by Bibek Debroy
‘“As soon as he saw him from a distance, the rakshasa swiftly touched the ground with his head. He approached close and touched his feet. The rakshasa said, ‘You have shown me a great favour by coming to my house. Tell me what I should do. I reside in your kingdom. Accept this arghya. Be seated on this seat. You are the master and we are servants. Instruct us firmly.’ The king replied, ‘You have honoured me with all the marks of hospitality. O roamer in the night! Why have you abducted the brahmana’s wife? She is not beautiful. You could not have abducted her so that she will become a wife and give you offspring. If you have brought her here to eat her, why have you not eaten her yet? Tell me that.’ The rakshasa said, ‘O king! We do not eat humans. Those are other rakshasas. O king! We eat the fruits of good deeds. O king! Those who are born in the rakshasa species are cruel and cause terror to the worlds. I will tell you about those fruits of good deeds. We do not eat flesh and therefore, we do not eat beings. However, we eat the character of those who show disrespect to men and women. When we devour forgiveness in men, they succumb to rage. When we devour wickedness of nature, people become full of qualities. O lord of the earth! We possess rakshasa women who are the equals of apsaras in beauty and remain content with them. Why should we become attached to human females?’ The king asked, ‘O roamer in the night! Since you did not wish to enjoy her, or eat her, why did you enter the brahmana’s house and abduct her?’ The rakshasa answered, ‘O king! The best among brahmanas knows the mantras and bars me from every sacrifice I go to. He recites mantras that destroy rakshasas and expels me from those. Since he uses mantras and acts so as to expel us, we are hungry. Where will we go? The brahmana is an officiating priest at all sacrifices. That is the reason I generated this disability in him. Without his wife, no man is capable of engaging himself in sacrificial rites.’ A disqualification was thus created in the immensely intelligent brahmana. On learning this, the king was filled with great misery. ‘By speaking about the brahmana’s disability, he is also censuring me. The excellent sage also said that I am not worthy of receiving arghya. The rakshasa spoke about the brahmana’s disability, but I am also like that. Without a wife, I also face a great difficulty.’ O sage! While he was thinking in this way, the rakshasa joined his hands in salutation and humbly bowed down before the king. He spoke yet again. ‘O Indra among men! Show me your favours and command me. What shall I do? We dwell within your dominion and your servant is bowing down before you.’ The king replied, ‘O roamer in the night! You said that you devour nature. That is what I desire from you. Hear about what you can do for me. Eat up the wicked nature of the brahmani now. When you devour her wicked nature, let her become humble. O roamer in the night! Then take this wife back to her husband’s house. If you do this, you will have done everything for someone who has come to your house as a guest.’ At this, the rakshasa used his own maya to enter her. Using his powers and following the king’s command, he devoured her wicked nature.
‘“That extremely terrible and wicked nature left the brahmana’s wife and she spoke to the lord of the world. ‘Because of the fruits of my own deeds, I have been separated from my great-souled husband. The roamer in the night was only an instrument. It is not his fault. Nor is it the fault of my great-souled husband. It is my fault alone, not that of anyone else. I have reaped the fruits of my own deeds. In a former life, I must have been the reason behind some woman getting separated and have enjoyed the fruits of that deed. What is the great-souled one’s fault?’ The rakshasa said, ‘O lord! Following your command, I will have her sent to her husband’s house. O lord of the earth! What else should I do? Command me.’ The king replied, ‘O roamer in the night! Through this act, you have done everything for me. O valiant one! Other than that, when the time arrives for some task and I remember you, please come.’ The rakshasa agreed to this. With her wicked nature having vanished, the brahmana lady was now pure and he took her to her husband’s house.”’
Chapter 68
‘Markandeya said, “After having sent the lady to her husband’s house, the king sighed and started to think. ‘What is the best thing to do now? The great-minded one told me that I was unworthy of receiving arghya. This is a hardship. The roamer in the night instructed me about the brahmana’s disability. I am just like that. What shall I do? I have abandoned my wife. Should I ask the excellent sage who possesses the insight of knowledge?’ Thinking in this way, the lord of the earth ascended his chariot and went to the great sage who knew about the three phases of time 718 and possessed dharma in his soul. He got down from his chariot, approached him and bowed down. He told him everything that had happened—his seeing the brahmani, the rakshasa’s arrival, the disappearance of her wicked conduct, her being sent to her husband’s house and the reason why he had now come. The rishi said, ‘O lord of men! I already knew everything that you had done and also the reason why you have come here now. I have been eagerly waiting for you to come and ask me about what you should do. O lord of the earth! Now that you have come here, hear about what you must do. For men, the wife is the most powerful means of achieving dharma, artha and kama. In particular, a person who casts her aside, casts aside dharma. O lord of the earth! A man without a wife is incapable of performing his own tasks, regardless of whether he is a brahmana, a kshatriya, a vaishya or a shudra. Having abandoned your wife, you have not done something that is proper. Just as wives must not abandon their husbands, husbands must not abandon their wives.’ The king replied, ‘O illustrious one! What can I do? This calamity must have been brought about by my karma. Though I loved her, she was not favourably inclined towards me. That is the reason I abandoned her. O illustrious one! Separated from her, my inner senses are terrified and my mind is scorched. I have forgiven everything that she did. Since she has now been left in the forest, I do not know where she is. Or, in the desolate forest, perhaps she has been devoured by lions, tigers, or those who roam in the night.’ The rishi replied, ‘O lord of the earth! She has not been devoured by lions, tigers, or those who roam in the night. Her character is unsullied and she is now in Rasatala.’ The king asked, ‘Who took her to Patala? How can she be unsullied there? This is extremely extraordinary. O brahmana! You should tell me exactly what transpired.’ The rishi replied, ‘The famous king of the nagas, Kapotaka, resides in Patala. When she was abandoned by you, he saw her roaming around in the great forest. O lord of the earth! Since her form was beautiful, he fell in love with her. Having told her this, he took the young lady to Patala. O lord of the earth! His daughter was Nanda, the one with the excellent eyebrows. The intelligent king of the nagas had a wife named Manorama. On seeing her brought there, the beautiful lady 719 thought, “This one will become my mother’s co-wife.” Therefore, the auspicious one took her to her own house and hid her in the inner quarters. Though she was asked by the king, Nanda did not reply to him. Therefore, the father told his daughter, “You will become dumb.” O lord of the earth! The daughter was thus cursed and she 720 remains there. When the chaste lady was taken there by the Indra among the nagas, she has been kept there by his daughter.’ Hearing this, the king was filled with supreme delight and asked him, ‘O noble brahmana! Why have I suffered this misfortune from someone I love? O illustrious one! My love towards her is greater than that towards all the worlds. Therefore, what is the reason for my own wife not being affectionate towards me? O great sage! I desire her more than my own life. O brahmana! Nevertheless, why does she exhibit this evil conduct towards me? Tell me the reason.’ The rishi replied, ‘At the time when you accepted her hand, the sun, Mars 721 and Saturn glanced towards you. Venus and Jupiter glanced towards your wife. The moon and Mercury are mutually opposed. At that moment, the moon looked at you and Mercury at your wife. O lord of the earth! This proved to be terrible for you. Go, follow your own dharma and protect the earth. With your wife as an aide, perform all the rites of dharma.’ Thus addressed, he prostrated himself and then ascended his own chariot. Uttama, the lord of the earth, returned to his own city.”’
&nbs
p; Chapter 69
‘Markandeya said, “Having returned to his own city, the king saw the brahmana. He was with his wife, who now possessed good conduct, and was delighted. The brahmana said, ‘O noble king! I am gratified that you have protected dharma. You know about dharma. Therefore, you have brought my wife back to me.’ The king replied, ‘O best among brahmanas! Since you are able to follow your own dharma, you are gratified. O brahmana! However, since my wife is not in my house, I face a calamity.’ The brahmana said, ‘If she has been devoured in the desolate forest by predatory beasts, this is because you did not look towards dharma and came under the subjugation of rage. Enough of this. Why do you not accept someone else’s hand? O son of a king! There are many beautiful maidens in the houses of kings.’ The king replied, ‘My beloved has not been devoured by predatory beasts. She is alive. Her character is unpolluted. What will I do now?’ The brahmana asked, ‘Your wife is alive and she has not gone to anyone else. Why are you then committing a sin which will lead you to be wifeless in a subsequent birth?’ The king replied, ‘O brahmana! Even if I bring her back, she will always be against me. Since she bears no friendliness towards me, she will be the cause of misery, not the cause of happiness. O brahmana! Your brahmani is beautiful and is devoted to you. Make efforts so that my wife is subservient to me.’ The brahmana said, ‘There is an excellent sacrifice that will make you devoted to her and her devoted to you. I will perform the mitravinda sacrifice, which brings about affection between two parties. It generates supreme affection between a husband and a wife who do not love each other. O Indra among men! I will perform that sacrifice. O lord of the earth! Go to the place where your wife, the one with the excellent eyebrows, is. Bring her here. She will give you great satisfaction. She will ensure your welfare, so that your dharma does not suffer.’ Thus addressed, the lord of the earth brought all the required objects. When all these had been brought, the excellent brahmana repeatedly performed the sacrifice seven times.
‘“When the brahmana, the great sage, felt that the queen, the wife, was filled with love towards her own husband, he spoke to the lord of men. ‘O best among men! Your mind is immersed in her. Bring her to your presence. Enjoy the objects of pleasure with her. Honoured by her, perform sacrifices with her.’ Thus addressed by the brahmana, the lord of the earth was surprised. He remembered the immensely valiant roamer in the night, who was firm in adhering to pledges. As soon as he had been remembered, he presented himself before the lord of men. O great sage! He bowed down and asked, ‘What will I do?’ The Indra among men told him everything in detail. He went to Patala, gathered the king’s wife, and brought her there. Having been brought there, she was delighted to see her husband. In great joy, she repeatedly exclaimed, ‘Please show me your favours.’ At this, the king eagerly embraced the proud lady. He said, ‘O beloved! Why are you repeatedly speaking in this way? I am indeed pleased with you.’ The wife answered, ‘O Indra among men! If your mind is favourably inclined towards me, as a mark of showing me honour, please do what I am asking you to.’ The king said, ‘Without any hesitation, tell me whatever you desire. O timid one! You will get it. I am under your control and it shall not be otherwise.’ The wife answered, ‘On my account, the naga has cursed his daughter, my friend. He told her that she would become dumb and she has become dumb. If you are capable of countering this, as a mark of love towards me, please do it. If you can correct this deprivation of speech, there is nothing else that you need to do for me.’ At this, the king spoke to the brahmana. ‘What kind of rite needs to be undertaken to remove this dumbness?’ The brahmana replied to the lord of the earth. ‘O lord of the earth! Paying heed to your words, I shall perform the Sarasvati sacrifice. When she gets her power of speech back, your wife will be freed from her debt.’ For this purpose, the excellent brahmana performed the Sarasvati sacrifice. He controlled himself and chanted suktas to Sarasvati. She got her power of speech and Garga 722 spoke to her in Rasatala. ‘Your friend’s husband has accomplished this extremely difficult task for you.’ On getting to know this, Nanda speedily came to the city. The naga’s daughter embraced her own friend, the queen. Having repeatedly praised the lord of the earth and pronounced benedictions, the naga lady took her seat and spoke in these sweet words. ‘O brave one! You have now done me a good deed. Therefore, my heart has been drawn towards you. Listen to my words. O lord of the earth! You will have an extremely valiant son. His wheel will never be restricted on earth. He will know the purport of all the sacred texts and their truth. He will be devoted to rites of dharma. He will be intelligent. He will be a Manu, the lord of a manvantara.’ O sage! Having bestowed this boon on him, the daughter of the king of the nagas embraced her friend and left for Patala.
‘“With his wife, the lord of the earth spent a very long period of time finding pleasure and ruling over the subjects. The great-souled king had a son through her. He was as beautiful as the full lunar disc on the night of the full moon. When he was born, all the subjects were delighted, and so were the immortals. The drums of the gods were sounded and flowers were showered down. On seeing his beautiful form and realizing his future good conduct, the assembled sages named him Outtama. 723 ‘This child has been born in Uttama’s lineage and at an excellent time. His form is also excellent. Therefore, he will be known as Outtama.’ Thus, Uttama’s son came to be known by the name of Outtama. He became a powerful Manu. O Bhaguri! 724 Hear about him from me. Every day, if a person hears about Uttama’s account and everything about Outtama’s birth, then he never suffers from any enmity. If a man hears it and reads it, he is never separated from his beloved wife, sons and relatives. O brahmana! I will tell you about this manvantara in detail. Hear about it, and about the Indra, the gods and the rishis.”’
Chapter 70
‘Markandeya said, “In the third manvantara, the Prajapati was Outtama. I will tell you about the gods, Indra, the rishis and the kings. Listen. The first category of gods was the Svadhamas and they acted in accordance with their name. 725 The second category of gods consisted of the Satyas. O excellent sage! The third category of gods was the Shivas and their nature was auspicious. 726 Hearing about them leads to the destruction of sin. O excellent sage! During the manvantara when Outtama was the Manu, a fourth category of gods, known as the Pratardanas, is spoken about. O brahmana! The fifth category of gods were the Vashavartinas. O great sage! All of them possessed natures that corresponded with their names. These five categories of gods are spoken about as the ones who enjoyed shares in sacrifices. In this manvantara, with the best among Manus, within each of these categories, there were twelve gods. Their immensely fortunate Indra was the lord of the three worlds. Having performed one hundred sacrifices, he had the name of Shatakratu. 727 That apart, he also had the name of Sushanti. To destroy evil portents, even today, men on earth sing a chant embellished with the syllables of his name. ‘Sushanti, king of the gods, is beautiful in form. Along with Shivas, Satyas, Vashavartinas and the others, may he grant us excellent serenity.’ This Manu had immensely strong and valiant sons—Aja, Parashuchi and Divya. They were the equals of the gods. During the manvantara of the energetic Outtama Manu, his descendants ruled over the earth and were the lords of men. I have already spoken to you about the cycle of four yugas, krita, treta and the others. There are seventy-one and a half of these in a manvantara. 728 The great-souled one had seven sons who were supreme in their austerities and own energy. They were the saptarshis during this period. I have spoken to you about the third manvantara. The fourth Manu is spoken of as Tamasa. He was born in an inferior womb, but his fame illuminated the world. O brahmana! Listen to my words about this Manu’s birth. The conduct of these Manus is beyond the comprehension of the senses. Such is known to be the birth and power of these great-souled ones.”’
Chapter 71
‘Markandeya said, “There was a valiant king on earth and he was famous by the name of Svarashtra. The wise one performed many sacrifices and he was unvanquished in battle. O brahmana! Earlier, the illus
trious sun god had been worshipped by his ministers. Therefore, the extremely resplendent one bestowed on him an extremely long lifespan. O brahmana! He had one hundred fortunate wives. O sage! Though he possessed a long lifespan, his wives did not have long lifespans. In the course of time, they died, and so did his servants, ministers and other people. He was thus separated from his wives, servants and the others he had been born with. He therefore became anxious in his mind and, day and night, his energy was diminished. His energy was diminished. He was abandoned by his servants. He was extremely miserable. Thereafter, a person named Vimarda 729 dislodged him from his kingdom. Having been dislodged from his kingdom, his mind became detached and he went to the forest. Stationed on the banks of the Vitasta, the immensely fortunate one tormented himself through austerities. During summer, he observed the austerities of the five fires. 730 During the monsoon, he was naked and exposed himself to the rains. During the winter, he lay down in the water. He fasted and controlled himself through his vows.