On the ascertainment of Dharma [ p. 518 ] 1-10. Janamejaya said :— “O King of the Brâhmanas! You said that Râma and Krisna took their incarnations to relieve the burden of earth. One great doubt arises in my mind on this point. At the end of the Dvâpara Yuga, the Earth, burdened and oppressed very much, assumed, in anguish, the form of a cow and took refuge under Brahmâ. Brahmâ, then, went with the Earth to Visnu, the Lord of Laksmî, and thus prayed, “O Bibhu! Let You, with all the other gods, incarnate soon on earth at the house of Vâsudeva to relieve the Earth of Her load, as well as to protect the righteous.” When Brahmâ thus prayed, the Bhagavân Visnu incarnated as the son of Devakî, along with Balarâma to lessen the burden of the Earth. And, in fact, he relieved, to a certain extent, the Earth by killing many vicious persons and many wicked and irreligious Kings. But, along with that, Bhîsma, Drona, Virâta, Drupada, Somâdatta, and Karna, the son of the Sun were killed. But, See! that those who plundered afterwards His riches, and stole away the wives of Hari, those crores of Âbhîras, S’akas, Mlechchas, and Nisâdas and other vicious people remained alive; and how could it, then, be said that the Earth was relieved when Krisna did not kill those people! O Fortunate One! When I see all the people in this Kâlî Yuga addicted to sinful acts, this great doubt is not going out of my mind (how the Earth had been relieved of Her load).
11-14. Vyâsa said :— O King! As the Yuga changes, so the people changes in course of time. Nothing can alter its course, for this is caused by the Yuga Dharma (the Dharma peculiar to each Yuga). Therefore if all the subjects that are considered wicked and vicious according to the law of the Yuga Dharma, then this creation would be destroyed; hence Krisna killed only those Dânavas and vicious Ksattriyas that were really the burden of Earth. O King! The persons that are devoted to religion take their births in the Satya Yuga; those that are fond of religion and wealth they become manifest in the Tretâ Yuga; those that like Dharma (religion), Artha (wealth) and [ p. 519 ] Kama (desires), they are born in the Dvâpara Yuga, and those that dote on wealth and lust, they are seen in the Kâlî Yuga. O King! Know this as certain that these characteristics, peculiar to each Yuga, never vary; and know this too, that Time, the Lord of Dharma and Adharma, is always present.
15-18. The King said :— “O Intelligent One! Where are those pious persons now that were born as high-souled religious persons in the Satya Yuga; where are those Munis now who were devoted to charity in the Tretâ or Dvâpara Yuga? Again where will go these shameless and merciless persons, that are being seen now in this Kâlî Yuga, these vicious creatures that revile their own Gurus? O Highly Intelligent One! I am very eager to know how these religious matters are brought to a decision and settlement; kindly describe to me in detail all these secret truths.”
19-30. Vyâsa said :— O King! Persons, born in the Satya Yuga, that perform acts of merit, go to the Deva Loka. O King! The Brâhmins, Ksattriyas, Vais’yas and S’ûdras, if they remain in their own spheres and if they be devoted to religious acts, go to their respective spheres, earned by their meritorious deeds. By virtue of truth, mercy, charity, going to one’s own wives, not injuring animals, and having no jealousy and showing mercy equally towards all, by practising these universal forms of religion, even the lowest castes, e.g., washermen and others all go to the Paradise. So in the Tretâ and Dvâpara Yugas men go to Heaven by virtue of their merits, earned in practising their own Dharma; but in this Kâlî Yuga persons addicted to vicious acts go to terrible hells and remain there till the end of the Kâlî Yuga when they will be again born in this earth. O King! When the Satya Yuga begins and the Kâlî Yuga ends, at this junction time, the virtuous highsouled persons descend from Heaven and are born on this earth; and when the Kâlî begins and the Dvâpara ends, the vicious souls come on the earth again from their hells. O King! Know this as the course of Time; it never becomes otherwise. See, then, that the Kâlî Yuga tends to do vicious things and the people, therefore, become vicious. At times, the birth of beings takes place otherwise than the laws of Yugas, out of the strange combinations of Fate (i.e., good persons are seen in the Kâlî and vicious persons are seen in the Satya). For this reason those that do meritorious acts in the Kâlî Yuga are born as men in the Dvâpara; so the Dvâpara good persons take their births as men in the Tretâ; and the Tretâ good persons are born as men in the Satya Yuga. Again those who are vicious in the Satya Yuga become persons of the Kâlî Yuga. The Jîvas suffer miseries on account of their own bad Karmas; they again suffer more miseries [ p. 520 ] by doing over and over again those bad Karmas by virtue of the Yuga Dharma.
31. Janamejaya said :— “O Bhagavân! Describe particularly the details of the Yuga Dharma. I am now very desirous to hear which Dharma is for which Yuga?”
32-54. Vyâsa said :— O King! I will now show to you by example the influence of the religion peculiar to each Yuga; hear it attentively. O King! The hearts even of saints are quite disturbed by the Yuga Dharma. See! Your father was a religious and high-souled monarch; still the wicked Kâlî defiled his mind and prompted him to do an act very insulting to a Brâhmana. Otherwise why would he, being a renowned prince amongst the Ksattriyas and a descendant of Yayâti, thus go and encircle a snake round the throat of an ascetic Brâhmin? Therefore, O King! All actions are being influenced by the Yuga Dharma. The Pundits, also recognise this. If you try your best to perform any religious act, even then the Yuga Dharma would prevail, yet you would be able to perform to a certain extent, a part of your intention. O King! In the Satya Yuga, the Brâhmins were versed in the Vedas, always devoted to worship the Highest Force, with an ardent desire to see the Devî; they were devoted to Gâyatrî with Pranava, devoted to the meditation of Gâyatrî, always reciting silently Gâyatrî, and the Mâyâvîja Mantram, the chief mantram. In every village, the Brâhmins were very eager to erect temples of the Devî Mahâ Mâyâ Ambikâ and were truthful, merciful and pure and devoted to their own respective works. The Ksattriyas, skilled in the science of the highest knowledge, were ever engaged in doing things ordained by the Vedas and were always intent in protecting well their subjects. The Vais’yas did their cultivation and trade and the S’ûdras always served the other three castes. Thus, in the Satya Yuga, all the Varnas (castes) were devoted to the worship of the Devî Ambikâ, the Highest S’akti; but in the Tretâ Yuga, the observance of the religion declined a little and in the Dvâpara, it declined very much. O Ornament of Indra! Those who were Râksasas before, they become the Brâhmins of the Kâlî Yuga; they are the flowers of atheists, deceptors of men, untruthful, without any Vedas, devoid of the Vedic practices, arrogant, cunning, egoistic, and capable only to serve the S’ûdras. Some of them try to find fault with the Sanâtan Dharma and are the promulgators of various other creeds, wicked, fallen from their religion and given to much talking. O King! As Kâlî gets stronger, so the true religion declines and ultimately dies; and, in that proportion, the Ksattriyas, Vais’yas and S’ûdras are also devoid of their religion. When Kâlî will be in full swing, the Ksattriyas, Vais’yas and S’ûdras will all be untruthful, vicious; the Brâhmins will act like S’ûdras and will accept other’s gifts. O King! The women in the [ p. 521 ] Kâlî Yuga would be very passionate, avaricious and ignorant. They would be very powerful and insolent, wilful, vicious and untruthful and so would be a source of pain to the society. They would think themselves vainly religious and learned and would be always ready to impart religious instructions and deceive their own husbands and be exceedingly vicious. O King! Our minds are purified by the food that we take; when our minds are pure, the Light of Dharma shines clearly. The customs and practices of Varna and Âs’rama Dharmas get intermixed with each other and so arises the fault of Dharma S’amkara (i.e., mixture of the several parts of religion with each other). When the Dharma S’amkara creeps in, the Varna S’ankara is seen (i.e., purity in blood and other matters of birth are lost). Thus, in the Kâlî Yuga, all the Dharmas will gradually die out and ultimately nothing will be heard about one’s own religion. O King! In this Yuga even the religious high-souled persons will be found to do irreligious acts! The nature of Kâlî is so; nobody will be able to quit it. O King! Thus, in this age, men naturally commit vicious things; with ordinary means, therefore, no one becomes able to extricate from the worst vicious habits.
55-56. Janamejaya said :— “O Bhagavân! You know all and you are versed in all the S’âstras; what will be the fate of so many persons in this Kâlî Yuga? If there be any path, kindly describe it to me.”
57-65. Vyâsa said :— O King! There is only one path and none other which can save a man from the sin of this Kâlî; and that is this :— The Jîvas must meditate on the lotus-feet of the Highest Devî for the purification of all their faults and sins. O King! There is so much strength in Her sin-destroying Name, that the amount of sin in this world falls much less in proportion to that. Where, then, is the cause of fear? Her Name, uttered at random, even in an unconscious state, bestows so much unspeakable results that even Hari, Hara and others have not the capacity to know that. O King! The mere remembrance of the name of S’rî Devî is an atonement for a multitude of sins; then it behoves that every man, afraid of the Kâlî Yuga, residing in a place of pilgrimage, ought to remember incessantly the Name of the Highest Deity. Even if anybody cuts, pierces, and kills all the beings in this whole world, he won’t be touched with the sins, if he bows down, with devotion, before the Devî. O King! I have narrated to you all the secret truths of all the S’âstras. Consider all these fully and always worship the lotus-feet of the Devî. All men are reciting silently the Japam called the Ajapâ Gâyatrî; still they do not know the glory of it; such is the powerful influence of Mâyâ. All the Brâhmanas are reciting in the depth of their hearts the Gâyatrî Mantram, yet they do not know the glory of it (otherwise they would have [ p. 522 ] been liberated); such is the great influence of Mâyâ. O King! I have described to you all that you asked me about the Yuga Dharmas; what more do you want to hear?
Here ends the Eleventh Chapter of the Sixth Book on the ascertainment of Dharma in the Mahâ Purânam, S’rî Mad Devî Bhâgavatam, of 18,000 verses by Maharsi Veda Vyâsa.
On the cause of the war between Âdi and Baka [ p. 522 ] 1-2. The King said :— “O Best of Munis! Tell me the names of the holy places of pilgrimage on the surface of this earth, the holy Ksetras and the holy rivers; what are the fruits acquired in bathing there and in making charitable gifts as well; also what are the rules of the journeys and acts there are to be conducted?”
3-34. Vyâsa said :— Hear; I am describing to you various Tîrthas or places of pilgrimage as well as those that are highly extolled as the best places favourite to the Devî. Amongst the rivers the following are reckoned as chief and holy :— The Ganges, Jumnâ, Sarasvatî, Narmaddâ, Gandakî, Sindhu, Gomatî, Tamasâ, Cavery, Chandrahâgâ, Vetravatî, Charmanvatî, Saraju, Tâpî, and Sâvramatî. Besides these, there are hundreds of rivers on the surface of this earth; of them, those that fall into the ocean, they are holier and those that have not reached the ocean are less holy. Of those rivers that fall into the ocean, those that always flow with great current, they are comparatively holier; but in the two months S’râvan and Bhâdra (15th July - 15th September) all the rivers are considered as if they are during their menstruation periods; at this time also some rivers carry water of the rains just sufficient to supply the villagers with water. O King! The following are the famous places of pilgrimages calculated to bestow merits:— Puskara, Kuruksettra, the holy Dharmâranya, Pravâsa, Prayâga, Naimisâranya, and Arbudâranya. O King! Of the mountains, the following are considered as sacred :— S’rîs’aila, Sumeru, Gandhamâdana; of the lakes, the following are very holy and very famous :— Mânasarovara, Vindusarovara and Aksoda; these are the chief lakes. To those Munis that meditate on their Âtman, all the hermitages are sacred; still the hermitage of Badri is always considered very sacred and the most celebrated; here Nara and Nârâyana, the two famous Munis, practised their asceticism. The Vâmanâs’rama and S’atayûpâs’rama are also well known; thus every hermitage is named after the Muni that practised asceticism there. Thus innumerable holy places on the surface of the earth are mentioned by the Munis as tending [ p. 523 ] to sanctify the hearts of the persons. At all these holy places, the Devî is worshipped in special sites consecrated to Her. All the sins are destroyed by their mere sight. The devotees of the Devî stay there, with rules obeyed. I will mention afterwards some of these places in the course of my narrations. O Best of kings! Going to these holy places, charity, vow, sacrifices, asceticism and good acts all depend on one another. The holy places of pilgrimages, asceticism, and observance of vows depend on the purity of the articles (Dravya S’uddhi), on the purity and one pointedness of actions (Kriyâ S’uddhi) and on the purity of the mind and heart (Chitta S’uddhi). Some may attain, at times, the Dravya S’uddhi and Kriyâ S’uddhi; but every one finds it very difficult and, indeed, rarely get the Chitta S’uddhi. O King! This mind always tries to seek shelter with various objects and is, therefore, always restless. How, then, can the purity of mind be effected, with ease, when it is occupied with all sorts of thoughts on various objects. Cupidity, anger, greed, pride, and egoism, these bring about all sorts of obstacles in the holy places of pilgrimages, in practising tapasyâ and in observing vows. O King! Non-injury, truthfulness, non-stealing, chastity and purity, controlling of senses, and observing one’s own religion, all these bring about the fruits of the labour in visiting all tîrthas. They bestow fruits that can be obtained by visiting all the tîrthas. During one’s pilgrimage, one forsakes one’s Nitya Karma (daily duties) and one has to come in contact with various persons. Hence one’s journey becomes fruitless; rather it becomes a source of sin. The waters of the sacred places can only wash the outside dirts and the impurities of the physical bodies; they can never wash the impurities of their inner minds. Were it the fact that the waters of the tîrthas could purify their minds, why was it, then, that the Munis, residing on the banks of the Ganges, and devoted to God, ever indulged themselves with feelings of jealousy and enmity against each other. The humble Munis like Vas’istha, and the Risis like Vis’vâmitra were always entangled in love and hatred and they were ever impatient with anger. Therefore it is evident that the internal purification, the purification of heart, the bathing in the Gñân Gangâ flowing within, no doubt removes more the dirt than the Ganges and other places of pilgrimages. O King! No doubt this fact must be admitted on all hands that one’s impurity of mind is washed away if by the strange combination of Fate, one comes in intimate contact with a man possessed of the Divine Knowledge. O King! The Vedas or S’âstras, vows or austerities, sacrifices or gifts none can purify the heart. See! Vas’istha, the son of Brahmâ, though versed in the Vedas and residing on the banks of the Ganges, was under the control of love, hatred and other infirmities. Out of the enmity of Vis’vâmitra and Vas’istha, arose the great battle [ p. 524 ] named Âdi Baka, astonishing even to the Gods. In this, the ascetic Vis’vâmitra was cursed by Vas’istha, on account of some curse in connection with the king Haris’chandra and had to take his birth as a crane (Baka). The Risi Vas’istha was cursed also by Vis’vâmitra and was born as a bird named S’arâri. Thus the two powerful Risis were born as Âdi Baka and lived on the banks of the Mânasarovara and they fought for full ten thousand years (ajuta) terribly, out of anger, with their nails and beaks like two maddened lions.
35-36. The King asked :— “O Muni! Why were the two Maharsis, the two great ascetics and devoted to religion, involved in enmity with each other? Both of them were intelligent; how was it that they knowing the act of cursing to be a source of pain to men, cursed each other so painfully?”
37-48. Vyâsa said :— O King! In former times, there was born in the solar dynasty a king Haris’chandra, the son of Tris’anku; he was the best of the kings and reigned before Râmchandra. That King had no issue and therefore promised to Varuna, “O Lord of water and ocean! If I get a son born to me, I will perform a sacrifice, called Naramedha, where I will sacrifice my son for your propitiation.” Varuna was very pleased with the king when he made such a vow; and the exquisitely beautiful queen held the foetus in the womb. Seeing his wife in the family way, the king was very pleased and performed all the purificatory ceremonies pertaining to the foetus in the womb. O King! When the queen was delivered of a son endowed with all auspicious signs, the king Haris’chandra was very glad and performed duly all the Jâta Karma (natal) ceremonies and distributed as charity big sums of gold and many cows giving good quantities of milk. When the festivities on the birth of the child were celebrated in the palace on a grand scale, Varuna, the Lord of Waters, assuming the form of a Brâhmin, came up there. The King, too, honoured him duly with seat and worshipped him regularly and asked him about his purpose, when Varuna spoke to him :— “O King! I am Varuna, the Lord of Waters; you promised before that you would perform Naramedha sacrifice where you would sacrifice your son; now do those things and keep your words true.” The King became very much confused and was very much pained at heart. He then checked his mental feelings of pain and spoke to the Deva Varuna, with folded hands :— “O Lord! I will do the sacrifice duly and fulfil the promise that I made before you and keep my word. But, O Best of the Devas! My legal wife will be pure from her Sûtikâ-S’auchak after one month, when I will perform the Naramedha sacrifice.” [ p. 525 ] 49-53. Vyâsa said :— O King! Hearing thus the words of the king Haris’chandra, Varuna returned to his own abode; the King also became glad, but he was somewhat anxious for fear of the destruction of the child. When one month was complete, the sweet-speaking Varuna, the holder of the noose, assuming the form of a very pure Brâhmin, again came there to the palace of the king to examine him. The King worshipped him duly and gave him the seat to sit and spoke, with humility, the following reasonable words :— “O Lord! My son is not yet purified; how can he be tied to the sacrificial post for being immolated? Therefore I will perform that sacrifice when the boy becomes cleansed after a purificatory rite and becomes a Ksattriya. O Deva! If you know me as your humble servant, have mercy on me; I will then consider myself as blessed. See! The children, not passed through purificatory rites, are not entitled to any act; therefore wait for some time longer.”
54-56. Varuna said :— “O King! You are deceiving me and putting off the time longer and longer; I now see that you were issueless before and now that you have got a son, you are bound up in an indissoluble tie of affection for a son. Whatever it be, I now go back to my home at your pitiful request; I will wait for some time longer and I will come again. O child! Let you then be true to your words; if it be otherwise, I will surely curse you and thus give vent to my angry feelings.”
57. The King said :— O Lord of the Waters! After the completion of the Samâvartan ceremony (a pupil’s return home after finishing his holy study), I will duly sacrifice my son at the great Naramedha sacrifice; there is no doubt.
58-71. Vyâsa said :— Varuna was very pleased at the King’s words and quickly went back saying “Let it be so.” The king also became comforted. On the one hand, the king Haris’chandra’s son became widely known by the name of Rohita; and as he got older, he became gradually versed in all the sciences and became very clever and intelligent. That boy then came to know by degrees the cause of the sacrifice in full detail; and knowing that his death is quite certain, became very afraid and quickly fled away from the King and went and stayed in caves of mountains with a fearful heart. Then, when the proper time came, Varuna came up there to the royal palace, desirous to have the sacrifice and spoke to the King thus :— “O King! Now the prescribed time has come; therefore perform the sacrifice that you have resolved to celebrate.” The King was very much pained to hear this and spoke with a very sad appearance :— “O Best of the Devas! What can I do now?
[ p. 526 ]
My son has fled away out of the fear of his life; I do not know his whereabouts.” Varuna became very angry at these words and cursed him thus :— “O Liar! You are an hypocrite pundit; therefore you deceived me frequently. Let therefore the disease dropsy come and attack your body.” Varuna, the Holder of the noose, cursing thus, went back to his own abode. The King was attacked with that disease, remained in his own residence, afflicted with cares and anxieties. Rohita, the son of the king Haris’chandra, heard about the severe illness of his father when he was very much tormented with that disease, as the curse of Varuna. One day a traveller told him :— “O son of the King! Your father is very ill with dropsy, due to the curse, and is very sorry. Certainly your brain has turned wrong; vain is your coming in this world; you have passed your life to no purpose, for you are staying still in this mountain cave, abandoning your sorrowful father. Certainly you are a bad disobedient son; what use is there in your keeping up this body? What purpose will be served by your birth? When you have got this body, you have abandoned that father and are staying in this solitary cave. Know this as certain that to sacrifice one’s life is the duty of a good and obedient son; therefore what more shall I say now than this that your father the king Haris’chandra ailing from a severe illness is very sorry for you and is always weeping.”
72-74. Vyâsa said :— O King! Hearing from the passerby these good words, the prince Rohita wanted to go to his sorrowful father attacked with disease when Indra assuming a Brâhmin form came up to him and began to speak to him when he was alone like one who was filled with mercy. O Son of a King! You are a fool; are you not positively acquainted with the fact that your father is in trouble; why then do you intend in vain to go there?
Here ends the Twelfth Chapter on the cause of the war between Âdi and Baka in the Sixth Book of the Mahâpurânam of S’rî Mad Devî Bhâgavatam of 18,000 verses by Maharsi Veda Vyâsa.
On the description of the battle between Âdi and Baka after the discourse on S’unahs’epha [ p. 526 ] 1-6. Indra said :— “O Prince! The King Haris’chandra promised before to Varuna that he would celebrate for his propitiation the great Naramedha sacrifice when he would offer his own son as a victim to be immolated. O Prince! You are very intelligent; can’t you grasp this idea that your father has become merciless due to his suffering in this illness and no sooner you go there than he will make you the victim and tie you [ p. 527 ] to the sacrificial post when you will be slaughtered.” The indomitable Indra thus prohibiting the son, he began to stay there deluded by the Mâyâ of the great Mahâ Mâyâ. O King! Thus whenever the prince heard of his father’s severe illness, he wanted to go to his father, Indra repeatedly used to go to him and prevent him from doing so. On the other hand, the King Haris’chandra became very much afflicted, and, seeing his family Guru all-knowing well-wisher Vas’istha close by, asked him, “O Bhagavân! what am I to do now? I am now very impatient with the agonies of this disease and am very weak; besides I am very much afraid of it. Kindly give me a good advice and save me.”
7-9. Vas’istha said :— “O King! There is a good remedy for the cure of your disease. It is stated in the S’âstras that the sons are of thirteen kinds; Aurasa, Ksattraja, Datrima, Krîtrima; etc. Therefore pay the reasonable price and buy one good Brâhmin boy and perform your sacrifice with that boy. O King! Thus Varuna will be pleased and you will be cured of your disease.”
10-24. Vyâsa said :— O King! Hearing thus the words of Vas’istha, the King Haris’chandra addressed to his minister :— “O Minister-in-Chief! You are very sharp and intelligent, therefore you better try your best and seek in my kingdom a Brâhmin boy. In case a poor Brâhmin be willing, out of his love for money, to give over his son, then give him any amount he wants and bring his son. O Minister! By all means, bring a Brâhmin boy for this sacrifice; in other words, do not be miserly or act lazily to perform my business. You should pray to any Brâhmin thus :— Take this money and give your son, who will be sacrificed in a sacrificial ceremony as a victim.” Thus ordered, the minister sought for a Brâhmin boy in towns after towns, villages after villages, and houses after houses. Till, at last, he came to know that in his kingdom there was a poor distressed Brâhmin named Ajîgarta, who had three sons. Then the minister gave to the Brâhmin that he wanted and purchased his second son named S’unahs’epha and brought him before the King. And handed him over to the King, saying that this Brâhmin boy is fit for the sacrificial victim. The King then gladly brought the best Brâhmins versed in the Vedas for the performance of the sacrifice, and collected all the articles requisite for the purpose. When the sacrifice was commenced, the great Muni Vis’vâmitra, seeing S’unahs’epha tied, prohibited the King and said :— “O King! Do not be so bold as to sacrifice this boy; let this boy be free. O long-lived One! I am asking this thing from you today and if you obey it, certainly it will do good to you. O King! This boy S’unahs’epha is crying; his cries are paining my heart and I am feeling pity for him. Hear my word and free this [ p. 528 ] boy out of mercy. See! The purehearted Ksattriyas, in ancient days, used to sacrifice their own bodies and thus preserve others’ bodies, so that they might attain the Heavens. And now you are killing this Brâhmin boy forcibly so that you may preserve your own body; judge how vicious is this your act! Be merciful to this boy. O King! Everyone likes his own body to the same extent; you are feeling this yourself; therefore if you take my word, then quit this boy.”
25-36. Vyâsa said :— O King! The King Haris’chandra was ailing very much; hence be did not pay any heed to the Muni’s words and did not quit the boy. Thereupon the very fiery spirited Vis’vâmitra became very angry with the King. Then Vis’vâmitra, the son of Kus’ika, the foremost of the knowers of the Vedas, shewed mercy on S’unahs’epha and gave him the “Varuna Mantram.” S’unahs’epha, very much afraid to lose his life, earnestly repeatedly remembered Varuna and uttered that mantram in pluta tone (lengthened or prolonged). Varuna, too, the ocean of mercy, knowing that the Brâhmin boy was praising him with hymns came up to that spot and freed S’unahs’epha from his bondage and freed the King also from his disease and went back to his own abode. Thus the Maharsi Vis’vâmitra became very glad to rescue the Muni’s son from the jaws of death. The King Haris’chandra did not observe the words of Vis’vâmitra; hence the son of Gâdhi harboured within his heart anger towards the King. One day while the King Haris’chandra was riding in a forest and there, at midday, on the banks of the river Kaus’ik, when he desired to kill a boar, Vis’vâmitra in the garb of an old Brâhmin asked from him everything that he had, including his dominion and thus cunningly took away everything from the King. The Maharsi Vas’istha, seeing his Yajamâna Haris’chandra suffering much, became wounded and felt pain in his mind. One day when he met casually with Vis’vâmitra in a forest, he said :— “O wicked Ksattriya! A disgrace to your family! You have in vain put on the garb of a Brâhmin; your religion is like a crane; you ate full of vanity; you boast for nothing. The best of kings, Haris’chandra is my client; be is faultless; still, O Fool! Why are you giving him so much trouble. As you are religious as a crane is religious, so take your birth as a crane.” Vis’vâmitra, thus cursed by Vas’istha, cursed Vas’istha in return, and said :— “O Vas’istha! As long as I will remain a crane, so long you also remain as S’arâli or Âdi bird.”
37-42. Vyâsa said :— O King! The two angry Munis thus cursed each other and the two were born as Crane and S’arâli or Âdi bird. The crane Vis’vâmitra built its nest on the top of a tree on the Mânasarovara lake and began to live there. Vas’istha, too, assumed the form of an Âdi bird, [ p. 529 ] and built his nest on the top of another tree and lived there. Thus the two Risis spent their days in full enmity towards each other. These two birds used to shriek so terribly loud that they became a nuisance to all; they fought daily with each other. They used to strike each other with beaks and wings and nails and thus they were covered all over their bodies with cuts and wounds and they were smeared with blood. They began to look like Kims’uka trees. Thus the two Risis, in the shape of birds, in their states of bondage, due to each other’s curse, passed many years there.
43. Janamejaya said :— “O Brâhmana! Kindly tell me how Vas’istha and Kaus’ika, the two Risis, became free from their curses; I am very curious to hear this.”
44-54. Vyâsa said :— Brahmâ, the Grandsire of his subjects, came there with all the Devas, filled with mercy, on seeing those two Risis at war against each other. Brahmâ, the Lotus-seated, made them desist from such a fight, consoled them and freed both of them from each other’s curses. Then the Devas went back to their own abodes and the illustrious lotus-seated Brahmâ went to the Satyaloka, seated on his Swan. Maharsi Vas’istha and Vis’vâmitra became then friends and were tied with bonds of affection at the advice of Brahmâ; they went back to their own Âs’ramas. O King! Now see, that the Maharsi Vas’istha, the son of Mitrâ-Varuna, fought for nothing with Vis’vâmitra, so painful to both the parties. Who, then, amongst the human beings, the Dânavas or the Devas can conquer his Ahamkâra (egoism) and be always happy? Therefore the Chitta-S’uddhi, the purity of the heart (that purity which imparts to man the blessedness of God-vision) is very difficult even for the high-souled persons; with the greatest caution and utmost effort one has to practise for that. To those persons, that are void of this Chitta S’uddhi, it is all vain to go to places of pilgrimage, to make charities, to practise tapasyâ, to be truthful; in fact, anything, which is the means to attain Dharma, becomes useless. O King! S’raddhâ (Faith) is of three kinds :— (1) Sâttvikî, (2) Râjasikî and (3) Tâmasikî to all persons in all their religious matters. The Sâttvik faith is the only one of the three that yields entire results; and it is very rare in this world. The Râjasik faith, done according to due rules, yields half the results thereof and the Tâmasik faith is fruitless and inglorious; the Tâmasik faith arises with those persons that are overwhelmed with lust, anger, greed, etc. Therefore, O King! Keep to the company of the good and hear the S’âstras, Vedânta, etc., and free the heart of worldly desires and then concentrate it to the worship of the Devî and live in a sacred place of pilgrimage. Men afraid and troubled with the defects of the Kâlîyuga, should always [ p. 530 ] take the name of the Devî, sing praises, and meditate on Her lotus feet. Thus the Jîvas will not have any fear of Kâlî and the fallen vicious persons will easily be able to cross this ocean of the world and be free. There is no doubt in this.
Here ends the Thirteenth Chapter of the Sixth Book on the description of the battle between Âdi and Baka after the discourse on S’unahs’epha in S’rî Mad Devî Bhâgavatam, the Mahâpurânam of 18,000 verses by Maharsi Veda Vyâsa.
On the birth of Vas’istha from Mitrâ Varuna [ p. 530 ] 1-2. Janamejaya said :— “O Bhagavân! Maharsi Vas’istha was the mind-born son of Brahmâ; how is it then that you have named him as Maitrâ-Vârunî. Is it that he got this name by some action or by some Gunas? Kindly tell me the origin of this name, O Best of speakers!”
3-4. Vyâsa said :— O King! It is quite true that the illustrious Vas’istha was the noble son of Brahmâ but he had to quit that body due to the curse of the King Nimi and he had to take a second body from Mitrâ Varuna; hence he is named in this world as Maitrâ-Vârunî.
5-6. The King said :— “O Bhagavân! How was it that the religious Vas’istha, the best of the Munis, the son of Brahmâ was cursed by the King? Oh! The Munis have to suffer the dreadful curse of Ksattriya kings! This seems very wonderful to me. O Knower of Dharma! Why did that king curse the innocent Muni? I am very curious to hear the cause of this; kindly tell me the cause of the curse.”
7-30. Vyâsa said :— O King! I told you already in particular all the causes of these. This Samsâra is pervaded by the three Gunas of Mâyâ, Sâttva, Râja and Tâma. Whether the kings practise their Dharma or the ascetics practise their tapas, all their actions are interpenetrated with these Gunas; therefore they cannot shine so brightly. The Kings, Munis performed very severe penances and austerities under the influence of lust, anger, greed and Ahamkâra. O King! All, whether they be the Ksattriyas or the Brâhmanas, who perform their sacrifices overpowered with this Râjo Guna, really, none of them performs these actions guided by Sâttva Guna. The King Nimi was cursed by the Risi and the Risi was cursed again by the King Nimi; thus they met with greater calamities and painful sufferings, the fruits from the hands of the powerful Fate. O King! In this world of the three Gunas, it is very difficult for the beings to get the Dravya S’uddhi, Kriyâ S’uddhi, and the pure effulgent Chitta S’uddhi, O King! Know this as the influence wielded [ p. 531 ] by the Highest S’akti, the Mother of this Universe. Nobody is able to overstep it; but he, whom She favours, can cross in a moment this world, bounded by the three Gunas. What more can be said than the fact that Hari, Hara, and Brahmâ and the other Gods cannot free themselves without Her grace. Moreover, the sinners like Satyavrata and others become free when Her Grace comes upon them. Nobody in these three worlds can know what reigns in Her mind; again, this is also a certain fact that She gets Herself bound by Her own will to Her devotees. Therefore it is extremely desirable that one should have recourse to Sâttvikî devotion for the complete removal of faults and sins. And as the devotion with attachment and vanity is always injurious to men, therefore it is highly beneficial to quit it; there is no doubt in this. O King! There was a king named Nimi, born of the family of Iksâku. He was beautiful, well qualified, virtuous, truthful, charitable, endearing to his people, a sacrificer, of pure conduct and manners, ready to govern his subjects, intelligent and endowed with knowledge. For the benefit of the Brâhmanas, that high-souled king established a city named Jayantupur in close vicinity to the hermitage of Gautama. Thus some time passed when this Râjasik idea arose in his mind that “I will perform a sacrifice extending for a good many years when I will give exhorbitant Daksinâs (remunerations to the priests and Brâhmins).” Getting permission from his own father Iksâku, he began to collect all the ingredients necessary for the sacrifice, as advised by the high-souled persons. He invited the all-knowing Munis and ascetics, versed in the Vedas and in conducting sacrifices, e.g., Bhrigu, Angirâ, Vâmadeva, Gautama, Vas’istha, Pulastya, Richika, Pulaha, Kratu and others, all well-versed in the Vedas. Then that religious King Nimi, collecting all the materials necessary for sacrifice worshipped his own Guru Vas’istha and then spoke to him (the Guru) with great humility. O Best of Munis! I will perform a sacrifice; kindly perform this my sacrificial act; you are my Guru and therefore you know everything; so do this sacrifice for me. All the articles for this purpose are brought and cleansed. O Guru! Know that for five thousand years I mean to be engaged in this sacrifice, this is my Sankalpa (will). I will worship the Goddess Ambikâ in this sacrifice and for Her satisfaction I am arranging for it according to the prescribed rules. Hearing the King Nimi’s words, Vas’istha said :— “O best of Kings! Indra, the King of the Devas, has already selected me for his sacrificial ceremony. Now Indra is ready to do the sacrifice for the propitiation of the Highest S’akti and I have initiated him for five hundred years. Therefore, O King! You will have to wait till I complete the Indra’s Yajñâ. After fully completing all his works, I will come here. Therefore, O King! Wait till then.” [ p. 532 ] 31-42. The King said :— “O Best of Munis! I have already invited other Munis for this sacrifice and have collected all the materials; how, then, can I wait for you? O Brâhmana! You are the foremost of those versed in the Vedas and you are the family Guru of the noble Iksâku. How is it, then, avoiding my work you are ready to go elsewhere O Best of Brâhmins! Under the uncontrollable greed of wealth you have lost all senses and you are ready to go away without doing my work. This does not behove you.” O King! Though thus tempted by the King Nimi, the Risi Vas’istha went to the Indra’s sacrifice. The King, too, became absent-minded and selected for the sacrifice the Risi Gautama. He then commenced his sacrificial ceremony close to the ocean by the side of the Himâlayân range and gave profusely the Daksinâs. The King Nimi was engaged in this sacrificial act for five thousand years. In this the Rittviks (priests) were worshipped with sufficient wealth and cows; they were extremely glad. Then, when the five hundred years extending sacrifice of Indra was completed, the Risi Vas’istha came to see the King Nimi’s sacrifice and waited there to see the King. The king was then asleep; so the servants did not awake him from his sleep; and the King did not come to the Risi. Feeling insult at this, the Maharsi Vas’istha became infuriated with rage. Not seeing the King, he became very angry; and, subject to this, he cursed the King, When I am your lifelong Guru, especially when I prohibited you and you have forsaken me and selected another Guru and by your sheer force you are initiated, then be devoid of your body. Let your body fall off today.
43-50. Vyâsa said :— The King’s attendants, hearing thus the curse given by Vas’istha to the King, instantly awoke him from his sleep and informed him that the Risi Vas’istha not seeing you, became very angry. The King Nimi, quite sinless, went then to the angry Vas’istha and humbly spoke to him the following reasonable words, pregnant with meaning. O Knower of Dharma! I am your Yajamâna; though I repeatedly requested you to perform my sacrifice, yet you quitted me out of the covetousness and went somewhere else. I cannot be charged with any fault. You are the foremost of Brâhmins; and knowing that contentment is the substance of your Dharma, you did not feel ashamed to do this blameable act. You are the son of Brahmâ; and, being versed in the Vedas and Vedângas, you are yet unaware of the subtle and very difficult nature of the Brâhminic religion. Now you want to cast your own fault on my shoulders and you are trying in vain to curse me. Anger is more to be blamed than Chândâla! The wise men should overcome it by all means. When you, infuriated with rage, have been able to curse me for nothing, then I now curse you, “Let your this body, inflamed with [ p. 533 ] anger, drop off.” O King! Thus the King cursed the Muni and the Muni cursed the King; and both of them were, therefore, very sorry.
51-52. Vas’istha then became troubled with cares and took shelter with Brahmâ and informing him about the great curse given by the King Nimi said :— Father! The King has cursed me saying, “Let your body fall off today. Now the great trouble due to the falling off of the body has arisen. What am to do now?
53-69. O Father! Kindly tell me from whom shall I take my birth and take such means as I can get a body like what I have now. Also by Your unbounded power, do so that I can retain the knowledge in that body as I have at present; You are fully competent to do this.” O King! Hearing thus the words of Vas’istha, Brahmâ spoke thus to his dear son :— Go and enter into the Tejas (essence) of Mitrâ Varuna and remain contented; then you will get, in due time, a body not born of any womb and you will be again religious, truthful, knower of the Vedas, all-knowing and worshipped by all; there is no doubt in this. When Brahmâ said this, the Maharsi Vas’istha bowed down to the Grand Sire, and circumambulating him, went to the abode of Varuna. Then he quitted his excellent body; and, with his subtle body, the part of his Jîva, entered into the body of Mitrâ Varuna. Then once on a time Urvas’î, exquisitely beautiful and lovely, surrounded by her comrades, went wilfully into the abode of Varuna. Mitrâ-Varuna, the two Devas became very passionate to see that Apsarâ (the celestial nymph) endowed with youth and beauty and being enchanted with the arrows of cupid, and, being senseless, addressed to the Deva Kanyâ Urvas’î, beautiful in all her parts, thus :— “O Lovely One! Seeing you, we are very much troubled with the arrows of cupid; O Beautiful One! Select us and remain and enjoy here at your pleasure.” When they said thus, Urvas’î became attached to them; and, under their control, began to stay in the house of Mitrâ Varuna. When Urvas’î began to remain there, strongly attached to them, the semen of Mitrâ Varuna dropped in an uncovered jar. And the two beautiful sons of the Risis were born out of that; Agasti was the first child and Vas’istha the second. Thus, out of the semen of Mitrâ Varuna, the two ascetics were born. The first Agasti turned out a great ascetic in his childhood and resorted to forest; Iksâku the best of Kings, selected Vas’istha as his family priest. O King! Iksâku, the best of Kings, nursed him for the welfare of his own line; the more so, because to know that he was the Muni Vas’istha; and thus he was very pleased with him. Janamejaya! Thus I have described to you about the getting of another body by Vas’istha, due to the curse of Nimi, and have also described his re-birth in Mitrâ-Varuna’s family.
[ p. 534 ]
Here ends the Fourteenth Chapter of the Sixth Book on the birth of Vas’istha from Mitrâ Varuna in S’rî Mad Devi Bhâgavatam, the Mahâ Purânam of 18,000 verses by Maharsi Veda Vyâsa.
On the Nimi’s getting of another body and the beginning of the story of Haihayas [ p. 534 ] 1. Janamejaya said :— “The getting back of another similar body by Vas’istha is certainly described by you. Now tell me how the King Nimi got another body.”
2-31. Vyâsa said :— O King! The Risi Vas’istha only got back his body; but the King Nimi did not get back his body what had been cursed by Vas’istha. The priests engaged at the sacrifice by Nimi began to consider, when the Risi Vas’istha cursed him, in the following way :— Oh! What a wonderful thing is this? Before the sacrifice is complete, the King Nimi has been cursed; this is against what we had expected; What can we do? What is inevitable must come to pass; how can we thwart it? By various Mantrams, they kept alive the body of the King in which breathing was still going on a little; and they prevented the body from decaying by worshipping the body with various Mantra S’aktis and kept it in a stationary state. When the sacrificial ceremony was completed, the Risis began to praise the gods with hymns whereon the Devas became pleased and came to that spot. When the Munis informed the Devas fully of the condition of the King’s body, the Devas spoke to the sorrowful King thus :— “O Performer of good vows! We are all pleased with your sacrifice; now ask boons from us. O King! You ought to get an excellent birth as the fruit of performing this sacrifice. So ask what body, the body of a Deva or of a man, you desire? Or you can ask, if you like, for another similar body, that your priest Brihaspati has got quitting his first body whereby he has become proud and is now staying in the Loka of Yama.” O King! At these words the King Nimi was very glad and spoke to them thus :— O Devas! I have no aspiration for the body that is always liable to destruction; I therefore want to reside on the top of the eyelids of all the beings. Therefore I ask this boon that I be able to move in the shape of Vâyu (air) on the top of the eyes of all the beings. Thus said, the Devas spoke to the soul of Nimi :— “O King! Pray to the most auspicious Deity, the Devî, the Highest Goddess. She has been pleased with this sacrifice; therefore your prayer will certainly be granted.” Hearing thus, the King began to pray with various hymns with intense devotion, in tremulous voice, the Devî. The Devî became pleased and [ p. 535 ] appeared before him. Seeing Her shining like a crore of suns and looking exceedingly lovely and beautiful, all the persons there became very happy. They began to think themselves as very blessed and as having done all what they had to do. Knowing the Devî Bhagavatî pleased, the King asked this boon from her :— “O Devî! Give me that knowledge, pure and simple, whereby final liberation is obtained. Also, I may be able to reside on the top of the eyes of all the beings.” The Devî, the Lord of the Devas, the Mother of the World being highly pleased, said thus :— “O King! At the expiry of this your Prârabdha Karma, you will acquire pure knowledge and you will reside on the tops of the eyes in the shape of Vâyu, and through your residing there the beings will twinkle, i.e., open and close their eyes. The men, beasts, and birds will twinkle due to your residing there; but the Immortals will always remain with a steadfast gaze; they will not twinkle.” Thus granting him the boon, and addressing all the Munis the Bhagavatî, the Highest Deity, disappeared. When the Devî disappeared from their sight, the Munis then thought much and they took the body of the King Nimi to burn it duly. For the sake of getting a son from Nimi, the high-souled Munis performed Homa ceremony (oblations to the fire) and placing the piece of wood Arani on his body began to utter Mantrams and burned his body. When the woods were thus burned, a son, endowed with all auspicious signs, looking like a second Nimi, was born to them. As this son was born due to the burning of the Aranis, the boy was named Mithi, and as it came out of the body of Janaka, the boy was named Janaka. O King! As the King Nimi lost his body, i.e., became Videha through the curse of Vas’istha, all his descendants were known as Videha. Thus the son of Nimi was well known as the King Janaka. He built a beautiful city on the banks of the Ganges; the city became famous also by his name (Janakapuri). The King Janaka beautified this city with many forts, arcades, markets and many nice buildings and palaces; and his city was full of wealth and grains. O King! All the Kings of this line became famous by the name of Janaka and all were endowed with the Supreme knowledge and known as Videha. O King! I have now described to you the story of the King Nimi who got disembodiedness (Videhatva) out of the curse.
32-35. The King said :— “O Bhagavân! You have described the cause why the King Nimi was cursed; my mind has grown very doubtful and restless on hearing it. The Risi Vas’istha was the son of Brahmâ and the best of the Brâhmins; especially he was the royal priest; how was it, then, that he was cursed by the King! Why did not the King Nimi forgive him as he was the Guru and a Brâhmin? Why he became angry, when he performed such a great, auspicious sacrifice? He [ p. 536 ] was born of the family of Iksâku and he knew well the truths of the religion; then how was it that he became subject to anger and cursed his own Guru Brâhmin.”
36-46. Vyâsa said :— O King! It is very hard and rare for the persons not possessed of self-restraint to forgive; especially when one is fully capable, it is very rare to find one in the three worlds, who can forgive. He who has forsaken all attachments and has conquered hunger and sleep and is always engaged in the Yoga practices, even that ascetic Muni is not capable to conquer completely lust, anger and greed and Ahamkâra, etc., the passions raging in the mortal coil. None existed before in this whole world who conquered his passions! None exists now and none will be born ever-after. Hardly will be seen any in this earth, or the Heavens, or the Loka of Brahmâ or in Vaikuntha, even in Kailâsa, that has conquered completely his passions! What can be said in regard to the ordinary mortals of this earth when the sons of Brahmâ, the Maharsis, ascetics, Risis are all pierced by the Sâttva, Râjas, or Tâmo Gunas. Behold! The Kapila was the Knower of S’ankhyâ and always engaged in his Yoga practices and he was a pure and holy soul; yet, by strange combinations of Fate, he became angry and burnt to ashes the sons of the King Sagara. O King! Out of Ahamkâra, these three worlds are created; therefore this world and Ahamkâra are related to each other as effect and cause; how then the Jîvas that are born of this Samsâra can extricate themselves from this Ahamkâra? Brahmâ, Visnu and Mahes’a are also pierced by those three Gunas; different feelings are seen in their different bodies. Therefore it need hardly be said that the manifestation of the pure Sâttva Guna alone is not to be seen in any of the human beings; for the three Gunas reside in a mixed way in all persons. Sometimes the Sâttva preponderates; sometimes the Râjas and sometimes the Tâmas preponderates. Sometimes they reside together, the three balancing one other.
47-63. O King! Only that Eternal Highest Purusa is undecaying and untainted and can hardly be measured or seen by all the beings. That Highest Soul, the Highest of the High, is Nirguna (void of the three Gunas); and She who resides in all the beings and is hardly knowable by the small intellectual persons, that Highest S’akti, the Incarnate of Brahmâ, is also Nirguna (void of attributes). Paramâtmâ (the Highest Soul) and the Highest Force are also One; their Forms are not different. When such a knowledge arises, then the Jîvas can be free from all sins and faults and blemishes. From that knowledge comes the liberation, this is sounded in the Vedânta S’âstra like Dindima S’abda (thousands of small drums). He, who comes to know That, is freed from the endless cycle of birth and death composed of the three Gunas; there is no doubt in this.
[ p. 537 ]
O King! Knowledge is of two kinds :— The first is considered as coming from sound; this comes out of the knowledge of the meaning of the Vedas by the help of intellect. But this is full of fancies, agreements and doubts some of which are bad and some are good. The beings are led into errors by these discussions; errors cause destruction of intellect; and when the intellect is gone, the knowledge also goes away with it. Whereas the second kind of knowledge comes from intention or feeling within the depths of heart and brain and it is called Aparoksa Jñâna. This knowledge is very rare to the beings. When one comes in contact with a Sad-Guru (a good teacher), then one gets this Aparoksa Jñâna. From the sound knowledge, no successful results can issue; and, therefore it cannot give Aparoksa Jñâna. Hence great effort is to be made for getting this Aparoksa Jñâna. O King! As darkness cannot be destroyed merely by talking of light, without lighting any lamp, so the knowledge of sound merely cannot destroy the darkness of the inside. That Karma (action) is called True Karma which does not lead to bondage, and that Knowledge is the True Knowledge which leads to liberation. Other actions are only meant for one’s own selfish enjoyments and other knowledges are merely the skill in arts. Good behaviour, doing good to others, having no anger, forgiveness, patience, and contentment are the best brilliant fruits of True Knowledge. O King! Without knowledge, without asceticism, and without the Yoga practices, the lust and other passions can never be destroyed. The minds of the Jîvas are naturally restless and without control; all the beings are completely under the sway of their minds; thus they roam on the surface of the earth as good, middling and bad. Lust, anger, etc., orginate from this mind; and when mind is conquered, then those feelings can no more arise. O King! Therefore it was that Yayâti forgave when S’ukrâchârya did wrong before. The King Nimi could not forgive Vas’istha in the same way. Yayâti; the best of kings, though cursed by S’ukrâchârya, the son of Bhrigu, did not curse in return but he took upon himself the old age. O King! Some kings are naturally peaceful, whereas some other kings are wicked by their nature. Therefore, in this matter, whose fault is this, how can we ascertain? See! In ancient times the Haihayas, out of their greed of wealth, and being thus insensible destroyed completely, out of anger, the Brâhmin priests of the family of Bhrigu. What more than this that those Ksattriyas did not consider the sin Brahmahattyâ; rather out of their dire anger, they cut to pieces the sons of those Brâhmanas, that were in embryos in their mother’s wombs.
Here ends the Fifteenth Chapter in the Sixth Book on the Nimi’s [ p. 538 ] getting of another body and the beginning of the story of Haihayas, in the Mahâpurânam S’rî Mad Devî Bhâgavatam of 18,000 verses by Maharsi Veda Vyâsa.
On the incidents preliminary to the Haihaya and Bhârgava affairs [ p. 538 ] 1-5. Janamejaya said :— In whose family were born those Ksattriya Haihayas that killed in ancient times the Bhârgavas, disregardless of the sin incurred in killing a Brâhmin? O Grandsire! Never do the good persons become angry without a serious cause; therefore kindly state why they got angry. How was the enmity caused between them and the priests? As far as I can think, the cause is not so simple a one as led to this enmity between the Ksattriyas and the priests. Otherwise why then would they slay the offenseless Brâhmins, fit to be worshipped; and how was it that the Ksattriyas, though they were so very powerful, did not fear to commit a sin. O Muni! Can any Ksattriya Chief kill a Brâhmin, worthy of the highest respect, merely on a trifling cause! Describe to me, then, how this happened. A great doubt has thus arisen in my mind.
6. Sûta said :— O Risis! Vyâsa, the son of Satyavatî, became very pleased when he was asked this question by Janamejaya, and, recollecting the whole course of events regarding the Haihayas, began to narrate it.
7-22. Vyâsa said :— O son of Pariksit! I will now narrate that wonderful story of old that I know fully; now hear this very attentively. In ancient times there was a King named Kârtavîryârjuna of the family of Haihaya. He was of thousand hands, powerful, and always ready to observe religious duties. He was the incarnation of Hari, and the disciple of Maharsi Dattâtreya and the worshipper of the Supreme Force (Âdyâ S’akti). He was well known as a perfect adept in the Yoga practices and of a very charitable disposition. But this King was the client of the Brâhmins of the Bhârgava clan. He was always devoted to performing sacrifices, exceedingly religious, and always engaged in making gifts. So many a time did he perform the great sacrifices and gave a profuse quantity of wealth to the Bhârgavas. Due to the gifts and presents of Kârta Vîrya, the Bhârgava priests became possessed of many horses, and gems and jewels and so became wealthy and prosperous on the surface of this earth. O King! When Kârtavîryârjuna, the best of Kings, left the mortal coil and got up to Heavens, his descendants became entirely void of any wealth [ p. 539 ] by the indomitable influence of Time. Now, on a certain occasion, the Haihayas had to perform certain actions which necessitated a vast sum of money; they came to the Bhârgavas and humbly prayed for a very large amount of wealth. But the Brâhmins, out of their greed of money, replied they had no money and thus they did not give any money whatsoever. Rather the Bhârgavas thought that the Haihayas would perforce take their wealth, and, fearing thus, some of them buried all their valuables underneath the ground; and others gave as charities to the Brâhmanas. The greedy Bhârgavas, bewildered with fear, thus transferred all their properties elsewhere, quitted their homes and fled away to mountains and other places. The greedy Brâhmins did not give any wealth to their Yajamânas (their clients) though they saw them very much distressed; but they fled away out of fear to mountains and fastnesses where they found shelter. At last the Haihayas, the best of the Ksattriyas, became very sorry till, at last, for the sake of their good actions, they went to the Bhârgavas’ houses for the sake of money and found they had quitted their homes and fled away; their homes were all vacant. Then they began to dig underneath their houses for money and some got the money thus. Then the Ksattriyas began to labour hard and got hordes of money from underneath the ground. Next they raided upon other Brâhmanas’ houses and dug and excavated and searched for more money. The Brâhmins were helpless and, crying, all took their refuge, out of fear, under the Bhârgavas.
23-42. The Ksattriyas made an exhaustive search of the Brâhmanas’ houses and got lots of money. They then charged the Brâhmanas as having had spoken falsehood and they became very angry, and killed the Brâhmanas with arrows who took their refuge. O King! The Haihayas were so very angry at that time that they went wherever the Bhârgavas took their shelter and cut asunder the foetus in the wombs of their Bhârgavas’ wives and thus they roamed all over on the surface of the earth. Wherever they saw any Bhârgava, be he a minor, or a youth or a old man, at once they killed him with sharp arrows, disregarding the sin Brahmahattyâ. When the Bhârgavas were thus all killed, then they caught hold of their wives that were pregnant and destroyed their wombs. When the vicious Ksattriyas thus destroyed the lives in their wombs, the helpless women began to cry like the awe-stricken ewe. Then the other Munis, the inhabitants of the sacred places of pilgrimages, seeing the Haihaya Ksattriyas inflamed with anger, said :— “O Ksattriyas! Quit your terrible anger towards the Brâhmins. Being the best of the Ksattriyas, you are killing the foetus in the wombs of the pregnant Brâhmana ladies! You are doing, no doubt, a very vicious and unjustifiable act! You should [ p. 540 ] know that an act, very bad or very good, bears fruit in this life; therefore those that seek their welfare should entirely omit this exceedingly hateful and vicious act.” Then the exceedingly angry Haihayas told the merciful ascetics :— You all are saints; therefore you do not know the real import of what are called vicious acts. Those Bhârgavas, thoroughly dexterous in cunning pursuits, deceived our largehearted forefathers and stole away all their gold and jewels, as thieves do with a passerby on a road. These Bhârgavas are cheats, vain persons and their persuasions are like herons. A great act had to be done by us and we wanted money at 25 per cent interest with all the becoming humility; yet they did not give us the money; rather seeing on their face their clients distressed and sorrowful they spoke that they had no money, no money and then they remained silent. True, they got all their money from Kârtavîrya; but it may be questioned why they stored it? Why did not they perform sacrifices with that? Why did not they give sufficient money to the other priests (Yâyakas) that did the sacrifices. Never should any Brâhmin hoard his money; he should give that in charity and enjoy at his pleasure. O Twice-born! In amassing wealth, there exist three fears :— Fear from the thieves and robbers, fear from the King, fear from dreadful fire accidents, and especially great terrible fear from the cheats. This is the nature of wealth; it leaves its preserver. See, moreover, when a hoarder of money dies, he certainly has to quit it. If a wealthy man, before dying, performs sacrifices and other good pious acts by his earned money, then he gets certainly good states in future; otherwise, he quits his wealth, to no purpose and earns a bad state in his future life; there is no doubt in this. We humbly wanted to pay a quarter interest and asked money for the performance of a great act; yet they, the greedy ones, were doubtful about our promise; and though our priests, they did not give us the money. O Maharsis! Gift, enjoyment and destruction, these are the three courses which any wealth has to pass through; those persons that have done good deeds, enjoy their wealth and give as charities and thus they make a good and real use of their money; and of those that are vicious, their wealth goes away in ruin and to no purpose. He who does not enjoy nor give in charities but is only clever in hoarding and who is a miser, the Kings punish him by all means, that man who cheats himself and who suffers only pains and miseries. For that reason, we are now ready to kill those Brâhmins, the vilest of men, the cheats, though they are our Gurus. O Maharsis! You are great persons; therefore you do not be angry after you have come to know all these.
43-51. Vyâsa said :— Thus consoling the Munis, with reasonable words, the Haihayas began to roam about, in search of the wives of the [ p. 541 ] Bhârgavas. The Bhârgava wives were very much distressed with fear and became very lean and thin. They fled away to the Himâlayân Mountain weeping, and crying, and trembling with fear. Thus the Bhârgavas were being killed by those vicious greedy Haihayas, infuriated with anger, and as they liked. O King! This greed is the greatest enemy of a man, residing in his own body; this greed is the root of all evils, of all sins. Life is in danger due to this covetousness. It is due to this greed that quarrels ensue amongst the several castes, the Brâhmins, etc., and that the human beings are very much troubled with thirst after worldly enjoyments. This greed makes a man forsake all his religious rites and long existing customs and observances of his family; and it is due to this avarice of gold that men kill their fathers, mothers, brothers, friends, Gurus, sons, acquaintances, sisters, and sisters-in-law and others. Really when a man is bent on avarice, nothing heinous remains to him that cannot be done by him. This greed is a more powerful enemy than anger, lust and egoism. O King! Men abandon their lives for their greed; what more can be said than this? So one should be always alert on this. O King! Your forefathers, the Pândavas and Kauravas, were all religious and they followed the path of virtue and goodness. Yet they all were ruined simply for this greed. See! The dreadful fight and separation amongst the relatives took place where there were the high-souled persons like Bhîsma, Drona, Kripâchârya, Karna, Vahlika, Bhîmasena, Yudhisthira, Arjuna, and Kes’ava, only through the avaricious feelings. In this battle Bhîsma, Drona and the sons of Pândavas were all slain; the brothers and fathers were all slain in battle. Thus what improper acts and mischiefs can there be that cannot be committed when the human minds are overpowered by this greed? O King! The vicious Haihayas slew the Bhârgavas all through this avarice.
Here ends the Sixteenth Chapter in the Sixth Book on the incidents preliminary to the Haihaya and Bhârgava affairs in the Mahâpurânam S’rî Mad Devî Bhâgavatam by Maharsi Veda Vyâsa.
On the continuance of the family of Bhrigu [ p. 541 ] 1-3. Janamejaya said :— “Munis! How did the Bhârgava wives cross this endless sea of troubles and how was the family of Bhrigu re-established on the surface of this earth? And what did the greedy Haihayas, the vilest of the Ksattriyas, do after they killed the Bhârgavas? Describe all these in detail and satisfy my curiosity. O Thou, Ocean of austerities! I am not satisfied with the drink of your nectar like [ p. 542 ] words, very holy and leading to happiness in this world and to good merits in the next.”
4-28. Vyâsa said :— O King! I will now narrate to you the sin destroying virtuous story how the Bhârgava wives crossed their great hardships and the ocean of troubles, very difficult to cross. The Bhârgava wives, when they were very much harassed by the Haihayas, went to the Himâlayâs, overwhelmed with terror and disappointment. There on that mountain they erected an earthen image of S’rî Gaurî Devî by the banks of the Ganges and worshipped Her and, firmly resolved to die, began to fast. The Devî Jagadambikâ appeared to those religious women in their dreams and said :— “A son will be born of My essence to one of you from one of her thighs; that son will redress all your wants.” Thus speaking, the Devî Bhagavatî disappeared. Those women when they woke up were very glad; one of them that appeared very clever, becoming very much anxious out of the fear of the Ksattriyas; preserved the foetus in one of her thighs for the propagation of the family. Her body became luminous; she then fled, overwhelmed with terror. The Ksattriyas, seeing that Brâhmanî, came quickly upon her and said :— “See! This pregnant Bhârgava wife is flying away hastily; seize her and take away her life.” Thus saying, all of them raised their axes, and pursued her. Then that woman seeing them coming, wept out of fear. She cried, out of terror, for the preservation of the child in her womb; and the child seeing her mother helpless and distressed, trembling with fear and with tears in her eyes having no one to protect her and awfully oppressed by the Ksattriyas as if a pregnant deer has been attacked by a lion and is crying about, angrily burst out of the thigh of his mother, and quickly came out like a second Sun. That good looking boy took away the power of sight of those Ksattriyas by his brilliant lustrous light; no sooner the Haihayas saw that boy than they got blind. Like those that are born blind; they then began to roam in the caves of mountains and thought within themselves, what an evil turn of Fate had overtaken them! They thought thus :— “Oh! The mere sight of that boy has turned us blind; what a great wonder is this! Certainly this is due to the influence of the Brâhminî wife; this is, no doubt, the great effect of her virtue of chastity. We have greatly oppressed the Bhârgava women. They have become very sorry and distressed; now we cannot tell what more evils do these women, of true resolve, inflict on us!” Thus pondering, those Ksattriyas
deprived of their eyes, helpless, and their minds bewildered, took refuge of those Brâhmin ladies. The ladies, seeing them again come, were the more terrified; but those Ksattriyas bowed down before them with [ p. 543 ] folded hands for the restoration of their sights and said :— “O Mother! We are your servants. Be gracious unto us. O Auspicious Ones! We are vicious Ksattriyas; O Mothers! What an amount of offence we have committed to you. O Beautiful Ones! We have become blind, no sooner we have seen you. O Angry Ones! No more we can see your lotus-like faces, as if we are born blind; O Mother! The spirit of your asceticism is so very wonderful! We are sinners; therefore by no means we can get our sight; therefore we have taken refuge unto you all; better give us back our eyesight and preserve our honour. O Mother! Blindness is more dreadful than death; therefore do you show your mercy on us. Be pleased unto us and restore our eyesights and make us your slaves; no sooner we get back our sights, we will cease from these vicious acts and go to our homes. In future, we will never commit such heinous acts; from today we all become servants of the Bhârgavas and we will serve them. Forgive all our sins that we committed unconsciously; we promise that, in future, there will no more be any enmity between the Bhârgavas and Ksattriyas. O good-looking Ones! You pass your days happily with your sons; we ever bow down before you. O Auspicious Ones! Be graciously pleased unto us; no more we will cherish any inimical feelings towards you.”
29-44. Vyâsa said :— O King! The Bhârgava lady heard their words and was thunderstruck and seeing those Ksattriyas bowing down before her, blind and distressed, consoled them and said, “O Ksattriyas! I have not taken away your sights nor am I displeased in any way with you. Now hear what is the real cause. This child of Bhârgava, born of my thigh, is exceedingly angry towards you and has therefore made your eyesight still and to no purpose. For the greed of wealth, you have slain the close relatives of this boy, those that were quite innocent and virtuous ascetics and you have slain their children that were in their mothers’ wombs; this boy has come to know all those things. O children! When you were slaying the children of the Bhârgavas in their mothers’ wombs, I then bore within my thighs this child for one hundred years. This son of mine though as yet in the womb, has mastered all the Vedas within so very short a time for the propagation of the Bhârgava clan. Now this Bhârgava son is infuriated with anger for your slaying his father and is now ready to kill you all. My son! Whose divine effulgence has destroyed your eyesights, is born of grace of the Highest Goddess, the Bhagavatî Bhuvanes’varî; therefore do not consider this boy as an ordinary being. Now bow down with humility before this my son Aurvya (born from the thighs); this son may be pleased by your bowing down and may restore you your eyesights.
[ p. 544 ]
Vyâsa said :— O King! Hearing thus the words of the Brâhmin lady, the Haihayas began to praise the boy with hymns. With great humility, they bowed down to the best of the Munis, born of the thighs. The Risi Aurvya, then, became pleased and spoke thus to the Haihayas who were deprived of their eyesights :— “Better go back to your own homes. O Kings! And read these following words derived from my this story. Whatever is inevitable and created by the hands of gods must come to pass. Knowing this, no one ought to be sorrowful on any such matters. Let you all regain your eyesights as before and forego your anger and go to your own homes respectively at your own will. Let the Risis, too, get peace and happiness as before.” When the Maharsi Aurvya ordered thus, the Haihayas got back their eyesights and went at their leisure to their own homes; on the other hand the Brâhmin lady went to her own hermitage, with her Divine-spirited child and began to nourish him. O King! Thus I have described to you the story of the killing of the Bhârgavas and how the Ksattriyas, actuated by greed, did so very vicious acts.
45-48. Janamejaya said :— “O Ascetic! Hearing this exceedingly heart-rending act of the Ksattriyas, I come to know, that greed is the sole cause of it and both the parties had suffered so much, simply out of this insatiable greed. O King of Munis! I want to ask you one more question in regard to this point. How the sons of the Kings came to be known Haihayas in this world? Amongst the Ksattriyas, some are called Yâdavas for they ware descended from the family of Yadu; some were known as Bhârata, for they were descended from Bhârata. But was some king named Haihaya born before in their family or were they known as such on account of other actions? I desire to hear of it. Kindly describe
this to me and oblige.”
49-56. Vyâsa said :— O King! I am describing in detail to you of the origin of the Haihayas. Hear. The sins are destroyed and the merits accrue on hearing this story. O King! Once on a time Revanta, the son of the Sun, very beautiful and of boundless lustre, was going to Visnu in Vaikuntha, mounted on the beautiful Uchchais’rava, the jewel of the horses. When he was going on horseback with a desire to see the God Visnu, the Goddess Laksmî saw that child of the Sun. The Goddess Laksmî, born out of the churning of the ocean, on looking at the beautiful appearance of her brother Horse, also born out of the churning of the ocean, became very much astonished and steadily gazed on him. The Bhagavân Visnu, capable to show both favour and disfavour, saw the beautiful Revanta, of good figure, coming on horseback; and lovingly asked Laksmî :— “O Beautiful One! Who is coming here on horseback, as [ p. 545 ] it were, enchanting to the three worlds!” At that time, the Goddess Laksmî was accidentally looking intently on the horse; so she did not reply, though repeatedly asked by the Bhagavân.
57-68. The Laksmî Devî, always restless, was very much intent on the horse and was enchanted and She was looking steadily with great affection on the horse. Seeing this, the Bhagavân became angry and said :— “O Beautiful-eyed One! What you are looking at so intently? Are you so much enchanted with the sight of the horse that you are not speaking to me a single word, though I am repeatedly asking you so often! You lovingly dwell on all the objects; hence your name is Ramâ; your mind is also very restless, therefore you would be known as Chanchalâ Devî (the restless Devî). O Auspicious One! You are restless like ordinary women; you can never stay steadily for a certain time at any one place. While sitting before Me, you are enchanted with the sight of a horse; then you be born as a mare in that world of men, full of dreadful troubles, on the surface of the earth. The Goddess Laksmî became very much affrightened at the sudden curse given by Hari, a matter as it were ordained by the Devas, and began to cry aloud, shuddering with pain and sorrows. Laksmî Devî, then of sweet smiles, frightened, bowed down with great humility to her own lord Nârâyana and said thus :— O Deva of the Devas! O Govinda! You are the Lord of this world and the Ocean of mercy. O Kes’ava! Why have you inflicted on me so dreadful a curse for such a minor fault of mine! O Lord! I never saw you before so very angry; Alas! Where has now gone that affection, so natural and undying, that you showed towards me! O Lord! It is not proper to hurl a thunderbolt on one’s own relations; but it is advisable to cast it on the enemies. I am always fit for receiving boons from you. Why have you made me now an object, fit for curse. O Govinda! I will quit this life in Your presence. I will never be able to live, separated from You. O Lord! Be graciously pleased and say when shall I be free from this dreadful curse and regain Your happy companion?
69. The Bhagavân said :— “O Devî! When you will get a son in the world like me, you will no doubt come again to be my companion.”
Here ends the Seventeenth Chapter on the continuance of the family of Bhrigu in the Sixth Book in the Mahâpurânam, S’rî Mad Devî Bhâgavatam of 18,000 verses by Maharsi Veda Vyâsa.
On the origin of the Haihaya Dynasty [ p. 546 ] 1-5. Janamejaya said :— How did the Goddess Laksmî, the daughter of the ocean, come to be born as a mare, when cursed by the Bhagavân in His moment of anger, and what did Revanta do at that time? In what country was the Devî born as a mare and how did She pass Her time alone like one whose husband had gone abroad. O Muni! How long and in what forest unfrequented by persons did she pass her time, thus deprived of the companion of her husband and what did she do at that time? When was she reconciled with her husband Vâsudeva? and how did she get a son, when she lived in a state of separation from her husband. O best of Âryas! I am very curious to hear this excellent story. So describe this in full details to me.
6. Sûta said :— O Risis! Thus questioned by Janamejaya, the Dvaipâyan Muni began to recite the story in its full details.
7-24. Vyâsa said :—O King! I will now describe to you the pleasing story of the Purânas in a clear distinct language; hear. Revanta, the son of the Sun, became terrified to see Vâsudeva, the Deva of the Devas cursing the Laksmî Devî and, after bowing down to Janârdan, the Lord of the world, went off. Seeing the anger of Visnu, the Lord of the world, he went quickly to his father and informed him of the curse delivered by Nârâyana to the Goddess Laksmî. And the Laksmî Devî, the lotus-eyed, thus cursed, got the permission of Nârâyana and with a grieved heart bowed down to him and came down to the world of mortals. She took the form of a mare and went to the spot where the wife of the Sun (named Chchâyâ) practised her asceticism in ancient times. The place was the confluence of the river Kâlindi and the Tamasâ, and decorated with lovely forests and trees situated north of the mountain named Suparnâksa, yielding all desires. There she meditated with her whole heart the auspicious Mahâdeva S’ankara, the Giver of all desires, thus :— That Mahâdeva is holding the Tris’ûla (the trident) on his arms; His forehead is adorned with beautiful cooling semi-Moon; He has five faces, each face having three eyes; His throat is coloured blue; He has ten arms; His body is white like camphor; He wears a tiger’s skin; His upper garment is of elephant’s skin; and snakes are his holy thread; He is holding the one-half of the body of Gaurî and his neck is adorned with garlands of human skulls. The Goddess Laksmî, the daughter of the ocean, assuming the form of a mare, thus practised severe asceticism in that [ p. 547 ] place of pilgrimage. O King! With a feeling of intense dispassion (Vairâgyam) towards the worldly things, She spent the divine one thousand years in the meditation of Mahâdeva, the God of the Gods. After that period, the Highest Lord Mahâdeva, mounting on His bull, came there with His consort Pârvatî and appeared before the Laksmî Devî, perceptible by his eyes. Appearing thus with His host of His own persons, He then spoke to Laksmî, dear to Hari, now practising ascetism in the form of a mare, “O Auspicious One! You are the Mother of this whole Universe and your Husband is the Creator of these worlds and is capable to give all desires. Why are You, then, practising asceticism, when He is present? What is the cause of this? O Devî! Why are You praising hymns to me, instead of to Vâsudeva S’rî Hari, Who is capable to yield enjoyments and final liberation, and Who is the Preserver and the Lord of this world. O Devî! Work should be done according to the authority of the Vedas; it is stated in the Vedas that the husband is the lord of a woman; therefore it is never advisable to fix one’s mind entirely on another person. The eternal Dharma of women is to serve their husbands; whether the husband be a saint or a sinner, the woman, desirous of her welfare, should serve her husband in every way. O Daughter of the Ocean! Your husband Nârâyana is fit to be served by all and He is capable to yield all desires. Why are you then worshipping Me, and leaving the Lord of the Goloka, the Deva of the Devas.”
25-32. Laksmî said :— O Deva of the Devas! O Seat of Auspiciousness! I know that You are soon pleased with Your servant. My husband has cursed me. O Ocean of mercy! Kindly save me from this curse. O S’ambhu! When I informed my husband of my mental agonies, graciously and mercifully He then pointed out how I might be freed of this curse thus :— “O Kamale! When Your son will be born, then You will be freed of this curse and will, no doubt, come back and live in this Heaven of Vaikuntha.” Thus spoken, I have come in this hermitage to make tapas and to worship Thee, knowing that Thou art the Bhagavân, the Lord of Bhavanî, the Lord of all and the Giver of all desires. O Lord of the Devas! How can I get a son without the intercourse of My husband? Though I am guiltless, my husband has forsaken me and is living in Vaikuntha. O Mahes’vara! Thou art doing good to all persons; and if Thou art pleased with me, then grant me a boon. O Lord! I know full well that there is no distinction between Him and Thee. O Lord of Girîjâ! This truth I have come to learn from my husband. O Hara! You are the same thing that He is and what is He is the same as You; there is not the least doubt in this. O Thou, full of auspiciousness! Recognising the Sameness without any distinction between Him and Thee,
[ p. 548 ]
I am meditating on Thee. Had it been otherwise, then I would certainly have been guilty when I take Thy refuge and meditate on Thee.
33-36. S’ankara said :— “O Devî, the daughter of the Ocean! Tell truly before me how you have been able to realise the identity between Him and Me. The Devas, Munis and the Maharsis, versed in the Vedas, get their understandings baffled by wrong argumentations and never realise the identity without any difference between us. Almost everywhere you will perceive that many of my devotees blame me. Specially in this Kâlî Yuga due to the influence of Time, this happens to a very great extent in many cases. O Auspicious One! Let that go! How have you come to know this matter, which is difficult even for the liberal-minded persons to comprehend. Know that this perception of the identity between me and Hari is very rare.”
37-38. Vyâsa said :— O King! When Mahâdeva asked thus with great pleasure, the Devî Kamalâ, the darling of Hari, gladly replied the essence of the matter to Mahâdeva.
39-43. Laksmî said :— “O Deva of the Devas! One day Bhagavân Visnu, seated in the Padmâsana posture, was immersed in deep meditation. I was very much astonished at this. When His meditation was over and when He was in a pleasant mood, I asked Him with great humility, O Deva of the Devas! I know that You are the Lord of the world and Master of this whole Universe; when Brahmâ and the other Devas were united and churned the great ocean, I came out of the waters and looked all around to know who is the superior one whom I can select as my husband and then, thinking You as the superior to all the Devas, I accepted You as my husband. Now whose meditation You are doing again? A great doubt has thus occurred in my mind. O Lord! You are my most Beloved; now disclose to me your innermost desire and thought.”
44-49. Visnu said :— “O Beloved! Hear now, whom I am meditating. I am meditating in the lotus of My heart that Mahâdeva Mahes’vara, the Highest of all the Devas. Mahâdeva, the Deva of the Devas, of indomitable prowess, sometimes meditates on Me and sometimes I meditate on the Lord of the Deva, S’ankara, the Destroyer of Tripurâ. I am dear to S’iva as his life is dear to him and S’ankara is similarly dear to me. The hearts of us both are attached to each other in the most secret way possible; therefore there is not the least difference betwixt us both. O large-eyed One! Those men who being my devotees hate S’ankara, certainly go to hell. I speak this very truly unto you.” O Mahes’vara! When I asked him this question when he was all alone, that Deva of the Devas, the Highest Visnu thus said to me. Therefore I am meditating on You, knowing that You are His beloved. O Mahes’a! Now find out means by which I can mix with My husband. [ p. 549 ] 50-59. Vyâsa said :— O King! Mahâdeva, skilled in speech, hearing thus the words of Laksmî, consoled Her with sweet words and said :— “O Beautiful! Be peaceful; I am pleased with Your tapasyâ; soon You will come in contact with Your husband. There is not the least doubt in this. When I will send the Bhagavân, the Lord of the world, He will come before you in the shape of a horse, to satisfy your desires. I will send the Madhusûdana, the Deva of the Devas, in such a manner, as he will come in the form of a horse, passionately attached to you. O One of good eye brows! Thus you will get a son equivalent to Nârâyana; and the son will be the King on this earth and will be undoubtedly worshipped by all. O fortunate One! After you get your son, you will go to Vaikuntha with Nârâyana and will reside there as His Beloved. Your son will be famed by the name of Ekavîra; and from him will propagate the Haihaya dynasty on the earth. O Kamale! You were blind by prosperity, and, becoming passionate, you forgot the Devî Parames’varî, residing in your heart. Therefore you have experienced such a result. Therefore, to expiate that sin, take Her refuge by all means. O Devî! If your heart remained attached to the Highest Devî the blissful Bhagavatî, your heart would never have got attached to the Uchchais’ravâ horse. Vyâsa said :— O King! Thus granting boons to Laksmî Devî, He with his consort Umâ vanished away in her presence.
60-62. Kamalâ Devî, lovely in all respects, whose toe nails are always rubbed by the gems on the coronets of the Devas, began to meditate on the lotus-feet of Ambikâ and in expectation of his beloved Hari, in the shape of a horse, praised and chanted hymns frequently to the Highest Goddess, in words choked with feelings of intense love.
Here ends the Eighteenth Chapter of the Sixth Book on the origin of the Haihaya Dynasty in the Mahâpurânam S’rî Mad Devî Bhâgavatam of 18,000 verses by Maharsi Veda Vyâsa.
On the origin of Haihayas from a mare [ p. 549 ] 1-3. Vyâsa said :— O King! Thus granting the boon to the Goddess Laksmî, S’ambhu quickly returned to the lovely Kailâs’a, adorned with Apsarâs (celestial nymphs) and frequented and served by the Gods. He then despatched his expert attendant Chitrarûpa to Vaikuntha to bring the purpose of Laksmî to a successful issue. He said to him thus :— “O Chitrarûpa! Go to Hari and speak to him on my behalf that [ p. 550 ] He would go and remove the sorrows of His distressed and bereaved wife and thus make Her comfortable.”
4-9. Thus ordered, Chitrarûpa started immediately and reached at once Vaikuntha, the highest place, covered all over by the Vaisnavas. The place was diversified with lots of various trees, with hundreds of lovely lakes, and echoed with sweet lovely sounds of swans, Kârandavas, peacocks, parrots, cuckoos and various other birds and adorned with beautiful places, decked with flags and banners. It was filled with charming dancings, music and other artistic things. There were the lovely Bakula, As’oka, Tilaka, Champaka and other trees; and the beautiful tree Mandâra looked beautiful and shed all around the sweet fragrance of its sweet flowers for a long distance. Thus seeing the lovely nice palace of Visnu and the two doorkeepers Jaya and Vijaya standing with canes in their hands, Chitraratha bowed down to them and said :— Well! You go quickly and inform the Supreme Soul Hari that a messenger has come under the orders of the Bhagavân S’ûlapânî and is now waiting at His doors.
10-18. Hearing his words, the intelligent Jaya went to Hari and, with folded hands, said :— “O Thou Ocean of Mercy! O Kes’ava! O Lord of Ramâ! O Deva of the Devas! A messenger has come from the Lord of Bhavânî and is waiting at the doors. I do not not know on what important business he has come. Please order whether I will bring him before You or not. On hearing the Jaya’s words, Hari, aware of the inner feelings, knew at once the cause and said :— O Jaya! Bring before me the messenger come from Rudra. Thus hearing, Jaya called the S’iva’s servant, of a graceful form, and brought him to the presence of Janârdana. Chitrarûpa, of variegated appearance, prostrated himself flat before Him in the form of a stick and stood up and remained with folded hands. The Bhagavân Nârâyana, Whose carrier is Garuda, saw that servant of S’iva, of variegated appearance and full of all humility, and became very much astonished. The Lord of Kamalâ then smiled and asked Chitrarûpa :— “O Pure One! Is it all well with Mahâdeva, the Lord of the Devas and his other families and attendants? On what business has He sent you here? What does He want me to do? Or tell me if I have to do any other business of the gods.”
19-34. The messenger said :— “O Thou, the Knower of all that is within one’s heart! There is nothing in this world hidden from Your knowledge; when is that which I will say unknown to you! O Thou, the Knower of present, past and future! I am now saying to you what S’ambhu has told me to inform You. He has said :— O Lord! The Goddess Laksmî is Your dear consort. She, the daughter of the Ocean, and the Bestower of all [ p. 551 ] success, though an object fit to be meditated by Yaksas, Kinnaras, Naras and Immortals, is now undergoing severe penance at the confluence of Kalindî (the Jumnâ, the daughter of Kalinda) and the Tamasâ. What is there in the three worlds that can be happy without that Mother of the worlds and the Giver of all desires? O Lotus-eyed One! What pleasure do You feel in abandoning Her? O All-pervading One! Even he who has no riches or who is very weak maintains his wife; then why have You, being the Lord of the worlds, forsaken your wife, without any offence, Who is worshipped by the whole universe. O Lord of the world! What advice shall I give to You? He whose wife suffers in the world, is blamed by his enemies. O Omnipresent One! Fie on his such a life! O Lord of the worlds! Your enemies’ desires are satisfied when they see Her very miserable. They are laughing and mocking and saying :— O Devî, Kes’ava has now forsaken you; you can spend happily your time with us now. Therefore, O Lord of the Devas! Bring that Lady back unto your palace and place Her unto your lap, Who is of good demeanour, beautiful, par excellence and endowed with all auspicious signs. O Deva! Accept, please, your sweet-smiling wife and be happy. Though I am at present not in bereavement of my dear wife, yet when I remember my former state of bereavement, I feel very much trouble. O Lotus-eyed One! When Satî Devî, my beloved Wife, quitted Her life, in Daksa’s house, I felt unbearable pain, O Kes’ava! Let no other body in this world suffer such pain, I now remember only the suffering and mental agonies that I felt on Her bereavement; I do not give it out to others. After a long time, practising severe Tapasyâ (asceticism) I got Her back in the form of Girijâ, who felt herself burnt up as it were by the anger She felt on account of censure cast on Me in the Daksa’s house and thus quitted Her life. O Murâri! What happiness you have felt in forsaking your dear wife and in remaining thus alone for one thousand years. Console your fortunate young wife with good teeth and bring her back to your place. O Bhagavân! Lastly, the Lord Bhavânî, the Originatrix of these worlds, told me to speak thus to you :— O Destroyer of Kamsa! Let nobody remain even, for a moment, without Laksmî, the Highest Goddess. O Long-lived One! You better assume the form of a horse and go and worship her. Then have a child of yours in the womb of your sweet-smiling wife and bring her back to your house.”
35-42. Vyâsa said :— O Ornament of Bhârata’s race! Hearing thus the words of Chitrarûpa, Bhagavân Hari told that he would do what S’ankara had told him to do and thus sent the messenger back to S’ankara. The messenger departing, Hari assumed the form of a beautiful horse [ p. 552 ] and immediately left Vaikuntha with a passionate intent for the place where Laksmî was staying in the form of a mare and practising her austerities. Coming there, he saw that the Devî Bimalâ was staying in the form of a mare. The mare, too, seeing the horse form of her husband Govinda, recognised him and, chaste as she was, remained there with astonishment and tears in her eyes. Then those two copulated on the famous confluence. The wife of Hari, in the shape of a mare, became pregnant and, in due time, gave birth to a beautiful well qualified child. The Bhagavân then graciously smiled on her and spoke in words suited to the time, “O Dear! Now quit this mare form and assume your former appearance. O Lovely-eyed One! Let both of us assume our own forms and go to Vaikuntha; and let your child remain in this place.”
43-48. Laksmî said :— “O Lord! How can I go leaving here this child, born of my womb. It is very difficult to quit the attachments for one’s own child. Know this, O Lord! O High-souled One! This child is young and of small body; therefore it is quite incapable to protect itself. If I forsake it on the bank of this river, it will be an orphan, what will happen to it then? O Lotus-eyed One! My mind is now in full attachment towards it. How can I quit this helpless child and go?” When Laksmî and Nârâyana resumed their divine bodies and mounted on the excellent Vimânas, the Devas began to praise them with hymns. When Nârâyana expressed his desire to go, Kamalâ said :— “O Lord! You better take this child; I am unable to forsake it. O Lord! O Slayer of Madhu! This child is dearer to me than my life; see its body resembles exactly like you. Therefore we would take this child with us to Vaikuntha.”
49-54. Hari spoke :— “O Dear! You need not be sorry; let this child remain here happily; I have arranged for its preservation and safety. O Beautiful One! There is a great act to do in this world. That will be executed by your child. For this reason I am leaving it here. I am now describing to you the above story. The famous King Yayâti had a son named Turvasu; his father kept his name as Hari Varmâ; he is known by this name. That king is now practising asceticism for getting a son for one hundred years in a place of pilgrimage. O Laksmî! I have begot this son for him. I will go there and send the King here. O Beautiful-faced One! I will give this son to that King, desirous of an issue. He will take this son and go back to his house.”
55. Vyâsa said :— O King! Thus consoling his beloved, whose abode is in the Lotus and placing the child there in that position, He mounted on an excellent car with Laksmî and went to Vaikuntha.
[ p. 553 ]
Here ends the Nineteenth Chapter in the Sixth Book on the origin of Haihayas from a mare in the Mahâpurânam S’rî Mad Devî Bhâgavatam of 18,000 verses by Maharsi Veda Vyâsa.
On the son born of mare by Hari [ p. 553 ] 1-2. Janamejaya said :— “O Bhagavân! A great doubt has arisen in my mind on this subject. Who was it that took away that son, when both Laksmî and Nârâyana left it, in that forlorn state, in a forest without any person there to look after?”
3-11. Vyâsa said :— O King! No sooner Laksmî and Nârâyana departed from that place, one Vidyâdhara, named Champaka, mounting on a beautiful celestial car came there at his free will, sporting with a woman named Madanâlasâ. There they saw that one lovely child, exquisitely beautiful like a Deva’s son, was playing alone as it liked. They then, quickly descended from their chariot and picked it up. Vidyâdhara became very glad as a beggar becomes glad, when he gets a hoard of jewels. On taking that newly born beautiful child like a Cupid, Champaka gave it to the Devî Madanâlasâ. Madanâlasâ took it and became very much astonished; and her hairs stood at their ends. She clasped it to her bosom and kissed it frequently. O Bhârata! Taking that child on her lap as if her own child, Madanâlasâ embraced it and kissed it and got the highest happiness. Then both of them took that child and mounted on the car. The lean Madanâlasâ then laughingly queried :— “O Lord! Whose child is this? Who has left it in this forest? It seems to me Mahâ Deva, desirous to give me a son, has given it unto me.”
12-18. Champaka said :— I will just now go and ask the all-knowing Indra whose child is this, whether it is of a Deva, Dânava or Gandharva. If he orders, I will purify this child found thus in this forest by the Veda Mantrams and then accept it as my own. It is not advisable to do a thing suddenly without knowing all the details. Thus saying to his wife Madanâlasâ, Champaka went with a gladdened heart hurriedly to the city of Indra with that child in his arms. Champaka gladly bowed down at the feet of Indra and gave him all the information he knew about the child and stood at one side with folded hands and spoke, “O Lord of the Devas! I have got this child, beautiful as Cupid, in the sacred place of pilgrimage at the confluence of the Jumnâ and the Tamasâ. O Lord of S’achî! Whose child is this? and why did they forsake it there? If [ p. 554 ] you kindly permit, I will take this child as my own son. This child is very beautiful and liked very much by my wife; it is also the rule laid down in the S’âstras that one can accept any child as the Kritrima son. Therefore it is my earnest desire that I purify this child by the Veda Mantrams and take it legally as my own son.”
19-24. Indra said :— O Highly Fortunate One! Bhagavân Vâsudeva, assuming the form of a horse, has produced this child out of the womb of Kamalâ in the form of a mare. He intends to give over the child, capable to destroy enemies to Turvasu, the son of Yayâti, and thus will get a great purpose achieved by the child. That King, very religious, will be sent by Hari today and he will come for the child in that beautiful sacred place of pilgrimage. You better go back as early as possible and keep the child there as it was before till that king comes to that spot at the instance of the Devadeva Visnu. Do not waste a minute more. The King will be very sorry if he does not find the child there. Therefore O Champaka! Quit the attachment that you have for this child. You should know that this child will be famous in this earth as Ekavîra (only one hero).
25-30. Vyâsa said :— O King! Thus hearing the Indra’s words, Champaka took the child and went back immediately to the spot whence he picked it up and keeping the child there as it laid, mounted on his car and went to his abode. At that instant, the husband of Laksmî, the Lord of the three worlds, went to the King, mounted on His car, beaming with effulgent rays. When the Bhagavân was descending from His aerial car, the King Turvasu was very glad to see Him and bowed down and laid himself prostrate on the ground. The Bhagavân, then, comforted the King, his own devotee, and said, “Get up, my child! Do away with your mental distress.” The King also eagerly and full of devotion, began to utter verses in praise of the Bhagavân. O Lord of Ramâ! You are the presiding Deity of the Devas; Lord of the whole worlds, Ocean of Mercy and Giver of advice to all men. O Lord! Your sight is very rare even to the Yogis; being myself of a very slow dull intellect; I have been fortunate enough to see you. O Lord! This shews Your mercy.
31-54. Vyâsa said :— O Bhagavân! O Infinite One! Those who are free from any desires and free from any attachment to worldly things, they alone are entitled to see Thee. O Deva of the Devas! I am bound in thousand and one desires. I am quite unfit to see Thee. There is no doubt in this. When Turvasu, the best of the kings, praised thus, Bhagavân Visnu became pleased and began to speak in the following pleasant words :— “O King! I am pleased with your asceticism; now ask your [ p. 555 ] desired boon; I will grant it immediately.” The King bowed down again to the feet of Visnu and said :— “O Murâri! For the sake of a son, I have practised this tapasyâ; grant me a son like my Self.” Nârâyana, the First-born of the Devas, hearing this King’s request spoke to him in infallible words :— “O son of Yayâti! Go to the confluence of the Yamunâ and Tamasâ. For you I have kept there today a son as you like and of indomitable prowess. O King! That child is begotten by me in the womb of Laksmî.” The King became very glad to hear the sweet pure words of the Bhagavân. Thus granting him the boon, Visnu went with Ramâ to Vaikuntha. The King Turvasu, the son of Yayâti, hearing these words, became exceedingly gladdened in his heart and mounting on a chariot, whose speed cannot be checked, went to the spot where lay the child. The king, of extraordinary genius, went there and saw that the exceedingly beautiful child, catching hold of his toe by one of his soft hands was sucking it by his mouth and was playing on the ground. The child was born of Nârâyana out of the womb of Kamalâ. Therefore it resembled like Him. On looking at that beautiful lovely child, the famous King Harivarmâ’s face got cheered up with the intensest delight. The King took it up with both of his hands and got merged in the Ocean of Bliss and taking gladly the scent of its head embraced it happily. On looking at the beautiful lotus-face of the child, the King, choked with tears from his eyes and with feelings of joy said :— “O Child! Nârâyana has given me, the child jewel in you; so save me from the terrors of the hell named Put. O Child! For full one hundred years I have practised a very hard tapasyâ for the sake of you. Pleased with that, the Lord of Kamalâ has given you to me for the happiness of my worldly career. Your Mother Ramâ Devî has forsaken Her own child for the sake of me and has gone away with Hari. O Child! That Mother is blessed whose face beams with joy by seeing the smiles in your lotus-face. O Delighter of my heart! The Lord of Ramâ, the Deva of the Devas, has made you, as it were, to serve as a boat for me for crossing to the other side of this Ocean of World.” Thus saying, the King took the child and gladly went home. Knowing that the King had come very close to his city, the King’s Minister and the city people, the subjects came forward with the priest and many other presents and offerings. The bards, singers and Sûtas came in front of the King. The King as he entered into his city looked affectionately on his subjects and gladdened their spirits by enquiries of welfare. Then worshipped by the citizens, the King entered into the city with his child. As the King went along the royal road, the subjects showered on his head the flowers and fried rice. Then taking the child by his two arms, the King entered into his prosperous palace with his ministers.
[ p. 556 ]
The king next handed over the newly-born lovely child, as beautiful as Cupid, to the hands of his queen. The good queen took the child and asked the king :— “O King! Whence have you got this new born child as fascinating as the God of Love? Who has given this child to you? O Lord! Speak quickly. This child has stolen away my mind.” The King gladly replied :— “O Beloved! The Lord of Kamalâ, the Ocean of Mercy has given me this child; O Quick-eyed One! This child is born of Nârâyana’s part and out of the womb of Kamalâ. O Devî! This child has strength, energy, patience, gravity and all other good qualities.” Then the queen took the child in her arms and got the unbounded bliss. Great festivities began to be performed in the palace of the King Turvasu. Charities were given to those that wanted; music and singing of various sorts were performed. In this ceremony for the sake of his child, the king Turvasu put the name of the child as “Ekavîra.” Getting thus the child equivalent in form and qualities to Hari, the powerful Indra-like king became happy and freed from his debt due to his family line, became very cheerful and glad. O King! The king, powerful like his enemies, began to enjoy in his own palace with his all-qualified child, that was given to him by Nârâyana, the Lord of all the Devas. He was always served by his dear wife and all sorts of pleasures and he felt himself enjoying as a King would do.
Here ends the Twentieth Chapter in the Sixth Book on the son born of mare by Hari, in the Mahâpurânam in S’rî Mad Devî Bhâgavatam of 18,000 verses by Maharsi Veda Vyâsa.