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
勇武之王啊，你说：“你这无赖、愚钝、疯子！我要惩治你，使你清醒。”对此请听：我外表虽如痴钝、如聋哑之人，实则安住于自证之悟。惩罚我，你能得何益？若你所算无误，我真是疯癫，那么你的惩罚就如再捣已捣之物——毫无效果。惩罚并不能医治疯癫。
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.