Source
Texts:
Lord
Krishna Instructs Uddhava
Text
1
The Supreme
Lord said: 'That which you said to Me, o greatly fortunate one,
for sure reflects My plan; as Brahmâ, Bhava and the
leaders of the worlds, desire Me 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.
Text
2
Certainly has
by Me in full been accomplished here the purpose of the godly,
for which I incarnated with my portion [Balarâma]
as was prayed for by 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.
Text
3
This
family finished by the curse will be destroyed in a mutual
quarrel and on the seventh day for sure 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.
Text
4
When,
o virtuous one, this world, not to doubt by Me has been
abandoned, will it itself overcome by Kali, very soon be bereft
of 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.
Text
5
You
should not remain, be certain, in this world by Me abandoned,
as in Kali's time the earth its people, will be stuck 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.
Text6:
You
should factually forsaking all affection for your dearmost,
with your mind fixed in Me fully, go to wander equalminded
[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.
Text
7
That which by
the ear, the eye, the speech and all the rest, is accepted as
this world, you should know as being timebound, illusory energy
all imagined [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.
Text
8
A person not
connected is confused in many meanings with that is right and
this is wrong; that works, that not and that's defiant and has
thus a dual mind of good and bad [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.
Text
9
Therefore
with all sense controlled and mind connected see this world
spread out within the Self and that Self 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.
Text
10
With knowledge,
wisdom fully endowed, is one with a self contented in
apprehension with the Soul that for all embodied is the object
of affection, and never hindered 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.
Text
11
Risen above the
two of thinking bad what is forbidden and good what's not held
back, doesn't one do as is expected just like being a young
child [which is not improper].
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.
Text
12
To
all creatures a well-wisher that is peaceful, steady, and wise
knowing the universe by Me pervaded, will one never indeed thus
be the one destroyed again.'
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.
Text
13
S'rî
S'uka said: 'O King, by the Supreme Lord thus instructed bowed
Uddhava, the exalted one of fortune eager to know the principle
supreme, down to the Infallible One to offer his
respects.
S'rî
S'ukadeva Gosvâmi 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.
Text
14
S'rî
Uddhava said: 'O Lord of Yoga bestowing the union, o Soul that
Yokes, o Source of the Mystical, for the benefit of me You
spoke of renunciation as known by sannyâs.
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.
Text
15
This
renunciation is difficult to perform my Lord, by those
dedicated to material pleasure and sense gratification,
especially if one's 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.
Text
16
I, with my
consciousness, am merged with the body and its relations as
arranged by Your mâyâ and thus foolishly of 'I' and
of 'mine'; therefore teach Me, so that Your dear servant may
easily execute to the process You instructed.
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.
Text
17
Who
else is there but You who of the Truth reveals Yourself for me
personally; what other speaker than my Lord, the Supreme Soul,
does qualify; not even among the ones that awakened do I see
one; in their consciousness are they that are headed by
Brahmâ, as souls embodied holding the external for
substantial, all 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.
Text
18
Therefore do I,
with my mind, oh, on renouncement tormented in distress, for
shelter approach You Nârâyana, Friend of Man; You
the perfect, unlimited, omniscient Controller ever fresh in His
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.
Text
19
The Supreme
Lord said: 'In general do humans very well acquainted with the
state of affairs in this world indeed deliver themselves by
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.
Text
20
In
a way, is a person's soul indeed one's own guru as one by the
direct perception and logic [of the soul] is capable of
gaining the real benefit.
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.
Text
21
Thus can the
ones wise of experience in reasoning with [bhakti-]yoga
in their human existence clearly see Me directly manifest as
fully 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.
Text
22
There are many
types of bodies created with one, two, three, four or more legs
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.
Text
23
Therein
situated does one by his faculties of perception, through
apparent and indirectly ascertained symptoms, with logical
deduction directly search 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.
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.
Text
25
Yadu,
well versed in the dharma, once observing a young brahmin
mendicant wandering unafraid of anything, asked 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.
Text
26
S'rî Yadu
said: 'From where did you acquire this extraordinary
intelligence o brahmin, the way you, in full knowledge not
being engaged in any work, are traveling the world just like 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?
Text
27
For
sure are people of religiosity, after an income, of sense
gratification and in pursuit of knowledge, normally 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.
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.
Text
29
Everyone
is burning in the forest fire of lust and greed, but you, to be
free from the fire standing 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.
Text
30
Please
o Brahmin do tell us inquiring what the cause is of the inner
happiness of you who devoid of any material enjoyment art
living all alone.'
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.
Text
31
The
Supreme Lord said: 'This way being asked and honored by the
greatly fortunate and intelligent Yadu who of respect for the
brahminical out of humility 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.
Text
32
The
honorable brahmin said: 'By my intelligence taking shelter of
many spiritual masters, o king, do I, having gained in
intelligence from them, now liberated wander this world; please
hear about them.
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.
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 honeythief, 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; taking to
the shelter of the lessons derived from their activities have I
in this life learnt all 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.
Text
36
Please
listen o tiger among men as I explain to you, o son of
Nâhusha [or Yayâti], how and what I so
learned from each of them.
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.
Text
37
From
the earth have I learned the rule that he who is in knowledge
should not deviate from the path and do keep steady, however
he's being harassed by other living beings who in fact simply
follow what's ordained 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.
Text
38
From
the mountain [of earth] should one, as a disciple of
the tree [see s'ikshâstaka-3]
dedicated to others [see also 10.22:
31-35],
be a saintly person who, devoting all his efforts for the sake
of others, lives for the sole reason of that higher purpose
[see also 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.
Text
39
A
sage should by the mere movements of his vital air be satisfied
and not so much with things that please the senses, so that his
spiritual knowing is not destroyed and his mind and speech are
not 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.
Text
40
Like
the wind should a yogî, as a soul of transcendence, not
become entangled everywhere getting into contact with all sorts
of qualities good and bad.
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.
Text
41
A
yogî in this world having entered earthly bodies and
assumed their characteristic qualities, does, well aware of
himself, not entangle himself with 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.
Text
42
In
similarity with the sky present within the moving and nonmoving
should a sage, unattached and to the Supersoul of the different
contacts realizing that he himself is pure spirit, meditate
upon the expansive 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.
Text
43
The
same way as the ethereal sky is not touched by the winds that
blow the clouds, is a person [in his real self] not
affected by bodies consisting of fire, water and earth that to
the modes of nature are set in motion by the
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.
Text
44
A
sage, by nature a pure, softhearted, sweet and gentle place of
pilgrimage to the humans, sanctifies, as water does, the one
convening [the friend], by being seen, respectfully
touched and being sung [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.
Text
45
Brilliant,
glowing and unshakable by his austerity, eating to necessity,
does the one connected in the soul, even if eating everything
[thus going beyond necessity also], not get
contaminated just like a fire doesn'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.
Text
46
Sometimes
[like a fire thus] concealed, sometimes manifest
devours he, worshipable by those desiring the highest, the
offers brought from all sides, burning the previous and future
misfortune [see also 10.81:
4
and B.G. 3:
13].
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.
Text
47
The
Almighty One as true or untrue [as god or beast] having
entered this all created by His own energy, appears like fire
in firewood assuming the identity of each.
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.
Text
48
By
the Time imperceptible in its grond of being are there, as with
the moon, beginning with being born and ending with the
cremation, the states of the body in its different phases; but
none of these are of the soul [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.
Text
49
Time urging,
speeding as a flood, with its constant birth and demise of the
created that like the flames are to a fire, is, from the
perspective of the soul, not to be
seen
though [*].
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.
Text
50
A
yogî accepting the material objects to his senses at the
right time [to the cakra]
gives them up; he doesn't get entangled in them just as the sun
doesn't with its rays entering the waters [evaporating it
and returning it again with the rains].
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.
Text
51
The
sun, that being reflected seems to have fallen apart, is in its
original form not considered in terms of that diversity;
likewise is also the soul, that to the dull-minded seems to
have entered in reflections [of separate selves], of
that position.
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.
Text
52
No
excessive affection or close association with anyone should
ever take place, as indulging so one will undergo great
distress, living by the day just 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.
Text
53
A
certain pigeon in the forest having built its nest in a tree
dwelt there for some years with a female pigeon as his
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.
Text
54
As
attached householders were they with their hearts in affection
as by ropes tied together glance by glance, body by body and
mind by 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.
Text
55
Trusting
together as a couple were they occupied with resting, sitting,
walking, standing communicating, playing, eating and so on
among the trees of the forest.
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.
Text
56
Whatever
she would want, o King, that to her desire trying to please,
did he, not in control with his senses, mercifully bring, even
if 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.
Text
57
The
chaste she-pigeon carrying her first pregnancy delivered, when
the time had come, 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.
Text
58
From
them in due course were born, with tender limbs and feathers,
the little ones produced 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.
Text
59
The
couple most pleased nourished their progeny, compassionately in
rapture listening 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.
Text
60
By
the fluffy wings of the little ones, their endearing chirping
and their activities of jumping up to fly, became the parents
joyful with them being so happy.
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.
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.
Text
62
One
day went the two heads of the family off for food for the
children, wandering far away 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.
Text
63
A
certain hunter that happened to pass through the forest, seeing
them [the young], having spread a net seized them as
they moved about in the vicinity of their nest.
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.
Text
64
The
he- and she-pigeon being gone, always eagerly engaged in the
care of their children bringing food, came near their
nest.
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.
Text
65
The
female pigeon seeing the ones born from her, her children,
trapped by the nest, rushed to them in utter distress crying
out to them who were also 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.
Text
66
She,
unrelenting, bound by affection became, looking after the
captured children, foolminded of the mâyâ of the
Unborn One forgetting herself, also trapped by 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.
Text
67
The
unfortunate male pigeon most wretchedly lamented over the
capture of his children more dear to him than himself and his
wife 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.
Text
68
'Alas,
just see the destruction of me unintelligent so little of
merit, who [now] unfulfilled hasn't met the threefold
purpose [the purushârthas]
of the family life he ruined!
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.
Text
69
She
who accepted me being suitable and faithful as her husband,
has, saintly going to heaven along 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.
Text
70
With
me wretched in the empty nest with my wife and children dead,
for what purpose should I want to live, miserably suffering a
life in separation?'
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.
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.
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.
Text
73
A
family man not in peace with the soul taking pleasure in
material dualities, must thus, like this bird being a miser in
maintaining his family, suffer greatly with his
relatives.
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.
Text
74
One
who having achieved the human position, with the door of
liberation wide open, in family affairs is attached like this
bird; consider him having climbed high as
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.
*:
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.
