॥ ॐ नमो भगवते वासुदेवाय ॥
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स चचार महीमेतां संयतात्मेन्द्रियानिल: । भिक्षार्थं नगरग्रामानसङ्गोऽलक्षितोऽविशत् ॥
तं वै प्रवयसं भिक्षुमवधूतमसज्जना: । दृष्ट्वा पर्यभवन् भद्र बह्वीभि: परिभूतिभि: ॥
T: Bhagavan continued the story of the reformed miser who now was a mendicant. He wandered about the earth, keeping his Buddhi, senses and Prana under control. ( Buddhi dictates decisions. Senses draw one outward to experiences.Prana maintains the inner poise.) He appeared a mere beggar as he went around with his begging bowl, and no one suspected him to be the same miser or a true Sannyasi. Thus, the man was insulted and tortured in myriad ways. Sage Shuka spares no detail. People pulled at his meagre belongings, pushed away his bowl as he sat down and ate, and even tugged away at his clothes. They defecated on him and spat on him. They made his life insufferable. While he observed silence, they would beat him and call him a thief.
Some came to recognise him and heaped insult on injury saying, "This is the same old cheat and miser in a new disguise!"
एवं स भौतिकं दु:खं दैविकं दैहिकं च यत् । भोक्तव्यमात्मनो दिष्टं प्राप्तं प्राप्तमबुध्यत ॥
T: Purely by the Lord's grace, the Brahmin was able to attribute all his suffering inflicted by others to the force of Prakriti and his own Janma in this body, a result of Destiny. He thus remained steadfast in his Dharma.
He rationalised:
मनो गुणान् वै सृजते बलीयस्ततश्च कर्माणि विलक्षणानि ।
शुक्लानि कृष्णान्यथ लोहितानि तेभ्य: सवर्णा: सृतयो भवन्ति ॥
T: "My mind alone functions through the Gunas, and is the result of my past Karmas. All my doings and experiences are nothing but the play of Gunas over time!"
"Let me connect with the Paramatma, ever benevolent, present in me, rather than confuse myself with my mind and body! That would be the best way to Samadhi."
The man realised that once this attitude prevails, there is indeed no need for any rituals or practices!
भीष्मो हि देव: सहस: सहीयान्यु ञ्ज्याद वशे तं स हि देवदेव: ॥
T: "The god of gods is the most powerful faculty of mine called the mind, as long as he can exercise his control over the body and experiences!"
"For the one who has still not conquered his mind, there are friends and foes. Not to the one who has his mind under total control! This I and Mine then disappear! If someone hurts me, when I can see all JIvas are the same Atma, how can I take offence? जिह्वां क्वचित् सन्दशति स्वदद्भिस्तद्वेदनायां कतमाय कुप्येत् ॥
If by accident I bite my tongue, will I punish my teeth? They are both me!"
"Even if we say the gods are responsible for our miseries, can we not see that this is all play of the body-mind, and the Atma is unaffected!"
"And then, if Atma, by his nature, inflicts misery on the JIva, whom else can we blame?"
'Can we blame the planets either? (Grahachara as we say.) If indeed the Atma remains independent and free, how can we say the planets affect him?"
"If we say Kamya Karma (desire-driven action) brings unhappiness, can we not see Karma itself is illusory for the Atma?"
"Can we blame Kaala or Time!? Time is but the Lord's way of making the Atma experience life which is indeed an illusion. Whom to blame then?"
एतां स आस्थाय परात्मनिष्ठामध्यासितां पूर्वतमैर्महर्षिभि: ।
अहं तरिष्यामि दुरन्तपारं तमो मुकुन्दाङ्घ्रिनिषेवयैव ॥
T: "Therefore, hereby I resolve that In shall cross this ocean of suffering by being surrendered to Bhagavan Mukunda's lotus feet! This is the path shown by the great Rishis of the past, too!"
Bhagavan now concluded this story to Uddhava saying that indeed, this Bhikshu attained the highest spiritual state by the sheer dint of his steadfastness and forbearance.
य एतां भिक्षुणा गीतां ब्रह्मनिष्ठां समाहित: । धारयञ्छ्रावयञ्छृण्वन्द्वन्द्वैर्नैवाभिभूयते ॥
T: Bhagavan told Uddhava: " Anyone who listens to or recites to others this song of the Sannyasi called the Bhikshu Gita which presents scientific knowledge of the Absolute, and who thus meditates upon it with full attention, will never again be overwhelmed by the dualities of material happiness and distress."
PS: In our Sanskrit class, we studied a Niti Shloka from Bhartrihari:
कदर्थितस्यापि ह्धि र्यवृत्तेर्न शक्यते धैर्यगुणः प्रमार्ष्टुम् ।
अधोमुखस्यापि कृतस्य वह्नेह्र्नाधः शिखा यान्ति कदचिदेव॥
T: However much a determined seeker is tormented and insulted, his courage cannot be damaged or erased. His spirit is like the burning firestick, which, even if pointed downwards, throws the flame up always!"
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