Srimad Bhagavatam — Panchama Skandha, Shloka 14
Rahūgaṇa Meets Jaḍa Bharata: The Shaking Palanquin and the Teaching Beyond Body-Identity
श्रीशुक उवाच एतावदनुवादपरिभाषया प्रत्युदीर्य मुनिवर उपशमशील उपरतानात्म्यनिमित्त उपभोगेन कर्मारब्धं व्यपनयन् राजयानमपि तथोवाह ॥ १४ ॥
śrī-śuka uvāca etāvad anuvāda-paribhāṣayā pratyudīrya muni-vara upaśama-śīla uparatānātmya-nimitta upabhogena karmārabdhaṁ vyapanayan rāja-yānam api tathovāha.
Śukadeva Gosvāmī dit: Ô Mahārāja Parīkṣit, lorsque le roi Rahūgaṇa réprimanda le grand dévot Jaḍa Bharata par des paroles dures, ce saint paisible supporta tout et répondit comme il convenait. L’ignorance provient de la fausse conception du corps comme soi, mais Jaḍa Bharata n’en fut pas affecté. Par humilité naturelle, il ne se considéra jamais comme un grand bhakta et accepta de subir les fruits de son karma passé. Tel un homme ordinaire, il pensa qu’en portant le palanquin il détruisait les réactions de ses anciennes fautes, et il se remit à le porter comme auparavant.
An exalted devotee of the Lord never thinks that he is a paramahaṁsa or a liberated person. He always remains a humble servant of the Lord. In all reverse conditions, he agrees to suffer the results of his past life. He never accuses the Lord of putting him into a distressed condition. These are the signs of an exalted devotee. Tat te ’nukampāṁ susamīkṣyamāṇaḥ. When suffering reversed conditions, the devotee always considers that the reverse conditions are the Lord’s concessions. He is never angry with his master; he is always satisfied with the position his master offers. In any case, he continues performing his duty in devotional service. Such a person is guaranteed promotion back home, back to Godhead. As stated in Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam (10.14.8) :
FAQs
This verse indicates that a liberated, peaceful sage allows already-begun karma to exhaust by undergoing its destined results without bodily identification, thereby clearing its effects.
Because he was tranquil and detached from ego and bodily identity; he simply performed what came by destiny, letting previously-begun karma be worked out without agitation.
Do your duty without ego, accept unavoidable outcomes as temporary results of past actions, and keep inner steadiness through remembrance of the Lord and detachment from bodily identity.