Srimad Bhagavatam — Panchama Skandha, Shloka 13
Rahūgaṇa Meets Jaḍa Bharata: The Shaking Palanquin and the Teaching Beyond Body-Identity
उन्मत्तमत्तजडवत्स्वसंस्थां गतस्य मे वीर चिकित्सितेन । अर्थ: कियान् भवता शिक्षितेन स्तब्धप्रमत्तस्य च पिष्टपेष: ॥ १३ ॥
unmatta-matta-jaḍavat sva-saṁsthāṁ gatasya me vīra cikitsitena arthaḥ kiyān bhavatā śikṣitena stabdha-pramattasya ca piṣṭapeṣaḥ
Oh rey valiente, has dicho: “¡Miserable, torpe, loco! Te castigaré y entrarás en razón.” Sobre esto, escucha: aunque vivo externamente como un sordo-mudo y como un necio, en verdad estoy establecido en el conocimiento del Ser. ¿Qué ganarás castigándome? Si tu cálculo es correcto y yo estoy realmente loco, tu castigo será como moler lo ya molido: no dará fruto. Al loco no se le cura con castigos.
Everyone in this material world is working like a madman under certain impressions falsely acquired in the material condition. For example, a thief who knows that stealing is not good and who knows that it is followed with punishment by a king or by God, who has seen that thieves are arrested and punished by the police, nonetheless steals again and again. He is obsessed with the idea that by stealing he will be happy. This is a sign of madness. Despite repeated punishment, the thief cannot give up his stealing habit; therefore the punishment is useless.
FAQs
It means instruction becomes fruitless when the listener is stubborn and careless—like re-grinding flour that is already ground, producing no new result.
Rahūgaṇa had approached with pride and had insulted him; Jaḍa Bharata replies that external “correction” is pointless unless one becomes humble and receptive to truth.
Real learning requires humility: if we cling to ego and fixed opinions, even good advice becomes wasted effort—so cultivate receptivity before seeking guidance.