356
Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam
[Canto 5, Ch. 10]
of human life; therefore he regretted his insulting words to Jaḍa Bharata, and he immediately descended from his palanquin and fell down at the lotus feet of Jaḍa Bharata in order to be excused and to hear from him further about the values of life known as  brahma-jijñāsā  (inquiry into the Absolute Truth). At the present moment, high government officials are ignorant of the values of life, and when saintly persons endeavor to broadcast the Vedic knowledge, the so-called executives do not offer their respectful obeisances but try to obstruct the spiritual propaganda. Thus one can say that the former kingly government was like heaven and that the present government is like hell.
TEXT 16
कस्त्वं निगूढश्चरसि द्विजानां 
    विभर्षि सूत्रं कतमोऽवधूतः । 
    कस्यासि कुत्रत्य इहापि कस्मात् 
    क्षेमाय नश्चेदसि नोत शुक्रः ॥१६॥
kas tvam nigūḍhaś carasi dvijānām 
    bibharṣi sūtram katamo 'vadhūtaḥ 
    kasyāsi kutratya ihāpi kasmāt 
    kṣemāya naś ced asi nota śuklaḥ
kaḥ tvam—who are you; nigūḍhaḥ—very much covered; carasi—you move within this world; dvijānām—among the brāhmaṇas or saintly persons; bibharṣi—you also wear; sūtram—the sacred thread belonging to the first-class brāhmaṇas; katamaḥ—which; avadhūtaḥ—highly elevated person; kasya asi—whose are you (whose disciple or son are you); kutratyaḥ—from where; iha api—here in this place; kasmāt—for what purpose; kṣemāya—for the benefit; naḥ—of us; cet—if; asi—you are; na uta—or not; śuklaḥ—the personality of the pure mode of goodness (Kapiladeva).
TRANSLATION
King Rahūgaṇa said: O brāhmaṇa, you appear to be moving in this world very much covered and unknown to others. Who are