Bhagavatam study 92 1.17.18-23 The cause of suffering is sometimes incomprehensible

Podcast

It’s a Srimad Bhagavatam 1, 17, 18.
This is the core content of what the bull will speak now. I do not know what is the cause of my distress. O greatest among human beings, O King Parikshit, what is the cause? I do not know.
So, for me, it is very difficult to know because different people speak different things. It’s an interesting word. Vakya means the word spoken by people.
Those words spoken by different people are such that we are bewildered by it. We don’t know what to do. So, one of the themes in the scripture is that sometimes the many kinds of philosophies or messages that are given in scripture, they can confuse us.
Before we go into that point, let’s see here, the answer may seem to be obvious. Isn’t it that this person Kali is attacking you? This person Kali is responsible for your suffering. So, he says, I’m not looking at the cause of Klesha.
I’m looking at the cause of Klesha Bijani. Klesha Bijani means the root cause of the suffering. So, suppose we have a garden and in that garden, we sow various kinds of seeds and we get some flowers, but some flowers are very thorny.
And we walk by and we are pierced by it. Now, if blood starts coming from that wound, at that time, we may say that, oh, what caused this injury? You could say that, oh, this thorn, this thorn from this tree caused that injury. That’s true at one level.
But then, suppose we had gone to the market to sow seeds for our garden, to buy seeds for the garden, and we had got a mixture of various seeds, which would make the garden colorful. And now we don’t know exactly if you’re not very good in botany. So, we don’t know exactly which seed led to the growth of this particular shrub or vegetation, which is so thorny and which has hurt us.
So, then this cutting off that tree, that’s one solution. But then if the seeds are there, and if again we are going to go market and buy similar seeds, and again those thorny plants may come up. So, there is a glacier and there is a glacier beager.
Usually, most of our times, we just spend our time trying to deal with the glacier. And yes, when the glacier is coming, if the thorn has cut me, I need to treat it, no doubt. But at the same time, that is not enough.
We have to move forward and look beyond the glacier beager. What is the root of the glacier? Unless we look at that root and treat that root, there is not going to be much help that we are going to give to ourselves. We’re not going to address the problem in an enduring way.
The problem is going to be there and it’s going to come back again and again. So, he is going beyond the obvious over here. And he’s looking at the glacier beager.
What is the root cause of this glacier? Let us try to find it out. And that I do not know. Because different philosophers have different understandings of what is the root cause of suffering.
So, let’s look at what different philosophers say and how he quotes these different philosophers. So, text 19. Those who say that actually all kinds of dualities are false.
Now, dualities are just a matter of perception. And this deluded perception, if you go beyond it, then there will be no suffering. So, it is we the soul who is causing suffering.
As long as, if you can just go beyond the whatever afflictions are caused by the mind, by the dualities, by the vasanas, then we will go beyond that suffering. So, now, what does this mean practically? So, due to, because of dualities, vasana can refer to when we cover up the differences. So, as long as we think this is good and this is bad, we suffer.
So, for example, there are verses in the Bhagavad Gita itself says that, Parichit Maharaj also says that, there is no enemy for us apart from the mind, uncontrolled and misguided mind. So, the word atma can refer to the soul, atma can refer even to the mind. Basically, it could be said that we ourselves are the cause of the suffering, we just become detached.
Then we will have no more suffering. Say India, Pakistan had a cricket match and India lost the cricket match and they are suffering. But there might be so many other people who might not be so invested in the match and they will not suffer.
The cause of our suffering is not just Pakistan losing the match, the cause of our suffering is our mind being attached to the cricket. So, if we could just become free from the detachment, then we would not suffer. So, we can say that we are the cause of our suffering.
So, he gives four causes totally in this word. Some people say it is daiva, some people say that actually it is destiny, it is the destiny coming through the various grahas, which is the cause of suffering. Some say it is karma.
It is interesting, daiva and karma are presented here as two different things. The point is that actually daiva refers to the broad sum total of our destiny. So, certain things are meant to come to us at particular times.
But karma refers, sorry, it refers to graha, the planets. What that means is that certain planets, if they are in a particular zone at a particular time, then those planets will affect a particular person quite a bit. So, to deal with that, what does one do? One may decide that, oh, I will worship this devata, I will chant this mantra, I will do this tantra, I will do this yantra, whatever.
What people, mantra, tantra, yantra, different people may try. So, the idea is that there is a sum total of happiness and distress that we are meant to get, which is a part of our destiny. But along with that, there is also the particular kind of suffering, which may come to us because of our past at a particular time.
So, there are certain phases. Say, for example, if somebody is sick, somebody has some respiratory tract issues, because of which in the morning, they face a lot of cough or they face problems. Say, a woman is pregnant, then she may have morning sickness.
So, there are phases in which, particular phases which are troublesome, particular time phases. And then one may have to make some plans to deal with those time phases appropriately. So, basically, when somebody says that I have got a shani dasha or a mangal dasha, that Saturn or some other planet is unfavorable for me, that means there is a phase which one is going through, and that is associated with the grahas.
Some people say, of course, it’s our own karma which we have done in the past, which is giving us the suffering. And some people say, so that actually it is just the nature of this world to give us suffering. So, for example, we ourselves may use this reasoning sometimes.
Say, for example, if we face some problems, then we might just think of this world as a place of distress. It’s just the sabhaav of this world. The sabhaav of matter, of the material world is to give us pleasure.
Now, text 20. So, now, apratarkya nirdesha. So, tarka is reasoning.
Nirdesha is description or perception. So, basically, some people say that why suffering comes, that is just not understandable. It is beyond perception and it is beyond reasoning.
Generally speaking, if you look at the world around us, we learn by these two primary sources of knowledge, pratyaksha and anuman. If we are driving a car and we find that the car is not moving, then we look at the fuel meter and find, oh, there’s no fuel over here. That means the pratyaksha we have seen, okay, there’s no fuel, that’s why the car is not working.
But say, we are driving on a road and there’s a big traffic. And then we’ve heard that the storm was expected in the, a hurricane was expected in the direction which we are going. Now, we have not got any news right now, we have ourselves not seen the hurricane, nor have we got the news whether the hurricane actually occurred.
But then we may say this traffic is because of that hurricane. So, here we are actually inferring. So, we are inferring based on some information that we have.
So, sometimes we can see the cause, sometimes we can infer the cause, but sometimes we can do neither. Now, for example, sometimes you may see my hand is paining. Why is the hand paining? Because I’ve got a cut on the hand.
I see the cut on the hand, that’s a visible problem. But sometimes I may have some dislocation of a bone inside which is not visible outside, but I just feel the pain. Then, if I have fallen seriously, if I’ve fallen heavily on my hand, then I may infer, maybe there’s some fracture in my hand, some displacement in my hand.
So, I have to do a surgery, I have to do at least an X-ray to find out. So, there we may try to do some reasoning. But sometimes, neither by observation nor by reasoning, we can find out.
We go to a doctor and the doctor does all kinds of tests, but we just can’t find out. The hand is perfectly normal. But that’s what the doctor says, or at least that’s what the reports say.
But as far as your experience is, there is absolutely nothing normal about the hand. There is unbearable pain over there. So, sometimes the pain is such that, अप्रतर्क्याद अनिर्देशाद.
So, actually, we just can’t understand sometimes why sufferings come. So, now, Chakravartipat goes into an elaborate commentary over here, that actually, now, if somebody says अप्रतर्क्याद अनिर्देशाद, and there is one thing which is beyond reasoning and which is beyond observation, that is God Himself. So, can we say that God is the cause of our suffering? So, why not? Somebody may say that, but Chakravartipat says it’s inappropriate.
He is not like, he doesn’t like, he does not have particular likes or dislikes. So, he may give sometimes some suffering, but we cannot know why he is giving that suffering. So, we cannot even know whether he is exactly giving that suffering.
So, there is a similar theme in the Bhagavatam, earlier in the 9th chapter, नयस्यकरिचिद्राजिन्पुमान्वेदविदित्सिताम् यद्विज्ञासयायुक्तामुहियं तिकवयोपिही। नयस्यकरिचिद्राजिन्पुमान्वेदविदित्सिताम् But actually, His plan, nobody can understand. And यद्विज्ञासयायुक्तामुहियं तिकवयोपिही। Even the wise people, they also get bewildered when trying to understand His plan. The idea is that we have to respond in a way that is favorable for our devotion.
That means, if thinking that the Lord is the cause of my distress inspires us to take more shelter of the Lord, then that is good. You can think, just to make me intensify my devotion, make me intensify my absorption, that’s why the Lord is doing like this. But sometimes it may just not be possible for us to think of something higher, if we think that that higher reality is the cause of our suffering.
Then we may just decide, actually, what is the cause? I don’t know. I simply, but what I do know is that if I take shelter of my Lord, I will get some relief from suffering. So, let me take shelter of the Lord.
So, in that way, He is saying, now, it’s interesting, what is the Vimrishya Swamanishaya? Rajarishi, O Parashit Maharaj, you yourself are not just an ordinary king, you are a saintly king, a sage among kings. Rajarishi, usually Prabhupada translates this as a sage among kings. Literally, if you see, Rajarishi, king among sages.
Either way, use the word compound, we can take out the compound in both ways. But the important thing is that there is this, the king is the outer ruler. The sage is the inner seer.
The sage is one who sees inward and understands the inner world. The king is one who rules the outer world. But Rajarishi refers to one who is both the inner seer and the outer ruler.
Such a person is very competent for doing anything. And especially if somebody is a Rajarishi, then they can rule very, very well. So, he is telling you are a Rajarishi.
So, Vimrishya Swamanishaya. Therefore, you contemplate in Swamanishaya. With your intelligence, you understand what is the proper truth.
You deliberate and you understand. Text 21, When Dharma spoke like this, it’s interesting till now, that this person is Dharma is not being told that this person, that this bull is Dharma. This is known to us, us who are hearing.
Suta Goswami has identified to Naimishar and his sages. But this identity has not yet been revealed to Parikshit. Although Parikshit has thought of it, it has gone through his mind.
He has not explicitly said it. Now he will say it. But for us, we know this is Dharma speaking.
So, Suta Goswami uses that identifier. He spoke this to the Samrat, to emperor. Adhijisattamaha means here Suta Goswami is addressing the brahmanas who are hearing him.
So, with proper attention, Parikshit Maharaj heard what he is speaking. Vikheda parichashtatam and vikheda. Initially, he was distressed, he was angered, he was afflicted.
When Parikshit Maharaj was distressed to see the distress of others, to see the distress of this cow and bull, he was afflicted, he was angry. But hearing these profound dharmic words, Parikshit Maharaj felt freed from his distress. He felt that there is no need for him to lament at this point.
This person is so profoundly wise that there is absolutely no need. So, he did not feel any lamentation. Rather, he spoke with great confidence.
Without any lamentation, he spoke. So, what did he speak? You have spoken very dharmically. That is, you are the knower of dharma.
And not only you are the knower of dharma, you are dharma himself. So, you are the speaker of dharma, you are the knower of dharma, you are dharma. That’s how the first line goes.
The word dharma comes thrice over there. Of course, dharmam, dhravishi, dharmagna, dharmasi, brisharupadrak, you are dharma personified, but you have taken the form of a brisharupa. You have taken the form of a bull over here.
And as a bull, you have spoken, and what have you spoken here? You have spoken very worthy words. With adharmakta sthanam. And so, where the one who acts religiously, sthanam, in that place, Suchakasyatadbhavet.
Suchakasyatadbhavet. So, he says that if somebody points to the perpetrator of dharma, then the perpetrator of dharma, whatever destination they will get, even the pointer to that perpetrator, they will also get the same destination. So, this doesn’t mean that literally speaking, a murderer or a robber and robbed, the rob points out this person committed the robbery.
Does that mean that the robbed and the robber will get the same destination? It’s not exactly that way. It is saying that if somebody doesn’t look beyond immediate causes, if somebody looks simply towards the same, looks only at the immediate causes and doesn’t look beyond them, then they are in material consciousness. They’re not seeing the full picture.
And that ignorant conception with which they are living, that’s how they will continue to live. And that is their misfortune. So, he’s saying that in this way, you know this, and therefore, you’re not pointing out who is the cause of your suffering.
And as I can understand that you are actually a very wise person. You are dharma himself. In general, one of the greatest problems that we all have is the tendency to blame others.
Of course, there are situations where the problems are out there. And those problems out there do hurt us in here. But at the same time, we have to see whether blaming someone is actually helping us.
More than what is truthful is, we needn’t focus on what is truthful, we need to focus on that which is helpful. So, even if something is truthful, this person did like this, that’s why I’m suffering. Okay, but what can you do about it now? Suppose somebody is driving a car and then they make a wrong turn.
And as all the other person is driving in the car, they all meet with accident. Somehow the driver doesn’t suffer so much. But the person, the passenger, though they get into a terrible accident, they get terribly injured and they get paralyzed.
Now, naturally the driver will feel very guilty and will feel remorse that, oh, because of me this happened. But if the victim who has now become paralyzed, what do they do? If they keep, you know, because of you this happened, because of you this happened, because of you this happened. It may be truthful, but is it helpful? It is not.
One has to move on in life. Sometimes both the driver and the victim, the paralyzed person, both of them may get depressed, thinking that, oh, I did a terrible thing and oh, this person hurt me, this person ruined my life. And both ways, neither of them is actually growing, neither of them is doing anything constructive to grow in their lives.
So, therefore, in some situations, pointing out who is to be blamed, if it is going to help, if somebody is a habitually reckless driver, then pointing out that they are responsible might lead to some curves on them so that they will not drive recklessly like that or they will not be allowed to drive. If somebody is normally a careful driver, but somehow something went wrong at that time. So, you know, in life, we have to be pragmatic.
Pragmatic means that we have to see what helps, what works and move on. Sometimes some people may have done some terrible wrongs to us, but thinking about that, we will be thinking of something which is true. It’s truthful, but it’s not helpful.
We need to focus on that which is helpful. How can I move forward in my life? So, now, text 23, अथवा देवमायया नूनं गतिरगोचरा चेतसोऽच सश्चापी भूतानामिति निष्चयहाम् अथवा देवमायया मायाया Certainly, देवमायया, देवमायया is the maya shakti of the Lord, that is, beyond, नूनं गतिरगोचरा, the way the Lord’s energies work, the Lord’s maya works, नूनं गतिरगोचरा, its movements are inconceivable. So, चेतसोऽच सश्चापी, so here, गोचरा refers to the senses, गोचरा means that which is beyond the senses, चेतसोऽच सश्चापी, that means it is beyond the senses and is beyond even the speech, भूतानामिति निष्चयहाम्, that the living entities have to conclude that, we all have to conclude that the Lord’s energy, the way the Lord’s energies move, that is just beyond us.
So, it earlier said, अपरतर्क्यात अनिर्देश्यार्, that’s what the bullhead said, and the bullhead told, you think about it and you figure it out, विम्रिष्य मनीशे, so he is figuring it out and he is saying, actually, it is beyond our capacity to perceive, गतिरोगोचरा चेतसोऽच सश्चापी. Sometimes, the way we work in life is by simply acknowledging the inconceivability of certain things. In some situations, some things can be perceived, in some situations, something just can’t be perceived.
The cause of certain things, we may just not know and we have to learn to live with it. If we don’t learn to live, we simply hurt ourselves, we simply afflict ourselves. So, here, there is a time to use our intelligence and there is a time to use our intelligence to understand that the intelligence is of no use.
So, one use of the intelligence is to know that the intelligence is of no use. Why is that? Because we are finite beings, the world is infinite, and why something is happening, it is just not sometimes possible for us to know. So, therefore, we have to acknowledge the reality of the situation and deal with that reality as it exists.
So, now, he will go on and he will speak about how the particular situation,