Ṛṣabhadeva Instructs His Sons: Tapasya, Mahātmā-Sevā, and Cutting the Heart-Knot
तत्र तत्र पुरग्रामाकरखेटवाटखर्वटशिबिरव्रजघोषसार्थगिरिवनाश्रमादिष्वनुपथमवनिचरापसदै: परिभूयमानो मक्षिकाभिरिव वनगजस्तर्जनताडनावमेहनष्ठीवनग्रावशकृद्रज:प्रक्षेपपूतिवातदुरुक्तै- स्तदविगणयन्नेवासत्संस्थान एतस्मिन् देहोपलक्षणे सदपदेश उभयानुभवस्वरूपेण स्वमहिमावस्थानेनासमारोपिताहंममाभिमानत्वादविखण्डितमना: पृथिवीमेकचर: परिबभ्राम ॥ ३० ॥
tatra tatra pura-grāmākara-kheṭa-vāṭa-kharvaṭa-śibira-vraja-ghoṣa-sārtha-giri-vanāśramādiṣv anupatham avanicarāpasadaiḥ paribhūyamāno makṣikābhir iva vana-gajas tarjana-tāḍanāvamehana-ṣṭhīvana-grāva-śakṛd-rajaḥ-prakṣepa-pūti-vāta-duruktais tad avigaṇayann evāsat-saṁsthāna etasmin dehopalakṣaṇe sad-apadeśa ubhayānubhava-svarūpeṇa sva-mahimāvasthānenāsamāropitāhaṁ-mamābhimānatvād avikhaṇḍita-manāḥ pṛthivīm eka-caraḥ paribabhrāma.
Baginda mengembara melalui kota, desa, lombong, pedalaman, lembah, taman, kem tentera, kandang lembu, penempatan para gopa, rumah tumpangan, bukit, hutan dan āśrama. Ke mana pun Baginda pergi, orang jahat mengerumuni-Nya seperti lalat mengerumuni gajah hutan. Baginda diancam, dipukul, dikencingi dan diludahi; kadang-kadang dilempari batu, najis dan debu; kadang-kadang orang sengaja melepaskan bau busuk dan melontarkan kata-kata kasar. Namun Baginda mengabaikan semuanya, kerana Baginda memahami tubuh hanyalah wadah yang berakhir demikian. Berada di tingkat rohani, mengetahui perbezaan materi dan roh, tanpa ego jasmani dan tanpa marah kepada sesiapa pun, Baginda berjalan seorang diri mengelilingi seluruh bumi.
Narottama dāsa Ṭhākura says: deha-smṛti nāhi yāra, saṁsāra bandhana kāhāṅ tāra. When a person fully realizes that the material body and world are temporary, he is not concerned with pain and pleasures of the body. As Śrī Kṛṣṇa advises in Bhagavad-gītā (2.14) :
This verse describes Jaḍa Bharata being insulted in many ways yet remaining unaffected, showing that one fixed in the self and free from “I” and “mine” does not become disturbed by honor or dishonor.
He moved through towns and forests as a detached renunciant, appearing externally degraded, and worldly people—unable to recognize his inner realization—harassed him; he accepted it without reaction, remaining established in his spiritual identity.
Practice reducing ego-based identification, remember that praise and blame are temporary, and respond without retaliation—keeping the mind steady by anchoring identity in the soul and devotion rather than social approval.