Baka and Indra
In Chapter 193 of the Vana Parva of the Mahābhārata, Indra comes down to earth and visits the ṛshi Baka Dālbhya, a brāhmaṇa who had lived for more than a hundred thousand years (laksha-varsha). Indra asks him about the sorrows and the joys that belong to a very long life. Baka answers with deep insight. Mārkaṇḍeya Maharshi tells this meeting to the Pāṇḍavas as part of his teaching on the greatness of the brāhmaṇa way of life. (Mahābhārata, Vana Parva, Chapter 193)
The setting: Indra’s tour of the earth
The chapter opens after a great and terrible war between the devas and the asuras. Indra had won, and he was now the undisputed ruler of the three worlds. In the peace and plenty that followed, Indra set out to tour his realm, riding the divine elephant Airāvata, to see how his subjects fared and what state the earth was in.
He saw rivers, āśramas, busy cities and righteous kings. At last he came to a very beautiful and peaceful āśrama on the eastern horizon. It was the āśrama of the ṛshi Baka Dālbhya, a brāhmaṇa of rare long life, who had lived over a hundred thousand years. The āśrama shone with tapas (austerity) and peace. It was full of lovely trees and gentle animals, and the sound of Vedic chanting rose from it. (Mahābhārata, Vana Parva, Chapter 193)
Baka’s welcome and Indra’s question
Baka Dālbhya saw Indra coming, knew him, and stood up to receive him. With complete respect he offered arghya (water for the hands), pādya (water for the feet), āsana (a seat) and āhāra (food). This is the old way in which a brāhmaṇa ṛshi receives an honoured guest.
Indra sat at ease, well received, and asked the main question of the dialogue: “O Maharshi, you have lived for more than a hundred thousand years. I wish to learn from you: what are the sorrows that belong especially to one who has lived so long?” (Mahābhārata, Vana Parva, Chapter 193)
The sorrows of a long life
Baka answered with striking frankness and depth. These are the sorrows he named.
Losing those one loves. The long-lived person has outlived children, wife, friends and relatives, not once but many times. He carries a kind of loneliness that ordinary mortals cannot understand. Every bond is cut in the end by death, and loss is heaped on loss over the centuries.
Having to live among those one does not cherish. When all one’s dear companions have died, one must still live in the world among strangers, or even enemies. It is a heavy burden to go on living in a world from which every familiar face has gone.
Watching honour turned upside down. The long-lived person sees great families sink into obscurity and small ones rise to fame. The nobly born (kulīnas) come to serve those who do not deserve it. The wise are made to serve the foolish. Seeing this world-turning again and again brings deep grief.
The pain of poverty among the wealthy. Even those who are learned and worthy come to depend on others, and may be looked down on if they lack money. The long-lived person may see this over and over, in his own life and in the lives of others.
Watching every people change beyond knowing. Over very long spans of time the character of devas, dānavas, gandharvas, humans, rākshasas and nāgas all change deeply. Friendships shift, and old enmities melt away and form again. For one who has seen many ages, this constant change is a special pain. (Mahābhārata, Vana Parva, Chapter 193)
Indra’s second question
Indra then asked Baka to speak of the other side: what joys are open to one who lives for such long spans of time? (Mahābhārata, Vana Parva, Chapter 193)
The joys of simple, self-reliant living
Baka’s answer on the joys of long life is a fine praise of the plain brāhmaṇa ideal.
The joy of simple food made with one’s own hands. The ṛshi eats modestly from his own āśrama, with vegetables, fruits and roots, at the right time (the eighth or twelfth division of the day). He does not depend on others, and he does not spoil his mind with craving. He lives in a contentment that has no equal. One should eat to live, not live to eat.
Freedom from others. The greatest joy is to live on what one has earned honestly and on one’s own, however little, and not to rely on the charity of others. To eat in another man’s house, however grand, is shameful compared with eating simple food one has gathered oneself.
The dignity of being self-reliant. It is better to eat tubers and roots in one’s own āśrama with dignity than to eat the finest food at a rich man’s table at the cost of one’s self-respect.
The purity of feeding others first. The brāhmaṇa who gives food to guests, to the devas and to the ancestors before he eats his own share takes part in a great circle of giving that purifies both giver and receiver. This holy circle of ātithya (hospitality) is open to anyone, however long he has lived.
Baka ended this part by saying that the ṛshi who keeps this simple, dignified and independent life, even over a hundred thousand years, stays free from the deepest sorrows. His joy rests on something that time and circumstance cannot wear away. (Mahābhārata, Vana Parva, Chapter 193)
The teaching of the dialogue
Indra was satisfied with the dialogue. He took his leave and went back to his own realm. Mārkaṇḍeya told this meeting to Yudhishṭhira to show two things. First, the true nature of a long-lived brāhmaṇa’s life, with both its burdens and its joys. Second, the lasting teaching that simplicity, self-reliance and hospitality are the base of a well-lived life, however long it lasts. (Mahābhārata, Vana Parva, Chapter 193)
Sources
- Mahābhārata, Vana Parva, Chapter 193