On the installation of Ekavîra and the birth of Ekâvalî [ p. 556 ] 1-10. Vyâsa said :— O King! In the meanwhile the King Turvasu performed the Jâtakarma (a religious ceremony performed at the birth of a child) and other ceremonies of the child. The boy was nurtured duly and began to grow older day by day. The King began to enjoy his worldly life on getting this son and thought within himself that the boy had freed him from the three debts due to the Fathers, the Risis and the Devas. Next, in the sixth month, the King performed the Annaprâsana ceremony (putting the boiled rice in the mouth of the child) and in the third year performed regularly his Chûda Karana (the ceremony of the first tonsure) ceremony. He distributed on those occasions various articles, wealth and cows to the Brâhmanas and other articles to various other mendicants and made them glad. In the eleventh year, he performed the boy’s holy [ p. 557 ] thread (Upanayana) ceremony and tying the girdle made of a triple string of Munja grass and put the boy to learn archery. Next when the boy passed off proficiently in the study of the Vedas and in learning the kingly duties, the King desired to install him on the throne. The King Turvasu then collected with great care all the necessary articles for installation in an auspicious day, the combination of Pusyâ asterism and Arka Yoga. He called then the Brâhmins, well versed in the Vedas and in the S’âstras, and became ready, in accordance with due rites, to perform the installation ceremony of the prince. Waters were brought from various sacred places of pilgrimage and from the several oceans and on an auspicious day the King performed himself the installation of his son. When the ceremony was over the King gave away hoards of wealth to the Brâhmins and giving the charge of his kingdom to his son, he went to the forest with a desire to ascend to the Heavens.
11-22. Thus placing Ekavîra on the throne, the King Turvasu shewed respects to his ministers, and, controlling his senses went to the forest accompanied by his wife. On the top of the Mainâka mountain he took up the vow of Vânaprastha and sustaining his life on leaves and fruits began to meditate Pârvatî. Thus when his Prârabdha Karma ended, he left his mortal coil with his wife and went by virtue of his good deeds to the Indraloka. Hearing that the King had ascended to Heavens, his son Ekavîra Haihaya performed his funeral ceremonies according to the rules laid down by the Vedas. The King’s son, the intelligent Haihaya, performed, one after another, all the ceremonies due and began to govern the kingdom which was free from enemies. The virtuous King Ekavîra remained duly obedient to his ministers after he got possession of his kingdom and began to enjoy all the best things. The powerful King one day went on horseback to the banks of the Ganges with the minister’s son. Roaming about, he found there the boughs of trees had assumed a very graceful appearance, with loads of fruits, echoed with the sweet voice of the cuckoos and with the humming of the bees. Close by were the hermitages of the Munis, where the bucks were skipping about and at other places the Vedas were being chanted. The smoke was seen rising from the altars, where oblations were being offered and appeared to form like a black canopy in the Heavens. Full ripe grains were enhancing the beauty of the fields and the cowherdesses were merrily watching the fields. Places of recreations adorned with full blown lotuses and beautiful groves were attracting the attention of the visitors. The various trees, Piyâla, Champaka, Panasa, Bakula, Tilaka, Kadamba and Mandâra, and others were adorned with fruits, stealing away the minds of the people. At other places, other trees Sal, Tamâla, Jack,
[ p. 558 ]
Mango, Kali Kadamba, etc., stood gracefully. Next when the King went to the Ganges water, he saw the gay beautiful full blown lotuses were spreading their fragrant scents all around.
23-31. On the right side of these lotuses, he saw a lotus-eyed girl. She was shining like the gold, her beautiful hairs were long and curling; her throat was like a Kambu, belly thin, lips like the Bimba fruits, several other limbs well built and graceful, breasts risen a little, nose beautiful and all her body was exquisitely lovely; that lady just blooming into youth was suffering bereavements from her comrades and was very distressed and seemed bewildered. She was crying like an ewe in a dense lonely forest. Seeing her, the King asked her what was the reason of her sorrows? O Cuckoo-voiced One! You are as yet a girl; who has left you alone in this state? O Sweet One! Tell me where is your husband now or where is your father? O One looking askance! What is your trouble; explain it to me. O thin-bellied One! I will, no doubt, remove all your sorrows and troubles. O fair-limbed One! In my dominion nobody ever gives trouble to any other body. O lovely One! There is no fear in my kingdom from thieves or Râksasas; or any fear from any serious dangerous calamities on this earth, fear from lions, tigers or any other dangers while my sway is predominant.
32-41. O One of beautiful thighs! Why are you crying on this lonely bank of the Ganges? Tell me what is your pain? O Pure One! I can remove the pains and miseries, even of a serious nature, of men, whether they come from the Deva or human sources; and this is my principal vow. O Large-eyed One! Speak what is your inmost desire; I will carry it out instantaneously. When the king thus spoke, that beautiful woman spoke in gentle words :— O King! Hear the cause of my sorrows. O King! Why will the people cry, to no purpose, unless calamities come before them? O Mighty-armed One! I now tell you why I am weeping. O King! There was a very religious King named Rabhya in another province that is not yours. At first he had no issue. He had a very beautiful wife named Rukmarekhâ. She was clever, chaste and endowed with all auspicious qualities. But issueless as she was, she remained very sorry and, in a remorseful tone, she spoke to her husband Raibbya :— O Lord! I am barren; I have no sons; I am therefore a very unhappy creature. My life is in vain; what use is there in my living? When the queen thus spoke very distressedly, the king called the Brâhmanas, versed in the Vedas, and began to perform an excellent sacrificial ceremony, in due accordance with the Vedic rules. With a desire to get a son, he made many presents in profuse quantities. When copious quantities [ p. 559 ] of ghee were offered as oblations, there arose, from the fire, a girl beautiful in all respects and endowed with all auspicious signs.
42-53. Her teeth were very nice, eyebrows very lovely, face enchanting like a Full Moon, the lustre of the body lovely and of a golden colour; her hairs were fine and curling; her lips like the Bimba flowers; her hands and face were of a red colour; her eyes were red like lotus and her limbs were soft and gentle. When the girl arose from the fire, the priest (Hotâ) took that lean and thin lady of a nice waist by her arms and presented her to the King and said :— O King! Accept this daughter, endowed with all auspicious signs. When Homa was being performed, the daughter came up like the garland Ekâvalî; therefore this girl became famous in this world by the name Ekâvalî. O Ruler of the earth! Take this girl, resembling a son and be happy.
O King! Visnu, the Deva of the Devas, has given you this Jewel, this daughter; so be contented. Hearing thus the words of the priest, the King saw this good-looking girl and with gladdened heart took the beautiful daughter from his hands. Thus with that lovely daughter he went to his wife Rukmarekhâ and said :— O Beautiful One! Take this daughter. The queen Rukmarekhâ felt the pleasure of having a son when she got in her arms that lotus eyed beautiful daughter. The King next performed the natal and other ceremonies of the daughter and did all other acts as if she had been a son to him duly in accordance with the rules. The King performed his own sacrificial ceremonies and gave away lots of Daksinâs to the Brâhmins and dismissed them and became very glad. That beautiful girl was nursed and cared after like a son and she grew older day by day. The Queen Rukmarekhâ was very gladdened to get her. On that very day the birthday festival was performed as on the occasion of the birth of a son. And that daughter grew older, very affectionate and dear to all.
54-61. O Lovely One! You are a king and intelligent too; I will describe to you all the details; Hear. I am the daughter of the minister to that King. My name is Yas’ovatî. That daughter and I look alike and of the same age. Therefore the king has made me her comrade. I spend my time day and night always with her as her constant dear companion. Ekâvalî likes very much to remain and sport wherever she finds sweet-scented lotuses; at other places she does not find happiness. At the distant banks of the Ganges many lotuses grow; therefore Ekâvalî goes there with great pleasure to that place with me and her other fellow mates. One day I told the King that Ekâvalî used to [ p. 560 ] go daily to a distant solitary forest to see the lotus-lake. Then the King addressed her not to go and he got a lake built within the compounds of his palace and planted many lotus seeds therein. Gradually the lotuses began to blossom and the bees came there to drink honey. Still she used to go outside in search of lotuses. Then the King sent armed guards to accompany her. Thus that thin-bodied daughter of the King used to go daily to the banks of the Ganges for play, guarded by armed soldiers, accompanied by myself and other companions. Again when the sporting was over, she used to return to the palace.
Here ends the Twenty-First Chapter on the Sixth Book on the installation of Ekavîra and the birth of Ekâvalî in the Mahâpurânam S’rî Mad Devi Bhâgavatam by Maharsi Veda Vyâsa.
On the narration to Haihaya the stealing away of Ekâvalî [ p. 560 ] 1-10. Yas’ovatî spoke :— O King! One day Ekâvalî got up early in the morning and went to the banks of the Ganges, accompanied by her companions; they began to fan her with a chowrie. The armed guards accompanied her. Slowly she went where there were the lotuses in order to sport with them. I, too, went with her playing with the lotuses to the banks of the Ganges and both of us began to play with lotuses with the Apsarâs. When both of us were deeply engaged in the play, then one powerful Dânava, named Kâlaketu, came up there suddenly with many Râksasas armed with parighas, swords, clubs, bows, arrows and tomaras and many other weapons. Ekâvalî was playing with the best lotuses when Kâlaketu saw her in that state, blooming with beauty and youth as if like Ratî, the Goddess of Love. O King! I then spoke to Ekâvalî :— “Look! Who is this Daitya that has come here unexpectedly; O Lotus-eyed One! Let us go into the central part of our armed guards.” O King! My companion and myself consulting thus, went out of fear immediately into the centre of the armed guards. Kâlaketu was seized with the arrows of Cupid, and no sooner he looked at that beautiful young lady than he, with a very big club in his hand, hurriedly came to us, drove away the guards, and took away my lotus eyed companion, of thin waist. Then the young lady, helpless, began to tremble and cried aloud.
11-22. Seeing this, I spoke to the Dânava :— Leave her and take me. The passionate Dânava did not take me but he went away, taking my [ p. 561 ] companion. The guards exclaimed :— “Wait, wait; don’t fly away with the girl; we are giving you a good lesson.” Thus saying, they made the powerful Dânavas stop and both the parties engaged in a very terrible conflict, astounding to all. The followers of the Dânavas, more cruel and all fully armed began at once to fight with great enthusiasm for their Master’s cause. Kâlaketu himself began to fight afterwards terribly and killed the guards. He, then, with his followers, carried away my companion towards his own city. I, too, followed my companion, when I saw her thus carried away by the Dânava and crying out of fear. I also walked crying aloud by those tracks as would enable my Sakhî to see me. She, too, seeing me, became somewhat consoled. Crying out repeatedly I approached her. She was already very distressed and when she saw me, she clasped me closely around my neck, perspiring and stunned and, becoming more distressed, cried aloud. Kâlaketu then showed his liking for me and told that my quick-eyed companion was very afraid and that I might comfort her. He told me thus :— “O Dear! My city is like the Deva’s abodes; you will soon be able to go there. From today I become your slave, bound by love. Do not cry thus distressedly; be comforted.” In these words he told me to comfort my dear companion. Thus speaking, that villain made both of us mount on the beautiful chariot and making us sit by his sides went gladly and quickly to his own beautiful palace, followed by his army.
23-30. That Demon placed both of us in a beautiful house white washed and mirror-like and kept hundreds and thousands of Râksasas to watch and protect us. On the second day he called me in private :— “Your companion is very much distressed on the bereavement from her father and mother and is lamenting; make her understand and console her.” He told me to speak the following words to my companion :— “O One of beautiful hips! Be my wife and enjoy as you like. O One with a face beautiful like the Moon! This kingdom is yours; ever I am your obedient slave.” Hearing his unbearable harsh words I said :— “O Lord! I will not be able to speak her these words, disagreeable to her. You better speak this yourself.” When I spoke thus, that wicked Dânava struck by the arrows of Cupid began to speak gently to my dear companion of thin belly, thus :— “O Dear One! Today you have successfully cast on me the Vasîkarana Mantra (one of the Tântrik processes by which a lover is made to come under subjection); O Beloved! Therefore it is that my heart is stolen and so much brought under your subjection; this has converted me into a veritable slave of yours; then know this as certain that I am your slave; O Sweet One!
[ p. 562 ]
I am very much troubled by the Cupid’s arrows and I am semi-unconscious; therefore O Lean-bellied One! Worship me. O One of beautiful thighs! This youth is a very rare and transient thing; O Auspicious One! Now embrace me as your husband and make your youth a veritable success.”
31-36. Ekâvalî said :— “O Fortunate One! My father wanted to hand me over to a prince named Haihaya; I also mentally adopted him as my husband. You are certainly aware of the S’âstras; how can I now abandon the eternal religion and the virtue of a woman and take up another husband. The girl must accept him to whom the father betrothes. The girl is under every circumstances dependent. Never do they get any independence.” Though Ekâvalî said thus, the vicious Daitya struck by Cupid’s arrows, did not desist and did not leave me and that larged-eyed companion. His city lies in Pâtâla and is a very dangerous place; always it is guarded by Râksasas and surrounded by a moat; inside is built a beautiful and strong fort. Now my dear companion, the queen of my heart, is staying there with a grievous heart and I am here wandering hither and thither very much troubled on account of her bereavements.
37-46. Ekavîra said :— “O Beautiful-faced One! How have you been able to get away from the city of that wicked demon and how have you been able to come here? I am perfectly at my wit’s end. Say quickly all these. O Proud One! I doubt your words; the father of your dear companion resolved to give his daughter to Haihaya in marriage; now I am that Haihaya. I am the King by that name, on this earth; there is no other King by the name of Haihaya. Is it that your dear companion is meant for me? O Bhâminî (passionate woman)! Remove my doubts; I will kill that villain Râksasa and bring just now your dear companion; there is no doubt in this. O One of good vows! Shew me that place, if it be known to you. Has anybody informed her father that She is suffering from so many troubles? Has her father come to know that her daughter has been stolen and carried away? And has he made any effort to rescue her from the hands of that villain Râksasa? Is it that the King is calm and quiet, knowing that his daughter has been kept in prison? Or is it that he is unable to free her from bondage? Say quickly all these things before me. O Lotus-eyed One! You have captivated my mind by describing the extraordinary qualities of your dear companion and have made me passionate too. Alas! When will it be that I will free my beautiful beloved from the greatest perilous situation and shall see her face and her eyes, beaming with joy. O Sweet-speaking One! Say, by what means I can go to that impassable city. How have you been able to come from there?” [ p. 563 ] 47-63. Yas’ovatî said :— O King! In my early age I got the Mantram of the Devî Bhagavatî with its seed Mantram (mystic syllable involving in it the power connoted by the Devî) and how to meditate it. While I was in the Dânava’s place I thought out that at that juncture I would worship the powerful Chandikâ who gives instantaneously one’s own desires. If I worship that S’akti, That fructifies all desires, That is all mercy to Her Bhaktas, certainly She will free my dear companion from this her bondage. Though She is really without form, yet She, without anybody’s help, by Her own force, She is creating, preserving, and at the end of the Kalpa, destroying this Universe. Oh! She is very wonderful indeed! Thus thinking I began to meditate that auspicious red-robed and red-eyed Devî, the Lady of the Universe, and recollected mentally Her form and repeated silently Her Vîja Mantram. When I meditated thus for merely one month, Chandikâ Devî became, through my devotion, manifest to me in my dreams and began to speak in sweet nectar-like words :— “You are now asleep; go quickly to the beautiful banks of the Ganges. The enemy destroyer, the powerful Ekavîra, the greatest of all the kings, will come there. Dattâtreya, the Great Lord of the Munis, has given him my Mantra named Mahâvidyâ; the King also constantly worships me devotedly with that. His mind is constantly attached to Me and he constantly worships Me. What more to say than this fact that the king, extremely devoted to Me, meditates on Me as the internal controller of all beings. That intelligent son of Laksmî will come for sport to the banks of the Ganges and will remove all your sorrows. That king Ekavîra, versed in all the S’âstras will kill the Râksasas in a dreadful battle and will rescue Ekâvalî. So now you pay heed to my word.” Lastly, She told me that my companion should marry that beautiful King, endowed with all auspicious qualifications. Thus saying, She disappeared and I instantly woke up. Then I informed my lotus-eyed dear Sakhî all the details of my dream as well my worshipping the Devî; hearing this, her lotus-face beamed with joy and gladness. That sweet-smiling Ekâvalî very gladly told me, “O dear Companion! Go at once for our success. That truth-speaking Bhagavatî Ambikâ Devî will release us from our bondage.” O King! When my dear companion ordered me thus, I thought it proper, as also dictated to me in my dream, to go out and soon I did it. O King! Due to the grace of the Great Devî, I came to know the way and I also got the quick motion. Thus I have described to you the cause of my sorrow. O Hero! Who are you, whose son are you? Speak truly to me.
Here ends the Twenty-second Chapter in the Sixth Book on the narration to Haihaya the stealing away of Ekâvalî in S’rî Mad Devî Bhâgavatam of 18,000 verses by Maharsi Veda Vyâsa.
On the battle of Haihaya and Kâlaketu [ p. 564 ] 1. Vyâsa said :— O King! That powerful son of Laksmî, Haihaya, became very glad to hear these words of Yas’ovatî and said :—
2-14. O One of beautiful thighs! Hear in reply to your query :— I am Haihaya, the son of Laksmî, and I am known in this world by the name of Ekavîra. Now you have made my mind dependent. What am I to do now? where to go? Thus distressed with bereavement from your dear companion, my mind is struck with Cupid’s arrows and is confounded with her extraordinary beauty that you just now described. Next you described her qualifications and my mind is ravished. Again when you described before me what she uttered in the presence of the Râksasa, I am struck with great wonder. Your dear companion Ekâvalî said before the vicious Dânava Kâlaketu, “I have already selected the King Haihaya. I will not select any other than him, this is my firm resolve.” These words have converted me into her slave. O sweet-haired One! Say now what service can I do to you both? I am not acquainted with that wicked demon’s palace; never I went to his city. O Fair-eyed One! Say how I can go there; for you are the only one that can lead me there. Therefore take me quickly to that place where your beautiful clear companion is staying. Your dear companion, the daughter of the King is very much afflicted with sorrow; soon I will free her, by destroying that cruel Râksasa. There is no doubt in this. O Auspicious One! I will rescue your dear companion and bring her to the city of yours and hand her over to the hands of her father. Then that King, the enemy destroyer, will perform the marriage ceremony of his daugther. I think this is the desire of your heart. O Sweet-speaking One! Know that that is also my desire. O Beautiful One! Now that desire will be fulfilled by your efforts. Show me quickly that place and see my prowess. O One with a face beautiful like the Moon! It seems that you will be able to do my work. Soon do such as I can kill that wicked demon, who steals others’ wives. Now show me the way to the impassable city of that Râksasa.
15-26. Vyâsa said :—O King! Hearing the sweet words of the prince, Yas’ovatî became very glad and gently began to speak out how he could go to the demon’s city. O King! Take the success-giving Mantra of Bhagavatî and I would then be able to show you today the city guarded by the Râksasas. O King! Better arrange to take your vast [ p. 565 ] army with you; for you will have to fight no sooner you go there. Kâlaketu is personally a great warrior surrounded by Râksasas of great power and strength. Therefore be initiated in the Mantram of S’rî Bhagavatî and accompany me. So you will surely be successful. I will show you the way to the city of that Demon. Slay that vicious and vilest of the Râksasas and rescue my dear companion. Hearing thus, Haihaya was duly initiated into the great Mantram of Yoges’varî, named Trilokitilaka Mantra (Hrîm Gaurî Rudradayite Yoge S’varî Hûm Phat Svâhâ is the Yoges’varî Mantra), by Maharsi Dattâtreya, accidentally come there (as if ordained by Fate), the chief of Jñânins (the Gnostics), that is conducive to the welfare of the beings. Thus by the influence of the Mantram the King got the power of knowing all things and going everywhere with unobstructed speed. Then the King Haihaya quickly went with Yas’ovatî to the impassable city of the Râksasas, accompanied by a vast army. The city was surrounded by snakes and guarded by the terrible Râksasas like the city of Pâtâla. The messengers of the Râksasa, seeing the King coming, were struck with terror and crying aloud quickly went to Kâlaketu. Kâlaketu, struck with Cupid’s arrows, was sitting beside Ekâvalî and was speaking many modest words when the messenger went there suddenly and said :— “O King! The attendant of this lady Yas’ovatî is coming here with a prince and an army.
27-29. O King! We cannot tell exactly whether the prince is the son of Indra, named Jayanta or Kârtikeya. After all, puffed up with the strength of his army, he is coming here. O King! The battle is imminent; now make your arrangements fully and carefully; fight with the son of a Deva or abandon this lotus-eyed Lady. O King! At a distance of three Yojanas from this place, be is staying with his army. Now equip yourself and quickly declare the war by blowing the war trumpets.”
30-36. Vyâsa said :— O King! Hearing the messenger’s words, Kâlaketu, the King of the Demons, became overwhelmed with anger and at once sent many powerful Râksasas, holding all sorts of weapons and spoke out to them :— “O Râksasas! With weapons in your hands, go before them quickly.” Ordering them thus, Kâlaketu asked in sweet words Ekâvalî who was in front and very distressed. O Thin-bellied One! Who is coming here? Is he your father or any other man coming with his army to release you. Speak this to me truly. If your father comes here to take you back, being very much distressed with your bereavement, I will never fight with him, if I come to know this truly; rather I will bring him to my house and worship him with the excel- [ p. 566 ] lent horses, gems and jewels and clothings. Really I will show my full hospitality duly to him when he comes here. And if any other person comes, then I will take his life by the sharpened arrows; there is no doubt in this. Know this as certain whoever comes here for your rescue is brought by the hand of Death to me. Therefore, O Large-eyed One! Say who is this fool that is coming, not knowing me as the powerful and unconquerable Kâla (Death).
37-38. Ekâvalî said :— “O Highly Fortunate One! I do not know who is this body coming to this side with a violent speed. O King! How can I know that when I am in this state of confinement in your house. This man is not my father nor my brother. Some other powerful man is coming here. I do not know exactly what for he is coming.”
39-40. The Demon said :— My messengers say that your comrade Yas’ovatî has taken with her that warrior and is coming to this side with great energy. Where has your clever companion gone now? O Lotus-eyed! There is no enemy in the three worlds strong enough to fight against me.
41-66. Vyâsa said :— O King! Just then other messengers hurriedly came there terrified and spoke to Kâlaketu who had been staying in the house, thus :— “O King! The army has come quite close to the city and how are you staying in the house, calm and quiet? Better march out of the city with your vast army as early as possible.” The powerful Kâlaketu, then, hearing their words, mounted on the chariot and quickly went out of his city. The King Haihaya, on the other hand, suffering from the bereavements of his dear lady, suddenly came there mounted on horseback. The terrible fight ensued then and there between the two and each one struck the other with sharpened weapons and the quarters all around blazed with their glitterings and clashings. When the terrible fight was going on, Haihaya, the son of Laksmî, struck Kâlaketu, the King of the Daityas with a very powerful club (Gadâ). Thus struck by the Gadâ, the Lord of the Daityas fell on the ground like a mountain, struck by lightning, and died. All the Râksasas fled away on all sides, struck with terror. Yas’ovatî went then very hurriedly with a gladdened heart to Ekâvalî and began to speak to her in terms of surprise and in sweet words :— O Dear! O Dear! Come, Come; the great warrior, the prince Ekavîra has killed the Lord of the Daityas in a dreadful battle. That King is now waiting, tired in the midst of his soldiers. He has already heard from me about your beauty and qualities; and now he is expecting to see you. O One Looking askance! Now satisfy your eyes and mind by seeing that King who is like the Cupid. When [ p. 567 ] I described to him before on the banks of the Ganges your beauty and qualifications, he got enamoured of you and now he is suffering from bereavements and wants to see you. Thus, hearing, Ekâvalî determined to go to him and as she was yet unmarried, she became abashed and afraid. She thought how could she see the prince as she was unmarried. It might be that he being passionate would catch her by her arms. Thus, troubled with thought, that daughter of the King, with a sad look, and wearing poor clothes, Ekâvalî went with Yas’ovatî on a palanquin, carried on men’s shoulders. Seeing that large-eyed daughter of the King coming there, the prince said :— “O Beautiful One! My two eyes are very thirsty to see you. Satisfy my eyes and mind by showing yourself to me.” Seeing the prince passionate and the King’s daughter very much abashed, Yas’ovatî, who knew the rules of modesty, thus spoke to the prince :— “ O Prince! The father of my dear companion expressed a desire to betroth her to your hands. She is also obedient to you. Therefore your meeting will certainly take place. O King! Wait; take her to her father; and he will perform duly the marriage ceremony and betroth her to your hands. Know this to be quite certain.” The King took her words to be quite just and true and taking those two ladies went with his army to the house of the father of Ekâvalî. Ekâvalî’s father became very glad and cheerful to learn that his daughter was coming and, accompanied by his ministers, went hurriedly to her. After a long time the King saw his daughter in poor clothings and became highly pleased. Yas’ovatî then described in detail all what happened before the King. The King then with his minister brought with great love, courtesy and gentleness Ekavîra to his house and on an auspicious day performed the marriage ceremony of him with Ekâvalî, in accordance with due ceremonies and rites. Then the King gave away many clothings, ornaments, jewels, and articles for fitting a house and many other things and worshipped duly and sent his daughter together with Yas’ovatî away with the King Haihaya. Thus the marriage ceremony was performed and the son of Laksmî gladly returned to his house and began to enjoy many pleasures with his wife. Then, in course of time, in the womb of Ekâvalî the King Haihaya got a son named Kritavîrya. The son of this Kritavîrya is known as Kârtavîrya. O King! Thus I have narrated to you the origin of the Haihaya dynasty.
Here ends the Twenty-third Chapter in the Sixth Book on the battle of Haihaya and Kâlaketu in the Mahâ Purânam S’rî Mad Devî Bhâgavatam by Maharsi Veda Vyâsa.
On the description of Viksepa S’akti [ p. 568 ] 1-5. The King Janamejaya said :— “O Bhagavân! I am not satiated with the drink of the divine sweet nectar-like words coming out of your lotus mouth. You have described to me in detail the wonderful and variegated story of the origin of the Haihaya dynasty; but, O Muni! There has arisen in my mind a curiosity to know something more on this subject. See the Bhagavân Visnu, the Lord of Laksmî, the Deva of the Devas, the Ruler of this whole Universe and the Cause of the Creation, Preservation and Destruction; yet that Best of Purusas S’rî Bhagavân had to assume a horse form. He is undecaying and independent, how then He came to be dependent? Clear this doubt of mine. O Best of Munis! You are omniscient; therefore satisfy my curiosity by describing this wonderful event.”
6-16. Vyâsa said :— O King! Hear what I heard of yore from Nârada how this doubt was removed. The mind-born son of Brahmâ, Maharsi Nârada got powers to go everywhere by virtue of his Tapas, could know everything, was of a calm and quiet nature, dear to all and he was a poet. On one occasion he went out on tour round the world, playing with his lute in time with Svar and Tân. One day he came to my Âs’rama, singing many things concerning Brihat Rathantara Sâma Veda and the sweet nectar-like Gâyatrî, the Giver of Liberation. O King! There was a very sacred place of hermitage, beaming as it were with happiness and self-knowledge, named S’amyâprâsa, on the banks of the river Sarasvatî. There was situated my hermitage. Seeing the lustrous Nârada the son of the Grand Sire Brahmâ, coming, I got up and offered him duly Pâdya (water to wash his feet) and Argha (offerings of worship), etc., and worshipped him. When that Muni of indomitable lustre took his seat on the Âsana, I sat beside him. When I found Nârada, the Giver of Knowledge, at rest and quiet, I duly asked him the very same question that you have asked me just now. O Best of Munis! What happiness is there on the beings taking their birth in this world. I never found it in any place or in any concern, this I can say positively. Still why do the high minded persons do Karma, fascinated by the enchantments of the world. Look! I was born in an island. Just after my birth, my mother forsook me. Helpless, I grew in the forest as my Karma allowed. Next I performed a very severe tapasyâ before Mahâdeva, the Deva of the Devas, on the mountain with a desire to have a son. [ p. 569 ] 17-38. As a fruit of that I got S’uka as my son, the foremost of the Gnostics, and taught him completely the essence of the Vedas from the beginning to the end. O Devarsî! When my son got wisdom from you, he left this world even when I became very distressed on his bereavement and wept aloud and he went away to the next world. Very much afflicted for the parting of my son, I abandoned the great Mountain Meru. I got very lean due to the absence of my dear son whom I loved very much; and becoming very distressed and knowing this whole world to be an illusion, I remembered my mother and went to the Kuru Jângala district, as if bound up and controlled by the snares of Mâyâ. When I heard that the King S’ântanu had married my mother, I built my hermitage on the holy banks of the Sarasvatî and remained there. When the King S’ântanu went to the next world, my chaste mother remained with two sons. At that time Bhîsma looked after their sustenance and maintained them. The intelligent Gangâ’s son Bhîsma Deva installed Chitrângada on the throne. A short while after this, Chitrângada, too, looking like a second Cupid and extremely lovely, went to the jaws of death. The mother Satyavatî was drowned in the sorrows for his son Chitrângada and began to weep for him. O King! Knowing my mother in that sorrowful condition, I went to her. Bhîsma and I then consoled her with hopeful words. Bhîsma Deva was averse to marrying and then becoming a King; and, therefore, he installed again the younger brother, the powerful Vichitravîrya on the throne. O King! Bhîsma defeated by his own prowess the kings and brought the two daughters of the King Kâs’îrâj and handed them over to Satyavatî, so that she might give them over to Vichitravîrya. Then, on an auspicious day, and in an auspicious Lagna (moment) when the marriage ceremony of my brother Vichitravîrya was performed, I became glad. My brother, a good archer, was shortly afterwards attacked with consumption and thus he died without any issue. At this my mother became very sad and dejected. Seeing the husband dead, the two daughters of Kâs’îrâja became ready to preserve their religion of chastity and said to their mother-in-law, sorrowful and weeping :— We two shall accompany our husbands and become Satî (i.e., be burnt up with our husbands). O Devî! We will go to the Heavens with your son. We, the two sisters united, will enjoy with him in the Nandana Garden. The mother was very much attached to them and with the permission of Bhîsma Deva, very affectionately made them desist from this great attempt. When all the funeral obsequies of Vichitravîrya were over, my mother consulted with Bhîsma and remembered me in Hastinânagara. As soon as she remembered me, immediately I knew her mental feelings and hurriedly came to Hastinânagara [ p. 570 ] and, with my head bowed, fell prostrate before her feet, and with folded hands addressed my mother who was very much inflamed with the fire of sorrow for the death of her son, thus :— O Mother! Why have you called me here mentally? I see you are very much dejected; I am your servant; order me what I can do for you. O Mother! You are my greatest place of pilgrimage and you are my highest deity; I am very anxious since I have come here; say what you desire.
39-44. Vyâsa said :— O Best of Munis! When I said thus and waited before her, then she looked at Bhîsma standing close by and said :— “O Child! Your brother died of consumption; therefore I am very sorrowful, lest the family becomes extinct. O Intelligent One! For the continuance of the line, then, with the permission of the Gangâ’s son, I have called you here today by the Samâdhi Yoga. O son of Parâs’ara! You re-establish the name of S’ântanu that is going now to be well nigh extinct. O Vyâsa Deva! Relieve me soon from this sorrow of mine, lest this line be extinct. There are the two daughters of Kâs’îrâja, honest and good and endowed with youth and beauty. O Highly Intelligent One! Better you cohabit with them and save the family of Bhârata by begetting sons. You will not be touched with any sin.”
45-55. Vyâsa said :— O Devarsî! Hearing the mother’s words, I became very anxious and humbly told her with great shame :— “O Mother! To touch another’s wife is a very sinful act; knowing well the path of Dharma, how can I willingly and intentionally violate that? So also, the Maharsis say :— That the wife of a younger brother is like a daughter. Studying all the Vedas, how can I do this blame-worthy and adulterous act? To preserve a line of family by illegal ways is never to be done; for then the fathers of the sinners can never cross this ocean of world. How can he, who is the spiritual preceptor of all, and the writer of all the Purânas, do this act knowingly which is awfully strange and very bad and nasty in its nature.” My mother was very much plunged into the sea of sorrows for the bereavement of her son; so to preserve the family, She came again to me, weeping and said :— “O son of Parâs’ara! If you follow my word, you won’t incur any sin. O Child! If the reasonable words of the Gurus be even faulty, one should obey them according to the tradition of the S’istas. Therefore, O Child! Keep my word and preserve my honour; no sin will touch you. O Child! Think very well. Your mother is very sorry and is immersed in the ocean of afflictions; therefore it is your paramount duty to make her happy by begetting child for the continuance of the family.” Hearing my mother speaking to me thus, Bhîsma, the Gangâ’s son, the expert [ p. 571 ] in finding out truth in fine points with regard to Dharma, said to me :— O Dvaipâyana! You are wholly sinless; you ought not therefore to argue on this point; obey your mother as she says and be happy.
56-61. Vyâsa said :— O King! Hearing his words and my mother’s request, I decided to do this very hateful act with a fearless heart without any suspicion. When Ambikâ finished her ablutions after menstruation, I gladly cohabited with her in the night; but that young lady seeing my ugly ascetic form, was not attached to me; I then cursed that beautiful woman thus :— As you closed your eyes at the first cohabitation with me, your son will be born blind. O Muni! On the second day my mother enquired me when I was alone :— O Dvaipâyana! Will there be born a son of the daughter of Kâs’îrâj? I then bowed my head with shame, and told, “Mother! The son will be born blind, through my curse.” O Muni! The mother then rebuked me harshly, “O Child! Why did you curse that the son of Ambikâ would be born blind?”
Here ends the Twenty-fourth Chapter in the Sixth Book on the description of Viksepa S’akti in the discourse between Vyâsa and Nârada in the Mahâpurânam S’rî Mad Devî Bhâgavatam of 18,000 verses by Maharsi Veda Vyâsa.
On the cause of Moha of Vyâsa Deva asked before Nârada [ p. 571 ] 1-10. Vyâsa said :— OKing! The mother became astonished to hear me. Becoming very anxious for a son, she began to speak to me. O Child! The wife of your brother, the daughter Ambâlikâ of Kâs’îrâj, is a widow; she is very sorrowful; she is endowed with all auspicious signs and endowed with all good qualities; better cohabit with that beautiful young wife and get a child according to the tradition of the S’istas. Persons born blind are not entitled to kingdoms. Therefore take my word and procreate a beautiful son and thus keep my honour. O Muni! Hearing the mother’s words, I began to wait in Hastinâpura till Ambâlikâ, the daughter of Kâs’îrâj, finished her ablutions after menstruation. That King’s daughter, of curling hairs, came to me alone at her mother-in-law’s order, and became very much abashed. Seeing me an ascetic with matted hairs on my head and void of every love sentiment, perspiration came on her face; her body turned pale and her [ p. 572 ] mind void of any love towards me. When I saw that lady trembling and pale beside me, I angrily spoke :— “O One of beautiful waist! When you have turned out pale, considering your own beauty, let your son be of a pale colour.” Thus saying I spent there that night with Ambâlikâ. After enjoying her I took farewell from my mother and went to my place.
11-21. In due course, the two daughters of the King gave birth to two sons respectively, one blind and the other pale. The son of Ambikâ was named Dhritarâstra; and the son of Ambâlikâ was named Pându, as his colour was pându (pale). Mother became absent-minded when she saw the two sons in those states. After one year she again called me and said :— “O Dvaipâyana! These two persons are not so fit to become kings; therefore beget one more son beautiful and according to my liking.” When I consented, she became very glad and, in due course, asked Ambikâ to embrace me and give birth to a son, endowed with extraordinary qualities, and fit to preserve the line worthy of the Kuru dynasty. The bride did not then say anything on account of her bashfulness. But when I went in the night time according to my mother’s order, to the sleeping room, Ambikâ sent to me a maid-servant of Vichitravîrya, full of youth and beauty, and adorned with various ornaments and clothings. That maid-servant of beautiful hairs and of a swan-like gait adorned with garlands and red sandal-paste, came to me with many enchanting gestures and making me take my seat on the cot, became herself merged in love sentiments. O Muni! I became pleased with her gestures and amorous sports and passed the night, full of love towards her and played and cohabited with her. At last I gladly gave her the boon, “O Fortunate One! Your child, begotten by me, will be endowed with all good qualities, will be of good form, will be conversant with all the essences of Dharma, calm and quiet and truthful.”
22-34. In due course, a child named Vidura was born to her. Thus I had three sons; and in my mind grew up Mâyâ and affection that these were my sons. When I saw again those three sons, heroic and full of manliness, the only cause of my sorrow due to the bereavement of my son S’uka vanished away from my mind. O Lord of Dvîjas! Mâyâ is very powerful and extremely hard to be abandoned by those who are not masters of their senses; She enchants even the wise, though She does not possess any form nor any substratum nor any support. I could not find any peace, even in the forest, as my mind was attached to my mother and children. O Muni! My mind then began to oscillate like a pendulum and I remained sometime in Hastinâpura and sometime on the [ p. 573 ] banks of the Sarasvatî. I could not stay in a certain fixed place. By discrimination, the knowledge sometimes flashed in my mind :— Whose sons are these? The attachment is nothing but merely a delusion. On my death they would not be entitled to perform my S’râddha ceremony. These sons are begotten by ways and manners not sanctioned by Dharma; what happiness can they bring to me? O Muni! The powerful Mâyâ has caused this delusion in me. What! Knowing this Samsâra to be unreal, Alas! I have fallen into this well of the Darkness of delusion. Thus I repented when I thought over the matter deeply and when I was alone in a solitary place. When, subsequently, through the mediation of Bhîsma, the powerful Pându got the kingdom, I became pleased to see the prosperity of my son. O Muni! This is also the creation of Mâyâ. The daughter of the King S’ûrasena, named Kuntî, and the daughter of the King of Madra, named Mâdrî became the two beautiful wives of Pându. Pându was cursed by a Brâhmana that he would die if he cohabited with any woman; he therefore became dispassionate and quitting his kingdom, went to the forest with his two wives. Hearing Pându gone to the forest I felt pain and went to my son who was staying with his wives and consoling him, came to Hastinâpura, where I held a conversation with Dhritarâstra and then came back to the banks of the river Sarasvatî.
35-50. Pându in his forest life, got five sons out of his wives by the Devas Dharma, Vâyu, Indra, and the twin As’vins. Dharma, Vâyu, and Indra begat respectively of Kuntî the three sons Yudhisthira, Bhîmasena and Arjuna; and the two As’vins begat of Mâdrî the two sons Nakulu and Sahadeva. Once Mâdrî, full of youth and beauty, was staying alone in a solitary place and Pându seeing her embraced her and due to the curse, died. When the funeral pyre was ablaze, the chaste Mâdrî entered into the fire and died a Satî. Kuntî was prevented from doing so, as she was to nurse and look after her young children. The Munis then took the sorrowful Kuntî, the daughter of S’ûrasena, bereft of her husband to Hastinâpur and handed her over to the high-souled Bhîsma and Vidura. When I came to hear this, my mind was greatly agitated to see the pain and pleasure that other people suffered. Bhîsma, Vidura, and Dhritarâstra began to nourish and support Yudhisthira and others as they considered them the sons of their dearest Pându. The cruel and wicked sons of Dhritarâstra, Duryodhana and others united with each other and began to quarrel horribly with the sons of Pându. Dronâchârya came there accidentally and Bhîsma treated him with great respect and requested him to stay in Hastinâpura and educate the sons of Kuru. Karna was the the son of [ p. 574 ] Kuntî, when she was young and unmarried; and he was quitted by her no sooner he was born. The charioteer Sûta (or carpenter) Adhiratha found him in a river and nourished him. Karna was the foremost of the heroes and therefore the great favourite of Duryodhana. The enmity between Bhîma and Duryodhana, etc., began to grow greater day by day. Dhritarâstra, thinking the difficult situation of his children, fixed the residence of the sons of Pându at the Vâranâvata city so that the quarrels might die away. Out of enmity, Duryodhana ordered his dear friend Purochana to build there a house of lac for the Pândavas. O Muni! When I heard that Kuntî and her five sons were burnt in the lac-house, I became merged in the ocean of sorrows and thought that they were my grandsons. I was overwhelmed with sorrow and began to search after them in deep forests day and night till at last I found them in Ekachakrâ city, lean and thin and very much distressed with sorrow.
51-63. I became very glad to see them and sent them soon to the city of the King Drupada. Wearing the deer’s skin, they went there dejected with sorrow in the Brâhmin’s dress and stayed in the royal court. The victorious Arjuna shewed prowess and pierced the mark (the eye of the fish) and obtained Krisnâ, the daughter of the King Drupada. By the order of the mother Kuntî, the five brothers married her. O Muni! I became very glad to see that they were all married. The Pândavas , then, accompanied by Pânchâlî, soon went to Hastinâpura. Dhritarâstra then fixed Khândavaprastha as the residence of the Pândavas. Visnu, the son of Vâsudeva, then performed the Yajñâ with the victorious Arjuna and satisfied the Great Fire. The Pândavas next performed the Râjasûya sacrifice and that made me very glad. Seeing the affluence and prosperity of the Pândavas and the great assembly hall beautiful and exquisitely artistic, Duryodhana was burnt up, as it were, with malice and made arrangements for play in dice, very injurious in its consequences. S’akuni was expert in playing deceitfully and Yudhisthira the son of Dharma, was not expert in this play. So Duryodhana made S’akuni play for him and stole away all that Yudhisthira had and insulted, at last, in the royal assembly, the daughter of Drupada, Yajñâsenî and gave her much trouble. The Pândavas then went with Pânchâlî in an exile in the forest for twelve years. And I was very much grieved to hear this O Muni! Though I know all about the Sanâtan Dharma, yet I was deluded and merged in these worlds of pains and pleasures. Who am I? To whom do these sons belong? My mind roams day and night on the thought of all these. O Muni! What shall I do? And whither shall I go? I don’t find happiness anywhere; my mind is, as it were, floating in a [ p. 575 ] rocking machine and it is never being fixed. O Best of Munis! You are all-knowing; solve my doubts so that my mental fever may be quietened and I may be happy.
Here ends the Twenty-fifth Chapter on the cause of Moha of Vyâsa Deva asked before Nârada in S’rî Mad Devi Bhâgavatam of 18,000 verses by Maharsi Veda Vyâsa.
On the description by Nârada of his own Moha [ p. 575 ] 1-13. Vyâsa said :— O King! When I asked him why this delusion overtook me, Maharsi Nârada smiled and said :— “O son of Parâs’ara! You are thoroughly acquainted with all the Purânas. Why then are you making this question about the cause of my Moha (delusion). No embodied soul can exist in this Samsâra without this Moha. Brahmâ, Visnu, Rudra, and the other Devas, S’anaka, Kapila and the other Risis, all these are surrounded by Mâyâ and are thus travelling in this path of Samsâra. The people know me as a Jñânin; but I, too, am deluded like an ordinary man. I am now speaking to you as certain as anything my of previous history now. I was deluded by Mâyâ; hear it attentively. O Son of Vâsavî! Great troubles and pains were felt by me before, due to this Moha, for my wife. One day Parvata and I, the two Devarsis, went out together from the Devaloka to see the excellent portion of the earth named Bhârata and came to the Martyaloka or the land of the mortals. We then began to travel over various places and saw the places of pilgrimages and the holy places and the beautiful hermitages of the Munis. Before we went out from the Devaloka, we consulted with each other and entered into this agreement that we would not hide our feelings from each other, whether they be good or bad, while we would travel over the face of the earth. Whether it be our desire to get food, or wealth or women for enjoyment, whatever arises in the mind of any of us, we would express that freely amongst ourselves. Thus making an agreement, we went out in right earnest as Munis to travel over the face of this earth. Thus roaming all over the face of the earth, at the end of the summer season, when the rainy season commenced we came to the beautiful city of the King named S’anjaya. The King showed us great respect and worshipped us with devotion. Since then we remained for four months at his house.
14-33. During the four months of the rainy season, the roads are always almost impassable; it is, therefore, wise to stay at one place. For eight months, the Dvîjas should always remain abroad on some work [ p. 576 ] or other. Thinking all these, we two began to stay in the house of the King S’anjaya. That liberal minded King gladly and with respect kept us as his guests and tendered to us all our requirements. The King had a very beautiful daughter named Damayantî, with good teeth. The King ordered her to take care of us. That large-eyed princess, of great discrimination, was very energetic, day and night. She began to serve both of us. In due time she gave us water for our bath, excellent meat, food, towels for cleaning and rubbing our faces, in fact, everything what we desired. She kept ready for us whatever we desired, fans, seats, beds, whatever were necessary for us. Thus she began to serve. We were also engaged in the study of our Vedas and in those practises that were approved by the Vedas. O Dvaipâyana! I used to sing, then, with lute in my hands, the sweet lovely Sâma Gâyatrî songs in tunes and good Svaras. The princess herself appreciated the songs and when she heard these Sâma songs ravishing to one’s mind, she became attached to me and showed signs of affection. Day by day the attachment towards me grew stronger. Seeing her attached to me, my mind also became attached to her. Thus that princess indulged in amorous sentiments towards me and began to make slight distinctions between the food and other things offered to me and Parvata. I got warm water for my bath and Parvata used to get cold water; I got nice curds when food was served to me whereas Parvata got only whey. I got nice white bedding for myself to sleep on whereas Parvata had merely a dirty sheet to lie down. Thus the princess began to serve me with great love and devotion but not so she served Parvata. The fair lady began to look at me with eyes of love; not so towards Parvata. Parvata was very much surprised to see all this and thought within himself, “What is this?” Parvata, then, asked me in private :— “O Nârada! Speak out to me truly in detail. The princess shews with much gladness and affection her deep love towards you; she serves you with dainty dishes but she behaves not so with me. I therefore suspect when I see all these distinctions made between you and me, that the daughter of the King S’anjaya wants with her heart and soul to make you her husband. And you also want to make her your wife. 1 have come to know this by signs and symptoms; for affection and love reigning inside can be made out by outward expressions of eyes and face. Whatever this be, O Muni! Now speak truly to me; do never tell a lie. When we went out from the Heavens, we made out that agreement; now remember that.”
34-42. Nârada said :— Thus questioned suddenly by Parvata, I became very much abashed and said :— “O Parvata! This large-eyes princess is ready to marry me and I am also very much attracted towards [ p. 577 ] her.” When Parvata heard all these, he became very much angry and uttered repeatedly, “Fie! O Nârada! Fie! O Nârada! First you swore on oath and then you deceived me afterwards. Therefore, O Deceiver of friends! I curse you and let your face become that of a monkey.” When the high-souled Parvata cursed thus, the face turned immediately into that of a monkey, elongated and distorted. I did not excuse him, though he was my sister’s son. I also got angry and cursed him, “Certainly, your journey to the Heavens will be stopped. You will not be able to go to Heaven. O Parvata! When you cursed me so heavily for so trivial a fault of mine, I see you are very mean. Whatever it be, you will have to remain on earth so long.” At this Parvata became very sad and went out of the city. My face became immediately like that of a monkey. The daughter of the King became very sorry to see my face thus distorted into that of a monkey. I did not see her glad as she was before; but her desire to hear my playing with my lute remained the same as before.
43-52. Vyâsa said :— O Muni! What happened next? How did you get yourself rid of your curse and how did you get your man-like face? Whither did Parvata Risi go! When and how did you again re-unite with each other? Kindly describe all these to me in detail. Nârada said :— “O Highly Intelligent One! What shall I say about the nature of Mâyâ? When Parvata went away angrily, the daughter of the King began to serve me with greater care than before. I remained there, though Parvata went away, and seeing my face monkey-like, I became very dejected and sorry and was specially troubled with the care and anxiety what would happen to me hereafter? The King S’anjaya saw that his daughter Damayantî was slipping into her youth and asked the prime minister about her marriage. He said :— “The time of marriage of my dear daughter has now come; I will now marry her in accordance with due rites and ceremonies. Now tell me particularly about a prince worthy of her, as we like, in beauty, qualifications, largeheartedness, calmness, patience and heroism and who is of a good family.” The minister said :— “O King! There are many princes on the face of this earth, worthy in all respects, of your daughter. Whomever you like, you can call on him and give him your daughter with elephants, horses, chariots, wealth, gems and jewels.”
53-57. Damayantî, knowing the intention of his father informed the King of her own desire by her nurse and attendant. The nurse went to the King and said :— “When my father will sit at his ease and comfort you would go and speak to him in private that I am enchanted with the [ p. 578 ] enchanting Nâda sound of the great lute played by the Maharsi Nârada and have selected him as my bridegroom. No other person will be dear to me. O Father! Marry me with Nârada and thus fulfil my desire; O Knower of Dharma! I won’t marry anybody but Nârada. O Father! I am now merged in the Nâda-ocean (sound ocean) of bliss, sweet and joyful, void of anything destructive of happiness, void of Nakra, alligators, and fishes, Timingala, etc. (injurious animals) and without any salty taste; my mind won’t be satisfied with any other thing.”
Here ends the Twenty sixth Chapter of the Sixth Book on the description by Nârada of his own Moha in the Mahâpurânam S’rî Mad Devî Bhâgavatam of 18,000 verses by Maharsi Veda Vyâsa
On the marriage of Nârada and his face getting transformed into that of a monkey [ p. 578 ] 1-13. Nârada said :— On hearing these words of her daughter from her nurse, the King addressed the queen Kaikeyî, of lovely eyes, standing close by, thus :— “Have you heard what the nurse has said? Damayantî has mentally chosen the monkey-faced Nârada as her husband. What has she thought? Whatever it be, it is no doubt, an act of great foolishness. His face is monkey-like; how can I betroth my daughter to him? Where is an ugly beggar Nârada? And where is my daughter Damayantî? The marriage between them is quite unjust; never it should take place. O Beautiful One of good hairs! Better call her before you in private and show her reasons approved of the S’âstras and of the aged persons and make her desist from such a rash course.” On hearing her husband’s words, the mother of Damayantî called her in private and said :— “O Child! Where is your this beautiful face? And where is the monkey-like face of Nârada? You are smart and quick; how have you been, then, deluded by such a Moha? O Child! You are the daughter of a king! Your body is gentle like a creeper. And Nârada always besmears his body with ashes; so his body is very rough. O Spotless One! How will you change your words with him? Why do you shew your attachment to an ugly person? What pleasure do you feel thereby? You would be married to a beautiful prince; never follow this rash course; your father is very sorry to hear these from your nurse. O One of soft body! Judge this yourself, what intelligent man is there that is not sorry at the soft Mâlatî creeper entwining a thorny tree? Even a stupid silly man would never [ p. 579 ] feed a camel, that likes thorns, with soft betel-leaves. When your marriage time arrives, say yourself, who will not be sorry to see you going to Nârada and embracing him by his arms! Nobody likes to speak with an ugly faced one; how will you be able to spend your time with him till your death!”
14-29. Nârada said :— On hearing the mother’s words, the gentle Damayantî, with her mind intently fixed on me, spoke to her mother, very much depressed in her spirits. “O Mother! What good face and beautiful form will avail, who is not in the path of love and who is quite ignorant of amorous feelings and sentiments! And what will the wealth and kingdoms of that unskilled illiterate person avail! The deer, that roam in the forest, getting enchanted by the Nâda (sound) Rasa, give up their lives even to the singers. So they are fortunate. But fie to the persons who are illiterate and void of feelings of love! O Mother! Nârada Risi is well conversant with the science of music with seven Svaras. No other man save Mahâ Deva knows this. Living with an illiterate person is courting death at every moment. One devoid of qualifications should be always avoided, by all means, though he be wealthy and of a beautiful form. Fie on the friendship with kings that are illiterate and puffed up with vain arrogance! A well-qualified man, be he even a beggar, is far better to be cultivated friendship with. Leaving other circumstances out of account, even to change words with such a well qualified man, makes one highly delighted. The man is very rare in this world, though he be weak, if he be well versed in the science of music and if he knows Svara, Grâma, Murchchanâ and be skilled in eight sentiments of love. [Note :— Svara - Sadaja, Risabha, Gândhâra, Madhyama, Panchama, Dhaivata and Nisâda. Grâma - the gradual increase and decrease in Svaras. Murchchana - the rising of sounds, an intonation; a duly regulated rise and fall of sound conducting the air and the harmony through the keys in a pleasing manner; changing the key or passing from one key to another; modulation; melody]. The man versed in the knowledge of Svara leads one to the Heaven of Kailâs’a as the rivers Ganges and Sarasvatî by their own merits lead one to Kailâs’a. There is not the least doubt in this. He is a Deva in his human body who knows the Svara measure; and he who does not know the Svara and its seven grades is a beast though he has a human form - he who finds no delight when he hears the tune regulated by Murchchanâ and the seven Svaras. Do not consider the deer as beasts for they get enchanted when they hear the musical notes. The venomous snakes, though they have no ears, get delighted to hear the enchanting Svara Nâda by their eyes. They even are to be praised; [ p. 580 ] but fie on those human beings who have ears but who do not find any delight when they hear the Nâda! The little children feel intense pleasure to hear the music, but fie, fie on those elders who are void of this musical sentiments! Does not my father know that Nârada is ornamented with many qualifications? Who is there in the three worlds like him in singing the Sâma songs! For this very reason, indeed! I have already selected him as my husband; afterwards, due to a curse, the Muni, the ocean of qualifications, got his face changed into that of a monkey. The Kinnaras, skilled in the science of music, have their faces horse-like; but are they not dear to all? What business have they to get good faces? They enchant the Devas even by their sweet ravishing songs. O Mother! Kindly tell my father that I have already chosen Nârada as my husband. Therefore let him deliver me to his hands, without making any further requests in this matter.”
30-40. Nârada said :— On hearing the words of her daughter Damayantî, that unblameable pure queen knowing her attachment deep towards me, spoke to the King thus :— “O King! Now celebrate in an auspicious day and on an auspicious moment the auspicious marriage of Damayantî; the daughter has said that she has already selected Nârada as her bridegroom and it cannot be other-wise.” Thus prompted by the queen, the King S’anjaya performed the marriage ceremony of her daughter in accordance with due rites and customs and in an exceedingly becoming manner. O Risi! Thus I entered into the married life and remained there though my heart constantly burned with the thought of my monkey-face. Whenever the princess used to come to me for my service, I used to get tormented with the remembrance of my monkey-face; but her face beamed with gladness whenever she saw me; never she became sorry nor dejected, even for a moment, to see my face monkey-like. Thus time passed on. One day the Muni Parvata suddenly came there, after making his sojourn to many places of pilgrimages. I showed him a great respect and gladly loved him and greeted him duly; he got himself seated in an excellent Âsana and became very sorry to see me. I am his uncle and have entered into a married life; my face has become monkey-like. Therefore I am very much depressed in spirits and worried with the sad thought and has become lean and thin. Seeing this he was overwhelmed with pity. He then said :— “O Muni! The curse that I cast on you before out of my anger, I now withdraw. Hear. O Maharsi! Let your face be by my merits, again as good as it was before; I now feel pity for the daughter of the King.”
41-52. Hearing thus, my heart also became gentle and instantly with a view to free him of my curse, I said :— “Let your journey to [ p. 581 ] the Heavens be re-established. I now make this special favour on you as regards my curse on you before.” O Dvaipâyana! At his word, before our sight, my face became exceedingly handsome as it was before. The princess Damayantî became very glad and instantly she went to the mother and said :— “O Mother! At the word of Parvata, the great Muni, the curse of your son-in-law has been removed and his face has become handsome as before and the lustre of his body has also increased.” The queen was very much filled with ecstasy and joy at Damayantî’s words and went hurriedly and informed the King. The King S’anjaya gladly went at once to see the Muni. The great King became very glad and gave lots of wealth, gems and jewels to me and my nephew Parvata as a dowry. O Dvaipâyana! Thus I have described to you my old story how I felt the strong influence of Mâyâ. O Fortunate One! Owing to the illusory nature of the Gunas, like a magic, no embodied being in this world could have been happy before, or he is happy now or he will be happy hereafter. Lust, anger, greed, jealousy, attachment, egoism, and vanity, each one of these is very powerful; nobody is able to conquer these. O Muni! The three Gunas Sâttva, Râjas and Tâmas are the entire causes of the coming into this bodily existence of every being. O Dvaipâyana! Once I was passing with Bhagavân Visnu, laughing and joking, making merriments through a forest, when suddenly I was transformed into a woman. Next I became the wife of a king enchanted by Mâyâ, I remained in his house and gave birth to many children.
53-56. Vyâsa said :— O Devarsi! A great doubt has now arisen in my mind at your word. O Muni! You are very wise; how then did you get womanhood; how again did you regain your manhood? Who was the king at whose house you stayed and how did you give birth to children; describe fully and satisfy my curiosity. Describe to me, now, the nature of Mâyâ, extremely wonderful, by which this entire universe, moving and non-moving, all are enchanted. O Muni! Though I have heard your nectar-like words, capable to remove all the doubts, embodying the essence of all the S’âstras, yet I am not fully satiated.
Here ends the Twenty-seventh Chapter of the Sixth Book on the marriage of Nârada and his face getting transformed into that of a monkey in S’rî Mad Devî Bhâgavatam of 18,000 verses by Maharsi Veda Vyâsa.
On Nârada’s getting the feminine form [ p. 582 ] 1-11. Nârada said :— O Thou whose only wealth consists in asceticism! I am now describing to you all those good stories; hear attentively. O Muni! This Mâyâ and Her Power are incomprehensible even by those who are the foremost amongst the Yogins. This whole Universe, moving and non-moving, from Brahmâ to the blade of grass, is enchanted by that Unborn and Incomprehensible Mâyâ; therefore no one can escape from the hands of that Mâyâ. One day I wanted to see Hari, of wonderful deeds, and went out with lute in my hand from Satyaloka, to the lovely S’veta Dvîpa (the residence of Visnu) singing the beautiful Sâma hymns in tune with the seven Svaras. I saw there Gadâdhara, the Deva of the Devas, with four arms holding disc in one of his hands. He resembled a newly-formed rain-cloud of S’yâma colour. He was illumined with the lustre of the Kaustubha jewel in his breast. He was wearing an yellow apparel. His head was beautified with a lustrous crown. Thus the Bhagavân Nârâyana was playing in amorous movements with the daughter of the ocean, fully capable to give one delight and enjoyment. Seeing me, the lovely Devî Kamalâ, dear to Vâsudeva, full of youth and beauty, decorated with ornaments, endowed with all auspicious signs, superior to all the women, went away at once (to another room) from the presence of Janârdana. The breast of Laksmî Devî was becoming visible even through the cloth thrown over it; therefore she went hurriedly to the inner compartment. Seeing this I asked Janârdana, the Deva of the Devas, the Lord of the worlds, and holding a garland of forest grown flowers thus :— “O Bhagavân! O Slayer of Mura! O Padmanâbha! Why has Kamalâ Devî, the Mother of all the Lokas, on seeing me coming here, gone out of Your presence. O Lord of the worlds! I am not a rogue nor a cheat; I have conquered my passions and am become an ascetic; I have conquered even Mâyâ. Therefore O Deva! What is the cause of the departure of the Kamalâ Devî from here? Kindly explain this to me.”
12-20. Nârada said :— O Dvaipâyana! Hearing my words, expressive of my pride, Janârdana smiled and spoke to me in words sweet like the sound of a lute :— “O Nârada! The rule in such cases is this :— The wife of any man whatsoever ought not to stay before any other male outsider than her husband. O Nârada! It is very hard to conquer Mâyâ; even those, who by Prânâyâma have conquered their Prâna Vâyu, their organs of senses and their food, even those Sâmkhya Yogins and the Devas are not able to conquer Mâyâ. The words that you have just now uttered that you [ p. 583 ] have conquered Mâyâ are not fit to come out of your mouth; for by your knowledge of music, it seems that you are enchanted with the sounds of the music. Brahmâ, I, S’iva, and the other Munis, none of us has been able as yet to conquer that Unborn Mâyâ; how, then, can it be possible that you or any other man can conquer that Mâyâ! Any embodied being, be he a Deva, a human being, or a bird, no one is able to conquer that Mâyâ Unborn. Whoever is endowed with the three Gunas, be he a knower of the Vedas, or a Yogin, or conqueror of his passions, or all knowing, is not able to conquer Mâyâ. The Great Time (Kâla) though formless, is one form of Mâyâ and fashions this universe. All the Jîvas are subservient to this Kâla, be he a good literary person, or of a mediocre nature, or an illiterate brute. This Kâla sometimes makes even a religious man that knows Dharma confounded and deluded; so you know the nature of Mâyâ is very incomprehensible and Her ways mysterious.” (Note: This Kâla is of the fourth dimension, time and space.)
21-23. O Dvaipâyana! Thus saying, Visnu stopped. I was greatly astonished and asked that Eternal Vâsudeva, the Deva of the Devas, the Lord of the World, “O Lord of Ramâ! What is the form of Mâyâ? How is She? What is the measure of Her strength? Where She resides? Whose substratum is She? Kindly tell these to me. O Preserver of the Universe! I am greatly desirous to see Mâyâ; Shew Her to me quickly. O Lord of Ramâ! I am very eager to know Mâyâ. Be graciously pleased to describe tome the glory of Mâyâ.”
24-36. Visnu said :— Mâyâ resides everywhere throughout this whole Universe; Her nature consists of the three Gunas; She is the substratum of all; She is omniscient, and acknowledged by all; invisible, and of diverse forms. O Nârada! If you want to see Mâyâ, then come quickly and mount with me on Garuda; we both will go elsewhere and I will shew you that Mâyâ, invincible by those who have not conquered themselves. O Son of Brahmâ! Don’t be depressed when you see Mâyâ. Thus saying, Janârdana Hari remembered Garuda and instantly he came to Hari. Janârdana mounted on him and gladly made me also get up on his back and took me with Him. In a moment Garuda, went, at his command, with the speed of wind to the forest where the Bhagavân desired to go. Mounting on Garuda we passed and saw on our way beautiful forests, nice lakes, rivers, towns, villages, huts of cultivators, towns close to the mountains, huts for cow-keepers in cowsheds, the beautiful hermitages of the Munis, lovely Jhils, tanks and lakes beautified with big lotuses, flocks of ewes, packs of wild boars, etc., till, at last, we came to a place close to Kanauj. I saw there a beautiful divine tank; nice lotuses blossomed there, spreading their sweet fragrance all around; the bees [ p. 584 ] were making lovely humming noise and ravishing away the minds of men; various flowers, lilies, etc., were beautifying the place; Geese, Kârandavas, and Chakravâkas and other acquatic fowls were playing with their cackling noise, the water was very sweet like milk; the tank was defying, as it were the ocean. Seeing such a wonderful tank, the Bhagavân told me :— “O Nârada! See, how beautiful is this deep tank with its clear waters, and adorned all over with lotuses! The sweet voiced flamingoes are roaming on the lake making lovely sounds!
37-54. We will bathe in this tank and then go to the city Kanauj. Thus saying, He made me descend quickly from Garuda and He himself also got down. Then the Bhagavân smilingly caught hold of my fore-finger and repeatedly praising the glory of the tank took me to its bank. We rested a while on the cool umbrageous beautiful bank when S’rî Bhagavân said :— “O Muni! Better bathe you first in this tank; next I will bathe in this very holy pool of water. O Nârada! Look! Look! How clear crystal-like is the water of this pool like the heart of a saint; see how it smells also fragrantly in contact with the lotuses on it.” When the Bhagavân spoke thus to me; I kept my lute and deer skin aside and gladly went to the edge of the tank. Washing then my hands and feet I tied my hair lock and, taking Kus’a grass, I performed my Âchaman and, purifying myself, began to bathe myself in that tank. While I was bathing, Hari was looking at me; by the time I took a dip, I saw that I quitted my male form and got a beautiful female form. Hari took away, then, my deer skin and lute and mounting on Garuda went away in a moment to His own residence. Getting the female form and decorated with excellent ornaments, my memory of my previous male form vanished at once; I forgot all about my famous lute and forgot also Jagannâtha, the Deva of the Devas. I then came out of the tank in that enchanting woman form, saw the pool of water filled with clear limpid water and adorned with lotuses. Seeing that, I began to think :— “What is this?” and I became very much astonished. While I was thus meditating in my woman form, a king, named Tâladhvaja, came there, all on a sudden, on a chariot, accompanied by numerous elephants and horses. The King looked like a second Cupid; he was decorated with various ornaments on his various limbs; he was just entering into his youth and he looked very enchanting. The King saw me at once and looking at me decked with divine ornaments and my moon-like face, was greatly astonished and asked me :— “O Kalyâni! Who are you? Are you the daughter of a man or of a Nâga (serpent) or of a Gandharva or of a Deva? I see you are now in your youth; why are you alone here? O Lovely-eyed!
[ p. 585 ]
Has any fortunate person married you? Or are you still unmarried? Speak all these truly to me. O Fair-haired One! What are you looking at in this tank? O One enchanting, as it were, like the Cupid! What is your desire? Say, O Slanting-eyed! My mind is ravished to hear your cuckoo-like voice. O One of thin waist! Choose me as your husband and enjoy various excellent things as you like.”
Here ends the Twenty-eighth Chapter of the Sixth Book on Nârada’s getting the feminine form in the Mahâpurânam S’rî Mad Devî Bhâgavatam of 18,000 verses by Maharsi Veda Vyâsa.
On the Nârada’s getting again his male form [ p. 585 ] 1-11. Nârada said :— O Dvaipâyana! When the King Tâladhvaja asked me thus, I thought over earnestly and said thus :— “I do not know whose daughter I am; nor do I know quite certainly where are my father and mother; one man placed me here on this tank and has gone away, whither I do not know. O King! I am now an helpless orphan; what shall I do now? Where to go? What to do by which I can have my welfare? I am all the while thinking on these. O King! The Destiny is powerful; I have not the least control over it; you know Dharma and you are a King. Do now as you like. O King! Do nourish me; I have no father, no mother, nor any acquaintances and friends; there is no place for me also to stand on; therefore I am now your dependent.” When I spoke thus, the King looked at my face and became love-stricken for me; he then told his attendants to bring an excellent rectangular and spacious palanquin to be carried on four men’s shoulders, gilt and adorned with jewels and pearls, where soft sheets were spread inside and covered all over with silken cloths. Instantly the servants went away and brought for me a beautiful palanquin. I got on it to serve the best wishes of the King. The King also gladly took me home. In an auspicious day and in an auspicious moment he married me in accordance with due rites and ceremonies in the presence of the Holy Fire.
12. I became dearer to him than even his own life and the King, with great fondness, kept my name as Saubhâgya Sundarî.
13-20. The King then began to sport with me amorously according to the rules of the Kâma S’âstra in various ways and with great enjoyments and pleasures. He then left all his kingly duties and state affairs and he began to remain day and night with me deeply immersed in amorous sports; [ p. 586 ] so much his mind was merged in me in these plays that he could not notice the long time that passed away in the interval. He used to drink the Vârunî wine and, forsaking all the state affairs, began to enjoy me in nice gardens, beautiful lakes, lovely palaces, beautified houses, excellent mountains and enviable forests and became completely subservient to me. O Dvaipâyana! Being incessantly engaged with the King in amorous sports and remaining obedient to him, my previous body, male ideas, or the birth of Muni, nothing whatsoever came in my memory. I remained always attached to him, being obedient to him with a view to be happy and I constantly thought over “that this King is very much attached to me, I am his dearest wife to all others; always he thinks of me, I am his chief consort, capable to give him enjoyment.” My mind became entirely his and I completely forgot the eternal Brahmajñân and the knowledge of the Dharma S’âstras.
21-31. O Muni! Thus engaged in various amorous sports, twelve years passed away as if a moment and I could not perceive that. Then I became pregnant; and the King became very glad and performed all the ceremonies pertaining to my impregnation and holding of the child in my womb. In order to satisfy me, the King used to ask me always what things I liked; I used to be very much abashed; seeing this, the King used to be still more glad. Ten months thus passed away and in an auspicious Lagna and when the asterism was favourably strong, I gave birth to a son; the King became very glad and great festivities were held on the birth ceremony of the child. O Dvaipâyana! When the period of the birth-impurity was over, the King saw the face of the child and was greatly delighted; I then became the dearest wife of the King. Two years after again I became impregnated; the second auspicious son was born. The King gave the name Sudhanvâ to the second son and on the authority of the Brâhmins, kept the name of the eldest son as Vîravarmâ. Thus I gave birth to twelve sons, in due course of time, to the King’s great liking; and I was engaged in rearing up those children and thus I remained enchanted. Again in due course, I gave birth to eight sons; thus my household was filled with happiness. The King performed the marriage ceremonies of all those children duly and befittingly; and our family became very large with sons and their wives.
32-52. Then I had some grandsons and they increased my attachment and the consequent delusion with their all sorts of playful sports. Sometimes I felt happy and prosperous and sometimes I felt pain and sorrow when my sons fell ill. Then my body and mind became very much troubled with sorrows. Again the quarrels amongst my sons and my daughters-in- [ p. 587 ] law, brought terrible pain and remorse in my mind. O Best of Munis! Thus I was greatly immersed in the terrible ocean of these imaginary thoughts, sometimes happy and sometimes painful, and I forgot my previous knowledge and the knowledge of the S’âstras. I was merged in the thought of myself being a woman and lost myself entirely in doing the household affairs. I began to think “that I have so many daughters-in-law; so many powerful sons of mine are playing together in my house; Oh! I am fortunate and full of merits amongst women” and thus my egoistic pride increased. Not for a moment even occurred the thought that I had been Nârada; the Bhagavân had deceived me by His Mâyâ. O Krisna Dvaipâyana! I was deluded by Mâyâ and passed away my time in the thought “that I am the king’s wife, chaste and of good conduct following good Âchâra; I have so many sons and grandsons; I am blessed in this Samsâra and that I am so happy and prosperous.” One powerful king of a distant country turned out an inveterate enemy of my husband and came to the city of Kanauj to fight with my husband, accompanied by chariots, and elephants and the fourfold army. That enemy besieged the city with his army; my sons and grandsons went out and fought valiantly with him but owing to the great Destiny, the enemies killed all my sons. The King retreated and returned to his palace. Next I heard that powerful King killed all my sons and grandsons and had gone back to his country with his army. I then hurriedly went to the battlefield, crying loudly. O Long-lived One! Seeing my sons and grandsons lying on the ground, in that horrible and distressed state, I became merged in the ocean of sorrows and lamented and wept loudly and wildly, “O my Sons! Where have you gone leaving me thus? Alas! The pernicious Fate is very dominant, and very painsgiving and indomitable. It has killed me today.” By this time, the Bhagavân Madhusûdana came to me there in the garb of a beautiful aged Brâhmin. His dress was sacred and lovely; it seemed he was versed in the Vedas. Seeing me weeping distressedly in the battlefield he said :— “O Devî! O cuckoo-voiced One! It seems you are the mistress of a prosperous house and you have got husband and sons! O thin-bodied One! Why are you thus lamenting and feeling yourself distressed! All this is simply illusion caused by Moha; think; who are you? whose sons are these? Now think of your best hereafter; Don’t weep, get up and be comfortable, O Good-eyed one!
53-54. O Devî! To shew respect to your sons, etc., gone to the other worlds, offer them water and Til. The friends of the deceased ought to take their bath in a place of pilgrimage; never they should bathe in their houses. Know this as ordained by Dharma. [ p. 588 ] 55-66. Nârada said :— O Dvaipâyan! When the old Brâhmin thus addressed me, I and the King and other friends got up. The Bhagavân Madhusûdana causing this creation, in the form of a Brâhmana, led the way and I followed him quickly to that sacred place of pilgrimage. The Visnu Bhagavân, the Lord Janârdana Hari, in the form of a Brâhmin, kindly took me to the tank named Pumtîrtha (male tîrtha) and said :— “O One going like an elephant! Better take your bath in this tank; forego your sorrows that are of no use; now the time has arrived to offer water to your sons. Better think that you had millions of sons born to you in your previous births and for that your millions of sons and daughters lost their lives; you had millions of fathers, husbands, and brothers and you lost them again; O Devî! Now tell me for whom you will now grieve? All these, then, are merely mental phenomena; this world is full of delusion, false like a mirage and dream-like; the embodied souls, simply get pains and sorrows and nothing else.” Nârada said :— On hearing his words, I went to bathe in that Pumtîrtha, as ordered by him. Taking a dip, I found that, in an instant, I became a man; the Bhagavân Hari, in his own proper form, was standing on the edge with a lute in his hand. O Brâhmin! When getting out of the water, I came to the bank and saw the lotus-eyed Krisna, pure consciousness then flashed in my heart. Then I thought “that I am Nârada; I have come to this place and being deluded by the Mâyâ of Hari, I got the female form.” When I was thinking thus, Hari exclaimed, “O Nârada! Get up; what are you doing, standing in the water?” I was astonished; and, recollecting my feminine nature, very severe indeed, began to think why I was again transformed into a male form.
Here ends the Twenty-ninth Chapter of the Sixth Book on the Nârada’s getting again his male form in the Mahâpurânam S’rî Mad Devî Bhâgavatam of 18,000 verses by Maharsi Veda Vyâsa.
On the glory of Mahâ Mâyâ [ p. 588 ] 1-14. Nârada said :— O Best of Munis! The King was greatly astonished to see me dip in the tank in a female figure and get up from the tank in a male figure and thought, “Where is my dearest wife? And how is this Nârada Muni suddenly come here!” The King, not seeing his wife, lamented very much and cried frequently, “O my dear Wife! Where have you gone, leaving me here thus. Without you, O One of spacious hips! My life, palace and [ p. 589 ] kingdom, all, are quite useless. O Lotus-eyed one! What shall I do? O Smiling One! Why is not my life getting out of my body, suffering thus from thy separation? Without you, my sentiment of love has left me for ever. O Large-eyed One! Now I am lamenting for you. O Dear! Better give me your sweet reply; the love that you expressed at our first union, where has it gone now? O One with good eyebrows! Are you sunk in the water and have you given up your life? Or are you devoured by fishes or crocodiles? Or are you carried away by Varuna, the Deva of the waters, to my great misfortune? O One of beautiful limbs! You are blessed, as you have gone away with your sons; O sweet-speaking One! Your affection for them was not artificial. Is it right for you to go up to the Heavens, attached by affection for your sons, leaving me your distressed husband alone, thus weeping for your separation? O Dear! I have lost both, you and my sons; yet death is not carrying me away; O! How hard is my lot! What to do? Where to go? Râma is not now in this world. He knew what was the pain caused by the separation from one’s dearest wife. Oh! The cruel Fate has ordained very unwisely with great inconsistency the periods of parting from one another at different periods; when their minds and all other things are exactly the same in all circumstances of pleasure and pain. The practice of Satî (burning with one’s deceased husband), as ordained by the Munis, is certainly for the good of the chaste women; but it would have been good no doubt, were there such practices allowed for the men to burn themselves with their deceased wives.” Bhagavân Hari then spoke to the lamenting King in reasonable words and consoled him thus :— “O King! Why are you thus troubling yourself with pain and sorrow? Where has gone your dearest wife? Have you not heard anything of S’âstras? or Have you not taken any shelter of any wise man!
15-27. Who was your wife? Who are you? Of what nature was your union and disunion and where did it take place? The union of wives and sons in this S’amsâra is momentary like the meetings of persons on boats, while crossing a river. O King! Now go home, there is no use in your weeping thus in vain; the union and disunion of men are always under the control of Fate, the Daiva; therefore the wise should not lament for them. O King! Your union with the woman took place here; and now you have lost that beautiful, thin-bodied, large-eyed woman here also. Her father and mother you have not seen; you have got her like what is heard in the story of the crow and the Tâl fruit; as you got her wonderfully, so you have lost her wonderfully. O King! Do not grieve; Time cannot be ruled over; go home and [ p. 590 ] enjoy yourself subservient to Time. That beautiful woman has gone away in the manner she came to you; you ought to do your stately affairs in the way as you used to do before as the ruler of all. O King! Consider that if you weep day and night, that women will never return; why then are you giving vent to your sorrows in vain? Go now and have recourse to the path of the Yoga and thus while away your time. The enjoyable things come in course of time and they go away again in due course; therefore in this world of no gain whatsoever, the wise should never lament. Continuous pleasure or continuous pain does not always take place; pleasure and pain are never steady; they rotate always like a rotary instrument. Therefore, O King! Make your mind calm and quiet and rule happily your kingdom; or make over the charge of the kingdom to your sons and retire to the forest. This human body is seldom obtained; it is frail; therefore getting that body it is advisable to practise the realisation of the Supreme. O King! This organ of generation and this tongue reside also with the beasts, the peculiarity of human body is that knowledge can be realised in it; not in any other
inferior births. Therefore leave your home, leave your sorrows for your wife; all this is the Mâyâ of Bhagavân; by Her the world is deluded.”
28-37. Nârada said :— Bhagavân Hari speaking thus, the King bowed down to Him, the Deva of the Devas and finishing the bathing duties returned to his home. He then became possessed of dispassion and discrimination and making over the charge of his kingdom to his grandsons retired to the forest and realised the Supreme Knowledge. When the King went away, the Bhagavân began to laugh and laugh, seeing me again and again. I then told him, “O Deva! You have deceived me. I now come to know how great is the power of Mâyâ. O Janârdana! Now I remember all that I did in my feminine form. Tell me, O Hari! O Deva of the Devas! How I lost my previous consciousness, when I got down into the tank and bathed in it. O Lord of the world! Why was I enchanted, when I got the female form and when I got the King as my husband like S’achî’s getting Indra. The same mind I had; the old Jivâtmâ was there and the previous subtle body was there; how, then, I lost their memories? O Lord! Give out the cause of it and clear my doubts; a great doubt has arisen in my mind. Many enjoyments I had in my female form, drinking liquor and other prohibited things I tasted; O Slayer of Madhu! What is the cause of all these? I could not know then that I was Nârada, as I now recognise clearly what I was in and what I did in my female form. Say the Why of all these things.”
38-53. Visnu said :— “Know, O Intelligent Nârada! That all this [ p. 591 ] is merely the Pastime of Mâyâ. There are many states going on in the bodies of all the living beings. The embodied beings have got their waking, dream, deep sleep and Tûriya (beyond all the three above-mentioned) states; then why you doubt that when there is another body, there would be also the change in the states? When a man sleeps, he knows not anything, he does not hear anything; but when he gets awake, he again comes to know everything completely. The Chitta gets itself moved by sleep; then mind gets different states by dreams and there arises a variety of feelings. A mad elephant is coming to kill me, and I am not able to fly away. What to do? Where to go? There is no place where I can quickly go; thus, in dreams, there arise different mental states. Sometimes we see in dreams that our departed grandfathers are come in our houses. I am seeing them, talking with them and I am dining with them. Whatever pain and pleasure are felt in dreams, when they awake, they know of what happened in their dreams and can also describe in details, recollecting what had then happened. O Nârada! Know the power of Mâyâ incomprehensible as the things seen in dreams cannot be certainly known that all those are false. O Muni! Neither I, nor S’ambhu, nor Brahmâ can measure the power wielded by Mâyâ and Her three Gunas, very hard to fathom. How, then, can any ordinary mortal know them! Therefore, O Nârada! None is able to fathom the Mâyâ. This world, moving and non-moving, is fashioned out of the triple Gunas of the Mâyâ; nothing whatsoever can exist without them. The predominant Guna in Me is Sâttva; but Râjas and Tâmas exist in me; being the Lord of this world, I cannot override the three Gunas. So your father, Brahmâ, is predominant in Râjo Guna; but Sâttva and Tâmas never leave Him, Our Mahâ Deva is predominant in Tâmo Guna, but Sâttva and Râjo are always with him. Therefore, no being can exist as separate from the three Gunas; this point I have settled in S’ruti. Therefore, O Lord of the Munis! Quit this endless Moha for the world, caused by Mâyâ, and very hard to get over and worship Bhagavatî, Who is of the nature of Brâhman. O Intelligent One! Now you have seen the power of Mâyâ; and you have enjoyed many things produced by Mâyâ and you have realised the extremely wonderful nature of Her. Then why do you ask me further on this point?”
Here ends the Thirtieth Chapter of the Sixth Book on the glory of Mahâ Mâyâ in the Mahâpurânam S’rî Mad Devi Bhâgavatam of 18,000 verses by Maharsi Veda Vyâsa.
On the glory of Mâyâ [ p. 593 ] 18-22. O Muni! When my Father learnt the cause of my cares, he smiled and spoke to me in sweet words :— “O Child! The Devas, the high-souled Munis, the wise ascetics and the Yogis subsisting on air only are not able to conquer this Mâyâ. O Nârada! The power of Mâyâ is so very great that I, Visnu and S’ambhu, the Lord of Umâ, none are able to know Her power.
That Mahâmâyâ is creating, preserving and dissolving this world by Time, Karma, and Nature and other efficient causes. O Child! Know Her to be inconceivable and unapproachable. O Intelligent One! Do not be sorry nor should you be surprised about Mâyâ’s great strength, for we all are deluded by Her.
23-25. O Dvaipâyan! Thus advised by my Father, my wonder disappeared. I then asked permission of my Father Padma Yoni (Lotus-born) and went out on tour round the sacred places of pilgrimages and on my way, seeing by and by the chief Tîrthas, I have now come here. Therefore, O Muni! Dost thou relinquish your sorrows for the extinction of the Kuru’s family and remain here and pass your time in great joy and happiness. One must bear the fruits of one’s Karma, good or bad; knowing this fully roam at your will wherever you like.
26-40. Vyâsa said :— O King! Maharsi Nârada thus kindling knowledge in me, went away; I also thought over his words. On the banks of the river Sarasvatî, I composed this Devî Bhâgavat to pass away my time during the excellent period of Sârasvata Kalpa. This Purânam is excellent; it is composed on the authority of the the Vedas; all doubts are removed by it; many nice events are narrated here. Therefore, O King! Not the least doubt should be entertained. As a magician makes the wooden dolls dance in his hands at his will, so this world-enchanting Mâyâ is making this world, moving and non-moving, dance from Brahmâ down to the blades of grass and all human beings. O King! Know Mâyâ’s triple Gunas to be the cause of this mind consisting of five organs of senses, that follows the Chitta (mind, buddhi and Ahamkâra). Actions arise from the causes thereof; there is no doubt in this; what doubt, then, there can arise that all these creatures of different temperaments will come out of the different Gunas of Mâyâ. Peaceful, terrible and stupid become the persons in contact with the Mayic Gunas. How, then, can they exist, bereft of them? As the cloth cannot exist without threads, so the embodied beings cannot exist in the world without the triple Gunas of Mâyâ. There is no doubt in this. As a pot cannot be made without clay, so these bodies, Devas, human or birds, cannot be created without the Gunas. Brahmâ, Visnu [ p. 594 ] and S’iva, too, are possessed of those three Gunas and therefore they become sometimes happy and satisfied, sometimes unhappy and dissatisfied and sometimes they become sad and remorseful as they are then under the influence of one Guna or the other. Brahmâ happens at times to be full of wisdom and knowledge, his temper peaceful, sweet and pleasant and his soul rapt in Samâdhi, when he becomes possessed of Sâttva Guna; again when he is void of Sâttva and filled with Râjo Guna, His temper becomes unpleasant and his appearance gets dark and awful everywhere; and when he becomes grossly Tâmasic, He becomes sorrowful and bereft entirely of intelligence.
41-51. Visnu, when resting in Sâttva, becomes peaceful, sweet-tempered, and full of knowledge; when Râjo Guna preponderates in Him, He becomes void of sweetness and becomes awful to all the beings. Rudra becomes, too, peaceful and pleasant under the Sâttva Guna, awful and void of sweetness under the Râjo Guna, and becomes sad and stupid under the Tâmo Guna. O King! When Brahmâ, Visnu, Mahes’vara and the solar and lunar Kings, the fourteen lords of Manvantaras, Manu and others are under the control of the mayic Gunas, what to speak of other ordinary mortals, men and the other Jîvas. The whole world is under the control of Mâyâ; the Devas, men and all other beings. None should doubt on this point. All the embodied beings labour under the directions of Mâyâ; never can they work independently. This Mâyâ is again always residing in the Highest Essence, the Samvit or the Universal Pure Consciousness. Thus Mâyâ is dependent on the Highest Goddess, Who is of the nature of Samvit, and, stimulated by Her, resides in the hearts of all the Jîvas. Therefore one ought to meditate, worship and bow down before the Bhagavatî, the Creatrix of Mâyâ and Who is of the nature of Samvit, Pure Existence, Intelligence and Bliss. Thus She becomes gracious and merciful and liberates the Jîvas, giving them Her realisation and drawing together Her own Mâyâ away from them. This whole cosmos is nothing but Mâyâ and the Consciousness (Samvit) of the nature of Brâhman is the Lord of Mâyâ. For this reason that Beautiful One in the triple worlds, the Devî Bhagavatî is known by the name Bhuvanes’varî, the Great Lady of the worlds.
52-60. O King! If the Jîvas can fix their hearts on that Samvit, then Mâyâ, born of the real and unreal, is quite unable to do any harm to them. No other Deva than the Bhuvanes’varî, of the nature of pure existence, intelligence and bliss is able to remove this Mâyâ. O King! Darkness cannot destroy darkness; the Sun, Moon, Lightning or Fire can destroy it. Therefore it is highly incumbent on us to worship the [ p. 595 ] Lady of Mâyâ, the Samvit, the Mother with a cheerful heart to remove the Mâyâ and Her Gunas. O King! Now I have narrated to you all the events concerning the killing of Vritrâsura that you asked. What more do you want to hear now. O One devoted to vows! I have now described the first half of that Purâna, which describes in detail the glory of S’rî Devî Bhagavatî. This Purâna, the secret of this Mother of the whole Universe, is not to be disclosed indiscriminately to anybody. Those that are peaceful, self-restrained, devoted, and possessed of Bhakti to the Devî, the disciples that are devoted to their Gurus and the eldest son, those are the fit recipients thereof. Whoever reads or hears with greatest devotion this Mahâpurânam, equivalent to the Vedas, fraught with sound proofs and the essence of all talks, becomes, in this world, possessed of great wealth, becomes wise and passes his time in the greatest happiness. There is no doubt in this.
Here ends the Thirty-first Chapter on the Sixth Book on the glory of Mâyâ in the Mahâpurânam S’rî Mad Devî Bhâgavatam of 18,000 verses by Maharsi Veda Vyâsa.
[The Sixth Book Finished.]