The Padma Purana
Padma Purana contains five parts-
Srishtikhand, Bhumikhand, Swargkhand, Patalkhand and Uttarkhand.
Srishtikhand contains an explanation of
metaphysical knowledge in a dialogue style between Bheeshma and the sage
Pulastya. It contains a description of Pushkar Tirth. Surprisingly, this part
ridicules the worship of the planets (Grahas).
Bhumikhand has a description of the earth,
besides the tales of the kings like Prithu, Nahush, Yayati, Prabhriti and the
sages like Shiva Varma, suvrata and Chyvan. For its description of the earth
and archaic matter, this part is often regarded as the geography and the
history of a period.
Swargakhand describes the sequence of
creation first and then the glory of the holy places as well as the geographical
expansion of India along with her mountains, rivers and the people.
In the Patalkhand, Sutaji narrates the tales
related to the life and plays of Lord Rama in an assembly of the sages. This
part also contains a description about the life and plays of Lord Krishna.
Uttarkhand contains a discussion about the
metaphysical knowledge of religion presented in a dialogue style between Lord
Shiva and Parvati. This part also contains thousand names of Lord Vishnu and
one hundred names of Lord Rama.
Having revealed the contents of all the
Puranas to his son Ugrashrava, Sage Lomaharshan instructed him to go to
‘Naimisharanya’ and spread it among the sages doing penance over there.
There is an interesting tale how this
sacrosanct forest
of Naimish derived it’s name
—
Once, the sages sought Lord Vishnu’s help in
finding a suitable place, where they could perform their religious activities
unhindered. Lord Vishnu released his chakra and instructed them to follow it.
‘This chakra had many circumferences (Nemi) and all of you can commence your
penance at the place where one of them gets detached from the chakra’ —said
Lord Vishnu.
The Sages followed the chakra as per the
instruction of Lord Vishnu. Once of the circumferences of chakra got detached
and fell at a place called Gangavarta. In course of time this particular place
was famous as ‘Naimish’ because the term ‘Nemi’ in Sanskrit means
circumference. When Ugrashrava who was popularly known as ‘Sutji’ reached
‘Naimisharnya’ all the sages received him with enlighten all the sages on the
divine tales of Padma Puran.
Sutji replied— Padma Puran consists of five
sections and fifty-five thousand shlokas. The names of these sections are
Shrishti-Khand, Bhumi-Khand, Swarg Khand, Patal Khand and Uttam-Khand. The
tales of Padma-Puran praise the glory of Lord Vishnu. These tales were narrated
to Lord Brahma by Lord Vishnu himself, who in turn propagated them in this
world through various sages.
SHRISTHI KHAND
SHRISTHI KHAND
THE BEGINNING OF CREATION
The Sages requested Sutji to narrate about the incident when sage Pulastya had met Bhishma. Sutji replied—- Bhishma was doing penance at a place called Gangadwar. Being pleased by his austere penance, Lord Brahma instructed Pulastya to go to Gangadwar and bless Bhishma.
The Sages requested Sutji to narrate about the incident when sage Pulastya had met Bhishma. Sutji replied—- Bhishma was doing penance at a place called Gangadwar. Being pleased by his austere penance, Lord Brahma instructed Pulastya to go to Gangadwar and bless Bhishma.
After reaching there, Pulastya told Bhishma
that Lord Brahma was pleased by his penance. ‘Ask any boon you wish for’ said
Pulastya. Bhishma thanked his good fortune of getting a chance to meet Sage
Pulastya. He requested Pulastya to reveal how Lord Brahma had created the world.
Pulastya replied— During the initial phase of
his creation, Lord Brahma created the Mahattatva first of all. After that he
created the three types of Ego from the Mahattatva—Satva, Rajas and Tamas.
These three types of Ego are the origins of all the five sense-organs, organs
of action and all the five basic elements–space, water, fire, air & earth.
An enormous egg came into existence with the
permutation and combination of these five basic elements. Within this egg
exists the whole universe including the mountains, islands, oceans, planets,
deities, demons and the human beings. The layers of water, fire, air, space and
darkness envelop this enormous egg. These elements are once again covered by
the ‘Mahattatva’, which in turn is enveloped by the ‘Prakriti’ (nature). Lord
Vishnu himself does creation in the form of Lord Brahma and also takes various
incarnations to protect the mankind. At the end of the Kalpa, it is only He,
who annihilates in the form of Rudra. After the end of Kalpa, he takes rest on
the back of Sheshnag for the full period of deluge.
LORD BRAHMA’S LIFE-SPAN AND THE CHRONOLOGICAL ORDER OF THE ‘ERAS’
LORD BRAHMA’S LIFE-SPAN AND THE CHRONOLOGICAL ORDER OF THE ‘ERAS’
Pulastya says—Lord Brahma, the embodiment of
Lord Vishnu has a life-span of one hundred years. His life-span is also called
‘Par’, and half of its period is known as ‘Parardha’. One ‘Kashtha’ consists of
15 Nimesha while a Kala consists of 30 ‘Kashthas’. A muhurta consists of 30
Kalas. The periods of 30 muhurtas are equal to one day and Night of the human
beings. A month of this world is equivalent to 30 days and nights. Six months
make an ‘Ayan’ and a year consists of two ‘Ayans’. These two ‘Ayans’ are also
known by two other names—Dakshinayan and Uttarayan. Dakshinayan is the night of
the deities where as Uttarayan is their day.
Four yugas are equivalent to twelve thousand
years of the deities, which occur in a cyclic order—Satya, Treta, Dwapar and
Kaliyuga. The periods of these yugas are as follows—
Satya Yuga = 4000 years
Treta Yuga = 3000 years
Dwapar Yuga = 2000 years
Kali Yuga = 1000 years
Total = 10,000 years
Each yuga is followed by the hibernation periods of ‘Sandhya’ and Sandhyansh, which are as follows– Sandhya Sandhyansh
Satya Yuga 400 400
Treta Yuga 300 300
Dwapar Yuga 200 200
Kali Yuga 100 100
Total 1000 years 1000 years
Treta Yuga = 3000 years
Dwapar Yuga = 2000 years
Kali Yuga = 1000 years
Total = 10,000 years
Each yuga is followed by the hibernation periods of ‘Sandhya’ and Sandhyansh, which are as follows– Sandhya Sandhyansh
Satya Yuga 400 400
Treta Yuga 300 300
Dwapar Yuga 200 200
Kali Yuga 100 100
Total 1000 years 1000 years
Four Yuga are collectively known as
‘Chaturyuga’. A Brahma’s day consists of one-thousand such ‘Chaturyugas’.
Altogether, fourteen Manu appear during this whole period of 1000 Chaturgas or
in other words a day of Lord Brahma. Each ‘Manvantar’ is named after a Manu and
is equivalent to little more than 71 Chaturyugas. It also has its own Indra,
Saptarishis and other deities. This way, a manvantar is also equivalent to
8,52,000 years of the deities or divine years. Going by the standard of the
years of this world a manvantar is equivalent to 30,67,20,000 years. On the
basis of the years of this world, a Brahma’s day is equivalent to 30,67,20,000
x 14 = 4,29,40,80,000 yrs. This is the period after which a Brahma’s day is
over and a deluge takes place when all the three worlds becomes devoid of life
due to unbearable heat. Lord Brahma then takes rest for the same period
(4,29,40,80,000 yrs) which is his night.
After the night is over, Lord Brahma again
commences his creation. So, this process continues for the whole period of
Brahma’s life span, i.e. 100 yrs.” Bheeshma requested Sage Pulastya to describe
how Lord Brahma created life in the beginning of the present Kalpa.
Pulastya replied— At the end of the previous
kalpa when Lord Brahma awakened from his sleep, he found the whole earth
submerged in water. He meditated on Lord Vishnu, who took the incarnation of
‘Varah’ and retrieved the earth and established it in its original position.
Lord Brahma then created all the four worlds–Bhurloka, Bhuvarloka, Swargloka
and Maharloka and divided the earth into seven islands.
First of all, Lord Brahma created the
‘Mahattatva’. After that he created the ‘Tanmatras’, Indriyas (sense-organs),
the immovable things like mountains, rivers, animals, deities, demons, human
beings etc.
THE FOUR PROMINENT CASTES
THE FOUR PROMINENT CASTES
On being asked by Bhishma about the origin of
the four prominent castes, Sage Pulastya said— Lord Brahma created the Brahmins
and the Kshatriyas from his mouth and chest respectively. Similarly, Vaishyas
and Shudras manifested from Lord Brahma’s thigh and feet respectively.Lord
Brahma had created his ‘manasputras’ with the objective of increasing the
population and their names were Bhrigu, Pulah, Kratu, Angira, Marichi, Daksha, Atri
and Vashishth. But all of them were free from worldly desires and extremely
virtuous. Seeing his effort go in vain, Lord Brahma became furious, as a result
of which Rudra manifested from his forehead. Half of Rudra’s body resembled
like a male while the remaining half appeared like a female.Lord Brahma
instructed Rudra to detach the female form from his body and commence
copulative creation. Following his advice, Rudra detached the female part of
his body and created eleven male entities. Similarly he created various female
entities from the female part of his body.
This way, the first human pair-Manu and
Shatarupa came into existence. In course of time four children were born to
them—Priyavrata, Uttanpad, Prasuti and Aakuti. Prasuti was married to Daksha
Prajpati, while Aakuti became the wife of Ruchi-Prajapati. Prasuti gave birth
to 24 daughters– Shraddha, Laxmi, Dhriti, Pushti, Tushti, Medha, Kriya, Buddhi,
Lajja, Vapu, Shanti, Keerti, Khyati, Sati, Sambhuti, Smriti, Preeti, Kshama,
Santati, Ansuya,Urja, Swaha and Swadha. Out of them, the former thirteen were
the wives of Dharma and the rest were married to various sages like Bhrigu,
Shiv, Marichi, Angira, myself (Pulastya), Pulaha, Kratu, Atri, Vashishth Agni,
etc.Shraddha gave birth to ‘Kaam’, Laxmi to ‘Daarpa, Dhriti to Niyam, Tushti to
Santosh, Pushti to Lobha, Medha to Shrut, Kriya to Dand, Nay and Vinay, Buddhi
to Bodh, Lajja to Vinay, Vapu to Vyavasay, Shanti to Kshama, Siddhi to Sukh and
Keerti gave birth to Yash. All of them were the sons of Dharma.
Kaam had a son named Harsh from his wife
Nandi, Bhrigu’s wife Khyati gave birth to a daughter named Laxmi–the consort of
Lord Vishnu. Lord Rudra accepted Sati–the daughter of Daksha Prajapati as his
wife. Hinsa was the wife of Adharm and gave birth to Anrit and Nikriti. Anrit
had two sons—Maya and Narak, while Nikriti had two daughters–Maaya and Vedana.
Maaya married Maya while Vedana became the wife of Narak. Maaya had a son named
Mrityu–the lord of death and Vedana gave birth to Dukh. Five children were born
to Mrityu–Vyadhi, Jara, Shok, Trishna and Krodha. All of them were celibates
and had no progeny.
THE MANIFESTATION OF GODDESS LAXMI
Bheeshma expressed his desire to know about
the manifestation of goddess Laxmi.
Pulastya replied– Once, after being defeated
by the demons, the deities went to Lord Vishnu and sought his help. Lord Vishnu
instructed them to collect all the medicinal herbs, and put them in the
Ksheersagar, so that after the churning of the ocean ambrosia could be
retrieved.Lord Vishnu also advised them to use the Mandar mountain as a Churner
and the serpent–Sheshnag as a rope for churning the ocean.The deities then
reached an agreement with the demons according to which both the groups were
supposed to unitedly churn the ocean. The great Mandar mountain was uprooted
and placed on the back of the tortoise–the embodiment of Lord Vishnu. Sheshnag
coiled around that mountain and both the ends were held by the demons and the
deities respectively. The deities intelligently chose the tail-end, while the
demons in their foolishness chose the mouth-end. The vemon spilled by Sheshnag
destroyed the power and strength off the demons. When the process of Churning
began, the first thing to emerge from the sea-bed was Kaamdhenu–the holy cow.
The deities claimed the ownership of this divine cow. Subsequently, Vaaruni
(intoxicating drink) emerged from the sea-bed, which was claimed by the
ignorant demons. During the process of ocean-churning, various kinds of things
emerged out from the ocean–Parijat, sixty crore apsaras, the moon and the
Kaalkut (poison), which were distributed among the demons and the deities. Lord
Mahadev drank the Kaalkut when he saw that there was no taker for it.
The churning of ocean also resulted into the
manifestation of ambrosia-pot, Uchchaishrava (horse) and Eravat (elephant).
Ultimately, goddess Laxmi manifested herself, seated on a lotus. The deities
eulogised her by chanting the mantras of Sri Sukta. The deities were desirous
of having goddess Laxmi on their side, so were the demons, but Lord Brahma
instructed Vishnu to accept her as his consort. The demons became furious and
snatched the ambrosia-pot from the hands of Sage Dhanvantari. Lord Vishnu then
disguised himself as the most enchanting woman and fooled the demons into
giving back the ambrosia-pot. Lord Vishnu gave the pot to the deities who
became immortal after drinking ambrosia. A tremendous battle was fought between
the demons and the deities. But, the demons were defeated in this battle and
fled to the netherworld to protect their lives. The deities eulogised Lord
Vishnu and returned to heaven.
SATI GIVES UP HER LIFE
SATI GIVES UP HER LIFE
On being enquired by Bheeshma about the
reason why Sati gave up her life, Sage Pulastya narrated the following tale —-
Once, Daksha Prajapati had organised a grand
yagya in which he had invited everybody except Lord Shiva. This Yagya was
presided over by four prominent sages—Vashishth, Angika, Vrihaspati and Narad.
Sati went to attend the yagya despite Lord Shiva’s reluctance to send her.
After reaching there she asked Daksha about the reason why he had not invited
Lord Shiva.
Daksha said—”Your husband is unworthy of
being in the company of other deities, because of his abhorrent appearance. He
smears ashes on his body and wanders through the cremation grounds. In the name
of clothes, your husband puts on tiger’s skin. A garland of skulls keep on
hanging down his neck. All species of serpents coil around his body. Do you
think he is eligible to sit in the company of the deities? Your husband had
brought great shame on me and this is the reason why I did not invite him.”
Sati could no more listen to her husband’s
criticism and gave up her life by jumping into the oblation-fire.When the news
of Sati’s death reached Lord Shiva, he became extremely furious and sent his
ganas to avenge her death. The Ganas went and created havoc at the
oblation-site.After the death of Sati, Lord Shiva became a recluse and lost all
interest in his life. His mind was preoccupied by nothing else but the thoughts
of her beloved.One day, Sage Narad informed Lord Shiva about Sati’s rebirth as
the daughter of Himvan and Mena. Lord Shiva became extremely pleased by this
good news. Eventually, he reunited with her eternal consort Parvati.
THE ORIGIN OF DEITIES, DEMONS & SERPENTS
THE ORIGIN OF DEITIES, DEMONS & SERPENTS
Bheeshma requested Sage Pulastya to explain
how different entities like the deities, demons and serpents came into being.
Pulastya replied—Having failed in his
repeated attempts of increasing population by the means of ‘sankalpa’ Daksha
Prajapati was left with no option but to take the help of copulative creation.
He begot sixty daughters from his wife named Virini. In course of time ten of
them were married to Dharma whose names were—Arundhati, Vasu, Jami, Lamba,
Bhanu, Marutvati, Sankalpa, Muhurta, Saadhya and Vishwa.Vishwa gave birth to
Vishwadeva, while Saadhyaa was the mother of Saddhya. Marutvati gave birth to
Marutvan. Vasu had eight sons who became famous as the Vasus—yourself
(Bheeshma), Dhruv, Soma, Dhar, Anil, Anal, Pratyush and Prabhas. Bhanu had a
son by the same name i.e. Bhanu. Mahurta begot deities, who were the lords of
auspicious moments. Lamba gave birth to Ghosh while Jami had a daughter named
Nagvithi. Arundhati became the mother of all the creatures of this world. As
far as the offspring of eight Vasus are concerned, ‘you’ (Bheeshma) have four
sons–Shant, Vaitand, Samb and Munibabhru. Dhruv had a son named Kaal. While
Soma was the father of Varcha. Dhar had two sons–Dravin and Havyavaah. Anil had
three sons— Pran, Raman and Shishir. Anal also had three sons—Shakh, Upshakh
and Naigameya. Pratyush had a son named Deval, who later on became a famous
sage. Prabhas was the father of Prajapati Vishwakarma–the architect of the
deities.
The names of the eleven Rudras are—Ajaikpad,
Ahirbudhnya, Virupaksh, Raivat, Har, Bahuroop, Trayambak, Savitra, Jayant,
Pinaki and Aparajit. All of them are said to be the lords of the Ganas and have
all together 84 crore progenies known as the Rudraganas.
Sage Kashyap had thirteen wives—Aditi, Diti,
Danu, Arishta, Sursa, Surabhi, Vinta, Tamra, Krodhvasha, Ira, Kadru, Khasa and
Muni. Kashyap had two sons from Diti—Hiranyakashipu and Hiranyaksha.
Hiranyakashipu had four sons—Prahlad, Anuhlad, Sanhlad and Hlad. Prahlad also
had four sons—One of them was Virochan. Virochan was the father of Bali. Vanasur, who had one thousand arms, was the eldest
son of Bali.Hiranyaksha had four sons, who themselves had 27 crore sons and
grandsons in all. Kashyap had begotten one hundred sons from Danu, among whom
Viprachitti was the most powerful.Viprachitti had fourteen sons from
Sinhika—Sainhikeya (Rahu), Kansa, Shankh, Nala, Vatapi, Ilwal, Namuchi,
Khasrima, Anjan, Narak, Kaalnaabh, Parmanu, Kalpavirya and
Dhanuvanshavivardhan.
Kashyap also had six daughters from
Tamra–Shuki, Shyeni, Bhasi, Gridhi, Sugridhi and Shuchi. All six of them gave
birth to various species of birds. Shuki was the mother of Parrots and Owls.
Shyeni gave birth to hawks while Bhasi was the mother of ospreys (a large fish
eating birds.) Gridhi gave birth to Vultures and Sugridhi was the mother of
pigeons. Shuchi was the mother of cranes, Swans and other similar aquatic birds.
Vinita was the mother of Garuda and Arun—Supreme among birds. Arun was the
father of Sampati and Jatayu.Sursa was the mother of the serpents and had given
birth to one thousand snakes. Similarly, Kadru gave birth to one thousand
cobras.Surabhi, one of the thirteen wives of Kashyap had given birth to cows,
buffaloes as well as beautiful women. Muni was the mother of the celestial
damsels –apsaras. Arishta gave birth to Kinnars and Gandharvas. Ira was the
mother of various vegetation like grass, trees, creepers and bushes.
Khasa gave birth to crore of Rakshashas
(monsters) and Yakshas.Kashyap had also begotten forty-nine Marudganas from
Diti.
THE ORIGIN OF MARUDGANAS
THE ORIGIN OF MARUDGANAS
Bheeshma requested Sage Pulastya to describe
how all the Marudganas came into existence.
Pulastya replied— All the sons and grandsons
of Diti had perished in the battle fought between the deities and demons.
Diti—the mother of daityas (demons) wanted to take revenge, so she started
doing a penance at the bank of river Saraswati, which lasted for 100
years.Being pleased by her austere penance Sage Kashyap arrived and expressed
his desire to bless her with a boon. Diti wanted a mighty son who could kill
Indra. Sage Kashyap then implanted his sperms in Diti’s womb and instructed her
to remain there (where she had been doing penance) for 100 years. He also
instructed her on various do’s and don’ts which a pregnant woman is expected to
observe. Diti agreed to follow his instructions.Mean while, Indra got wind of
her pregnancy and became scared. He wanted to destroy the foetus at any cost,
so he arrived at the place where Diti was staying. He had disguised himself to
avoid being recognized by Diti. He engaged himself in her servitude, waiting
for an opportune moment to destroy the foetus.
This way, ninety-nine years had passed and
only three days were remaining after which Diti was expected to give birth to a
son. As the inevitable day approached nearer, Indra started becoming
restless.One day, Diti was very tired and fell down asleep. Her hair was untied
and her head had stooped down while she was sleeping, just opposite to the
instructions Kashyap had given to her. Finding the moment opportune, Indra
entered into Diti’s womb and cut the foetus into seven pieces with his Vajra.
The seven fragments of foetus instantaneously got transformed into seven
infants and started wailing. Indra became furious and once again he attacked
them with his vajra and severed them into seven pieces each. But to Indra’s
sheer amazement, there were 49 infants, all wailing loudly. He tried to stop
them from crying by shouting ‘Marud’ (don’t cry), but to no avail.
Indra realized that the infants had attained
immortality on account of the ‘Pournamasi Vrata’, which Diti had devoutly
observed during the course of her penance. Indra named the infants as
Marudganas and blessed them. He then begged for Diti’s forgiveness and took her
along with the Marudganas to heaven. The Marudganas, despite being born in the
clans of demons, never associated with them and hence were revered even by the
deities.Bheeshma expressed his curiosity to know about the detailed description
of all the fourteen manvantars. Pulastya said–The first manvantar was called
Swayambhuva, named after Swayambhuva- Manu. Yamya was the prominent deity of
this manvantar. Marichi and other six prominent sages were the Saptarishis of
this manvantar. Swayambhuva- Manu had ten sons—Aaghnigha, Agnibahu, Vibhu,
Savan, Jyotishman, Dyutiman, Havya, Medha, Medhatithi and Vasu.
The second manvantar was named after
Swarochish–Manu. Swarochish–Manu had four sons–Nabh, Nabhasya, Prasriti and
Bhavan. Tushit was the prominent deity of this second manvantar. Dattatreya,
Atri, Chyavan, Stanba, Pran, Kashyap and Vrihaspati were the saptarishis of
this manvantar.
The third manvantar was called Autam and
derived its name from Autami Manu, who had ten sons–Isha, Urj, Tanuj, Shuchi,
Shukra, Madhu, Madhav, Nabhasya, Nabh and Saha, Bhanusangyak was the prominent deity
of this manvantar. Sage Urj and other six sages were the saptarishis then.
The fourth manvantar was called Taamas–named
after Taamas-manu, who also had ten sons like his predecessor. The names of his
sons were–Akalmash, Tapodhanva, Tapomool, Tapodhan, Taporashi, Tapasya,
Sutapasya, Parantap, Tapobhagi and Tapoyogi. Kavi, Prithu, Agni, Akapi, Kapi,
Janya and Dhama were the Saptarishis of this manvantar, while Saadhyagana was
the prominent deity.
The fifth manvantar was called Raivat–named
after Raivat Manu, who had ten sons as well–Varun, Tatvadarshi, chitiman,
Havyap, Kavi, Mukt, Nirutsuk, Satva, Vimoh and Prakashak, Bhutrajaa and
Prakriti were the two prominent deities of this manvantar and the names of the
saptarishis were–Devabahu, Subahu, Parjanya, Somap, Muni, Hiranyaroma and
Saptashva.
Next arrived the sixth manvantar—Chakshush.
This Manvantar derived its name from Chakshush–Manu, who had ten sons and among
whom Ruru was the most prominent one. Lekh, Ribhu, Prithagbhoot, Varimool and
Divau were the prominent deities of this manvantar. The names of Saptarishis
were–Bhrigu, Sudhama, Viraj, Vishnu, Narad, Vivaswan and Abhimani.
The present manvantar, which is the seventh
in order, is called Vaivaswat. The Saptarishis of this manvantar are—Atri, Vashishth,
Kashyap, Gautam–yogi, Bhardwaj, Vishwamitra and Jamdagni.
The eighth manvantar will be called Savarnya
and will be named after Savarni Manu, Savarni Manu will have ten sons—Dhriti,
Variyan, Yavasu, Suvarna, Dhrishti, Charishnu, Aadya, Sumati, Vasu and Shukra.
The Saptarishis of this manvantar will be–Ashwatthama, Rishyashringa,
Kaushikya, Galav, Shatanand, Kaashyap and Parashuram.
The nineth manvantar will be named after
Ruchi–Manu and will be called Rauchya manvantar. Ruchi–manu will have a son named
Rauchya.
The tenth manvantar will be called Bhautya
and will derive its name from Bhautya Manu–Son of Bhuti.
The eleventh, twelfth, thirteenth and
fourteenth manvantars will be named after Merusavarni, Ribhu, Veetdhama and
Vishkvasen Manus respectively.
All these fourteen Manus successively rule
this world for the total period of 1000 Chaturyugas. At the end of Kalpa each
of them unite with Lord Brahma.
KING PRITHU AND THE SURYA DYNASTY
KING PRITHU AND THE SURYA DYNASTY
Bheeshma enquired Sage Pulastya about the
mighty King Prithu upon whom the earth was named as Prithvi.
Sage Pulastya replied—Anga-Prajapati was the
descendant of Swayambhuva Manu and Sunitha was his wife. In course of time,
Sunitha gave birth to a son, who was named Ven. After growing up, Ven turned
out to be an extremely irreligious person and used to spend his time committing
all sorts of immoral deeds. The sages tried to bring him to the virtuous path
but to no avail. They became furious and cursed Ven as the result of which he
died. The sages then churned his dead body, which resulted into the
manifestation of a mean caste called Mlechchha. They kept on churning his body
and in the process, an extremely virtuous entity manifested from the right hand
of Ven. He held various weapons like mace, bow and arrows in his hands. He was
none other than Prithu–the embodiment of Lord Vishnu.
After being crowned as a king, Prithu was
saddened to see the prevalence of immorality throughout the length and breadth
of earth. The lack of virtuosity and religiousness among the inhabitants of
earth made him extremely furious. He decided to destroy the earth. The earth
became scared and fled in the guise of a cow. Prithu chased her wherever she
went. At last, the cow halted at a place as she had got tired. To save her
life, the cow agreed to fulfill all the desires of Prithu. Prithu then milked
the cow, which later on got transformed into cereals. Similarly all the
deities, ancestors and other human-beings milked the cow and received numerous
invaluable things.
Prithu was a just king. Peace and prosperity
prevailed during his reign. People were religious and free from any kind of
sorrow. The earth is named after him as Prithvi.Sage Pulastya then went on to
give a detailed description of Surya dynasty—Vivaswan (Surya) had three
queens—Sangya, Ragyi and Prabha. Ragyi had a son named Raivat while Somgya was
the mother of Vaivaswat–Manu, Yama and Yamuna. Once, Sangya being unable to
bear the extreme radiance of Surya created a superficial entity from her body
and instructed her to act as Surya’s wife in her absence. The name of this
superficial woman was chhaya, who had two sons and two daughters from Surya.
The names of her sons were Saavarna–Manu and Shanaishchar, while the names of
her daughters were Tapti and Vishti.
Shanaishchar became immortal as a planet
while Yamuna and Tapti became rivers. Vaivaswat Manu had ten sons among whom
‘Ila’ was the eldest. After appointing Ila as his successor, Vaivaswat, manu
went to do penance.Once, Ila transformed into a woman after tresspassing a
forest where Lord Shiva and Parvati were enjoying privacy. It was Lord Shiva’s
curse that any male who ventured in to that forbidden forest would become a
woman. Later on, Buddh became enchanted by Ila’s beauty and married her.
Meanwhile, when Ila did not return to his
kingdom, his brother Ikshvaku went in search of him. Ikshvaku reached the
outskirts of the same forest but did not enter it. He managed to please Shiva
by his devotion. When Lord Shiva appeared, Ikshvaku requested him to make Ila a
man once again. Shiva told him that it was impossible but assured him by saying
“If you perform an Ashwamedha yagya and donate all the virtue thus acquired to
me, then your brother will be able to live as a man for one month. But, after
one month he will again become a woman. Thus, his form will keep on changing
every alternate months.”
Meanwhile Ila gave birth to four sons among
whom Utkal, Gaya
and Haritashwa were prominent. This way, Ila became the source from which the
lineage of chandra sprouted.Ikshvaku ruled over Madhya-desh. He had one hundred
sons, all of whom ruled the territories situated north of Meru Mountain.
Ikshvaku also had one hundred and fourteen more sons, who ruled over the areas
situated south of Meru.Kakusttha was Ikshvaku’s grand-son. Kakusttha had a son
named Suyodhan. Some other prominent kings coming from this lineage
were–Prithu, Vrihadashwa, Kuwalashva, Purukutsu, Dharmasetu, Muchukund,
Tridhanva, Traidharun, Satyavrat and Satyarath.
The most truthful king Harishchandra was
Satyarath’s son and Rohit was his son. Famous kings like Raghu, Dilip Aja,
Dirghabahu and Prajapati-Dasharath were the descendants of Ikshvaku. Dasharath
had four sons among whom Sri Ram was the eldest and who had killed the demon
king Ravana. Ram had two sons–Lav and Kush.
BASHKALI–THE DEMON KING
Bheeshma requested Sage Pulastya to reveal
Why Lord Vishnu had to take incarnation as Vaman. Sage Pulastya replied— Once,
during Satyayuga, the demons had defeated the deities and driven them out from
their abode–heaven. The mighty demon, Bashkali was their leader. He had become
immortal an account of a boon received from Lord Brahma. Indra went to Lord
Brahma and narrated the aweful tale of the deities. Lord Brahma assured him
that Lord Vishnu would certainly help in this matter. Lord Brahma contemplated
on Lord Vishnu who appeared in a very short time.
When, Lord Vishnu came to know about the
deities’s pitiable condition, he promised them that very soon Bashkali’s wings
would be clipped.
Lord Vishnu said—”Very soon, I will take incarnation
as Vaman. Indra will have to come along with me and demand a piece of land
measured by my three steps. I shall then reveal my giant form and send him to
the patalloka after making him bereft of his kingdom. In course of time Lord
Vishnu manifested as Vaman from Aditi’s womb. His manifestation was
simultaneously marked by various auspicious signs–the air became full of
fragrance, the deities started rejoicing, the trees started shedding flowers on
their own and all the desires of living beings were fulfilled.
Lord Vaman then went to Bashkali’s palace
accompanied by Indra. Both of them marvelled at the grandness of Bashkali’s
city, which was surrounded by a high boundary-wall.Bashkali was a very virtuous
and benevolent king. He was truthful and well versed in all the scripture. His
subject lived in prosperity and enjoyed a long life.When the demons saw Indra
coming with a dwarf they informed Bashkali. Bashkali instructed the demons to
bring both the guests with due respect.
Bashkali treated his guests with all honour
and asked Indra about the reason for his sudden arrival. Indra praised
Bashkali’s benevolence and said—”The short brahmin accompanying me is desirous
of a piece of land measured by his three steps.” Bashkali was amused at this
ridiculous demand and requested Vaman to ask for anything he wished. But, Vaman
wanted nothing more than a small piece of land measured by his three steps.
Shukracharya-Bashkali’s guru smelled
something fishy and warned him, but he was not to listen. Bashkali then
requested Vaman to go ahead and measure the land by his three steps.Suddenly,
Lord Vaman transformed his physique into a giant size. His first step reached
the Surya-loka and his second step touched the dhruva-loka. He hit the top of
the universe with his third step as a result of which water poured down. The
water got collected and came to be known as Vaishnavi river. But, the land had
still not been measured and hence Lord Vaman reminded Bashkali of his vow and
ultimately the helpless Bashkali surrendered to the will of Lord Vaman and
sought his refuge. Lord Vaman blessed him and sent him to Patalloka.
SRI RAM KILLS SHAMBUK
SRI RAM KILLS SHAMBUK
After killing the demons king Ravan, Sri Ram
returned to Ayodhya. Many sages had arrived there to bless him on the occasion
of his crowning ceremony. Sage Vashishth was one of them.As Sri Ram was
conversing with the sages a brahmin arrived there with the corpse of his son
and wailed—”O son! Your death is certainly due to some flaw of Sri Ram. Now,
your mother and I have decided to give up our lives as there is no point in
living.”
Sri Ram’s heart was filled with grief and he
asked Sage Vashishth as to how the brahmin could be helped. Sage Vashishth
revealed to Sri Ram that the brahmin’s son had died a premature death because
of Shambuk. Vashishth said–”Shambuk is a Shudra by birth, but he is doing an
austere penance. Shudras are not entitled to do penance in all the three yugas,
except the Kaliyug. So, only his death can bring back the brahmin’s son alive.”
Sri Ram instructed both his younger
brothers–Laxman and Bharat, to look after the state’s affairs in his absence
and went in search of Shambuk boarded on his Pushpak Viman.Sri Ram saw a man
doing penance at the shore of a reservoir. He landed his Pushpak Viman and went
near that man. He introduced himself and enquired about the man’s identity–Sri
Ram asked–Why are you doing such an austere penance. Who are you?
Without moving the man replied that he was a
shudra named Shambuk. He said—- I am desirous of attaining to devaloka and
hence I am doing this penance.Sri Ram took out his sword and severed Shambuk’s
head. All the deities hailed Sri Ram and the brahmin’s child became alive once
again.
MANIFESTATION OF GANESH & KARTIKEYA
MANIFESTATION OF GANESH & KARTIKEYA
Once, before taking her bath, goddess Parvati
anointed unguent on her body and while removing it created a human form from
the accumulated dross. The head of this human form resembled an elephant.
Parvati then playfully immersed the human-form into river Ganga.
But, to her sheer amazement the human form became alive and of enormous size.
She accepted him as her son and he was none other than elephant-headed
deity-Ganesh.
Once, Lord Shiva became so deeply fascinated
by her consort. Parvati hat he did not come out from his palace for 1000 years.
The deities became worried and sent Agni to find out the reason. Agni disguised
himself as a parrot and entered the palace where Shiva was enjoying privacy
with Parvati.
Meanwhile, Parvati went at the bank of a
reservoir to quench her thirst. After reaching there she saw six divine women
(matrikas) carrying water in the leaves of lotus flowers. As Parvati was
thirsty, she requested them to give some water. The matrikas agreed on the
condition that a son born to her (Parvati) should also have to be accepted as
their son. Parvati gave her conscent. The matrikas gave Parvati water to drink.
Hardly had Parvati finished drinking water
than a divine child emerged out from her womb. The child possessed various
weapons like, trident, shakti and a noose in his hands. He was none other than
Kartikeya.The deities appointed Kartikeya as the commander of their army.
During that time, a mighty demon named Tarakasur used to torment the deities.
Kartikeya killed that demon on the request of deities.
AN IDEAL BRAHMIN AND THE SIGNIFICANCE OF GAYATRI MANTRA
Describing about the qualities of an ideal brahmin, Sage Pulastya said— Once, Narad had asked Lord Brahma as to who was worthy of receiving Vishnu’s blessings. Lord Brahma had told Narad that Lord Vishnu showered his blessings on those who engaged themselves in the service of brahmins. A brahmin should be virtuous and well versed in all the scriptures. A brahmin who does not observe the rituals as mentioned in the Vedas, brings disgrace to his ancestors. An ideal brahmin is respectful towards his parents, teachers and treats his guests with due honour. He never aspires for women other than his wife and chants the sacred Gayatri mantra everyday.
AN IDEAL BRAHMIN AND THE SIGNIFICANCE OF GAYATRI MANTRA
Describing about the qualities of an ideal brahmin, Sage Pulastya said— Once, Narad had asked Lord Brahma as to who was worthy of receiving Vishnu’s blessings. Lord Brahma had told Narad that Lord Vishnu showered his blessings on those who engaged themselves in the service of brahmins. A brahmin should be virtuous and well versed in all the scriptures. A brahmin who does not observe the rituals as mentioned in the Vedas, brings disgrace to his ancestors. An ideal brahmin is respectful towards his parents, teachers and treats his guests with due honour. He never aspires for women other than his wife and chants the sacred Gayatri mantra everyday.
Goddess Gayatri is said to have manifested in
the lineage of Sankhyayan. She is of fair complexion and fire is the symbolical
expression of her mouth. Lord Brahma dwells on her forehead, Lord Vishnu in her
heart and Lord Rudra has his abode in her braided hair. The Gayatri mantra
consists of 24 letters and each of them is related with a specific deity. There
is a mention of Gayatri mantra, which consists of 18 letters. It begins with
the word ‘agni’ and ends with ‘swaha’.
The mantra is as follows—OM
AGNERVAKPUNSI YAJURDEDIN JUSHTA SOMAM PIBA SWAHA.
A person, who chants the mantra for 100
times, becomes liberated from gravest of sin. The various deities related with
the twenty-four letters of Gayatri Mantra are as under-
Deity
Deity
1st letter —- Agni
2nd letter —- Vayu
3rd letter —- Surya
4th letter —- Aakash
5th letter —- Yamraj
6th letter —- Varun
7th letter —- Vrihaspati
8th letter —- Parjanya
9th letter —- Indra
10th letter —- Gandharva
11th letter —- Poosha
12th letter —- Mitra
13th letter —- Twashta
14th letter —- Vasu
15th letter —- Marudganas
16th letter —- Soma
17th letter —- Angira
18th letter —- Vishwadeva
19th letter —- Ashwini kumar
20th letter —- Prajapati
21st letter —- All the deities
22nd letter —- Rudra
23rd letter —- Brahma
24th letter —- Vishnu
2nd letter —- Vayu
3rd letter —- Surya
4th letter —- Aakash
5th letter —- Yamraj
6th letter —- Varun
7th letter —- Vrihaspati
8th letter —- Parjanya
9th letter —- Indra
10th letter —- Gandharva
11th letter —- Poosha
12th letter —- Mitra
13th letter —- Twashta
14th letter —- Vasu
15th letter —- Marudganas
16th letter —- Soma
17th letter —- Angira
18th letter —- Vishwadeva
19th letter —- Ashwini kumar
20th letter —- Prajapati
21st letter —- All the deities
22nd letter —- Rudra
23rd letter —- Brahma
24th letter —- Vishnu
A devotee should then perform the ritual of
‘nyas’ by mentally establishing different words of the Gayatri mantra in the
various parts of his body as given below —
OM BHUH — in the heart,
OM BHUVAH — in the head,
OM SWAH — in the top-knot (Shikha),
OM TATSAVITURVARENYAM — in the whole body,
OM BHARGODEVASYA DHIMAHI — in both the eyes
OM DHIYO YO NAH PRACHODAYAT — in both the hands.
OM BHUVAH — in the head,
OM SWAH — in the top-knot (Shikha),
OM TATSAVITURVARENYAM — in the whole body,
OM BHARGODEVASYA DHIMAHI — in both the eyes
OM DHIYO YO NAH PRACHODAYAT — in both the hands.
Regular chanting of Gayatri mantra bestowes
similar virtues attained by the study of all the four vedas. A brahmin who does
not know Gayatri mantra is considered to be worse than a shudra. Anybody who
chants Gayatri mantra attains salvation.
BRAHMIN’S LIVELIHOOD
Describing how a brahmin should earn his
livelihood, Lord Brahma said to Narad–Alms, which a brahmin gets without making
any demand for it, is called Vritta. ‘Unchhavritti’ is even better than Vritti
and it means collecting foodgrain which are scattered in places like fields,
granary, market-place etc. A brahmin should accept the dakshina that his host
gives him after the completion of yagya-ceremony. He should engage himself in
educational activities. He can also earn his livelihood by engaging himself in
other auspicious activities.
If the circumstances do not permit a brahmin
to earn his livelihood by any of the above mentioned means, then he may opt for
the occupation of a kshatriya. In such a case, he should endeavor to have mastery
both over the vedas as well as different weaponary. Battle should be his last option. When the
very existence of religiousness is at stake, he should wage a war against
irreligious people and to protect the religion.
In an emergency situation, a brahmin can also
choose the occupation of aVaishya and earn his livelihood by doing business or
agriculture. But, while earning his livelihood by doing agriculture, he should
in no circumstances abandon his own duties (duties of a brahmin). He should be
honest while doing business and never try to exploit the customers.
NAROTTAM—THE BRAHMIN
NAROTTAM—THE BRAHMIN
Describing about the importance of five
virtuous deeds, Pulastya said to Bheeshma—”The five supreme virtuous deeds
are–obedience to parents, faithfulness towards husband, equanimity, not having
enmity towards friends and devotion towards Lord Vishnu. By pleasing his
father, one pleases all the deities. Mother is superior even to all the places
of pilgrimage combined together.
Pulastya then narrated the same tale to
Bheeshma, which lord Brahma had once told some prominent sages —
Once, there lived a famous Brahmin called
Narottam. He had acquired divine powers on account of his austere penance but
unfortunately he never treated his parents with respect.After taking his daily
bath, Narottam hanged his wet clothes in the open sky without any support and
they used to dry without falling down on the earth. This special power had made
him very arrogant.One day, a crane flying in the sky passed dung on his face,
which made him very furious. Narottam cursed the crane as the result of which
it was burnt to death. His special power vanished due to the sin acquired by
killing an innocent bird. Now, no longer his clothes remained in suspended
position in the sky.
Narottam became very sad. Suddenly he heard a
heavenly voice instructing him to see a ‘chandala’ named Mook. “His discourses
would be beneficial for you.”- Said the heavenly voice. Narottam went in search
of Mook–the chandal and found him in the servitude of his parents. Mook was a
great devotee of his parents and his total devotion towards his parents had
blessed him with an extraordinary power-his house used to hang in the air
without any support.Narottam was deeply amazed at this wonderful sight. He
wanted to know how Mook had acquired such divine powers. But, Mook requested
him to wait, which made Narottam very angry. Mook then told Narottam—”I can
talk to you only after attending to my parents. I am not that crane which was
charred to death by your curse. If you don’t have time then go and meet that
‘faithful-wife. She will answer your questions.”
Narottam did not know where that faithful
wife lived, so he stood there wondering what to do next. Suddenly Lord Vishnu
emerged from Mook’s house disguised as a brahmin. He took Narottam to the
‘faithful-wife’s house. All along the way Lord Vishnu preached Narottam on the
qualities of a chaste woman. As both of them were about to reach that chaste
woman’s house, lord Vishnu disappeared, leaving Narottam all alone.
Narottam requested the woman to enlighten him
on the finer points of virtuosity. But, the woman was busy attending her
husband and requested him to wait. Narottam threatened to curse her, to which
the woman replied—I am not that crane whom you had cursed. If you are in a
hurry then you can go and meet ‘Dharm–Tulaadhar’. He is an honest businessman
and is capable of answering your queries.”
Lord Vishnu once again appeared from that
woman’s house disguised as a brahmin. Narottam asked him as to how were both
Mook and faithful-wife aware of the incident in which the crane was charred to
death. Lord Vishnu told him that both of them had acquired this special power
by the virtue of their respective religiousness.
Lord Vishnu and Narottam proceeded towards
the place where Dharmtuladhar did his business transactions. As they were about
to reach the place, Lord Vishnu disappeared once again, leaving Narottam all
alone.Narottam saw Dharmtuladhar busy in his dealings with total honesty. He
requested him to reveal as to what made the wet clothes to hang in the air
without any support. Dharmtuladhar requested him to wait but Narottam was in a
hurry to get answer to his questions. Dharmtuladhar told Narottam–Please wait for
sometime, as I am busy doing my business transactions. If you don’t have time
then you can go and meet Adrohak, who is fully capable of giving answer to your
questions. Lord Vishnu once again accompanied him disguised as a brahmin.
When both of them were about to reach the
place where Adrohak used to live, lord Vishnu disappeared and Narottam was left
all by himself, once again. Narottam requested Adrohak to preach on the essence
of religiousness. Adrohak was a man of impeccable conduct and had full control
over the sensual urges. He advised Narottam to meet the supreme devotee of Lord
Vishnu, who lived nearby. Adrohak said– You would get answers to all your
questions. He will reveal to you the reason that made wet clothes to hang in
air without any support.Narottam then proceeded towards the place where the
supreme devotee of Lord Vishnu lived. Lord Vishnu once again accompanied him in
the guise of a brahmin.After reaching there, Narottam expressed his desire of
seeing Lord Vishnu. The supreme devotee took him to a temple situated inside
the house-premise.
Narottam was amazed to see the same brahmin,
who had been accompanying him all along the way, siting on a lotus flower. He
realized that the brahmin was lord Vishnu himself. Lord Vishnu blessed him and
said—Be respectful towards your parents, if you want to attain to my abode. I
dwell in the houses of people who are virtuous, truthful, possessed equanimity
and who have full control over their passion. This is why you found me present
at the homes of chandal, Tuladhar & Adrohak.
Narottam realized his mistake and decided to
be in the servitude of his parents for the rest of his life.
THE SIGNIFICANCE OF RUDRAKSHA, AMLA & TULSI
THE SIGNIFICANCE OF RUDRAKSHA, AMLA & TULSI
Once, while describing about the importance
of Rudraksha to the sages, Vyas said— One who wears a Rudraksha rosary is
supreme among all human beings. The mere sight of such a holy man absolves
people of their sin. A Rudraksha bead bears features of a Linga and yoni on
it’s surface. One should not wear a rudraksha on which above mentioned features
are absent. Similarly two joint beads should never be worn. All the mantras
become doubly powerful when chanted with the help of rudraksha-rosary.During
Satya-yuga, there lived a mighty demon named Tripurasur. He had conquered the
deities and was capable of moving in the space. The deities sought help of Lord
Shiva, who killed Tripurasur by the sight of his third-eye. In the process, few
drops of sweat, emanating from Shiva’s body fell down on the earth. These sweat
drops got transformed into a large Rudraksha-tree.
Amla is a very nutritious fruit and great
religious significance has been attached to it. Amla fruit is very dear to Lord
Vishnu and its use on the auspicious day of Ekadashi brings unmatched virtue. A
person who regularly eats amla enjoys a long life.The following tale adequately
describes the religious importance of amla —
Once upon a time, a chandala went into the
forest for hunting. He hunted many deer and birds. Feeling hungry, he saw an
amla tree and climbed up the tree. This way he satiated his hunger by eating
sweet amla fruits. Unfortumately while he was climbing down the tree, he fell
down and died.When the attendants of Yamaraj arrived to take back his soul,
they could not do so even after repeated attempts. The attendants of Yamaraj
became very surprised and went to the sages for clarification. The sages
revealed to the attendants that they could not go near the chandala’s dead
body, because he had eaten amla just before his death.
Such is the glory of amla!
Once Kartikeya asked Lord Shiva about the
holiest tree, which was capable of giving salvation. Lord shiva replied—The
Tulsi plant is supreme among all the vegetations. She is very dear to lord
Vishnu and fulfill’s all the desires of a man. Lord Krishna dwells near the place
where there is a Tulsi plant. Spirits and ghosts never dare to venture near the
Tulsi plant. If a man attaches a Tulsi leaf to his Shikha at the time of his
death, he is liberated from all his sins. One who worships Lord Vishnu by
offering Tulsi-leaves attains salvation.
THE IMPORTANCE OF SURYA’S WORSHIP
Once, while describing about the importance
of Surya’s worship to Vaishampayan, Sage Vyas narrated the following tale —
There lived a king named Bhadreshwar. He
ruled over Madhyadesh. Once his left hand was infected with leprosy.
Bhadreshwar, fearing the prospect of dreadful leprosy spreading to his whole
body, decided to end his life. He expressed his desire to the head-priest. The
head-priest cautioned Bhadreshwar that if he went ahead with his decision, then
the whole kingdom would be destroyed. He said — ‘You will be cured of leprosy,
if you worship Lord Surya.’
The head-priest then told the king about the
appropriate rituals of Surya–worship. King Bhadreshwar began his austerities
and worshipped Lord Surya by chanting mantras and offering articles like
Naivedya, fruits, Ardhya, Akshat etc to the deity.King Bhadreshwar was cured of
his leprosy within a year by the virtue of his deep devotion towards Lord
Surya.
BHUMI KHAND
BHUMI KHAND
DIFFERENT TYPES OF SIN & VIRTUE
Once, Yayati requested Matali to describe the
various sinful and virtuous deeds, which a man normally commits in his life.
Matali replied—-’One who criticizes the vedas
and follows the religion of other’s after abandoning his own or torments
virtuous people is a grave sinner. Similarly, not respecting one’s parents, not
giving ‘dakshina’ to a brahmin after the completion of a shraddh ceremony,
studying the scriptures in an impure physical state are some other sinful
deeds.
‘One who obstructs a hungry man from having his
food or thirsty person from quenching his thirst commits a sin similar to that
of killing a brahmin.
Matali described some other types of sins —
Back biting, seeing faults with others and
demeaning their efforts, acquiring other’s land by unfair means, killing
innocent animals, having illicit relationship with women other than one’s wife,
telling lies, showing disrespect to the guests etc, are considered to be sinful
deeds.
Describing about the various types of
virtuous deeds, Matali said —
Non-violence, forgiveness, truthfulness,
devotion towards god, benevolence, abstinence, oblation & meditation are
some of the virtuous deeds. Donating food-grains, domesticated animals like
horse, cow etc. giving water to a thirsty person are some other types of virtuous
deeds.A person who donates wooden sandals a needy brahmin attains to the
heaven. Worshipping Lord Shiva or Lord Vishnu enables a man to attain to the
Shivaloka or Vishnuloka respectively.
KING YAYATI PROPAGATES VAISHNAVA–DHARMA
King Yayati was the son of Nahush and a
descendant of Soma–dynasty. He was a great devotee of Lord Vishnu and had
contributed a lot in the propagation of Vaishnava–dharma. Yayati had sent many
emissaries in all directions to propagate Vaishnava–dharma. During Yayati’s
reign his subject were prosperous and were free from any kind of sorrow. Peace
prevailed everywhere and people did not experience any natural calamity like
draught or famine.
King Yayati enjoyed an unbelievably long life
of one lakh years. He was blessed with eternal youth and his appearance was
enough to give an inferiority complex to a young man. All this, he had attained
by the virtue of his supreme devotion towards Lord Vishnu. Indra was very
scared of Yayati’s increasing popularity and feared that if his virtuosity
remained intact, he would very soon become the ruler of heaven. Indra
instructed Kamadeva and Rati to find some means so that king Yayati could be
enticed by human weaknesses like lust & infatuation.
Kamadeva, accompanied by other Gandharvas
went to Yayati’s palace and sought his permission to stage a play. Yayati gave
his permission and the play commenced. Rati appeared on the stage as a
beautiful woman and was successful in corrupting the thoughts of Yayati. Yayati
became so enchanted by Rati’s beauty that he lost his senses and fell down
unconscious. Finding the time opportune ‘Vriddhavastha’ (deity of old age) and
‘Kamadeva’ entered Yayati’s body.This way the deities were successful in their
designs and now the signs of old-age started to become evident in Yayati.
YAYATI MARRIES ASHRUBINDUMATI
Once, king Yayati went into a forest for
hunting. He saw a stag, which had four horns and chased it. The deer led him
deep into the forest and then disappeared. Yayati was tired and thirsty. He saw
a lake and decided to quench his thirst. First of all he took his bath and then
drank sweet water from the lake.As Yayati was relaxing at the bank of that
lake, he heard a sweet voice singing a song. Yayati proceeded towards the
direction from which the sound was coming. He saw a beautiful woman singing a
song. Her companion accompanied the beautiful woman.Yayati became enchanted by
the divine beauty of that woman and wanted to marry her. The beautiful woman’s
companion told Yayati that her friend could marry him only after he shed the
signs of his old age.
The beautiful woman was Ashrubindumati–the
daughter of Rati.Vishala-her companion was the daughter of Varun. Yayati
returned to his palace and requested his two sons–Taru and Yadu to exchange
their youth in lieu of his old age, but both of them refused to oblige him.
Yayati cursed both of them.
Yayati had a son—Puru from his wife named
Sharmishtha. When he made the same request to Puru, he agreed without any
hesitation. Yayati became pleased with Puru and appointed him as his successor.
Now, Yayati became young once again and went
to meet Ashrubindumati. But, Ashrubindumati’s friend Vishala was still not
convinced and expressed apprehension that her friend would never play second
fiddle to his two wives–Sharmishtha and Devayani.King Yayati, being blinded by
his lust, assured Vishala that Ashrubindumati would enjoy the supreme authority
and she had nothing to fear. He said–”I promise that you will be my only wife
and I will have nothing to do with my wives.”
This way Yayati married Ashrubindumati and
enjoyed a blissful married life for twenty-thousand years. Once, Ashrubindumati
expressed her desire of visiting all the divine places–Indraloka, Brahmaloka,
Shivaloka and Vishnuloka. Yayati took back his old age from Puru and returned
his youth. He appointed Puru as his successor and instructed his subject to
live peacefully. But, the people wanted to be with Yayati, so all of them
accompanied him to the heaven.Yayati visited all the divine places and
ultimately attained to Vishnuloka.
KUNJAL–THE ENLIGHTENED PARROT
Once, while describing about the importance
of a teacher, Lord Vishnu had narrated the following tale to king Ven— Sage
Chyavan came from the lineage of Bhargav. Once, he arrived at Omkareshwar with
the objective of acquiring knowledge. Since he was tired, he decided to take
rest under the shade of a Banyan tree. A parrot named Kunjal lived on that
tree. The parrot had four young ones–Ujjawal, Samujjwal, Vijjwal and Kapinjal.
Kunjal was a very learned parrot and had mastery over all the scriptures. Once,
Ujjawal requested Kunjal to give discourse on various aspects of religiousness.
Kunjal said—The whole world is full of sorrow. A man can be liberated from his
sorrow by the means of salvation because salvation is free from sorrow.
Salvation can be attained with the help of abstinence, self-control and having
deep devotion in lord Vishnu. The soul being enlightened is also called
‘Paramatma’. But, covered by the darkness of ignorance it becomes difficult for
the soul to attain salvation. A devotee can meditate on both the forms of Lord
Vishnu–Sakar (with form) & Nirakar (formless). But, meditating on the Sakar
form is easy for anybody. On the other hand only an enlightened soul can
meditate on the ‘nirakar’ form of Lord Vishnu. There are various austerities
related with Lord Vishnu and which if observed by a devotee, pleases him–Jaya,
Vijaya, Jayanti, Vanjuli, Tilgandha, Trihsprisha, Akshanda and Manoraksha. All
these austerities are similar to different types of Ekadashi or Dwadashi Vrata.
Similarly, two other austerities namely Ashunyashayan and Janmashtami are
capable of freeing a man from all his sin. A devotee who chants Shatnaam stotra
attains salvation.
KUNJAL PREACHES VIJJWAL
Describing the virtue of benevolence to
Vijjwal. Kunjal–the learned parrot narrated the following tale —
Once, there lived a king named Subahu who
ruled over chola desha. A learned brahmin named Jaimini used to counsel him on
religious and spiritual matters.One day, while Jaimini was giving a discourse
on the virtue of benevolence, Subahu requested him to describe about those
deeds that enables a man either to attain to the heaven or to hell.
Jaimini replied— One who earns his livelihood
by improper means definitely goes to hell. Similarly, atheists, licentious
people, proudy, backbiters and ungrateful people go to hell too. One who
gobbles up other’s wealth by illegal means or shows disrespect to his guest
goes to hell.One who is a habitual liar or one who kills innocent animals or
one who has abandoned the religious path is certain to go to hell.One who is
truthful and engages himself in various virtuous deeds like penance,
meditation, study of the scriptures, goes to the heaven. One who is respectful
towards his elders and leads a virtuous life goes to the heaven. In the same
manner, he who is benevolent and free from vices like jealousy hatred etc. goes
to the heaven. Similarly, one who leads his life as per the instructions given
in the scriptures or has full control over his sensual desires goes to the
heaven.
King Subahu was so impressed by Jaimini’s
preaching that he decided to spend rest of his life in the service of lord
Madhusudan. He performed countless oblations as long as he was alive and
attained to Vishnuloka after his death.
KUNJAL NARRATES ABOUT HIS PREVIOUS BIRTH
KUNJAL NARRATES ABOUT HIS PREVIOUS BIRTH
Sage Chyavan, who had been listening to the
narration of Kunjal, was amazed by his profound knowledge. He asked Kunjal—O
great soul! Who are you? From where did you acquire such divine knowledge.’
Kunjal, who remembered everything about his
previous birth said–
In my previous birth, I was the youngest son
of a brahmin named Vidyadhar. My name was Dharma Sharma. Seeing my dislike for
study, my father became worried about my future. I used to waste my time
loitering here and there. People used to make fun of my stupidity, which made
me extremely sad. I decided to acquire knowledge but did not find anybody
willing to teach me.
In due course of time I became old but was
still an idiot. One day, I was sitting in a temple cursing my fate. Suddenly, a
sage arrived there and asked me as to what made me so sad. I narrated my woeful
tale. The sage felt pity on my condition and blessed me with divine knowledge
that made me capable of having advance knowledge of all the future incidents of
the world. Sage Chyavan was curious to know about the reason that made Dharma
Sharma to be born as a parrot.
Kunjal replied— O Brahmin! A man is
influenced by the company he keeps. The reason why I took birth as a parrot is
related with an incident, which occurred in my previous birth. Once, a wicked
fowler sold a parrot to a brahmin who in turn presented it to me. With the
passage of time I became very attached with the parrot and gradually deviated
from my virtuous path. As a result all my divine knowledge vanished and I
became an idiot once again.
One day,a cat arrived and killed that parrot
in my absence. I became very sad and used to spend my time crying over the dead
parrot. Ultimately I died but even at the time of death, my mind was
preoccupied with the thoughts of my beloved parrot. As a result, I was born as
a parrot but fortunately I remembered my previous birth even while I was still
in my mother’s womb. I was full of remorse and used to curse myself for having
wasted my life.Sage Chyavan was amazed by the narration of Kunjal–the learned
parrot.
SWARGA KHAND
SWARGA KHAND
SOME PROMINENT HOLY PLACES OF BHARATVARSHA
Once, sages requested Sutji to describe about the most prominent places of pilgrimage situated in Bharatvarsha. Sutji commenced his narration by describing the origin of creation and then switched over to the geographical characteristics of Bharatvarsha. Sutji said—’There are seven prominent mountain ranges in Bharatvarsha–Mahendra, Malay, Sahya, Shaktiman, Rikshavan, Vindhya and Pariyatra. Some prominent rivers supplying potable water to the inhabitants of Bharatvarsha are—Ganga, Sindhu, Saraswati, Godwari, Narmada, Shatadru, Yamuna, Vipasha, Mahanadi, Vidisham, Varuna etc. The names of the main Janapadas situated in the northern part of Bharatvarsha are Kuru, Panchal, Shalva, Matreya, Jaangal, Shoorsen, Pulind, Baudh, Chedi, Matsya, Bhoj, Sindhu, Utkal, Koshal, Madra, Kalinga, Kashi, Malav, Magadh, Videh, Anga, Banga, Surashtra, Kekay, Kashmir & Gandhar. Similarly, Janpadas like Dravid, Keral. Prachya, karnatak, Kuntal, chol, Sauhrid, Kona, Korak, Kalad, Mushal and Sutap are situated in the southern part of Bharatvarsha.
Once, sages requested Sutji to describe about the most prominent places of pilgrimage situated in Bharatvarsha. Sutji commenced his narration by describing the origin of creation and then switched over to the geographical characteristics of Bharatvarsha. Sutji said—’There are seven prominent mountain ranges in Bharatvarsha–Mahendra, Malay, Sahya, Shaktiman, Rikshavan, Vindhya and Pariyatra. Some prominent rivers supplying potable water to the inhabitants of Bharatvarsha are—Ganga, Sindhu, Saraswati, Godwari, Narmada, Shatadru, Yamuna, Vipasha, Mahanadi, Vidisham, Varuna etc. The names of the main Janapadas situated in the northern part of Bharatvarsha are Kuru, Panchal, Shalva, Matreya, Jaangal, Shoorsen, Pulind, Baudh, Chedi, Matsya, Bhoj, Sindhu, Utkal, Koshal, Madra, Kalinga, Kashi, Malav, Magadh, Videh, Anga, Banga, Surashtra, Kekay, Kashmir & Gandhar. Similarly, Janpadas like Dravid, Keral. Prachya, karnatak, Kuntal, chol, Sauhrid, Kona, Korak, Kalad, Mushal and Sutap are situated in the southern part of Bharatvarsha.
Sutji then described about the greatness of
Pushkar teerth by recounting an incident related with the Pandavas—
“One day, Sage Narad visited the Pandavas who
were living in exile. The Pandavas had visited many places during the course of
their exile period and wanted to know about the fruits they had acquired due to
their pilgrimage.
“Sage Narad then recounted an incident when
king Dilip had once posed the same question to Sage Vashishth. Sage Vashishth
while describing about the greatness of Pushkar said—Pushkar teerth is the
holiest place where lord Brahma has his abode. Deities consider themselves
fortunate to be at Pushkar. A person who takes a holy dip at Pushkar and
worships lord Brahma acquires virtues equivalent to the accomplishment of the
Ashwamedha yagya.”
Sage Vashishth continued with the description
of some other prominent places of pilgrimage like Jambumarg, Narmada Amarkantak
etc.
JAMBUMARG, RIVER NARMADA AMARKANTAK
JAMBUMARG, RIVER NARMADA AMARKANTAK
Continuing with his narration, Sage Vashishth
said— A man desirous of going on a pilgrimage should first of all visit
Jambumarg, because it is revered even by the deities and the sages. By visiting
this holy place a man acquires virtue equivalent to the accomplishment of an
Ashwamedha yagya and attains to Vishnuloka. A man should then visit
Tundulikashram, Agastya Ashram & Kanya Ashram, which are situated near
Jambumarg. Taking a dip in the holy water of Kotiteerth, situated near Mahakal
temple is believed to bestow undiminished virtue. Bhadravat is a famous place
of pilgrimage related with Lord Shiva and paying a visit here gives virtue equivalent
to donation of 1000 cows.
A man who takes holy dip in river Narmada and
performs ‘tarpan’ in the name of manes acquires fruits similar to the
accomplishment of Agnishtom yagya. Narmada is the holiest of all the river. A
man becomes liberated from his sins by taking bath for three weeks in river
Saraswati. Similarly it takes one week of regular bath in river yamuna for a
man to become absolved of all his sins. The mere touch of Ganga water liberates
a man from all his sins, but mere sight of river Narmada is enough to liberate
a man from all his sins.
Kotirudras are believed to dwell in the
vicinity of Amarkantak mountain. All together sixty crores and sixty thousand
places of pilgrimage are situated all around this holy mountain. Anybody
present in the vicinity of this mountain must refrain from any kind of sinful
deeds. Visiting Amarkantak mountain during solar and Lunar eclipses is
considered to be extremely auspicious. Similarly the confluence site of Narmada
and Kaveri is considered to be sacrosanct. Anybody who takes a holy dip in the
confluence of Narmada and Kaveri becomes liberated from his sins.
‘DHARMA-TEERTH’ & YAMUNA-SNAN
‘DHARMA-TEERTH’ & YAMUNA-SNAN
Sage Narad continued with the description of
various holy places and said— “A pilgrim must visit Dharma Teerth, which is
named after the lord of death–Dharma. Once upon a time Dharmaraj had performed
an austere penance at that place this is the reason why it became famous as
Dharma Teerth. By visiting Dharma Teerth, a man liberated all his ancestors up
to seventh generation. After that a pilgrim should go to Kalap-forest,
Saugandhik-forest, Suvarna-Dhumavanti respectively. All the above mentioned
holy places are capable of giving salvation.”
Describing about the virtues of taking a holy
dip in river Kalini (Yamuna) sage Narad said –
A person who takes a holy dip in Yamuna
becomes liberated from all his sorrows. The virtue acquired by taking a bath in
Yamuna is greater than paying visits to various holy places like Pushkar,
Kurukshetra, Brahmavarta and Kashi.Taking a dip in Yamuna also helps in the
fulfillment of all the desires of a man. Although, different rituals have been
attributed to various yugas like Saytayuga–penance, Treta–Knowledge,
Dwapar–yagya and Kaliyug–Donation, yet virtue of taking a holy dip in Yamuna transcends
even time.”
“Although the whole stretch of river Yamuna
is believed to be holy, yet Yamuna flowing near Mathura holds special
importance because of her deep association with lord Krishna.”Narad narrated a
tale to prove the significance of taking a bath in Yamuna.
“During Satyayuga there lived a Vaishya named
Hemakundal. He had earned lot of wealth by dint of hard work. Although he was
very rich yet happiness deluded him, as he had no progeny. He was worried as to
who would inherit his property after his death.
“In course of time, Hemakundal attained old
age and after realizing about the impermanence of the world indulged himself in
virtuous deeds. He was blessed with two sons–Shrikundal & Vikundal. When
both his sons grew up, Hemakundal went into the forest to do penance.”
“Shri Kundal and Hemakundal squandered the
whole wealth which their father had earned so painstakingly. Both of them were
of loose moral character and had illicit relationship with many prostitutes. In
a very short time they became poor and both of them starved to death. When the
yamdoots reached yamloka after taking their souls, Yamraj ordered–’Put Shri
Kundal in Raurav hell but send Vikundal to the heaven.’ While Vikundal was
being taken to the heaven he asked one of the yamdoots–’The sins committed by
my brother and me were almost identitical then why is my brother being sent to
hell while I am being sent to heaven.’
The yamdoot replied-You are being metted out
this special treatment on account of your virtues acquired by bathing twice in
river Yamuna.There was a brahmin friend of your’s named Swamitra.You had
accompanied him to Mathura and twice taken bath in the holy Yamuna. By the
virtue of the first bath you became liberated from all your sins, while the
second bath helped you in attaining to the heaven.Vikundal requested the
yamdoot to allow his brother to accompany him to heaven. Yamdoot replied that
his brother could accompany him to the heaven provided he donated all his
virtues to him.
Vikundal agreed to donate his virtues to his elder brother for the sake of his liberation. This way, both Shrikundal and Vikundal attained to the heaven.
Vikundal agreed to donate his virtues to his elder brother for the sake of his liberation. This way, both Shrikundal and Vikundal attained to the heaven.
KASHIPURI, KAPARDISHWAR & GAYA
On being asked by Yudhishthir about the
grandeur of holy places like Kashipuri, Kapardishwar & Gaya. Narad said —
Just as Lord Mahadev is supreme among all the
deities, in the same manner Kashipuri holds a significant status among all the
places of pilgrimage. Hence an individual should make it a point to visit Kashi
once in his life time. The famous Shiva linga Kopardishwar is installed at
Kashi and is said to fulfill all the desires of a man. Performance of various
rituals at Kashi liberates a man from all his sins-all his flaws are eliminated
automatically just by residing in Kashi.
A devotee who regularly practices meditation
in the temple of Lord Kapordishwar attains Yogasiddhi within six months.
Worshipping Lord Kapardishwar after taking a holy dip in Pishach-mochan kunda
liberates a man from gravest of sin like ‘Brahmahatya’, etc. Gaya is considered
to be a sacrosanct place of pilgrimage and various rituals for the pacification
of the souls of dead ancestors are performed here. Anybody who offers Pindadaan
and tarpan at Gaya not only liberates his ancestors but also himself. There is
a very famous Banyan tree named Akshayvat at Gaya. Gaya is situated at the bank
of river Falgu.
PURANAS–THE EMBODIMENT OF SRIHARI
PURANAS–THE EMBODIMENT OF SRIHARI
According to Sutji, all the Puranas are
nothing but the mediums through which Sri Hari manifests himself—Brahma Puran
is said to be the Forhead of Srihari, Padma Puran is said to be the ‘heart’ of
Srihari, Vishnu Puran is said to be the ‘right arm’ of Srihari. Shiva Puran is
said to be the ‘left arm’ of Srihari. Shrimad Bhagawat is said to be His
‘thigh’, Narad Puran is said to be His ‘navel’, Markendeya Puran is said to be
His ‘right-foot’. Agni Puran is said to be His ‘left foot’, Bhavish Puran is
said to be His ‘right-knee’, Brahma Vaivratapuran is said to be His
‘left-knee’. Linga Puran is said to be His ‘right ankle’, Varaha Puran is said
to be His ‘left ankle’ Skanda Puran is said to be the hair on the body of ‘Sri
Hari.
Vaman Puran is said to be His Skin
Kurma Puran is said to be His Back
Matsya Puran is said to be His Stomach
Garuda Puran is said to be His Bone-narrow
Brahmanda Puran is said to be His Bone.
So, all the Puranas being manifestation of different parts of Sri Hari’s body are very sacred and capable of bestowing salvation.
SHESHNAG NARRATES THE TALES OF SRI RAMA’S RETURN FROM LANKA
Kurma Puran is said to be His Back
Matsya Puran is said to be His Stomach
Garuda Puran is said to be His Bone-narrow
Brahmanda Puran is said to be His Bone.
So, all the Puranas being manifestation of different parts of Sri Hari’s body are very sacred and capable of bestowing salvation.
SHESHNAG NARRATES THE TALES OF SRI RAMA’S RETURN FROM LANKA
Once, Sages requested Sutji to describe about
Sri Ram’s return from Lanka. Sutji narrated the same tale, which Sheshnag had
once told Vatsyayan.Sheshnag said–After the killing of demon king Ravan, Sri
Ram appointed Vibhishan as the king of Lanka. He then decided to return to
Ayodhya on Pushpak-Viman, which Vibhishan had presented to him. He along with
Sita, Laxman, Sugreev and Hanuman boarded the aircraft and flew towards
Ayodhya.The earth looked beautiful from such a high altitude and Sri Ram was
continuously describing about the importance of various places over which the
aircraft flew. As the aircraft was about to enter the airspace of Ayodhya, Sri
Ram recognized Bharat, who was living at Nandigram at that time. Bharat had
vowed not to enter Ayodhya till the return of Sri Ram, hence he stayed at
Nandigram situated at the outskirts of Ayodhya awaiting Sri Ram’s return. He
led an austere life as the result of which he had become weak and feeble.
On seeing Bharat, Sri Ram instructed Hanuman
to inform him about his (Ram’s) arrival. Hanuman went to the hermitage of
Bharat and informed him about Sri Ram’s arrival. Bharat’s joy knew no bound and
he expressed his desire to reward Hanuman for bringing such auspicious news.
Bharat then accompanied Hanuman and went to meet Sri Ram.Sri Ram’s heart was
filled with grief when he saw Bharat, who looked like a hermit in his ‘Valkal’
and ‘Kaupin’. On the other hand Bharat cursed himself for being the cause of
Sri Ram’s miseries. Bharat asked for Sri Ram’s forgiveness and said—’O Lord!
You had to go into exile only because of me. I can never be absolved of my
sin.’
Sri Ram consoled him and after taking Bharat
into his embrace enquired about his welfare. He told Bharat that he had to
undergo the sufferings of exile because of his own destiny.’You are not at
fault. Don’t curse yourself for my misery.’ said Sri Ram. At last all of them
including Bharat boarded Pushpak Viman and the aircraft took- off for
Ayodhya.Continuing with Sri Ram’s tale, Sheshnag said–When Sumanth brought the
news of Sri Ram’s arrival at Ayodhya, people danced in joy, Preparations
started being made for Sri Ram’s grand reception. The whole city of Ayodhya was
decorated with rows of lighted lamps.
Sri Ram and Sita alighted from the Pushpak
Viman and both of them were carried in a palanquin to the palace. People stood
in queues on both sides of the road with folded hands. Sri Ram blessed them by
raising his hand.First of all Ram went to meet Kaikayi who was full of remorse
and guilt. Sri Ram consoled her and then went to meet Sumitra to pay his
obeisance to her. At last, he went to meet his own mother–Kaushalya, who was
dying to see him. Kaushalya blessed Sri Ram, Sita and Laxman. Bharat then
instructed the royal astrologers to decide upon an auspicious moment for Sri
Ram’s coronation. Thus Sri Ram became the king of Ayodhya. During his reign
peace and prosperity prevailed everywhere. People were virtuous and there was no
sign of sin.
PATALA KHAND
PATALA KHAND
RAVANA– THE MIGHTY DEMON
People of Ayodhya lived peacefully during Sri
Ram’s reign until one fateful day when they were struck by a bad news–Sri Ram
had abandoned Sita after a Washerman leveled an unfair charge against her character.
Such was the greatness of Sri Ram that opinion of each and every individual was
given due respect irrespective of his position and status. One day, Sage
Agastya arrived in the royal court of Sri Ram. After the formal Salutations
were over. Sage Agastya complimented Sri Ram for killing Ravana.
Sri Ram asked Agastya–’Who was Ravana– the
tormentor of deities? I am anxious to know about the origin of his whole clan.”
Sage Agastya replied–Vishrava was the
grandson of Lord Brahma. His father was sage Pulastya. Vishrava had two
wives–Mandakini and Kaikasi. Mandakani’s son was Kubera while Kaikasi was the
mother of Ravana, Kumbhakarna and Vibhishan. Kubera ruled over Lanka. One day,
Kubera, came to see his parents boarded on his aircraft–Pushpak Viman. After he
returned to Lanka, Ravana, who was very much impressed by Kubera’s royal
appearances asked Kaikasi–”Who was this fellow? From where did he acquire such
an amazing aircraft.”
Kaikasi revealed to Ravana that the guest was
none other than his step-brother Kubera. She said–”Kubera is the son of your
step mother–Mandakini. He has made his mother proud by his conduct but I am
ashamed of you, because of your inconsequential existence. You are no better
than a worm.”
Ravan decided to prove his mother wrong by
acquiring insurmountable power and authority. Ravana went to the forest and
performed an austere penance for ten thousand years by standing on one foot. He
fixed his gaze at the sun and never for a moment did he remove his gaze from
it. Kumbhakarna and Vibhishan also engaged themselves in austere penance. At
last, Lord Brahma became pleased and blessed Ravana with a vast kingdom. Ravan
then started tormenting his step-brother Kumbhakarna. He snatched Kubera’s
Pushpak Viman and drove him out of Lanka. Ravan then turned his attention
towards the deities and drove them out of heaven. The deities went to seek the
help of Lord Brahma who in turn took them to Lord Shiva. Even Lord Shiva was
clueless about the means by which the indomitable Ravana could be subdued.
Ultimately all of them including Lord Shiva went to Lord Vishnu and sought his
help.
Lord Vishnu assured them by saying —
“I shall take incarnation as Ram at a place
called Ayodhya. Presently, Ayodhya is being ruled by Dashrath, who inspite of
having three queens, does not have any son. I shall manifest myself as Ram.
Don’t worry! I shall eliminate the menace called Ravana.” Sage Agastya also
told Sri Ram that Ravana belonged to the caste called ‘Brahmrakshas’. This way,
Sage Agastya after having finished his narration looked at Sri Ram anticipating
further queries.
AGASTYA ADVISES SRIRAM TO PERFORM
ASHWAMEDHA YAGYA
Sri Ram requested sage Agastya to tell about
the means by which he could become liberated from the sins of killing brahmins.
Sage Agastya advised him to perform Ashwamedha-yagya. He also described the
rituals of performing Ashwamedha Yagya— “Get a horse of white colour and after
worshipping it on Vaishakh Purnima leave it to wander freely. Tie a piece of
paper on its forehead on which your name and other details are mentioned.
Soldiers should follow that horse wherever it goes. You should fight a battle
against any king who dares to stop the horse. You should lead a celibate life
till the horse returns back to the same place from where it had been let loose.
It is customary for the performer of Ashwamedha yagya to indulge himself in
benevolent deeds till the completion of Ashwamedha yagya.” Sri Ram agreed to
perform Ashwamedha yagya. He went to the seashore accompanied by numerous
sages. He then cultivated a vast expanse of land with the help of a golden
plough. A large oblation site was constructed and thus began Ashwamedha yagya
under the supervision of Vashishth.
THE HORSE IS LET LOOSE
As per the advice of Sage Vashishth, Sri Ram instructed his soldiers to bring a white-horse. A white parasol was fixed on its back and the horse was decorated with colourful clothes. The horse was then let loose and the faithful soldiers of Sri Ram followed it wherever the horse went.A gold-sheet was hanged in the horse’s neck and upon which was inscribed–This horse belongs to Sri Ram–the son of Dasharath. Anybody who dares to stop this horse will meet ruthless punishment.
THE HORSE IS LET LOOSE
As per the advice of Sage Vashishth, Sri Ram instructed his soldiers to bring a white-horse. A white parasol was fixed on its back and the horse was decorated with colourful clothes. The horse was then let loose and the faithful soldiers of Sri Ram followed it wherever the horse went.A gold-sheet was hanged in the horse’s neck and upon which was inscribed–This horse belongs to Sri Ram–the son of Dasharath. Anybody who dares to stop this horse will meet ruthless punishment.
Shatrughan followed the horse as per the
instruction of his elder brother — Sri Ram. Bharat and Pushkal also accompanied
him. A huge army led by Kalnemi was marching behind the horse.
LAV FASTENS THE HORSE
Some of the kings tried to stop the horse, but were defeated by Shatrughan. This way the horse continued to move ahead without any problem till it reached the bank of river Ganga.It was early morning and Lav after noticing the presence of horse become curious. He went near the horse and tried to read the inscription hanging down it’s neck. He made fun of the might of Sri Ram and fastened the horse.The soldiers tried to release the horse but Lav severed their arms. They returned to Shatrughan and narrated the whole incident to him.
LAV VANQUISHES THE WHOLE ARMY
Shatrughan became extremely furious after seeing the condition of his injured soldiers. He instructed Kalnemi to teach Lav a lesson. Kalnemi confronted Lav with a huge army and a ferocious battle took place. Lav managed to kill Kalnemi, which created havoc in the rival’s army. The surviving soldiers tried to hold their ground but were forced to flee on account of a fierce assault from Lav.
LAV FASTENS THE HORSE
Some of the kings tried to stop the horse, but were defeated by Shatrughan. This way the horse continued to move ahead without any problem till it reached the bank of river Ganga.It was early morning and Lav after noticing the presence of horse become curious. He went near the horse and tried to read the inscription hanging down it’s neck. He made fun of the might of Sri Ram and fastened the horse.The soldiers tried to release the horse but Lav severed their arms. They returned to Shatrughan and narrated the whole incident to him.
LAV VANQUISHES THE WHOLE ARMY
Shatrughan became extremely furious after seeing the condition of his injured soldiers. He instructed Kalnemi to teach Lav a lesson. Kalnemi confronted Lav with a huge army and a ferocious battle took place. Lav managed to kill Kalnemi, which created havoc in the rival’s army. The surviving soldiers tried to hold their ground but were forced to flee on account of a fierce assault from Lav.
Shatrughan then ordered Pushkal to fight Lav
but he became unconscious after being hit by Lav’s arrow. Now, Shatrughan’s
anger crossed all limits and he ordered Hanuman to kill Lav.Hanuman uprooted a
large tree and tried to hit Lav, but Lav cut that tree into hundred pieces with
a volley of arrows. Lav then released many arrows in the direction of Hanuman.
Hanuman fought valiantly but ultimately he fell down unconscious.
LAV BECOMES UNCONSCIOUS
When Shatrughan learnt about Hanuman’s fate he was infuriated and went to fight Lav. But when he saw a tender looking child in front of him he was surprised. Shatrughan asked –
‘O brave child! Who are you! Who is your
father?’
But Lav was not interested in his irrelevant
queries and challenged him for a duel. Shatrughan was left with no other option
but to fight. A tremendous battle was fought between them. Shatrughan released
volleys of arrow towards Lav but all of them were neutralized by him. For a
brief time Shatrughan lost his consciousness. After regaining his
consciousness, he aimed his most lethal weapon towards Lav. The arrow hit Lav
and he fell down unconscious. Lav’s companions went and informed Sita about the
whole incident. Kush came forward to fight against Sri Ram’s army. When he
reached the battlefield he saw Lav who was held captive by the enemy’s army’s.
By that time, Lav had regained his consciousness and after seeing Kush he
somehow managed to free himself from the clutches of his captors.
Now, both the brothers launched a fierce
attack on the enemy. The whole army of Sri Ram started running helter and
shelter. It did not take much time for Lav and Kush to vanquish the whole army.
All the great warriors like Hanuman, Sugreeva, Pushkal, Angad Veermani and even
Shatrughan were either held captive or injured in the battle.Both the brothers
fastened Hanuman and Sugreeva with ropes and took them to Sita. Sita
immediately recognized Hanuman and Sugreeva. She instructed both her sons to
set them free as well as the horse. Lav and Kush followed the instruction of
Sita and released everybody from their captivity. Sita then whispered—’May all
the dead soldiers become alive.’ Her words came true and all the dead soldiers
became alive once again. Shatrughan regained his consciousness too.
THE ARMY RETURNS TO AYODHYA
THE ARMY RETURNS TO AYODHYA
Shatrughan decided to return to Ayodhya. He
instructed Sumati to make all the necessary arrangements for the safe return of
the Caravan, which comprised not only of Sri Ram’s army but also of all the
defeated kings and their vanquished armies. When Sri Ram came to know about
their arrival, he sent Laxman to receive them. Laxman received the victorious
army with all the honour and the all of them came to the palace. Sri Ram
curiously asked Sumati about everything that had happened.
Sumati paraded all the vanquished kings who
had made the mistake of stopping the horse– Sumad, Sabahu, Daman, Satyavan,
Surath, etc. He then narrated the brave deed of Lav and Kush.He also revealed
how mighty warriors like Hanuman, Sugreeva Shatrughan etc had been defeated by
both of them.
SRI RAM SENDS LAXMAN TO BRING SITA
SRI RAM SENDS LAXMAN TO BRING SITA
Sage Valmiki was present in Ayodhya to attend
the Ashwamedha yagya. Sri Ram asked him about the identity of the two
children–Lav and Kush, Valmiki said — Sita was pregnant at the time you had
abandoned her. I gave her refuge in my hermitage where she gave birth to
twins–Lav and Kush. Both the children were brought up in my hermitage with love
and care. I taught them all the sacred texts and scriptures and made them masters
of various weaponries. So, Lav and Kush are your sons. You must bring Sita back
to Ayodhya with due honour, because she is pure and chaste. Moreover your whole
army owe its life to her.”
Sri Ram’s heart was filled with grief. He
instructed Laxman to bring Sita along with Lav and Kush. Laxman went to
Valmiki’s hermitage and requested Sita to return to Ayodhya. Sita refused to
return but sent Lav and Kush along with Laxman. When Sri Ram found that only
Lav and Kush had come, he once again sent Laxman to bring Sita. Laxman followed
his instruction and went to Valmiki’s hermitage for the second time.Meanwhile,
Valmiki instructed Lav and Kush to sing the praise of Sri Ram in their
melodious voice. Everybody was moved by their soulful rendition. Sri Ram took Lav
and Kush in his embrace.
SITA RETURNS TO AYODHYA
SITA RETURNS TO AYODHYA
Sri Ram eulogised all the revered sages who
had arrived to attend the Ashwamedha yagya. The holy water of Saryu was brought
and sprinkled in the yagya kund where Ashwamedha yagya was being performed, amidst
the chanting of vedic mantras.Hardly had Sri Ram touched the horse with his
hands then it transformed into a human being. Everybody was amazed by this
incident. Sri Ram asked that man as to how he had attained the form of a horse.
The man revealed to the assembled people that he had become a horse due to
Durvasa’s curse. ‘Later on Sage Durvasa had mercy on me and assured that I
would regain my human form by the divine touch of Sri Ram.’
Having said this the man attained to the
heaven. In course of time Sri Ram organised two more Ashwamedha yagyas and his
glory reverberated through all the three worlds.
UTTARA KHAND
BADRIKASHRAM
Once, on being asked by the sages about the
greatness of Badrikasharam, Sutji narrated the same tale, which Lord Shiva had
once told sage Narad —
Lord Mahadeva had told Narad that altogether there
were one lakh and twenty-five thousand mountains and Badrikashram was supreme
among them. Lord Mahadeva said—Badrikasharam is the abode of Lord Nara-Narayan.
Narayan–the origin of all creations has four arms and his complexion is dark.
Narayan manifests himself in both forms–Sakar as well as Nirakar. He is the
eternal Purusha and is worshipped by people during the full period of
Uttarayan. Since Badrikashram is covered with snow during the period of
Dakshinayan, Narayan is not worshipper during these six months. All the deities
dwell at Badrikasharam. The sages live in their hermitages at Badrikasharam.
River Alaknanda flows at Badrikasharam. Anybody taking a dip in the holy water
of Alaknanda becomes liberated from his sins.
THE DESCENT OF RIVER GANGA
THE DESCENT OF RIVER GANGA
Describing about the reason why river Ganga
was brought down on the earth, Lord Mahadeva told Narad— King Bhagirath was the
architect of Ganga’s arrival on the earth. He wanted to liberate his dead
ancestorss from the curse of Sage Kapil.King Sagar came from the lineage of the
famous king–Harishchandra. Sagar had two queens. The elder queen had sixty
thousand sons while the younger queen had just one–Panchajan. Panchajan’s son
was Anshuman, who himself was the father of Dilip. Dilip was the father of Bhagirath.
Bhagirath did an austere penance on the
Himalayas for ten thousand years. As a result, river Ganga descended on the
earth. I (Shiva) held her in the locks of my hair and she remained there for
ten thousand more years. Bhagirath requested me to release Ganga so that his
ancestors could be liberated. I agreed to release Ganga and Bhagirath took her
to the Patalloka where his ancestor’s had been charred to death due to Kapil’s
curse. Bhagirath sprinkled the water of Ganga on the ashes of his ancestors and
each of them attained salvation as a result.Eventually, Ganga resurfaced at
Haridwar–the most sacred place of pilgrimage.
DASHARATH PACIFIES SHANI
DASHARATH PACIFIES SHANI
Sage Narad curiously asked Lord Mahadeva as
to what made Shani such a volatile planet.Lord Mahadeva replied— Shani is
extremely violent by nature and everybody is scarred of this planet. Once, the
royal astrologer of Dasharath was petrified at the prospect of Shani entering
the constellation of Rohini and warned him of its dire consequences. ‘If the
Shani is not prevented from entering Rohini, then famine would occur lasting
for more than twelve years.’ said the royal astrologers.
Dasharath went above the sky to subdue the
might of Shani well armed with divine weapons. Shani became terrified on seeing
Dasharath in such a menacing mood and expressed his willingness to fulfill his
desires.
QUALITIES OF A VAISHNAV
QUALITIES OF A VAISHNAV
Giving a detailed description of the
qualities of a Vaishnava, Lord Mahadeva told Narad
A person who has total devotion in Lord
Vishnu is called a Vaishnava. He is truthful, kind and forgiving by nature. He
engages himself in austere penance and refrains from any kind of violence. He
wears a Tulsi bead in his neck and puts on tilak. He is well versed in sacred
text like the vedas, Purans etc.The mere sight of a Vaishnava is enough to
liberate a sinner from all his sins. Feeding a Vaishnava bestowes virtue
equivalent to feeding thousand of ordinary brahmins.
INDRAPRASTHA
INDRAPRASTHA
The sages enquired from Sutji about the
holiest city situated on the banks of river yamuna.
Sutji narrated the tale which Sage Saubhari
had once told Yudhishthir—Once, Narad and Parvat were travelling through an
aerial route, while they were flying over Khandav forest, they were lured by
the beautiful sight of river Yamuna. They decided to take rest for a while.
Both of them descended down and entered river yamuna to take their
bath.Meanwhile, King Shibi who ruled over Ushinar saw them. He eagerly waited
at the bank of Yamuna. When Narad and Parvat emerged out of the yamuna, they
found king Shibi eagerly waiting for them. Meanwhile king Shibi had noticed the
remains of numerous ‘havan-kundas’ (oblation-altars) spread in a large area.
After the formal exchanges of pleasantaries were
over, King Shibi asked Narad about those havan- kundas.
Narad replied–During ancient times Indra had
performed numerous Yagyas at this place to express his gratitude to Lord
Vishnu, with whose blessings he had regained the heaven from the clutches of Hiranyakashipu.
In course of time, this place became famous as Indraprastha. This sacrosanct
place is holier than all the holy places combined together. Indraprastha is
spread in the area of one yojan from east to west and four yojans from north to
south.
VAIKUNTH–THE ABODE OF LORD VISHNU
VAIKUNTH–THE ABODE OF LORD VISHNU
Describing about the grandeur of Vaikunth,
Lord Mahadeva told Parvati–A person who has total devotion in Lord Vishnu
attains to Vaikunth after his death. Vaikuntha is the abode of Vishnu and
constitutes of numerous Janapadas. The magnificence of Vaikunth is beyond
description and it houses many grand palaces fully decorated with jewels and
diamonds.The central part of Vaikuntha is called Ayodhya and is well protected
by dwarpals named Chanda, Prachanda, Bhadra, Subhadra, Jaya, Vijay, Dhata and
Vidhata.Vaikunth is inhabited by countless divine people who live in well
illuminated houses.
In the central part of Ayodhya is situated
the ‘antahpuri’ of Lord Vishnu. It is inhabited by celestial beauties–apsaras.
There is a divine Canopy situated just at the centre of antahpuri, where Lord
Vishnu has his divine throne. The divine throne is surrounded by deities as
well as by the embodiments of all the four Vedas— Rigveda, Yajurveda, Samaveda
and Atharvaveda. The deities—Agni, Surya and Chandrama have their dwellings at
the centre of Vishnu’s throne.There is a grand pedestal called yogapeeth
established on the throne. A beautiful lotus flower is established on the
yogapeeth on which is seated Lord Vishnu along with his consort- Laxmi.
Lord Vishnu appears divine in his complexion
of a blue lotus, whose radiance is enough to subdue crores of sun. He has
radiant ear-rings hangings down his earlobes. His forehead is covered with
curly hair. He has the famous ‘Kaustubh mani’ in his neck. He holds a conch and
a chakra in each of his two hands and the remaining two hands are in the
posture of giving blessings.
THE INCARNATIONS OF MATSYA & KURMA
THE INCARNATIONS OF MATSYA & KURMA
Once, goddess Parvati expressed her desire to
know about all the incarnations of Lord Vishnu.Lord Mahadeva replied– Lord
Brahma had created numerous Prajapatis like Bhrigu, Marichi, Atri, Daksha,
Kardam, Pulastya, Pulaha, Angira and Kratu. Marichi was the father of Kashyap.
Sage Kashyap had four wives–Aditi, Diti, Kadru and Vinta.Aditi was the mother
of Deities while Diti gave birth to demons like–Makar, Hayagreeva, Mahabali,
Hiranyaksha, Hiranyakashipu Jambha, Maya etc. Makar was a mighty demon, Who
after deceitfully acquiring the Vedas from Lord Brahma had hidden himself
inside an ocean. Lord Brahma requested Vishnu to liberate the sacred Vedas from
the possession of Makar.
Lord Vishnu then took the incarnation of
Matsya and after killing Makar gave back the vedas to Lord Brahma. Durvasa was
the son of Sage Atri. Once, he went to Indraloka to see Indra. At that time,
Indra was planning to go out somewhere. Durvasa presented a garland of Parijat
flowers to Indra. Indra, after receiving the garland from Durvasa kept it
carelessly on the forehead of his elephant-Eravat. This garland was trampled
under its feet by the elephant, which infuriated Sage Durvasa. He cursed Indra
by saying—Immense prosperity has made you arrogant. But you will become a
pauper within a very short time.
Durvasa’s words came to be true and Indra
found that not only the heaven but all the three worlds had become bereft of
goddess Laxmi. Prosperity vanished and poverty prevailed everywhere.The deities
became worried and went to take the help of Lord Brahma. Lord Brahma took the
deities to Lord Vishnu. Lord Vishnu became pleased with their eulogy and said —
I will take incarnation as Kurma. If the
ocean were churned with the help of Mandarachal mountain and Vasuki, then
goddess Laxmi would manifest herself. I shall hold the Mandarachal mountain on
my back.This way the churning of ocean commenced. The Mandarachal mountain was
uprooted and placed inside the ‘Ksheer-Sagar’ and which rested on the back of
Lord Kurma. The serpent–Vasuki, was held by deities and demons on both the
ends. First of all the most venomous poison–Kalkut emerged from the ocean.
Seeing both the deities and demons unwilling to accept it. (Lord Shiva) drank
it.
After the emergence of Kalkut, goddess
Daridra and Varuni manifested themselves. Similarly, Eravat- elephant,
Uchchaishrava-horse, Dhanvantaari, Surabhi–cow and Parijat- tree emerged from
the ocean.Ultimately, goddess Laxmi manifested herself. The deities requested
her to dwell in the heart of Lord Vishnu and bless all the three worlds by her
presence. Goddess Laxmi agreed and blessed them.
NRISIMHA–INCARNATION
Continuing with the various incarnations of
Lord Vishnu, Lord Mahadeva told Parvati —
Sage Kashyap had two mighty sons from
Diti–Hiranyakashipu and Hiranyaksha. Hiranyaksha had once carried the earth to
Rasatala. The deities requested Lord Vishnu to rescue the earth. Lord Vishnu
took the incarnation of a boar and killed Hiranyaksha with his sharp horn.When
Hiranyakshipu learnt about his brother’s death he went to Merugiri mountain and
started doing penance to please me (Lord Shiva). I blessed him with
immortality, Later on, Hiranyakashipu married Uttanpad’s daughter–Kalyani and
had a son named Prahlad from her.Inspite of being born in the clan of a demon,
Prahlad proved to be an extremely religious child and was a supreme devotee of
Lord Vishnu.
When Hiranyakshipu came to know about
Prahlad’s religious tendency, he tried his best to stop him from worshipping
Vishnu. But, all his efforts went in vain and Prahlad continued to worship Lord
Vishnu.Hiranyakashipu instructed his subordinates to kill Prahlad but each time
he came out unharmed. One day, Hiranyakashipu pulled out his sword and
said—’You say that Vishnu is omnipresent. Is he present in this pillar?’ Having
said like this he assaulted the pillar with his sword. Suddenly to his Sheer
amazement, Lord Vishnu manifested himself from that pillar in the form of
Nrisimha.
Hiranyakashipu had been blessed by Lord Shiva
that he could be killed neither by a man nor a beast. No weapon could harm him.
He could be killed neither during the day nor during the night. Hiranyakashiu
had taken into consideration all the possible threat perceptions to his life
and tried to become immortal.But, Lord Vishnu takes incarnation to protect the
humanity whenever religiousness is under threat. This time, Lord Vishnu took
incarnation as Nrisimha (partly lion and partly human) and tore apart his belly
with his sharp nails.After the death of Hiranyakashipu, Prahlad was coronated
as his successor. Prahlad ruled justly and his subject were happy and
satisfied.
VAMAN–INCARNATION
VAMAN–INCARNATION
Continuing with the various incarnations of
Lord Vishnu, Lord Mahadeva told Parvati —
Prahlad had a son named Virochan.The most
benevolent king–’Mahabahu-Bali’ was Virochan’s son. Bali had defeated the deities
and ruled over all the three worlds. Sage Kashyap commenced the most austere
penance–Payovrata to help the deities regain their lost kingdom (heaven) once
again. He was accompanied by his wife–Aditi in his penance which lasted for one
thousand years. At last, Lord Vishnu became pleased by their penance and
appeared before them. Sage Kashyap narrated the woeful tales of the deities and
requested him to make Indra the Lord of all the three worlds. Lord Vishnu
promised that he would take incarnation as Vaman.In course of time, Aditi
became pregnant and ultimately gave birth to Lord Vaman. Lord Vaman appeared in
the form of a ‘Brahmchari’. He wore a deer–Skin and carried a stick and a
‘mekhala’ in both his hands. Lord Vishnu enquired the deities about the future
course of action. The deities informed him that Bali was busy performing a
yagya and he would not turn down any demand made to him because if he did so
there was a fear of loosing all his virtues attained by the performance of the
yagya.
Lord Vaman went to the oblation site where
Bali was performing a yagya and demanded a small piece of land measured by his
three steps. Bali agreed to meet the demand of his guest inspite of
Shukracharya’s warning.Bali resolved to donate land by holding holy water in his
palm. Now, Lord Vaman abandoned his dwarfish form and appeared in a giant form.
He measured the whole earth by his first step. Lord Vishnu then measured the
whole sky by his second step. The helpless Bali agreed to donate all the three
worlds to protect his vow.Ultimately, Lord Vishnu sent Bali to the Rasatala and
thus Indra became the ruler of heaven once again.
SRIRAM’S BIRTH
SRIRAM’S BIRTH
Describing about Sri Ram’s incarnation Lord
Mahadeva told Parvati–’Once, Swayambhuva Manu had expressed his desire of
having Lord Vishnu as his son to which Lord Vishnu had agreed. During tretayuga
Manu manifested himself as Dasharath and Vishnu kept his promise by taking
birth as his son–Sri Ram. Similarly, during dwaparyuga Manu was born as Vasudev
and Lord Vishnu kept his word by taking birth as his son–Krishna. After the
completion of one thousand divine years, Manu will be born in the village of
Sambhal as Harigupta and lord Vishnu will take birth as his son–’Kalki’.
Lord Shiva then continued with the
incarnation of Sri Ram and said–’Sage Vishrava was the son of Pulasya and was
married to Kekashi. Ravan and Kumbhakarna were born to the couple. Sage
Vishrava also had a daughter named Shurpanakha and a virtuous son named
Vibhishan.Ravan and Kumbhakarna did austere penance to please me (Lord Shiva).
When I appeared before Ravan he requested the boon of immortality from me.
After receiving the boon, Ravan became very arrogant and started tormenting the
inhabitants of all the three worlds. The deities became scarred and took the refuge
of Lord Vishnu. Lord Vishnu assured them that he would solve their problem by
taking incarnation as Sri Ram.
Dasharath came from the lineage of Surya. He
had three queens—Kaushalya, Sumitra and Kaikeyi. Once, Dasharath performed a
Vaishnav Yagya with the objective of acquiring a son. Lord Vishnu appeared and
assured him that he would take incarnation as Sri Ram in a short time. Lord
Vishnu gave a bowl of divine kheer to Dasharath, which he distributed amongst
his three queens. In course of time, Kaushalya gave birth to Sri Ram on the
auspicious day of Chaitra-Navami. The deities and the sages rejoiced at his
birth.
SRI RAM GROWS UP
SRI RAM GROWS UP
Continuing with the tale of Sri Ram, Lord
Mahadeva told Parvati–Dasharath requested Vashishth to perform the Jaatkarm Sanskar
of Sri Ram. In course of time Kaikeyi gave birth to Bharat–an incarnation of
Panchajanya conch. Similarly, Sumitra gave birth to two sons–Laxman and
Shatrughan. Laxman was the incarnation of Sheshnag while Shatrughan was the
incarnation of Sudershan chakra. Sri Ram and his brothers received education
under the guidance of Sage Vashishth. In a very short time they became
proficient in all the scriptures and mastered various weaponaries. Although all
the four brothers were very close to each other, yet Laxman could not bear to
live in Ram’s separation even for a moment and was specially close to him.
Sita manifested herself from the field while
Janak was ploughing it. King Janak brought up Sita with great love and care. At
that time, Vishwamitra was busy performing a grand yagya at Siddhashram. But
the demons created numerous problems and made it impossible for him to
accomplish the yagya. Vishwamitra went to Ayodhya and requested Dasharath to
send Sri Ram and Laxman along with him so that the yagya could be accomplished
without any problems. Dasharath agreed to send Sri Ram and Laxman along with
Vishwamitra.This way, Vishwamitra returned to his hermitage acompanied by both
the brothers. Garuda presented a pair of bow and imperishable set of arrows to
both the brothers.
While staying at the hermitage Sri Ram and
Laxman killed many demons like Taraka and Subahu. When Marich tried to disrupt
the yagya, Sri Ram attacked him with Pavan-astra, which sent Marich flying
across the sea-shore.Meanwhile, on learning that Janak was performing Vajapeya
yagya at Janakpur, Vishwamitra took Sri-Ram and Laxman to attend it. On the way
Sri Ram liberated Ahalya who had turned into a rock after being cursed by her
husband.After reaching Janakpur, Sri Ram broke Lord Shiva’s bow and married
Sita. Laxman married Urmila. Dasharath had come to attend the marriage ceremony
accompanied by Bharat and Shatrughan. Bharat was married to Mandavi while
Shatrughan married Shrutkeerti.
Meanwhile, on learning that Sri Ram had
broken Shiva’s bow, Parshuram arrived there and challenged him, but ultimately
Parashuram realized about the divinity of Sri Ram and accepted his
superiority.At last, Sri Ram, Laxman, Bharat and Shatrughan returned to Ayodhya
alongwith their respective consorts.
SRI RAM’S EXILE
Lord Mahadeva continued with the tale of Sri
Ram and told Parvati –Dasharath wanted to appoint Sri Ram as his successor but
Kaikeyi did not like this idea. She wanted Bharat to be made the king of Ayodhya
and Sri Ram to be sent into exile for 14 years. Once, Kaikeyi had saved
Dasharath’s life while he was fighting a battle against the demons. To show his
gratitude, Dasharath had promised two boons to her. At that time, Kaikeyi had
told Dasharath that she would make her demand at the appropriate time.
This way, Dasharath was compelled by Kaikeyi
to accept the two demands. As a result, Sri Ram was sent into exile. Bharat
refused to become the king of Ayodhya and vowed to wait till Sri Ram returned.
Dasharath could not bear the sorrow of Ram’s separation and died in his sorrow.
Bharat tried his best to convince Sri Ram to change his mind and accept the
throne, but Sri Ram did not listen to his request. Bharat then brought Sri
Ram’s wooden-sandal and kept it on the throne. He vowed to spend rest of his
life in austerities till Sri Ram returned.
While Sri Ram was still in exile, he went to
the hermitage of Sage Atri and received his blessings. Atri’s wife- Anasuya
preached Sita on the virtues of chastity. Sri Ram also visited hermitages of
some other prominent sages like Sharbhanga, Suteeksha, Agastya etc. Once, while
Sri Ram was living in Panchavati, Shurpanakha arrived there. Shurpanakha was
Ravana’s sister and wanted to marry Sri Ram, But Laxman severed her nose and
ears. She went to a mighty demon named Khar and narrated her woeful tale. Khar
attacked Ram with a huge army, which comprised of brave warriors like Trishira
Dushan etc. Sri Ram was Victorious in this battle and Khar, Trishira and Dushan
were killed.
Shurpanakha went to Ravan and informed him
about the misdeeds of Ram. Ravan was infuriated and wanted to take revenge. He
abducted Sita with the help of Marich.When Jatayu saw Ravan carrying Sita to
Lanka, he fought with valiance but was injured in the ensuing battle.Sri Ram
went in search of Sita and met Jatayu, who was injured and who informed Ram
that Sita had been abducted by the demon king Ravan.Sri Ram met Hanuman at the
Rishyamook mountain. Later on he befriended Sugreeva on the advice of Hanuman.
Sugreeva had enemity with his brother-Bali. Sri Ram killed Bali and made
Sugreeva the king.
Sri Ram requested Hanuman to find out the
whereabouts of Sita. Hanuman went to Lanka and found Sita at Ashoka Vatika. He
destroyed the garden and killed many demons including Ravana’s son–Akshay
Kumar. Ultimately, he was captured by Meghnath and taken to Ravana’s court.
Ravan ordered Hanuman’s tail to be ignited. Hanuman then burnt the city of
Lanka and returned to Sri Ram. When Sri Ran came to know about the exact location
of Sita, he decided to attack Lanka with a huge army, which comprised of
monkeys. The army camped at the sea-shore where Vibhishan came to meet him.
A bridge was built across the ocean and the
army reached Lanka. A fierce battle took place in which many demons were
killed. At last, Ravan came forward to fight against Sri Ram but was killed.Sri
Ram appointed Vibhishan as the king of Lanka and blessed him. Vibhishan
presented his pushpak Viman to Sri Ram. All of them boarded the Pushpak Viman
and flew towards Ayodhya. On the way Sri Ram met Bharat who was still awaiting
his arrival at Nandigram. Sri Ram was very pleased to meet Bharat. Ultimately
all of them returned to Ayodhya.
SRI RAM’S CORONATION
SRI RAM’S CORONATION
Describing the coronation of Sri Ram Lord
Mahadeva told Parvati–People of Ayodhya rejoiced at the return of Sri Ram. An
auspicious day was chosen for his coronation and Sri Ram became the king of
Ayodhya amidst the chantings of Vedic mantras. Sri Ram ruled over Ayodhya for
one thousand years without any problem. Meanwhile, some ignorant people started
pointing out fingers at the character of Sita.Sri Ram decided to abandon Sita
in the forest to quell the rumour. Sita was pregnant at that time. Feeling pity
on her condition, Valmiki took her to his hermitage where Sita gave birth to
Lav and Kush.
Meanwhile Sri Ram decided to perform
Ashwamedha yagya at the bank of river Gomati. But, since the yagya could not
have been accomplished without Sita, therefore he performed the rituals seated
beside a golden idol of Sita, In the mean time Valmiki arrived there,
accompanied by Sita. He requested Sri Ram to accept Sita, vouching for her
chastity.Sri Ram told Valmiki–’I am confident of Sita’s chastity but she will
have to prove her chastity for the satisfaction of common people.’
Sita was deeply hurt by Sri Ram’s unkind
remarks. She said–’May mother earth swallow me if I ever had thought about any
man other than my lord Sri Ram.’ Hardly had Sita finished her lines than the
earth cracked and Sita vanished into that crevice. Sri Ram’s heart was filled
with remorse but thinking that it was perhaps in his destiny to live in
separation with Sita, returned to Ayodhya accompanied by Lav and Kush. In
course of time, Kaushalya, Sumitra and Kaikeyi left for heavenly abode. Sri Ram
continued to rule Ayodhya for 10,000 more years.
One day, Kala (death) arrived and reminded
Sri Ram that the time had arrived for him to leave his mortal body. Meanwhile
Laxman became aware of Sri Ram’s decision of leaving his mortal body. He gave
up his life by taking samadhi in river Saryu. Sri Ram could not bear the sorrow
caused by Laxman’s bereavment. He appointed Lav and Kush as the kings of
Dwarawati and Kushawati respectively and decided to leave for heavenly abode.
Sri Ram entered the water of river Saryu,
flowing at the distance of three yojans from Ayodhya.
SRI KRISHNA
SRI KRISHNA
Parvati requested Lord Mahadeva to narrate
the divine tales of Vasudeva Krishna. Lord Mahadeva replied–Vasudev was the
descendant of yadu. His father was Devameedha. He was married to Devaki–the
daughter of Ugrasena.Ugrasena also had a mighty son named Kansa. Kansa was
extremely affectionate towards his sister Devaki. After her marriage, while
Devaki was going to her husband’s house on a chariot being driven by Kansa,
suddenly a heavenly voice was heard.
‘Kansa, you would meet death at the hands of
Devaki’s eighth son.’
Kansa became very scarred and wanted to kill
his sister then and there. But, Vasudev requested Kansa to spare Devaki’s life
and promised to hand over any child that she gave birth to. Thus Kansa
imprisoned both Vasudev and Devaki.In course of time, Devaki gave birth to
seven sons and Kansa killed each of them. Lord Sri Hari manifested himself when
Devaki conceived for the eighth time. It was the month of Shravan and the day
was ‘Krishna-ashtami’ when Sri Hari took his incarnation at midnight. Soon
after taking his incarnation he gave a glimpse of his divine form to Vasudev
and Devaki. On the instruction of Sri Hari, Vasudeva carried the infant to
Nand’s house. He had no problem in moving out of the prison as all the guards
had fallen asleep due to the illusion of Sri Hari.
On seeing the swift currents of overflooded
yamuna, Vasudev became worried. But the level of river Yamuna receded as soon
as Sri Krishna touched the river with his feet. Sheshnag protected Sri Krishna
from heavy rain with his thousand hoods. When Vasudev reached Nand’s house he
found that Nand’s wife– Yashoda had given birth to a baby girl. Yashoda was
sleeping at that time and Vasudev had no problem in exchanging Sri Krishna with
that baby girl. Vasudev then returned to the prison and laid down the baby girl
beside Devaki.
The baby-girl started crying and the guards
immediately woke up. They informed Kansa about the birth of Devaki’s eighth
child. Kansa tried to kill that baby girl by smashing her head, but she escaped
from his hands and flew up in the sky. She thundered—’Your death is certain as
your assasin has already taken birth.’ Kansa was terrified at the prospect of
his death. He instructed his soldiers to kill all the infants’ whereever they
were to be found in his kingdom. He also ordered the release of Vasudev and
Devaki, as there was no point keeping them in captivity.Meanwhile, Sri Krishna
grew up under the guardianship of Nand and Yashoda.
One day Kansa sent a wicked ogress named
Putna to kill Sri Krishna. Putma had applied poison on her breasts and tried to
kill Krishna by breast-feeding him. Sri Krishna sucked her breast with such
ferocity that she died. Thus, Sri Krishna gave the first glimpse of his
divinity to the inhabitants of Vajra.Sri Krishna accomplished many such divine
deeds during his childhood. He grew up to be a mischieveous child and used to
play numerous pranks on the fellow Gopis. He used to steal their butter and curd.
One day, all the Gopis complained to Yashoda about Sri Krishna’s misdeeds.
Yashoda became angry and tied him with a wooden-mortar in order to prevent him
from troubling the Gopis. She then placed that mortar between two trees so that
Krishna could not move. But, Sri Krishna toddled away uprooting both the huge
trees.
Once, a demon named Bakasur disguised himself
as a huge heron and tried to kill Sri Krishna. But, Sri Krishna hit him with a
stone with such force that he met an instant death.This way Sri Krishna had
killed many ferocious demons while he was still a small child. Some of them
well Kaliya–the serpent etc, Dhenukasur, Arisht, Keshi etc. A significant
incident had occurred during Krishna’s childhood. People of Vraja were devotees
of Indra and used to worship him. Sri Krishna stopped this tradition and
encouraged people to worship Govardhan mountain. Indra became extremely furious
and caused incessant rain for one week. Sri Krishna protected the people by
lifting Govardhan mountain and shielding them from the continuous downpour.At
last, Indra accepted defeat and eulogized Sri Krishna.
KILLING OF KANSA
Continuing with the divine tales of Sri
Krishna, Lord Mahadeva told Parvati–When Kansa failed in his repeated attempts
to kill Sri Krishna, he instructed ‘Akrura’ to invite both Krishna and Balaram
to Mathura on the pretext of attending a ceremony called Dhanush-yagya. Kansa
had planned to kill Sri Krishna by deceitful means.Akrura was a great devotee
of Sri Krishna and was aware of Kansa’s evil intentions. But, he had no other
option but to follow the command of his master-Kansa. So, Akrura went to Vraja
where Sri Krishna and Balaram used to live.
Sri Krishna and Balaram were delighted to
meet Akrura. After the formal exchange of pleasantaries, Krishna took Akrura to
his home. Akrura conveyed the instructions of Kansa to Nanda and requested him
to send both Sri Krishna and Balaram to Mathura. Akrura said–’Sri Krishna is
the incarnation of Lord Vishnu and Kansa will be killed by him.’Nanda and
Yashoda were reluctant to send Sri Krishna to Mathura but Sri Krishna convinced
them, Ultimately. Akrura returned to Mathura accompanied by Krishna and
Balaram. The people of Vraja became sad when the time for Krishna’s departure
to Mathura arrived.
When Akrura reached Mathura accompanied by
Sri Krishna and Balaram it was already evening. Sri Krishna saw a dyer with
colourful apparels going towards Kansa’s palace. Sri Krishna playfully demanded
some set of clothes from that dyer which he refused to give. Sri Krishna was
infuriated and slapped him so hard that he started vomiting blood. In a short
time the dyer was dead. Sri Krishna and Balaram chose some beautiful set of
clothes for themselves and proceeded towards the palace of Kansa. After
sometime they met a crooked woman carrying ‘sandal-wood-paste’. Sri Krishna demanded
some sandal wood paste from her, which she gave without any hesitation. Sri
Krishna blessed that crooked woman as a result of which she was cured of her
physical–deformity.
At last, both Sri Krishna and Balaram reached
the oblation–site where ‘Dhanush-yagya’ was suppossed to be performed. Sri
Krishna lifted the divine bow kept there and broke it into two pieces.When
Kansa learnt that the divine bow had been broken, he ordered Chaanur to kill
Krishna in a wrestling-bout. Kansa also fortified his palace by positioning
wild elephants and mighty warriors at all the entrance-points.Sri Krishna and
Balaram spent the night at the oblation-site. In the morning both of them
proceeded towards the palace. Sri Krishna found an elephant named Kuvalyapeeda
standing at the main entrance of the palace. He killed that ferocious elephant
without much difficulty.
Sri Krishna and Balaram then entered the
gymnasium where wrestling-bouts were supposed to take place. All the demons
those who had witnessed Sri Krishna killing that huge elephant without any
problem, became terrified and fled away from the gymnasium. Sri Krishna and
Balaram entered the chamber of Kansa. Kansa became terrified and ordered his
trusted lientenants–Chanur and Mushtik to kill Krishna.Chanur confronted Sri
Krishna while Mushtik fought a duel with Balaram. Ultimately, both the demons
were killed after a fierce duel. Now, Kansa was left all alone, Sri Krishna
pulled Kansa from the throne where he was sitting and slapped him so hard that
he fell down on the ground. The injury proved to be fatal and as a result Kansa
died. Balaram also killed Kansa’s younger brother whose named was Sunama.
After killing Kansa, Krishna and Balaram went
to meet their parents–Vasudev and Devaki. They also freed their maternal
grandfather- Ugrasena who had been imprisioned by Kansa. At last they appointed
Ugrasena as the king of Mathura.
JARASANDH
JARASANDH
Jarasandh was the father-in-law of Kansa.
When he learnt about Kansa’ death he surrounded Mathura with a huge army. Sri
Krishna was well aware of Jarasandh’s might and bravery. He was also convinced
that it would not be easy to defeat Jarasandh. So, he remembered Daruk–his
eternal charioteer and sought his help. Daruk appeared with a divine chariot
named Sugreeva–pushpak. The chariot was well armed with all the divine weapons
of lord Vishnu.
Sri Krishna and Balaram then entered the
battlefied mounted on that divine chariot. A fierce battle was fought between
Sri Krishna and Jarasandh’s army. Jarasandh covered Krishna chariot with his
various weapons but Sri Krishna destroyed them with his ‘Chakra’. Sri Krishna
then destroyed Jarasandh’s army by showering volley of arrows from his famous
bow–Sharang. Seeing the death and destruction in his army, Jarasandh came
forward to fight Balaram.
Balaram attacked Jarasandh with his dangerous
weapon–Hala (plough) and destroyed his chariot. Jarasandh fell down on the
ground and as Balaram was about to kill him Sri Krishna requested Balaram not
to kill Jarasandh. After being defeated, Jarasandh sought the help of Kaalyan,
who had a large army. Kaalyavan agreed to help Jarasandh and surrounded Mathura
with his army.
Realizing that Mathura was no longer a safe
place to live, Sri Krishna shifted the whole population of Mathura to Dwarka
and went to fight Kaalyavan. The battle continued for a long period and after
realizing that it was not easy to defeat his enemy, Sri Krishna, ran towards
the cave where ‘Muchkund’ had been sleeping since many past eras. Muchkund was
blessed with a boon according to which any person upon whom he put his glance
after woking from his sleep would die. Krishna hid himself behind Muchkund.
Kaalyavan, who was chasing Krishna, entered the cave and kicked Muchkund.
Muchkund opened his eyes and saw Kaalyavan. Kaalyavan was burnt to ashes. This
way, Sri Krishna was able to defeat his powerful enemy by his cleverness.
ABDUCTION OF RUKMINI
ABDUCTION OF RUKMINI
Lord Mahadeva told Parvati— When Jarasandh
learnt about Kaalyavan’s death, he attacked Balaram to avenge his friend’s
death. But, very soon he realized that it was beyond his capacity to defeat
Balaram, so he retreated alongwith his army. Sri Krishna and Balaram returned
to Dwarka.In course of time, Balaram married Revati–the daugher of Raivat. At
that time, there ruled a king named Bheeshmak. He ruled over Vidarbha. He had a
beautiful daughter named Rukmini. He also had many sons among whom Rukmi was
prominent.
Rukmi wanted Rumini to get married to
Shishupal much against her wishes. Rukmini being an incarnation of goddess
laxmi rightly wanted o have Sri Krishna as her husband.Rukmini sent a message
to Sri Krishna about her brother’s intention. Sri Krishna went to help her,
accompanied by Balaram.Sri Krishna reached Vidarbha on the same day, Rukmini
was supposed to marry Shishupal and abducted her to Dwarka. Jarasandh and Rukmi
chased Krishna’s chariot but Balaram defeated Jarasandh while Sri Krishna
fastened Rukmi with the chariot. Sri Krishna also shaved off Rukmi’s hair,
which filled him with so much of shame that he decided not to return to
Vidarbha.After reaching Dwarka, Sri Krishna married Rukmini on an auspicious
day.
SRI KRISHNA’S QUEENS
SRI KRISHNA’S QUEENS
Continuing with the divine tales of Sri
Krishna, Lord Mahadeva told Parvati–Sri Krishna had 16 thousand queens among
whom Satyabhama, Kalindi, Mitravinda, etc. were prominent.King Sattajit had a
priceless diamond named–Syamantak, which he had presented to his younger
brother–Prasena. Sri Krishna was fascinated by that diamond and demanded it
from Prasena, which he refused to part with.
One day, Sri Krishna alongwith Prasena and
other yadavas went into the forest for hunting. While chasing a deer, Prasena
seceded from his group and was killed by a lion. The lion took the diamond and
started playing with it. Incidentally, Jambavan–who had once fought along with
Sri Ram against Ravana, saw the lion playing with the diamond. He killed that
lion and took the diamond in his possession.
When Sri Krishna returned to Dwarka, he was
surprised by a strange rumour, which pervaded the whole city. Some people
suspected that Sri Krishna had killed Prasena for the diamond.Sri Krishna was
very much distributed by this baseless rumour. To clear the doubts, he went
into the forest accompanied by all the residents of Dwarka and showed the dead
body of Prasena, which was still lying there. When people saw the mutilated
corpse of Prasena, which bore marks of the lion’s claws and canines, they
became convinced of Sri Krishna’s innocense.
While returning back to Dwarka, Sri Krishna
saw an effulgent cave. Sri Krishna was very surprised and wanted to find out
the source of light. He entered the cave and saw Prasena’s diamond hanging on
top of a cradle, in which a child was lying. A woman was singing a lulaby so
that the child falls asleep—’The lion killed Prasena while Jambavan killed the
lion and acquired this diamond from its possession. O child! Don’t cry as this
priceless diamond belongs to your father.’Sri Krishna furiously blew his conch.
Jambavan came out from the cave after listening to the sound of the conch. A
fierce duel took place between them, which continued for ten days. At last,
Jambavan realized that the person against whom he was fighting was none other
than Sri Ram himself. Jambhavan then gave his daughter–Jambavati to Krishna in
marriage and gave lot of wealth as dowry including that ‘Syamantak’ diamond.
Bhadraraj had three daughters–Sulakshamana, Nagnajiti and Susheela. Sri Krishna
had married all three of them in a ‘Swayamwara’. This way, Sri Krishna had
altogether eight prominent queen consorts–Rukmini, Satyabhama, Kalindi,
Mitravinda, Jambavati, Nagnajiti, Sulakshamana and Susheela.
There lived a mighty demon named Narakasur.
He had defeated the deities and snatched the divine earrings of Aditi–the
mother of deities. He had created an aerial city in which he lived alongwith
other demons. The deities went to Sri Krishna and sought his help. Sri Krishna
flew up in the sky mounted on the back of Garuda. Satyabhama was also
accompanying him. Sri Krishna was amazed to see the well fortified palace of
Narakasur. When the demons saw Srikrishna, they attacked him but Sri Krishna
challenged them by blowin his conch. Narakasur came forward to fight Sri
Krishna. A fierce battle took place in which Sri Krishna broke Narakasur’s bow
with his arrows. Ultimately, Sri Krishna was successful in killing Narakasur.
Sri Krishna then returned the whole wealth to
the deities, which Narakasur had looted from them. He also liberated sixteen
thousand women whom Narakasur had imprisoned. After being liberated all the
women accepted Sri Krishna as their husband.
ANIRUDHA MARRIES USHA
ANIRUDHA MARRIES USHA
Lord Mahadeva continued with the divine tales
of Sri Krishna–O Parvati! Sri Krishna had a son from Rukmini whose name was
‘Aniruddha’. Aniruddha was very brave and had killed a demon named Shambasur.
There is an interesting tale how Aniruddha married Usha.
Once, Usha–the daughter of Bangur, saw a very
handsome young man in her dreams. She was so infatuated by his handsome
personality that she developed a deep desire of marrying him. When she woke up
next morning, she expressed her desire to her companion–Chitralekha.Chitralekha
was an accomplished painter. She drew a sketch of a handsome man as per the
descriptions of Usha. When the painting was ready, Chitralekha revealed to Usha
that the preson who she had seen in her dream was none other than Aniruddha.
Chitralekha had divine powers. She went to
Dwarka and abducted Aniruddha while he was asleep. She then carried the
sleeping Aniruddha and laid him on the bed of Usha.When Usha woke up, She was
thrilled to see the man of her dreams. Aniruddha remained there for many days
without Banasur being aware of his presence.One day, Banasur came to know about
Aniruddhas’ presence. He became furious and imprisoned Aniruddha.Sage Narad
informed Sri Krishna about Aniruddha’s imprisonment. Sri Krishna went to fight
a battle against Banasur and release Aniruddha from his imprisonment. Although
Sri Krishna was leading a large army and was accompanied by mighty warriors
like Baldeva and Pradyumna yet he was aware that it was not easy to fight
Banasur who had one thousand arms and whom Lord Shiva had vowed to protect.
A fierce battle commenced between the armies
of Sri Krishna and Lord Shiva. But the battle remained indecisive for a long
time. Meanwhile, Banasur came forward to fight against Sri Krishna.Very soon
Sri Krishna severed all the thousand hands of Banasur with his ‘chakra’. Lord
Shiva then requested Sri Krishna to spare Banasur’s life and said -’Banasur has
received the boon of immortality from me. Now, only you can protect the dignity
of my boon given to him.’ Sri Krishna spared Banasur’s life. Banasur then
agreed to marry his daughter to Aniruddha. This way Aniruddha married Usha with
great fanfare.
THE DECLINE OF YADU DYNASTY
Parvati was listening to the divine tales of
Sri Krishna with rapt attention. Lord Mahadeva told Parvati– ‘Paundrak was the
king of Kashi. He did an austere penance for twelve years to please me. When I
appeared before him, he requested me to make his appearance look like Sri
Krishna. I blessed him with an appearance similar to that of Sri Krishna.
People became confused as to who the real Krishna was.
One day, Narad arrived at Kashi and
castigated Paundrak by saying that his intention of befooling people would not
meet success as long as real Krishna was alive. Paundrak went to Dwarka with a
large army and challenged Sri Krishna for a duel. Sri Krishna severed the
impersonator’s head with his chakra. Meanwhile, Jarasandh continued to torment
the yadavas. Sri Krishna decided to settle the matter for once and all. He
advised Bheema to challenge Jarasandh for a wrestling-bout.
Jarasandh and Bheema fought valiantly for 27
days. While both of them were fighting, Sri Krishna signalled Bheema to tear
apart Jarasandh’s thighs. After the killing of Jarasandh, Sri Krishna released
all the kings who had been imprisoned by him. After the great war of Mahabharat
had ended, Yudhishthir decided to perform a Rajasuya-yagya at Indraprashth. Sri
Krishna also went there to bless the Pandavas. Shishupal was also present at
the ceremony. He had an old grudge against Sri Krishna and started abusing him.
Initially Krishna tried to overlook his abuses but when situation went beyond
repair Sri Krishna severed his head with his chakra.
Dantavaktra attacked Mathura to avenge the
death of Shishupal. A long battle was fought at the bank of river yamuna, which
continued for many days. Ultimately, Sri Krishna was successful in killing
Dantavaktra with his mace. There was a childhood friend of Sri Krishna whose
name was Sudama. He was a poor brahmin. Once, he went to meet Sri Krishna. Sri
Krishna, being an incarnation of the almighty immediately understood the
precarious situation his poor friend was living in. He blessed Sudama as a
result of which he got rid of his poverty and became prosperous. Sri Krishna
had one crore sons from his sixteen thousand queens. Pradyumna was his eldest
son. The yadavas dominated the whole earth and had become arrogant after being
intoxicated by their power. There is an interesting tale how this powerful
yadava dynasty met their downfall –
Once, some young yadavas played a prank with
Sage Kanva, which caused the downfall of the Yadavas. One day, some Yadva
children went at the bank of river Narmada where sage Kanva was doing penance.
Samba was one of those Yadava children. He disguised himself as a pregnant
woman by keeping a pestle under his clothes. All the yadava children then went
near Sage Kanva and asked him as to when was the pregnant woman supposed to
deliver a child.Sage Kanva furiously cursed them that the whole clan of yadavas
would be liquidated because of that very pestle. All the children were scarred
and told Sri Krishna about the mistake they had made. Sri Krishna ordered that
the iron pestle be crushed to powder and be thrown into a pond. But, that was
not the end of the matter, as long reeds grew all around the pond. The reeds
had very sharp edges. A fish swallowed a small part of that iron pestle and was
subsequently caught by a fowler, who retrieved that iron-piece from the fish
and fixed it on the top of his arrow.
In course of time all the Yadavas developed
enemity among themselves and killed each other with those sharp-edged reeds.
Once, Sri Krishna was taking rest under the shade of ‘Kalpa’ tree. The fowler
mistook his pink foot to be that of a deer and pierced it with his arrow. When
the fowler arrived at the spot he found Sri Krishna in an injured condition.
The fowler regretted his action and begged for Sri Krishna’s pardon. Sri
Krishna consoled the fowler by saying that he had committed no crime.
Meanwhile, Daruk arrived there on his chariot. Sri Krishna instructed Daruk to call
Arjuna as soon as possible. Arjuna arrived at the site within a short time. Sri
Krishna told Arjuna–’The time for my final departure has arrived. Please call
all my eight queen consorts.’
Arjuna rushed towards Dwarka to summon the
queens but Sri Krishna had already left for his heavenly abode before he could
come back with the queens. Arjuna informed the queens about Sri Krishna’s
injury. In a short time the news spread like a wild fire and all the residents
of Dwarka rushed towards the site of incident. After reaching there, the eight
queen consorts of Krishna found that their beloved husband had already
departed. All of them gave up their lives and united with Sri Krishna. The
great Yadavas like Vasudev, Ugrasena and Akrur followed suit. Balaram could not
bear the sorrow caused by Sri Krishna’s separation and he gave up his life. His
wife–Revati entered the burning pyre with her husband’s body in her lap.
Similarly all the rest of Sri Krishna’s family members like Rukmi’s daughter,
Pradyumna, Usha and Aniruddha left for heavenly abode.
Arjuna performed the last rite of all the
dead Yadavas.Eventually, Dwaraka got submerged into the ocean. Thus, Sri
Krishna after having liberated the earth from all the sinners left his mortal
body. After completing his story Lord Mahadeva told Parvati that Sri Krishna
takes incarnation whenever there is predominance of sin or sinners. He also
revealed to her that Sri Krishna would incarnate as Kalki at the fag end of
Kalkiyuga to liquidate the ‘mlechchhas’.
RITUALS OF VISHNU WORSHIP
RITUALS OF VISHNU WORSHIP
Describing about the rituals connected with
the worship of lord Vishnu, lord Mahaddeva told Parvati– A devotee can worship
Lord Vishnu by making his idol. This mode of worship is known as ‘Sthapita’ (installation
of an idol). There are also some sacred places related with lord Vishnu which
are called ‘Swayam-Vyakata’ (self manifested) like Indradyumna Sarovar, (Kurma
sthan), Kashi, Prayag, Dwarka, Naimisharanya, Mathura etc. In all these holy
places, Lord Vishnu had manifested himself. A devotee should get up early in
the morning and perform ‘aachaman’. He should then chant the holy name of Lord
Vishnu. He should take his bath and sit down to worship Lord Vishnu.
A devotee should install idols of Laxmi-Narayana
on a beautiful pedestal and adorn it with flowers. He should then make
offerings of various articles like akshat, fruits, flowers, etc. to the deity.
While worshipping, it is most necessary that a devotee followes the rituals as
mentioned in the ancient scriptures like Shruti, Smriti, Vedas etc. He should
chant the shlokas of Purush-Sukta as well as the cryptic mantra for the
accomplishment of ‘Shodashopachar’. He should light a ghee lamp and make
offerings of articles like camphor and betel leaves to Lord Vishnu. While
making offerings in the sacrificial-fire, chanting of a shloka either from
Purushsukta or Shrisukta is madatory.
There are some specific days which are
considered to be specially auspicious for the worship of lord Vishnu–Amavasya,
Saturday, Solar eclipse, lunar eclipse etc.
LORD VISHNU–THE ALMIGH TY GOD
LORD VISHNU–THE ALMIGH TY GOD
Describing about the superiority of Lord
Vishnu among the trinity Gods’ Sage Vashishth narrated the following
tale–During ancient times, Swayambhuva manu had once gone to Mandarachal
mountain to perform a yagya. Many scholars and learned men had come to attend
that yagya. Very soon, they got into a debate as to who was the supreme among
all the deities. Some of them eulogised the greatness of Brahma, while some
said that lord Shiva was the greatest of all the deities. Failing to come to
any conclusion all of them requested Sage Bhrigu to find out as to who was the
greatest among the trinity Gods.
Sage Bhrigu went to meet Lord Shiva at
Kailash mountain. He saw Nandi standing guard at the main entrance. Sage Bhrigu
arrogantly ordered Nandi to inform Lord Shiva of his arrival. Nandi refused to
comply with Bhrigu’s command. Sage Bhrigu cursed Lord Shiva by saying–Your
master- Shiva, would bear the consequences of showing disrespect to me. From
today onwards people would make offerings of forbidden articles to him.’
Sage Bhrigu then went to meet Lord Brahma.
After reaching Brahmaloka, he made salutations to lord Brahma.Lord Brahma also
did not give any respect to Sage Bhrigu and neglected him. Sage Bhrigu became
furious and cursed Lord Brahma—’Being intoxicated by your Rajoguna, you have
shown disrespect to me. From today onwards people will not worhsip you.’ Sage
Bhrigu then went to meet Lord Vishnu at his abode- Ksheersagar. He did not have
any problem in reaching the place where Lord Vishnu was taking rest on
Sheshnag, engrossed in his yoganidra. Goddess Laxmi was pressing Vishnu’s legs
with total devotion. Sage Bhrigu kicked Lord Vishnu on his chest. Lord Vishnu
woke up and seeing sage Bhrigu said—’O Great Brahmin! Your tender foot must
have got hurt because of my chest, which is as hard as Vajra. How blessed I am
to have been touched by a brahmin’s foot.’
Lord Vishnu got up and eulogised Sage Bhrigu.
This gesture of Lord Vishnu made Sage Bhrigu cry in joy. Now, he was convinced
as to who was the supreme among all the three deities.Sage Bhrigu returned to
Mandarachal mountain where all the sages were anxiously waiting for him. He
declared–
‘Lord Brahma is the possesser of Rajoguna,
while Lord Shiva possesses tamoguna. Only Lord Vishnu is the proud possessor of
Satvaguna and hence He is the supreme among all three of them.’ After finishing
his tale, Sage Vashishth told the sages that anybody who worships Lord Vishnu
with complete faith and total devotion become liberated from all his sins. A
devotee of Lord Vishnu attains to Vishnu Loka after his death.
PARSHURAM
PARSHURAM
Describing Lord Vishnu’s incarnation as
Parshuram, Lord Mahadeva told Parvati–Sage Jamadagni came from the lineage of
Bhrigu. He had pleased Indra by his tremendous penance and received Surabhi cow
in return. In course of time he married the daughter of king Renuk whose name
was Renuka. A child was born to them, who was named ‘Ram’ by Sage Bhrigu. The
child was also known as ‘Jamadganya’ because of Jamdagni.
After growing up, Ram became proficient in
all the scriptures. He also mastered various weaponaries. One day, the king of
Haihaya named Arjun arrived at the hermitage of Jamadagni. Sage Jamdagni
treated the king with due honour and respect. He presented numerous gifts to
the king. Arjun wanted nothing else but the Surabhi–cow from Sage Jamdagni
which he was unwilling to part away with. Ultimately, Arjun forcibly took away
the divine cow. The cow was unwilling to go alongwith Arjun and she attacked
his army with her sharp horns. As a result, Arjun’s whole army was liquidated
within no time.The revengeful Arjun killed Jamadagni. At the time of this
incident. Ram was not present in the hermitage.
Ram wanted to avenge his father’s death and
did a tremendous penance to please Lord Vishnu. Lord Vishnu became pleased by
his devotion and presented many divine weapons to him. The weapons included the
famous axe–Parshu and Vaishnav-bow. After acquiring Parshu from Lord Vishnu,
Ram became famous as Parshuram. He had vowed to kill all the Kshatriyas, which
he did only, the clan of Ikshavaku was spared by him as he had promised his
mother that he would not harm Ikshavaku and his clan.
After freeing the earth from the terror of
Kshatriyas, Parshuram performed an Ashwamedha yagya and donated his whole
kingdom, to the brahmins. He then went to do penance at the hermitage of
Nar-Narayan.
END OF PADMA PURAN
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