by Bibek Debroy
Chapter 4(25)
‘Maitreya said, “The illustrious one instructed the sons of Barhishad in this way and was worshipped by them. While those princes looked on, Hara instantly disappeared. All the Prachetas immersed themselves in water and performed austerities for ten thousand years. They chanted the prayer recited by the illustrious Rudra. O Kshatta! In his mind, Prachinabarhi was attached to various rites. Narada, who knew the truth about adhyatma, took pity on him and sought to wake him up. ‘O king! What benefit do you desire for the atman by performing these acts for fruits? The end of unhappiness and obtaining happiness are the best benefits. But those cannot be obtained through these.’ The king replied, ‘O immensely fortunate one! I do not know what is superior to these. My intelligence is entangled in these rites. Tell me about unadulterated knowledge, so that I can be freed from these rites. As a householder, one is engaged in deceitful acts, pursuing sons, wives and riches as objectives. Such foolish people roam around on the road of samsara and do not attain the supreme.’
‘“Narada said, ‘O king! O lord of subjects! Behold the animals being slaughtered at your sacrifice. Thousands of large numbers of living beings are being killed mercilessly. They remember your cruelty and are waiting. When you die, their rage will be aroused and they will pierce you with their horns. In this connection, I will tell you about an ancient history. This is about Puranjana’s conduct. Listen attentively to my words. O king! There was a king named Puranjana and his fame was extensive. He had a friend named Avijnata, since his activities could not be detected. 1493 Searching for a refuge, the lord wandered around the entire earth. He could not find anything that appealed to him and he became distressed in his mind. He desired to satisfy his desires and did not think that any of the cities on earth were good enough to satisfy what he was after. On one occasion, on the southern slopes of the Himalayas, he saw a city with nine gates and it possessed all the auspicious marks. 1494 There were ramparts, gardens, mansions, moats, windows and arches. There were many houses everywhere and the tops of the houses were made out of gold, silver and iron. There were assembly halls, quadrangles, highways, gambling houses, markets, dwelling houses, decorations of flags and festoons, places without trees 1495 and platforms. Outside the city, there was a grove filled with celestial trees and creepers. There was a lake filled with the calling of birds and the humming of bees. The banks of the lake were beautiful because of trees. Their branches fluttered because the cool breeze brought with it spray from waterfalls and the fragrance of flowers. The forest was filled with many animals. However, these didn’t cause an impediment because they followed the vows of sages. 1496 Travellers thought they were being invited by the calling of cuckoos. He saw a beautiful woman there, wandering around as she pleased. There were ten servants with her and each was the husband of one hundred wives. 1497 In every direction, she was guarded by a serpent with five hoods. 1498 She could assume any form at will. She was young and was searching for a husband. Her nose was excellent. Her teeth were excellent. She was young, with an excellent forehead. Her face was beautiful. Her ears were symmetric, ornamented with shining earrings. Around her beautiful hips, the maiden 1499 wore a yellow garment, with a golden girdle atop it. When she walked, like a resident of heaven, the anklets on her feet tinkled. Her breasts were rounded, with the signs of youth and with no space between them. As she walked like a female elephant, out of shame, she covered them with the end of her garment. Her smile was bashful and charming.
‘“‘Her sidelong glances were like arrows shot from the bow of her eyebrows. The brave one was smitten by love and addressed her in gentle words. “O one with eyes like the petals of lotuses! Who are you? Whom do you belong to? Where have you come from? O timid one! What do you wish to do in this city? Tell me. Who are the ten great warriors who follow you? Who is the eleventh? O one with the excellent eyebrows! Who are these women? Who is the serpent preceding you? Are you Hri, Bhavani or the goddess of speech? 1500 Wandering like a sage in this forest, are you searching for a husband? Has he satisfied all his wishes at your lotus feet, which are desirable? Are you the one who resides on a lotus 1501 and has the lotus been dislodged from your hand? O one with the beautiful thighs! Since your feet touch the ground, you cannot be any of these. With me, supreme among brave ones and glorious in his deeds, you should decorate this city, just as Shri ornaments the supreme world, along with the lord of sacrifices. Your bashful and sidelong glances have excited my senses. Your smiles and eyebrows have bewildered me. Touched by you, the illustrious Manobhava 1502 has agitated me. O beautiful one! Show me your favours. Your face is charming, with the excellent eyebrows. Your eyes have excellent pupils. Your face is encircled by locks of bluish-black hair. O one with the beautiful smiles! Because of your shyness, you are not looking at me.” Like an impatient person, Puranjana beseeched the woman. She was also bewitched by the brave one. She smiled and greeted him. “O bull among men! We do not accurately know who our creator is. Nor do we know ourselves, or others, our gotras, our names, or who has created us. We know that we exist here now and we do not know anything beyond that. O brave one! We do not know who constructed this city, where we seek a refuge for ourselves. O one who grants honours! These men and women are my male and female friends. When I sleep, they remain awake. This serpent guards the city. O fortunate one! It is good fortune that you have come here. O destroyer of enemies! With my friends, I will provide you with whatever ordinary sensual pleasures you wish to satisfy. O lord! Please reside in this city with nine gates. For one hundred years, I will bring you all the objects of desire. Accept them. How can I enjoy those with a person who does not know about sexual pleasures, a person who is ignorant about the next world and does not look forward to the future? Such a person is like an animal. One obtains dharma, artha, kama, joy from offspring, immortality and fame in this world, without any sorrow and without any disease. Those who know about kaivalya are ignorant of that. It is said that in this world, the welfare of ancestors, gods, rishis, living beings and one’s own self is ensured by a mortal person through the state of a householder. O brave one! You are famous and handsome. Why will a person like me not accept a beloved husband like you? O mighty-armed one! O one whose arms are like the coils of a serpent! Which woman on earth will not be attracted to the idea of being embraced by your arms? Through your favours, you are adequate to remove the hardships of those who are without a protector. You roam around, with your smiling glances.” O king! Thus, the couple entered into an agreement there.
‘“‘They entered the city, enjoying themselves there for a hundred years. Here and there, singers praised him in pleasant notes. When it was too hot, surrounded by women, he would enter the lake. Seven of the gates of the city were above and two were below. 1503 All these were for different purposes and the lord used them accordingly. O king! Five gates were to the east, one was to the south, one was to the north and two were to the west. I will describe their names to you. 1504 Khadyota and Avirmukhi were two gates to the east that were fashioned together. 1505 Using these, with his friend Dyumat, he used to go to the region named Vibhrajit. Nalini and Naalini were two gates to the east, fashioned together. 1506 With his friend Avadhuta, he used these to go to the region named Sourabha. The fifth gate in front was named Mukhya. 1507 With Rasajna and Vipana, the king of the city used these to go to the regions named Apana and Bahudana. O king! The southern gate of the city was known as Pitrihu. 1508 Along with Shrutadhara, Puranjana used this to go the region of Dakshina Panchala. The northern gate of the city was known as Devahu. 1509 Along with Shrutadhara, Puranjana used this to go to the region of Uttara Panchala. To the west was the gate named Asuri. 1510 Accompanied by Durmada, Puranjana used this to go to the region named Gramaka. 1511 To the west was also the gate named Nirriti. Accompanied by Lubdhaka, Puranjana used this to go to the region named Vaishasa. Among the citizens who were blind, there were two named Nirvaka and Peshaskrita. 1512 Though he possessed eyes, the lord used to go and act with them. Sometimes, accompanied by
Vishuchina, he went to his inner quarters. When he went there, through his wife and children, confusion, satisfaction and joy would result. With desire in his heart, the ignorant one was thus deceived and attached to action. The king did exactly what his queen desired. When she drank, he would drink liquor and become senseless and intoxicated. When she ate, he ate. When she chewed, he chewed. Sometimes, when she sang, he sang. Sometimes, when she wept, he wept. Sometimes, when she conversed, he conversed. When she chattered, he chattered. When she ran, he ran. When she stood, he stood. When she lay down on the bed, he lay down. When she was seated, he sat down. Sometimes, when she heard, he heard. When she saw, he saw. Sometimes, when she smelt, he smelt. Sometimes, when she touched, he touched. Sometimes, when his wife grieved, he too grieved like a distressed person. When she enjoyed, he enjoyed. When she was happy, he was happy. He was thus captivated by his queen and his nature was deceived in every possible way. Though he didn’t wish it, like an ignorant person, he followed her. He was as helpless as a domesticated animal.’”’
Chapter 4(26)
‘“Narada said, ‘One day, the great archer was astride his chariot, yoked to five horses and was advancing swiftly. There were two shafts, two wheels, one axle, three bamboo poles, five joints between the yoke and the pole, one rein, one charioteer, one seat, two poles for the yoke, five types of weapons, seven bumpers and five kinds of movement. He was adorned in golden ornaments. His armour and inexhaustible quivers were made out of gold. There were eleven commanders and he went to the forest of Panchaprastha. 1513 Proud, he picked up his bow and arrows and wandered around on a hunt. He was greedy for the unsavoury act of hunting. Though she did not deserve it, he abandoned his wife. He followed the conduct of asuras. His heart was terrible and he was without compassion. Using his sharp arrows, in that forest, he killed many forest dwellers. It is decreed that in the waterholes in a forest, a king may kill animals required for a sacrifice, but only as much as is required for the purpose. It is the rule that one should not kill out of greed. O Indra among kings! If a learned man knows and performs acts in accordance with the rules, he is not touched by those acts. However, if a man is overwhelmed by pride and acts in a contrary way, he is bound by those acts. He descends into the flow of the gunas. With his wisdom destroyed, he heads downwards. Arrows whetted on stone mangled the bodies of many with colourful feathers. There was destruction of the distressed ones. Those who had compassion in their hearts found this impossible to tolerate. He killed hares, boars, buffaloes, oxen, 1514 ruru antelopes, porcupines and many other animals, regardless of whether they could be used for sacrifices. After this, he was overcome by exhaustion. Hungry, thirsty and tired, he withdrew and returned to his residence. Having returned, he bathed and ate the appropriate food. All his exhaustion went away. As is proper, he adorned himself with scents, unguents and garlands. Having adorned all his limbs in this excellent way, his mind started to search for the queen. He was content and happy. He was extremely proud and his mind was affected by Kandarpa. He did not see the beautiful one, the mistress of the house of a householder. O Vedishad! Distressed in his mind, he asked the women in the inner quarters. “O beautiful women! As used to be the case earlier, is all well with you and your mistress? Unlike earlier, the prosperity of this household is not attracting me any more, since the house is without a mother and a wife who regarded her husband as a divinity. It is like a shattered chariot. What wise man will reside here, like a miserable person? Where is that beautiful lady? When I am submerged in an ocean of hardships, she saves me. At every step, she illuminates my intelligence.” The women replied, “O lord of men! We do not know why your beloved is behaving in this way. O destroyer of enemies! Behold. Without a spread, she is lying down on the bare ground.” Puranjana saw his own queen on the ground, resembling an avadhuta. He was attached to her and he was crushed. Not knowing the reason, he was filled with great bewilderment. With his heart shattered, he spoke to her in soft and comforting words. However, there were no signs that his beloved was feigning this because of love. The brave one, who knew how to beseech, entreated her in slow words. He touched her feet. Making her sit on his lap, he embraced her and spoke to her. Puranjana said, “O beautiful one! When servants commit an inauspicious act, if their masters do not impose punishment on their wrongdoing, taking them to be their own, the servants do not learn from the punishment and are unfortunate. Punishment is a supreme favour imposed on the servant by the master. O slender one! A person who does not take this to be a friendly act is foolish. You possess excellent teeth and charming eyebrows. Please smile and cast a loving and bashful glance at me. Your dark locks hang down, like a mass of bees. Your beautiful face has a tall nose. O spirited one! Reveal your face to those who are your own. O wife of a brave person! Other than those who are gods on earth, 1515 if there is anyone who has committed an offence against you, I will punish him. I will ensure that he does not obtain freedom from fear and since I am a servant of Muraripu, 1516 will see that he does not obtain happiness in the three worlds or anywhere else. I have not seen your face so faded and distressed, without a tilaka mark. 1517 Because of rage, it seems terrible. It is without radiance and without affection. I have never seen your well-formed breasts suffer so much because of grief. 1518 Your lips are like bimba fruit, but they are bereft of their reddish tinge. O loved one! Show me your favours. I have committed a crime. Overwhelmed by desire, I acted on my own and went on a hunt. Suffering from the force of flowery weapons, 1519 I am under your subjugation. My patience has been shattered. Acting according to duty, which beautiful woman will not unite with such a husband?”’”’
Chapter 4(27)
‘“Narada said, ‘O great king! In this way, Puranjani 1520 used her charms to bring Puranjana under her control. She enjoyed herself, finding pleasure with her husband. O king! The queen, the one with the beautiful face, bathed herself well and approached the king, having performed the benedictions. He was content and welcomed her. Embraced by her, he embraced her shoulders. Bereft of his senses, he used loving words to converse with her in private. He did not realize the passing of time, which is so very difficult to cross. Night and day, he was captivated by the lady. The great-minded one was overwhelmed by this confusion. Using his queen’s arms as a pillow, he lay down on an extremely expensive bed. The brave one thought that she was supreme. Overcome by tamas, he no longer understood what was his and what belonged to someone else. 1521 With his senses overcome by the sin of desire, he pleasured with her. O Indra among kings! His youth passed away, as if it was but half a kshana. O king! Through Puranjani, Puranjana had eleven hundred sons. However, half of his life was over. O lord of subjects! In this way, through Puranjani, he had eleven hundred daughters and they brought fame to their father and mother. They possessed good conduct and noble qualities. The lord of Panchala 1522 wished to extend the lineage of his fathers. He had his sons married to wives and his daughters were married to grooms who were their equals. Each of those sons had a hundred sons. In this way, Puranjana’s lineage increased in the land of Panchala. He became attached to material objects and had a strong sense of “mine”. They ended up destroying his riches. He was attached to his home, his riches and those who lived on them. He consecrated himself for terrible sacrifices and rites, at which, animals were killed. Just like you, he worshipped gods, ancestors and the lord of bhutas. Thus, he was attached to his relatives and became inattentive. Those who love women find a certain time 1523 unpleasant and that arrived.