by Bibek Debroy
Chapter 9(9)
Shri-Shuka said, ‘Desiring to bring the Ganga down, Amshuman tormented himself through austerities. A long period of time elapsed, but he was unsuccessful. In course of time, he died. His son was Dilipa, but he too was unsuccessful. In course of time, he too died. His son was Bhagiratha and he tormented himself through extremely great austerities. The goddess showed herself to him. She said, “I am pleased. I will grant you a boon.” Thus addressed, the king humbly explained his intention to her. “O king! Who will bear my force when I descend on the surface of the earth? Otherwise, I will penetrate the surface of the earth and go down to rasatala. Besides, I don’t want to go to earth. There, men will cleanse themselves in me and leave their sins. O king! Who will cleanse me of those sins? Think about that.” Bhagiratha replied, “There are virtuous and tranquil people who have renounced. They contemplate the brahman and purify the world. Through contact with their bodies, they will take away your sins. Hari, the destroyer of sins, is in them. Rudra, whose atman is in embodied beings, will bear your force. Like the warp and woof of the thread in a piece of cloth, the universe is woven into him.” Thus addressed by the king, she said, “Satisfy the god Shiva through austerities.” O king! After a very short period of time, the lord was satisfied with him. Shiva, who ensures the welfare of all the worlds, agreed to what the king said. He attentively bore the Ganga, whose waters have been purified by Hari’s feet. The royal sage, Bhagiratha, brought the purifier of the world to the spot where the bodies of his own ancestors were lying down, having been reduced to ashes. He departed on a chariot that possessed the speed of the wind and she followed him, purifying countries. She then sprinkled Sagara’s sons, who had been burnt down. Though they had been slain by a brahmana’s staff, from the mere touch of the waters on the ashes of their bodies, Sagara’s sons went to heaven. Their scorched limbs were touched and Sagara’s sons went to heaven. What more needs to be said about those who are firm in their vows and serve the goddess faithfully? This is not extraordinary, because the heavenly river arises from Ananta’s lotus feet. Created in this way, she severs material bondage. There are blemishless sages who devotedly immerse their minds in him and give up the three gunas, which are extremely difficult to cast aside. They instantly obtain his atman.
‘Bhagiratha’s son was Shruta and he also had another son named Nabha. Nabha’s son was Sindhudvipa and Ayutayu was born as his son. Ayutayu’s son was Rituparna. He was Nala’s friend. He taught Nala how to gamble with the dice and in exchange, learnt how to tend to horses. Rituparna’s son was Sarvakama. His son was Sudasa and Sudasa’s son was the king who was Madayanti’s husband. People know him as Mitra 1159 and some refer to him as Kalmashapada. Because of Vasishtha’s curse, he became a rakshasa. And because of his own deeds, he did not have any offspring.’
The king asked, ‘Why did his preceptor curse the great-souled Soudasa? 1160 We wish to know this. If it is not a secret, tell us.’
Shri-Shuka continued, ‘While roaming around on a hunt, Soudasa killed a rakshasa. However, he let his brother escape and that brother left, intent on vengeance. He thought of a means to harm the king and assumed the form of a cook in his household. When the preceptor desired to eat, he cooked and served him human flesh. When this was being served, the illustrious one easily discerned that this was not food meant to be eaten. He angrily cursed the king, “You will become a rakshasa.” But knowing that the act had been committed by a rakshasa, the period was made twelve years. However, he gathered some water in the cup of his hands and got ready to curse his preceptor. 1161 But Madayanti restrained him. Chanting a mantra, since the king saw that the directions, the sky and the entire earth was full of life, he let the water fall on his own feet. He assumed the form of a rakshasa and his feet turned black. 1162 In the forest, he saw a brahmana couple, engaged in the act of sexual intercourse. Afflicted by hunger, he seized the brahmana and his wife lamented and addressed him in words full of meaning. “You are not a rakshasa. You are a maharatha, directly born in the Ikshvaku lineage. O brave one! You are Madayanti’s husband and you should not commit an act of adharma. I desire offspring. Give my husband, the brahmana, back to me. I have not yet accomplished my purpose. O king! This human body must accomplish all the objectives of human existence. O brave one! Therefore, when it is destroyed, it is said that all the objectives have been destroyed. This brahmana is full of learning, austerities, good conduct and qualities. He wishes to worship the brahman, known as the great Purusha. He is inside the atmans of all creatures, but because of the gunas, he remains hidden in these creatures. O lord! How does this noble brahmana rishi deserve to be killed by a foremost royal sage like you? O one who knows about dharma! This will be like a son killing a father. He knows about the brahman and is innocent. It will be like killing a foetus in a womb. How can you think of killing him? That will be like killing a cow. If nevertheless you feel he deserves to be devoured, eat me first. Without him, I will be as good as dead. Without him, I do not wish to live for an instant.” She lamented like one without a protector and spoke in these piteous words. But Soudasa was deluded by his curse and ate him, like a tiger eating an animal. The brahmana lady saw that her husband 1163 was devoured by the maneater. The virtuous lady lamented about this and about her own self and angrily cursed him. “O wicked one! I was afflicted by desire and you have devoured my husband. O foolish one! I curse you that you will come about your death when you are engaged in act of sexual intercourse.” 1164 Thus, Mitrasaha 1165 was cursed by the one who wished to go where her husband had gone. She placed his bones in an ignited fire and immolating herself, obtained the destination obtained by her husband. When the twelve years were over, he got ready to indulge in an act of sexual intercourse. However, knowing about the curse pronounced by the brahmana lady, his queen restrained him. Thereafter, he held up his seed and gave up all acts of obtaining pleasure with women. Since he did not have any offspring, with his permission, Madayanti had a son through Vasishtha. She bore the embryo for seven years, but did not deliver. Thereafter, he 1166 struck her stomach with a stone and a son was born. He was thus known as Ashmaka. 1167 Mulaka was Ashmaka’s son and he was protected by women. He was therefore known as Narikavacha. When there were no kshatriyas left, Mulaka became their origin. 1168 Mulaka’s son was Dasharatha 1169 and Dasharatha’s son was Aidavida. Aidavida’s son was King Vishvasaha and Vishvasaha’s son was Khatvanga, the chakravarti. Requested by the gods, he killed invincible daityas in a battle. Getting to know that only a muhurta of his lifespan was left, he returned to his own city and concentrated his mind. “My lives, 1170 my lineage, the gods, my sons, my prosperity, the earth, the kingdom and my wives are not as dear to me as the lineage of the brahmanas. Even in my childhood, my intelligence has had no love for adharma. I do not look upon anything other than Uttamashloka as real. The gods, the lords of the three worlds, offered me the boon that I desired. But since I think about the creator of all creatures, I do not wish for any boon. The senses and intelligence of the gods are agitated. They do not know what is in their own hearts. There is the beloved and eternal atman. What will one do with other things? This maya has been fashioned by the lord. I give up attachment to the gunas, which are like a city of the gandharvas. Prakriti is in the atman of the creator of the universe and is powerful. But I will give up all these sentiments and obtain him.” Having thus made up his mind, he accepted Narayana. He abandoned all notions of ignorance and resorted to his own natural state. There is the subtle and supreme brahman there. It is not empty, though it is thought of as empty. This is the illustrious Vasudeva, whom the Satvatas chant about.’
Chapter 9(10)
Shri-Shuka said, ‘Khatvanga’s son was Dirghabahu. Dirghabahu’s son was Raghu, whose fame was extensive. His son was the great king Aja and Dasharatha was his son. Desired by the gods, the illustrious Hari, full of the brahman, was himself born as his sons in four portions. They are known as Rama, Lakshmana, Bharata and Shatrughna. O king! Rishis who know about the truth h
ave repeatedly heard and described the conduct of Sita’s husband. His lotus feet were so delicate that they were unable to bear the touch of his beloved’s hands. However, for the sake of his father, he abandoned the kingdom and roamed around in the forest on these feet. The dust and exhaustion along the road were mitigated by the Indra among the apes 1171 and his younger brother. 1172 When Shurpanakha was disfigured, he became angry as a result of being separated from his beloved. The ocean was terrified at the furrowing of his eyebrows and a bridge was fashioned. The deceitful were burnt down like a forest conflagration. May the Indra of Kosala protect us. At Vishvamitra’s sacrifice, there were Maricha and other roamers in the night. While Lakshmana looked on, he slew those bulls among the nairritas. 1173 There was a fierce bow that belonged to Isha 1174 and it was carried by three hundred men. In the house where Sita’s svayamvara took place, in an assembly of brave people, he seized it, like a young elephant playing with a stalk of sugar cane. O king! He strung and drew it, breaking it in the middle. He won her, who was his equal in beauty, qualities, good conduct and age. She was beautiful in her limbs and was known as Sita. However, she was actually Shri, whom he had already obtained on his chest. Returning along the way, he destroyed the pride of the lord of the Bhrigus, 1175 who had exterminated the seed of kings from the earth thrice. 1176 With his wife, he bowed his head down and accepted the command of his father, who was attached to a woman and bound by the noose of a pledge he had given. He gave up the kingdom, prosperity, those whom he loved, well-wishers and his residence and devoid of all attachment, resided in the forest. The rakshasa’s sister 1177 was impure in her intelligence and he disfigured her, slaying fourteen thousand of her invincible relatives, among whom, Khara, Trishira and Dushana were the foremost. With a great deal of difficulty and with a bow in his hand, he resided in the forest. O king! On hearing about Sita’s account, desire was ignited in the heart of the one with ten heads. On seeing the extraordinary form, 1178 he was drawn away from the hermitage and used his arrow to swiftly kill Maricha, just as the fierce one killed Kah. 1179 The daughter of the king of Videha was unprotected in the forest. Like a wolf, the inferior rakshasa abducted her. Separated from his beloved, with his brother, he wandered around, miserable in the forest. For those who are attached to women, this condition is an example. He performed the funeral rites for the one who had given up his life 1180 in his cause and killed Kabandha. With the objective of reaching his beloved, he contracted friendship with the apes. After Vali was killed, he learnt about her. His feet are worshipped by Aja and Bhava, though he was now in human form. With the soldiers of the Indra among apes, he went to the shores of the ocean. His angry glance terrified and agitated crocodiles and makaras, and the fear silenced their roar. The personified form of the ocean bore articles of worship on its head and approaching his lotus feet, said, “O supreme one! We are foolish and did not know you. You are the original Purusha who is in the heart. You are the supreme lord of the universe. You are the sattva from which large number of gods result. You are the rajas from which lords of subjects result. I think that you are the lord of the bhutas. 1181 You are the lord of the gunas. Cross me as you will and kill Vishrava’s excrement, 1182 known as Ravana in the three worlds. O valiant one! Get your wife back. To extend your fame, construct a bridge here. All the conquerors of the directions will approach you and sing your praise.” The lord of the Raghu lineage used the summits of mountains to construct a bridge. Sugriva, Nila, Hanuman and other foremost leaders of the army, Indras among apes, made trees quake with their arms. As instructed by Vibhishana, they entered Lanka, which had already been burnt down earlier. The army of the Indra among apes laid siege to the pleasure chambers, the treasuries, the gates, the turrets, the assembly halls, the facades of mansions and the pinnacles. 1183 They shattered the platforms, flagpoles, standards and golden pots and destroyed the crossroads, like a herd of elephants agitating a river. The lord of the rakshasas saw this. He summoned Nikumbha, Kumbha, Dhumraksha, Durmukha, Surantaka, Narantaka and others, his son, 1184 Prahasta, Atikaya, Akampana and others, all his followers and Kumbhakarna. He urged them. The army of the yatudhanas was impenetrable because of swords, spears, bows, javelins, double-edged swords, spikes, arrows, clubs and long swords. However, Sugriva, Lakshmana, the son of the wind god, 1185 Gandhamada, Nila, Angada, the bear, 1186 Panasa and the others penetrated it. All the leaders in the army of the lord of Raghu followed and challenged the rival army, full of elephants, foot soldiers, chariots and those fighting on horses. Angada and the others slew them with trees, mountains and arrows. Because of Sita’s rage, Ravana’s followers had been struck by the inauspicious. The lord of the rakshasas saw that his own army was being destroyed and became angry. Astride his vehicle, he advanced towards Rama, who was resplendent astride his own chariot, brought to him by Matali. 1187 He 1188 struck the dazzling one with sharp kshurapras. 1189 Rama told him, “You are the excrement among those who survive on human flesh. Like a dog, you abducted my beloved when we were absent. You are most abominable and have no shame. Like Death, whose valour is irresistible, I will today give you the fruits of your deeds.” Censuring him, he affixed an arrow to his bow. It was like the vajra and pierced his heart. Vomiting blood, the one with the ten heads fell down from his vimana. His good deeds had been exhausted and his followers screamed, “Alas!” Thousands of yatudhana women emerged from Lanka. With Mandodari, 1190 they approached and lamented. They embraced their own respective relatives, who had been brought down by Lakshmana’s arrows. Striking their own breasts, those miserable ones wept in loud tones. “Alas! We have been slain. You were our protector! O Ravana! You were the one who made the worlds shriek. To find refuge, whom will we go to now? Without you, Lanka has been afflicted by the enemy. O immensely fortunate one! You did not know that you had come under the subjugation of desire. You did not comprehend Sita’s energy and have been reduced to this state. O delight of the lineage! We, and Lanka, have become widows. You have made your body food for vultures and there is reason for your atman to go to hell.” With the approval of the Indra of Kosala, Vibhishana performed the recommended funeral rites, with the sanctioned oblations to ancestors.
‘After this, the illustrious one saw her in a hermitage in Ashokavana. Suffering from the disease of separation from him, she was lean and had sought refuge at the foot of a shimshapa tree. 1191 On seeing his beloved wife in this miserable condition, Rama was filled with pity. This was despite her face blooming with delight, like a lotus, on seeing him. The illustrious one gave Vibhishana the lordship over large numbers of rakshasas and conferred on Lanka a lifespan till the end of the kalpa. With the period of his vow over, he made her climb the vehicle and with his brother and Hanuman, also ascended it, leaving for his city. Along the path, the guardians of the worlds showered down excellent flowers. Delighted, Shatadhriti 1192 and the others chanted his praise. His brother 1193 was attired in garments made of bark and only ate barley cooked in cow’s urine. His hair was matted and he slept on the bare ground, with kusha grass spread over it. Hearing all this, he was filled with great compassion. Bharata heard that he had arrived. Placing the sandals on his head and with the citizens, the advisers and the priests, he left his camp at Nandigrama to go and receive his elder brother, Rama. There was the sound of singing and the playing of musical instruments. Those who knew about the brahman repeatedly read out the chant of the brahman. There were flags with golden edges and chariots with colourful and golden flags. There were well-trained horses with golden harnesses and soldiers with armour made out of gold. Shrenis, 1194 the best of courtesans and servants followed on foot. All the objects, superior and inferior, required to welcome the supreme one were taken. His heart melting with tears of affection, he fell down at his feet and offered these. He placed the sandals in front of him. Eyes filled with tears, he joined his hands in salutation and stood there. With his arms, Rama embraced him for a very long time, bathing him with tears from his eyes. With Lakshmana and Sita, he worshipped the excellent and deservi
ng brahmanas. He bowed down before them. In turn, the subjects bowed down before him. The residents of Uttara Kosala 1195 saw that their lord, who had been away for a long time, had returned and waved their upper garments around. Delighted, they offered him garlands and danced. Bharata carried the sandals. Vibhishana and Sugriva bore the excellent fan and whisks. The son of the wind god held aloft the white umbrella. Shatrughna carried the bow and quivers, Sita the water pot with water from the tirthas. O king! Angada carried the sword and the bear the golden shield. O king! Astride Pushpaka, he was praised by the women and the bards. The illustrious one was radiant, like the rising moon amidst the planets. Welcomed by his brother, he entered the city in the midst of festivities. He entered the royal residence and paid his respects to his father’s wives and to his own mother. He honoured the seniors, friends and juniors and was honoured back by them. In a similar way, Vaidehi 1196 and Lakshmana also entered. On seeing their respective sons, the mothers arose, as if life had returned to them. They took them on their laps and bathed them with tears, giving up their grief. Along with the aged ones of the family, the preceptor 1197 followed the rites and cut off the matted hair, consecrating him, just as Indra is sprinkled with water from the four oceans. With his head taken care of, he bathed. He attired himself in excellent garments and adorned himself with garlands. He was surrounded by his brothers and his wife, who were also well-attired and well-ornamented. Pleased at the obeisance exhibited by his brother, he accepted the throne. Like a father, Rama protected the subjects, who were devoted to their own dharma, in accordance with their varnas, their ashramas and their qualities. They thought that he was like their father. Though the age was that of treta yuga, it seemed to be equal to krita yuga. Rama knew about dharma and when he was the king, there was happiness for all living beings. O bull among the Bharata lineage! Forests, rivers, mountains, varshas, dvipas and oceans yielded all the objects of desire for the subjects. There was no mental or physical disease, no old age, no distress, no unhappiness, no grief, no fear and no exhaustion. As long as Rama Adhokshaja was the king, no one died unless he wished to. The royal sage was pure in conduct and followed the vow of having only one wife. He followed his own dharma of being a householder and instructed through his own conduct. The virtuous Sita pleased his mind and followed him with love, good conduct, submissiveness, humility, bashfulness and modesty. She understood what her husband wanted.’