पश्येदात्मन्यदो विश्वं परे सदसतोऽव्यये । आत्मानं च परं ब्रह्म सर्वत्र सदसन्मये ॥
नासच्छास्त्रेषु सज्जेत नोपजीवेत जीविकाम् । वादवादांस्त्यजेत्तर्कान्पक्षं कंच न संश्रयेत् ॥
न शिष्याननुबध्नीत ग्रन्थान्नैवाभ्यसेद् बहून् । न व्याख्यामुपयुञ्जीत नारम्भानारभेत्क्वचित् ॥
T: The Sannyasi is fully self-satisfied, and interested in keeping body and soul together. He wears only a loin cloth. He begs for alms door-to-door. Unattached to anyone or any place, he loves all equally. His principal mood is total immersion in Bhakti towards Bhagavan Narayana. He moves from place to place, not staying anywhere for more than one night. He sees all creation as a part of Bhagavan. Scriptures and debates as such make no sense to him unless they make one spiritual, not intellectual. He takes no sides and espouses no societal cause. He does not build Mathas and fancy Ashram as. He does not gather disciples around him. He does not give courses and discourses. He is not building empires ever.
***
Narada says that once, Prahlada, a supreme devotee himself, found lying on the bank of the river Kaveri (!!!) a well-bodied, extremely serene and blissful man. He was covered with dust and totally unmindful of his own appearance. Prahlada was curious and asked the Sannyasi how come he was so able-bodied since he seemed to have no interest in taking care of himself and obviously not earning any livelihood. The saint smiled. He was none other than Bhagavan Dattatreya, an incarnation of Maha Vishnu! His reply to King Prahlada is most interesting.
Bhagavan Dattatreya replied: "Dear King, you are highly regarded as a great examplar of Bhakti. You are a great ruler and care for everyone's welfare. Your universal love is worthy of the highest respect. I shall therefore reply to your query."
मधुकारमहासर्पौ लोकेऽस्मिन्नो गुरूत्तमौ । वैराग्यं परितोषं च प्राप्ता यच्छिक्षया वयम् ॥
विराग: सर्वकामेभ्य: शिक्षितो मे मधुव्रतात् । कृच्छ्राप्तं मधुवद्वित्तं हत्वाप्यन्यो हरेत्पतिम् ॥
क्षीम॑ दुकूलमजिनं चीरं वल्कलमेव वा । वसे5न्यदपि सम्प्राप्तं दिष्टमुक तुष्टधीरहम् ॥
क्चचिच्छये घरोपस्थे तृणपर्णाइमभस्मसु । क्वचचित्मासादपर्यद्भे कशिपो वा परेच्छया ॥
क्चचित्स्नातो5नुलिप्तान्नः सुवासाः रनग्व्यलड्भृतः । रथेभाश्वेश्वरे क्वापि दिग्वासा ग्रहवद्धिभो ॥
नाहं निन्दे न च स्तौमि स्वभावविषमं जनम् । ए्तेषां श्रेय आशासे उतैकात्म्यं महात्मनि ॥
विकल्पं जुहुयाचित्तौ तां मनस्यर्थविश्रमे । मनो वेकारिके ह॒त्वा तन्मायायां जुहोत्यनु ॥
आत्मानुभूतौ तां मायां जुहुयात्सत्यदड्युनिः । ततो निरीहो विरमेत्स्वानुभूत्या55त्मनि स्थितः ॥
स्वात्मवृत्तं मयेत्थं ते सुगुप्तमपि वर्णितम् । व्यपेतं लोकशास्त्राभ्यां भवान् हि भगवत्परः ॥
T: "The honey bee and the python are two excellent spiritual masters who give us exemplary instructions regarding how to be satisfied by collecting only a little and how to stay in one place and not move. From the honey bee, I have learned to be unattached to accumulating money, for although money is as good as honey, anyone can kill its owner and take it away (as people do to bees and steal their honey). I am fully capable of lying immobile and without any expectations like a python. To cover my body I use whatever is available, whether it be linen, silk, cotton, bark or deerskin, according to my destiny, and I am fully satisfied and unagitated. Sometimes I lie on the surface of the earth, sometimes on leaves, grass or stone, sometimes on a pile of ashes, or sometimes, by the will of others, in a palace on a first-class bed with pillows."
"O my lord Prahlada, sometimes I bathe myself very nicely, smear sandalwood pulp all over my body, put on a flower garland, and dress in fine garments and ornaments. Then I travel like a king on the back of an elephant or on a chariot or a horse. Sometimes, however, I travel naked, like a person haunted by a ghost."
"Different people are of different mentalities. Therefore it is not my business either to praise them or to blaspheme them. I only desire their welfare, hoping that they will agree to become one with the Paramatma, Bhagavan."
"One should realise that it is our own mind that categorises things as good and bad. Make a Homa of such thoughts in our intellect. Make our intellectual predilections into a Homa in our sense of "I" and "Mine". Make a Homa of "I" and "Mine", called Ahankara, into the phenomenon of Maya that moves all creation. Once we get there, we do the Homa of Maya itself in Paramatma Bhagavan!"
"A learned, thoughtful person must realize that material existence is an illusion. This realization is possible only by self-realization. A self-realized person, who has actually seen the truth, should retire from all material activities, being situated in self-realization."
"Dear King Prahlada, you are certainly a self-realized soul and a devotee of the Supreme Lord. You do not care for public opinion or so-called scriptures. For this reason, I have described to you without hesitation the history of my self-realization."
Sage Narada concludes to Yudhishthira that Prahlada realised he was speaking to a true Paramahamsa. He bowed low and took his leave of Bhagavan Dattatreya.
॥ ॐ नमो भगवते वासुदेवाय ॥
