by Bibek Debroy
‘“While he was practicing these austerities, during the monsoon, there was a great flood. For days on end, water incessantly showered down from the clouds. The directions, east, south, west and north, could no longer be discerned. Everything was enveloped in darkness. Because the river was overflowing, though he tried to, the king could not reach the bank. He was borne along by that extremely strong flow of water. The lord of the earth was borne a long distance away by that flood of water. He managed to reach a rouha 731 doe that was in the water and caught hold of her tail. In the darkness, he was dragged around here and there by the flood of water and over the ground. Eventually, he managed to reach the bank. There was an extremely extensive stretch of mud that was very difficult to cross. The king managed to cross it with great difficulty and reached a beautiful forest. In the darkness, the rouha doe dragged the lord of the earth along, clinging onto her tail. The immensely fortunate one was lean and seemed to consist only of veins. 732 Her touch filled him with great joy. As the lord of the earth roamed around in this way, his mind was filled with desire. When he touched her on the back, the doe realized this and spoke to him. ‘O lord of men! Why are you touching my back with a hand that is trembling? O king! This indicates that you are following a contrary course. However, it is not as if I cannot be approached by you. Therefore, your mind has not turned towards an unworthy object. O lord! But Lola creates an impediment in my being united with you.’
‘“Hearing the words of the doe, the lord of the earth was filled with curiosity. He addressed the rouha doe in these words. ‘O doe! Who are you? How can you speak like a human? Tell me. Who is Lola who creates an impediment in your union with me?’ The doe replied, ‘O lord of the earth! Earlier, I used to be your beloved Utpalavati. Among your one hundred wives, I used to be the chief queen. I was the daughter of Dridhadhanva.’ The king asked, ‘What did you do to have taken birth in such a species? She was devoted to her husband and devoted to dharma. How could she be reduced to such a state?’ The doe said, ‘When I was a child in my father’s house, I went to the forest with my friends to amuse myself. There, I saw a buck having intercourse with a doe. I approached and struck the doe. Scared by me, the doe went away elsewhere. Angry, the buck spoke to me. “O foolish one! Why are you mad? Why have you exhibited this wicked conduct? You have rendered this period of impregnation unsuccessful.” Hearing the buck speak to me in a human voice, I was terrified. I asked, “Who are you? Why have you taken birth as such a species?” At this, he replied, “I am the son of rishi Nivritichakshusha. My name is Sutapa. Because I was attracted to this doe, I became a buck. She was also attracted to me, and following her, I came to this forest. O wicked one! However, you have separated us. Therefore, I will curse you.” I replied, “O sage! I committed this crime in my ignorance. You should show me your favours. You should not curse me.” O lord of the earth! Thus addressed, the sage spoke to me. “If you give yourself to me, I will not curse you.” I told him, “You are in the form of a deer in this forest and I am not a doe. You should desire another doe. Control your desire for me.” When he was spoken to in this way, his eyes turned red with rage and his lips quivered. “O foolish one! You have said that you are not a doe. But you will become a doe.” Extremely distressed, I bowed down before the sage, who had regained his own form, but was still extremely angry. I tried to repeatedly placate him. “I am a child and inexperienced in the choice of words. That is the reason I spoke to you in that way. When the father is still there, how can a maiden choose her husband herself? O supreme sage! When my father exists, how can I possibly have chosen you? Even if I have committed a crime, you should show me your favours. I am prostrating myself at your feet. Show me your favours. O immensely intelligent one! I am prostrating myself before you. Show me your favours.” Entreated in this way, the bull among sages replied, “The words I have uttered can never be rendered false. You will become a doe in this forest, but after your death, in your next birth. In your form as a deer, you will bear in your womb the mighty-armed Lola, the son of the sage Siddhavirya. O beautiful one! As soon as you conceive, you will remember your last life. When you get your memory back, you will speak in a human voice. When he has been born, you will be freed from your state of being a deer and will be honoured by your husband. You will obtain worlds that cannot be obtained by those who perform wicked deeds. The immensely valiant Lola will destroy his father’s enemies. He will conquer the entire world and become a Manu.” Cursed in this way, I was born as inferior species after death. I conceived because of his touch and there is a foetus in my womb. 733 That is the reason I told you, it is not as if I cannot be approached by you. Your mind has not turned towards an unworthy object. However, because Lola is in the womb, there is an impediment.’ Thus addressed, the king was filled with great delight. ‘My son will conquer the enemies on earth and become a Manu.’ The doe gave birth to a son who possessed all the auspicious signs. As soon as he was born, all the creatures were delighted. The king was especially delighted when his son was born in that great forest. Freed from her curse, the doe attained the supreme worlds.
‘“O supreme sage! All the rishis assembled. They considered his future prosperity and gave the great-souled one a name. ‘He was born when his mother was covered in tamas and the world was also covered in tamas. 734 Therefore, he will be known as Tamasa.’ Tamasa was reared by his father in that forest. O supreme sage! When his intelligence developed, he spoke to his father. ‘O father! Who are you and how am I your son? Who is my mother? Why have you come here? Tell me the truth.’ The mighty-armed father, the lord of the world, told his son everything about how he had been dislodged from the kingdom and about how he had come to the forest. Having heard everything, he worshipped the sun god and obtained all the divine weapons, techniques of releasing, controlling and withdrawing them. Having obtained weapons, he conquered the enemies and brought them to his father’s presence. With his father’s permission, he established them in their own dharma and released them. Because of his austerities and sacrifices, his father conquered worlds for himself. He was happy at seeing his son’s face. When he gave up his body, he went to those worlds. The king known as Tamasa conquered the entire earth. Since the Manu was Tamasa, hear about the manvantara known as Tamasa, the gods, the lord and Indra of the gods, the rishis and the sons of Manu who protected the earth. O sage! There were twenty-seven categories of gods, Satyas, Sudhis, Surupas, Haris and others. The lord of the gods, the Indra, was the immensely strong and immensely valiant Shikhi, the performer of one hundred sacrifices. O brahmana! The saptarshis were Jyotidharma, Prithu, Kavya, Chaitra, Agni, Balaka and Pivara. The extremely strong sons of Tamasa were Nara, Kshanti, Shanta, Danta, Janu, Jangha and others. O brahmana! I have thus described Tamasa manvantara. A person who reads about Tamasa, or hears it, is never obstructed.”’
Chapter 72
‘Markandeya said, “O brahmana! The fifth Manu is known as Raivata. Hear about his origin. I will describe it to you in detail. There was an immensely fortunate rishi and he was known by the name of Ritavak. The great-souled one had no son. However, when Revati nakshatra was about to set, a son was born to him. Following the ordinances, the sage performed all the rites, jatakarma, upanayana and all the others. Nevertheless, he turned out to be evil in conduct. O sage! Ever since he was born, the bull among sages started to suffer from a lingering disease. His mother also started to suffer a lot, from leprosy and other diseases. Extremely unhappy, his father started to think. ‘Why has this occurred?’ Meanwhile, his evil-minded son met the wife of another sage’s son and seized her. At this, distressed in his mind, Ritavak said, ‘Men who have no sons are better off than men who have wicked sons. A wicked son always strikes at the hearts of his father and his mother and leads to the downfall of all the ancestors who are in heaven. He brings no benefit to his well-wishers and the ancestors aren’t satisfied. He brings grief to his father. Shame on the birth of such an evildoer. Blessed are those whose sons are respected by all the worlds. They 735 benefi
t others, are tranquil and always practise virtuous deeds. Depending on a wicked son, who does not refrain from evil, we have turned our face away from the world hereafter and towards hell. We will not achieve a good destination. He causes hardships to well-wishers and brings delight to those who wish us harm. There is no doubt that his parents have suffered from this untimely old age because of a wicked son.’ The mind of the sage was tormented in this way by the conduct of this exceedingly wicked son.
‘“He told Garga everything and questioned him. Ritavak said, ‘Earlier, I have followed good vows and have learnt the Vedas according to the norms. After studying the Vedas, I followed the rites and took a wife. With my wife, I performed the vashatkara and other rites of the shruti and smriti texts. O great sage! Till today, there is nothing that I have not performed. The conception did not happen because I was driven by desire. O sage! I did it for the sake of a son, since I was scared of the hell named pum. 736 O sage! Has there been a sin on his part? Has there been a sin on my part? Why has a son who is wicked in conduct been born? He brings grief to us and causes misery to his relatives.’ Garga replied, ‘O best among sages! Your son was born when Revati was about to set. This misery is because he was born at an evil time. There has been no transgression by you, his mother, or by your lineage. The reason behind his wicked conduct is that Revati was about to set.’ Ritavak said, ‘I have only one son and he was born when Revati was about to set. That is the reason behind his wicked conduct. Therefore, let Revati quickly fall down. 737 As soon as he said this, because of that curse, the nakshatra Revati fell down. All the worlds looked on, their minds numb with wonder. As Revati nakshatra fell down, all the sides of Mount Kumuda, the forests, caverns and springs, were suddenly illuminated by that radiance. Because of this fall, Mount Kumuda came to be known as Raivataka. Among all the mountains on earth, it is the most beautiful. The beauty of the nakshatra led to the creation of Lake Pankajini. A maiden was born from this and she was exceedingly beautiful. Her beauty was like that of Revati and the sage Pramucha saw her. O Bhaguri! He therefore gave her the name of Revati. She was born near his own hermitage on that great mountain and the immensely fortunate Pramucha reared her. He saw that the extremely beautiful maiden attained youth. The sage wondered, ‘Who will be her husband?’ The great sage wondered in this way and a long period of time elapsed. The great sage did not find a groom who was her equal. The sage Pramucha decided to ask Agni about an appropriate groom for her. He entered the place where the sacrificial fire was kept and asked. The bearer of oblations replied, ‘There is a lord of the earth named Durmada. He is immensely strong and immensely valiant. He is pleasant in speech and devoted to dharma. He will be her husband.’ O sage! After some time, the intelligent King Durmada went out on a hunt and came to the hermitage. He was born in Priyavrata’s lineage and was immensely strong and valiant. He was the son of Vikramashila and was born in Kalindi’s womb.
‘“The lord of the earth entered the hermitage and addressed the slender-limbed one as ‘beloved’. Unable to see the rishi, he questioned her. ‘The illustrious bull among sages is not in his hermitage. Where has he gone? O beautiful one! I wish to bow down before him. Tell me the truth.’ The brahmana had gone to the place where the sacrificial fire was kept. Hearing his words and hearing the word ‘beloved’ uttered, he emerged quickly. The sage saw the great-souled King Durmada. He was marked with the signs of being an Indra among men and was bent down before him in humility. On seeing him, he spoke to his disciple, Goutama. ‘O Goutama! Swiftly bring arghya for this lord of the earth. In the first place, the lord of the earth has come here after a long time. That apart, since he is a son-in-law, he deserves arghya.’ The king wondered why he was being spoken of as a son-in-law. Since he did not know, he kept silent, though he accepted the arghya. Once he had accepted the arghya and had taken his seat, the brahmana, the great sage, welcomed him. He said, ‘O Indra among kings! Is everything well in your home? O lord of men! How about your treasury, army, friends, servants and advisers? O mighty-armed one! All of them have a foundation in you. Your wife, who is here, is well and I will not ask about her. But are the other women well?’ The king replied, ‘Because of your favours, everyone is well. O one who is excellent in vows! O sage! But I am curious. Who is my wife who happens to be here?’ The rishi said, ‘The immensely fortunate Revati is most beautiful in the three worlds. She is beautiful and she is your wife. O king! Do you not know her?’ The king replied, ‘O brahmana! I know the wives who are in my home—Subhadra, Shanta’s daughter; Kaveri’s daughter; Sujata, born in Surashtra; Kadamba, Varutha’s daughter; Vipatha; and Nandini. They are there. O illustrious one! But I do not know Revati. Who is she?’ The rishi said, ‘You have just addressed the one with the beautiful complexion as “beloved”. O lord of the earth! Have you forgotten? This wife of yours is praiseworthy.’ The king replied, ‘O sage! It is true that I addressed her in that way, but I had no evil thoughts in mind. In this case, you should not be angry with me. I seek your favours.’ The rishi said, ‘O lord of the earth! You said that you had no evil thoughts in mind. O king! You spoke in that way because you were urged by Agni. O lord of the earth! I asked the bearer of oblations who might be her husband. He said that you were the one and that you would become her groom today. O lord of men! I am bestowing this maiden on you. Please accept her. You have already addressed her as “beloved”. Why are you thinking?’ Though he was spoken to in this way, the lord of the earth kept silent. The rishi got ready to complete the marriage rites. O great sage! As her father got ready to complete the marriage rites, the maiden spoke, her face lowered a little in modesty. ‘O father! If you love me, you should show me a favour. Since you are pleased with me, undertake my marriage when Revati nakshatra is in the ascendant.’ The rishi replied, ‘O fortunate one! Revati nakshatra does not have a conjunction with the moon. O one with the excellent eyebrows! Other nakshatras are more appropriate for marriage.’ The maiden said, ‘O father! Without it, 738 it seems to be that this time will be unsuccessful. How can the marriage of a maiden like me be conducted at a time that is futile?’ The rishi replied, ‘The famous ascetic, Ritavak, became angry with Revati. In his rage, he brought down that nakshatra. O one with the maddening eyes! I promised him that you would become this one’s wife. If you do not wish to get married, a difficulty presents itself.’ The maiden asked, ‘O father! What kind of austerities did the sage Ritavak practise? O father! Have you not also not undertaken austerities? Am I the daughter of a brahma-bandhu?’ 739 The rishi replied, ‘You are not the daughter of a brahma-bandhu. Nor are you the child of a mere ascetic. If I am so inclined, I can create gods.’ The maiden asked, ‘If my father is an ascetic, why is that nakshatra not in the firmament? Why are you not arranging my marriage with the nakshatra established there?’ The rishi replied, ‘O fortunate one! May you be fortunate and happy. For your sake, I will establish Revati nakshatra in the moon’s path.’ O supreme among brahmanas! Using the power of his austerities, the great sage established Revati nakshatra where it had been earlier, so that there was a conjunction with the moon. Using mantras, he followed the ordinances and completed his daughter’s marriage rites.
‘“Delighted, he again spoke to his son-in-law. The rishi asked, ‘O lord of the earth! Tell me. What will I give you as a wedding gift? I will give it to you, even if it is difficult to obtain. The power of my austerities is unrestricted.’ The king replied, ‘O sage! I have been born as a descendant of Svayambhuva Manu. Through your favours, I seek the boon that my son may be the lord of a manvantara.’ The rishi said, ‘It shall be as you wish. O lord of the earth! Your son will be a Manu who will enjoy the entire earth. He will know about dharma.’ Taking her with him, the lord of the earth went to his own city. Through Revati, he had Raivata Manu as a son. He was knowledgeable about all dharma and could not be defeated by any men. He possessed the learning of all the sacred texts. He knew the purport of the Vedas and all the sacred texts. O brahmana! I will tell you about the gods, sages, Indra of t
he gods and lords of the earth during his manvantara. Listen attentively. O brahmana! The gods were the Sumedhas, Bhutanas, Vaikunthas and Amitabhas. There were fourteen within each of these categories. The lord of these four categories of gods was named Vibhu. He was the Indra, known for having performed one hundred sacrifices. During the manvantara of Raivata Manu, the saptarshis were Hiranyaloma, Vedashri, Urddhabahu, Vedabahu, Sudhama, the great sage Parjanya and the immensely fortunate Vasishtha, accomplished in the Vedas and the Vedangas.
The sons of Raivata Manu were the immensely valiant Balabandhu, Suyashtavya, Satyaka and others. I have spoken to you up to Raivata Manu. With the exception of Svarochisha Manu, they were all descended from Svayambhuva Manu. People who always listen to this excellent account, or read it, are cleansed from all sins and obtain the desired worlds.”’
Chapter 73
‘Markandeya said, “I have thus described five manvantaras to you. Next hear about the sixth, that of Chakshusha Manu. In another life, he was born from Parameshthi’s eye. 740 O brahmana! In this life, he was therefore known as Chakshusha. The great-souled royal sage, Anamitra, had a wife named Bhadra and she gave birth to this extremely learned son. The lord was pure and remembered his earlier birth. When he was born, his mother placed him on her lap and repeatedly talked to him. She happily embraced him and continued to talk to him. When he was born, he remembered his earlier lives. Lying on his mother’s lap, he laughed. At this, his mother angrily addressed him in these words. ‘I am scared. O child! Why is there this smile on your lips? Have you developed intelligence ahead of time? Have you seen something beautiful?’ Hearing his mother’s words, he laughed and spoke. The son replied, ‘O mother! Do you not see the cat in front of you? It desires to devour me. There is a second one who is invisible. She steals newborn babies. 741 Because of love for your son, you are glancing at me with affection. You are talking a lot to me and are embracing me. Your eyes are full of tears of love and your body hair is standing up. That is the reason I started to laugh. Listen to the reason. Because of its selfish reasons, the cat is glancing at me with attachment. There is a second one who is invisible. She is Jataharini. Their hearts are full of affection towards me because of their own selfish reasons. It seems to me that you are also acting in this way because of selfish reasons. The cat and Jataharini wish to enjoy me now. However, you desire to enjoy the fruits gradually. You do not know who I am. There is no good deed that I have done to you. The association between us is not of long duration. It has been a matter of five or seven days. Even then, you are full of affection towards me and are embracing me with tears in your eyes. Without any deceit, you are addressing me in words like “O child! O son!”’ The mother replied, ‘O child! I have not affectionately embraced you with the motive of your doing a good turn to me. If this does not cause any delight to you, then let me be abandoned by you. I give up whatever selfish motive I may have in you.’ Saying this, she abandoned him and left the delivery chamber. His body and limbs still couldn’t move, though his heart was pure. When she abandoned him, Jataharini stole him. King Vikranta’s wife had just delivered and was lying down in her delivery chamber. Jataharini stole her child and left him 742 there instead. She took this child 743 to another house, replacing the son from that house with this child. Thus, in due course, Jataharini devoured this third child. This is what this cruel demoness does. Every day, she replaces one newborn child with another and eats up the third child. 744