Srimad Bhagavatam

Chapter 8 Skandha 11

Uddhava Gita : Chapter 3

Uddhava Gita Chapter 3: ( Summary)

Avadhuta talked about lessons learnt from Earth , Vayu , Water , Fire, Sky, the moon, the sun and the Pigeon.

In chapter 3, Avadhuta continues to talk about the lessons learnt from the Python, the Ocean ,the Moth , the Bee , the Elephant, the Honey gatherer , the Deer , the Fish and the Courtesan Pingala .

The happiness and sorrow that comes out of senses is the heaven and the hell. Hence a wise man should not seek the same !!

Chapter 3:

Avadhuta's Gurus ( continuation)

The Avadhuta continues to talk about the Gurus from whom he learnt the life's lessons.

Avadhuta talks about the Python, the Ocean, the Moth , the Bee , the Elephant , the Honey gatherer , the Deer , the Fish and the Courtesan Pingala .

“ O King the enjoyment that comes to human beings though senses is in itself the heaven and hell ; and a wise man should not hanker after such enjoyment. Whether food is delicious or insipid , the sage should take just what comes on its own without exerting for it, much like a Python which waist for its prey to come along. Holding his body endowed with energy inactive towards material gains , he should fix his mind on realization of the God only. Thus he is to follow the model of Python and remain "inactive towards material gains".

This is what I learnt from Python.

“The sage should be placid and profound , difficult to fathom and cross over like a ocean with its mass of waters . Whether he has an abundance of enjoyable things or none, the sage who has set his heart on Lord remains placid. A ocean does not overflow or shrink on account of the flood of river waters”.

“This is what I learnt from the ocean.”

“The man of uncontrolled senses seeing women and being tempted by their blandishments falls for temptation like a moth which falls into the fire. The foolish man who with his vision blinded by such illusive creations as women, gold, ornaments, apparel and the like, considering them as the objects of enjoyment is tempted , that man certainly destroyed like the moth”.

“This is what I learned from the moth”.

“A saintly person should accept only just enough food to maintain the body . He should go from door to door accepting just a little food from each family . Thus he should practice the occupation of the Honey Bee which moves from flower to flower.

Just as a Honeybee takes the essence from all flowers, the clever man also should take essence of all scriptures.

The sage should not store the alms for the evening or the next day. He should use his hands as a plate and store only in his belly to the extent required. Thus he should not be a hoarder like the greedy Honey Bee.”.

“These are the lessons I learned from the Honey bee !”.

“The Sanyasin should not touch even the wooden figure of a young women, and that too not even with his feet . If he does so he would be caught like a male elephant through his attachment for the touch of a she-elephant . The wise man should never court the company of a woman as if it were death to him. For he would be killed by the more powerful rivals as is the male elephant by the other male elephants ”

“This is what I learnt from the elephant”.

“What greedy people hoard with great effort and would neither give away nor enjoy, another who knows his business seizes !! Like a honey gatherer who collects honey stored by the bees painstakingly , the sanyasin first partakes of the good things from the householders who collect good things through money earned with great pains”.

“This is what I learned from the Honey gatherer”.

“The Sanyasin who roams about in the woods should never listen to the sensuous music and should take a lesson from the deer that was caught being entrapped by the music of the fowler. Becoming attracted to worldly attractions of singing dancing and the entertainment of beautiful women, even the great sage Rishyasringa the offspring of the deer fell totally under their spell”.

“This is the lesson I learned from the deer”.

“The foolish man infatuated with the delicacies by an ever greedy tongue meets death like the fish by means of a hook. A man who has overcome the other organs cannot be a master of his senses until he controls the organ of taste. When organ of taste is controlled, then everything is controlled. If taste is not controlled he meets the fate of fish which is trapped by a hook.”

“This is what I learned from the fish”

“Then there is the story of the courtesan from whom I learnt the lesson of disgust for the worldly things”

The he continued to tell about the other Gurus.

Om Tat Sat

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"Expectation is surely the greatest misery and giving up expectation is the greatest bliss. Therefore completely cutting off her desires Pingala went to sleep very happily".