bhagavatha purana

8/6/2019 BHAGAVATHA PURANA

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THE BHAGAVATA PURANA

by,

PRADYUMNA VASU DEV

SUTA AND OTHER SAGES

Many years ago, some sages (rishis) desired to go to heaven

(svarga). They therefore began to perform a yajna (sacrifice) in a

forest known as naimisharanya. The sacrifice was a difficult one,

and all the assembled sages were resting, when Suta arrived on

the scene. Suta was himself a sage and was the sage

Romaharshanas alternatively, Lomaharshana) son. Suta wasalso extremely learned in the Puranas and the shastras (sacred

texts).

The assembled sages welcomed Suta with offerings and said,

Suta, not only are you learned in the shastras and the Puranas,

you have also interpreted them. This is kaliyuga, the last of the

four eras when evil reigns supreme everywhere. People are no

longer interested in righteousness. Moreover, men do not live for

as long as they used to earlier. They therefore have less time todevote to the hearing of the shastras. Tell us briefly, the essence

of the shastras. Vishnu was born as Krishna, the son of Vasudeva

and Devaki, to rid the world of evil. Who knows about Krishna

more than you ? Tell us about Krishna and his exploits,

Suta was very happy that sages had asked him about Krishna.

He began to tell the story of the Bhagavata Purana.

Vishnus twenty-four Incarnations

Usually, ten incarnations (avataras) of Vishnu are mentioned in

the Puranas. The Bhagavata Purana however mentions twenty-

four incarnations.

Vishnu has an original form which cannot be normally seen. It

has many legs, thighs, hands, mouths, eyes, ears and noses. It is

from this original form that the incarnations are created. And it

was also from this form that Brahma was created.

Vishnus first incarnation was as a celibate brahmana, the

brahmanas being the first of the four classes. The duties of


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brahmanas were to pray and devote themselves to the study of

the shastras.

Vishnus second incarnation was a wild boar (varaha). In this

form, he rescued the world from the depths of the underworld.

In his third incarnation, Vishnu adopted the form of the great

sage Narada. As Narada, he instructed men about the virtues of

being devoted to Vishnu.

In the fourth incarnation, Vishnu adopted the forms of two

different sages. Their names were Nara and Narayana. These

two sages performed very difficult tapasya (meditation).

Vishnus fifth incarnation was also as a sage. This sages name

was Kapila. There was another sage named Asuri. Kapilainstructed Asuri about the school of philosophy that is known as

samkhya darshana.

In his sixth incarnation, Vishnu was born as the son of the sage

of the sage Atri and his wife Anusuya. The name that Vishnu

adopted in this incarnation was Dattatreya. As Dattatreya,

Vishnu instructed Alarka, Prahlada and others on the path to true

knowledge.

The seventh incarnation took place during the rule of

Svayambhuva Manu, the first Manu to rule over an era

(manvantara). Vishnu was now born as the son of Ruchi and

Akuti and his name was Yajna. Yajna held the title of Indra

during the first manvantara.

Vishnus eighth incarnation was as Rishabha, the son of King

Nabhi and Queen Maru. In this incarnation, he instructed even

the most learned of scholars about the best form of meditation.

The ninth incarnation was as a king. In fact, the sages had asked

that Vishnu might be born as a king. From the word for asking

(prarthana), the king came to be called Prithu and the earth is

known as prithivi after king Prithu. Prithu milked the earth and

obtained all the herbs and plants which were then handed over to

humans.

Vishnus tenth incarnation was as a fish (matsya). This took

place during the manvantara that was known as chakshushamanvantara. At this time, the whole world was flooded with

water. The Manu who ruled over this manvantara was known as


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Vaivasvata Manu. As a fish, Vishnu told Vaivasvata Manu to

build a boat and save himself and the rest of humanity from the

waters of the flood.

The eleventh incarnation was at the time of the churning of the

ocean (samudra manthana). Vishnu now adopted the form of aturtle (Kurma). The gods (devas) and demons (asuras) churned

the ocean with Mount Mandara as a churning rod. But this

would not have been possible had there not been a base on which

Mount Mandara could rest. This base was provided by the back

of the turtle. As the churning of the ocean continued.

Dhanvantari came out with a pot of amrita ( a life-giving drink)

in his hands. Dhanvantari was Vishnus twelfth incarnation.

Dhanvantari was also the originator of all medical knowledge.

Together with the gods, the demons also wanted a share of the

amrita. But Vishnu adopted the form of a beautiful woman and

so charmed the demons that they gladly parted with the amrita.

This was Vishnus thirteenth incarnation.

Hiranyakashipu later became the king of the demons and began

to oppress the gods. So Hiranyakashipu had to be destroyed.

Vishnu did this in his fourteenth incarnation, known as narasimha

because the being was half-man and half-lion. This man-beast

tore apart Hiranyakasipus breast with its claws.

After Hiranyakashipu, Vali became the king of the demons and

drove the gods out of heaven. Vishnus fifteenth incarnation was

that of a dwarf (vamana). The dwarf came to Vali and desired

that it might be granted as much of land as could be encompased

in three of its steps. The generous Vali did not refuse. But the

dwarf adopted a gigantic form and in three of its steps, it covered

all the three worlds. Thus Vali had to surrender heaven to the

gods.

There was once a time when the kings on earth became evil and

began to ignore the brahmanas. The kings were kshatriyas. The

kshatriyas constituted the second of the four classes and their

primary duty was to bear arms and protect the world from evil.

When it was found that the kings had themselves became evil.

Vishnu was born as Parashurama. This was his sixteenth

incarnation. Parashurama destroyed all the kshatriyas in the

world twenty-one times, so that good might once again prevail.

Thereafter, the seventeenth incarnation was born. This wasVedavyasa, the son of Parashara and Satyavati. Vedavyasa


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recompiled the sacred texts of the Vedas so that they might

become more easily understandable to men. It was thus that

there came to be four Vedas. Vedavyasas real name was Krishna

Dvaipayana. He came to be known as Vedavyasa because he had

divided the Vedas.

The eighteenth incarnation was Rama, about whom you must

have read in the Ramayana. The nineteenth and twentieth

incarnations were born as Yadavas. Their names are also familar

to you, this time from the Mahabharata. The nineteenth

incarnation was Baladeva or Balarama and the twentieth was

Krishna.

The twenty-first incarnation was Buddha, the originator of

Buddhism. The twenty-seond incarnation is yet to come. It will

be Kalki, the son of a brahmana named Vishnuyasha. Kalki will

arrive at the end of kaliyuga and destroy the evil of the world.

And a new righteous order will be established.

Although the Bhagavata Purana had promised to talk about

twenty-four avataras of Vishnu, it actually lists only twenty-two.

It however points out that such incarnations occur whenever

there is evil on earth and there is a need to destroy evil and

establish righteousness. Accordingly, there have been several

incarnations.

Vedavyasa and Narada

Vedavyasa had a son named Shukadeva. Shukadeva was a great

sage. He was learned and free from all wordly illusions. But he

never displayed his knowledge, so that most people thought him

to be ignorant and stupid.

Vedavyasa divided the Vedas into four. These sacred texts came

to be known as Rig Veda, Yajur Veda, Sama Veda and Atharva

Veda. Vedavyasa taught the four Vedas to four of his disciples.

Paila was taught the Rig Veda. Vaishamapayana the Yajur Veda,

Jaimini the Sama Veda and Sumanta the Atharva Veda. The

Puranas are known as the fifth Veda. Vedavyasa later taught the

Puranas to his disciple Romaharshana. And this Romaharshana

was the father of Suta, the narrator of the Bhagavata Purana.

But despite having done all this work one the Vedas in addition

to having composed the Mahabharata, Vedavyasa was intenselydissatisfied. His hermitage (ashrama) was on the banks of the

river Sarasvati. After having bathed in the river, Vedavyasa sat in


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his hermitage and began to ponder about what he might do next.

It was then that the sage narada arrived on the scene.

Vedavyasa, asked Narada. Why are you looking so miserable?

You have accomplished much that one ought to feel proud about.

I dont really know why I feel dissatisfied, replied Vedavyasa.

You are all-knowing. Why dont you tell me why I keep feeling

discontented?

That may be because you have spent too much time in

describing dharma, that which is righteous, said Narada. There

descriptions are too impersonal. Most people need that which is

more personalised. Dry words of dharma do not mean very

much. The cause of dharma might have been better served had

you described the exploits of Krishna. That would have made itmuch more personal. Why dont you do it? You alone are

capable of accomplishing a task like that.

Thus encouraged by Narada. Vedavyasa composed the

Bhagavata Purana and initially taught it to his son Shukadeva.

Ashvatthamas Punishment

Many Kaurava and Pandava warriors died in the course of theKurukshetra War. Towards the end of the war, Bhima and

Duryodhana fought a duel and Bhima broke Duryodhanas thighs

with a mace. Duryodhana lay there on the ground, defeated but

not yet dead. Ashvatthama had fought the war on Duryodhanas

side and was looking for a way to please the disconsolate

Duryodhana. Droupadi had five sons, the sons of the five

Pandavas. In the dead of the night, Ashvatthama entered the

Pandava camp and sliced off the heads of these five sons. He

then brought them as gifts to Duryodhana.

It was now Droupadis turn to be disconsolate and she demanded

revenge. Arjuna promised her that he would bring her

Ashvatthamas head as atonement. He therefore hunted out

Ashvatthama and challenged him to a duel.

Ashvatthama let loose a terrible divine weapon known as

brahmashira on Arjuna. To counteract it, Arjuna had to release a

brahmashira weapon of his own. But these two divine weapons

threatened to burn up the entire world. And the sages asked thetwo warriors to writhdraw their weapons. Arjuna did this easily,

but Ashvatthama did not know how to wirthdraw a brahmashira


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weapon, so the weapon was directed at Uttaras womb Uttara

was Arjunas widowed daughter-in-law, his son Abhimanyu

having died earlier in the course of the battle. Ashvatthama was

captured and brought to Droupadi by Arjuna. There it was

decided that Ashvatthama should not be killed. He was, after all,

the son of Dronacharya, the teacher of the Pandavas.Ashvatthama used to wear a jewel (mani) on his head. This

jewel was cut off and given to Droupadi and Ashvatthama was

allowed to leave.

But what was to happen to the brahmashira weapon that had

been directed at Uttaras womb? Uttara came running to Krishna

for protection. And Krishna himself entered the womb and so

protected the baby. This baby was Parikshit. Since the baby had

been protected by Vishnu in his form of Krishna, the brahmanas

proposed that he should be named Vishnurata, that is, protected

by Vishnu. But the baby had met Krishna inside Uttaras womb

and had become devoted to Krishna. Whenever the child met

someone, he tested to see if the person he had just met was

indeed the person whom he had met inside the womb. The word

for a test is pariksha. Thus it was that Vishnurata came to be

popularly known as Parikshit.

Krishnas Return to Dvaraka

Yudhisthira, the eldest of the Pandava brothers, became king

after the end of the Kurushetra War. For some time, Krishna

stayed in the capital city of Hastinapura. But thereafter, he had to

return to Dvaraka, the capital of the Yadavas. Great was the

rejoicing in Dvaraka when Krishna returned. Musical

instruments were played. Woman climbed up to the roofs to

catch a glimpse of Krishna. The brahmanas blessed him as he

walked down the streets. Before entering the city, Krishna blew

loudly on his conch-shell.

Dvaraka was a very pretty city. The trees bore all sorts of fruits

and flowers. The houses had creepers on them. The ponds were

gay with lotuses. Beautiful gardens wre scattered throughout the

city. There were many gates, all of which were decorated with

pennants and flags. The shops and street were clean.

Krishna had sixteen thousand wives. They were very glad that

their husband had come back after such a long itme.


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Krishnas Death and the Destruction

of the Yadavas

After some time had passed, Arjuna went on a visit to Dvaraka.

Months passed, but Arjuna did not return. Meanwhile,

Yudhishthira could see all sorts of ill omens in Hastinapura.People became evil, the seasons did not arrive at their appointed

times. Relatives fought with each other and friends became

enemies. Yudhishthira became seriosly worried and decided to

send Bhima to Dvaraka to find out what was happening there.

Why had Arjuna not come back despite the fact that seven

months had elasped since his departure from Hastinapura?

But before Bhima could be sent, Arjuna returned. He was no

longer his old self. He sat quietly, without utteringa word. Silent

drops of tears rolled down this cheek.

Yudhishthira was beside himself with worry. What has

happened, Arjuna?, he asked. Are our friends in Dvaraka well?

Why arent you uttering a word? Or is it that you yourself are

not well?

For a long while Arjuna could not bear to say anything. But

eventually he told them that Krishna had died.

The Yadavas had been destroyed as a clan.

The Bhagavata Purana will describe these incidents in the

eleventh skandha.

But hearing that Krishna had died, Yudhisthira decided to rule no

more. The five Pandavas and Droupadi left for the Himalayas.

Parikshit was made king in Hastinapura.

Parikshit

Parikshit was a good king. He always consulted the brahmanas

before taking any major decisions. He married Iravati, the

daughter of Prince Uttara. Parikshit and Iravati had four sons,

the most important of whom was Janmejaya. Parikshit also

performed three ashvamedha yajnas (horse sacrifices) on the

banks of the river Ganga. Prikshits guru (teacher) was

Kripacharya.

One day, Parikshit heard that the demon Kali had entered his

kingdom. The kaliyuga era had started as soon as Krishna had


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died. But in this particular incident. Kali invaded Parikshits

kingdom a person.

As soon as Parikshit learned that his kingdom had been invaded,

he dressed himself in his armour and took up his weapons. He

then ascended his chariot and, with his army, set out to conquerthe world and fight Kali. The earth is divded into seven regions

or dvipas. One by one, Parkshit conquered each of these dvipas.

He forced the conquered kings to pay him taxes.

In the course of his travels, Parikshit came upon the world

(prithivi) wandering around in the form of a cow. The cow was

talking to a bull and the bull was none other than the god Dharma

in disguise. The cow and the bull were conversing about the evil

that had befallen the earth. A shudra belongs to the lowest of the

four classes, the duty of a shudra being to serve the other three

classes. When Parikshit came upon the bull and the cow, a

shudra was in the process of beating the two animals up. The

animals shook with fear as they were beaten by the shudras

mace.

Parikshit shouted at the shudra, What do you think you are

doing? Have you no shame or fear? You deserve to be killed.

He consoled the two animals and took out his word to kill the

shudra. But the shudra was none other than Kali and Kali fell atParikshits feet and begged for mercy.

The king could not kill someone who was begging for mercy.

So he spared Kali, but told him that Kali was not to live inside

Parikshits kingdom. Otherwise, lies, jealousy, theft and quarrels

would become commonplace in the kingdom. This put Kali in a

dilemma. Where was Kali going to live? Parikshits kingdom

extended throughout the world. So Kali begged the king to tell

him where he might live. Parikshit earmarked certain places asKalis habitat. These were places where gambling, drinking and

violence took place. As long as Parikshit was king, Kali was thus

permitted to do no harm.

Once Parikshit had gone on a hunt. After chasing deer for a very

long time, the king felt hungry and thirsty. He look for a place

where he might get some water to drink. And this search brought

him to the hermitage of a sage. The sage was meditating,

oblivious of what was going on in the world around him. His

hair was matted and his body was clothes in deerskin.


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Parikshit asked the sage for some water, but the sage did not

bother to reply. At this, Parikshit felt slighted. There was a dead

snake lying there in front of the hermitage. Parikshit picked up

the dead snake with his bow and wound it around the shoulders

of the sage. The king then returned to his capital.

The sages son was very powerful. He had been busy playing

with his friends when all this had happened. But when he

returned and discovered what had happened, he was extremely

angry. How dare a kshatriya king insult a brahmana? He

therefore cursed Parikshit that the king would die of snakebite

within the span of seven days. And the snake which would do

this deed would be a snake named takshaka.

The sage got to know of the curse that his son had imposed on

Parikshit and was not at all happy. The sages name was

Shamika. Shamika told his son, What have you done? The king

is our protector. What will happen to us if the king dies?

Moreover, Parikshit is a good king. You have levied a heavy

punishment for a minor transgression.

Meanwhile, back in the capital, Parikshit was also struck with

remorse. He realize that he should not have thus insulted the

sage. He resolved that not only would he never act like that in

the future, he would also undergo penance (prayashchitta) for thesin.

While the king was thus pondering, news was brought to him

about the curse that had been imposed on him. Parikshit bore

this news with fortitude. He was prepared to atone for his sin.

And if it was desined that he should die at the hands of takshaka,

then so would it be. But prior to dying, he decided that his death

should take place on the banks of the holy river Ganga. And he

would devote the seven days that were left to him to thecontemplation of Krishna.

Parikshit therefore began a fast on the banks of the Ganga. He

meditated and thought of Krishna. Many sages assembled to

witness this wonderful spectacle The king was delighted that all

the sages had come, because that meant that his last moments on

earth were blessed. Parishits son Janmejaya had also come and

Parishit handed over the kingdom to his son. The gods and sages

were delighted to see the calm with which Parikshit was facing

up to his fate. Flowers were showered on the kings head fromheaven.


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At the time, Vedavyass son Shukadeva also arrived there. He

was only sixteen years of age, but so holy that all the sages stood

up to honour Shukadeva. Parikshit also worshipped Shukadeva

and said , I am honoured that you have come here.

Tell me what a man about to die should hear.

And so began Shukadevas narrative.

The Great Form of Vishnu

Shukadeva said, Most people are ignorant. They are obsessed

with material pursuits. They do not realize that all these are

merely illusions (maya). True bliss comes from knowing

Vishnu. The Bhagavata Purana tells of Vishnu and I learnt the

text from my father Vyasadeva. You are devoted to Vishnu. So Iwill relate to you the Bhagavata Purana.

When death knocks at ones door, one should forget about

material pursuits. One should go to a holy place and prepare to

meditate. The best incantation (mantra) for meditation is that

which goes by the name of omkara, the chanting of om

repeatedly. This chanting calms the mind. The senses are

controlled and one can contemplate God. Yoga is the technique

of uniting the human soul (atman) with the divine essence(brahman). And yogis are people who try to achieve this union.

A yogi has to sit in a proper posture (asana) and has to control his

breath in the process of meditation (pranayama). It helps to fix

ones mind on the great form of Vishnu.

Vishnus great form is everywhere. It is the beginning of the

past, the present and the future. The form is shrouded in the five

elements and the ego. But within the form is the being who is the

object of all yoga. The underworld rests at this beings feet, the

earth is near the thighs and the sky is at the navel. This great

form of Vishnu is known as vishvarupa. Near the breast of the

being is heaven (svarloka or svarga), surrounded by all the stars.

Higher up on the body are the higher regions. The entire

universe is divided into fourteen regions (lokas). Seven of these

form the underworld and their names are atala, vitala, sutala,

talatala, mahatala, rasatala and patala. Seven other lokas form

the upper regions and their names are bhuloka, bhuvarloka,

svarloka, maharloka, janaloka, tapoloka and satyaloka. Thus the

beings throat is maharloka, the mouth janaloka, the foreheadtapoloka and the head satyaloka.


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Indra and the other gods are the arms of the being. The four

directions are his ears. The two Ashvinis are his nose and his

mouth is flaming fire itself. The sun is Vishnus eyes, day and

night are his eyelashes and his smile is maya. The oceans form

his armpits, the mountains his bones, the rivers his veins and the

trees are the hair on his body. The wind is Vishnus breath andthe clouds are nothing but his hair. The brahmanas have a place

near Vishnus mouth, the kshatriyas near his arms, the vaishyas

(the third of the four classes) near his thighs and the shudras near

his feet. This vishvarupa of Vishnu is everywhere. And it is this

vishvarupa that one must concentrate on in the process of yoga.

Having heard all this, Parikshit gave himself up to the

contemplation of Vishnu. He forgot his wife, sons, wealth, and

kingdom. But he nevertheless wanted to know more about

Krishna, Vishnus incarnation on earth. He asked Shukadeva to

tell him about Krishna. And this is what Shudadeva proceeded to

do, beginning with the story of the creation.

Creation

Although Brahma is regarded as the creator, Brahma himself

owes his creation to Vishnu. Vishnu created the three gunas

(qualities) for the purposes of creation. These three qualities are

sattva guna, raja guna, and tama guna. Sattva guna relates toknowledge and is associated with the gods. Raja guna relates to

activity and is associated with the senses. Tama guna relates to

matter and is associated with the five elements.

In the beginning, there was only the great egg (brahmanda). For

thousands and thousands of years the egg floated on the waters

that were everywhere. Then a being came out of the egg. This

was nothing but Vishnus great form. It had thousands of thighs,

legs, hands, breasts, faces and heads. The learned know that allthe fourteen worlds were created from this great being. The

seven lokas that constitute the underworld were made out of the

lower part of the body. And the seven lokas that constitute the

upper regions were made out of the upper half of the body.

This vishvarupa extends throughout the universe. It even

extends beyond the universe. Nothing that was created is

independent of this great being. Brahma himself emerged from a

lotus that sprouted from this great beings navel. If Brahma

became the creator of all living beings, it was only because of theblessings of Vishnu. And Shiva happens to be the destroyers also


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by Vishnus grace. In every cycle (kalpa), Vishnu first creates

himself. Then he creates other beings, preserves them and

eventually destroys them.

Uddhava and Vidura

Many years ago, Vidura was once forced to leave his house.

If you have read the Mahabharata, you will remember that

Vidura was the younger brother of Dhritarashtra. And

Dhritarashtras son Duryodhana was always trying to bring some

harm to the Pandavas. He tried to burn them in the house of lac

(jatugriha), he unfairly defeated Yudhishthra in a game of dice

and he deprived the Pandavas of the kingdom that was rightfully

theirs. Dhritarashtra was so smitten by love for his son that he

never interfered, even though he realized that what Duryodhanawas doing was not quite right. Eventually, Vidura could bear it

no longer. He begged Dhritarashtra to forsake his son and return

the kingdom to Yudhishthira.

Hearing this, Duryodhana lost his temper. Who has permitted

this son of a slave-girl to enter the court premises?, he demanded

to know. How dare Vidura insult the hand that feeds him? He

behaves like an enemy. Banish him from the kingdom.

It was indeed true that Vidura was the son of a slave-girl. But

this did not mean that Duryodhana had the right to insult

someone who was his uncle. Vidura felt so hurt that he resolved

to leave Hastinapura. Having left he capital, Vidura visited many

places of pilgrimage. He travelled throughout the length and

breadth of Bharatavarsha and finally came to the river Yamuna.

On the banks of the Yamuna he met Uddhava.

Uddhava was Krishnas close companion and friend and Vidura

was delighted to have met him. He enquired from Uddhava

about the welfare of Krishna and the other Yadavas. At this,

Uddhava remembered various childhood exploits of Krishnas.

Krishnas Childhood

Uddhava had first met Krishna when he was only five years old.

But even at that early age, he had become a close friend of

Krishnas and could not bear to parted from him. And together,

the two friends had aged over the years. Now when Vidura askedhim about Krishna. Uddhavas eyes glistened with tears.


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He said, I am sorry to tell you that the days of Krishnas glory

are now over. Cursed are the Yadavas for not recognizing while

there was time that Krishna was Vishnus avatara. They treated

him like a mere human. There are only a few like you and me

who recognized Krishna for what he was. Alas, Krishna is no

more. He is dead. The world no longer seems to be the same.Do you remeber his childhood deeds?

The world was full of evil. And Brahma went and prayed to

Vishnu that something might be done about all this evil. Vishnu

agreed to be born as the son of Vasudeva and Devaki. But

Kamsa, the king of the Yadavas, had got to know that Vasudevas

son would kill him. So he imprisoned Vasudevas son would kill

him. So he imprisoned Vasudeva and Devaki. It was in Kamsas

prison that Krishna was born. To save the newly born baby from

Kamsas wrath, Vasudeva went and left baby Krishna with Nanda

and his wife Yashoda. There Krishna was brought up as the son

of Nanda and Yashoda. Krishnas elder brother was Baladeva,

also born as an incarnation of Vishnus.

For eleven years, the two brothers withheld from common

knowledge their divine nature. They played with the cowherds

along the banks of the river Yamuna and tended to the cattle.

Krishna was particularly fond of playing the flute.

Kamsa had got to know about Krishna and he sent many demons

to try and kill Krishna. But Krishna disposed of all these demons

effortlessly. There was a huge snake named Kaliya which was

poisoning the water of the Yamuna. Cowherds and cattle died as

a result of drinking this poisoned water. Krishna tamed Kaliya

and made the water of the Yamuna pure again. He also brought

back to life the cowherds and the cattle who had died.

The cowherds had been in the habit of praying to Indra through asacrificial ceremony. Krishna put a stop to this sacrifice. This so

angered Indra that he poured down torrents and torrents of rain

and threatened to destroy all the cowherds and their cattle. But

Krishna lifted up a huge mountain known as govardhana with his

finger. He held this aloft and all the cowherds and their cattle

took shelter under this mountain. They were thus saved.

Kamsas Death

Later on, Krishna came to Mathura. This city was Kamsascapital. He killed Kamsa and made Kamsas father Ugrasena the


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king of the Yadavas. He also freed his parents, Vasudeva and

Devaki, from Kamsas prison.

Those who were devoted to Krishna attained true knowledge.

And Uddhava asked Vidhura to worship the sage Maitreya if he

desired to attain this knowledge.

Maitreya

The sage Maitreya lived in Haridvara and it was there that

Vidura met him.

Vidura asked Maitreya, Our worldly life is such that no matter

what one does, there is unhappiness all around. Tell me how

Krishna can be worshipped so that one can conquer all this

unhappiness.

Maitreya told Vidura about the beginning of creation. Brahma

emerged from Vishnus navel and began the task of creation.

From the powers of his mind he created four sages whose names

were Sanakaa, Sananda, Sanatana and Sanatkumara. But these

sages did not seem to be at all interested in the process of

creation and this made Brahma very angry. From his furrowed

brows there was born a son known as Nilalohita, so named

because he was partly blue (nila) and partly red (lohita) incolour. Nilalohita was the ancestor of all the gods.

As soon as he was born, Nilalohita began to cry.

Why are you crying?, asked Brahma.

Because I have no name, replied the boy, Give me a name and

tell me where I should stay.

Brahma told the boy not to cry. From the word for crying (rud),he named the boy Rudra. In additon, Brahma gave the boy

eleven more names. These were Manyu, Manu, Mahinas,

Mahan, Shiva, Ritadhvaja, Ugrareta, Bhava, Kala, Vamadeva and

Dhritavrata. Eleven wives named Dhi, Dhriti, Rasala, Uma,

Nishut, Sarpi, Ila, Ambhika, Iravati, Svadha, and Diksha were

earmarked for Rudra. Brahma also decided that Rudras habitat

would be the heart, the life, the sky, the air, the fire, the water, the

earth, the sun, the moon, and all meditation.

Brahma next asked Rudra to create more beings. The first Rudra

created several other Rudras. But all these creations were terrible


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and they proceeded to destroy whatever Brahma had so far

created.

Brahma told Rudra, Please desist. Enough is enough. There is

no need for you to create anything any more. Why dont you go

away and meditate?

Thus instructed by Brahma, rudra went away to meditate. And

with Rudra safely out of the way, Brahma could concentrate on

the act of creation once more. Ten sons were born to Brahma.

Their names were Marichi, Atri, Angira, Pulastya, Pulaha, Kratu,

Bhrigu, Vashishtha, Daksha and Narada. Narada was born from

Brahmas lap, Daksha from his thumb, Vashishta from his breath

of life, Bhrigu from his skin, Kratu from his hands, Pulaha from

his navel, Pulastya from his ears, Agnira from his mouth, Atri

from his eyes and Marichi from his mind.

Several sacred texts came out of Brahmas mouth. These

included the four Vedas (rig, sama, yajur, and atharva), and

ayurveda (the art of medicine), dhanurveda (the art of fighting)

and gandharvaveda (the art of singing). The Puranas also came

out of Brahmas mouth and they came to be known as the fifth

Veda.

Finally Brahma split his own body into two. One part becamemale and the other female. The man was called Svayambhuva

Manu and the woman Shatarupa. Manu and Shatarupa had five

children, two sons and three daughter. The sons were Priyavrata

and Uttanapda and the daughters were Akuti, Devahuti, and

Prasuti.

The Boar Incarnation

Maitreya continued with the story.

Manu and Shatarupa touched Brahmas feet. Lord, we have no

place to live in, They said. The whole world is full of water.

The earth is submerged in water.

Brahma found that this was indeed true and he wondered what

might be done. Perhaps he should pray to Vishnu for

deliverance. But while Brahma was thinking, a minute little boar

came out from his nose. Within seconds, the boar grew and grew

until it became as huge as an elephant. Brahma, the sages, andManu marvelled to see this wonderful sight. Who could this boar

be?


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As they wondered, the boar began to roar. The wold shook with

the sound of this roaring. And everyone realized that the boar

could be none other than Vishnu. They started to pray to Vishnu.

They chanted mantras (incantations) so that the boar might be

pacified.

The boar kept up into the sky. It hardened its body and the hair

on its neck stood up. It struck the clouds with its hooves. The

light from its eyes lit up the four directions and its tusks glistened

white. Glancing at the people who had assembled, the boar

entered the waters of the ocean. Like a mountain the boars body

fell and the bed of the ocean was ripped apart. The waves rose

up as if in protest. The boar went all the way down into the

underworld and there it discovered the earth. It raised the earth

with its tusks and brought the earth up to where it should be. In

the water there was also a daitya (demon) named Hiranyaksha.

Hiranyaksha tried to fight the boar with a mace, but was no

match for Vishnu. Vishnu killed the demon with his sudarshana

chakra (a weapon like a bladed discus).

The sages prayed at this wonderous deed.

But Vidura was not satisfied. Sage Maitreya, he said, you have

been too brief. Who was this Hiranyaksha who met Vishnu in the

underworld?

Maitreya then began to relate the story of Hiranyaksha.

Daksha s daughter Diti was married to the sage Kashyapa.,

Kashyapa himself being the son of the sage Marichi. Kashyapa

and Diti had two sons. Unfortunately, Diti had had the idea of

having children when it was evening. The evening is not

auspicious for such a task, since it is then that ghosts and demons

wander around. The upshot was that the two sons who were bornwere destined to be evil. They would oppress the world. And it

was also destined that they would be killed by Vishnu in two of

his incarnations. These two sons were Hiranyaksha and

Hiranyakashipu.

But Kashyapa was a powerful sage. So he granted his wife the

boon that one of their grandsons would be so righteous that he

would be a model for everyone to follow. This grandson was

Prahlada, who was always devoted to Vishnu.

For a hundred years the two evil sons stayed in Ditis womb

without being born. So evil were they that, even before they


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were born, the four directions became dark and the sun and the

moon faded. The gods were greatly alarmed at these

developments and went to Brahma for a solution.

Brahma said, Do not worry. All this has been ordained. Let me

tell you about Jaya nd Vijaya.

Once upon a time, several sages went to vaikunthaloka. This

was the place where Vishnu lived. Vaikunthaloka was a beautiful

place to behold. It was full of wonderful gardens. The gardens

had miraculous trees which yielded whatever fruits or flowers

one desired. The ponds were full of flowers. The gandharvas

(singers of heaven) and apsaras (dancers of heaven) were

everywhere. All those who are devoted to Vishnu stay in

vaikunthaloka. The evil can never go there. Vaikunthaloka is a

better place than even brahmaloka, Brahmas residence.

The sages were very happy to have come to vaikunthaloka.

They now desired to see Vishnu himself. They crossed six gates

without difficulty and so arrived at the seventh, the gate they

would have to cross before meeting Vishnu. But there were two

sentries who stood guard at the seventh gate and they would not

let the sages pass. They had maces in their hands and they

threatened the sages with these weapons.

The sages felt insulted. They therefore cursed the two sentries

that they would leave vaikunthaloka and be born on earth. The

two sentries were named Jaya and Vijaya. And it was Jaya and

Vijaya who were born as the two asuras (demons) Hiranyaksha

and Hiranyakashipu.

After the babies had spent a hundred years in Ditis womb, they

were born as a pair of twins. When they were born, there were

ill omens all around. The earth shook and fires broke outeverywhere. There were showers of meterors and thunder and

comets. Terrible duststorms darkened the earth. Trees were

uprooted in the storms and lightning split the sky. The clouds

were so thick that the suns rays could not be seen. There were

tidal waves in the sea. Donkeys brayed and owls hooted.

The elder of the twins was named Hiranyaksha and the younger

Hiranyakashipu. They became very powerful and strong.

Hiranyaksha once arrived in heaven. He had become invincible,

thanks to a boon received from Brahma. He defeated Indra andthe other gods and expelled them from heaven. Having


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conquered heaven, Hiranyaksha decided to conquer the sea. The

god of the ocean was Varuna, but Varunas army was no match

for Hiranyaksha. Varunas palace was named Vibhavari.

Hiranyaksha won over Vibhavari and began to live there.

After some time, Hiranyaksha encountered Vishnu in the form ofa boar in the water. He challenged the boar to a duel and hurled a

mace at it. But Vishnu easily repelled the mace. And he struck

Hiranyaksha with his own mace. Thus they continued to fight for

some time, striking each other with maces. Vishnu struck the

asura on his throat with the mace. But this did not affect

Hiranyaksha. He counterattacked so hard that Vishnus mace fell

off from his hand. At this, Vishnu called for his sudarshana

chakra. He repelled the various maces and spears that the asura

hurled at him.

Hiranyaksha now restored to maya, the art of creating illusions

and hallucinations. He completely disappeared and made the

whole world dark. And from the darkness, he began to fling

down boulders and weapons. There seemed to be demons

everywhere. But when Vishnu flung his chakra, all this maya

disappeared. And the chakra sliced off Hiranyakshas head.

Having achieved his purpose, Vishnu gave up the form of a boar.

Kardama and Devahuti

One of Svayambhuva Manus daughters was Devahuti. She was

married to the sage Kardama. For ten thousand years Kardama

performed very difficult tapasya (meditation) on the banks of the

river Sarasvati. This meditation so pleased Vishnu that he

granted Kardama the boon that he himself would be born as the

son of Kardama and Devahuti.

But a special place needed to be designed for Vishnu to be born.

With the powers of his tapasya, Kardama created a vimana ( a

space-vehicle). This vimana was bejewelled and richly

decorated. It had many rooms inside it. For a hundred years

Kardama and Devahuti lived in this vimana and Devahuti gave

birth to nine daughters. Their names were Kala, Anasuya,

Shraddha, Havirbhu, Gati, Kriya, Khyati, Arundhati, and Shanti.

These nine daughters were married to the nine great sages

Marichi, Atri, Angira, Pulastya, Pulaha, Kratu, Bhrigu,

Vashishtha and Atharva.


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Thereafter, Vishnu himself was born to Kardama and Devahuti

as Kapila. His purpose was to teach men the intricacies of

samkhya tattva, the theory of true knowledge that showed the

path to an union with the brahman.

After Kapila was born, Kardama went off on a pilgrimage andKapila was brought up by Devahuti. They lived in an ashrama

(hermitage) named Vindusarovara.

Once Devahuti went to her son and said, I am tired of this

world. I am tired of its illusions. Teach me true knowledge.

Kapila taught his mother. And these teachings have come to be

known as samkhya yoga. Yoga means union and is used in the

sense of the human soul (atman) uniting with the divine assence

(brahman). This is what Kapila taught.

Yoga conquers both happiness and unhappiness. The mind gets

attached to material pursuits and this is the main obstacle in the

path. of yoga One has to free oneself from these attachments.

This also requires the overcoming of ones own ego. The main

path to achieving this union with God is bhakti (devotion and

faith). The brahman has no traits, it cannot be described. It is

not moved by any emotions. Those who do not realize the

identity of the atman with the brahman are destined to be bornagain and again.

The supreme knowledge that Kapila taught her, freed Devahuti

from all here illusions. She realized tha the body was nothing.

True bliss was in yoga. She went to an ashrama on the banks of

the river Sarasvati and there began to practice yoga. She

meditated on the various forms of Lord Vishnu that Kapila had

told her of. The place where Devahuti performed tapasya has

now become a famous place of pilgrimage. It is known assiddhipada.

The Daughters of Manu

You will recollect that Svayambhuva Manu had three daughters,

Akuti, Devahuti and Prasuti. You have already heard Devahutis

story.

Akuti was married to the sage Ruchi and they had a son and a

daughter. The son was Vishnus incarnation and was brought upby Svayambhuva Manu. The daughter was named Dakshina.


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Dakshina married Vishnu himself and their twelve sons were the

gods known as tushitas.

Brahmas son was Daksha and Daksha married Prasuti. They

had sixteen daughters. Thirteen of these daughters were married

to the god Dharma, one to the god Agni, one to the ancestors andthe last one to Shiva. One of Dharmas wives was Murti and she

gave birth to the two great sages, Nara and Narayana. Nara and

Narayana were incarnations of Vishnu. They were worshipped

by everyone and went off to perform tapasya on Mount

Gandhamadana.

You have been told that Shiva married one of Dakshas

daughters. Her name was Sati. She gave up her life because her

husband was insulted. Thereby hangs a tale.

Shiva and Daksha

Many years ago, there was a yajna (sacrifice) at which all the

gods and sages had assembled. All the guests were seated, when

Daksha suddenly arrived. Everyone stood up to honour Daksha,

except Brahma and Shiva. Brahma had no reason to show

Daksha respect; Daksha was after all his own son. But Daksha

was greatly insulted at Shivas ignoring him. Apart from

anything else, Shiva also happened to be his son-in-law.

Assembled guests, said Daksha, Please listen to what I have to

say. This Shiva has no sense of shame, he does not know how to

honour his seniors. He is married to my daughter Sati. Wouldnt

it have been proper of him to stand up and show me respect? It

was stupid of me to marry my daughter to this useless fellow.

His companions are ghosts and demons. He frequents cremation

grounds (shmashana) like a lunatic. His body is smeared with

ashes from dead bodies, he wears a garland of skulls and hedrinks all the time.

Shiva continued to ignore Daksha and did not react at these

angry words. But Dakshas ire had been roused and he cursed

Shiva that, henceforth. Shiva would not be entitiled to receive

any offerings that were made to gods at yajnas. He then left the

place in a huff.

Shivas main companion was Nandi. Nandi was incensed that

Shiva should have been cursed and that the sages and thebrahmanas should have kept quiet and not protested. Nandi

therefore cursed the sages and brahmanas that they would be


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born again and again on earth. They would have to work for a

living and they would lose sight of true knowledge and become

addicted to material pursuits.

Now it was the turn of the sage Bhrigu to get angry. He cursed

all followers of Shiva that they would become addicted todrinking and would roam around with bodies smeared with ashes

and decorated with skulls. Their hair would always be matted.

Shiva had been silent through all this pandemonium. But at all

this general cursing, he collected his followers and companions

and left the yajna.

The yajna was performed in Shivas absence. This went on for a

thousand years.

Days passed. Daksha organized another yajna named vajapeya

and did not invite Shiva or his followers. The yajna was

successfully completed and this made Daksha so arrogant that he

decided to hold yet another yajna named brihaspatistava. He

invited all the other gods and sages to this yajna, but did not

invite Shiva and his followers. The sacrifice was a tremendous

success and people talked about it everywhere. Some such

people who had been to the yajna were conversing about it while

travelling through the sky. Sati overhead their conversation. Shealso saw many gandarva women going to attend the yajna in their

vimanas. This excited Satis curiosity and she too wanted to go

to her fathers sacrifice.

She went to Shiva and said, Your father-in-law Daksha is

organizeing a wonderful sacrifice. Let us go there; all the other

gods are going. I will get to meet my sisters, I have not met them

for such a long time. Nor have I met my mother for ages. This is

a chance to talk to all ones relatives. Let us go. Or at least, letme go. I know that we have not received an invitation. But does

one need an invitation to go to ones husband, father or friends?

Shiva reminded Sati of what Daksha had said earlier and asked

her to desist. She would not be welcome there. For although she

was Dakshas own daughter, she happened to be Shivas wife as

well. But despite Shivas warning, Sati was adamant. She would

go. So he sent several of his companions to accompany her.

Sati arrived at Dakshas sacrifice and found that the yajna hadstarted. The gods and the sages had arrived. The Vedas were

being recited. But except for Satis mother and sisters, no one


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dared to welcome her. Her father ignored her completely. She

also noticed that, at the yajna, no provison had been made for

Shivas share. Shiva was to be deprived.

Sati told her father, I had not expected that you would stoop to

such low levels. Who but you would have insulted a person likeShiva? It is the duty of a pativrata (a woman who is devoted to

her husband) to protest if her husband is being insulted. You

have insulted my husband. I owe this body of mine to you, since

you happen to be my father. But I no longer wish to possess a

body that is thus contaminated.

Saying this, Sati sat down on the floor. She controlled her breath

and brought the breath of her life to the centre of her forehead.

She thought of Shiva and exhaled the breath of life. And her

body was immediately consumed by fire. The assembled guests

marvelled at this wonderful incident.

Shiva had sent several companions with Sati. These companions

now attacked Daksha and the guests. But amongst the guests

was the powerful sage Bhrigu. With his powers, Bhrigu created

thousands and thousands of gods (named ribhus) from the fire of

the yajna. The ribhus soon put all Shivas companions to fight.

These companions rushed back to Shiva and told him what had

transpired.

Shivas anger knew no bounds. He tore off a flaming hair from

his head flung it down on the ground with a thunderous laugh.

From the hair was created a gigantic being named Virabhadra.

Virabhdras head touched the sky. He was as dark as the clouds.

And he had a thousand arms and three eyes. A garland of skulls

hung around his neck and his hands held diverse weapons.

Virabhadra stood before Shiva in all humility and asked, Whatare my orders?

Shiva replied, I have given birth to you and you are invincible.

Go and destroy Daksha and his yajna.

Virabhadra took up a terrible trishula (trident) and rushed

towards the place where the sacrifice was being held. He was

accompanied by several other demons and ghosts. Some of them

broke down the pillars of Dakshas house, others demolished the

sacrificial pyre. The fire of the yajna was put out. Some demonschased the sages and the gods were attacked by others. One of

Shivas companions was named Manimana. He caught hold of


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the sage Bhrigu and tied him up. The gods who did not flee were

also tied up. Virabhadra himself imprisoned Daksha. He tore off

Bhrigus beard. And then he tried to slice off Dakshas head with

his sword. But he found that this was very difficult to do. So

Virabhadra dragged Dakshas body to a scaffold that had been

erected for sacrificing animals. He placed Dakshas head on thescaffold and cut it off with his sword. This severed head was

flung into the fire. Having accomplished his purpose, Virabhadra

returned to Shivas residence in Mount Kailasa.

The gods fled in despair to Brahma and told him what had

happened. Brahmas reaction was that the gods had got what

they deserved. They had no business to insult Shiva or to be a

party to such insults. Shiva was entitled to shares in all yajnas

just as the other gods were. Brahma therefore advised the gods

to pray to Shiva. No one else could pacify Shivas anger.

The gods went to Kailasa and began to pray to Shiva. They

desired that Daksha might be brought back to life, Bhrigus beard

might sprout again, and the gods who had injured might quickly

be restored to good health. Shiva had cooled down by then, so

that he was not averse to grantng these boons. But what was to

be done about Daksha? His old head had been consumed by the

fire. Shiva proposed the solution that the head of a goat might be

stuck onto Dakshas body. The gods and sages returned withShiva to the place where the sacrifice was being held. Shiva

stuck the goats head onto Dakshas body and Daksha was

brought back to life. He begged Shiva for mercy and

forgiveness.

The yajna started afresh and this time Vishnu himself acted as

the chief priest. As for Sati, she was born again as the daughter

of Himalaya and Menaka, and united once again with Shiva. But

that is a different story.

Dhruva

Svayambhuva Manu had two sons named- Priyavarata and

Uttanapada. Both of them became kings. King Uttanapada had

two wives, Suniti and Suruchi. He was extremely fond of

Suruchi, but did not like Suniti all that much. Suruchis son was

Uttama and Sunitis son was Dhruva.

One day, Uttama was sitting on his fathers lap and beingfondled by him. Dhruva came there and also wanted to sit on his


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fathers lap. But Suruchi said, What do you think you are doing?

The kings lap and his throne are reseved for my son. You are

not my son. Go away. Go to your mother Suniti.

Dhruva burst into tears at these harsh words. And so enamoured

was the king of Suruchi that he did not protest. The weepingDhruva went to his own mother and was consoled by her.

Suniti said, son, do not be unhappy. If Suruchi has sinned, she

will have to pay for her sins in the future. Unfortunate are you

that you are my son. We must be paying for sins that we have

committed earlier. Do not be sad. Pray to God, there lies true

salvation.

Dhruva resolved to do this and left his fathers house. He was

accosted by the sage Narada who told him that he was too small

to be performing difficult tapasya. That was meant for the sages.

But Dhruva was insistent. Throught his tapasya he wished to

attain a position that had not been attained by any of his

ancestors. This resolve pleased Narada no end. Narada advised

Dhruva to go to the banks of the Yamuna to a grove named

Madhuvana. He should there pray to Vishu. Narada also taught

Dhruva an incantation that he could use for this purpose. At this

time, Dhruva was only five years of age.

Dhurva began his tapasya. For the first month, he ate only fruitonce every three days. The remaining days he fasted. In the

second month he ate once every five days, once every nine days

in the third month, and he lived only on air in the fourth month.

Thus, five months passed. Dhruva stood there on one leg,

praying. He saw nothing but Vishnu everywhere. Eventually

Vishnu was pleased and appeared before Dhruva. When Vishnu

offered to grant a boon. Dhruva desired that he might attain a

position that no one had reached even before.

Vishnu carved out a place for Dhurva in the sky. No one had

live there before. This would be known as Dhruvaloka. Dhruva

would become the pole star and all the other stars would revolve

around him. Dhruvaloka would not be destroyed at the end of a

kalpa (cycle) when everything else was destroyed. But all this

would happen only after Dhruva died. For the moment, Vishnu

informed him that he should return to his father. For Dhruva was

destined to rule as a king for thirty-six thousand years. His

brother Uttama would get lost while on a hunting expedition.


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Thanking Vishnu, Dhruva returned to his fathers kingdom.

King Uttanapda was very happy to have him back, and Uttama

and Dhruva embraced each other. The two princes grew up

together. And When Uttanapada desired to retire to the forest, he

handed over the kingdom to Dhruva.

Dhruva had two wives, Bhrami and Ila. Uttama never married.

He went on a hunt and was killed by a powerful yaksha in the

forest. These yakshas were beings who were the companions of

Kubera, the god of wealth. Uttamas mother, Suruchi, went to

look for her son in the forest and died there.

When Dhruva learned that his brother had been killed by a

yaksha, he was furious. He climbed onto his chariot and left for

the abode of the yakshas to avenge his brother. The yakshas

lived towards the north in a valley in the Himalayas. Dhruva

found their city and started to blow on his conch-shell,

challenging the yakshas to a fight. The yaksha soldiers attacked,

but Dhruva pierced them with his arrows. The yakshas brought

millions of soldiers to bear on Dhruva and the king was

completely surrounded by his enemies. But he triumphed over

them and killed many of them with his weapons. The yakshas

retaliated with the use of maya (the art of creating illusions).

Dhruva repelled the maya with a divine weapon known as

narayanastra.

Before the fight could progress further, several sages came to

Dhruva. Why are you doing this? they asked. Why are you

killing innocent yakshas? That is a sin. Control your anger.

Only one yaksha had killed your brother. Punish him, but why

kill the others? Besides, everyones destiny is ordained by

Vishnu. He alone decides on what is to happen. Your brother

was destined to die. Why blame the poor yaksha? He was only

the instrument.

Dhruva realized the wisdom in these words and ceased to fight.

Kubera himself came to Dhruva and offered to grant him a boon.

Dhruva wanted the boon that he might always remain devoted to

Vishnu. The boon was granted and Dhruva returned to his

kingdom. He ruled well and performed many sacrifices. He

ruled for thirty-six thousand years.

When he was tired of the material life, Dhruva handed over the

kingdom to his sons. He retired to a hermitage namedvadrikashrama to perform yoga. After some time had passed, a


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vimana descended from the sky for Dhruva. Vishnus

companions Nanda and Sunanada were in the vimana. They took

Dhruva to the place that had been reserved for him in the sky.

If you look up at the sky at night, you will be able to see Dhruva.

Vena and Prithu

Dhruva had a son named Utkala who was asked to become king

after Dhruva left for the forest. But Utkala was not interested in

becoming a king, he was more concerned about getting to know

about the brahman. So the kingdom was handed over to his

younger brother Vatsara.

Vatsaras descendant was king Vena. Vena was terrible, even as

a prince. It was really Venas acts that drove Venas father Angato the forest.

In fact, King Anga had arranged for an ashvamedha yajna (horse

sacrifice). Anga sent several priests with invitations for the

gods. But these invitations notwithstanding, the gods did not

come to attend the sacrifice. Anga was puzzled. Had he

committed a sin that the gods had refused to come? He was then

told that the gods had not come because Anga did not yet have a

son. It was imperative that Anga perform a yajna so as to obtaina son. Anga did as he was told. He performed a sacrifice and

was given some rice pudding that his wife should have if they

desired a son. Angas wife Sunitha had the rice pudding and

gave birth to a son. This son was Vena.

Sunitha s father was Mrityu and Mrityu was an evil person. But

ever since an early age, Vena got attached to his maternal

grandfather and picked up evil pursuits from him. He would go

to the forest and unnecessarily kill deer. He killed those who

came to play with him. Things came to such a pass tha tpeople

used to run away when they saw Vena coming.

Anga tried to discipline his son, but to no avail. Vena was

beyond all control. In sheer desperation, Anga left the kingdom

one night and left for the forest. No further trace could be found

of him.

A kingdom cannot function without a king. Vena was crowned

the king. Although the subjects were not at all keen that Venashould become the king, they had no choice in the matter. When

he became king. Venas oppression knew no bounds. He stopped


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all yajnas in his kingdom. The sages realized that they had made

a mistake. They had crowned Vena king to prevent the anarchy

that would have resulted had there been no king. But what was

happening was worse than anarchy.

The sages went to Vena to try and persuade him to mend hisways. But Vena would have none of it. He would not permit

yajnas. Yajnas were meant for the gods. But what need was

there of gods when the people could pray to King Vena himself?

Having realized that Vena was beyond redemption, the sages

resolved to kill him. This they did with the power of their anger.

But Vena had left no son. Who was to become king in his place?

In the absence of a king, the kingdom degenerates. In the brief

period when there was no king, there were ill omens all around.

All thieves took over the kingdom since there was no protector of

the people.

Venas dead body had been preserved by his mother. The sages

went to the dead body and began to knead it. As a result of the

kneading, a dwarf emerged from the dead kings thighs. The

dwarf was dark and his eyes were red. The dwarf asked, What

shall I do?

Sit, replied the sages.

The word nishida means sit and so the dwarf came to be known

as nishada. The evil traits of Vena had entered the dwarfs body.

So the dwarf and his descendents were not permitted to live

inside the kingdom. They lived in the forest and became hunters.

The sages continued to knead the dead bodys arms, and a son

and a daughter emerged. The sages were now content, for they

realized that the son, Prithu, was an incarnation of Vishnu. And

the daughter, Archi, was an incarnation of the goddess Lakshmi.

Prithu married Archi and was crowned king.

Prithu was a good king.

But at that time, there were no foodgrains available on the earth

and people were starving. They went to Prithu and said, Save

us. The earth has swallowed the seeds of all foodgrains and

herbs and crops do not grow. Please do something to prevent the

famine.


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Prithu fixed an arrow to his bow and decided to let it loose at the

earth. But the earth started to run away and Prithu followed after

her with the arrow in his bow. The earth could not outdistance

Prithu. Finally she said, Please do not destroy me. If I am

destroyed, where will you and your subjects live? I will grant

whatever it is that you wish for.

Prithu asked her to restore the foodgrains and the herbs. The

earth adopted the form of a cow and Prithu milked from her the

goodrains and the herbs. It is after Prithu that the earth is known

as prithivi.

Prithu resolved to conduct a hundred ashvamedha yajnas. This

disturbed Indra, the king of the gods. Indra had himself

performed a hundred ashvamedha yajnas and thus obtained for

himself the title of Shatakratu. Now Prithu was about to equal

his glory. Indra become jealous. A horse is an essential

component of the sacrifice and when no one was noticing, Indra

stole the sacrificial horse.

This was noticed by the sage Atri and he pointed it out to

Prithus son. Prithus son chased Indra and brought the horse

back. But Indra stole the horse yet again, and yet again Prithus

son bought it back. Prithu was greatly angered at the disturbance

that Indra was causing and decided to kill Indra. Brahmahowever convinced Prithu that the killing of Indr

a was not advisable. Indra was after all the king of gods. Prithu

had already successfully completed ninety-nine ashvamedha

yajnas and how did it matter whether the hundredth one was

completed or not? Posterity would remember Prithu as a far

greater person than Indra. Prithu listened to Brahma and became

friends with Indra.

Prithu was given advice by four brahnmarshis (sages). He ruledaccording to this advice. And after many years, he handed over

the kingdom to his sons and went to the forest to do tapasya.

When he died, he was taken to vishuloka or vaikunthaloka, the

abode of Vishnu. Prithus wife Archi immolated herself on her

husbands funeral pyre and was also taken to vishnuloka.

The Prachetas and Puranjana

Amongst Prithus descendants there was a king named

Prachinavarhi. This king had ten sons who were known as thePrachetas.


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Once, the Prachetas were journeying westwards to perform

tapasya inside the ocean. On their way, they came to a huge

lake. Fishes were playing in the water and many lotuses had

bloomed on the lake. Musical instruments were being played on

the shores of the lake. The Prachetas were amazed to find that

Shiva and his companions were bathing in the lake. Shiva gavethe Prachetas a lot of good advice. And the Prachetas spent ten

thousand years under the water, performing tapasya.

Meanwhile, Narada came to visit king Prachinavarhi. The king

worshipped Narada and said, I am to attached to wordly pursuits.

Give me some advice so that I may be freed of these illusions.

I will tell you the story of Puranjana, replied Narada.

There used to be a king named Puranjana. He had only onefriend, but no one knew what the friends name was.

Puranjana was looking for a place where he might live on earth.

But no place that he saw appealed to him. His search for a

proper residence eventually brought him to the foot of the

Himalayas and there he discovered a beautiful city. The city was

full of groves and houses. It had moats and walls around it.

The houses were bright with jewels. And the doors andwindows were made of gold and silver. Wild beasts roamed

inside the city, but they had forgotten their cruel natures.

In the city Puranjana discovered a beautiful woman guarded by

ten bodyguards. A snake with five hoods also protected her.

Who are you?, asked Puranjana. And who are these ten guards

and the snake who follow you around?

Puranjana wanted to marry the woman and the woman readilyagreed. She said that Puranjana could live in the city for a

hundred years and be her husband.

Puranjana married the woman and forgot about everything else.

He did not go on hunts lest his wife be offended . He forgot all

sense of night and day. He had eleven hundred sons and a

hundred and ten daughters. But slowly Puranjana grew old. The

pleasures that he had earlier enjoyed no longer appealed to him.

And his own kingdom Panchala had also been conquered by his

enemies.


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When the king died, he was taken to hell and spent a hundred

yars there. While he was in hell, he thought of his wife all the

time. And since he kept thinking about a woman all the time, he

was born as woman in his next life. Born as the daughter of the

king of Vidarbha, he was married to King Malayadhvaja. They

had seven sons and one daughter.

King Malayadhvaja ruled for a long time and then handed over

the kingdom to his sons. He went to meditate in the forest and

his wife accompanied him. For a hundred years Malayadhvaja

meditated. But then he died and his wife was struck with grief.

She decided that she would immolate herself on her husbands

funeral pyre. But just as she was about to do so, a brahmana

arrived on the scene.

What are you doing?, asked the brahmana. Who are you

sorrowing for ? What is this man to you? For that matter, who

are you ? Dont you recognize me? I am your friend from you

earlier life, when you were Puranajana. You had gone off to a

city in the Himalayas and had forgotten all about me. Forget

material pursuits and realize true knowledge. You are neither

Puranajana nor are you Malayadhvajas wife. You are your

atman. Understand this and be free of all illusions.

Prachinvarni understood the message that was latent in Naradasstory . He went to the sage Kapilas hermitage to meditate.

Meanwhile, his sons the Prachetas had succeeded in their

tapasya. Vishnu had appeared before them. They married a

woman named Marisha and had many children.

Priyavrata and His Descendants

Priyavrata had no real desire to be king, he was not interested in

worldy matters. But his father Svayambhuva Manu, his teacherBrahma, and the sage Narada convinced him that there was

nothing wrong in becoming a king. This did not necessarily

mean that the one would get tied down by the illusions of the

world. So Priyavrata did become king. He married Vahirshmati.

The sun goes around the world in his chariot. When the sun is

on the other side of the world, it is night. But Priyavrata was

quite upset that night should occur. Why could it not always be

day? One night, he decided that he would drive his flaming

chariot around the world so that night might disappear. Andwhen the king was doing this, he looked like a second sun.


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Seven times he drove his chariot around Mount Sumeru. The

wheels of his chariot gouged the earth and created the seven

oceans. These seven oceans surround the seven regions (dvipas)

of the earth. The names of these dvipas are Jambhu, Plaksha,

Shalmali, Kusha, Krouncha, Shaka and Pushkara. These seven

dvipas Priyavarata left to his seven sons Agnidhra, Idhnajihva,Yajnavahu, Hiranyareta, Ghrita-prishtha, Medhatithi and

Vitihotra.

Agnidhra ruled over Jambu dvipa. Agnidhra had no sons. He

went to Mount Mandara and started to pray to Brahma that he

might have a son. Brahma knew what Agnidhra wanted and so

he sent an apsara named Purvachitti to Agnidhra. She was so

beautiful that Agnidhras meditation was disturbed.

Who are you?, he asked. Are you an illusion? If you are not,

please marry me.

Purvachitti married Agnidhra and they had nine sons whose

names were Nabhi, Kimpurusha, Harivarsha, Ilavrita, Ramyaka,

Kuru, Hiranmaya, Bhadrashva and Ketumala. After Agnidhra

died, the nine sons split up Jambu dvipa into nine different

regions (varshas). Each ruled over one region and the region

took on the name of its ruler.

Nabhis son was Rishabha and Rishabha was devoted to Vishnu.

He married Indras daughter Jayanti and they had a hundred

sons. The eldest was called Bharata and it is after him that this

land came to be known as Bharatavarsha. Rishabha gave his

sons a lot of learned advice so that they might not get bogged

down by the illusions of the world. When Rishabha died,

Bharata became king.

Bharata

Bharatas queen was named Panchajani, Bharata ruled well. He

performed many yajnas. When he had ruled for many years, he

handed over the kingdom to his sons and became a hermit. He

lived alone in an ashrama on the banks of the river Gandaki and

prayed to Vishnu for enlightenment.

One day a deer came to drink water from the river. Just as the

deer was drinking water, a lion roared nearby and the deer was

frightened. She jumped into the water of the river and delivereda baby there. The baby deer was carried away by the current of


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servants found Bharata and brought him to the king. Bharata

seemed to strong and healthy enough. He was therefore made to

bear the planaquin with the other beares.

But Bharata could not keep pace with the other bearers. He

stepped very carefully so that he might not step on living beingssuch as insects and kill them. The result was that the palanquin

did not move smoothly. This irritated the king and, when he

scolded the bearers,they pointed out that it was Bharata who was

responsible. Rahugana shouted at Bharata.

Are you tired?, he asked. Have you travelled a long distance?

Or is it that you are weak? You look strong enough to me.

Bharata merely smiled. I am not tired, he replied. Nor have I

travelled a long distance. I am neither weak nor strong. I am myatman. How can the atman be tired, weak or strong? How can it

travel a long distance?

The king was amazed at these words of wisdom. He fell down

at Bharatas feet and begged that he might be forgiven. He

wished to learn more words of wisdom from Bharata. Bharata

taught Rahugana about the brahman and about the indentity of

the atman and the brahman. He told the king that the physical

body was only transitory. It was the atman that was permanent.Life was like a forest with the dangers of illusions and material

attachments everywhere. The learned knew how to step carefully

so as to avoid these pitfalls.

Thus it was that King Rahugana learnt true knowledge from

Bharata.

Geography

You have already been told that the earth is divided? into sevenregions (dvipas). Jambu dvipa is snaped like the leaf of lotus and

there are nine regions (varshas) within Jambu dvipa. Ilavrita

varsha is in the centre and Mount Sumeru is right in the middle

of Ilavrita varsha. On the peak of Mount Sumeru is Brahmas

famous city. Bharatavarsha is the most sacred of the varshas.

Hells

There are several different hells (naraka). Each naraka isearmarked for a specific sort of sin. All the hells are located

below the underworld. Some people say that there are twenty-


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The time came for Ajamila to die. Three terrible messengers of

Yama came to take Ajamila to naraka. Their faces were fierce

and they held nooses in their hands. Ajamila did not realize what

was happening. He was still thinking of his youngest son and he

called out, Narayana, Narayana. But Narayana is also Vishnus

name and at these words, Vishnu servants appeared.

The tussle began between Yamas messengers and Vishnus

servants. Yamas messengers wanted to take Ajamila to naraka

but Vishnus servants would not let them do this. They

maintained that since Ajamila had called upon Narayana

(Vishnu) before his death, all his sins had been pardoned. Finally

both parties left and Ajamila was allowed to live for some more

time. He had now become penitent for his deeds and he spent the

remaining part of his life in performing tapasya. When he died,

Vishnus servants took him to vishnuloka.

Indra and Vritra

Once upon a time, Indra was seated on his throne and the other

gods were all seated around him. The gandharvas were singing

and the apsaras were dancing.

The guru (teacher) of the devas (gods) was Brihaspati.

Brihaspati came to the assembly. But so engrossed was Indra inthe singing and the dancing that he neglected to stand up and

honour Brihaspati. At this, Brihaspati felt insulted and left the

assembly. Indra immediately realized what had happened and

decided to hunt out Brihaspati and beg forgiveness. But the guru

was not going to let Indra get away so easily. Using his powers

of maya, he simply vanished. Indra searched and searched, but

could not find Brihaspati.

The asuras had got to know that the devas were now without aguru. They thought that this was the opportune moment to

attack. With their guru Shukracharyas permission, they attacked

the gods and drove them away. The gods went running to

Brahma.

Brahma said, All this has happened because you insulted your

guru. You have become weak because you have no guru. You

need a guru. Go and pray to the sage Vishvarupa, the son of

Tvashta. He will find a way out.

Now Tvashta had married Rachana, who was a daitya woman.

So Vishvarupa was a nephew of the daityas (demons) and it was


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inconceivable that he would help the devas in their fight with the

asuras or daityas. But when the devas prayed to him Vishvarupa

could not refuse. He became the priest of the gods and thanks to

his advice, the gods succeeded in defeating the demons.

Vishvarupa had three heads. He used one for eating, the secondfor drinking wine and the third for drinking the juice of the soma

herb. Indra was never very sure of Vishvarupa. He was after all

related to the daityas; he might be helping them secretly. When

he got the chance, Indra cut off all three of Vishvarupas heads.

The severed heads became three types of birds.

Tvashta was furious that Indra had killed Vishvarupa. He

performed a yajna and wished that an enemy of Indras might be

born out of the flames. A terrible asura came out of the fire and

rapidly began to grow. He was as dark as a mountain and his

eyes burnt like the midday sun. The asura held a trident in his

hand. The earth shook when he roared and danced. His mouth

was as huge as a cave, and when he opened his mouth, it seemed

as if he would swallow up all the three worlds and everything

that was in them. People began to flee. This giant asura was

known as Vritra. The gods came and attacked Vritra with many

weapons, but he simply swallowed up the weapons.

The gods didnt know what to do. They began to pray toVishnu. Vishnu appeared before them and said, Go to the sage

Dadhichi. His body is strong and hard from many years of

tapasya. Ask him for his body and he will not refuse. A weapon

named vajra will be made from Dadhichis bones. And Indra will

kill Vritra with the vajra.

Dadhichi did not refuse when the gods asked him for his body.

For the mere physical body was nothing. It was the atman that

was everything. Vishvakarma, the architect of the gods,fashioned the vajra out of the sages bones. And armed with

vajra, Indra climbed onto his elephant Airavta and attacked Vritra

and the other demons. The other gods also came along to help

Indra and a terrible war raged between the gods and the demons.

The sky was littered with weapons which were being hurled

around. There were so many arrows flying around that the sky

could not be seen.

The demons began to flee. Vritra tried to restrain them.

Cowards, he said. Why are you running away ? Everyone who


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is born has to die. It is better to die a glorious death on the

battlefield than do die as a coward. Come back.

But the asura soldiers did not listen. Vritra continued to fight

alone. He crushed the gods under his feet. Indra hurled a mace at

Vritra, but Vritra caught the mace in his hand and struck Indraselephant. Airavata on the head with the mace. The elephant

retreated and started to vomit blood. Vritra could have attacked

Indra, then, but he permitted him to rest. When Indra had rested,

they began to fight again.

Vritra said, I will try to kill you with my trident and avenge

Vishvarupas death. But since you have been blessed by Vishnu,

you will in all probability kill me with your vajra. Who can win

without Vishnus support?

The demon hurled the trident at Indra, but Indra cut it up with his

vajra. And with the vajra he next sliced off Vritras right hand.

But Vritra took up a club in his left hand and hit Indra so hard

that the vajra was dislodged from Indras hand. It lay there on

the ground and Indra was too ashamed to pick it up.

Come on, Indra, said Vritra. Pick up the vajra and kill me.

Dont waste time. I am eager to die and meet Vishnu.

Saying this, Vritra picked up another club in his left hand. But

this time Indra sliced off Vritras left hand with his vajra. Vritra

opened his mouth wide and tried to swallow up Indra and

Airavata. And before he could do anything, Indra realized that he

was inside Vritras stomach. But he cut open Vritras stomach

with the vajra and then sliced off Vritras head as well. Vritras

body was so thick that it took three hundred and sixty days for

the entire head to be severed.

The gods were delighted. But Indra was still not at peace with

himself. Vritra had been a brahmana and Indra had committed

the sin of killing a brahmana. The sin followed him around

wherever he went. Finally Indra went and hid in manasa

sarovara lake. He hid inside the stem of a lotus flower in the lake

and stayed there for thousands and thousands of years. While

Indra was away, King Nahusha ruled as Indra. But eventually,

the severity of the sin was diminished, Indra returned and

performed an ashvamedha yajna as complete atonement for the

sin.

Chitraketu


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King Parikshit heard the story of Indra and Vritra from the sage

Shukadeva. And Parishit was puzzled. How can an asura like

Vritra have become devoted to Vishnu? Shukadeva told him the

story of Chitraketu.

Many years ago, in the kingdom of Shurasena and in the city ofMathura, a king named Chitraketu used to rule. The king had

many wives. But he was sad because he did not have a son. The

sage Angira came to visit him once and the king told the sage

about his misery. Angira decided that a yajna had to be

performed so that Chitraketu might have a son. The eldest of

Chitraketus wives was named Kritadyuti and the rice pudding

that came out of the sacrifice was fed to her. In due course, a son

was indeed born and everyone rejoiced.

Chitraketu was delighted. He loved his son. And he seemed to

love Kritadyuti even more now that she had given birth to a boy.

The other queens felt slighted and becamed jealous. They fed the

boy poison and the boy died.

Chitraketu and Kritadyuti went mad with grief. To hide their

crime, the other queens also pretended to weep. The sages

Angira and Narada came to comfort Chitraketu.

They said, There is no need to sorrow. Who are you sorrowingfor? What is this boy to you? He was nothing to you in your

earlier life. People are born again and again. Again and again

they adopt physcial bodies. But these are temporary, nothing but

illusions. Your sons atman has not been killed. To think

otherwise is to be ignorant.

To convince Chitraketu, Narada used his powers to bring back

the atman of the dead prince. He told the atman, of the dead

prince. He told the atman, Come and enter the body of the deadprince. You still have some life left as the prince. Live for some

more time. Enjoy your fathers property and be king after him.

The atman replied, Which life, which father and what property?

I have lived many times. I have had many lives and many

fathers. Which body are you talking about?

These words convinced the relatives. They gave up their

sorrowing and performed the last rites for the dead prince. The

queens who had posioned him became penitent. As penance fortheir sin, they did prayashchitta on the banks of the river

Yamuna. Chitraketu himself performed tapasya. And through


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the powers that he acquired, he got to meet Vishnu. He spread

the knowledge of Vishnu everywhere and this inflated his ego no

end.

On one occasion he even insulted Shiva and Parvati. Shiva

ignored the insult, but Parvati cursed Chitraketu that he would beborn as an asura. It was he who had been born as Vritra. Ths

explains his devotion to Vishnu.

Ditis Children

The sage Kashyapa married Diti and Aditi. Ditis children were

known as the daityas and Aditis children were the adityas or

devas.

Diti was very upset that Indra and the other gods kept killing herchildren. She resolved to have a son who would kill Indra.

Accordingly, she started to serve her husband really well. The

sage Kashyapa was pleased and asked her, what boon do you

desire?

Diti replied, Give me a son who will kill Indra. Kashyapa was in

a fix. He said, All right. You will have to perform certain rites

for a year. If you do them for an entire year, you will have a son

who will kill Indra. But if you stop before a year, the son whowill be born will become a friend of the gods.

Diti agreed to this condition. The rites included the avoidance of

thrity-one acts that were prohibited, such as lying or cursing. It

was also forbidden to go to sleep without washing ones feet.

Indra had got to know about his aunts desire and he was always

hanging around, waiting for a chance to bring his aunts wishes

to nought. But he pretended to serve Diti faithfully.

Once Diti was very tired and went to sleep without washing herfeet. Indra saw his chance. He entered Didis womb and sliced

up the baby who was there into seven parts with his vajra. These

parts began to cry and Indra said, ma ruda. That is, dont cry. He

then cut up each of the seven parts into seven parts again. There

were thus forty-nine parts and they asked, You are my cousin.

Why are you killing us?

I shall not kill, replied Indra. You will be called the maruts and

you will be my friends and companions.


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These maruts became gods. And Diti was so happy to see them

that she forgave Indra all his crimes.

Hiranyakashipu and Prahlada

You probably remember that Vishnu adopted the form of a boarto kill the asura Hiranyaksha. And that Hiranyaksha had a

brother named Hiranyakshipu.

Hiranyakashipu was furious to learn of his brothers death. He

resolved to kill Vishnu. He called all the asuras together and

asked them to stop all yanas and Veda recitals on earth. The

asuras did as they had been told and religious ceremonies on

earth came to an end. The gods were oppressed and fled from

heaven. Hiranyakashipu consoled his mother and nephews and

asked them not to sorrow. He would avenge his b

bhagavatha purana

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