Bharatha Speaks
As Raghugana rebuked him for his unsteady gait* and ordered him to carry him at an even pace, Bharatha paused and turned to face the king.
*Owing to Bharatha’s concern for the insects that he wanted to avoid trampling upon.
Bharatha spoke for the first time in his life, breaking his lifelong silence, with cryptic words. He said, “I am not going anywhere! I am not bearing any burden, so why will I be tired? The ground is supporting the feet, calves, knees, thighs, stomach, waist, chest, shoulders, a wooden beam of a palanquin (on the shoulder). And inside the palanquin is a deluded person who prides himself as the ruler of Sindhu and Sauvira! A king who does not hesitate to punish the weak and poor (referring to the king’s threat to himself). O king, you, who are so proud of your power, are made of the same cluster of atoms as is this palanquin... Why should you be borne by me? Why shouldn’t I be borne by you?”
“And who are you calling brawny? The jeeva is less minute than an atom. No physically descriptive word can describe me, for I am not this body!”
The stunned king alighted from the palanquin. Realising that his palanquin bearer was no ordinary person, he declared, “Hail all enlightened souls whom we misjudge based on their appearance! I bow to them all. I bow to every baby who may be an enlightened soul that is born!”
Raghugana's Request
Raghugana who was on the way to meet rishi Kapila was yet to attain the required state of mind, for such a meeting.
The king's encounter with Bharatha and the interaction that ensued was part of a divine plan. The world was to benefit from the wise words of Bharatha addressed to Raghugana, and Raghugana himself was to be rid of his arrogance and delusion.
A mortified Raghugana said, “Your nectar-like words are like a soothing balm. You have shown me my foolish, self-absorbed ways. I pray to you to enlighten me further.”
Bharatha addressed the king once more, “O Rajan, Sri Hari is the only ruler. You and I are not. He is the cause of everything. He is the anchor and the foundation of all creation. If one is born ‘on’ the earth, how does he move? With his feet, you say? But pray where will he place his feet, if not upon the earth that supports him?
Naarayana alone needs no support, for he is the support of the entire cosmos. It would be grossly incorrect to consider his creation as mere clusters of atoms, while forgetting that Naarayana is the creator.
Hari is the lord of living beings and inanimate objects. Our minds, tendencies, activities, time...are all under his control. He is the primordial being (bimba). Those who know him call him Vaasudeva.
He is not discernible by penance alone or by mastering the scriptures, or accepting asceticism, or by performing ‘yagnyas’, or through the favours of other devotees. For he will not grace those who do not revere the dust of the lotus-feet of his dear devotees.”
To be continued...