The Nectar of Immortality-bearing Wisdom

Rhetoric is the language for convincing, for persuasion. In early times in Europe, it was an essential part of education. 

I did some reflection on the story of Bharata, which you are all familiar with. I will not linger on the story, but it is very fascinating what I came to appreciate as a story of several reversals. 

The king Bharata becomes a yogi, which is a kind of reversal. The yogi Bharata becomes compassionate Bharata when he saves a baby deer. That is another reversal. The wild deer fawn becomes a semi-domesticated deer. One more reversal. And Bharata, who becomes himself a deer, is remorseful Bharata now because he remembers his past life, and he becomes a domesticated yogi deer because he lives in proximity to some yogis, sādhus, sages. The next stage is that this yogi deer is reborn and becomes a brahmana, who (by his own choice) is now Jaḍa, or dull, Bharata. Then there is another reversal when Jaḍa Bharata becomes a potential sacrificial animal victim, when guṇḍas capture him and want to sacrifice him. Then Kali's so-called “devotees” (another very dramatic reversal) become her sacrificial victims. They wanted to sacrifice Jaḍa Bharata, but there is a “turning of the tables.” Then there is another reversal when Jaḍa Bharata becomes a forced laborer, as one of the palanquin carriers for King Rahugana. Then comes again a dramatic reversal when Jaḍa Bharata is recognized as an exalted sage by the king. And then Rahugana himself becomes elevated by hearing the teachings of Jaḍa Bharata. That is the reversal structure, I would say.

One scholar has pointed out that in the Ṛgveda, there is a basic metaphor: a story is created by churning. It is a basic idea that emerges out of the Ṛgveda that by a process of churning there is another process that appears, and that is the creation of a narrative, of a story.

It occurred to me that the story of Bharata, with all these reversals going on, is very much like churning, because when you churn butter, you're going back and forth, back and forth, back and forth. That churning produces the story. (Like the churning of yogurt creates butter, the many reversals produce the story of Bharata.) In Śrīmad Bhagavatam, there is, famously, the churning of the Ocean of milk. In that churning, the amṛta is produced, the nectar of immortality. What kind of nectar is produced in Bharata’s story? It is the wisdom which is gained and shared by Bharata, and received by Rahugana. And, importantly, (this nectar of immortality) is received by those who hear or read that story.

This is where we come back to the point of rhetoric. Rhetoric is about language, speech which persuades. We, listeners and readers, become persuaded as Rahugana becomes persuaded. The rhetorical message is that the nectar of immortality-bearing wisdom is gained by hearing or reading this story, which is a churning process.

—based on a part of the morning lecture on SB 11.3.25 by HH Srila Krishna Kshetra Swami Maharaja on June 11, 2026 in Radhadesh, Belgium. The lecture included Powerpoint slides, shared in Radhadesh in preparation for a formal presentation in August at the Dubrovnik International Conference on the Sanskrit Epics and Purāṇas.