Source
Texts:
The
Story of Pingalâ
Text
1
The honorable
brahmin said: 'Attachment to whatever of the possessions held
so very dear by man [house, wife, car etc.], sure leads
to misery; whoever knows that will, being free from such
attachment, thereupon achieve unlimited
happiness.
The
saintly brâhmana said - Everyone considers certain
things within the material world to be most dear to him, and
because of attachment to such things one eventually becomes
miserable. One who understands this gives up material
possessiveness and attachment and thus achieves unlimited
happiness.
Text
2
Having
meat a large hawk [the osprey] was attacked by others
very strong who were without prey; at that time giving up the
meat he achieved happiness.
Once
a group of large hawks who were unable to find any prey
attacked another, weaker hawk who was holding some meat. At
that time, being in danger of his life, the hawk gave up his
meat and experienced actual happiness.
Text
3
I,
like a child enjoying in the soul only, do wander out here; in
me no honor or dishonor is found; sporting by the self is there
not the anxiety of the one with a home and
children.
In
family life, the parents are always in anxiety about their
home, children and reputation. But I have nothing to do with
these things. I do not worry at all about any family, and I
do not care about honor and dishonor. I enjoy only the life
of the soul, and I find love on the spiritual platform. Thus
I wander the earth like a child.
Text
4
Freed
from anxiety there so are two types: the one retarded who
ignorant as a child is merged in great happiness and the one
who has achieved the One Supreme above the Modes of
Nature.
In
this world two types of people are free from all anxiety and
merged in great happiness - one who is a retarded and
childish fool and one who has approached the Supreme Lord,
who is beyond the three modes of material nature.
Text
5
Once
arrived at the house of a young girl that wished herself to be
a wife and of whom all the relatives were gone to another
place, a couple of men that she received with great
hospitality.
Once
a marriageable young girl was alone in her house because her
parents and relatives had gone that day to another place. At
that time a few men arrived at the house, specifically
desiring to marry her. She received them with all
hospitality.
Text
6
Being
alone did she, for her guests to eat, beat rice so that the
conchshell bracelets on her forearms made a lot of
noise.
The
girl went to a private place and began to make preparations
so that the unexpected male guests could eat. As she was
beating the rice, the conchshell bracelets on her arms were
colliding and making a loud noise.
Text
7
She being shy
ashamed of that [servant-] noise, thinking
intelligently broke one by one the shell bracelets from her
arms, leaving but two on each wrist.
The
young girl feared that the men would consider her family to
be poor because their daughter was busily engaged in the
menial task of husking rice. Being very intelligent, the shy
girl broke the shell bracelets from her arms, leaving just
two on each wrist.
Text
8
Still was there
of those two, with her husking the rice, the noise of course,
so that, as she separated one from each of the two leaving one
only, not a sound was heard.
Thereafter,
as the young girl continued to husk the rice, the two
bracelets on each wrist continued to collide and make noise.
Therefore she took one bracelet off each arm, and with only
one left on each wrist there was no more noise.
Text
9
Me wandering
the places in search of the truth of the world, o subduer of
the enemies, with my own eyes witnessed this girls'
lesson.
O
subduer of the enemy, I travel throughout the surface of the
earth learning constantly about the nature of this world,
and thus I personally witnessed the lesson of the young
girl.
Text
10
In a place with
many people will quarrels rise, even with two people alone
conversing; for sure one should therefore live like the young
girls' bracelet.
When
many people live together in one place there will
undoubtedly be quarreling. And even if only two people live
together there will be frivolous conversation and
disagreement. Therefore, to avoid conflict, one should live
alone, as we learn from the example of the bracelet of the
young girl.
Text
11
By detachment
and a regulated practice [vairâgya and
abhyâsa] should the mind be steadied, with care being
fixed by having conquered one's breathing in sitting postures
[see also B.G. 6:
10-15 and
6:
46-47].
Having
perfected the yoga sitting postures and conquered the
breathing process, one should make the mind steady by
detachment and the regulated practice of yoga. Thus one
should carefully fix the mind on the single goal of yoga
practice.
Text
12
Having obtained
permanence in that position, step by step giving up the
contamination of karma, achieves that very mind
nirvâna
by the having grown strong in sattva
forsaking of the fuel of rajas
and tamas
[to the fire of material existence, see also B.G.
6:
26 and
14:
6-8].
The
mind can be controlled when it is fixed on the Supreme
Personality of Godhead. Having achieved a stable situation,
the mind becomes free from polluted desires to execute
material activities; thus as the mode of goodness increases
in strength, one can completely give up the modes of passion
and ignorance, and gradually one transcends even the
material mode of goodness. When the mind is freed from the
fuel of the modes of nature, the fire of material existence
is extinguished. Then one achieves the transcendental
platform of direct relationship with the object of his
meditation, the Supreme Lord.
Text
13
At
that time thus being fixed in the soul does one not know
anything [to be] outside or inside, just as the
arrowmaker being absorbed in the arrow didn't notice the king
passing right next to him [see B.G. 7:
27-28].
Thus,
when one's consciousness is completely fixed on the Absolute
Truth, the Supreme Personality of Godhead, one no longer
sees duality, or internal and external reality. The example
is given of the arrow maker who was so absorbed in making a
straight arrow that he did not even see or notice the king
himself, who was passing right next to him.
Text
14
Moving alone
without a fixed residence [also: temple] and being
secretive not recognized in his actions does, being without
companions, a sage speak very little.
A
saintly person should remain alone and constantly travel
without any fixed residence. Being alert, he should remain
secluded and should act in such a way that he is not
recognized or noticed by others. Moving without companions,
he should not speak more than required.
Text
15
Building
a home leads, being idle [see B.G. 4:
18],
to misery; also the snake having entered a home built by others
prospers happily.
When
a person living in a temporary material body tries to
construct a happy home, the result is fruitless and
miserable. The snake, however, enters a home that has been
built by others and prospers happily.
Text
16
The one Self,
the one Supreme Controller without a second, who became the
Foundation and Reservoir of All indeed, is
Nârâyana, the God that in the beginning by His own
potency created and by the portion of time at the end of the
kalpa withdraws this universe within Himself.
The
Lord of the universe, Nârâyana, is the
worshipable God of all living entities. Without extraneous
assistance, the Lord creates this universe by His own
potency, and at the time of annihilation the Lord destroys
the universe through His personal expansion of time and
withdraws all of the cosmos, including all the conditioned
living entities, within Himself. Thus, His unlimited Self is
the shelter and reservoir of all potencies. The subtle
pradhâna, the basis of all cosmic manifestation, is
conserved within the Lord and is in this way not different
from Him. In the aftermath of annihilation the Lord stands
alone.
Text
17-18
When
by His potency of the time factor the material powers of sattva
and so on are being brought to equilibrium, exists the Original
Personality, the purusha
of the primary nature [pradhâna],
who is the worshipable Controller of the gods and normal souls,
in the purest experience of revelation denoted as
kaivalya
[beatitude], the full of bliss devoid of material
relations [see also B.G. 7:
5].
When
the Supreme Personality of Godhead displays His own potency
in the form of time and guides His material potencies, such
as the mode of goodness, into a neutral condition of
equilibrium, He remains as the supreme controller of that
neutral state, called pradhâna, as well as of the
living entities. He is also the supreme worshipable object
for all beings, including liberated souls, demigods and
ordinary conditioned souls. The Lord is eternally free from
any material designation, and He constitutes the totality of
spiritual bliss, which one experiences by seeing the Lord's
spiritual form. The Lord thus exhibits the fullest meaning
of the word 'liberation.'
Text
19
By the pure
potency of His Self, His own energy composed of the three
modes, manifests He, agitating with it [the Time] at
the onset of creation, the plan of matter [the sûtra,
the thread, the rule or direction of the mahat-tattva, see also
3.26:
19]
O
subduer of the enemies, at the time of creation the
Personality of Godhead expands His own transcendental
potency in the form of time, and agitating His material
energy, mâyâ, composed of the three modes of
material nature, He creates the mahat-tattva.
Text
20
To
that [thread] manifesting as the cause of the three
modes that create the different categories of the
manifestation, so they say, is this universe, by which the
living being undergoes his existence, strung and bound [see
also B.G 7:
7].
According
to great sages, that which is the basis of the three modes
of material nature and which manifests the variegated
universe is called the sûtra or mahat-tattva. Indeed,
this universe is resting within that mahat-tattva, and due
to its potency the living entity undergoes material
existence.
Text
21
Just as the
spider, expanding the thread from within himself, by his mouth
with that thread enjoys [his meal] and eventually
swallows that thread, does the same way the Supreme Controller
operate.
Just
as from within himself the spider expands thread through his
mouth, plays with it for some time and eventually swallows
it, similarly, the Supreme Personality of Godhead expands
His personal potency from within Himself. Thus, the Lord
displays the network of cosmic manifestation, utilizes it
according to His purpose and eventually withdraws it
completely within Himself.
Text
22
On whatever the
conditioned soul fixes his mind, that particular state will,
because of the full concentration of his intelligence, with the
emotional impact of his envy or fear be reached.
[see B.G. 8:
6].
If
out of love, hate or fear an embodied soul fixes his mind
with intelligence and complete concentration upon a
particular bodily form, he will certainly attain the form
that he is meditating upon.
Text
23
O
king, a larva [or insect caught] meditating a wasp
engaging nearby in its hive will, keeping to its own body,
reach the same state of existence of that wasp.
O
King, once a wasp forced a weaker insect to enter his hive
and kept him trapped there. In great fear the weak insect
constantly meditated upon his captor, and without giving up
his body, he gradually achieved the same state of existence
as the wasp. Thus one achieves a state of existence
according to one's constant concentration.
Text
24
This
is the knowledge in taking instruction from all these gurus,
please hear from me what I have to say about the knowledge
acquired in learning from one's own body, o
King.
O
King, from all these spiritual masters I have acquired great
wisdom. Now please listen as I explain what I learned from
my own body.
Text
25
The
body as my spiritual master of detachment and discrimination
does - with it always suffering to the cause of the inevitable
maintaining and the future destruction of its existence - even
though I contemplate the truths of the world with it, belong to
others any way; thus convinced I wander about without
attachment.
The
material body is also my spiritual master because it teaches
me detachment. Being subject to creation and destruction, it
always comes to a painful end. Thus, although using my body
to acquire knowledge, I always remember that it will
ultimately be consumed by others, and remaining detached, I
move about this world.
Text
26
The body
nourishing
all the categories of the wife, the children, the animals, the
servants, the home and the relatives it tries to please, has,
following the nature of the tree that drops its seed, falls and
dies, at the time of its death expanded in having created this
[other child] body of it, having accumulated wealth
[for it] with great effort.
A
man attached to the body accumulates money with great
struggle to expand and protect the position of his wife,
children, property, domestic animals, servants, homes,
relatives, friends, and so on. He does all this for the
gratification of his own body. As a tree before dying
produces the seed of a future tree, the dying body manifests
the seed of one's next material body in the form of one's
accumulated karma. Thus assuring the continuation of
material existence, the material body sinks down and
dies.
Text
27
At the one side
does the tongue at times thirsty distract the cherished body,
at the other side do the genitals that, does the sense of touch
that, does the belly that, do the ears lead elsewhere, does the
smell go or are the eyes otherwise fickle going elsewhere; and
so do the limbs like co-wives pull the head of the household in
many directions.
A
man who has many wives is constantly harassed by them. He is
responsible for their maintenance, and thus all the ladies
constantly pull him in different directions, each struggling
for her self-interest. Similarly, the material senses harass
the conditioned soul, pulling him in many different
directions at once. On one side the tongue is pulling him to
arrange tasty food; then thirst drags him to get a suitable
drink. Simultaneously the sex organs clamor for
satisfaction, and the sense of touch demands soft, sensuous
objects. The belly harasses him until it is filled, the ears
demand to hear pleasing sounds, the sense of smell hankers
for pleasant aromas, and the fickle eyes clamor for pleasing
sights. Thus the senses, organs and limbs, all desiring
satisfaction, pull the living entity in many
directions.
Text
28
With
trees, venomous insects, mammals, birds, snakes and all these
sorts having created material bodies in many varieties through
the mâyâ of His own potency, did the Lord
unsatisfied in His heart, create the human being with an
intelligence suited to envision the Absolute Truth and achieved
He happiness.
The
Supreme Personality of Godhead, expanding His own potency,
mâyâ-s'akti, created innumerable species of life
to house the conditioned souls. Yet by creating the forms of
trees, reptiles, animals, birds, snakes and so on, the Lord
was not satisfied within His heart. Then He created human
life, which offers the conditioned soul sufficient
intelligence to perceive the Absolute Truth, and became
pleased.
Text
29
After
many births having attained this human form so difficult to
attain which, although not eternal, awards great value, should
a sober person as long as he, subject to death, has not fallen
[in his grave], without delay in this world endeavor
for the ultimate liberation always possible in all conditions
of sense-gratification.
After
many, many births and deaths one achieves the rare human
form of life, which, although temporary, affords one the
opportunity to attain the highest perfection. Thus a sober
human being should quickly endeavor for the ultimate
perfection of life as long as his body, which is always
subject to death, has not fallen down and died. After all,
sense gratification is available even in the most abominable
species of life, whereas Krishna consciousness is possible
only for a human being.
Text
30
Thus
[from all these twenty-four masters] seeing it in the
Soul do I, fully having developed detachment and wisdom, wander
this earth freed from attachment and egotism.
Having
learned from my spiritual masters, I remain situated in
realization of the Supreme Personality of Godhead and, fully
renounced and enlightened by realized spiritual knowledge,
wander the earth without attachment or false ego.
Text
31
For
sure can the knowledge from one [such] teacher not be
very solid or complete [therefore: 11.3:
21];
the Absolute Truth one without a second is by the sages no
doubt glorified in many ways.'
Although
the Absolute Truth is one without a second, the sages have
described Him in many different ways. Therefore one may not
be able to acquire very firm or complete knowledge from one
spiritual master.
Text
32
The Supreme
Lord said: 'The brahmin of profound intelligence [in fact
Lord Dattâtreya,
see 2.7:
4 and
**]
thus having spoken to king Yadu, being properly honored by the
king offering his obeisances, bid farewell and went away just
as contented as he had come.
The
Supreme Personality of Godhead said - Having thus spoken to
King Yadu, the wise brâhmana accepted obeisances and
worship from the King and felt pleased within himself. Then
bidding farewell, he left exactly as he had come.
Text
33
Having
heard the words of the avadhûta became Yadu, the
forefather of our ancestors, freed with a then equal
consciousness.
O
Uddhava, hearing the words of the avadhûta, the
saintly King Yadu, who is the forefather of our own
ancestors, became free from all material attachment, and
thus his mind was evenly fixed on the spiritual
platform.
*:
Considering verse 3.25:
34
stating that devotees do seek company to associate for Krishna,
do the âcâryas after this verse say that that
single mindedness for the Lord, not speculating as
jnânis, is the same as being alone not to land in
quarrels [see pp. 11.9:
10].
**:
The paramparâ [pp. 11.9:
32]
confirms: 'This verse [2.7:
4]
mentions that Yadu was purified by contact with the lotus feet
of Dattâtreya, and similarly the present verse states,
vandito sv-arcito râjñâ - King Yadu
worshiped the lotus feet of the brâhmana. Thus, according
to S'rîla S'rîdhara Svâmî, the
avadhûta brâhmana is the Personality of Godhead
Himself, and this is confirmed by S'rîla
Vis'vanâtha Cakravartî Thhâkura.'
