The Discourse

King Rahugana, who was on his way to meet rishi Kapila to seek spiritual knowledge, wondered aloud whether it was not Lord Kapila himself who had appeared before him in the form of Bharatha!

Accepting his limitations, he said, “I am bound by my position and my phase of life, I have to act as befits a king and a householder. I do realise that I was enveloped by ignorance and blinded by conceit, but I also need to carry out the duties that my position demands of me. Knowing this, I declare that there is no one who can escape unhappiness totally.”

Bharatha replied, “O king, your words reveal that you are not very learned. O Rahugana, forsake enmity, forsake attachment, conquer your mind and thereby your sense organs, defeat the six enemies (arrogance, envy, greed, anger, ignorance and lust) within, and turn your mind towards Hari.”

Bharatha continued, “Those who claim to know the Vedas by a superficial understanding will never be privy to its actual meaning. Similarly, those who claim to be the ‘doer’ will never be able to understand the difference between the subtle and the gross bodies. Till one gives up the sense of I and mine, Hari and Vayu do not grant wisdom.

I (ahamkaara) and mine (mamakaara) are the twin fetters that bind one to this world. Hari directs the mind to seek external gratification, he is the gratifier, the gratified and the gratification too. The bewildered jeeva does not recognise the fleeting nature of transient happiness or the futility of material gratification.

The mind (manassu) remains one’s biggest and most powerful foe even if one achieves a complete understanding of the Vedas, as long as one does not recognise that the self is a dependent entity (aswatantra) and Hari is the only independent entity (swatantra). Not recognising Hari as the ‘karta’ ensures one’s bondage to earthly life.

The deluded mind of a jeeva immersed in worldliness is like an improperly placed wick which burns erratically giving out soot and smoke. Such a jeeva experiences happiness mixed with sorrow, while the jeeva immersed in Srihari, is like a properly placed wick that burns with its characteristic stillness and gives out light, and is granted moksha.

Rahugana fell at the feet of Bharatha, the exalted soul. Bharatha, compassionately granted deep and divine knowledge to Rahugana, before blessing him and being on his way.

To be continued...