mahārāja Parīkṣit], the King of the Sindhu and Sauvīra states [Mahārāja Rahūgaṇa] had great faith in discus sions of the Absolute Truth. Being thus quali fied, he heard from Jaḍa Bharata that philo sophical presentation which is approved by all scriptures on the mystic yoga process and which slackens the knot in the heart. His mate rial conception of himself as a king was thus destroyed. He immediately descended from his palanquin and fell flat on the ground with his head at the lotus feet of Jaḍa Bharata in such a way that he might be excused for his insulting words against the great brāhmaṇa. He then prayed as follows.(15)

King Rahūgaṇa said: O brāhmaṇa, you appear to be moving in this world very much covered and unknown to oth ers. Who are you? Are you a learned brāhmaṇa and saintly person? I see that you are wearing a sacred thread. Are you one of those exalted, lib erated saints such as Dattātreya and other highly advanced, learned scholars? May I ask whose disciple you are? Where do you live? Why have you come to this place? Is your mis sion in coming here to do good for us? Please let me know who you are.(16) My dear sir, I am not at all afraid of the thunderbolt of King In dra, nor am I afraid of the serpentine, piercing trident of Lord Śiva. I do not care about the punishment of Yamarāja, the superintendent of death, nor am I afraid of fire, scorching sun, moon, wind, nor the weapons of Kuvera. Yet I am afraid of offending a brāhmaṇa. I am very much afraid of this.(17)

My dear sir, it appears that the influence of your great spiritual knowledge is hidden. Factually you are bereft of all material association and fully absorbed in the thought of the Supreme. Consequently you are unlimitedly advanced in spiritual knowledge. Please tell me why you are wander ing around like a dullard. O great saintly per son, you have spoken words approved by the yogic process, but it is not possible for us to un derstand what you have said. Therefore kindly explain it.(18) I consider your good self the most exalted master of mystic power. You know the spiritual science perfectly well. You are the most exalted of all learned sages, and you have descended for the benefit of all human society. You have come to give spiritual knowledge, and you are a direct representative of Kapiladeva, the incarnation of God and the plenary portion of knowledge. I am therefore asking you, O spiritual master, what is the most secure shelter in this world?(19)

Is it not a fact that your good self is the direct representative of Kapiladeva, the incarnation of the Supreme Personality of Godhead? To examine people and see who is actually a human being and who is not, you have presented yourself to be a deaf and dumb person. Are you not moving this way upon the surface of the world? I am very at tached to family life and worldly activities, and I am blind to spiritual knowledge. Nonetheless, I am now present before you and am seeking enlightenment from you. How can I advance in spiritual life?(20) You have said, “I am not fatigued from la bor.” Although the soul is different from the body, there is fatigue because of bodily labor, and it appears to be the fatigue of the soul. When you are carrying the palanquin, there is certainly labor for the soul. This is my conjec ture. You have also said that the external be havior exhibited between the master and the servant is not factual, but although in the phe nomenal world it is not factual, the products of the phenomenal world can actually affect things. That is visible and experienced. As such, even though material activities are imper manent, they cannot be said to be untrue.(21)

King Rahūgaṇa continued: My dear sir, you have said that designations like bodily fatness and thinness are not characteristics of the soul. That is incorrect because designations like pain and pleasure are certainly felt by the soul. You may put a pot of milk and rice within fire, and the milk and rice are automatically heated one after the other. Similarly, due to bodily pains and pleasures, the senses, mind and soul are af fected. The soul cannot be completely detached from this conditioning.(22) My dear sir, you have said that the relationship between the king and the subject or between the master and the servant are not eternal, but although such rela tionships are temporary, when a person takes the position of a king his duty is to rule the cit izens and punish those who are disobedient to the laws. By punishing them, he teaches the cit izens to obey the laws of the state. Again, you have said that punishing a person who is deaf and dumb is like chewing the chewed or grind ing the pulp; that is to say, there is no benefit in it. However, if one is engaged in his own occu pational duty as ordered by the Supreme Lord, his sinful activities are certainly diminished. Therefore if one is engaged in his occupational duty by force, he benefits because he can van quish all his sinful activities in that way.(23)

Whatever you have spoken appears to me to be contradictory. O best friend of the distressed, I have committed a great offense by insulting you. I was puffed up with false prestige due to possessing the body of a king. For this I have certainly become an offender. Therefore I pray that you kindly glance at me with your cause less mercy. If you do so, I can be relieved from sinful activities brought about by insulting you.(24) O my dear lord, you are the friend of the Supreme Personality of Godhead, who is the friend of all living entities. You are there fore equal to everyone, and you are free from the bodily conception. Although I have com mitted an offense by insulting you, I know that there is no loss or gain for you due to my insult. You are fixed in your determination, but I have committed an offense. Because of this, even though I may be as strong as Lord Śiva, I shall be vanquished without delay due to my offense at the lotus feet of a Vaiṣṇava.(25)

Śrīla Śukadeva Gosvāmī continued: My dear King, after giving up the body of a deer, Bharata Mahārāja took birth in a very pure brāhmaṇa family. There was a brāhmaṇa who belonged to the dynasty of Aṅgirā. He was fully qualified with brahminical qualifications. He could control his mind and senses, and he had studied the Vedic literatures and other subsidi ary literatures. He was expert in giving charity, and he was always satisfied, tolerant, very gen tle, learned and nonenvious. He was self-real ized and engaged in the devotional service of the Lord. He remained always in a trance. He had nine equally qualified sons by his first wife, and by his second wife he begot twinsa brother and a sister, of which the male child was said to be the topmost devotee and foremost of saintly kingsBharata Mahārāja. This, then, is the story of the birth he took after giving up the body of a deer.(1-2)

Due to his being especially gifted with the Lord’s mercy, Bharata Mahārāja could remember the incidents of his past life. Alt hough he received the body of a brāhmaṇa, he was still very much afraid of his relatives and friends who were not devotees. He was always very cautious of such association because he feared that he would again fall down. Conse quently he manifested himself before the public eye as a madmandull, blind and deafso that oth ers would not try to talk to him. In this way he saved himself from bad association. Within he was always thinking of the lotus feet of the Lord and chanting the Lord’s glories, which save one from the bondage of fruitive action. In this way he saved himself from the onslaught of nondevotee associates.(3)

The brāhmaṇa father’s mind was always filled with affection for his son, Jaḍa Bharata [Bharata Mahārāja]. Therefore he was always attached to Jaḍa Bharata. Because Jaḍa Bharata was unfit to enter the gṛhastha-āśrama, he simply executed the purificatory process up to the end of the brahmacarya-āśrama. Although Jaḍa Bharata was unwilling to accept his fa ther’s instructions, the brāhmaṇa nonetheless instructed him in how to keep clean and how to wash, thinking that the son should be taught by the father.(4) Jaḍa Bharata behaved before his father like a fool, despite his father’s ade quately instructing him in Vedic knowledge. He behaved in that way so that his father would know that he was unfit for instruction and would abandon the attempt to instruct him fur ther. He would behave in a completely opposite way. Although instructed to wash his hands af ter evacuating, he would wash them before. Nonetheless, his father wanted to give him Ve dic instructions during the spring and summer. He tried to teach him the Gāyatrī mantra along with oṁkāra and vyāhṛti, but after four months his father still was not successful in instructing him.(5)

The brāhmaṇa father of Jaḍa Bharata con sidered his son his heart and soul, and therefore he was very much attached to him. He thought it wise to educate his son properly, and being absorbed in this unsuccessful endeavor, he tried to teach his son the rules and regulations of brahmacaryaincluding the execution of the Ve dic vows, cleanliness, study of the Vedas, the regulative methods, service to the spiritual master and the method of offering a fire sacri fice. He tried his best to teach his son in this way, but all his endeavors failed. In his heart he hoped that his son would be a learned scholar, but all his attempts were unsuccessful. Like everyone, this brāhmaṇa was attached to his home, and he had forgotten that someday he would die. Death, however, was not forgetful. At the proper time, death appeared and took him away.(6) Thereafter, the brāhmaṇa’s younger wife, after entrusting her twin chil drenthe boy and girlto the elder wife, departed for Patiloka, voluntarily dying with her hus band.(7)

After the father died, the nine stepbrothers of Jaḍa Bharata, who considered Jaḍa Bharata dull and brainless, abandoned the father’s at tempt to give Jaḍa Bharata a complete educa tion. The stepbrothers of Jaḍa Bharata were learned in the three Vedasthe Ṛg Veda, Sāma Veda and Yajur Vedawhich very much encour age fruitive activity. The nine brothers were not at all spiritually enlightened in devotional ser vice to the Lord. Consequently they could not understand the highly exalted position of Jaḍa Bharata.(8)

Degraded men are actually no bet ter than animals. The only difference is that an imals have four legs and such men have only two. These two-legged, animalistic men used to call Jaḍa Bharata mad, dull, deaf and dumb. They mistreated him, and Jaḍa Bharata be haved for them like a madman who was deaf, blind or dull. He did not protest or try to con vince them that he was not so. If others wanted him to do something, he acted according to their desires. Whatever food he could acquire by begging or by wages, and whatever came of its own accordbe it a small quantity, palatable, stale or tastelesshe would accept and eat. He never ate anything for sense gratification be cause he was already liberated from the bodily conception, which induces one to accept palat able or unpalatable food. He was full in the transcendental consciousness of devotional ser vice, and therefore he was unaffected by the du alities arising from the bodily conception. Ac tually his body was as strong as a bull’s, and his limbs were very muscular. He didn’t care for winter or summer, wind or rain, and he never covered his body at any time. He lay on the ground, and never smeared oil on his body or took a bath. Because his body was dirty, his spiritual effulgence and knowledge were cov ered, just as the splendor of a valuable gem is covered by dirt. He only wore a dirty loincloth and his sacred thread, which was blackish. Un derstanding that he was born in a brāhmaṇa family, people would call him a brahma bandhu and other names. Being thus insulted and neglected by materialistic people, he wan dered here and there.(9-10)

Jaḍa Bharata used to work only for food. His stepbrothers took ad vantage of this and engaged him in agricultural field work in exchange for some food, but ac tually he did not know how to work very well in the field. He did not know where to spread dirt or where to make the ground level or une ven. His brothers used to give him broken rice, oil cakes, the chaff of rice, worm-eaten grains and burned grains that had stuck to the pot, but he gladly accepted all this as if it were nectar. He did not hold any grudges and ate all this very gladly.(11) At this time, being desirous of obtaining a son, a leader of dacoits who came from a śūdra family wanted to worship the goddess Bhadra Kālī by offering her in sacrifice a dull man, who is considered no better than an animal.(12)

The leader of the dacoits captured a man-animal for sacrifice, but he escaped, and the leader ordered his followers to find him. They ran in different directions but could not find him. Wandering here and there in the middle of the night, cov ered by dense darkness, they came to a paddy field where they saw the exalted son of the Āṅgirā family [Jaḍa Bharata], who was sitting in an elevated place guarding the field against the attacks of deer and wild pigs.(13) The fol lowers and servants of the dacoit chief consid ered Jaḍa Bharata to possess qualities quite suitable for a man-animal, and they decided that he was a perfect choice for sacrifice. Their faces bright with happiness, they bound him with ropes and brought him to the temple of the goddess Kālī.(14)

After this, all the thieves, according to their imaginative ritual for killing animalistic men, bathed Jaḍa Bharata, dressed him in new clothes, decorated him with ornaments befit ting an animal, smeared his body with scented oils and decorated him with tilaka, sandalwood pulp and garlands. They fed him sumptuously and then brought him before the goddess Kālī, offering her incense, lamps, garlands, parched grain, newly grown twigs, sprouts, fruits and flowers. In this way they worshiped the deity before killing the man-animal, and they vi brated songs and prayers and played drums and bugles. Jaḍa Bharata was then made to sit down before the deity.(15) At this time, one of the thieves, acting as the chief priest, was ready to offer the blood of Jaḍa Bharata, whom they im agined to be an animal-man, to the goddess Kālī to drink as a liquor. He therefore took up a very fearsome sword, which was very sharp and, consecrating it by the mantra of Bhadra Kālī, raised it to kill Jaḍa Bharata.(16)

All the rogues and thieves who had made ar rangements for the worship of Goddess Kālī were low minded and bound to the modes of passion and ignorance. They were overpow ered by the desire to become very rich; there fore they had the audacity to disobey the in junctions of the Vedas, so much so that they were prepared to kill Jaḍa Bharata, a self-real ized soul born in a brāhmaṇa family. Due to their envy, these dacoits brought him before the goddess Kālī for sacrifice. Such people are al ways addicted to envious activities, and there fore they dared to try to kill Jaḍa Bharata. Jaḍa Bharata was the best friend of all living entities. He was no one’s enemy, and he was always ab sorbed in meditation on the Supreme Personal ity of Godhead. He was born of a good brāhmaṇa father, and killing him was forbid den, even though he might have been an enemy or aggressive person. In any case, there was no reason to kill Jaḍa Bharata, and the goddess Kālī could not bear this. She could immediately understand that these sinful dacoits were about to kill a great devotee of the Lord. Suddenly the deity’s body burst asunder, and the goddess Kālī personally emerged from it in a body burn ing with an intense and intolerable efful gence.(17)

Intolerant of the offenses commit ted, the infuriated Goddess Kālī flashed her eyes and displayed her fierce, curved teeth. Her reddish eyes glowed, and she displayed her fearsome features. She assumed a frightening body, as if she were prepared to destroy the en tire creation. Leaping violently from the altar, she immediately decapitated all the rogues and thieves with the very sword with which they had intended to kill Jaḍa Bharata. She then be gan to drink the hot blood that flowed from the necks of the beheaded rogues and thieves, as if this blood were liquor. Indeed, she drank this intoxicant with her associates, who were witches and female demons. Becoming intoxi cated with this blood, they all began to sing very loudly and dance as though prepared to an nihilate the entire universe. At the same time, they began to play with the heads of the rogues and thieves, tossing them about as if they were balls.(18)

When an envious person commits an offense before a great personality, he is always punished in the way mentioned above.(19) Śukadeva Gosvāmī then said to Mahārāja Parīkṣit: O Viṣṇudatta, those who already know that the soul is separate from the body, who are liberated from the invincible knot in the heart, who are always engaged in welfare activities for all living entities and who never contem plate harming anyone are always protected by the Supreme Personality of Godhead, who car ries His disc [the Sudarśana cakra] and acts as supreme time to kill the demons and protect His devotees. The devotees always take shelter at the lotus feet of the Lord. Therefore at all times, even if threatened by decapitation, they remain unagitated. For them, this is not at all wonder ful.(20)

ŚrīŚukadeva Gosvāmī continued: My dear King, one day, after finishing his morning dutiesevacuating, urinating and bathing Mahārāja Bharata sat down on the bank of the river Gaṇḍakī for a few minutes and began chanting his mantra, beginning with oṁkāra.(1) O King, while Bharata Mahārāja was sitting on the bank of that river, a doe, being very thirsty, came there to drink.(2) While the doe was drinking with great satisfaction, a lion, which was very close, roared very loudly. This was frightful to every living entity, and it was heard by the doe.(3) By nature the doe was always afraid of being killed by others, and it was al ways looking about suspiciously. When it heard the lion’s tumultuous roar, it became very agitated. Looking here and there with disturbed eyes, the doe, although it had not fully satisfied itself by drinking water, suddenly leaped across the river.(4) The doe was pregnant, and when it jumped out of fear, the baby deer fell from its womb into the flowing waters of the river. Being sep arated from its flock and distressed by its mis carriage, the black doe, having crossed the river, was very much distressed. Indeed, it fell down in a cave and died immediately.(5)

The great King Bharata, while sitting on the bank of the river, saw the small deer, bereft of its mother, floating down the river. Seeing this, he felt great compassion. Like a sincere friend, he lifted the infant deer from the waves, and, knowing it to be motherless, brought it to his āśrama.(7) Gradually Mahārāja Bharata became very affectionate toward the deer. He began to raise it and maintain it by giving it grass. He was al ways careful to protect it from the attacks of ti gers and other animals. When it itched, he pet ted it, and in this way he always tried to keep it in a comfortable condition. He sometimes kissed it out of love. Being attached to raising the deer, Mahārāja Bharata forgot the rules and regulations for the advancement of spiritual life, and he gradually forgot to worship the Su preme Personality of Godhead. After a few days, he forgot everything about his spiritual advancement.(8)

The great King Mahārāja Bharata began to think: Alas, this helpless young deer, by the force of time, an agent of the Supreme Personality of Godhead, has now lost its relatives and friends and has taken shelter of me. It does not know anyone but me, as I have become its father, mother, brother and rela tives. This deer is thinking in this way, and it has full faith in me. It does not know anyone but me; therefore I should not be envious and think that for the deer my own welfare will be destroyed. I should certainly raise, protect, gratify and fondle it. When it has taken shelter with me, how can I neglect it? Even though the deer is disturbing my spiritual life, I realize that a helpless person who has taken shelter cannot be neglected. That would be a great fault.(9) Even though one is in the renounced order, one who is advanced certainly feels compassion for suffering living entities. One should certainly neglect his own personal interests, although they may be very important, to protect one who has surrendered.(10)

Due to attachment for the deer, Mahārāja Bharata lay down with it, walked about with it, bathed with it and even ate with it. Thus his heart became bound to the deer in affec tion.(11) When Mahārāja Bharata wanted to enter the forest to collect kuśa grass, flowers, wood, leaves, fruits, roots and water, he would fear that dogs, jackals, tigers and other fero cious animals might kill the deer. He would therefore always take the deer with him when entering the forest.(12) When entering the for est, the animal would appear very attractive to Mahārāja Bharata due to its childish behavior. Mahārāja Bharata would even take the deer on his shoulders and carry it due to affection. His heart was so filled with great love for the deer that he would sometimes keep it on his lap or, when sleeping, on his chest. In this way he felt great pleasure in fondling the animal.(13) When Mahārāja Bharata was actually worship ing the Lord or was engaged in some ritualistic ceremony, although his activities were unfin ished, he would still, at intervals, get up and see where the deer was. In this way he would look for it, and when he could see that the deer was comfortably situated, his mind and heart would be very satisfied, and he would bestow his blessings upon the deer, saying, “My dear calf, may you be happy in all respects.”(14)

If Bharata Mahārāja sometimes could not see the deer, his mind would be very agitated. He would become like a miser, who, having ob tained some riches, had lost them and had then become very unhappy. When the deer was gone, he would be filled with anxiety and would lament due to separation. Thus he would become illusioned and speak as follows.(15) Bharata Mahārāja would think: Alas, the deer is now helpless. I am now very unfortu nate, and my mind is like a cunning hunter, for it is always filled with cheating propensities and cruelty. The deer has put its faith in me, just as a good man who has a natural interest in good behavior forgets the miSBehavior of a cunning friend and puts his faith in him. Alt hough I have proved faithless, will this deer re turn and place its faith in me?(16)

Alas, is it possible that I shall again see this animal pro tected by the Lord and fearless of tigers and other animals? Shall I again see him wandering in the garden eating soft grass?(17) I do not know, but the deer might have been eaten by a wolf or a dog or by the boars that flock together or the tiger who travels alone.(18) Alas, when the sun rises, all auspicious things begin. Un fortunately, they have not begun for me. The sun-god is the Vedas personified, but I am be reft of all Vedic principles. That sun-god is now setting, yet the poor animal who trusted in me since its mother died has not returned.(19) That deer is exactly like a prince. When will it re turn? When will it again display its personal ac tivities, which are so pleasing? When will it again pacify a wounded heart like mine? I cer tainly must have no pious assets, otherwise the deer would have returned by now.(20)

Alas, the small deer, while playing with me and seeing me feigning meditation with closed eyes, would circumambulate me due to anger arising from love, and it would fearfully touch me with the points of its soft horns, which felt like drops of water.(21) When I placed all the sacrificial ingredients on the kuśa grass, the deer, when playing, would touch the grass with its teeth and thus pollute it. When I chastised the deer by pushing it away, it would immediately be come fearful and sit down motionless, exactly like the son of a saintly person. Thus it would stop its play.(22) After speaking like a madman in this way, Mahārāja Bharata got up and went outside. See ing the footprints of the deer on the ground, he praised the footprints out of love, saying: O un fortunate Bharata, your austerities and pen ances are very insignificant compared to the penance and austerity undergone by this earth planet. Due to the earth’s severe penances, the footprints of this deer, which are small, beauti ful, most auspicious and soft, are imprinted on the surface of this fortunate planet. This series of footprints show a person like me, who am bereaved due to loss of the deer, how the animal has passed through the forest and how I can re gain my lost wealth. By these footprints, this land has become a proper place for brāhmaṇas who desire heavenly planets or liberation to ex ecute sacrifices to the demigods.(23)

Mahārāja Bharata continued to speak like a madman. Seeing above his head the dark marks on the rising moon, which resembled a deer, he said: Can it be that the moon, who is so kind to an unhappy man, might also be kind upon my deer, knowing that it has strayed from home and has become motherless? This moon has given the deer shelter near itself just to protect it from the fearful attacks of a lion.(24) After perceiving the moonshine, Mahārāja Bharata continued speaking like a crazy person. He said: The deer’s son was so submissive and dear to me that due to its separation I am feeling separation from my own son. Due to the burn ing fever of this separation, I am suffering as if inflamed by a forest fire. My heart, which is like the lily of the land, is now burning. Seeing me so distressed, the moon is certainly splash ing its shining nectar upon mejust as a friend throws water on another friend who has a high fever. In this way, the moon is bringing me hap piness.(25)

Śukadeva Gosvāmī continued: My dear King, in this way Bharata Mahārāja was over whelmed by an uncontrollable desire which was manifest in the form of the deer. Due to the fruitive results of his past deeds, he fell down from mystic yoga, austerity and worship of the Supreme Personality of Godhead. If it were not due to his past fruitive activity, how could he have been attracted to the deer after giving up the association of his own son and family, con sidering them stumbling blocks on the path of spiritual life? How could he show such uncon trollable affection for a deer? This was defi nitely due to his past karma. The King was so engrossed in petting and maintaining the deer that he fell down from his spiritual activities. In due course of time, insurmountable death, which is compared to a venomous snake that enters the hole created by a mouse, situated it self before him.(26)

At the time of death, the King saw that the deer was sitting by his side, exactly like his own son, and was lamenting his death. Actually the mind of the King was ab sorbed in the body of the deer, and consequent lylike those bereft of Kṛṣṇa consciousnesshe left the world, the deer, and his material body and acquired the body of a deer. However, there was one advantage. Although he lost his human body and received the body of a deer, he did not forget the incidents of his past life.(27) Alt hough in the body of a deer, Bharata Mahārāja, due to his rigid devotional service in his past life, could understand the cause of his birth in that body. Considering his past and present life, he constantly repented his activities, speaking in the following way.(28)

In the body of a deer, Bharata Mahārāja began to lament: What mis fortune! I have fallen from the path of the self realized. I gave up my real sons, wife and home to advance in spiritual life, and I took shelter in a solitary holy place in the forest. I became self controlled and self-realized, and I engaged con stantly in devotional servicehearing, thinking, chanting, worshiping and remembering the Su preme Personality of Godhead, Vāsudeva. I was successful in my attempt, so much so that my mind was always absorbed in devotional service. However, due to my personal foolish ness, my mind again became attachedthis time to a deer. Now I have obtained the body of a deer and have fallen far from my devotional practices.(29)

Although Bharata Mahārāja received the body of a deer, by constant repentance he be came completely detached from all material things. He did not disclose these things to any one, but he left his mother deer in a place known as Kālañjara Mountain, where he was born. He again went to the forest of Śālagrāma and to the āśrama of Pulastya and Pulaha.(30) Remaining in that āśrama, the great King Bha rata Mahārāja was now very careful not to fall victim to bad association. Without disclosing his past to anyone, he remained in that āśrama and ate dry leaves only. He was not exactly alone, for he had the association of the Super soul. In this way he waited for death in the body of a deer. Bathing in that holy place, he finally gave up that body.(31)

Śukadeva Gosvāmī continued speaking to Mahārāja Parīkṣit: My dear King, Bharata Mahārāja was a topmost devotee. Following the orders of his father, who had already de cided to install him on the throne, he began to rule the earth accordingly. When Bharata Mahārāja ruled the entire globe, he followed the orders of his father and married Pañcajanī, the daughter of Viśvarūpa.(1) Just as the false ego creates the subtle sense objects, Mahārāja Bharata created five sons in the womb of Pañcajanī, his wife. These sons were named Sumati, Rāṣṭrabhṛta, Sudarśana, Āvaraṇa and Dhūmraketu.(2) Formerly this planet was known as Ajanābha-varṣa, but since Mahārāja Bharata’s reign it has become known as Bhārata-varṣa.(3) Mahārāja Bharata was a very learned and experienced king on this earth. He perfectly ruled the citizens, being himself engaged in his own respective duties. Mahārāja Bharata was as affectionate to the citizens as his father and grandfather had been. Keeping them engaged in their occupational duties, he ruled the earth.(4)

With great faith King Bharata per formed various kinds of sacrifice. He per formed the sacrifices known as agni-hotra, darśa, pūrṇamāsa, cāturmāsya, paśu-yajña [wherein a horse is sacrificed] and soma-yajña [wherein a kind of beverage is offered]. Some times these sacrifices were performed com pletely and sometimes partially. In any case, in all the sacrifices the regulations of cāturhotra were strictly followed. In this way Bharata Mahārāja worshiped the Supreme Personality of Godhead.(5) After performing the prelimi naries of various sacrifices, Mahārāja Bharata offered the results in the name of religion to the Supreme Personality of Godhead, Vāsudeva. In other words, he performed all the yajñas for the satisfaction of Lord Vāsudeva, Kṛṣṇa. Mahārāja Bharata thought that since the demi gods were different parts of Vāsudeva’s body, He controls those who are explained in the Ve dic mantras. By thinking in this way, Mahārāja Bharata was freed from all material contamina tion, such as attachment, lust and greed. When the priests were about to offer the sacrificial in gredients into the fire, Mahārāja Bharata ex pertly understood how the offering made to dif ferent demigods was simply an offering to the different limbs of the Lord. For instance, Indra is the arm of the Supreme Personality of God head, and Sūrya [the sun] is His eye. Thus Mahārāja Bharata considered that the oblations offered to different demigods were actually of fered unto the different limbs of Lord Vāsudeva.(6)

In this way, being purified by rit ualistic sacrifices, the heart of Mahārāja Bha rata was completely uncontaminated. His devo tional service unto Vāsudeva, Lord Kṛṣṇa, in creased day after day. Lord Kṛṣṇa, the son of Vasudeva, is the original Personality of God head manifest as the Supersoul [Paramātmā] as well as the impersonal Brahman. Yogīs medi tate upon the localized Paramātmā situated in the heart, jñānīs worship the impersonal Brah man as the Supreme Absolute Truth, and devo tees worship Vāsudeva, the Supreme Personal ity of Godhead, whose transcendental body is described in the śāstras. His body is decorated with the Śrīvatsa, the Kaustubha jewel and a flower garland, and His hands hold a conchshell, disc, club and lotus flower. Devo tees like Nārada always think of Him within their hearts.(7) Destiny fixed the time for Mahārāja Bha rata’s enjoyment of material opulence at one thousand times ten thousand years. When that period was finished, he retired from family life and divided the wealth he had received from his forefathers among his sons. He left his paternal home, the reservoir of all opulence, and started for Pulahāśrama, which is situated in Hardwar. The śālagrāma-śilās are obtainable there.(8)

At Pulaha-āśrama, the Supreme Personality of Godhead, Hari, out of His transcendental affec tion for His devotee, becomes visible to His devotee, satisfying His devotee’s desires.(9) In Pulaha-āśrama is the Gaṇḍakī River, which is the best of all rivers. The śālagrāma-śilā, the marble pebbles, purify all those places. On each and every marble pebble, up and down, circles like navels are visible.(10) In the gardens of Pu laha-āśrama, Mahārāja Bharata lived alone and collected a variety of flowers, twigs and tulasī leaves. He also collected the water of the Gaṇḍakī River, as well as various roots, fruits and bulbs. With these he offered food to the Su preme Personality of Godhead, Vāsudeva, and, worshiping Him, he remained satisfied. In this way his heart was completely uncontaminated, and he did not have the least desire for material enjoyment. All material desires vanished. In this steady position, he felt full satisfaction and was situated in devotional service.(11)

That most exalted devotee, Mahārāja Bha rata, in this way engaged constantly in the de votional service of the Lord. Naturally his love for Vāsudeva, Kṛṣṇa, increased more and more and melted his heart. Consequently he gradu ally lost all attachment for regulative duties. The hairs of his body stood on end, and all the ecstatic bodily symptoms were manifest. Tears flowed from his eyes, so much so that he could not see anything. Thus he constantly meditated on the reddish lotus feet of the Lord. At that time, his heart, which was like a lake, was filled with the water of ecstatic love. When his mind was immersed in that lake, he even forgot the regulative service to the Lord.(12)

Mahārāja Bharata appeared very beautiful. He had a wealth of curly hair on his head, which was wet from bathing three times daily. He dressed in a deerskin. He worshiped Lord Nārāyaṇa, whose body was composed of golden effulgence and who resided within the sun. Mahārāja Bharata worshiped Lord Nārāyaṇa by chanting the hymns given in the Ṛg Veda, and he recited the following verse as the sun rose.(13) “The Supreme Personality of Godhead is sit uated in pure goodness. He illuminates the en tire universe and bestows all benedictions upon His devotees. The Lord has created this uni verse from His own spiritual potency. Accord ing to His desire, the Lord entered this universe as the Supersoul, and by virtue of His different potencies He is maintaining all living entities desiring material enjoyment. Let me offer my respectful obeisances unto the Lord, who is the giver of intelligence.”(14)

King Parīkṣit asked Śukadeva Gosvāmī: My dear Lord, for those who are completely pure in heart, knowledge is attained by the practice of bhakti-yoga, and attachment for fru itive activity is completely burned to ashes. For such people, the powers of mystic yoga auto matically arise. They do not cause distress. Why, then, did Ṛṣabhadeva neglect them?(1) Śrīla Śukadeva Gosvāmī replied: My dear King, you have spoken correctly. However, af ter capturing animals, a cunning hunter does not put faith in them, for they might run away. Similarly, those who are advanced in spiritual life do not put faith in the mind. Indeed, they always remain vigilant and watch the mind’s action.(2)

All the learned scholars have given their opinion. The mind is by nature very restless, and one should not make friends with it. If we place full confidence in the mind, it may cheat us at any moment. Even Lord Śiva became ag itated upon seeing the Mohinī form of Lord Kṛṣṇa, and Saubhari Muni also fell down from the mature stage of yogic perfection.(3) An un chaste woman is very easily carried away by paramours, and it sometimes happens that her husband is violently killed by her paramours. If the yogī gives his mind a chance and does not restrain it, his mind will give facility to enemies like lust, anger and greed, and they will doubt lessly kill the yogī.(4) The mind is the root cause of lust, anger, pride, greed, lamentation, illusion and fear. Combined, these constitute bondage to fruitive activity. What learned man would put faith in the mind?(5)

Lord Ṛṣabhadeva was the head of all kings and emperors within this universe, but assum ing the dress and language of an avadhūta, He acted as if dull and materially bound. Conse quently no one could observe His divine opu lence. He adopted this behavior just to teach yogīs how to give up the body. Nonetheless, He maintained His original position as a plenary expansion of Lord Vāsudeva, Kṛṣṇa. Remain ing always in that state, He gave up His pas times as Lord Ṛṣabhadeva within the material world. If, following in the footsteps of Lord Ṛṣabhadeva, one can give up his subtle body, there is no chance that one will accept a mate rial body again. (6)

Actually Lord Ṛṣabhadeva had no material body, but due to yoga-māyā He considered His body material, and therefore, because He played like an ordinary human be ing, He gave up the mentality of identifying with it. Following this principle, He began to wander all over the world. While traveling, He came to the province of Karṇāṭa in South India and passed through Koṅka, Veṅka and Kuṭaka. He had no plan to travel this way, but He ar rived near Kuṭakācala and entered a forest there. He placed stones within His mouth and began to wander through the forest, naked and with His hair disheveled like a madman.(7) While He was wandering about, a wild forest fire began. This fire was caused by the friction of bamboos, which were being blown by the wind. In that fire, the entire forest near Kuṭakācala and the body of Lord Ṛṣabhadeva were burnt to ashes.(8)

Śukadeva Gosvāmī continued speaking to Mahārāja Parīkṣit: My dear King, the King of Koṅka, Veṅka and Kuṭaka whose name was Arhat, heard of the activities of Ṛṣabhadeva and, imitating Ṛṣabhadeva’s principles, intro duced a new system of religion. Taking ad vantage of Kali-yuga, the age of sinful activity, King Arhat, being bewildered, gave up the Ve dic principles, which are free from risk, and concocted a new system of religion opposed to the Vedas. That was the beginning of the Jain dharma. Many other so-called religions fol lowed this atheistic system.(9) People who are lowest among men and bewildered by the illu sory energy of the Supreme Lord will give up the original varṇāśrama-dharma and its rules and regulations. They will abandon bathing three times daily and worshiping the Lord. Abandoning cleanliness and neglecting the Su preme Lord, they will accept nonsensical prin ciples. Not regularly bathing or washing their mouths regularly, they will always remain un clean, and they will pluck out their hair. Fol lowing a concocted religion, they will flourish. During this Age of Kali, people are more in clined to irreligious systems. Consequently these people will naturally deride Vedic author ity, the followers of Vedic authority, the brāhmaṇas, the Supreme Personality of God head and the devotees.(10)

Low-class people, due to their gross ignorance, introduce a system of religion that deviates from the Vedic princi ples. Following their own mental concoctions, they automatically fall down into the darkest regions of existence.(11) In this Age of Kali, people are overwhelmed by the modes of passion and ignorance. Lord Ṛṣabhadeva incarnated Himself to deliver them from the clutches of māyā.(12) Learned schol ars chant about the transcendental qualities of Lord Ṛṣabhadeva in this way: “Oh, this earthly planet contains seven seas and many islands and lands, of which Bhārata-varṣa is considered the most pious. People of Bhārata-varṣa are ac customed to glorifying the activities of the Su preme Personality of Godhead in His incarna tions as Lord Ṛṣabhadeva and others. All these activities are very auspicious for the welfare of humanity.(13)

“Oh, what shall I say of the dyn asty of Priyavrata, which is pure and very much celebrated. In that dynasty, the Supreme Per son, the original Personality of Godhead, de scended as an incarnation and executed reli gious principles that could free one from the re sults of fruitive activity.(14) “Who is that mys tic yogī who can follow the examples of Lord Ṛṣabhadeva even with his mind? Lord Ṛṣabhadeva rejected all kinds of yogic perfec tion, which other yogīs hanker to attain. Who is that yogī who can compare to Lord Ṛṣabhadeva?”(15) Śukadeva Gosvāmī continued: Lord Ṛṣabhadeva is the master of all Vedic knowledge, human beings, demigods, cows and brāhmaṇas. I have already explained His pure, transcendental activities, which will van quish the sinful activities of all living entities. This narration of Lord Ṛṣabhadeva’s pastimes is the reservoir of all auspicious things. Who ever attentively hears or speaks of them, fol lowing in the footsteps of the ācāryas, will cer tainly attain unalloyed devotional service at the lotus feet of Lord Vāsudeva, the Supreme Per sonality of Godhead.(16)

Devotees always bathe themselves in devotional service in order to be relieved from the various tribulations of material existence. By doing this, the devotees enjoy supreme bliss, and liberation personified comes to serve them. Nonetheless, they do not accept that service, even if it is offered by the Supreme Personality of Godhead Himself. For the devotees, liberation [mukti] is very unim portant because, having attained the Lord’s transcendental loving service, they have at tained everything desirable and have trans cended all material desires.(17) Śukadeva Gosvāmī continued: My dear King, the Supreme Person, Mukunda, is actu ally the maintainer of all the members of the Pāṇḍava and Yadu dynasties. He is your spir itual master, worshipable Deity, friend, and the director of your activities. To say nothing of this, He sometimes serves your family as a messenger or servant. This means He worked just as ordinary servants do. Those engaged in getting the Lord’s favor attain liberation from the Lord very easily, but He does not very eas ily give the opportunity to render direct service unto Him.

(18) The Supreme Personality of Godhead, Lord Ṛṣabhadeva, was fully aware of His true iden tity; therefore He was self-sufficient, and He did not desire external gratification. There was no need for Him to aspire for success, since He was complete in Himself. Those who unneces sarily engage in bodily conceptions and create an atmosphere of materialism are always igno rant of their real self-interest. Out of His cause less mercy, Lord Ṛṣabhadeva taught the self’s real identity and the goal of life. We therefore offer our respectful obeisances unto the Lord, who appeared as Lord Ṛṣabhadeva.(19)

Lord Ṛṣabhadeva told His sons: My dear boys, of all the living entities who have ac cepted material bodies in this world, one who has been awarded this human form should not work hard day and night simply for sense gratification, which is available even for dogs and hogs that eat stool. One should engage in pen ance and austerity to attain the divine position of devotional service. By such activity, one’s heart is purified, and when one attains this po sition, he attains eternal, blissful life, which is transcendental to material happiness and which continues forever.(1)

One can attain the path of liberation from material bondage only by ren dering service to highly advanced spiritual per sonalities. These personalities are impersonal ists and devotees. Whether one wants to merge into the Lord’s existence or wants to associate with the Personality of Godhead, one should render service to the mahātmās. For those who are not interested in such activities, who asso ciate with people fond of women and sex, the path to hell is wide open. The mahātmās are eq uipoised. They do not see any difference be tween one living entity and another. They are very peaceful and are fully engaged in devo tional service. They are devoid of anger, and they work for the benefit of everyone. They do not behave in any abominable way. Such peo ple are known as mahātmās.(2)

Those who are interested in reviving Kṛṣṇa consciousness and increasing their love of Godhead do not like to do anything that is not related to Kṛṣṇa. They are not interested in mingling with people who are busy maintaining their bodies, eating, sleeping, mating and defending. They are not attached to their homes, although they may be householders. Nor are they attached to wives, children, friends or wealth. At the same time, they are not indifferent to the execution of their duties. Such people are interested in collecting only enough money to keep the body and soul together.(3) When a person considers sense gratification the aim of life, he certainly be comes mad after materialistic living and en gages in all kinds of sinful activity. He does not know that due to his past misdeeds he has al ready received a body which, although tempo rary, is the cause of his misery. Actually the liv ing entity should not have taken on a material body, but he has been awarded the material body for sense gratification. Therefore I think it not befitting an intelligent man to involve himself again in the activities of sense gratifi cation by which he perpetually gets material bodies one after another.(4)

As long as one does not inquire about the spiritual values of life, one is defeated and subjected to miseries arising from ignorance. Be it sinful or pious, karma has its resultant actions. If a person is engaged in any kind of karma, his mind is called karmātmaka, colored with fruitive activ ity. As long as the mind is impure, conscious ness is unclear, and as long as one is absorbed in fruitive activity, he has to accept a material body.(5) When the living entity is covered by the mode of ignorance, he does not understand the individual living being and the supreme liv ing being, and his mind is subjugated by frui tive activity. Therefore, until one has love for Lord Vāsudeva, who is none other than Myself, he is certainly not delivered from having to ac cept a material body again and again.(6) Even though one may be very learned and wise, he is mad if he does not understand that the endeavor for sense gratification is a useless waste of time. Being forgetful of his own interest, he tries to be happy in the material world, center ing his interests around his home, which is based on sexual intercourse and which brings him all kinds of material miseries. In this way one is no better than a foolish animal.(7)

The attraction between male and female is the basic principle of material existence. On the basis of this misconception, which ties together the hearts of the male and female, one becomes at tracted to his body, home, property, children, relatives and wealth. In this way one increases life’s illusions and thinks in terms of “I and mine.”(8) When the strong knot in the heart of a person implicated in material life due to the results of past action is slackened, one turns away from his attachment to home, wife and children. In this way, one gives up the basic principle of illusion [I and mine] and becomes liberated. Thus one goes to the transcendental world.(9)

O My sons, you should accept a highly elevated paramahaṁsa, a spiritually ad vanced spiritual master. In this way, you should place your faith and love in Me, the Supreme Personality of Godhead. You should detest sense gratification and tolerate the duality of pleasure and pain, which are like the seasonal changes of summer and winter. Try to realize the miserable condition of living entities, who are miserable even in the higher planetary sys tems. Philosophically inquire about the truth. Then undergo all kinds of austerities and pen ances for the sake of devotional service. Give up the endeavor for sense enjoyment and en gage in the service of the Lord. Listen to dis cussions about the Supreme Personality of Godhead, and always associate with devotees. Chant about and glorify the Supreme Lord, and look upon everyone equally on the spiritual platform. Give up enmity and subdue anger and lamentation. Abandon identifying the self with the body and the home, and practice reading the revealed scriptures. Live in a secluded place and practice the process by which you can com pletely control your life air, mind and senses. Have full faith in the revealed scriptures, the Vedic literatures, and always observe celibacy. Perform your prescribed duties and avoid un necessary talks. Always thinking of the Su preme Personality of Godhead, acquire knowledge from the right source. Thus practic ing bhakti-yoga, you will patiently and enthu siastically be elevated in knowledge and will be able to give up the false ego.(10-13)

As I have advised you, My dear sons, you should act ac cordingly. Be very careful. By these means you will be freed from the ignorance of the desire for fruitive activity, and the knot of bondage in the heart will be completely severed. For fur ther advancement, you should also give up the means. That is, you should not become attached to the process of liberation itself.(14) If one is serious about going back home, back to Godhead, he must consider the mercy of the Supreme Personality of Godhead the summum bonum and chief aim of life. If he is a father instructing his sons, a spiritual master instructing his disciples, or a king instructing his citizens, he must instruct them as I have ad vised. Without being angry, he should continue giving instructions, even if his disciple, son or citizen is sometimes unable to follow his order. Ignorant people who engage in pious and impi ous activities should be engaged in devotional service by all means. They should always avoid fruitive activity. If one puts into the bondage of karmic activity his disciple, son or citizen who is bereft of transcendental vision, how will one profit? It is like leading a blind man to a dark well and causing him to fall in.(15)

Due to ig norance, the materialistic person does not know anything about his real self-interest, the auspi cious path in life. He is simply bound to mate rial enjoyment by lusty desires, and all his plans are made for this purpose. For temporary sense gratification, such a person creates a society of envy, and due to this mentality, he plunges into the ocean of suffering. Such a foolish person does not even know about this.(16) If someone is ignorant and addicted to the path of saṁsāra, how can one who is actually learned, merciful and advanced in spiritual knowledge engage him in fruitive activity and thus further entan gle him in material existence? If a blind man is walking down the wrong path, how can a gen tleman allow him to continue on his way to danger? How can he approve this method? No wise or kind man can allow this.(17) One who cannot deliver his dependents from the path of repeated birth and death should never become a spiritual master, a father, a husband, a mother or a worshipable demigod. (18)

My transcendental body [sac-cid-ānanda vigraha] looks exactly like a human form, but it is not a material human body. It is inconceiva ble. I am not forced by nature to accept a par ticular type of body; I take on a body by My own sweet will. My heart is also spiritual, and I always think of the welfare of My devotees. Therefore within My heart can be found the process of devotional service, which is meant for the devotees. Far from My heart have I abandoned irreligion [adharma] and nondevo tional activities. They do not appeal to Me. Due to all these transcendental qualities, people generally pray to Me as Ṛṣabhadeva, the Su preme Personality of Godhead, the best of all living entities.(19) My dear boys, you are all born of My heart, which is the seat of all spir itual qualities. Therefore you should not be like materialistic and envious men. You should ac cept your eldest brother, Bharata, who is ex alted in devotional service. If you engage your selves in Bharata’s service, your service to him will include My service, and you will rule the citizens automatically.(20)

Of the two energies manifest [spirit and dull matter], beings pos sessing living force [vegetables, grass, trees and plants] are superior to dull matter [stone, earth, etc.]. Superior to nonmoving plants and vegetables are worms and snakes, which can move. Superior to worms and snakes are ani mals that have developed intelligence. Superior to animals are human beings, and superior to human beings are ghosts because they have no material bodies. Superior to ghosts are the Gandharvas, and superior to them are the Sid dhas. Superior to the Siddhas are the Kinnaras, and superior to them are the asuras. Superior to the asuras are the demigods, and of the demi gods, Indra, the King of heaven, is supreme. Superior to Indra are the direct sons of Lord Brahmā, sons like King Dakṣa, and supreme among Brahmā’s sons is Lord Śiva. Since Lord Śiva is the son of Lord Brahmā, Brahmā is con sidered superior, but Brahmā is also subordi nate to Me, the Supreme Personality of God head. Because I am inclined to the brāhmaṇas, the brāhmaṇas are best of all.(21-22)

O respectful brāhmaṇas, as far as I am con cerned, no one is equal or superior to the brāhmaṇas in this world. I do not find anyone comparable to them. When people know My motive, after performing rituals according to the Vedic principles they offer food to Me with faith and love through the mouth of a brāhmaṇa. When food is thus offered unto Me, I eat it with full satisfaction. Indeed, I derive more pleasure from food offered in that way than from the food offered in the sacrificial fire.(23) The Vedas are My eternal transcen dental sound incarnation. Therefore the Vedas are śabda-brahma. In this world, the brāhmaṇas thoroughly study all the Vedas, and because they assimilate the Vedic conclusions, they are also to be considered the Vedas personified. The brāhmaṇas are situated in the supreme transcendental mode of naturesattva-guṇa. Be cause of this, they are fixed in mind control [śama], sense control [dama], and truthfulness [satya]. They describe the Vedas in their origi nal sense, and out of mercy [anugraha] they preach the purpose of the Vedas to all condi tioned souls. They practice penance [tapasya] and tolerance [titikṣā], and they realize the po sition of the living entity and the Supreme Lord [anubhava]. These are the eight qualifications of the brāhmaṇas. Therefore among all living entities, no one is superior to the brāhmaṇas.(24)

I am fully opulent, almighty and superior to Lord Brahmā and Indra, the King of the heavenly planets. I am also the be stower of all happiness obtained in the heav enly kingdom and by liberation. Nonetheless, the brāhmaṇas do not seek material comforts from Me. They are very pure and do not want to possess anything. They simply engage in My devotional service. What is the need of their asking for material benefits from anyone else?(25) My dear sons, you should not envy any liv ing entitybe he moving or nonmoving. Know ing that I am situated in them, you should offer respect to all of them at every moment. In this way, you offer respect to Me.(26) The true ac tivity of the sense organsmind, sight, words and all the knowledge-gathering and working sens esis to engage fully in My service. Unless his senses are thus engaged, a living entity cannot think of getting out of the great entanglement of material existence, which is exactly like Yamarāja’s stringent rope.(27)

Śukadeva Gosvāmī said: Thus the great well-wisher of everyone, the Supreme Lord Ṛṣabhadeva, instructed His own sons. Alt hough they were perfectly educated and cul tured, He instructed them just to set an example of how a father should instruct his sons before retiring from family life. Sannyāsīs, who are no longer bound by fruitive activity and who have taken to devotional service after all their mate rial desires have been vanquished, also learn by these instructions. Lord Ṛṣabhadeva instructed His one hundred sons, of whom the eldest, Bha rata, was a very advanced devotee and a fol lower of Vaiṣṇavas. In order to rule the whole world, the Lord enthroned His eldest son on the royal seat. Thereafter, although still at home, Lord Ṛṣabhadeva lived like a madman, naked and with disheveled hair. Then the Lord took the sacrificial fire within Himself, and He left Brahmāvarta to tour the whole world.(28) After accepting the feature of avadhūta, a great saintly person without material cares, Lord Ṛṣabhadeva passed through human society like a blind, deaf and dumb man, an idle stone, a ghost or a madman. Although people called Him such names, He remained silent and did not speak to anyone.(29)

Ṛṣabhadeva began to tour through cities, villages, mines, country sides, valleys, gardens, military camps, cow pens, the homes of cowherd men, transient ho tels, hills, forests and hermitages. Wherever He traveled, all bad elements surrounded Him, just as flies surround the body of an elephant com ing from a forest. He was always being threat ened, beaten, urinated upon and spat upon. Sometimes people threw stones, stool and dust at Him, and sometimes people passed foul air before Him. Thus people called Him many bad names and gave Him a great deal of trouble, but He did not care about this, for He understood that the body is simply meant for such an end. He was situated on the spiritual platform, and, being in His spiritual glory, He did not care for all these material insults. In other words, He completely understood that matter and spirit are separate, and He had no bodily conception. Thus, without being angry at anyone, He walked through the whole world alone.(30)

Lord Ṛṣabhadeva’s hands, feet and chest were very long. His shoulders, face and limbs were all very delicate and symmetrically propor tioned. His mouth was beautifully decorated with His natural smile, and He appeared all the more lovely with His reddish eyes spread wide like the petals of a newly grown lotus flower covered with dew in the early morning. The irises of His eyes were so pleasing that they re moved all the troubles of everyone who saw Him. His forehead, ears, neck, nose and all His other features were very beautiful. His gentle smile always made His face beautiful, so much so that He even attracted the hearts of married women. It was as though they had been pierced by arrows of Cupid. About His head was an abundance of curly, matted brown hair. His hair was disheveled because His body was dirty and not taken care of. He appeared as if He were haunted by a ghost.(31)

When Lord Ṛṣabhadeva saw that the general populace was very antagonistic to His execu tion of mystic yoga, He accepted the behavior of a python in order to counteract their opposi tion. Thus He stayed in one place and lay down. While lying down, He ate and drank, and He passed stool and urine and rolled in it. Indeed, He smeared His whole body with His own stool and urine so that opposing elements might not come and disturb Him.(32) Because Lord Ṛṣabhadeva remained in that condition, the public did not disturb Him, but no bad aroma emanated from His stool and urine. Quite the contrary, His stool and urine were so aromatic that they filled eighty miles of the countryside with a pleasant fragrance.(33) In this way Lord Ṛṣabhadeva followed the behavior of cows, deer and crows. Sometimes He moved or walked, and sometimes He sat down in one place. Sometimes He lay down, behaving ex actly like cows, deer and crows. In that way, He ate, drank, passed stool and urine and cheated the people in this way.(34)

O King Parīkṣit, just to show all the yogīs the mystic process, Lord Ṛṣabhadeva, the plenary expansion of Lord Kṛṣṇa, performed wonderful activities. Actu ally He was the master of liberation and was fully absorbed in transcendental bliss, which increased a thousandfold. Lord Kṛṣṇa, Vāsudeva, the son of Vasudeva, is the original source of Lord Ṛṣabhadeva. There is no differ ence in Their constitution, and consequently Lord Ṛṣabhadeva awakened the loving symp toms of crying, laughing and shivering. He was always absorbed in transcendental love. Due to this, all mystic powers automatically ap proached Him, such as the ability to travel in outer space at the speed of mind, to appear and disappear, to enter the bodies of others, and to see things far, far away. Although He could do all this, He did not exercise these powers.(35)

ŚrīŚukadeva Gosvāmī said: As soon as the Lord was born as the son of Mahārāja Nābhi, He manifested symptoms of the Supreme Lord, such as marks on the bottoms of His feet [the flag, thunderbolt, etc.]. This son was equal to everyone and very peaceful. He could control His senses and His mind, and, possessing all opulence, He did not hanker for material enjoy ment. Endowed with all these attributes, the son of Mahārāja Nābhi became more powerful day after day. Due to this, the citizens, learned brāhmaṇas, demigods and ministers wanted Ṛṣabhadeva to be appointed ruler of the earth.(1) When the son of Mahārāja Nābhi be came visible, He evinced all good qualities de scribed by the great poetsnamely, a well-built body with all the symptoms of the Godhead, prowess, strength, beauty, name, fame, influ ence and enthusiasm. When the father, Mahārāja Nābhi, saw all these qualities, he thought his son to be the best of human beings or the supreme being. Therefore he gave Him the name Ṛṣabha.(2)

Indra, the King of heaven, who is very ma terially opulent, became envious of King Ṛṣabhadeva. Consequently he stopped pouring water on the planet known as Bhārata-varṣa. At that time the Supreme Lord, Ṛṣabhadeva, the master of all mystic power, understood King Indra’s purpose and smiled a little. Then, by His own prowess, through yoga-māyā [His in ternal potency], He profusely poured water upon His own place, which was known as Ajanābha.(3) Due to getting a perfect son ac cording to his desire, King Nābhi was always overwhelmed with transcendental bliss and was very affectionate to his son. It was with ecstasy and a faltering voice that he addressed Him, “My dear son, my darling.” This mentality was brought about by yoga-māyā, whereby he ac cepted the Supreme Lord, the supreme father, as his own son. Out of His supreme good will, the Lord became his son and dealt with every one as if He were an ordinary human being. Thus King Nābhi began to raise his transcen dental son with great affection, and he was overwhelmed with transcendental bliss, joy and devotion.(4)

King Nābhi understood that his son, Ṛṣabhadeva, was very popular among the citi zens and among government officers and min isters. Understanding the popularity of his son, Mahārāja Nābhi enthroned Him as the emperor of the world to give protection to the general populace in terms of the Vedic religious sys tem. To do this, he entrusted Him into the hands of learned brāhmaṇas, who would guide Him in administrating the government. Then Mahārāja Nābhi and his wife, Merudevī, went to Bada rikāśrama in the Himālaya Mountains, where the King engaged Himself very expertly in aus terities and penances with great jubilation. In full samādhi he worshiped the Supreme Per sonality of Godhead, Nara-Nārāyaṇa, who is Kṛṣṇa in His plenary expansion. By doing so, in course of time Mahārāja Nābhi was elevated to the spiritual world known as Vaikuṇṭha.(5)

O Mahārāja Parīkṣit, to glorify Mahārāja Nābhi the old sages composed two verses. One of them is this: “Who can attain the perfection of Mahārāja Nābhi? Who can attain his activi ties? Because of his devotional service, the Su preme Personality of Godhead agreed to be come his son.” (6) The second prayer is this.] “Who is a better worshiper of brāhmaṇas than Mahārāja Nābhi? Because he worshiped the qualified brāhmaṇas to their full satisfaction, the brāhmaṇas, by their brahminical prowess, showed Mahārāja Nābhi the Supreme Person ality of Godhead, Nārāyaṇa, in person.”(7) After Nābhi Mahārāja departed for Bada rikāśrama, the Supreme Lord, Ṛṣabhadeva, un derstood that His kingdom was His field of ac tivities. He therefore showed Himself as an ex ample and taught the duties of a householder by first accepting brahmacarya under the direction of spiritual masters. He also went to live at the spiritual masters’ place, gurukula. After His ed ucation was finished, He gave gifts (guru dakṣiṇā) to His spiritual masters and then ac cepted the life of a householder. He took a wife named Jayantī and begot one hundred sons who were as powerful and qualified as He Himself. His wife Jayantī had been offered to Him by In dra, the King of heaven. Ṛṣabhadeva and Jayantī performed householder life in an exem plary way, carrying out ritualistic activities or dained by the śruti and smṛti śāstra.(8) Of Ṛṣabhadeva’s one hundred sons, the eldest, named Bharata, was a great, exalted devotee qualified with the best attributes. In his honor, this planet has become known as Bhārata varṣa.(9)

Following Bharata, there were ninety nine other sons. Among these were nine elderly sons, named Kuśāvarta, Ilāvarta, Brahmāvarta, Malaya, Ketu, Bhadrasena, Indraspṛk, Vidar bha and Kīkaṭa.(10) In addition to these sons were Kavi, Havi, Antarikṣa, Prabuddha, Pip palāyana, Āvirhotra, Drumila, Camasa and Karabhājana. These were all very exalted, ad vanced devotees and authorized preachers of Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam. These devotees were glo rified due to their strong devotion to Vāsudeva, the Supreme Personality of Godhead. There fore they were very exalted. To satisfy the mind perfectly, I [Śukadeva Gosvāmī] shall hereafter describe the characteristics of these nine devo tees when I discuss the conversation between Nārada and Vasudeva.(11-12) In addition to these nineteen sons mentioned above, there were eighty-one younger ones, all born of Ṛṣabhadeva and Jayantī. According to the or der of their father, they became well-cultured, well-behaved, very pure in their activities and expert in Vedic knowledge and the perfor mance of Vedic rituals. Thus they all became perfectly qualified brāhmaṇas.(13)

Being an incarnation of the Supreme Per sonality of Godhead, Lord Ṛṣabhadeva was fully independent because His form was spir itual, eternal and full of transcendental bliss. He eternally had nothing to do with the four prin ciples of material misery [birth, death, old age and disease]. Nor was He materially attached. He was always equipoised, and He saw every one on the same level. He was unhappy to see others unhappy, and He was the well-wisher of all living entities. Although He was a perfect personality, the Supreme Lord and controller of all, He nonetheless acted as if He were an ordi nary conditioned soul. Therefore He strictly followed the principles of varṇāśrama-dharma and acted accordingly. In due course of time, the principles of varṇāśrama-dharma had be come neglected; therefore through His personal characteristics and behavior, He taught the ig norant public how to perform duties within the varṇāśrama-dharma. In this way He regulated the general populace in householder life, ena bling them to develop religion and economic well-being and to attain reputations, sons and daughters, material pleasure and finally eternal life. By His instructions, He showed how peo ple could remain householders and at the same time become perfect by following the princi ples of varṇāśrama-dharma.(14)

Whatever ac tion is performed by a great man, common men follow.(15) Although Lord Ṛṣabhadeva knew everything about confidential Vedic knowledge, which includes information about all types of occupational duties, He still main tained Himself as a kṣatriya and followed the instructions of the brāhmaṇas as they related to mind control, sense control, tolerance and so forth. Thus He ruled the people according to the system of varṇāśrama-dharma, which enjoins that the brāhmaṇas instruct the kṣatriyas and the kṣatriyas administer to the state through the vaiśyas and śūdras.(16) Lord Ṛṣabhadeva per formed all kinds of sacrifices one hundred times according to the instructions of the Vedic literatures. Thus He satisfied Lord Viṣṇu in every respect. All the rituals were enriched by first-class ingredients. They were executed in holy places according to the proper time by priests who were all young and faithful. In this way Lord Viṣṇu was worshiped, and the prasāda was offered to all the demigods. Thus the functions and festivals were all success ful.(17)

No one likes to possess anything that is like a will-o’-the-wisp or a flower in the sky, for everyone knows very well that such things do not exist. When Lord Ṛṣabhadeva ruled this planet of Bhāratavarṣa, even common men did not want to ask for anything, at any time or by any means. No one ever asks for a will-o’-the wisp. In other words, everyone was completely satisfied, and therefore there was no chance of anyone’s asking for anything. The people were absorbed in great affection for the King. Since this affection was always expanding, they were not inclined to ask for anything.(18) Once while touring the world, Lord Ṛṣabhadeva, the Supreme Lord, reached a place known as Brahmāvarta. There was a great conference of learned brāhmaṇas at that place, and all the King’s sons attentively heard the instructions of the brāhmaṇas there. At that assembly, within the hearing of the citizens, Ṛṣabhadeva instructed His sons, although they were already very well-behaved, devoted and qualified. He instructed them so that in the future they could rule the world very perfectly. Thus he spoke as follows.(19)