The
Supreme Lord said: 'That what you said to Me, o greatly
fortunate one [Uddhava], reflects My plan [to
withdraw the dynasty]; and therefore are Brahmâ,
Bhava and the leaders of the worlds, looking forward to see me
back in My abode.
The
Supreme Personality of Godhead said: O greatly fortunate
Uddhava, you have accurately revealed My desire to withdraw
the Yadu dynasty from the earth and return to My own abode
in Vaikunthha. Thus Lord Brahmâ, Lord S'iva and all
other planetary rulers are now praying for Me to resume My
residence in Vaikunthha. (Vedabase)
Text
2
Certainly have
I [in my earthly stay] in full performed My duty for
the sake of the God-conscious. It is for them that I descended
along with my partial expansion [Balarâma] to the
prayer of Lord Brahmâ.
Answering
the prayer of Lord Brahmâ, I descended within this
world along with My plenary portion, Lord Baladeva, and
performed various activities on behalf of the demigods. I
have now completed My mission here. (Vedabase)
Text
3
This
family finished by the curse will be destroyed in a mutual
quarrel and on the seventh day [from now] will the
ocean inundate this city.
Now
due to the brâhmanas' curse the Yadu dynasty will
certainly perish by fighting among themselves; and on the
seventh day from today the ocean will rise up and inundate
this city of Dvârakâ. (Vedabase)
Text
4
When
I, o virtuous one, have abandoned this world, will she be
overcome by Kali and soon be
bereft of all piety [see also 1.16
& 17].
O
saintly Uddhava, in the near future I will abandon this
earth. Then, being overwhelmed by the age of Kali, the earth
will be bereft of all piety. (Vedabase)
Text
5
Be
sure not to remain in this world once I've abondoned her, for
in Kali's time will the people on earth be enmeshed in sin My
dearest.
My
dear Uddhava, you should not remain here on the earth once I
have abandoned this world. My dear devotee, you are sinless,
but in Kali-yuga the people will be addicted to all types of
sinful activities; therefore do not stay here.
(Vedabase)
Text6
You
should factually forsaking all emotional ties, with your mind
fully fixed on Me,
wander around in this world with an equal mind [see B.G.
6:
9,
6:
29,
14:
22-25].
Now
you should completely give up all attachment to your
personal friends and relatives and fix your mind on Me. Thus
being always conscious of Me, you should observe all things
with equal vision and wander throughout the earth.
(Vedabase)
Text
7
This temporary
world you think of, talk about, observe, hear and all that, you
should recognize to be a deluding game of shadows capturing
your imagination [see also 10.40:
25].
My
dear Uddhava, the material universe that you perceive
through your mind, speech, eyes, ears and other senses is an
illusory creation that one imagines to be real due to the
influence of mâyâ. In fact, you should
know that all of the objects of the material senses are
temporary. (Vedabase)
Text
8
Someone who is
not [spiritually] connected is confounded by all the
opinions about what would be right and wrong, favorable,
unfavorable and defiant and is thus innerly divided about good
and evil [B.G. 4:
16].
One
whose consciousness is bewildered by illusion perceives many
differences in value and meaning among material objects.
Thus one engages constantly on the platform of material good
and evil and is bound by such conceptions. Absorbed in
material duality, such a person contemplates the performance
of compulsory duties, nonperformance of such duties and
performance of forbidden activities. (Vedabase)
Text
9
Consider
therefore with your senses under control and your mind
connected, this world as an expanse within the Self and that
Self as situated in Me, the Lord Above.
Therefore,
bringing all your senses under control and thus subduing the
mind, you should see the entire world as situated within the
self, who is expanded everywhere, and you should also see
this individual self within Me, the Supreme Personality of
Godhead. (Vedabase)
Text
10
With knowledge
and wisdom fully endowed is one, satisfied within oneself and
of apprehension with the Soul that for everyone who is embodied
is the object of affection, never discouraged by
setbacks.
Being
fully endowed with conclusive knowledge of the Vedas and
having realized the ultimate purpose of such knowledge in
practice, you will be able to perceive the pure self, and
thus your mind will be satisfied. At that time you will
become dear to all living beings, headed by the demigods,
and you will never be hampered by any disturbance in life.
(Vedabase)
Text
11
Risen above the
two of considering bad - and refraining from - what is
forbidden and considering good - and doing that - what's
generally accepted, isn't one dancing to the piper like an
immature child.
One
who has transcended material good and evil automatically
acts in accordance with religious injunctions and avoids
forbidden activities. The self-realized person does this
spontaneously, like an innocent child, and not because he is
thinking in terms of material good and evil.
(Vedabase)
Text
12
When
one to all one's fellow beings acts as a well-wisher firmly
rooted in peace, and one wisely knows the universe as being
pervaded by Me, will one never ever be the one who time and
again tastes defeat.'
One
who is the kind well-wisher of all living beings, who is
peaceful and firmly fixed in knowledge and realization, sees
Me within all things. Such a person never again falls down
into the cycle of birth and death. (Vedabase)
Text
13
S'rî
S'uka said: 'O King, after thus by the Supreme Lord having been
instructed bowed the exalted and fortunate Uddhava, eager to
learn about the supreme principle, down to the Infallible One
to offer his respects.
S'rî
S'ukadeva Gosvâmî said: O King, the Supreme
Personality of Godhead, Lord Krishna, thus instructed His
pure devotee Uddhava, who was eager to receive knowledge
from the Lord. Uddhava then offered obeisances to the Lord
and spoke as follows. (Vedabase)
Text
14
S'rî
Uddhava said: 'O Lord of Yoga who unites us, o Soul who
connects us, o Source of the Mystical, to my advantage You
spoke of renunciation the way it is known in
sannyâsa.
S'rî
Uddhava said: My dear Lord, You alone award the results of
yoga practice, and You are so kind that by Your own
influence You distribute the perfection of yoga to Your
devotee. Thus You are the Supreme Soul who is realized
through yoga, and it is You who are the origin of all mystic
power. For my supreme benefit You have explained the
procedure for giving up the material world through the
process of sannyâsa, or renunciation.
(Vedabase)
Text
15
This
renunciation is difficult to perform my Lord when one is
dedicated to material pleasure and sense gratification,
especially when one is not devoted to You I think [compare
B.G. 6:
33-34].
My
dear Lord, O Supreme Soul, for those whose minds are
attached to sense gratification, and especially for those
bereft of devotion unto You, such renunciation of material
enjoyment is most difficult to perform. That is my opinion.
(Vedabase)
Text
16
I am with my
consciousness merged with the body and its relations as
arranged by Your mâyâ and thus foolish of
the notion of 'I' and of 'mine'. Teach me therefore, so that
Your dear servant may easily execute according the process that
You instruct.
O
my Lord, I myself am most foolish because my consciousness
is merged in the material body and bodily relations, which
are all manufactured by Your illusory energy. Thus I am
thinking, 'I am this body, and all of these relatives are
mine.' Therefore, my Lord, please instruct Your poor
servant. Please tell me how I can very easily carry out Your
instructions. (Vedabase)
Text
17
Who
else is there but You who are of the Truth and reveal Yourself
for me personally? What other speaker than my Lord, the Supreme
Soul, does actually qualify? Not even among the ones awakened
do I see such a speaker. In their consciousness are all, up to
the ones lead by Brahmâ, embodied souls who, when they
take the external for substantial, are bewildered by Your
mâyâ.
My
dear Lord, You are the Absolute Truth, the Supreme
Personality of Godhead, and You reveal Yourself to Your
devotees. Besides Your Lordship, I do not see anyone who can
actually explain perfect knowledge to me. Such a perfect
teacher is not to be found even among the demigods in
heaven. Indeed, all of the demigods, headed by Lord
Brahmâ, are bewildered by Your illusory potency. They
are conditioned souls who accept their own material bodies
and bodily expansions to be the highest truth.
(Vedabase)
Text
18
Therefore do I,
who with my mind in renunciation am tormented in distress,
appraoch You Nârâyana, o Friend of Man for shelter,
o You perfect, unlimited and omniscient Controller ever fresh
in Your abode of Vaikunthha.'
Therefore,
O Lord, feeling weary of material life and tormented by its
distresses, I now surrender unto You because You are the
perfect master. You are the unlimited, all-knowing Supreme
Personality of Godhead, whose spiritual abode in Vaikunthha
is free from all disturbances. In fact, You are known as
Nârâyana, the true friend of all living beings.
(Vedabase)
Text
19
The Supreme
Lord said: 'Generally do humans who are well acquainted with
the state of affairs in this world deliver themselves with the
help of their own intelligence from the inauspicious
disposition [of a wanton mind].
The
Supreme Lord replied: Generally those human beings who can
expertly analyze the actual situation of the material world
are able to raise themselves beyond the inauspicious life of
gross material gratification. (Vedabase)
Text
20
In
a way constitutes the intelligence the guru of a person because
he with the help of the intelligent self, or his soul, is able
to benefit from his reasoning and direct
perception.
An
intelligent person, expert in perceiving the world around
him and in applying sound logic, can achieve real benefit
through his own intelligence. Thus sometimes one acts as
one's own instructing spiritual master. (Vedabase)
Text
21
And thus can
they who are wise because of their experience, in their
reasoning with the [bhakti-]yoga in their human
existence, see Me clearly manifested in My full glory of being
endowed with all My energies [see also Kapila].
In
the human form of life, those who are self-controlled and
expert in the spiritual science of Sânkhya can
directly see Me along with all of My potencies.
(Vedabase)
Text
22
There are many
types of bodies created with one, two, three, four or more legs
or with none at all; of them is the human form the one most
dear to Me [see also 3.29:
30,
6.4:
9].
In
this world there are many kinds of created bodies - some
with one leg, others with two, three, four or more legs, and
still others with no legs - but of all these, the human form
is actually dear to Me. (Vedabase)
Text
23
Situated
in such a body is one with one's faculties of perception,
through apparent and indirectly ascertained symptoms and with
logical deductions directly looking for
Me, the Supreme
Controller beyond the grasp of sense perception [see also
2.2:
35,
2.9:
36].
Although
I, the Supreme Lord, can never be captured by ordinary sense
perception, those situated in human life may use their
intelligence and other faculties of perception to directly
search for Me through both apparent and indirectly
ascertained symptoms. (Vedabase)
Text
24
Concerning
this is cited an ancient story of a conversation between an
avadhûta
and the o so
mighty king Yadu.
In
this regard, sages cite a historical narration concerning
the conversation between the greatly powerful King Yadu and
an avadhûta. (Vedabase)
Text
25
Yadu,
well versed in the dharma, once saw a young brahmin mendicant
wandering around unafraid of anything, and took the opportunity
to ask him questions[see
also 7.13].
Mahârâja
Yadu once observed a certain brâhmana
avadhûta, who appeared to be quite young and
learned, wandering about fearlessly. Being himself most
learned in spiritual science, the King took the opportunity
and inquired from him as follows. (Vedabase)
Text
26
S'rî Yadu
said: 'How did you acquire this extraordinary intelligence o
brahmin? How can you, fully cognizant not being engaged in any
work, travel the world with the confidence of a
child?
S'rî
Yadu said: O brâhmana, I see that you are not engaged
in any practical religious activity, and yet you have
acquired a most expert understanding of all things and all
people within this world. Kindly tell me, sir, how did you
acquire this extraordinary intelligence, and why are you
traveling freely throughout the world behaving as if you
were a child? (Vedabase)
Text
27
Normally
are people who are religious, work for an income, gratify their
senses and pursue knowledge, endeavoring for the purpose of
opulence, a good name and a long life.
Generally
human beings work hard to cultivate religiosity, economic
development, sense gratification and also knowledge of the
soul, and their usual motive is to increase the duration of
their lives, acquire fame and enjoy material opulence.
(Vedabase)
Text
28
You
however, capable, learned, experienced, handsome and eloquent
as you are, are not a doer; you do not desire a thing, like a
stupefied, maddened, ghostly creature.
You,
however, although capable, learned, expert, handsome and
most eloquent, are not engaged in doing anything, nor do you
desire anything; rather, you appear stupefied and maddened
as if you were a ghostly creature. (Vedabase)
Text
29
Everyone
is burning in the forest fire of lust and greed, but you, who
to be free from the fire stand in the Ganges like an elephant,
do not burn at all.
Although
all people within the material world are burning in the
great forest fire of lust and greed, you remain free and are
not burned by that fire. You are just like an elephant who
takes shelter from a forest fire by standing within the
water of the Ganges River. (Vedabase)
Text
30
Please
o brahmin, disclose to us, who are asking you for it, what the
cause is of the inner happiness that you, living all by
yourself, experience without any form of material
enjoyment.'
O
brâhmana, we see that you are devoid of any contact
with material enjoyment and that you are traveling alone,
without any companions or family members. Therefore, because
we are sincerely inquiring from you, please tell us the
cause of the great ecstasy that you are feeling within
yourself. (Vedabase)
Text
31
The
Supreme Lord said: 'This way being asked and honored by the
greatly fortunate and intelligent Yadu who out of respect for
the brahminical humbly bowed his head, spoke the twice-born
one.
Lord
Krishna continued: The intelligent King Yadu, always
respectful to the brâhmanas, waited with bowed head as
the brâhmana, pleased with the King's attitude, began
to reply. (Vedabase)
Text
32
The
honorable brahmin said: 'Rationally taking shelter of many
spiritual masters o King, do I, having gained in intelligence
from them, now liberated wander around in this world. Please
listen to their description.
The
brâhmana said: My dear King, with my intelligence I
have taken shelter of many spiritual masters. Having gained
transcendental understanding from them, I now wander about
the earth in a liberated condition. Please listen as I
describe them to you. (Vedabase)
Text
33-35
The
earth, the air, the sky, the water, the fire, the moon; the
sun, the pigeon, the python, the sea, the moth, the honeybee;
the elephant, the honey thief, the deer, the fish, the
prostitute [Pingalâ], the osprey; the child, the
girl, the arrow-maker, the serpent, the spider and the wasp.
These are my twenty-four spiritual masters o King. From
studying their actions have I in this life learned everything
about the Self.
O
King, I have taken shelter of twenty-four gurus, who are the
following: the earth, air, sky, water, fire, moon, sun,
pigeon and python; the sea, moth, honeybee, elephant and
honey thief; the deer, the fish, the prostitute
Pingalâ, the kurara bird and the child; and the young
girl, arrow maker, serpent, spider and wasp. My dear King,
by studying their activities I have learned the science of
the self. (Vedabase)
Text
36
Please
listen o tiger among men as I explain to you, o son of
Nâhusha [or Yayâti], what I so learned from
each of them separately.
Please
listen, O son of Mahârâja Yayâti, O tiger
among men, as I explain to you what I have learned from each
of these gurus. (Vedabase)
Text
37
From
the earth I learned the rule that he who is in knowledge should
not deviate from the path and keep steady, however harassed he
is by his fellow living beings who in fact simply answer to
what is arranged by fate.
A
sober person, even when harassed by other living beings,
should understand that his aggressors are acting helplessly
under the control of God, and thus he should never be
distracted from progress on his own path. This rule I have
learned from the earth. (Vedabase)
Text
38
From
the mountain [that is part of the earth] learns one
always to be there for others, that one must devote all one's
actions to the service of
others. To the
example of a tree [see S'rî
S'rî
S'ikshâshthaka-3]
to be dedicated to others is for a pious person the sole reason
for his existence [see also 10.22:
31-35 and B.G.
17:
20-22].
A
saintly person should learn from the mountain to devote all
his efforts to the service of others and to make the welfare
of others the sole reason for his existence. Similarly, as
the disciple of the tree, he should learn to dedicate
himself to others. (Vedabase)
Text
39
A
sage should be happy with the mere movement of his vital air
and not so much seek his satisfaction in things that please the
senses. That way will his spiritual knowing not be lost and his
mind and speech not be distracted.
A
learned sage should take his satisfaction in the simple
maintenance of his existence and should not seek
satisfaction through gratifying the material senses. In
other words, one should care for the material body in such a
way that one's higher knowledge is not destroyed and so that
one's speech and mind are not deviated from
self-realization. (Vedabase)
Text
40
To
the example of the wind should a yogi, relating to the objects
of the senses and their favorable and unfavorable qualities, as
a transcendental soul not get entangled.
Even
a transcendentalist is surrounded by innumerable material
objects, which possess good and bad qualities. However, one
who has transcended material good and evil should not become
entangled even when in contact with the material objects;
rather, he should act like the wind. (Vedabase)
Text
41
A
yogi may in this world live in earthly bodies and take upon
himself their characteristic qualities, but he, well aware of
himself, does not get entangled in those qualities, just as the
air doesn't with the different odors.
Although
a self-realized soul may live in various material bodies
while in this world, experiencing their various qualities
and functions, he is never entangled, just as the wind which
carries various aromas does not actually mix with them.
(Vedabase)
Text
42
Similar
to the ether that is present within the moving and nonmoving
living beings, should a sage who unattached - according the
Supersoul that is present in all things - realizes that he
himself is pure
spirit, meditate upon the expansiveness as being undivided and
all-pervading [see also B.G. 2:
24,
3:
15,
6:
29-30,
9:
6,
11:
17,
12:
3-4 and
13:
14].
A
thoughtful sage, even while living within a material body,
should understand himself to be pure spirit soul. Similarly,
one should see that the spirit soul enters within all forms
of life, both moving and nonmoving, and that the individual
souls are thus all-pervading. The sage should further
observe that the Supreme Personality of Godhead, as the
Supersoul, is simultaneously present within all things. Both
the individual soul and the Supersoul can be understood by
comparing them to the nature of the sky: although the sky
extends everywhere and everything rests within the sky, the
sky does not mix with anything, nor can it be divided by
anything. (Vedabase)
Text
43
The
same way as the realm of the ether is not touched by the winds
that blow the clouds, is a person [in his real self]
not affected by the physical bodies consisting of fire, water
and earth that according the modes of nature are moved by
Time.
Although
the mighty wind blows clouds and storms across the sky, the
sky is never implicated or affected by these activities.
Similarly, the spirit soul is not actually changed or
affected by contact with the material nature. Although the
living entity enters within a body made of earth, water and
fire, and although he is impelled by the three modes of
nature created by eternal time, his eternal spiritual nature
is never actually affected. (Vedabase)
Text
44
A
sage, who by nature is a pure, softhearted, sweet and gentle
place of pilgrimage for the human beings, sanctifies, just as
water does, the ones who gather [the friends], by
showing himself to them and by allowing a respectful touching
and honoring of his person [see also sâkhya].
O
King, a saintly person is just like water because he is free
from all contamination, gentle by nature, and by speaking
creates a beautiful vibration like that of flowing water.
Just by seeing, touching or hearing such a saintly person,
the living entity is purified, just as one is cleansed by
contact with pure water. Thus a saintly person, just like a
holy place, purifies all those who contact him because he
always chants the glories of the Lord. (Vedabase)
Text
45
Brilliant,
glowing and immovable because of his austerity, is he who only
eats when it is necessary connected in the soul. Even when he
eats everything [and thus goes beyond necessity] is the
one austere not contaminated, just as a fire
isn't.
Saintly
persons become powerful by execution of austerities. Their
consciousness is unshakable because they do not try to enjoy
anything within the material world. Such naturally liberated
sages accept foodstuffs that are offered to them by destiny,
and if by chance they happen to eat contaminated food, they
are not affected, just like fire, which burns up
contaminated substances that are offered to it.
(Vedabase)
Text
46
Sometimes
[like a fire
thus] concealed and sometimes manifest devours he, being
worshipable to those who desire the highest, the offerings that
are brought from all sides and burns he the misfortune of the
past and the misfortune lying ahead [see also
10.81:
4 and B.G.
3:
14].
A
saintly person, just like fire, sometimes appears in a
concealed form and at other times reveals himself. For the
welfare of the conditioned souls who desire real happiness,
a saintly person may accept the worshipable position of
spiritual master, and thus like fire he burns to ashes all
the past and future sinful reactions of his worshipers by
mercifully accepting their offerings. (Vedabase)
Text
47
By
His own potency assuming the identity of each enters the
Almighty One, just like fire appearing in firewood, the
different types of bodies of higher and lower life forms
['true' and 'untrue' ones, god or
animal].
Just
as fire manifests differently in pieces of wood of different
sizes and qualities, the omnipotent Supreme Soul, having
entered the bodies of higher and lower life forms created by
His own potency, appears to assume the identity of each.
(Vedabase)
Text
48
Enforced
by the movements of Time that itself cannot be seen, changes
the state of the body with the phases of life from birth to
death. But that does not affect the soul, just as the moon
itself is not affected by its
phases [B.G.
2:
13,
2:
20].
The
various phases of one's material life, beginning with birth
and culminating in death, are all properties of the body and
do not affect the soul, just as the apparent waxing and
waning of the moon does not affect the moon itself. Such
changes are enforced by the imperceptible movements of time.
(Vedabase)
Text
49
The way the
soul(s) cannot be seen with the bodies that constantly are born
and die again like the flames of a fire, can also the Time
itself not be seen, despite its speeding, urging stream
[*].
The
flames of a fire appear and disappear at every moment, and
yet this creation and destruction is not noticed by the
ordinary observer. Similarly, the mighty waves of time flow
constantly, like the powerful currents of a river, and
imperceptibly cause the birth, growth and death of
innumerable material bodies. And yet the soul, who is thus
constantly forced to change his position, cannot perceive
the actions of time. (Vedabase)
Text
50
A
yogi accepting the sense objects renounces them at the right
time [according the cakra
order]. He doesn't get entangled in them just as the sun
doesn't when he with his rays enters the waters.
Just
as the sun evaporates large quantities of water by its
potent rays and later returns the water to the earth in the
form of rain, similarly, a saintly person accepts all types
of material objects with his material senses, and at the
appropriate time, when the proper person has approached him
to request them, he returns such material objects. Thus,
both in accepting and giving up the objects of the senses,
he is not entangled. (Vedabase)
Text
51
When
the sun seems to have fallen apart in his reflections doesn't
one consider his original form as being different. So too is
the soul, that for the dull-minded appears to have fallen apart
in reflections [of different selves], not seen as
different.
Even
when reflected in various objects, the sun is never divided,
nor does it merge into its reflection. Only those with dull
brains would consider the sun in this way. Similarly,
although the soul is reflected through different material
bodies, the soul remains undivided and nonmaterial.
(Vedabase)
Text
52
One
should never lose oneself in excessive affection or close
association with anyone, because one thus indulging will have
to suffer great distress. One then lives by the day like a
pigeon [see also 7.2:
50-56].
One
should never indulge in excessive affection or concern for
anyone or anything; otherwise one will have to experience
great suffering, just like the foolish pigeon.
(Vedabase)
Text
53
A
certain pigeon once in the forest built its nest in a tree and
dwelt there for some years with a female
companion.
There
once was a pigeon who lived in the forest along with his
wife. He had built a nest within a tree and lived there for
several years in her company. (Vedabase)
Text
54
As
attached partners in their household were they with their
hearts full of affection tied together as by ropes, glance to
glance, body to body and mind to mind.
The
two pigeons were very much devoted to their household
duties. Their hearts being tied together by sentimental
affection, they were each attracted by the other's glances,
bodily features and states of mind. Thus, they completely
bound each other in affection. (Vedabase)
Text
55
Trusting
each other as a couple were they in the trees of the forest
occupied with resting, sitting, walking, standing
communicating, playing, eating and so on.
Naively
trusting in the future, they carried out their acts of
resting, sitting, walking, standing, conversing, playing,
eating and so forth as a loving couple among the trees of
the forest. (Vedabase)
Text
56
Whatever
she would like, o King, was what he, desiring to please her,
tried to fulfill. Not holding back in any way, catered he
mercifully to her desires, even when it was
difficult.
Whenever
she desired anything, O King, the she-pigeon would
flatteringly cajole her husband, and he in turn would
gratify her by faithfully doing whatever she wanted, even
with great personal difficulty. Thus, he could not control
his senses in her association. (Vedabase)
Text
57
The
chaste she-pigeon got pregnant for the first time and
delivered, in due course, in the nest the eggs in the presence
of her husband.
Then
the female pigeon experienced her first pregnancy. When the
time arrived, the chaste lady delivered a number of eggs
within the nest in the presence of her husband.
(Vedabase)
Text
58
From
them hatched at the appropriate time the little ones with the
tender limbs and feathers that were created by the
inconceivable potencies of the Lord.
When
the time was ripe, baby pigeons, with tender limbs and
feathers created by the inconceivable potencies of the Lord,
were born from those eggs. (Vedabase)
Text
59
The
couple most happy nourished their progeny, to which they
compassionately in rapture listened to the awkward sounds of
their chirping children.
The
two pigeons became most affectionate to their children and
took great pleasure in listening to their awkward chirping,
which sounded very sweet to the parents. Thus with love they
began to raise the little birds who were born of them.
(Vedabase)
Text
60
Seeing
the little ones happy with their fluffy wings, their endearing
chirping and their activities of jumping up to fly, filled the
parents with joy.
The
parent birds became very joyful by observing the soft wings
of their children, their chirping, their lovely innocent
movements around the nest and their attempts to jump up and
fly. Seeing their children happy, the parents were also
happy. (Vedabase)
Text
61
With
their hearts bound together by affection nourished they
completely bewildered by the illusory potency of Vishnu their
children, their offspring.
Their
hearts bound to each other by affection, the foolish birds,
completely bewildered by the illusory energy of Lord Vishnu,
continued to take care of the young offspring who had been
born to them. (Vedabase)
Text
62
One
day went the two heads of the family away for food for the
children and wandered they far most anxiously searching all
around in the forest.
One
day the two heads of the family went out to find food for
the children. Being very anxious to feed their offspring
properly, they wandered all over the forest for a long time.
(Vedabase)
Text
63
A
certain hunter who happened to pass through the forest saw the
young moving about near their nest and caught them with a net
he had spread.
At
that time a certain hunter who happened to be wandering
through the forest saw the young pigeons moving about near
their nest. Spreading out his net he captured them all.
(Vedabase)
Text
64
The
he and she pigeon who were always eagerly engaged in the care
of their children next returned to the nest to bring them
food.
The
pigeon and his wife were always anxious for the maintenance
of their children, and they were wandering in the forest for
that purpose. Having obtained proper food, they now returned
to their nest. (Vedabase)
Text
65
When
the female pigeon saw that the ones born from her, her
children, were trapped in the net, rushed she forward in utter
distress crying out to them who were also
crying.
When
the lady pigeon caught sight of her own children trapped
within the hunter's net, she was overwhelmed with anguish,
and crying out, she rushed toward them as they cried out to
her in return. (Vedabase)
Text
66
Bound
by her affection unrelenting looking after the captured
children, forgot she herself being overwhelmed by the
mâyâ of the Unborn One and was she also
trapped in the net.
The
lady pigeon had always allowed herself to be bound by the
ropes of intense material affection, and thus her mind was
overwhelmed by anguish. Being in the grip of the illusory
energy of the Lord, she completely forgot herself, and
rushing forward to her helpless children, she was
immediately bound in the hunter's net. (Vedabase)
Text
67
The
unfortunate male pigeon most wretchedly lamented over the
capture of his children who were him more dear than his life
and his wife who was so much alike him:
Seeing
his own children, who were more dear to him than life
itself, fatally bound in the hunter's net along with his
dearmost wife, whom he considered equal in every way to
himself, the poor male pigeon began to lament wretchedly.
(Vedabase)
Text
68
'Alas,
just see how I, so unintelligent and so little of merit, find
my destruction. I failed to fulfill the threefold purpose
[the purushârthas]
of life and have thus ruined my family!
The
male pigeon said: Alas, just see how I am now destroyed! I
am obviously a great fool, for I did not properly execute
pious activities. I could not satisfy myself, nor could I
fulfill the purpose of life. My dear family, which was the
basis of my religiosity, economic development and sense
gratification, is now hopelessly ruined. (Vedabase)
Text
69
She
who being suitable accepted me faithfully as her husband, has,
saintly having departed for heaven with her sons, left me
behind with my home empty.
My
wife and I were an ideal match. She always faithfully obeyed
me and in fact accepted me as her worshipable deity. But
now, seeing her children lost and her home empty, she has
left me behind and gone to heaven with our saintly children.
(Vedabase)
Text
70
What
now is the purpose of my life with my wife and children dead
and me wretched suffering a miserable life of separation in the
empty nest?'
Now
I am a wretched person living in an empty home. My wife is
dead; my children are dead. Why should I possibly want to
live? My heart is so pained by separation from my family
that life itself has become simply suffering.
(Vedabase)
Text
71
With
him distressed watching them indeed caught in the net in the
grip of death, fell, even he stunned failing in intelligence,
also into the net.
As
the father pigeon wretchedly stared at his poor children
trapped in the net and on the verge of death, pathetically
struggling to free themselves, his mind went blank, and thus
he himself fell into the hunter's net. (Vedabase)
Text
72
The
ruthless hunter having achieved his purpose took the
householder pigeon, the pigeon children and the pigeon wife
with him and set off for his home.
The
cruel hunter, having fulfilled his desire by capturing the
head pigeon, his wife and all of their children, set off for
his own home. (Vedabase)
Text
73
A
family man who [because of neglecting the civil
virtues] dissatisfied with the soul takes pleasure in
material opposites, will suffer greatly together with his
relatives, just like this bird that [without the
religiosity, the sense control and the economic
arrangements] is so miserable in maintaining his
family.
In
this way, one who is too attached to family life becomes
disturbed at heart. Like the pigeon, he tries to find
pleasure in mundane sex attraction. Busily engaged in
maintaining his own family, the miserly person is fated to
suffer greatly, along with all his family members.
(Vedabase)\
Text
74
The
person who having achieved the human position, with the door of
liberation wide open, in family affairs is attached like this
bird, may, to whatever height he reached, be considered
fallen.
The
doors of liberation are opened wide to one who has achieved
human life. But if a human being simply devotes himself to
family life like the foolish bird in this story, then he is
to be considered as one who has climbed to a high place only
to trip and fall down. (Vedabase)
*:
This analytic method, of in this case returning to the subject
of the fire after having introduced the next subject of the
moon, is called simhâvalokana, or 'the lion's
glance', by which one simultaneously proceeds forward and casts
backward glances to see if anything has been
overlooked.