1.1.1 Aditi gives birth to Aditya
Markandeya says- 'After being pleased
by the eulogy of Aditi, the Sun shed its radiance and became sombre. Now, Aditi
could see him. She said- 'O lord! Be pleased upon me. The Daityas and the
Daanavas have captured all the three worlds from my sons. I request you to take
birth as my son and defeat the demons.'
The Sun god agreed to take birth as her
son. In course of time, Aditi became pregnant. She engaged herself in religious
activities so that she could become a mother of a virtuous child. Seeing his
pregnant wife observing fasts, Kashyap became very angry. He said- 'It is not
proper for a pregnant woman to observe fast as it may prove to be harmful to
the foetus. Why are you trying to destroy it?' Aditi replied- 'I am not trying
to destroy my foetus. After taking birth, our child will destroy our enemies.'
In her anger, Aditi released her
foetus. Kashyap started chanting the mantras of Rigveda. In a very short time,
her child came out from that foetus. A heavenly voice was heard which said- 'O
sage! Since you have called this foetus, Maarit, therefore your son would be
famously known as Maartand.' After the birth of Maartand, the morale of the
deities was boosted up. Indra challenged the demons. A tremendous battle ensued
between both the sides. Maartand glanced towards the demons as a result of
which they were charred to death. The deities were pleased and eulogised
Maartand. At last, the deities regained their territories they had lost to the
demons.
1.1.2 Vishwakarma Eulogizes Aditya
Markandeya says- 'Vishwakarma had
married his daughter Sangya to the Sun-god. But being unable to face the
unbearable radiance of the Sun, she went to do penance after instructing her
shadow to perform the duties of an ideal wife on her behalf. Ultimately, she
returned back to her husband only after Vishwakarma had subdued the radiance of
the Sun god. Vishwakarma then eulogised the Sun god by saying- I make
salutations to the Sun god whose existence is beneficial for the whole
universe. I make salutations to one whose own origin remains a mystery and who
enables our eyes to see. I make salutations to the Sun god who destroys the
darkness and who lightens up the whole world.'
1.1.3 Rajyavardan’s Subjects Eulogize Aditya for their King’s Long Life
Kraustuki says- 'O lord! Enlighten us
on the greatness of Bhaskar.'
Markandeya replied- 'There was a king
named Rajyavardhan. His subjects were very happy and satisfied under his rule.
They were free from all the diseases. Rajyavardhan ruled for 7,000 long years.
His wife was Maanini. One day, while Maanini was applying oil on his head, she
saw a grey hair. She became very sad and started crying. A drop of tear fell on
the king. He asked the queen as to why she was crying. The queen told him about
the reason. The king laughingly said- 'I am fully satisfied by my rule of 7,000
years. The grey hair on my head is an indication that I must now abandon my
worldly life and become a recluse. This would be more appropriate for me.'
When his subjects came to know about his
decision, they became sad. But nothing could make the king change his mind. He
decided to become a recluse after appointing his son as his successor. The king
called the astrologers for consultation. The astrologers advised the king to
change his mind. But Rajyavardhan did not listen to them.
At last, his subjects decided to
eulogise the Sun god and demand a long life for their king. All of them started
worshipping the Sun god. A Gandharva whose name was Sudama appeared before them
and instructed them to go to a forest named GuhaVishaal and continue their
penance. All of them went to the forest as per the instruction of the
Gandharva. There was a beautiful temple
of Lord Bhaskar in the
forest. They worshipped Surya and eulogised him. Their worship continued for
three months after which the Sun god became pleased and appeared before them.
Lord Bhaskar asked them to demand any boon. He said- 'O Brahmin! Demand
anything you wish.' All of them said- 'O lord! If you are really pleased with
us, then bless our King Rajyavardhan with a long life. Please bless him with an
eternal youth and a life free from all the deities. We want our king to live
for 10,000 years. The Sun god blessed them by saying- 'So be it'.
After receiving the boons, all of them
came to the king's palace and narrated the whole story. The queen was very
pleased but the king was worried. The queen was surprised at the king's sadness
even after getting such good news. The king replied- 'What is the use of
remaining alive for 10,000 years? You won't be alive then. Will I be able to
enjoy my life in your absence? Will not the deaths of my sons, my grandsons and
my near and dear ones make me sad? The boon of myself enjoying life for 10,000
years will actually prove to be a curse.'
The queen sadly said- 'Whatever you
have said is true. I could not understand this fact because of my ignorance.
Now, you must do your duty, as the boon of the Sun god is not going to go in
vain. The king decided to go to the Mountain- Prabhriti and do penance. He wanted
to receive a boon from Sun god, which enabled all his subjects and his
relatives to remain alive as long as he lived. The queen also decided to move
along with the king. Both of them did an austere penance. The Sun god appeared
before them and blessed them. Thus, Rajyavardhan lived for 10,000 years along
with his subjects.
1.1.4 Martandadev and his Descendants
Markandeya says- 'Maartandadev had a
son named Manu. The seventh Manavantar in which we are living is named after
him. Manu had many sons among whom Narishyant, Naabhaag, Prishadhna and Drisht
were the rulers of different kingdoms. Manu had performed a special Yagya named
Mitravarun with the desire of having more sons. But after the Yagya, a daughter
was born to him and who was named Ila. Manu then requested Mitravarun to
transform that girl into a boy, if he was really pleased with him. Both the
deities blessed Manu and instantly that girl was transformed into a boy. He was
named Sudryumna.
One day, Sudryumna had gone to the
forest for hunting. Incidentally, because of the wrath of Goddess Parvati, he
again got transformed into a lady. At that time, he was married to Buddh and a
son named Pururava was born to them. Later on, he regained his body of the
male. This time, he became the father of Utkal, Vinay and Gaya. All these three sons were very just
rulers. Pururava was made the king of Pratisthanpur.
1.2 Famous Mythological Tales
This chapter contains 10 sections.
1.2.1 King Prishadhna
King Prishadhna was the son of Manu.
One day, he had gone to the forest on a hunting spree. He killed a cow by
mistake. This cow belonged to an Agnihotri Brahmin who was performing a Yagya.
The Brahmin became very furious and cursed Prishadhna to become a Shudra. King
Prishadhna too became angry and he wanted to retaliate. He took some water in
his hand and was just about to curse the Brahmin, just then the Brahmin's
father Mauli arrived. He warned both of them against cursing each other. He
said- 'Anger decreases the life span of a man. It also destroys the knowledge
and makes a man, a destitute. An angry person can neither be virtuous nor he
can accumulate wealth. Even if the king had killed the cow deliberately, he is
worthy of being shown compassion. But if he has committed this sin out of his
ignorance, then certainly, he is not fit to be cursed. Therefore, O son! Don't
curse the king. The cow must have died because of her own past Karmas.'
King Prishadhna made salutations to the
Agnihotri Brahmin and said in a loud voice- 'Be pleased on me. I did not kill
the cow deliberately. It only happened by mistake. The Brahmin replied- 'O
king! I have never spoken a lie in my life. Even my curse which I have given to
you will not go in vain.' Sage Mauli took his son to his hermitage. In course
of time, Prishadhna became a Shudra due to the curse.
1.2.2 Prince Nabhag
Markandeya says- 'Naabhaag was the son
of King Dishta. One day, he saw a beautiful woman who was the daughter of a
Vaishya. He was very enchanted by her beauty and wanted to marry her. He went
to the Vaishya and expressed his desire. The Vaishya was terrified at the
prospect of facing the wrath of the king. He said- 'You belong to a royal
family whereas I am a poor man. There is no match between both of us. Why do
you insist on marrying my daughter?'
Naabhaag was not amused at the Vaishya's
reply. He threatened to give up his life if he was not married. The Vaishya
went to the king and narrated the whole story. The king consulted his ministers
and the Brahmins. The Brahmin said- 'Prince Naabhaag should first marry a woman
within his own caste, only then he can marry the Vaishya's daughter otherwise
he would be committing a grave sin.
Naabhaag was not satisfied by the
Brahmins' decision. He decided to forcibly abduct the Vaishya's daughter. The
Vaishya went to the king and sought his help. The king gave death punishment to
Naabhaag. Hearing of this punishment, Naabhaag went into hiding. The royal army
went in search of him and finally found him. Then a tough battle was fought and
ultimately, Naabhaag was victorious. The king himself came forward to fight
with Naabhaag. As the battle was going on, sage Naarad appeared and requested
the king to stop fighting. He said- 'O king! Please stop this battle. Being a
Kshatriya, it is not proper for you to fight a battle with a Vaishya, which your
son has become after abducting a Vaishya girl. He is not entitled to fight with
you.'
1.2.3 Curse of Sage Pramati
Markandeya says- 'The king stopped
fighting at the request of Naarad. Naabhaag married the Vaishya girl. After the
marriage, the king ordered Naabhaag to follow a Vaishya's occupation. Naabhaag
got engaged in activities like animal husbandry and agriculture. With the
passage of time, a son was born and who was named Bhalandan. When he grew up,
his mother entrusted him the job of looking after the cows. Bhalandan knew
nothing about the job he was entrusted with. He went to sage Neep and told his
problem. Sage Neep understood everything and taught him the nuances of handling
various weapons as a result of which, he became a master in this art. After this,
Bhalandan went to Vasuraat, the son of Pitravya and demanded his share in the
kingdom of his great-grandfather. Vasuraat refused to give anything by saying-
'Being the son of a Vaishya, you are not entitled to become a king.' Bhalandan
became very angry and attacked Vasuraat with a huge army. In this battle,
Vasuraat was defeated. Now, Bhalandan had control over the entire earth. He
returned to his father, Naabhaag in order to hand over the reign of the
kingdom, he had won in the battle. But Naabhaag refused to take anything by
saying - 'I have been cursed by my father to become a Vaishya. I cannot go
against his wishes by taking over the responsibility of a king as this would
disturb the peace of my ancestors who are in heaven and even I would not attain
liberation. The second thing is that you have won this kingdom by your power
and strength. It will not be proper for me to rule over this kingdom.'
Suprabha, the wife of Naabhaag was
listening to their conversation. She could not stop laughing. She said- 'You
are not a Vaishya, because I too belong to a Kshatriya family. During ancient
times, a king named Sudev had a friend- Nala. One day both of them went to the
forest to hunt. In the forest, Nala saw sage Pramati's wife and became
enchanted by her immense beauty. He wanted to marry he and tried to forcibly
abduct her. Being a chaste woman, Pramati's wife started shouting for help.
Sage Pramati heard her screams and arrived at the site. He became enraged when
he saw Nala trying to abduct his wife and King Sudev doing nothing to protect
her. Pramati requested King Sudev to protect his wife from Nala. King Sudev
lied to sage Pramati about his caste, to help his friend- Nala. He said- 'I
cannot help you because I am a Vaishya. You must go to any Kshatriya to take
help. Sage Pramati was exasperated. He fumed- 'You will certainly become a
Vaishya as you have lied to me about your caste.'
1.2.4 Agastya’s Brother Curses Kripavati
Markandeya says- 'The king stopped
fighting at the request of Naarad. Naabhaag married the Vaishya girl. After the
marriage, the king ordered Naabhaag to follow a Vaishya's occupation. Naabhaag
got engaged in activities like animal husbandry and agriculture. With the
passage of time, a son was born and who was named Bhalandan. When he grew up, his
mother entrusted him the job of looking after the cows. Bhalandan knew nothing
about the job he was entrusted with. He went to sage Neep and told his problem.
Sage Neep understood everything and taught him the nuances of handling various
weapons as a result of which, he became a master in this art.
After this, Bhalandan went to Vasuraat,
the son of Pitravya and demanded his share in the kingdom of his
great-grandfather. Vasuraat refused to give anything by saying- 'Being the son
of a Vaishya, you are not entitled to become a king.' Bhalandan became very
angry and attacked Vasuraat with a huge army. In this battle, Vasuraat was
defeated. Now, Bhalandan had control over the entire earth. He returned to his
father, Naabhaag in order to hand over the reign of the kingdom, he had won in
the battle. But Naabhaag refused to take anything by saying - 'I have been
cursed by my father to become a Vaishya. I cannot go against his wishes by
taking over the responsibility of a king as this would disturb the peace of my
ancestors who are in heaven and even I would not attain liberation. The second
thing is that you have won this kingdom by your power and strength. It will not
be proper for me to rule over this kingdom.'
Suprabha, the wife of Naabhaag was
listening to their conversation. She could not stop laughing. She said- 'You
are not a Vaishya, because I too belong to a Kshatriya family. During ancient
times, a king named Sudev had a friend- Nala. One day both of them went to the
forest to hunt. In the forest, Nala saw sage Pramati's wife and became
enchanted by her immense beauty. He wanted to marry he and tried to forcibly
abduct her. Being a chaste woman, Pramati's wife started shouting for help.
Sage Pramati heard her screams and arrived at the site. He became enraged when
he saw Nala trying to abduct his wife and King Sudev doing nothing to protect
her. Pramati requested King Sudev to protect his wife from Nala. King Sudev
lied to sage Pramati about his caste, to help his friend- Nala. He said- 'I
cannot help you because I am a Vaishya. You must go to any Kshatriya to take
help. Sage Pramati was exasperated. He fumed- 'You will certainly become a
Vaishya as you have lied to me about your caste.'
1.2.5 Bhalandan and Vatsapri
Naabhaag told his wife- 'I would never
accept the kingdom for the second time, which I had relinquished at the
instruction of my father. He then instructed his son to rule over the kingdom
he had won. Following his father's instructions, Bhalandan started ruling over
his kingdom. Later on, he got married and begot a son named Vatsapri. Vatsapri
was married to Saunanda when he attained youth-hood. Vatsapri married her after
killing the demon Kujrimbha.
There was a king named Vidurath. He had
two sons whose names were Suniti and Sumati. One day, while Vidurath was having
his usual walk, he saw a large pit. He became very curious. Just then, a sage
arrived at the scene whose name was Suvrat. Pointing his finger towards the
pit, the king asked Suvrat as to what it was. The sage said- 'A demon by the name
of Kujrimbha lives inside this pit. He controls all the events, which occur on
this earth and in heaven. He possesses a mace called Sunand and which was made
by Vishwakarma. This large pit which you see is the result of the assault, he
made with his mace. This demon is very cruel and wicked. He torments the
deities and destroys the oblation sites of the sages. There is one very
peculiar characteristic related with his mace. The mace would become powerless
if touched by a woman. But this is only a temporary change because it regains
its power the next day. But this fact is unknown to the demon. After saying
this, sage Suvrat went on his way.
King Vidurath returned to his palace
and consulted his ministers. His daughter, Mudaavati was listening to their conversation.
One day, the demon abducted Mudaavati. The king sent both his sons accompanied
by a huge army to bring her back but the demon defeated them. The king made a
declaration that he will marry his daughter to anybody who brings back his
daughter and sons from the clutches of the demon.
Hearing his declaration, Vatsapri came
to Vidurath and said- 'Give me your permission. I will bring back your daughter
and your sons after releasing them from the clutches of the demon.' Vidurath
gave the permission. Vatsapri entered into the nether land through that large
pit. A tremendous battle ensued between him and the demon. This battle
continued for three days. On the final day of the battle, the demon tried to
take the help of his mace and went to grab hold of it. But sensing that the
demon was going to pick up the mace, she immediately touched the mace as a
result of which it became powerless. Being unaware of this happening, the demon
attacked Vatsapri with that powerless mace. But he could not harm Vatsapri.
Ultimately, Vatsapri was successful in killing the demon.
Vatsapri released all three of them-
Suniti, Sumati and Mudaavati from the demon's captivity and brought them back
to the king's palace. After the death of the demon, Sheshnaag acquired the mace.
Mudaavati's name was later changed to Sunanda, after that mace. King Vidurath
became very pleased and married Mudaavati to Vatsapri.
1.2.6 The Kingdoms of Pranshu, Prajaati and Khanitra
Markandeya says- 'Sunanda gave birth to
12 sons. Their names were Pranshu, Praveer, Shoor, Suchakra, Vikram, Krama,
Bala, Balaak, Chand, Prachand, Suvikram and Swarup. After growing up, Pranshu
became the king. Pranshu had a son named Prajaati. Prajaati had five sons among
whom Khanitra was one of them. Khanitra became a mighty king and was very
famous for his religiousness and virtuosity. He distributed the kingdoms among
his brothers. Shauri was made the king of the eastern region, Udavasu of the
southern region, Muni of the western region while Mahaarathi was made the king
of northern region.
One day, a minister of Shauri,
Vishwavedi instigated him against his brother Khanitra by saying- 'O king! You
must try to capture your brother's kingdom as your kingdom is too small for
your descendants to rule over. A time may come when your descendants would be
forced to choose agriculture as their occupation because the continuous
distribution of your kingdom among your progenies would leave almost nothing
for them.'
Shauri said- 'My brother is so kind to
me. Why should I cheat him like that?' The minister said- 'The duty of the king
is only to look after the kingdom's interest. The relation should not come in
the way.' At last, the minister was successful in convincing him. After
sometime, the wicked minister also influenced the rest of his brothers.
Ultimately, King Khanitra was left all alone as all of his ministers and even
his sons were misguided by Vishwavedi. Vishwavedi appointed four priests of
Khanitra as the supervisor of Yagyas. One day, while the priests were
performing Yagya, four ogresses appeared from the sacrificial fire and tried to
attack King Khanitra. But they could not harm him because of his virtuous
character. They then turned towards Vishwavedi and the priests and killed all
of them. Thus, Vishwavedi bore the fruits of evil deeds.
1.2.7 King Khanitra
Markandeya says- 'People present at the
oblation site were shocked to see the dead bodies of Vishwavedi and the four
priests. When Khanitra got this news, he too was shocked. Khanitra went to
Vashishta and asked him the reason about the deaths of his brother's minister
and the four priests. Vashishta revealed the conspiracy hatched by Vishwavedi
to kill him (Khanitra).
Khanitra in a sad tone, said- 'Shame on
me as I have been the cause of the death of the Brahmins. Had I not taken birth
as a human being, my brother's priests won't have died. I am the real culprit.
What should I do now? Where should I go? The remorseful Khanitra decided to
relinquish his kingdom and go to the forest to do penance so that, he could get
liberated from the grave sins of causing death to the Brahmins. He went to the
forest accompanied by his three queens after appointing his son Kshup as the
king. He did a severe penance for 350 years. After that, he died because of his
bad health. All the three queens died too and went to heaven along with him.
1.2.8 King Vivinsha
Markandeya says- 'King Kshup ruled
justly in the same way as his father Khanitra did. Kshup's wife was Pramatha.
They had a son who was handsome and mighty. He had defeated all the kings and annexed
their kingdom. He was married to Nandini, the princess of Vidarbha. Nandini
gave birth to a son who was named Vivinsha. Vivinsha was a very mighty king.
During his reign, the earth had become very populated. The enemies of King
Vivinsha were very afraid of him but his subjects were satisfied by his just
rule. King Vivinsha had performed numerous Yagyas and after ruling for a long
time, he attained martyrdom while fighting a battle.
1.2.9 King Khaninetra
Markandeya says- 'Khaninetra was the
son of King Vivinsha. He was very brave and valiant. The Gandharvas had
proclaimed that no one could match Khaninetra's benevolence, who had donated
the whole earth after accomplishing 10,000 Yagyas. Khaninetra had given so much
wealth as donations to the Brahmins that there was no need for them to take
donations for the rest of their lives.
Khaninetra was sonless. One day, he
went to the forest to hunt an animal for sacrificial purpose needed during
Pitra Yagya. The performance of this Yagya was supposed to bless him with a
son. In the forest, he saw a deer that was cognisant of his desire. The deer
requested him by saying- 'O king! You can get my flesh by killing me.' The king
was very amazed. He asked the deer as to why it was willing to get sacrificed.
The deer replied- 'O king! I don't have any offspring. For this reason, I
consider my life as useless.' While the conversation was going on between the
king and the deer, another deer came near them and expressed his desire to get
sacrificed by saying- 'O king! Please kill me and get the flesh because the
flesh of this sonless deer would be of no help to you.' The king was
astonished. He asked the second deer as to why he was willing to die. The
second deer replied- 'O king! I have numerous sons and daughters and this worries
me a lot. Whenever my children go out in search of food, I become very anxious
till they have returned to me safely. This way, I pass the whole day and night
in anxiety.
The king was very confused. He said- 'I
don't know who is superior between a sonless person and a person who doesn't
have any son. Although I needed the flesh for the accomplishment of Pitra Yagya
but now after meeting both of you, I have become confused. It is true that a
man has to face all kinds of sorrows because of their children but yet, a
sonless man is not complete and remains indebted. So, I have decided to get a
son by doing a penance just like my predecessors did in the past.'
1.2.10 Karandham
Markandeya says- 'King Khaninetra went
at the bank of the river Gomti and started doing a severe penance to please
Indra. After being pleased by his devotion and eulogy, Indra appeared before
him. He said to Khaninetra- 'O king! I am very much pleased by your devotion.
Demand anything you wish.' The king replied- 'O lord! If you are really pleased
with me, then bless me with a religious and virtuous son because I am a sonless
person.' Indra blessed him by saying- 'So be it' and then disappeared.
Khaninetra returned to his palace. In
course of time, a son was born to him. He named the child Balaashva. When
Balaashva grew up, he became the king after the death of his father. He annexed
many kingdoms after defeating his enemies and imposed taxes on them. After
sometime, his enemies not only stopped paying him the taxes but also regrouped
themselves and recaptured their lost territories. Balaashva had become weak due
to the constant battles. He had only the capital city in his possession and had
lost the other territories. One day, his enemies surrounded his capital.
Balaashva became restless as he would be no match for his enemies. In a
sorrowful mood, he heaved deeply covering his face by both his hands. The
exhaled air resulted into the manifestation of numerous valiant fighters,
chariots, elephants and horses. Very soon, this huge army covered the whole
area.
This army battled under the leadership
of Balaashva. Ultimately, the enemies were defeated. Later on, King Balaashva
became famous as Karandham because of the huge army, which had manifested from
between both the trembling hands of Balaashva.
1.3 King Aveekshit
This chapter contains 6 sections.
1.3.1 Birth of Aveekshit and Abduction of Vaishaalini
Markandeya says- 'Shubhvrata- the
daughter of Veeryachandra had decided to marry Karandham. A son was born to
them who was named as Aveekshit. The astrologers had predicted a very bright
future for him. Aveekshit learnt lessons in handling all kinds of weapons from
the son of Kanva. In a very short time, he attained mastery in the art of
weaponry. Vara, Gauri, Subhadra, Nibha, Lilavati, Manyavati and Kumridwati had
chosen Aveekshit as their husband in a Swayamvara. Aveekshit had also forcibly
married numerous other women.
Once, a Swayamvara was conducted in the
palace of the king of Vishaal for his daughter- Sudati Vaishaalini. Aveekshit
was present in the Swayamvara. But Sudati due to her arrogant nature did not
choose Aveekshit as her husband. Hence, he forcibly abducted her by defeating
the other kings. The fact that a single man had defeated all of them had made
the other kings ashamed of themselves. All of them decided to fight Aveekshit
unitedly. They picked up their arms and marched towards Aveekshit with a huge
army.
1.3.2 Aveekshit gets defeated in Battle
Markandeya says- 'A ferocious battle
ensued between Aveekshit's army and the other kings. Both sides fought bravely
and Aveekshit managed to kill many of the kings but was outnumbered and got
severely wounded. Aveekshit was finally made captive. Aveekshit and Sudati
Vaishaalini were brought to the king of Vishaal. The king instructed Sudati
Vaishaalini to choose any king as her husband but she refused this offer. The
king then requested his astrologer to choose an auspicious day for her
marriage. The astrologer said to the king- 'O king! The present time is not
auspicious for marriage but don't worry, very soon, the princess would get
married at the advent of the most auspicious moment.'
1.3.3 Liberation of Aveekshit and his Disenchantment
When king Karandham came to know about
his son's defeat and captivity, he consulted his friends. All of them decided
to attack the kingdom
of Vishaal and release
Aveekshit from captivity.
Karandham marched towards the kingdom of Vishaal followed by a huge army. A
tremendous battle was fought which continued for three days. Karandham became
victorious in this battle. At last, Aveekshit was rescued from his captivity.
King Vishaal decided to marry his
daughter with Aveekshit but Aveekshit was disillusioned with life. He said to
Vishaal- 'I can never accept such a woman as my wife who has witnessed my
defeat. I have decided to renounce life. So, it would be better if you marry
your daughter with somebody else.'
King Vishaal asked his daughter to
choose any other king as her husband as Aveekshit was not willing to marry her.
But the princess wanted to marry
Aveekshit and believed that he still remained an undefeated king because he had
fought single-handedly with all the kings. He was defeated only because of
unfair means adopted by his jealous rivals in the battle.
'I shall accept only Aveekshit as my
husband otherwise I shall remain unmarried', said the princess. King Karandham
requested his son to marry the princess but Aveekshit turned down even his
father's request. Seeing the futility of his advice, Karandham returned to his
kingdom. Aveekshit too went along with him.
Sudati Vaishaalini went in the forest
to do penance. She observed a fast for three months. She became very weak but
still continued with her penance.
The deities felt sorry at her
condition. They sent an envoy to persuade her to discontinue with her penance.
The envoy requested her to stop torturing herself. 'You would be a mother of a
Chakravarti king who would be mighty and powerful', said the envoy.
Sudati Vaishaalini said- 'How can I
become a mother without a husband? I have decided that nobody except Aveekshit
will be my husband. But he has turned down my proposal. So, I have vowed to
remain unmarried in this life.'
The envoy said- 'O great soul! I have
been asked not to reveal much. You must take care of your health. Due to the
virtues of your penance, you will certainly become a mother.' Sudati following
her instructions and broke her fast.
1.3.4 Aveekshit Promises his Father to get Married
Markandeya says- 'Once, Veera- the wife
of King Karandham and mother of Aveekshit had taken a vow to accomplish a very
arduous penance. But this could only be accomplished with Karandham's and
Aveekshit's assistance. Karandham had assured her that he would provide all the
wealth required for the accomplishment of that austerity while Aveekshit had
assured her of physical help.
Veera commenced her arduous austerity
named 'Kimichhak Vrata'. This particular Vrata had a peculiar characteristic
and that was- any demand made during the course of the Vrata, ought to be
fulfilled at any cost failing which meant forfeiting all the virtues of this
arduous austerity.
King Karandham was consulting his
minister about the means that would change Aveekshit's decision regarding his
marriage. The ministers said that as Karandham had become old, there was an
urgent need for his successor. The question was that who would become king
after Aveekshit as he had decided to remain unmarried. This thought was
tormenting all of them.
Suddenly, King Karandham heard the
priest who was assisting queen Veera in the accomplishment of the Kimichhak
Vrata, telling somebody- 'The queen is busy performing the Kimichhak Vrata.
What is your demand? I promise, it will be fulfilled by the queen no matter how
extraordinary it may be.'
Aveekshit too arrived at the scene. He
promised that their demands would be met without delay as it was obligatory for
the success of Kimichhak Vrata, which his mother was performing. Seeing the
time as opportune, King Karandham said before the people could say anything- 'O
son! I have a demand. Promise me that you will fulfil it.'
Aveekshit gave his word. The king said
that he aspired for a grandson but this was impossible unless he (Aveekshit)
got married. Initially, Aveekshit tried to convince Karandham that it was an
impossible task as he had vowed to remain a celibate but ultimately he had to
change his mind to honour his words.
1.3.5 Aveekshit Rescues Vaishalini
Markandeya says- 'Once, Aveekshit had
gone for a hunt in the forest when suddenly, he heard a female voice shouting
for help. He proceeded in the direction of the voice.
After reaching there, he saw Danu's (a
demon) son Dhridhakesha, holding a lady by her hair. The woman was crying- 'I
am the wife of Aveekshit. This wicked demon is trying to abduct me.'
Aveekshit was surprised as to how could
the lady claim that she was his wife. He apprehended that it must be the
illusionary tactics of the demon to trap him. But despite his apprehensions, he
went near the wailing woman to release her from the clutches of that demon. He
warned the demon of dire consequences if he did not release her. The demon left
the woman and attacked Aveekshit. A tremendous duel was fought. In the end,
Aveekshit severed the head of that demon.
The deities were very pleased at
Dhridhakesha's death. They praised Aveekshit for his bravery. They asked him to
demand any boon.
Aveekshit demanded a valiant son for
himself as per the aspirations of his father- Karandham. The deities said- 'You
would get your son from this very woman, you have rescued. The child would
become a very mighty king after growing up.'
Being unaware of the real identity of
Vaishaalini, he told the deities- 'I had vowed to remain a bachelor but changed
my decision only due to the word I had given to my father. But I cannot marry
this woman because by doing so, I would be breaching the trust of that woman
who wanted to marry me and who had rejected everybody for my sake.'
The deities then revealed to him that
this lady was none other than Vaishaalini whom he was talking about. 'She had
done a severe penance to be your wife.' After saying this, the deities
disappeared.
Vaishaalini requested him to accept her
as his wife. 'You have rescued me from this demon. I offer myself to you', said
Vaishaalini.
1.3.6 Aveekshit Marries Vaishalini
Markandeya says- 'After Vaishaalini had
finished her lines, Aveekshit told her that he was forced to abandon her in the
past after getting defeated but once again, he had regained her after defeating
the demon. Both of them decided to get married in the forest itself.'
'Right then, a Gandharva- Tanaya
arrived there accompanied by many Apsaras and revealed to Aveekshit that
Vaishaalini was his daughter in her previous birth. 'Because of the curse given
to her by sage Agastya, she was born to the king of Vishaal. Now you must
accept her as your wife.'
Aveekshit married Vaishaalini under the
supervision of Tumbaru- the priest of the Gandharvas. Both of them then
accompanied the Gandharvas to the Gandharva loka. There, Vaishaalini gave birth
to a son. Knowing about the feats, the child would accomplish in future, the
Gandharvas celebrated his birth ceremony with great fanfare. After the birth
ceremony, while Tumbaru was eulogising the child, everybody heard a heavenly
voice, which said- 'This child will become famous as Marut; he will become the
ruler of all the Mahipals.'
Everybody was extremely satisfied by
this forecast.
1.4 King Marut
This chapter contains 5 sections.
1.4.1 Birth of Marut
Markandeya says- 'After Vaishaalini had
finished her lines, Aveekshit told her that he was forced to abandon her in the
past after getting defeated but once again, he had regained her after defeating
the demon. Both of them decided to get married in the forest itself.'
'Right then, a Gandharva- Tanaya
arrived there accompanied by many Apsaras and revealed to Aveekshit that
Vaishaalini was his daughter in her previous birth. 'Because of the curse given
to her by sage Agastya, she was born to the king of Vishaal. Now you must
accept her as your wife.'
Aveekshit married Vaishaalini under the
supervision of Tumbaru- the priest of the Gandharvas. Both of them then
accompanied the Gandharvas to the Gandharva loka. There, Vaishaalini gave birth
to a son. Knowing about the feats, the child would accomplish in future, the
Gandharvas celebrated his birth ceremony with great fanfare. After the birth
ceremony, while Tumbaru was eulogising the child, everybody heard a heavenly
voice, which said- 'This child will become famous as Marut; he will become the
ruler of all the Mahipals.'
Everybody was extremely satisfied by
this forecast.
1.4.2 Marut Ascends the Throne
Markandeya says- 'After the birth of
Marut, Aveekshit accompanied by Vaishaalini returned to his father's palace.
After making salutations to his father, he kept the new born baby in his lap
and told him that he had kept his word. Karandham became very pleased after
seeing his grandson.'
'In course of time, Marut grew up. He
had mastered all the scriptures. He was also proficient in handling all kinds
of weapons. There was nobody like him.'
'Karandham had become old. He decided to
go to the forest after making Aveekshit the king but Aveekshit was not
interested in becoming a king. He too wanted to go to the forest. He said- 'The
shame of the defeat still remains there. How can a person, who was not able to
protect himself, protect his subjects.'
Karandham tried his best to convince
him to become his successor but Aveekshit was firm in his resolve Finding no
other option, Marut was made the king.
Marut went to the forest and did
penance for 1,000 years. His wife did the same and went to live in sage
Bhargava's hermitage.
1.4.3 A Hermit Advises Marut on behalf of Veera
Kraustuki asks Markandeya- 'O lord! We
want to know more about Marut.'
Markandeya says- 'After becoming the
king, Marut started ruling in a just manner. He performed many Yagyas under the
supervision of numerous 'Yagyikas' and esteemed priests. Angira's son-Samvart
and Brihaspati's brother were his chief priests under whose supervision, the
Yagyas used to be performed. Samvart had brought the peak of Munjavaan Mountain
after uprooting it, for Marut. King Marut's palace and the sacred oblation site
were constructed on this very mountain peak.'
One day, a hermit said to Marut- 'Your
grandmother Veera is very tormented by the nuisance, the serpents are creating
around the sacred oblation site. She is very displeased by your negligence. The
serpents have bitten seven sons of a sage and have also polluted the water of
the sacred pond. The sages have started making offerings to the serpents to
please them, instead of paying attention on the performance of the Yagyas.
Although the sages are capable of destroying the serpents, yet they have
decided against doing so as this is not their job. This is the job of a king. A
king should be aware of each and every event taking place in his kingdom. You
are not aware of the misdeeds of the serpents because you don't have any
detective to keep you informed of such events. Being a king, it is your duty to
protect your subjects by punishing the wrong doers. If you don't do this then
you will become a sinner. O king! Your grandmother is very much concerned about
your negligent attitude and wants you to act in a way befitting a king.'
1.4.4 The Serpents take the Refuge of Bhamini (Vaishalini)
Markandeya says- 'Marut was ashamed
after hearing the sage's words. He cursed himself for his negligence. He picked
up his bow and arrows in anger and went to the oblation site. When he reached
there, he saw the dead bodies of seven hermits lying on the ground. Being
enraged, he picked up his most devastating weapon named Samvartak. The serpents
became terrified as the tremendous amount of heat generated by this weapon had
started to burn them. Unable to bear the tremendous heat caused by the weapon,
the serpents took the refuge of Bhamini (Vaishaalini)- the mother of Marut.'
'Sometime in the past, Vaishaalini had
promised to protect the serpents when in danger. Vaishaalini requested her
husband- Aveekshit to persuade Marut against killing the serpents. Aveekshit
told her that the intensity of Marut's anger was a result of the grave sins
committed by the serpents. 'But for your sake, I will request him to pardon the
serpents- If he still does not agree to stop killing the serpents then I will
have no option but to destroy his weapon- Samvartak.'
After saying this, Aveekshit picked up
his bow and arrows and went to the oblation site accompanied by his wife.
1.4.5 The Hermit’s Sons Come to Life Again
Markandeya says- 'When Aveekshit
reached the oblation site, he found that the whole atmosphere was ablaze by the
tremendous heat generated by Marut's weapon, Samvartak. He requested Marut to
drop his weapon but Marut refused by saying- 'O father! These serpents are the
culprits. They have killed the hermit's sons. They have also polluted the
reservoir and caused obstacles in the accomplishment of oblation-rituals. I am
never going to forgive them.
Aveekshit told Marut that the serpents
had taken his refuge and hence he should forgive them to protect the honour of
his father's promise. When Marut did not listen, Aveekshit picked up his weapon
'Kaal' to kill him. Marut enquired from him as to why he was trying to kill his
own son, who was just performing his duty of protecting the oblation site from
the serpents. Aveekshit replied that he too was duty bound to protect the serpents
that had taken his refuge.
When the sages saw both father and son
were bent on killing each other, they intervened and advised them against
killing each other. Right then, a sage came with the news that the serpents had
agreed to make all the dead sons of the hermit, alive.
Thus, all the dead sons of the hermits
became alive and once again, the father and son were prevented from killing
each other.
From then onwards, Marut took proper
care while ruling his kingdom. Later on, he married Sukesha- the daughter of
Kekaya, Saindhavi- the daughter of Sindhuraaj, Vayushmati- the daughter of
Chediraaj etc. He had eighteen sons from his wives among whom, Narishyant was
the eldest.
1.5 King Narishyant
This chapter contains 2 sections.
Markandeya says- 'Among the eighteen
sons of Marut, Narishyant was the eldest. Marut ruled over his kingdom for
70,015 years after which Narishyant succeeded him as the king. Marut went to
the forest to do penance. After becoming the king, Narishyant decided to
perform a grand Yagya, the like of which had never been accomplished by his
ancestors. Narishyant made such huge donations to the Brahmins that it was more
than enough for their future generations to come.
Once, Narishyant decided to organise
another Yagya grander than the earlier one. But no priest was found to
supervise it. At his repeated requests, some Brahmins agreed to supervise the
Yagya. But this particular Yagya was unique of its kind because the Brahmins
played the part of host as well as that of priests. The Brahmins made donations
to the Brahmins who were acting as priests. In this grand Yagya, crores of
Yagyas were performed in all the directions of the earth at one time. This
grand Yagya was possible only because of the wealth donated to the Brahmins by
King Narishyant. Narishyant was such a religious and virtuous king.
Narishyant felt joyous that due to his
donations, the Brahmins had become wealthy and at the same time, he was also
sad that his desire of performing a grand Yagya was not going to be accomplished
as the Brahmins no longer needed donations.
1.5.1 Sumana Chooses Dama as her Husband
Markandeya says- Dama was the son of
Narishyant. His mother was Indrasena- the daughter of Babhru. He became the
master in archery under the tutelage of Vrishparva. He also learnt the nuances
of handling other kinds of weapons under the guidance of Dundubhi. He learnt
the scriptures from sage Shakti and the art of yoga from Aashartishen.
Sumana, the daughter of King
Charusharma had chosen Dama as her husband in a Swayamvara. But Mahanand,
Vayushmaan and Mahadhanu did not like her decision, as they too wanted to marry
her. All three of them decided to abduct her by force and marry who ever among
them she decided to marry with. Their evil intentions were corroborated by the
friends of Dama. Thus, all three of them abducted Sumana. Dama became angry. He
asked all the kings who were present in the Swayamvara- 'Tell me whether
Swayamvara is religious or irreligious?'
One of the kings said that certainly a
Swayamvara is religious and only Dama has the right to marry Sumana as she had
herself chosen him. But some other kings supported Dama's opponents. They said-
'Raakshas Vivaaha is the norm prevalent among people possessing arms. Only such
a person has a right to marry Sumana who has defeated his rivals.'
Dama became furious with them. He knew
that they were saying such things out of jealousy. But still he decided to
accept their proposal. He threw an open challenge by saying- 'Anybody who wants
to die may abduct my wife in front of my eyes.'
A tremendous battle was fought between
Dama and his opponents.
At first, Mahanand came forward to
fight him with a sword in his hand. Dama showered a volley of arrows at him.
All the arrows were neutralised by Mahanand. After that, Mahanand jumped and
climbed on the chariot of Dama. Dama severed his head. After the killing of
Mahanand, Vayushmaan came forward to fight Dama but his sword was broken into
two pieces by the assault of Dama. Dama then killed his charioteer. After that,
Vayushmaan picked up his spiked mace but Dama destroyed even this mace. In the
battle, Vayushmaan got injured and fell on the ground. Vayushmaan quit the idea
of fighting. Seeing him reluctant to fight, Dama spared his life.
At last, Charusharma married his daughter
Sumana with Dama. After staying for some days at his father-in-law's place,
Dama returned home accompanied by his wife- Sumana.
1.5.2 Killing of Narishyant
Markandeya says- 'When the newly
married couple- Dama and Sumana returned to the capital, King Narishyant was
extremely pleased. King Narishyant after knowing about the brave deeds of his
son was very proud of him. As he had become old, he appointed Dama as his
successor and he went in the forest to do penance accompanied by his wife-
Indrasena.
Once, Vayushmaan came in the same
forest where King Narishyant was doing his penance. After seeing Narishyant and
his wife, he enquired as to, who they were. But King Narishyant did not give
any reply as he was observing a Mauna Vrata. Somehow, Vayushmaan came to know
about his identity that he was none other than the father of his bitter enemy-
Dama. He felt that this was the most opportune moment for him to take his
revenge and killed Narishyant. Indrasena on seeing her dead husband, started to
wail. All the sages and hermits who were doing penance in that forest arrived
there and started cursing Vayushmaan for the grave sin he had committed.
Indrasena requested one of the sages to go and inform Dama about his father's
death. She said- 'Go and tell him that his father Narishyant has been killed by
Vayushmaan while he was doing penance. Now, it was his duty to avenge his
father's death.' After saying this, Indrasena committed Sati by jumping into
the burning pyre of her husband.
1.6 King Dama and his Marriage with Sumana
This chapter contains 2 sections.
1.6.1 Dama Vows to Kill Vayushmaan
Markandeya says- 'When Dama came to
know about his father's death, he became extremely furious. Although he was
very patient by nature but still the news of his father's death made him restless.
He thought- 'Shame on me. Inspite of myself being alive, the wicked Vayushmaan
had killed my father. I have failed in my duty. Being a king, it is my duty to
punish the wicked people and protect the virtuous ones. But my enemy is still
alive after committing a heinous crime. Now, I will perform my father's Tarpan
only with the blood of Vayushmaan. If I fail in doing this, then I would give
up my life by jumping into the fire. I will not only kill Vayushmaan but also
his whole family. Whoever tries to help him will be put to death. Even if the
deities, Yama or Kuber try to help him, they will get destroyed.'
1.6.2 Killing of Vayushmaan
Markandeya says- 'When Dama came to
know about his father's death, he became extremely furious. Although he was
very patient by nature but still the news of his father's death made him
restless. He thought- 'Shame on me. Inspite of myself being alive, the wicked
Vayushmaan had killed my father. I have failed in my duty. Being a king, it is
my duty to punish the wicked people and protect the virtuous ones. But my enemy
is still alive after committing a heinous crime. Now, I will perform my
father's Tarpan only with the blood of Vayushmaan. If I fail in doing this,
then I would give up my life by jumping into the fire. I will not only kill
Vayushmaan but also his whole family. Whoever tries to help him will be put to
death. Even if the deities, Yama or Kuber try to help him, they will get
destroyed.'
1.7 The Benefits of Listening to the Markandaya Purana
The birds said- 'O Jaimini! This was
the way, sage Markandeya had narrated the divine tales to Kraustuki. A person
who either studies this Puraan or listens to it achieves great accomplishment.
All his desires are fulfilled and he enjoys a long life. He becomes free from
all his sins. Markandeya Puraan is the seventh among all the eighteen Puraans.
Listening to it helps a man to atone for all the sins committed during the
period of one hundred crore Kalpas. The virtues attained by listening to
Markandeya Puraan are equivalent to the virtues attained by making donations at
Pushkar or by studying all the Vedas.'
Jaimini replied- 'O birds! You have
enlightened my mind by narrating the tales of Markandeya Puraan and have made
it free from all sorts of confusion. May the almighty God bless you, may you
enjoy a long life free from all the diseases.'
Saying like this, Jaimini went
back to his hermitage.
2 Varaha Purana
This Purana consists of the following
11 sections:
Narrates the tale of rescuing of the
earth from Rasatal by Varaha incarnation of Lord Vishnu. Its contents in brief
are as follows:-
Mangala charan: Praying of Narayana by
Prithvi (earth). Tale of the creation. Origin of Rudra, Sanatkumar, Marich etc.
Tale of Priyavrata. Tale of Dashavatar (ten incarnations). Tale of Dharma-Vyadha.
Tale of Suprateek and sighting of Viratroop (colossal appearance). Tale of
Gaurmukha. Karma related to Shraddha. Tale of Prajagana. Origin of Agni (fire).
Tale relating greatness of the days. Gauri. Destruction of Daksha Yagya.
Wedding of HarParvati, Ganesha, Naga, Kartikeya, Aditya, killing of
Andhakasura. Matrigana, Katyayani. Kumer, Dharma, Rudra etc. and their origin.
Tale of Aruni. Tales of the days falling in different months. Agastya Geeta.
Tale of Shubhvrata. Tale of Dhanyavrat. Dialogue between Narad and Vishnu.
Methods for expiation. Tale of Agastya. Geographical description of
Jambhudweep, Kushadweep, Kraunchdweep etc. Tale of Andhakasura’s vrata etc.
Origin of Vaishnava etc.Killing of Mahishasura. Ritual of Kapalik vrata.
Dialogue between Prithvi and Sanatkumar. Dialogue between Narayana and Prithvi.
In this section I will introduce some
terminology that will be used in most of this paper. Many of these terms may be unfamiliar to the
reader, but they are based on sound reasoning (versus historical
miscommunications).
Tale differentiating between sorrow and
happiness. Tale describing twelve kinds of crime. Expiation to destroy the
sins. Methods of Vishnu worship in the evening. Description of Sanatan Dharma.
Description of illusion. Description of the karma for salvation. History of
Gridhra and Shringali. Dialogue between Chandal and Brahmarakshasas. Greatness
of Kokamukh. Greatness of Badrikashrama. Greatness of Mathurakshetra. Greatness
of Shalgram. Tale of Shalankayank. Greatness of Stutswamitirth. Greatness of
Lohargalam, Panchar kslutra, Vishran tirth and Devavana. Worship of Lord Vishnu
at the confluence of Yamuna-Saraswati. Greatness of Krishna-Ganga. Tale of
Samb. Greatness of Dwadashi vrat in Rama Tirth. Rituals of installing different
kinds of idols. Description of the origin of Shraddh. Methods of removing
impurities. Medhatithi Pitrasambad. Kinds of Pindsankalpa. Ritual of Madhupark.
Kinds of Madhupark donation.
Description of the appearance of Yama.
Description of the court of Yama. Description of the fate met by sinners.
Description of hell. Description of the appearance of Yamadoot. Description of
Chitragupt’s effect. Directions by Chitragupt for expiation. Indications by
Chitragupt of the fruits of auspicious-inauspicious karmas. Description of
Pativrat. Dialogue between Yama and Narad. Greatness of Prabodhini. Description
of the greatness of Gokarneshwar. Granting of boon by Nandikeshwar. Description
of greatness of Jaleshwar. Description of the greatness of Shringeshwar.
2.1 Lord Varah Enlightens Prithvi
This section contains 6 sections as
follows:
2.1.1 Prithvi’s Queries
Lord Vishnu, in his incarnation of
Varah( a boar),had liberated Prithvi(Mother Earth) from the clutches of
Hiranyaksha- the mighty demon who had abducted her to rasatal.After being
rescued,Prithvi heaved a sigh of relief and looked at her saviour,who was
smiling.She curiously asked lord Varah- "How does the process of creation
begin in the beginning of each Kalpa? What is dissolution? How do you nurture the
whole creation? In what order do all the four Yugas occur and how are they
calculated?Why do you take incarnation in each yuga? All these things puzzle me
a lot and I request you to enlighten me on all these subjects."
Lord Vishnu burst into laughter and the whole universe,including the deities became visible to Prithvi through his opened mouth.Prithvi became so frightened by this amazing sight that she started to tremble in fear.Lord Vishnu then transformed his appearance and revealed his divine form to Prithvi so that she could become free from her fright.When Prithvi saw the divine form of lord Vishnu,who was in his meditative sleep taking rest on Sheshnag,all her fear vanished.She was extremely pleased to see the divine appearance of lord Vishnu and thanked her good fortune.Prithvi,filled with extreme devotion eulogized lord Vishnu.
Lord Vishnu was extremely pleased by her eulogy and said-"The answers to the questions you have asked are not easy to understand,but still I Shall try to satisfy your curiosity.The supreme Almighty is eternal.In the biginning of creation,Ego(ahamkar) as well as the five basic elements- space,water,earth,air and fire manifest themselves from the supreme Almighty.Subsequently,the great element-mahattatva,nature and collective conciousness manifest themselves.The collective conciousness then combines with each of the three basic qualities-satva(pure),rajas and tamas(dark) and exits in three different states.It's combination with the dark quality results into the manifestation of Mahadbrahm which is also called prakriti or nature by the enlightened ones.Kshetragya(soul) is considered to be more superior than the Prakriti.This way the different permutations and combinations of all the three gunas with collective intelligence result into the creation of different "tanmatras"(subtle form of matters).From the tanmatras are created the "Indrias" or sense organs.This is the way how the Universe comes into existence.I then create all the living creatures with the help of five basic elements."
Lord Vishnu burst into laughter and the whole universe,including the deities became visible to Prithvi through his opened mouth.Prithvi became so frightened by this amazing sight that she started to tremble in fear.Lord Vishnu then transformed his appearance and revealed his divine form to Prithvi so that she could become free from her fright.When Prithvi saw the divine form of lord Vishnu,who was in his meditative sleep taking rest on Sheshnag,all her fear vanished.She was extremely pleased to see the divine appearance of lord Vishnu and thanked her good fortune.Prithvi,filled with extreme devotion eulogized lord Vishnu.
Lord Vishnu was extremely pleased by her eulogy and said-"The answers to the questions you have asked are not easy to understand,but still I Shall try to satisfy your curiosity.The supreme Almighty is eternal.In the biginning of creation,Ego(ahamkar) as well as the five basic elements- space,water,earth,air and fire manifest themselves from the supreme Almighty.Subsequently,the great element-mahattatva,nature and collective conciousness manifest themselves.The collective conciousness then combines with each of the three basic qualities-satva(pure),rajas and tamas(dark) and exits in three different states.It's combination with the dark quality results into the manifestation of Mahadbrahm which is also called prakriti or nature by the enlightened ones.Kshetragya(soul) is considered to be more superior than the Prakriti.This way the different permutations and combinations of all the three gunas with collective intelligence result into the creation of different "tanmatras"(subtle form of matters).From the tanmatras are created the "Indrias" or sense organs.This is the way how the Universe comes into existence.I then create all the living creatures with the help of five basic elements."
"In the beginning there was
nothing but empty space.Subsequently,various natural elements like
"shabda"(sound),"akash"(ether),"vayu"(air),"teja"(light)
and jal(water) came into being respectively - each of the latter manifesting
from the former.Then,I Created you(earth)to provide base to all the living
creatures.The combination of earth and water resulted into an
"Egg"(anda).As the egg grew in size,I manifested myself as Narayan
within it.During each kalpa a lotus manifests itself from my navel upon which
is seated lord Brahma.I then request lord Brahma to commence creation.Inspite
of all his efforts, lord Brahma does not succeed in commencing his creation.As
a result he becomes furious and from his fury manifests a divine child who
starts to wail incessantly.The divine child is none other than Rudra who is
requested by lord Brahma to begin creation but the child being incapable of
doing that decides to acquire power by doing penance and enters into deep
water."
"Lord Brahma then created Prajapati from his great toe of his right foot and Prajapati's consort from the great toe of his left foot.The manifestation of Prajapati and his consort marks the beginning of copulative creation and thus Swayambhuva Manu is born.In course of time population increases.This is the way how creation takes place in each kalpa."
Mother Earth requested lord Varah to shade some more light on the creational process as her curiosity had still not been totally satisfied.Lord Varaha replied- "At the end of the last kalpa,when the whole universe was engulfed in darkness,Narayan went into his yogic-sleep.After waking up he found the world devoid of any creature.Narayan,being the supreme Almighty-the creator,the nurturer as well as the annihilator,decided to commence creation.The term Narayan means one who has his abode in the water- naar means water and ayan means abode.First of all five types of "avidya"(false knoledge) manifested from Narayan- tamas(darkness), moha(attachment),mahamoha(absolute attachment),tamisra(jealousy) and andhatamisra(anger).After the manifestation of these five "avidyas",came into existence immovable things like mountains,trees etc.These being the primary creations came to be known as "mukhya sarga"(main creation).Continuing with his creations,lord Brahma created species that were superior to the earlier creation-animals.This particular creation was called "Tiryaksrota"(quadruped).This way Brahma did his creation.Brahma's sixth creation was called Satvik sarga which consisted of the deities who were all virtuous by nature.The creation of human beings was seventh in order and was known as"Arvaaksrota sarga.Even human beings were of three types -those who were predominantly virtuous possessed satva guna had radiant personality and never experienced sorrow but those who possessed rajas and tamas gunas experienced sorrows."
"Brahma's eighth creation was called "Anugrah sarg" in which he created the sages and the hermits for the benediction of the world.The nineth creation of Lord Brahma was called "Kaumar sarg"(creation of adolescent beings).So,these are the nine main types of creation through which Brahma creates.First of all Rudra and other deities manifested themselves and then came into being eternal adlescents like Sanak,Sanandan, etc.Subsequently,all the ten manasputras of Brahma manifested themselves-Marichi,Angira, Atri,Pulah,Kratu,Pulasya,Pracheta,Bhrigu,Narad and Vashishth."
"Lord Brahma then created Prajapati from his great toe of his right foot and Prajapati's consort from the great toe of his left foot.The manifestation of Prajapati and his consort marks the beginning of copulative creation and thus Swayambhuva Manu is born.In course of time population increases.This is the way how creation takes place in each kalpa."
Mother Earth requested lord Varah to shade some more light on the creational process as her curiosity had still not been totally satisfied.Lord Varaha replied- "At the end of the last kalpa,when the whole universe was engulfed in darkness,Narayan went into his yogic-sleep.After waking up he found the world devoid of any creature.Narayan,being the supreme Almighty-the creator,the nurturer as well as the annihilator,decided to commence creation.The term Narayan means one who has his abode in the water- naar means water and ayan means abode.First of all five types of "avidya"(false knoledge) manifested from Narayan- tamas(darkness), moha(attachment),mahamoha(absolute attachment),tamisra(jealousy) and andhatamisra(anger).After the manifestation of these five "avidyas",came into existence immovable things like mountains,trees etc.These being the primary creations came to be known as "mukhya sarga"(main creation).Continuing with his creations,lord Brahma created species that were superior to the earlier creation-animals.This particular creation was called "Tiryaksrota"(quadruped).This way Brahma did his creation.Brahma's sixth creation was called Satvik sarga which consisted of the deities who were all virtuous by nature.The creation of human beings was seventh in order and was known as"Arvaaksrota sarga.Even human beings were of three types -those who were predominantly virtuous possessed satva guna had radiant personality and never experienced sorrow but those who possessed rajas and tamas gunas experienced sorrows."
"Brahma's eighth creation was called "Anugrah sarg" in which he created the sages and the hermits for the benediction of the world.The nineth creation of Lord Brahma was called "Kaumar sarg"(creation of adolescent beings).So,these are the nine main types of creation through which Brahma creates.First of all Rudra and other deities manifested themselves and then came into being eternal adlescents like Sanak,Sanandan, etc.Subsequently,all the ten manasputras of Brahma manifested themselves-Marichi,Angira, Atri,Pulah,Kratu,Pulasya,Pracheta,Bhrigu,Narad and Vashishth."
"Lord Brahma's first
creation-Rudra had manifested himself as Ardha narishwar(half male and half
female). At the request of Brahma,Rudra dismembered his female part resulting
into the creation of two distinct forms- one male and the other female.Later
on,ten more Rudras manifested from the male form and all of them collectively
came to be known as 'Eleven Rudras'."
2.1.2 Priyavrata Attains to Heavenly Abode
Describing the incident which enabled
King Priyavrata to attain to heavenly abode Lord Varah told Prithvi-
"Swayambhuva Manu lived during the first kalpa.He had two sons-Priyavrata and Uttanpad.Priyavrata was extremely virtuous by nature.In course of time,he relinquished his throne and after distributing his kingdom among his sons went to Badrikashram to do penance.Once sage Narad paid a visit to his hermitage. Priyavrata received his esteemed guest with all the respect which made Narad extremely pleased.Priyavrata then requested Narad to narrate about some interesting incident which had occured in his life.
Narad narrated about an interesting incident which had happened while he was on his way to meet Priyavrata- "I experienced an amazing incident yesterday while I was passing by a lake in Shwetdweepa.I saw a divinely beautiful woman who was standing alone at the bank of that lake.I was surprised to find such a beautiful woman at such a lonely place.For a moment I became so infatuated by her beauty that I lost all control over my senses.My lust had made me devoid of all my knowledge and learning.Now,I became very worried and ashamed of my conduct-but the damage had already been made.I immediately realized that she was not an ordinary woman.To my surprise,I saw a form of a divine person visible clearly within her body.Within nextfew moments two other male forms revealed themselves.Suddenly,all three of them disappeared leaving behind just that divine lady.I was dumbstruck by this amazing incident.I asked her as to who she was.The divine lady disclosed to me that she was none other than goddess Savitri - the mother of all the Vedas and since I was unable to recognize her therefore all the knowledge had vanished from my memory.She also revealed to me that the three divine men which had manifested themselves within her body were in fact the three Vedas- Rigveda,Samveda and Yajurveda.After revealing these amazing facts to me goddess Savitri assured me that by taking a bath in that lake I would not only regain my memory of the Vedas but also of all my previous births.I eulogized goddess Savitri and thanked her for the blessings showered on me.I then bathed in that lake and to my pleasant surprise I now remembered everything of my past births as had been prophesised by goddess Savitri."
"Swayambhuva Manu lived during the first kalpa.He had two sons-Priyavrata and Uttanpad.Priyavrata was extremely virtuous by nature.In course of time,he relinquished his throne and after distributing his kingdom among his sons went to Badrikashram to do penance.Once sage Narad paid a visit to his hermitage. Priyavrata received his esteemed guest with all the respect which made Narad extremely pleased.Priyavrata then requested Narad to narrate about some interesting incident which had occured in his life.
Narad narrated about an interesting incident which had happened while he was on his way to meet Priyavrata- "I experienced an amazing incident yesterday while I was passing by a lake in Shwetdweepa.I saw a divinely beautiful woman who was standing alone at the bank of that lake.I was surprised to find such a beautiful woman at such a lonely place.For a moment I became so infatuated by her beauty that I lost all control over my senses.My lust had made me devoid of all my knowledge and learning.Now,I became very worried and ashamed of my conduct-but the damage had already been made.I immediately realized that she was not an ordinary woman.To my surprise,I saw a form of a divine person visible clearly within her body.Within nextfew moments two other male forms revealed themselves.Suddenly,all three of them disappeared leaving behind just that divine lady.I was dumbstruck by this amazing incident.I asked her as to who she was.The divine lady disclosed to me that she was none other than goddess Savitri - the mother of all the Vedas and since I was unable to recognize her therefore all the knowledge had vanished from my memory.She also revealed to me that the three divine men which had manifested themselves within her body were in fact the three Vedas- Rigveda,Samveda and Yajurveda.After revealing these amazing facts to me goddess Savitri assured me that by taking a bath in that lake I would not only regain my memory of the Vedas but also of all my previous births.I eulogized goddess Savitri and thanked her for the blessings showered on me.I then bathed in that lake and to my pleasant surprise I now remembered everything of my past births as had been prophesised by goddess Savitri."
Priyavrat was very surprised and
requested Narad to describe some interesting incident related with his past
birth.Narad narrated the following incident to him- "In satyayuga,I was
born in a brahmin family and was named Saraswat by my parents.I was very
studious and grew up to become a renowned scholar.The almighty God had blessed
me with immense riches and I never experienced scarcity of any kind in my
life.But,very soon I got bored of my monotonous and routined life. It had
become clear to me that there was more to life than just worrying about the
gains and losses.So,I decided to do penance to attain salvation.I distributed
all my wealth among my sons and went to the bank of river Saraswati,where I
first performed the rituals of shraddh in the name of my ancestors and then
performed yagyas.I also donated lot of wealth to poor people.Being satisfied,I
then went to Pushkar teerth and did penance at the bank of river Saraswat by
continuously chanting the sacred mantra"om namo narayan" and brahm
paar stotra.Ultimately,lord Narayan became pleased and appeared before me.Lord
Sri Hari asked me of my wish and I express my desire to get united with his
divine form.But,lord Narayan told me that the world needed me and so this
desire of mine could not be fulfilled.He blessed me and gave me my name- Narad
because I had 'donated' water(naar) to my ancestors during the course of
performing shraddh rituals.Although my wish of uniting with the divine form of
Sri Hari had remain unfulfilled but still there was a consolation as I had been
fortunate enough to see his divine form with my mortal eyes. Thereafter,I
devoted my life to the worship of Sri Hari.After my death,I attained to
brahmaloka- I had been adequately rewarded for my devotion toward lord Sri
Hari.Later on,I manifested as one of the ten manasputras of lord Brahma when he
commenced his creation.It was only because of the blessings of Sri Harithat I
came to be regarded as 'lok guru' by the masses.So Priyavrat,if you are desire
of attaining salvation then you should follow my example and devote your life
in the name of Lord Srihari."
Prithvi,who was listening to the tales narrated by Lord Varah with rapt attention asked him whether it was possible for anybody to see Lord Narayan with his/her mortal eyes.Lord Varah replied -"Lord Narayan has taken ten incarnations in various forms such as matsya(fish),kachchap(tortoise),varah(boar),narsimh(half human and half lion),vaman(dwarf),parshuram,Ram,Krishna,Buddha and kalki.The last incarnation-Kalki is yet to take place.A man can realize Lord Narayan by having total devotion in any one of the ten incarnations. Even the deities are incapable of this divine experience-what to say about humans.Lord Brahma is the manifestation of all the three qualities of Sri Hari and actually it is He(Sri Hari) who creates in the form of Lord Brahma-it is He who manifests himself in various natural forms like earth,water,fire,air and sky-it is He who manifests himself in various abstract qualities like consciousness- He is omnipresent and the whole universe is pervaded by him."
Prithvi was anxious to know whether Narad's sermons had any effect on Priyavrat and asked Lord Varah regarding this.Lord Varah replied- Priyavrat was so impressed by Narad's discourses that he relinquished his throne and went to do penance after equally distributing his kingdom among his sons.Ultimately,he did manage to attain to the abode of lord Sri Hari by the virtue of his total devotion.
Prithvi,who was listening to the tales narrated by Lord Varah with rapt attention asked him whether it was possible for anybody to see Lord Narayan with his/her mortal eyes.Lord Varah replied -"Lord Narayan has taken ten incarnations in various forms such as matsya(fish),kachchap(tortoise),varah(boar),narsimh(half human and half lion),vaman(dwarf),parshuram,Ram,Krishna,Buddha and kalki.The last incarnation-Kalki is yet to take place.A man can realize Lord Narayan by having total devotion in any one of the ten incarnations. Even the deities are incapable of this divine experience-what to say about humans.Lord Brahma is the manifestation of all the three qualities of Sri Hari and actually it is He(Sri Hari) who creates in the form of Lord Brahma-it is He who manifests himself in various natural forms like earth,water,fire,air and sky-it is He who manifests himself in various abstract qualities like consciousness- He is omnipresent and the whole universe is pervaded by him."
Prithvi was anxious to know whether Narad's sermons had any effect on Priyavrat and asked Lord Varah regarding this.Lord Varah replied- Priyavrat was so impressed by Narad's discourses that he relinquished his throne and went to do penance after equally distributing his kingdom among his sons.Ultimately,he did manage to attain to the abode of lord Sri Hari by the virtue of his total devotion.
2.1.3 Ashvashira’s Unification with Lord Narayana
Prithvi asked lord Varah about the
famous incident which described Ashvashira's unification with lord Narayan.Lord
Varah then narrated the following tale- "During ancient times,there used
to live a virtuous king named Ashvashira.He had performed an ashwamedh yagya in
which he had donated large amount of wealth.Once,sage Kapil arrived at his
palace acoompanied by sage Jaigishavya.King Ashvashira received both his
distinguished guests with due honour.After the formalities were over,he asked
both his guests about the means by which lord Narayan could be pleased and also
about the rituals pertaining to the worship of lord Narayan."
Both the sages being enlightened souls realized that Ashvashira was asking this question out of his ignorance so,they decided to enlighten him on the omnipresent nature of Narayan and said-'What do you mean by pleasing Narayan? Can't you see two Narayans standing in front of you?' But,Ashvashira was unamused and unconvinced so he replied-'I don't deny that both of you possess supernatural powers and also that all your sins have destroyed on account of the virtues attained by doing penance.But,I don't believe your claim to be Narayan.Lord Narayan is the almighty God and the supreme deity.He holds a conch,a chakra and a mace in his hands.He wears pitambar and has Garuda as his mount.His glory is indescribable and incomparable.'
As Asvashira had raised valid points,sage Kapil transformed his appearance with the help of his divine powers.Similarly,sage Jaigishavya transformed his appearance and became Garuda.But,Ashvashira still remained unconvinced and said-'How can I accept you to be Narayan as there is no sign of lotus manifesting from your navel in which lord Brahma has his abode.'
Sage Kapil then slightly transformed his appearance and created an illusion whereby a lotus flower emanating from his navel became visible to Ashvashira.Sage Jaigishavya sat on that lotus flower in the guise of lord Brahma.Not only that,they also created an illusion due to which all types of living creatures inside the palace premise.
Now,Ashvashira was really confused and requested both the sages to break the magic spell.Both the sages decided not to test the limit of Ashvashira's patience and so,they trasformed their respective guises into their original appearances.Both of them said- 'Narayan is one but can manifest himself in countless forms.The whole universe is HIS creation and HE is present in every single creature.It is impossible for a mortal being to bear the radiance of almighty Narayan and it is only when HE appears in his more gentle form that the enlightened person is able to see him.Therefore,you should engage yourself in the service of mankind,considering each human being to be the medium through which lord Narayan manifests himself.
Both the sages being enlightened souls realized that Ashvashira was asking this question out of his ignorance so,they decided to enlighten him on the omnipresent nature of Narayan and said-'What do you mean by pleasing Narayan? Can't you see two Narayans standing in front of you?' But,Ashvashira was unamused and unconvinced so he replied-'I don't deny that both of you possess supernatural powers and also that all your sins have destroyed on account of the virtues attained by doing penance.But,I don't believe your claim to be Narayan.Lord Narayan is the almighty God and the supreme deity.He holds a conch,a chakra and a mace in his hands.He wears pitambar and has Garuda as his mount.His glory is indescribable and incomparable.'
As Asvashira had raised valid points,sage Kapil transformed his appearance with the help of his divine powers.Similarly,sage Jaigishavya transformed his appearance and became Garuda.But,Ashvashira still remained unconvinced and said-'How can I accept you to be Narayan as there is no sign of lotus manifesting from your navel in which lord Brahma has his abode.'
Sage Kapil then slightly transformed his appearance and created an illusion whereby a lotus flower emanating from his navel became visible to Ashvashira.Sage Jaigishavya sat on that lotus flower in the guise of lord Brahma.Not only that,they also created an illusion due to which all types of living creatures inside the palace premise.
Now,Ashvashira was really confused and requested both the sages to break the magic spell.Both the sages decided not to test the limit of Ashvashira's patience and so,they trasformed their respective guises into their original appearances.Both of them said- 'Narayan is one but can manifest himself in countless forms.The whole universe is HIS creation and HE is present in every single creature.It is impossible for a mortal being to bear the radiance of almighty Narayan and it is only when HE appears in his more gentle form that the enlightened person is able to see him.Therefore,you should engage yourself in the service of mankind,considering each human being to be the medium through which lord Narayan manifests himself.
Ashvashira was satisfied by the
explanation given by both the sages but there was still one question bothering
him a lot so, he asked- 'Who is most likely to attain salvation-a knowledgeable
person or a person who indulges in rightful deeds?' Sage Kapil narrated the
following tale-'Once,sage Raimya and king Vasu had asked the same question to
sage Vrihaspati.At that time Vrihaspati had replied that anybody who performed
his duties with a sense of detachment is sure to attain salvation and to prove
his point he had narrated the following tale-'During ancient times,there lived
a brahmin named Sanyaman.He was the descendant of sage Atri.One day,while he
was going to take his bath he met Nishthoor-a fowler,who used to catch birds
and animals for his livings.'
Sanyaman reprimanded Nishthoor for his evil deeds and said- Why do you trap innocent birds and animals? Nishthoor replied-'The almighty God is present in each living creature.One who is desirous of attaining salvation must under no circumstances allow his ego to dominate him.The 'doer' is not the man but the supreme Almighty present in him.Keeping this fact in his mind a man should perform his duties with nonchallance and a sense of detachment.If I earn my livelyhood by catching birds and animals then it is the will of almighty.' To prove his point,the fowler spread his iron-net and kept dry blocks of wood underneath it and then requested Sanyaman to ignite those blocks.Sanyaman was surprised but burnt the wodden-logs as per the fowler's instruction.In a short time all the wodden-blocks became ablaze and the flames startes coming out from the thousand of small holes of the iron-net.The fowler then told Sanyaman that although the flames coming from each hole appeared to have distinct sources,yet the fact was that the flames manifested from the single source-wodden blocks that were burning beneath the iron-net.
The fowler said-"It was impossible to extinguish the fire untill and unless the source of the fire was extinguished.Each hole of the iron-net can be compared with an individual and the almighty God with the source of fire.A man does what God wills and he can never experience sorrow provided he constantly remembers the Almighty even while he is performing his daily chores." Sanyaman was very much impressed by the fowler's wisdom. Having finished his tale,sage Vrihaspati told Ramya-"Now it must be evident to you that salvation is within the reach of any individual.It does not make much difference whether the seeker of salvation is a householder or a hermit aspiring for knowledge." Continuing with the story of Ashvashira,lord Varah told Prithvi-"King Ashvashira was so impressed by Kapil's preachings that he went to Naimisharanya and spent his rest of his life in the service of lord Narayan.Once,while he was performing yagya,suddenly lord Vishnu manifested himself from the altar in the form of a brilliant effulgence and the identity of Ashvashira merged with it.This way,Ashvashira got united with lord Vishnu by the virtue of his deep devotion.
Sanyaman reprimanded Nishthoor for his evil deeds and said- Why do you trap innocent birds and animals? Nishthoor replied-'The almighty God is present in each living creature.One who is desirous of attaining salvation must under no circumstances allow his ego to dominate him.The 'doer' is not the man but the supreme Almighty present in him.Keeping this fact in his mind a man should perform his duties with nonchallance and a sense of detachment.If I earn my livelyhood by catching birds and animals then it is the will of almighty.' To prove his point,the fowler spread his iron-net and kept dry blocks of wood underneath it and then requested Sanyaman to ignite those blocks.Sanyaman was surprised but burnt the wodden-logs as per the fowler's instruction.In a short time all the wodden-blocks became ablaze and the flames startes coming out from the thousand of small holes of the iron-net.The fowler then told Sanyaman that although the flames coming from each hole appeared to have distinct sources,yet the fact was that the flames manifested from the single source-wodden blocks that were burning beneath the iron-net.
The fowler said-"It was impossible to extinguish the fire untill and unless the source of the fire was extinguished.Each hole of the iron-net can be compared with an individual and the almighty God with the source of fire.A man does what God wills and he can never experience sorrow provided he constantly remembers the Almighty even while he is performing his daily chores." Sanyaman was very much impressed by the fowler's wisdom. Having finished his tale,sage Vrihaspati told Ramya-"Now it must be evident to you that salvation is within the reach of any individual.It does not make much difference whether the seeker of salvation is a householder or a hermit aspiring for knowledge." Continuing with the story of Ashvashira,lord Varah told Prithvi-"King Ashvashira was so impressed by Kapil's preachings that he went to Naimisharanya and spent his rest of his life in the service of lord Narayan.Once,while he was performing yagya,suddenly lord Vishnu manifested himself from the altar in the form of a brilliant effulgence and the identity of Ashvashira merged with it.This way,Ashvashira got united with lord Vishnu by the virtue of his deep devotion.
2.1.4 King Vasu and Sage Raimya Unite with Sri Hari
Prithvi was anxious to know about the
effect sage Vrihaspati's discources had on King Vasu as well as sage Raimya.She
asked lord Varah-"What did both king Vasu and sage Raimya do after
listening to the preachings of sage Vrihaspati?"
Lord Varah replied-"King Vasu was so impressed by Vrihaspati's discources that he decided to spend the rest of his life in the service of lord Narayan.He appointed Viwasman-his eldest son as his successor and left for Pushkar teerth.He engaged himself in austere penance by chanting pundarikaksha stotra.One day,while Vasu was chanting pundarikaksha stotra,he experienced an amazing incident-an entity whose complexion was blue, manifested from his body and stood with folded hands.In his bewilderment,king Vasu requested the stranger to introduce himself.
The entity narrated the following tale to him -
"O King,you were the ruler of Janasthan in your second previous birth.Once,while you had gone deep into the forest on a hunting spree,you were delighted to find a deer which in fact was none other but myself.In fact,I had disguised myself as a deer and was wandering in the forest.Being oblivious of this fact you had killed that dear.Later on,when you realized your mistake,you cursed yourself for having killed an innocent brahmin.To get absolved of this sin,you had observed a fast on Ekadashi and had donated a cow to please lord Narayan.But,inspite of all these austerities you did not attain liberation because at the time of your death you had chanted your wife's name whose name was Narayani instead of Narayan.This blunder of your's had stopped you from attaining to Vishnu loka for one complete kalpa.But,my revengeful soul continued to torture your soul till it was driven out by lord Narayan's escorts.It was only then that you were able to attain to Vishnu loka."
"In your next birth you were born as the king of Kashmir.I did not spare you even in that birth and possessed your body.You performed numerous yagyas to get rid of me but all your efforts went in vain as you had not chanted the holy name of lord Vishnu in any of the rituals that you had performed.But,now I was forced to abandon your body since you have been constantly chanting the sacrosanct pundarikaksha stotra.I have also become absolved of all my sin by the virtue of listening to the pundarikaksha stotra."
King Vasu expressed his gratitude to the entity for shedding light on his previous births.Suddenly,a divine aircraft descended from the heaven and king Vasu left for Vishnuloka mounted on it.Meanwhile,sage Raimya got the news of Vasu's ascension to heaven to Vishnuloka,he wanted to emulate the feat of his friend.He reached Gaya and performed shraddh in the name of his ancestors.He then engaged himself in an austere penance.Sanat kumar-one of the manasputras became very pleased by Raimya's penance and appeared before him.He complimented Raimya for liberating his ancestors by performing shraddh at Gaya.He then described the virtues of performing shraddh at Gaya and narrated the following tale –
Lord Varah replied-"King Vasu was so impressed by Vrihaspati's discources that he decided to spend the rest of his life in the service of lord Narayan.He appointed Viwasman-his eldest son as his successor and left for Pushkar teerth.He engaged himself in austere penance by chanting pundarikaksha stotra.One day,while Vasu was chanting pundarikaksha stotra,he experienced an amazing incident-an entity whose complexion was blue, manifested from his body and stood with folded hands.In his bewilderment,king Vasu requested the stranger to introduce himself.
The entity narrated the following tale to him -
"O King,you were the ruler of Janasthan in your second previous birth.Once,while you had gone deep into the forest on a hunting spree,you were delighted to find a deer which in fact was none other but myself.In fact,I had disguised myself as a deer and was wandering in the forest.Being oblivious of this fact you had killed that dear.Later on,when you realized your mistake,you cursed yourself for having killed an innocent brahmin.To get absolved of this sin,you had observed a fast on Ekadashi and had donated a cow to please lord Narayan.But,inspite of all these austerities you did not attain liberation because at the time of your death you had chanted your wife's name whose name was Narayani instead of Narayan.This blunder of your's had stopped you from attaining to Vishnu loka for one complete kalpa.But,my revengeful soul continued to torture your soul till it was driven out by lord Narayan's escorts.It was only then that you were able to attain to Vishnu loka."
"In your next birth you were born as the king of Kashmir.I did not spare you even in that birth and possessed your body.You performed numerous yagyas to get rid of me but all your efforts went in vain as you had not chanted the holy name of lord Vishnu in any of the rituals that you had performed.But,now I was forced to abandon your body since you have been constantly chanting the sacrosanct pundarikaksha stotra.I have also become absolved of all my sin by the virtue of listening to the pundarikaksha stotra."
King Vasu expressed his gratitude to the entity for shedding light on his previous births.Suddenly,a divine aircraft descended from the heaven and king Vasu left for Vishnuloka mounted on it.Meanwhile,sage Raimya got the news of Vasu's ascension to heaven to Vishnuloka,he wanted to emulate the feat of his friend.He reached Gaya and performed shraddh in the name of his ancestors.He then engaged himself in an austere penance.Sanat kumar-one of the manasputras became very pleased by Raimya's penance and appeared before him.He complimented Raimya for liberating his ancestors by performing shraddh at Gaya.He then described the virtues of performing shraddh at Gaya and narrated the following tale –
"There lived a king named Vishal
who had no son.One day,he invited few brahmins to his palace and asked them how
he could beget a son.All the brahmins revealed to him that he did not have son
because of the curse of his ancestors."You have not performed their
shraddh so, they are angry with you and you can never beget a son unless you
performed shraddh rituals at Gaya.Vishal went to Gaya as per the instruction of
the brahmins.He performed the shraddh rituals and offered pinda-daan in the
name of his ancestors.While he was still performing the rituals,he was amazed
to see three men descending from the sky-one of them was of fair complexion
while the remaining two were of wheatish and dark complexion
respectively.Vishal curiously asked them as to who they were.The
fair-complexioned person replied-
'I am your father-'sit'.The person with wheatish complexion is my father and the third person amongst us is my grandfather.My father had committed grave sins while he was alive and killing a brahmin was one the gravest sin he had committed.My grandfather was even worst than my father and his dark complexion is nothing as compared to his grave sins.He had killed numerous innocent sages for no fault of theirs.All three of us have come to express our gratitude as we have become liberated from our sins by the virtue of the shraddh rituals you have performed.The water which you had offered to us while performing the rituals have given us the ability to communicate with you,even though we are spirits.'
After finishing his tale, Sanat kumar told sage Raimya that Gaya was supreme among all the places of pilgrimage and the virtues of performing shraddh overthere is incomparable.Sage Raimya dedicated rest of his life to the worship of lord Gadadhar.At last,lord Gadadhar appeared before him.Sage Raimya requested the lord to give him a place in his abode which was dwelled by sages like Sanak and Sanandan.Lord Gadadhar blessed him by saying-'So be it.'This way,sage Raimya attained enlightenment with the blessings of the merciful lord Gadadhar and ultimately attained to the divine abode of lord Vishnu.
'I am your father-'sit'.The person with wheatish complexion is my father and the third person amongst us is my grandfather.My father had committed grave sins while he was alive and killing a brahmin was one the gravest sin he had committed.My grandfather was even worst than my father and his dark complexion is nothing as compared to his grave sins.He had killed numerous innocent sages for no fault of theirs.All three of us have come to express our gratitude as we have become liberated from our sins by the virtue of the shraddh rituals you have performed.The water which you had offered to us while performing the rituals have given us the ability to communicate with you,even though we are spirits.'
After finishing his tale, Sanat kumar told sage Raimya that Gaya was supreme among all the places of pilgrimage and the virtues of performing shraddh overthere is incomparable.Sage Raimya dedicated rest of his life to the worship of lord Gadadhar.At last,lord Gadadhar appeared before him.Sage Raimya requested the lord to give him a place in his abode which was dwelled by sages like Sanak and Sanandan.Lord Gadadhar blessed him by saying-'So be it.'This way,sage Raimya attained enlightenment with the blessings of the merciful lord Gadadhar and ultimately attained to the divine abode of lord Vishnu.
2.1.5 Matsya Avatar
Once, when lord Vishnu awakened from his yoga nidra, he
found that the Vedas had submerged in the ocean as the result of pralaya
(deluge).He incarnated as matsya(fish) to retrieve the Vedas from the
ocean-bed.As soon as lord Matsya entered into the ocean,HE attained such an
enormous size that the deities became frightened.
All the deities then eulogized lord Matsya and requested him to regain his original form- "O Narayan-the imperceivable lord. You manifest yourself in each and every particle of this Universe.You are omnipresent and exist even during the time of deluge when nothing else exist. O Lord! we are scared of your present form."
On seeing the deities frightened, lord Matsya retrieved the Vedas from the seabed and transformed his appearance from the huge fish to that of lord Vishnu.The deities were filled with joy to see the divine appearance of lord Vishnu.
All the deities then eulogized lord Matsya and requested him to regain his original form- "O Narayan-the imperceivable lord. You manifest yourself in each and every particle of this Universe.You are omnipresent and exist even during the time of deluge when nothing else exist. O Lord! we are scared of your present form."
On seeing the deities frightened, lord Matsya retrieved the Vedas from the seabed and transformed his appearance from the huge fish to that of lord Vishnu.The deities were filled with joy to see the divine appearance of lord Vishnu.
2.1.6 King Durjay
During satya yuga,there lived a king
named Suprateek.Although he had two queens,yet none of them bore any son to
him.One day,Suprateek went to meet sage Durvasa,who had his hermitage at the
foothills of chitrakut mountain and engaged himself in the sevice of
Durvasa.The sage blessed the king and prophesised that he would become a proud
father of a mighty son named Durjay.Durvasa's prophesy came true and
Suprateek's eldest queen-Vidyutprabha gave birth to a son.The child was named
Durjay.In course of time Durjay grew up to become a worthy successor of
Suprateek.Suprateek decided to spend rest of his life in the service of God,so
he went to Chitrakut mountain to do penance.
Mean while,Durjay being an ambitious king expanded his kingdom by subjugating all the neighbouring states.He conquered numerous mighty kingdoms and vanquished almost all the prominent warrior castes like- gandharvas,kinnars,demons and even the deities.Indra-the lord of the deities was defeated by Durjay and was forced to retreat towards east of Sumeru mountain alongwith the lokpals-various lords protecting different regions of the Universe.The whole world went into turmoil as the fallout of lokpal's power being snatched by Durjay.While Durjay was returning to his capital along with his victorious army,he met two asuras-Vidyut and Suvidyut, who had diguised themselves as sages.Both the impersonators requested Durjay to make some alternative arrangements so that the world could function smoothly.In reality,both of them harboured wishes of having the powers of lokpal's so they offered their services in this regard.Durjay,being unaware of their real identity agreed to appoint them as lokpal's and then proceeded towards his capital.While he was passing by the mandarachal mountain,he saw two beautiful women.Durjay was surprised to find them at such a deserted place.As he stood their wondering about their identity,he saw two hermits approaching him.Both the hermits asked Durjay-"Who are you? What is the purpose of your arrival?
Durjay introduced himself and told them that he was on his way to conquer the whole world.Now it was the turn of both the sages to introduce themselves-"We are the sons of Swayambhuva Manu-Hetu and Prachetu.We had successfully defeated the deities and driven them out from their abode-Sumeru mountain.All the deities went to seek the help of lord Vishnu and were successful in getting his assurance.Lord Vishnu then attacked us and vanquished our army but he spared our lives.Then onwards we became ardent devotees of the merciful lord Vishnu.
Hetu,then pointing towards one of the women said-"She is my daughter-Sukeshi.The other woman you see is my brother- Prachetu's daughter and her name is Mishrakeshi.Please accept both these beautiful as your wives."Durjay readily agreed to marry both of them as they were really very beautiful.He then returned to his capital.
Mean while,Durjay being an ambitious king expanded his kingdom by subjugating all the neighbouring states.He conquered numerous mighty kingdoms and vanquished almost all the prominent warrior castes like- gandharvas,kinnars,demons and even the deities.Indra-the lord of the deities was defeated by Durjay and was forced to retreat towards east of Sumeru mountain alongwith the lokpals-various lords protecting different regions of the Universe.The whole world went into turmoil as the fallout of lokpal's power being snatched by Durjay.While Durjay was returning to his capital along with his victorious army,he met two asuras-Vidyut and Suvidyut, who had diguised themselves as sages.Both the impersonators requested Durjay to make some alternative arrangements so that the world could function smoothly.In reality,both of them harboured wishes of having the powers of lokpal's so they offered their services in this regard.Durjay,being unaware of their real identity agreed to appoint them as lokpal's and then proceeded towards his capital.While he was passing by the mandarachal mountain,he saw two beautiful women.Durjay was surprised to find them at such a deserted place.As he stood their wondering about their identity,he saw two hermits approaching him.Both the hermits asked Durjay-"Who are you? What is the purpose of your arrival?
Durjay introduced himself and told them that he was on his way to conquer the whole world.Now it was the turn of both the sages to introduce themselves-"We are the sons of Swayambhuva Manu-Hetu and Prachetu.We had successfully defeated the deities and driven them out from their abode-Sumeru mountain.All the deities went to seek the help of lord Vishnu and were successful in getting his assurance.Lord Vishnu then attacked us and vanquished our army but he spared our lives.Then onwards we became ardent devotees of the merciful lord Vishnu.
Hetu,then pointing towards one of the women said-"She is my daughter-Sukeshi.The other woman you see is my brother- Prachetu's daughter and her name is Mishrakeshi.Please accept both these beautiful as your wives."Durjay readily agreed to marry both of them as they were really very beautiful.He then returned to his capital.
Everything was going quite smoothly for
Durjay,when on one fateful day he met his downfall because of his extreme
greed.The incident happened as follows-Once,Durjay had gone into the forest on
a hunting spree,where he met a sage named Gaurmukh.Gaurmukh had been blessed by
lord Vishnu with a divine diamond named Chintamani which was capable of
fulfilling all desires.Gaurmukh gave a royal treatment to Durjay with the help
of wish-fulfilling diamond.He created an illusionary palace and offered variety
delicacies to him as well as his whole army.
Durjay wanted to have chintamani diamond at any cost and therefore sent his minister-Virochan to persuade Gaurmukh to part with that diamond.Gaurmukh became furious after coming to know about the evil intention of Durjay and told Virochan to ask Durjay to leave at once.But,Gaurmukh knew quite well that the greedy Durjay would not give up so easily and would definitely try to acquire chintamani by force.So, he requested chintamani diamond to create a huge army.
Meanwhile,Durjay ordered his chief-commander,named Neel to bring chintamani at any cost.Neel proceeded with a large number of soldiers.A fierce battle took place between both the armies in which Neel was killed and his army got vanquished.Finally,Durjay himself came forward to fight but even he was defeated. In the meantime,Hetu and Prachetu got the news that their son-in-law was in trouble.Both of them proceeded with a huge army to help their so-in-law.But,they were no match for the might of their adversary and both of them eventually dieed in the ensuing battle.
Meanwhile,sage Gaurmukh found Durjay standing at the entrance of his hermitage with a small number of surviving soldiers.He sought the help of lord Vishnu,who appeared within no time.Gaurmukh requested him to punish Durjay for his evil intention.Lord Vishnu severed Durjay's head with his sudarshan chakra.The place where Durjay was killed later on became famous as Naimisharanya.Sage Gaurmukh continued to live at Naimisharanya without any problem.
Durjay wanted to have chintamani diamond at any cost and therefore sent his minister-Virochan to persuade Gaurmukh to part with that diamond.Gaurmukh became furious after coming to know about the evil intention of Durjay and told Virochan to ask Durjay to leave at once.But,Gaurmukh knew quite well that the greedy Durjay would not give up so easily and would definitely try to acquire chintamani by force.So, he requested chintamani diamond to create a huge army.
Meanwhile,Durjay ordered his chief-commander,named Neel to bring chintamani at any cost.Neel proceeded with a large number of soldiers.A fierce battle took place between both the armies in which Neel was killed and his army got vanquished.Finally,Durjay himself came forward to fight but even he was defeated. In the meantime,Hetu and Prachetu got the news that their son-in-law was in trouble.Both of them proceeded with a huge army to help their so-in-law.But,they were no match for the might of their adversary and both of them eventually dieed in the ensuing battle.
Meanwhile,sage Gaurmukh found Durjay standing at the entrance of his hermitage with a small number of surviving soldiers.He sought the help of lord Vishnu,who appeared within no time.Gaurmukh requested him to punish Durjay for his evil intention.Lord Vishnu severed Durjay's head with his sudarshan chakra.The place where Durjay was killed later on became famous as Naimisharanya.Sage Gaurmukh continued to live at Naimisharanya without any problem.
Om Tat Sat
(Continued)
My
humble salutations to Swamyjis, Philosophic scholars , dharmicscriptures dot
org
for the
collection)
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