Dṛṣṭa means actually personal experience, face to face. How is that? A man has killed somebody, murder, and he's going to be hanged. Everyone sees it. Then why does he commit the same thing? He has seen it that "My friend committed a murder," or forget murdering, "committed something else which is against the law of the state, and he's punished."
So dṛṣṭa-śruta. Dṛṣṭa means by seeing, and śruta means by hearing. Just like you are hearing. We are all hearing from authoritative scripture. This is called śruta, śruti, hearing. Not this scripture. Everyone has heard that if you commit theft, then you'll go to prison for six months. I may not have practical experience but I have heard it, and I see it also, that this man has committed theft and he's going to prison house. He's arrested by the police and he's going. So dṛṣṭa-śruta. One hears, also practically sees.
So dṛṣṭa-śrutābhyāṁ yat pāpam, that if one commits some sinful activities, and other sees it, and he also sees it, and he has heard it from scripture, still, janānn apy ātmano 'hitam. Ātmano, he knows that, "This is not good for me." Ātmanā, ātmanā means for the soul. The soul is suffering, and he sees practically that "This is not good for me." "Me" means I am as soul. Because I have to travel or transmigrate in so many species of life, he knows.
So he has heard it from the scripture, he's seeing that there is suffering. But karoti bhūyo vivaśaḥ (SB 6.1.9): still, he commits the same sin, vivaśaḥ. Vivaśaḥ means just like somebody is forcing him to do it. Something forced. A thief has committed theft and he has gone to a prison house. He's suffering, and he's thinking that, "Next time I shall not do like this. This is very troublesome." But as soon as he comes out, again he commits the same thing.
There is a very nice proverb. It is said in Bengali that a woman, when she is in pain of labor, delivering child, she thinks that, "Next time I shall never be pregnant." But after that (chuckling) again she becomes pregnant. You see? She knows the trouble of giving delivery to a child, and she promises that, "Next time I shall . . ." Of course, nowadays there are so many contraceptive methods. But this is a proverb.
So a diseased man, he has gone to the physician. He's suffering from a chronic disease. He knows the cause. Doctor says that, "You have done this; therefore you are suffering." But after cure he again does the same thing. Why? This is the real problem. Why does he do so? He has seen, he has experienced.
Therefore Parīkṣit Mahārāja says, kvacin nivartate 'bhadrāt. By such experience, by hearing and seeing, sometimes he refrains that, "No, I shall not do these things. It is very troublesome. Last time I had so much trouble." And kvacic carati tat punaḥ, and sometimes he again commits the same mistake.
- prāyaścittam atho 'pārthaṁ
- manye kuṣjara-śaucavat
- (SB 6.1.10)
"Therefore, my dear sir, I think this so-called atonement is useless." Useless. Because the prescribed atonement he performs, suppose he becomes free from the sin, but why again he commits? Therefore he says, manye kuṣjara-śaucavat.
He's giving very nice example—kuṣjara-śaucavat. Kuṣjara means elephant. In your country you don't see elephant. We are . . . in India, we have seen. Not nowadays. Still, there are some, but fifty years before there were many elephants. Especially the zamindars, the landlords and the native princes, they used to keep so many elephants. They used to spend for it . . . to keep elephant means it is very expensive job.
So elephant, there is a particular type of lake where elephants are allowed to take their bath. So if anyone has not seen it, the elephant will take bath very nicely, wash the body very nicely. And as soon as he come over the land, he takes some dust from the land and throws over the body again. Immediately. In that wet body he will cover the whole body with dust.
So Parīkṣit Mahārāja is giving very nice example, kuṣjara-śaucavat: just like cleansing the body of an elephant. It cleanses very nicely, that's all right, but as soon as come out of the water . . . we have to study all these things from nature. The elephant is so big, and it is supposed to be the biggest animal. And he has got great strength. But how fool he is, just see. Just after taking bath it will cover the whole body with dust.
Bādarāyaṇir uvāca—now he's answering. Rujāṁ rogānāṁ nidānavid yathā vaidyas tad anurūpaṁ cikitseta. Atra codayati dvābhyām. Hmm. This is already finished. Yathā kuṣjara-snāna rajobhir ātmānaṁ malīni karoti tathā pāpasya punar durṇivāratvena naraka-pātasya avaśyaṁ prāyaścittaṁ vyārtham iti. So if there is possibility of gliding down to the hellish condition of life by committing sinful activities, now supposing one makes atonement for such activities and again he commits, then what is the use of it? Simply . . . just like you kindle fire and pour water on it.