by Bibek Debroy
‘“‘O king! There was a lord of the gandharvas and his name was Chandavega. This powerful one had an army consisting of three hundred and sixty gandharvas. 1524 There were a similar number of gandharva women who were united with them. Some were dark and some were light. Together, they surrounded the city and plundered all the objects of desire. When Chandavega’s followers started to plunder Puranjana’s city, the large serpent tried to counter them. The powerful protector of Puranjana’s city fought with the seven hundred and twenty gandharvas for one hundred years. However, his friend was fighting single-handedly with many and his strength decayed. At this, his kingdom, city and relatives, were afflicted and filled with great anxiety. However, with his companions in Panchala, he 1525 was like a person who subsisted on the honey of the city. He had been conquered by a woman. Since tribute was brought to him, he did not realize the fear. O Barhishad! Kala had a daughter. 1526 Desiring a husband, she roamed around in the three worlds. However, no one wished to accept her. Because of her misfortune, she was known in all the worlds as Durbhaga. 1527 Satisfied with the royal sage, Puru, she once granted him a boon. 1528 On one occasion, I had come down from Brahma’s world to earth. Though she knew that I was following a great vow, 1529 overcome by desire, she sought me. She became extremely angry with me and invoked a curse on me, extremely difficult to withstand. “O sage! Since you have refused me, from now, you will not be able to remain at the same place for a long time.” Her wishes were not satisfied. However, instructed by me, she approached the lord of the Yavanas, named Bhaya, as her husband. 1530 “O bull among Yavanas! 1531 O brave one! I will accept you. You are the husband I wish for. If living beings make up a resolution about you, it is never rendered unsuccessful. Two kinds of foolish people are lamented about—those who do not give, and those who do not receive, in accordance with the norms laid down in the sacred texts, that is, those who do not desire to follow these modes. O fortunate one! Therefore, since I am offering myself to you, accept me. Take compassion on me. It is the dharma of a man to show compassion towards the afflicted.” The lord of the Yavanas heard the words that Kala’s daughter had spoken. He wished to carry out the secret task of the gods. He smiled and addressed her. “After thinking about it, I have determined a husband for you. This is despite people disrespecting you and not welcoming you because of your misfortune. Adopt a progress that cannot be detected. This world is determined by karma. Aided by my soldiers, without any obstructions, you will be able to destroy beings. This is my brother, Prajvara. 1532 Become his sister. Both of you roam around in this world, accompanied by my terrible soldiers, 1533 who cannot be detected.”’”’
Chapter 4(28)
‘“Narada said, ‘O Barhishad! Bhaya’s soldiers were the agents of destiny. With Prajvara and Kala’s daughter, they travelled around the earth. O king! Once, they used terrible force to lay siege to Puranjana’s city. It was full of objects of pleasure and was guarded by the serpent who had turned old. With her force, Kala’s daughter took over Puranjana’s city. Whichever man was overpowered by her, instantly lost his powers. From all the directions, the Yavanas took possession. They entered through the gates and caused great suffering everywhere in the city. Puranjana was obsessed with himself and was oppressed by them. Attached to his relatives and with a sense of “mine”, he suffered from many kinds of torments. Embraced by the maiden, he lost his beauty. Addicted to material objects, he was miserable. His wisdom was destroyed. He lost his prosperity because of the force of the Yavanas and the gandharvas. He saw that his own city was devastated by the adversaries. His sons, grandsons, followers, advisers and wife were disrespectful and lost their affection. He was himself devoured by the maiden and those in Panchala were tarnished by the enemy. He was overcome by insurmountable thoughts, but could find no means of countering. He still hankered for objects of desire, but he was miserable because the maiden made them seem stale. He did not know what would happen to him. Though he tended to his sons and wive, he lost his affection for them. He was attacked by the gandharvas and the Yavanas and he suffered because of Kala’s daughter. Unwillingly, the king decided to abandon the city. At that time, Prajvara, Bhaya’s elder brother, arrived. Wishing to do what would bring pleasure to his brother, he burnt down the entire city. When it was on fire, the citizens, the attendants, the relatives and the followers suffered from the heat, as did the king. The Yavanas attacked his residence. He was devoured by Kala’s daughter. Prajvara approached the city. The protector of the city 1534 was aggrieved to see this. He was unable to protect the city any longer. Suffering, with great difficulty, he tried to leave, as if he was trying to escape from a fire in the hollow of a tree. But his limbs had become feeble. He had been robbed of his virility by the gandharvas. O king! Confined by his enemies, the Yavanas, he started to weep. There was a little bit left—daughters, sons, grandsons, daughters-in-law, sons-in-law, the home, wealth and belongings. Having been a householder and having accepted notions of “I” and “mine”, his intelligence was wicked. The time for separation from his wife arrived and he was miserable. He thought, “While I leave for the next world, my wife will be without a protector. She will grieve over her children. How will she maintain herself? She does not eat until I have eaten. She does not bathe until I have bathed. She is devoted to me. If I am angry, she is extremely scared. When I reprimand her, she is silent. When I do not know, she advises me. When I am not around, she is filled with sorrow. She is the mother of brave sons. How will she sustain the status of a householder? My miserable sons and daughters are dependent on me. When I have left, how will they sustain themselves? They will be in an ocean, with a broken boat.” In this way, with a miserable mind, he lamented, though he should not have done so. Having made up his mind to seize him, Bhaya approached him. Like an animal, the Yavanas dragged him away to their own abode. Sorrowing and afflicted by grief, his followers followed him. The serpent, which had also been obstructed, abandoned the city and departed. After this, the city was broken down and became one with nature. He was forcibly dragged by the powerful Yavanas. Overwhelmed by tamas, he did not remember his former well-wisher and friend. 1535 Having been cruel, he had slaughtered many sacrificial animals. They remembered his crimes and angrily sliced him with axes. For many years, he was submerged in a darkness that extended up to infinity. He lost his memory. Having been tainted because of his association with women, he suffered for eternity.
‘“‘Her thoughts had been fixed in his mind. 1536 Therefore, thereafter, he was born in Vidarbha in Rajasimha’s house, as a beautiful woman. 1537 Malayadhvaja, the king of Pandya, was a conqueror of enemy cities. He vanquished the kings and married the princess of Vidarbha through the viryashulka mode. Through her, he had a black-eyed daughter. There were also seven sons who were younger and they became kings of the seven Dravida countries. O king! Each of those sons had millions of sons. Their descendants will enjoy the earth until the next manvantara. Agastya married the daughter who was born first. She was firm in her vows. Dridhachyuta was born from her and he had the sage Idhmavaha as his son. Malayadhvaja, the royal sage, divided up the entire earth among his sons. After this, so that he could worship Krishna, he went to Kulachala. 1538 The princess of Vidarbha, with the intoxicating eyes, abandoned her home, sons and the objects of pleasure. Like moonlight following the moon, she rushed after the lord of Pandya. The rivers Chandravasa, Tamraparni and Vatodaka are there. He always used those auspicious waters to cleanse himself. He subsisted on bulbs, seeds, roots, fruits, flowers, leaves, grass and water. Because of the austerities he resorted to, his body gradually became emaciated. He became impartial in his attitude towards opposites—cold and heat, wind and rain, hunger and thirst, pleasant and unpleasant and happiness and unhappiness. Through austerities, learning, niyama and yama, he burnt up impurities and united himself with the brahman. He conquered his breath of life and consciousness. For one hundred celestial years, he remained in the same spot, like a pillar. He did not have attraction for anyone other than the illustrio
us Vasudeva. He realized the pervasive atman and all differences within his own atman. Like a witness, he saw everything as if in a dream, and ceased all action. O king! The illustrious Hari directly instructed him as a preceptor. The lamp of pure knowledge, which illuminates all directions of the universe, was ignited in him. He saw the supreme brahman within his own atman and his own atman in the supreme brahman. He gave up his consciousness and withdrew from everything. The princess of Vidarbha looked upon her husband, Malayadhvaja, as supreme among those who knew about dharma. Looking upon her husband as a divinity, she lovingly tended to him and gave up all objects of pleasure. She attired herself in bark and became emaciated because of her vows. She did not braid her hair. Remaining near her husband, she was tranquil, like the flames of a quiet fire. The maiden did not know that her beloved had given up his body, since he was seated in that steady posture. She conducted herself just as she used to do earlier. However, while she tended to her husband, she could no longer feel the heat in his legs. Her heart became anxious, like a doe that has strayed from the herd. Distressed and without a relative, she grieved. Incapacitated, she sprinkled her breasts with her tears. Alone, she wept loudly. “Arise! O royal sage! Wake up. This earth, with the ocean as a girdle, is terrified of bandits and kshatra-bandhus. You should save it.” Having followed her husband to that desolate spot, the lady lamented in this way. She fell down at her husband’s feet. She cried and tears flowed down from her eyes. She used wood to build a funeral pyre and placed her husband’s body on this pyre. She lit it and, lamenting, made up her mind to follow him in death.
‘“‘There was a brahmana who had realized his atman. He had once been a friend. 1539 O lord! At that time, he arrived there and comforted the weeping one. He addressed her in sweet and assuring words. The brahmana said, “Who are you? Whom do you belong to? You are grieving over the one who is lying down here. Who is he? Don’t you recognize me as a friend with whom you used to wander around earlier? O friend! Can you remember your friend Avijnata? You wished to be attached to earthly pleasures. You abandoned me and went in search of that. O noble one! You and I were swans, two friends who resided in Lake Manasa. But for one thousand years, both of us have been separated from our original residences. O friend! Your mind turned to carnal pleasures. You left me and went to earth. While you were wandering around there, you saw a place that was constructed by a woman. There were five gardens, nine gates, one protector, three chambers, six families and five marketplaces. It was made out of the five elements and a woman was the mistress. O lord! The gardens are the objects of the five senses. The gates are the nine apertures for the senses. The three chambers are fire, water and earth. The families are the collections of the senses. 1540 The marketplaces are the organs of action, where beings transact according to their capacity and nature. The man is truly the lord of all the powers. However, having entered there, he does not comprehend. You were touched by that lady. While you pleasured with her, you forgot all your learning. O lord! Because of your association with her, you have been reduced to this wicked state. You are not the daughter of Vidarbha, nor is this brave one your well-wisher. You are not Puranjani’s husband. You have been confined by these nine gates. It is because of the maya created by me that you think of yourself as a man or a virtuous woman. You are neither. Both of us are swans. 1541 Behold our true nature. I am you. Behold. You are no different from me. Those who are wise do not detect the slightest bit of difference between us. In a mirror, a man can use his eyes to see one or two. The difference between us is just like that.” In this way, the swan from Manasa obtained knowledge from the swan. He realized his own true nature. He regained his memory, lost because of the separation. O Barhishad! This adhyatma has been explained to you indirectly. That is because the illustrious god, the creator of the universe, prefers to remain indirect.’”’
Chapter 4(29)
‘“Prachinabarhi said, ‘O illustrious one! We haven’t understood your words completely. The wise may be able to comprehend it, but not those like us, who are confounded by karma.’
‘“Narada replied, ‘Know that the being Puranjana creates a city for himself—with one leg, two legs, four legs, many legs, or no legs. 1542 The friend of the being, described as Avijnata, is the lord himself. Living beings cannot know him through names, acts or attributes. When a being desires to enjoy all the gunas of Prakriti, he accepts that nine gates, two hands and two feet are the most appropriate form. One should know the maiden as Buddhi, who creates the feeling of “I” and “mine”. With that presiding over the body, the being enjoys the qualities of the senses. The male friends are the senses, who ensure knowledge and action, while the female friends are their conduct. The serpent is prana, with its five kinds of flows. One should know the great commander as the mind, the leader of both types of senses. The Panchala kingdom is one where one enjoys the five objects of the senses. In its midst is the city with nine gates—the two eyes, the two nostrils, the two ears, the mouth, the genital organs and the anus. Some of them are in pairs. In association with the respective sense, the breath of life goes out through these. The eyes, the nostrils and the mouth are the five gates towards the east. The right ear is considered as the gate towards the south and the left ear as the gate towards the north. The anus and the genital organs are regarded as the two gates towards the west. Khadyota and Avirmukhi are two gates that have been fashioned together. Through these eyes, the lord visualizes form and the region known as Vibhrajit. Nalini and Naalini are the two nostrils and smell is the region known as Sourabha. Avadhuta is the faculty of smelling. The gate Mukhya is the mouth, Vipana is the organ of speech and that of taste is Rasavit. 1543 Apana is the conduct of the tongue, while Bahudana is the many kinds of eatable objects. The right ear is known as Pitrihu, while the left ear is Devahu. The rites of nivritti and pravritti, mentioned in the sacred texts, are known as Panchala. Hearing these, and accompanied by Shrutadhara, one follows the path of the gods or the path of the ancestors. The genital organs are Asuri. Foolish ones addicted to carnal pleasures use this to go to the region of Gramaka. The ability to procreate is spoken of as Durmada and the anus is said to be Nirriti. Vaishasa is hell and the ability to defecate is his friend, Lubdhaka. Hear from me about the two blind ones. For the being, these are the hands and the feet. Using these, he goes and does. The heart is the inner quarters. The mind is known as Vishuchi. Through its attributes, one obtains delusion, contentment and delight. One is made to act by her 1544 qualities and accordingly, one does different things. In this way, though the atman is a witness, it is made to undertake different kinds of activities. The body is the chariot and the senses are the horses. Though one doesn’t actually move, the number of years is the span of life. Good and bad deeds are the two wheels. The three gunas constitute the standard. The five joints between the yoke and the pole are the five aspects of prana. The mind is the rein, intelligence is the charioteer, the heart is the seat and opposite sentiments are the two poles for the yoke. The five senses are the five kinds of weapons. The seven bumpers are the constituents of the body. 1545 Akuti 1546 is external motion. Using the eleven types of soldiers of the senses, 1547 a being rushes after a mirage and takes pleasure in commiting the five kinds of killing. 1548 The passage of time was symbolized by the year, Chandavega. He commanded the days, in the form of the male gandharvas, and the nights, in the form of the female gandharvas. There are three hundred and sixty of each and as they progress, they diminish the lifespan. The daughter of Kala is old age herself and no one welcomes her. For the sake of destruction, Mrityu, the lord of the Yavanas, accepted her as his sister. Mental and physical ailments are the soldiers of the lord of the Yavanas. Prajvara stands for the two types of fever 1549 that make living beings suffer. In this way, destiny ensures that a being who is born suffers from many kinds of miseries for one hundred years. In the body, the jivatman is enveloped in darkness. It is nirguna, but the attributes of prana, the senses and the mind are imposed on the atman. It lies down in this bondage of desir
e and performs acts according to “I” and “mine”. The atman does not realize itself, or the illustrious one as the supreme preceptor. Though he is self-luminescent, Purusha surrenders to the gunas of Prakriti. He prides himself on his qualities and, helpless because of this, performs white, black and red acts. 1550 His subsequent birth depends on his deeds. Because of white acts, he sometimes obtains the shining worlds. 1551 Because of black acts, he sometimes obtains regions that are full of terrible unhappiness and grief. Because of the wickedness in intelligence, he is sometimes a man, sometimes a woman and sometimes a eunuch. Depending on the qualities of the deeds, one becomes a god, a human or an inferior species. Suffering from hunger, a miserable dog goes from one house to another house. Roaming around in that way, he obtains punishment or food. Pursuing desire, a being travels on the superior path or the inferior path. Depending on destiny, he experiences pleasure or pain above, below, or in the middle. The living being cannot end sufferings from any of these—destiny, other creatures, or one’s own self. 1552 None of these can be countered. This is like a man bearing a heavy burden on his head. He sometimes places the burden down on his shoulder. All attempts to counter are like that. O unblemished one! An act can never be the ultimate counter to any other act. Both of these are the outcome of ignorance. It is like countering a dream with another dream. In the mind, the linga sharira wanders around in a dream. But in reality, this is non-existent and when the dream is over, it retreats. The being does not realize his atman and confronts a succession of unreal objects. This material existence will cease only if one faithfully resorts to the supreme preceptor. Controlling oneself, one must engage in bhakti yoga to the illustrious Vasudeva. Complete non-attachment and knowledge will then be generated. O royal sage! If one assiduously cultivates the faithful and listens to accounts of Achyuta, these are swiftly obtained. O king! There are places where virtuous and broad-minded devotees of the illustrious one gather to talk about the illustrious one’s qualities. One should hear those with an eager mind. The conduct of Madhu destroys flows in every direction from the mouths of those great ones. One should drink that incessant flow of nectar. O king! If one drinks this with an attentive ear and without being satisfied, one will never be touched by hunger, thirst, fear, sorrow or delusion. Those in the world of the living always suffer from many kinds of natural hardships. That is because they are not attracted to accounts of Hari, which are like an ocean of amrita. The lord of the Prajapatis himself, 1553 the illustrious Girisha, Manu, Daksha and the other lords of subjects, Sanaka and the other faithful ones, Marichi, Atri, Angiras, Pulastya, Pulaha, Kratu, Bhrigu, Vasishtha and others who know about the brahman, ending with me, are lords of speech. We have resorted to austerities, learning and meditation, but have even now, not been able to see him through these means. Even when we see him, we do not really see the true nature of the supreme lord. Superior persons may worship the one with extensive strides through chants of the brahman, mantras and other signs. However, his movements are beyond all these and they do not know the supreme one. If a person worships the illustrious one in his heart, he shows his favours. In such cases, the person’s mind turns away from the rituals mentioned in the Vedas. O Barhishad! Therefore, do not resort to ignorant acts, expecting fruits from these. The pursuit of fruits is pleasant to the ears. However, it is futile and cannot touch the real purpose. Such people do not know their own world, not to speak of the god Janardana. It is said that their intelligence is shrouded in smoke and without knowing, they follow the rituals of the Vedas. You have covered the entire surface of the earth with darbha grass, with the points of the blades pointing towards the east. You are proud that you have slaughtered a large number of animals. But you do not know karma and that which is superior to it. Karma is that which satisfies Hari. Knowledge turns the intelligence towards him. Hari is himself in the atmans of living beings and he is the lord of their natures. His feet are the refuge that bring benefit to men in this world. He is the most beloved atman. If one resorts to him, there is not the slightest bit of fear. A person who knows this is learned. For such a learned person, the preceptor is Hari. O bull among men! Your questions have thus been answered. I will now tell you about something that is secret and has been determined. Listen. There is a deer grazing in the refuge of a beautiful garden of flowers. It is grazing on grass and is attached to the doe. Its eyes are eager to listen to the humming of bees. It has not noticed the wolves, which survive on the flesh of others, in front, nor that it is likely to be pierced by the arrows of a hunter from the rear. O king! You should see yourself as the deer whose heart is likely to be pierced. The hunter who is following you at the rear is Death. Undetected, his arrows will rob you of your life. In your state as a householder, you have sought refuge with women, who are like flowers. The satisfaction obtained from acts of desire are as insignificant as the honey and fragrance from flowers. You are thinking of intercourse and the trifling happiness that desire provides to the tongue, or the genital organs. Like the bees, your mind is immersed in the sweet and attractive songs sung by the wife and by other women. You are excessively attracted to the conversations of people. While you are thus submerged, like a pack of wolves, days and nights and special units of time like lava are taking away your lifespan. Yet, you find pleasure in your home. Think of what you are doing as the activities of the deer. Fix your consciousness in the inside of your heart and the proclivities of the sense organs in your consciousness. Abandon this householder stage, associated with women. This is the worst of accounts, about the association between men and women. Gradually, detach yourself and seek the one who is the refuge of hamsas.’