॥ ॐ नमो भगवते वासुदेवाय ॥
***
Here begins the discourse on the most profound spiritual takeaways of Srimad Bhagavatam. This is a dialogue between Uddhava and Sri Krishna. We remember how Uddhava went to preach Atma Jnana to the Gopis and came back a convert to Bhakti. Here we see Uddhava expressing his angst about Bhagavan's going away. Bhagavan explains to him the spiritual path by quoting a conversation between Dattatreya and King Yadu. This section is often referred to as Hamsa Geeta or Avadhuta Geeta also. We see today its preamble from Sri Krishna.
श्रीभगवानुवाच
यदात्थ मां महाभाग तच्चिकीर्षितमेव मे । ब्रह्मा भवो लोकपालाः स्वर्वासं मेऽभिकाङ्क्षिणः ॥
मया निष्पादितं ह्यत्र देवकार्यमशेषतः । यदर्थमवतीर्णोऽहमंशेन ब्रह्मणार्थितः ॥
कुलं वै शापनिर्दग्धं नङ्क्ष्यत्यन्योन्यविग्रहात् । समुद्रः सप्तमेऽह्न्येतां पुरीं च प्लावयिष्यति ॥
यर्ह्येवायं मया त्यक्तो लोकोऽयं नष्टमङ्गलः । भविष्यत्यचिरात्साधो कलिनापि निराकृतः ॥
न वस्तव्यं त्वयैवेह मया त्यक्ते महीतले । जनोऽधर्मरुचिर्भद्र भविष्यति कलौ युगे ॥
T: Sri Krishna spoke: "Indeed, oh blessed Uddhava, your surmise about my intention to depart from this world is right. This was the request made by Lord Brahma, Lord Shiva and others just now, asking me to wind up this Avatara as a completed assignment and return to my abode Vaikuntha. Acceding to Brahma's request alone had I incarnated as Sri Krishna here. My tasks are all done. This Yadu dynasty is also going to end owing to the Rishis' curse causing internecine destruction. The ocean is going to swallow up Dwaraka in seven days."
"On my departure, this world will be plunged into Adharma, afflicted by Kali Yuga entirely. You should also not delay and shloud leave this world as soon as possible as you will see utmost Adharma around."
त्वं तु सर्वं परित्यज्य स्नेहं स्वजनबन्धुषु । मय्यावेश्य मनः संयक् समदृग्विचरस्व गाम् ॥
यदिदं मनसा वाचा चक्षुर्भ्यां श्रवणादिभिः । नश्वरं गृह्यमाणं च विद्धि मायामनोमयम् ॥
पुंसोऽयुक्तस्य नानार्थो भ्रमः स गुणदोषभाक् । कर्माकर्मविकर्मेति गुणदोषधियो भिदा ॥
तस्माद्युक्तेन्द्रियग्रामो युक्तचित्त इदं जगत् । आत्मनीक्षस्व विततमात्मानं मय्यधीश्वरे ॥
T: "Abandon completely all social bonds to friends and relatives and immerse your mind in me. Travel around the earth as a mere witness. After all, Uddhava, all that you perceive through the senses materially- your mind, speech, eyes, ears and other senses, is an illusory creation that one imagines to be real due to the influence of Maya. In fact, you should know that all of the objects of the material senses are temporary and never last."
"One's preferences for objects and experiences are based on illusion. That is what also drives a man to pursue what he thinks is good and avoid what he thinks is evil. Even the list of duties listed as "Must Do", "Must Avoid" and "Must never lapse in doing" is based on this sense of duality. Therefore your path is bringing all your senses under control and thus subduing the mind. You should see the entire world as situated within the self, who is present and projected everywhere, and you should also see this individual self within me, Paramatma and Bhagavan."
ज्ञानविज्ञानसंयुक्त आत्मभूतः शरीरिणाम् । आत्मानुभवतुष्टात्मा नान्तरायैर्विहन्यसे ॥
दोषबुद्ध्योभयातीतो निषेधान्न निवर्तते । गुणबुद्ध्या च विहितं न करोति यथार्भकः ॥
सर्वभूतसुहृच्छान्तो ज्ञानविज्ञाननिश्चयः । पश्यन् मदात्मकं विश्वं न विपद्येत वै पुनः ॥
T: "Knowing fully the Vedas and realising their inner import in practice, you shall be blissful within as Atma and hence be not destroyed from delusion. You shall transcend dualities, the sense of guilt from sin, and even be indifferent to the benefit-driven prescriptions of duty, innnocent like a child."
"One who is the kind well-wisher of all living beings, who is peaceful and firmly fixed in knowledge and realization, sees me, Bhagavan, within all things. Such a person never again falls down into the cycle of birth and death."
This is the true definition of a Mukta or a realised person in all Sanatana scriptures, especially the Bhagavadgita.
Hearing this, Uddhava, the supreme devotee of Sri Krishna, now asked him this.
उद्धव उवाच
योगेश योगविन्यास योगात्मन् योगसम्भव । निःश्रेयसाय मे प्रोक्तस्त्यागः सन्न्यासलक्षणः ॥
त्यागोऽयं दुष्करो भूमन् कामानां विषयात्मभिः । सुतरां त्वयि सर्वात्मन्नभक्तैरिति मे मतिः ॥
सोऽहं ममाहमिति मूढमतिर्विगाढः त्वन्मायया विरचितात्मनि सानुबन्धे ।
तत्त्वञ्जसा निगदितं भवता यथाहं संसाधयामि भगवन्ननुशाधि भृत्यम् ॥
T: "Dear Bhagavan Sri Krishna, you are the lord of Yoga. You enshrine Yoga. You are the soul and spirit of Yogic practices, and you have given Yoga to us devotees. ( Here Yoga means Bhakti and Karma Yoga). You have now extolled renunciation to me. My dear Sri Krishna, this renunciation is most difficult! We are souls attached to desires and their objects. I feel the path of renunciation is in fact impossible for those lacking pure devotion to you!"
"Dear Sri Krishna, I myself am most foolish because my consciousness is merged in the material body and bodily relations, which are all manufactured by your Maya! Thus, I am thinking, “I am this body, and all of these relatives are mine.” Therefore, my lord, please deconstruct this difficult path you have extolled for me."
सत्यस्य ते स्वदृश आत्मन आत्मनोऽन्यं वक्तारमीश विबुधेष्वपि नानुचक्षे ।
सर्वे विमोहितधियस्तव माययेमे ब्रह्मादयस्तनुभृतो बहिरर्थभावाः ॥
तस्माद्भवन्तमनवद्यमनन्तपारं सर्वज्ञमीश्वरमकुण्ठविकुण्ठधिष्ण्यम् ।
निर्विण्णधीरहमु ह वृजिनाभितप्तो नारायणं नरसखं शरणं प्रपद्ये ॥
T: "Dear Bhagavan, you are the Absolute Truth, the Ishwara and you alone can reveal yourself to your devotees. Apart from you. I can't think of any teacher to explain this path to me. You are the incomparable teacher, and also, even Brahma and the gods are deluded by your Maya. There is thus no surprise that we embodied beings think of this body and its world to be everything!"
" Bhagavan, feeling weary of material life and tormented by its distresses, I now surrender to you as the perfect master. You are the unlimited, all-knowing Paramatma Ishwara, whose spiritual abode in Vaikuntha is free from all disturbances. In fact, you are known as Narayana, which means the true friend of all living beings!"
श्रीभगवानुवाच
प्रायेण मनुजा लोके लोकतत्त्वविचक्षणाः । समुद्धरन्ति ह्यात्मानमात्मनैवाशुभाशयात् ॥
आत्मनो गुरुरात्मैव पुरुषस्य विशेषतः । यत्प्रत्यक्षानुमानाभ्यां श्रेयोऽसावनुविन्दते ॥
पुरुषत्वे च मां धीराः साङ्ख्ययोगविशारदाः । आविस्तरां प्रपश्यन्ति सर्वशक्त्युपबृंहितम् ॥
एकद्वित्रिचतुष्पादो बहुपादस्तथापदः । बह्व्यः सन्ति पुरः सृष्टास्तासां मे पौरुषी प्रिया ॥
अत्र मां मार्गयन्त्यद्धा युक्ता हेतुभिरीश्वरम् । गृह्यमाणैर्गुणैर्लिङ्गैरग्राह्यमनुमानतः ॥
अत्राप्युदाहरन्तीममितिहासं पुरातनम् । अवधूतस्य संवादं यदोरमिततेजसः ॥
अवधूतं द्विजं कञ्चिच्चरन्तमकुतोभयम् । कविं निरीक्ष्य तरुणं यदुः पप्रच्छ धर्मवित् ॥
T: Bhagavan replied: "Dear Uddhava, those who can expertly analyse the human condition and its misery generally manage to rise above the life of physical gratifications. In fact, such a person with intelligence becomes his own spiritual master. Those advanced in this path of Sankhya (discrimination) can see me and my Maya clearly. This world has many types of living entities, those with one, two, three, four, many feet, some slithering without feet and so on. Of all these forms, the human form is dearest to me. Because I am beyond mental constructs derived from sense experiences, the human being with intelligence goes beyond physical perceptions to directly search for me beyond the mind. This can be realised directly or by inference."
"In this regard, let me tell you the story of a great Avadhuta (realised master) and King Yadu. Once, the king observed a Brahmin walking on the street, a picture of complete freedom and fearlessness. Yadu was himself spiritually advanced, and thus went and spoke to the Brahmin."
यदुरुवाच
कुतो बुद्धिरियं ब्रह्मन्नकर्तुः सुविशारदा । यामासाद्य भवाँल्लोकं विद्वांश्चरति बालवत् ॥
प्रायो धर्मार्थकामेषु विवित्सायां च मानवाः । हेतुनैव समीहन्ते आयुषो यशसः श्रियः ॥
त्वं तु कल्पः कविर्दक्षः सुभगोऽमृतभाषणः । न कर्ता नेहसे किञ्चिज्जडोन्मत्तपिशाचवत् ॥
जनेषु दह्यमानेषु कामलोभदवाग्निना । न तप्यसेऽग्निना मुक्तो गङ्गाम्भःस्थ इव द्विपः ॥
त्वं हि नः पृच्छतां ब्रह्मन्नात्मन्यानन्दकारणम् । ब्रूहि स्पर्शविहीनस्य भवतः केवलात्मनः ॥
T: King Yadu addressed the Brahmin: " Oh Learned Sir, whence have you secured this supreme intellect? With this intelligence, you are roaming the world like a carefree child! When people pursue the Purusharthas - Dharma, Artha, Kama and Moksha, their purpose is only to live well on earth with material well-being. They thus pursue so many activities. You, however, look radiantly intelligent, and it is obvious you are engaged in no such activities! Indeed, one could easily mistake you for a madman or a dullard. Whereas people burn in this world from lust and greed, you have freed yourself from them. You seem to me to be like a tusker simply resting on Ganga's bank to escape the forest fire (i.e. the elephant cannot be burnt by the fire as he can use the water to extinguish the fire. So he looks on without any angst)."
"Dear Brahmin, what is the secret of your inner bliss in Atma? Please tell us, as we see you are totally free from any ties, and are established just in your Atma."
Sri Krishna said that after having posed this respectful query, King Yadu waited deferentially for the reply from the Avadhuta, who began to answer him.
We shall continue this tomorrow!
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॥ ॐ नमो भगवते वासुदेवाय ॥
