Srimad Bhagvata Mahapurana Book 5 Chapter 13:21-26

Book 5: Chapter 13

Srimad Bhagvata Mahapurana: Book 5: Chapter 13: Verses 21-26 Bharata allegorically represents this state of worldly existence as a forest and the doubts of Rahugana get resolved The king (Rahugana) said : Oh, (this) human birth is the best of all (other) incarnations. Of what avail are births of the highest order in heaven, where the fellowship of exalted souls (like you)-whose mind has been purified by (singing and hearing) the glories of Lord Visnu (the Ruler of the senses)-is not had in abundance? It is no wonder that unalloyed devotion to Lord Visnu (who is beyond sense-perception) should spring up in (the heart of) a man whose sins have been scoured off with the dust of your lotus-feet, when I find that my ignorance, which had its root in fallacious reasoning, has been rooted out by an hour's fellowship with you. Hail to the Brahmanas who are advanced in age ! Hail to (those who are yet) infants ! Hail to the young ! Hail to all down to the youngsters ! May (all) kings receive blessings from those Brahmanas who traverse the earth in the garb of ascetics that have shaken off all worldly feeling and obligations Sri Suka resumed : O Pariksit (son of Uttara) having thus explained the true nature of the Self out of supreme compassion to the ruler of the Sindhu territory (the modern Sindha) even though he had slighted the Brahmana-that son of a Brahmana sage, who possessed the highest glory, and whose feet were (now) adored by Rahugana in a pathetic way, roamed about the earth like an ocean which is full on every side, with a mind whose waves in the form of the Indriyas had been stilled. Having fully realized the true nature of the Supreme Spirit as taught by that saintly soul, Rahugana (the lord of the Sauvira territory) too (forthwith) shed the wrong notion, planted on his mind by ignorance, that he was (no other than) the body. Such, O king (Pariksit), is the greatness of those who have taken shelter with the devotees of the Lord I The king (Pariksit) said : The course of transmigration of embodied souls, that has been described by you in the form of an allegory, 0 great devotee possessed of varied knowledge, has been fancifully conceived by the inventive genius of wise man and (as such) it cannot be readily and clearly understood by untrained minds. Therefore, (kindly) point out the hidden meaning by bringing out the corresponding ideas. Thus ends the thirteenth discourse in Book Five of the great and glorious Bhagavata-Purana, otherwise known as the Paramahamsa-Samhita.