Fifth Canto Chapter Ten

In this chapter, King Rahūgaṇa forcing Jadabharata to carry him in his palanquin; discussion between Jadabharata and the king; the King getting enlightened and trying to please Jadabharata are covered.

Maharishi Śuka said to Parikshit, “Rahūgaṇa was the king of the Sindhu and Sauvira provinces. Once, seated in his palanquin he was travelling by the banks of River Ikśumati when the palanquin-bearers felt the need for some additional help.

The chief of the palanquin-bearers perchance spotted Jadabharata, the most supreme amongst Brahmins, who was in that vicinity. He thought, “This man has a strong and sturdy body with powerful limbs. He appears like a bull or a donkey. He will easily carry any weight. He is apt for this job”.

Immediately he forced Jadabharata to carry the palanquin within which the king was seated. Jadabharata had no prior experience in such task. Nevertheless along with the other palanquin-bearers he too carried the palanquin.

Jadabharata heart was overflowing with feelings of compassion towards every form of life. He was worried that some ant could get crushed under his feet as he walked. In order to ensure the safety of insects and ants on his path he was carefully observing his step. As a result there was a mismatch between his movements and the movements of the other palanquin-bearers causing the palanquin to wobble erratically.

King Rahūgaṇa who was seated within the palanquin immediately questioned, “Why does this palanquin wobble? Please be alert and ensure that your steps match.” The palanquin-bearers were alarmed when the king accusingly questioned them. Terrified of punishment they politely replied, “O King, strictly abiding by your orders we have been carrying the palanquin properly. This boy has been recruited recently for this task and is not keeping up to our speed. We are match our steps with his. We find it impossible to carry the palanquin along with him”.

Although King Rahūgaṇa was inherently a good person who obediently served his elders, his mind at that moment was predominately filled with traits of passion (rajo guna)- a trait which normally belongs to the warrior community. As a result he was enraged. He heard the words politely uttered by his palanquin-bearers and reflected, “Oh, when any one person in the group commits a mistake, the resultant punishment ensues to all the other members”.

Although Jadabharata the newest recruit was shining radiantly like an ember hidden within coal, the king addressed him and mockingly said,

“O brother, you seem to have landed in difficulty. It is obvious that you are fatigued. After all you have single-handedly been carrying this palanquin for a very long time. I pity you. Your associates, the other palanquin-bearers, are not offering you adequate support and helping you, isn’t it? After all they do not have strong limbs like you do. O friend, I suppose you are weak due to old age and hence are fatigued. Am I correct?”

Jadabharata, the wise being, chose to remain silent to this rebuke. If you observe carefully he was ill-treated all throughout his life. His brother ridiculed him, did not give him proper food, he had no clothing etc. Previously dacoits wanted to kill him, but then Mother Goddess had protected him. Even then he continued life as before unaffected by them all. He did not respond to the King’s rebukes. He was not angry with the king. In his opinion this illusory body emerged only due to the combination of the three attributes of goodness, passion and ignorance. It was made up of the five basic elements. He believed that spiritual ignorance causes the living entity to take a body and perform action.

To Jadabharata, this was his last birth. He was now a personification of the Supreme Parabrahma. Only name and form were associated with his body. Feelings of egoism such as ‘I and mine’ and other illusory feelings had totally vanished in him. For this reason he continued to remain silent. He happily continued to carry the palanquin as he was doing in the past.

Meanwhile they entered a rugged terrain and hence palanquin began to swing even more violently. The king was disturbed and intensely angry. Unable to control his fury he said, “Hey man, what is this? It appears as if death has attacked you even when you are alive. You are like a walking corpse. You do not care to respect the orders of your king. You dare to disobey me. Just as Yama, the Lord of death, punishes the wicked I will now punish you, who being arrogant and self-conceited are repeatedly disobeying me. With this punishment you will be more attentive in your job.”

In this way the Self-conceited king spoke to Jadabharata arrogantly. He uttered words which he should not have. Traits of passion and ignorance had completely enveloped his mind. In his arrogance he began to abuse Jadabharata, the ardent devotee of the Lord. The king considered himself to be a great learned scholar although he did not even have the proper understanding about this subject. For this reason he was totally ignorant of the deeds of great Yogis.

Jadabharata was a supreme venerable saint. He was a great Brahmin. He was the personification of the Supreme Lord. At every moment he strived for the welfare of all living entities in the creation. Hare Krishna