King Rahūgana continued,

“Namo mahadbhyo ’stu namaḥ śiśubhyo namo yuvabhyo nama āvaṭubhyaḥ ye brāhmaṇā gām avadhūta-liṅgāś caranti tebhyaḥ śivam astu rājñām

I offer obeisance to all elders, children, youth and celibates. Self-realized Mahatmas wander through the earth disguised in despicable ways. May the kingdoms and kings be rendered auspicious because of them!” Saying this King Rahūgaṇa offered obeisance to Jadabharata Yogi.

Maharishi Śuka said to Emperor Parikshit, “Jadabharata, a brahmarishi and a supreme Mahatma, thus initiated King Rahūgaṇa into the supreme transcendental knowledge. He was an epitome of compassion. He taught Self-knowledge even to that person who had insulted him by making him carry his palanquin. Rahūgaṇa remorsefully fell at Jadabharata’s feet and begged forgiveness.

Jadabharata had absolutely no inclination towards material sensory desires. As such his mind was like a deep ocean from which waves called peaceful and calm senses arose. He continued to wander across the earth as before.

Due to spiritual ignorance, the human being perceives his body to be the Self. King Rahūgaṇa, who obtained initiation into the Supreme Essence through the great Mahatma Jadabharata, was able to discard the misconception that his body was his Self (atma).

O Parikshit! This is the transformation that takes place in the person who seeks refuge in the lotus feet of devotees who have surrendered completely to the Lord”.

Emperor Parikshit then enquired, “O great saint! You, the supreme devotee of the Lord, are all-knowing. Through the allegory you have indirectly explained about the path of samsāra which human beings tread. Only intelligent persons use their discriminatory wisdom to create such allegories. They cannot be easily or directly understood by ordinary persons like me. Hence I request you to please explain the essence contained in that allegory through simple and direct stories which can be easily grasped by me”.

Swamiji explains: The story of the traders who were trapped in the forest was explained by Jadabharata Yogi to Rahūgaṇa. The rise and fall of the merchant, the places where he falls, how he rises, his agony, how he continues his journey, how he eventually falls are all contained in it. The forest here refers to desires, anger and other inner enemies. It is not easy to recollect even the sequence of the journey. What is meant by the journey of the traders? What is meant by group, who were the dacoits that attacked them, who were the birds, what is meant by monkey-birth, what is meant by fear of fire, what is the meaning of falling into the deep dark well, what is meant by becoming blind or what is the suffering undergone? Who are the relatives of the traders referred to in the story? What is meant by group of traders? How does he suffer in the forest? What is the meaning of the joys, sorrows, fear and sickness that he experiences in the forest? We cannot even imagine the in-depth hidden significance contained in the story. However many times we read it or listen to it we fail to understand the essence contained in it.

Only when you apply it to your life i.e. when you relate to the incidents, “I am travelling in this manner, I am falling in this pit” the meaning can be understood. If you believe that it is merely a story of some traders you will never understand the meaning contained in it.

With this the thirteenth chapter of the fifth canto comes to an end.

        **	Fifth Canto Chapter Fourteen**

In this chapter, the hidden significance of the story of traders is elaborated . This repeated cycle of rebirths (samsāra) is addressed as an impenetrable forest; it is compared to a wheel that endlessly rotates; a huge impassable ocean, an unending tree with many branches, a terrible snake and so on. Please listen attentively to the meaning. All this is now explained.

Maharishi Śuka joyfully replied, “In this forest called samsāra (repeated re-births), the group of traders refers to the sum total of living entities.

The individual mistakenly believes his body to be the Self. Due to this misconception he performs 3 types of actions: Good (punya), bad/ sinful (pāpa) and mixture of good and bad (miśra).

As a result of past pious actions (punya karma) he is rewarded with celestial bodies like those of Devatas. As a result of sinful actions, he obtains bodies of trees, animals or birds, which are pre-dominantly filled with traits of inertia and ignorance (tamo guna pradhāna). Due to the mixture of good and bad deeds, he is rewarded with a human body, which is pre-dominantly filled with traits of passion and action (rajo-guna pradhāna).

In this way the living entity continuously takes on one body after another endlessly which is addressed as a journey. During the journey he faces sorrows, enjoys happiness or acquires wealth. These are the experiences. Due to the strength of subtle impressions of past actions that exist in the mind (karma vāsana) the living being continues to undergo experiences in other births.

To this living entity associations arise due to birth and separations happen due to death. He appears to be happy for a while after which he sinks into sorrows. This is why, in the story, the leader of the traders repeatedly experiences ups and downs. His different attachments have been explained as his group members. At times these group members vanish. Group members also refer to the inner limbs/ organs. Sometimes some limbs fail to function.

The mind instigates the person to perform action so that the 5 sense organs are happy. In other words, for the enjoyment of the 5 senses, the living entity performs actions at the behest of the mind! All his actions are aimed at enjoying sensory pleasures! That’s all!

**Striving for sensory pleasures means distancing from punya! It means acquiring difficulties and sorrows. ** The 5 senses and mind are the 6 doors to samsāra. The path to enter the dark forests is not clear and easy. Likewise this journey is also laden with difficulties. When the being enters the womb he faces tremendous difficulties.

Illusion is under the control and dictates of the Supreme Lord Mahavishnu. Based on His orders, these 6 indriyas (5 senses plus mind) throw the entity into samsāra.

Mādhavāya namah