Text 17] Maharaja Rahigana Meets Jada Bharata 357

you? Are you a learned brahmana and saintly person? I see that
you are wearing a sacred thread. Are you one of those exalted,
liberated saints such as Dattatreya and other highly advanced,
learned scholars? May I ask whose disciple you are? Where do you
live? Why have you come to this place? Is your mission in coming
here to do good for us? Please let me know who you are.

PURPORT

Maharaja Rahiigana was very anxious to receive further enlighten-
ment in Vedic knowledge because he could understand that Jada Bharata
belonged to a bradhmana family either by disciplic succession or by birth
in a brahmana dynasty. As stated in the Vedas: tad vijnanartham sa
gurum evabhigacchet. Rahigana was accepting Jada Bharata as a guru,
but a guru must prove his position not only by wearing a sacred thread
but by advancing knowledge in spiritual life. It is also significant that
Rahigana asked Jada Bharata which family he belonged to. There are
two types of families—one according to dynasty and the other according
to disciplic succession. In either way, one can be enlightened. The word
suklah refers to a person in the mode of goodness. If one wants to receive
spiritual knowledge, he must approach a bona fide bréhmana-guru,
either in the disciplic succession or in a family of learned brahmanas.

TEXT 17
wé faz ATIATH
A STATA FAA sel |
TATA aA ATT-
we Wa AAHOAATAT I2Il
naham visarnke sura-raja-vajran
na tryaksa-silan na yamasya dandat

nagny-arka-somanila-vittapdastrac
chanke bhrsarn brahma-kulavamanat

na—not; aham—I; visarike—am afraid: sura-raja-vajrat—from the
thunderbolt of the King of heaven, Indra: na—nor: tryaksa-silat—
