Srimad Bhagvata Mahapurana Book 5 Chapter 6:1-10

Book 5: Chapter 6

Srimad Bhagvata Mahapurana: Book 5: Chapter 6: Verses 1-10 Lord Rsabha quits His body King Pariksit said : Surely to those who revel in the Self and have burnt up the seeds of (future) actions (in the shape of likes and dislikes and soon) through (the fire of) wisdom strengthened by the practice of Yoga. Yogic powers coming unsolicited cannot again prove to be a source of evils (such as likes and dislikes). (Why, then, did the Lord not accept them?) The sage (Suka) replied : What you have observed is (quite) true; but there are some (discreet men) in this world who would never feel quite confident about their fickle mind any more than a clever hunter would about a deer (trapped by him). Similarly it is said:- "One should never make friends with (rely on the friendship of) the inconstant mind; for as a result of confidence placed in it the austere vow (of chastity)-maintained for a long period-even of Lord Siva(and other stalwarts like the celebrated sage Saubhari ) was broken. The mind of a Yogi (striving mystic) who has made friends with it is ever alert to fling the gates open to Lust and other enemies (such as Anger) that follow him-even as a faithless wife would allow her paramours to enter her husband's house and murder him. What wise man would admit (the trustworthiness of) the mind, which is the root of lust, anger, vanity, greed, sorrow, infatuation, fear and other evils and which binds a man to his actions ? Lord Rsabhadeva was the very ornament of the protectors of the world (lndra and the other gods); yet His divine glory could not be perceived on account of His behaving as aforesaid like a stupid fellow and because He had adopted the weird appearance, speech and conduct of one who has renounced all worldly attachments and connections. Now, in order to teach to the Yogis the process of giving up the ghost He thought of quitting (concealing) His body and, constantly viewing the Supreme Spirit-who was directly present in Him-as (absolutely) identical (with Himself), ceased to think of His body and gave up His identification (even) with the subtle body. When Lord Rsabhadeva was thus rid of (His identification with) the subtle body, His visible form continued to wander over this globe due to seeming egotism induced by the vestiges of Yogamaya (the divine will to carry on the sport of roaming about the earth as a wandering recluse) and, visiting as directed by Providence the territories of Konka, Venka, Kutaka and South Karnataka, traversed the forest of the Kutaka mountain stark naked, like a madman, with dishevelled hair and with a piece of stone in His mouth. Meanwhile a fierce forest conflagration broke out due to the friction of bamboos tossed about by the force of wind and, enveloping the forest on all sides, consumed the body of Rsabhadeva too alongwith the forest. On hearing about His (queer) ways and imitating them, and deluded by what was destined to happen, a foolish ruler of the territories of Konka, Venka and Kutaka-Arhat by name-appearing in the Kali age, when unrighteousness will be on the rise, will actually abandon the course of his own duty, which is free from risk in everyway, and duly propagate according to his own whims an absurd, wrong and heretical creed. Led by him an infatuated by the deluding potency of the Lord, many an accursed soul will fall from the standards of personal purity and good conduct enjoined upon them by scriptural ordinance and, adopting of their own free will impious vows constituting an offence against the gods-. such as abstaining from bath and Acamana (rinsing the mouth), neglecting personal cleanliness and pulling out the hair and so on-will more often than not condemn the Veda, the Brahmanas, Lord Visnu (the Deity presiding over the sacrifices) and His devotees, their judgment being warped by the Kali age, which is dominated by unrighteousness.