The Bhagavata Purana 2 Read online

  ‘While the celestial rishis, daityas, Siddhas and attendants heard, the illustrious Rudra spoke to Rudrani. 606 Rudra said, “O one with the excellent hips! You have witnessed the greatness of those who are the servants of the servants of Hari, the one who is extraordinary in deeds. Those great-souled ones are without desire. All of them are devoted to Narayana and are never frightened. They look upon heaven, hell and liberation as being equal. Because of the lord’s pastimes, those who have bodies come into contact with bodies and experience the opposite sentiments—happiness and unhappiness, birth and death, curse and boon. A person who does not have a sense of discrimination himself creates these kinds of differentiation. Differences of good and bad are imagined and created, just as a garland is fashioned. When men possess devotion towards the illustrious Vasudeva, because of the strength of knowledge and detachment, nothing is no longer desired or sought after. I, Virinchi, Kumara, 607 Narada, Brahma’s sons, the sages and the lords of the gods do not know a part of the parts of what his intentions are. Those who pride themselves on being separate lords do not know his true form. There is nothing that he likes, there is nothing that he does not like. There is no one who is his own. There is no one who is not his own. His atman is in all living beings. Hari loves all living beings. The immensely fortunate Chitraketu is his beloved follower. Achyuta looks upon everyone impartially. He is tranquil. He 608 is loved by him and so am I. Therefore, I do not wonder at what such great-souled persons do. Those who are devoted to the great being are serene and impartial towards everyone.” O king! Having heard what the illustrious Shiva said, the goddess lost her sense of wonder and became tranquil. The illustrious one’s devotee 609 was capable of cursing the goddess back. However, following the traits of a virtuous person, he did not do so and accepted her curse on his head. He accepted birth as a danava and was born from Tvashta’s dakshinagni fire. He possessed jnana and vijnana and was famous as Vritra. I have thus told you everything that you had asked me about. I have also described how Vritra, whose mind was on the illustrious one, was born as an asura. This is the sacred history of the great-souled Chitraketu. If a person hears about this greatness of Vishnu’s devotees, he is freed from bondage. If a person gets up in the morning and faithfully recites this history, remembering Hari, he obtains the supreme destination.’

  Chapter 6(18)

  Shri-Shuka said, ‘Prishni, Savita’s wife, had three daughters—Savitri, Vyahriti and Trayi. Her sons were Agnihotra, Pashu, Soma, Chaturmasya and the great sacrifices. 610 O dear one! Siddhi, Bhaga’s wife, had the sons Mahiman, Vibhu and Prabhu. She also gave birth to a beautiful daughter who was firm in her vows. Her name was Ashis. From among Dhatri’s wives, progressively, Kuhu gave birth to Sayam, Sinivali gave birth to Darsha, Raka gave birth to Prata and Anumati gave birth to Purnamasa. 611 Through Kriya, Samantara had the fire gods known as Purishyas. 612 Through Charshani, Bhrigu was born again as Varuna’s son. 613 The great yogi, Valmiki, was born through a termite hill. 614 The two rishis, Agastya and Vasishtha, were the sons of Mitra and Varuna. When they saw Urvashi, they swiftly deposited their semen in a pot. 615 Through Revati, Mitra had the sons Utsarga, Arishta and Pippala. O son! We have heard that through Poulami, the lord Indra had three sons—Jayanta, Rishabha and Midhusha as the third. Using his maya, the god Urukrama assumed the form of a dwarf. Through his wife, Kirti, he had a son named Brihacchloka, who in turn, had sons, Soubhaga and the others. I will later describe how this great-souled son of Kashyapa descended as Aditi’s son and his deeds, qualities and valour. 616

  ‘I will now recount Kashyapa’s sons through Diti. Among them were the prosperous devotees of the illustrious one, Prahlada and Bali. Diti had two sons who were worshipped by daityas and danavas. Their names are famous as Hiranyakashipu and Hiranyaksha. Hiranyakashipu’s daughter was the danava lady named Kayadhu. She was Jambha’s daughter and gave birth to four sons—Samhlada as the eldest, Anuhlada, Hlada and Prahlada. Their sister was named Simhika. She married Viprachitti and had a son named Rahu. While he was drinking the amrita, Hari severed his head with his chakra. Kriti, Samhlada’s wife, had Panchajana as a son. Dhamani, Hlada’s wife, had Vatapi and Ilvala as her sons. To serve Agastya as a guest, it was Ilvala who cooked Vatapi. Through Surmya, Anuhlada had the sons Bashkala and Mahisha. Prahlada’s son was Virochana. Through Devi, Virochana had a son named Bali. Through Ashana, Bali had one hundred sons and Bana was the eldest. Through excellent shlokas, we will later describe his praiseworthy character. 617 Bana worshipped Girisha and became the chief among his attendants. Even now, the illustrious one 618 is still by his side and is the protector of his city. The forty-nine Maruts were the sons of Diti. All of them were without offspring. Indra took them and made them his own.’

  The king asked, ‘O preceptor! Their nature was that of asuras and that is how they were born. How did Indra accept them and make them his own? Did they perform any auspicious deeds? I, and all the brahmana rishis, are eager to know about this. O illustrious one! You should explain it to us.’

  Suta said, ‘O Shounaka! Badarayana’s son heard Vishnurata’s words. They were brief, but full of meaning. The omniscient one praised them and delighted in his mind, addressed him in this way.’

  Shri-Shuka said, ‘To help Shakra, Vishnu killed Diti’s sons. 619 She blazed in grief and rage. Inflamed, she started to think. “The hard-hearted one 620 is addicted to his senses and is wicked. He has slain his brothers. 621 After having brought about his death, how will I lie down in peace? This body, known as a lord, is also known as worms, excrement and ashes. 622 He has caused injury to beings. He does not know what is good for him and will go to hell. He is foolish in intelligence and thinks of this body as permanent. I must certainly have a son who will dry up Indra’s insolence.” With these sentiments, she constantly did what would bring her husband pleasure. With humility, self-control and love, she served him. O king! Knowing his mind, she charmed his mind with great devotion, sweet words, smiles and sidelong glances. Though he was learned and in control of his mind, he was thus enchanted by a woman. This is the wonderful nature of women. Unable to resist, he agreed to what she said. At the beginning of creation, Prajapati saw that beings were not attached. From one half of his own body, he created women, so that the intelligence of men could be taken away. O son! The illustrious Kashyapa was thus served by the woman. Extremely happy, he smiled and, applauding Diti, spoke these words. Kashyapa said, “O one with the beautiful thighs! I am pleased with you. O unblemished one! Ask for a boon. When a husband is extremely delighted with his wife, what desire cannot be accomplished in this world or the next? It has been said that the husband is the supreme divinity for a woman. Vasudeva is Shri’s husband and is in the minds of all creatures. His signs of divinity are thought of in many names and forms, and men worship the illustrious one through these. However, women worship him in the forms of their husbands. O one with the excellent waist! Therefore, women who desire their own well-being are devoted to their husbands. With single-minded attention, they worship their husbands, since they are the lord’s forms. O fortunate one! I have been faithfully worshipped by you with that kind of sentiment. I will hence accomplish your desire, which is extremely difficult for unchaste women to obtain.” Diti replied, “O brahmana! If you wish to grant me a boon, I want a son who will kill Indra and will be immortal. He has killed my sons and I am a lady whose sons have been slain.” Hearing her words, the brahmana was distressed and lamented. “Alas! A great adharma has presented itself before me today. Alas! I have become addicted to the gratification of the senses, to this world and to the charms of a woman. That has robbed me of my senses. Wretched that I am, I will certainly descend into hell. In this world, women follow their own nature and she has committed no crime. Shame on me. I do not know what is good for me. I have not been able to conquer my senses. A woman’s face is like a blooming autumn lotus. Her words are like nectar to the ear. But her heart is as sharp as a razor. Who knows what she is trying to do? No one is loved by a woman. But
to accomplish her own wishes, she will easily pretend that. She can kill her husband, her son or her brother, or cause them to be killed. But I have given her my word and my words should not be false. Indra should not be killed. Therefore, I must think of an appropriate means.” O descendant of the Kuru lineage! Marichi’s illustrious son thought in this way. Slightly angry with himself and condemning himself, he spoke.

  ‘Kashyapa said, “O fortunate one! You will have a son and he will be a friend to those who are not gods. However, you will have to properly undertake a vow for one year.”

  ‘Diti replied, “O brahmana! I will observe the vow. Tell me what I must do. What is prohibited? What results in the vow being broken?”

  ‘Kashyapa said, “You must not cause injury to any being. You will not curse. Nor will you utter a falsehood. You will not pare your nails or cut your hair. You will not touch anything that is impure. You must not bathe by entering the water. You will not be angry. You will not speak with wicked people. You will not wear unwashed garments. You will never wear a garland that has been worn earlier. You will not eat leftovers. You will not eat food offered to the goddess Chandika. You will not eat meat, or food that has been brought by a vrishala. You will not eat food that has been seen by a woman in her menstrual period. You will not drink water from your cupped hands. After eating, you must rinse your mouth with water. When it is evening, your hair must not be loose. You will not go out without wearing ornaments, or without covering yourself. You will be restrained in speech. Without washing your feet, you will not sleep. You will not sleep with your feet wet. You will not lie down with your head facing the north or the west. You will not lie down with others, naked, or during the two sandhyas. You will always wear washed garments and be pure. Before breakfast, with all the auspicious objects, you must worship cattle, brahmanas, Shri and Achyuta. With garlands, fragrances, offerings and ornaments, you will worship women who have sons and husbands who are alive. You must serve and worship your husband and meditate that it is he who is in your womb. In this way, without any deviation, you must observe the pumsavana 623 vow for one year. If you can sustain this, you will have a son who will kill Shakra.”’

  Shri-Shuka continued, ‘O king! The great-minded Diti agreed to this. She conceived through Kashyapa and started to rigidly observe the vow. O one who grants honours! Indra got to know what his mother’s sister intended. The wise one went to Diti’s hermitage and started to tend to her. From time to time, he always brought her flowers, fruits, roots, kindling, kusha grass, leaves, sprouts, earth and water from the forest. O king! She was observing her vow and Hari 624 sought for a violation of the vow. Searching, he served her deceitfully, like a hunter of deer disguised in the form of deer. O lord of the earth! However, though he was intent, he could not detect any weaknesses. Shakra was overcome by deep thoughts. “How can I ensure my well-being?” Once, during the evening, she was exhausted from having observed the vow and was confounded by destiny. After eating, she went to sleep without having rinsed her mouth and without having washed her feet with water. When she was unconscious and asleep, Shakra detected the opportunity. He was a lord of yoga. Using yoga maya, he entered Diti’s womb. Using his vajra, he severed the foetus, which had the complexion of gold, into seven parts. When it repeatedly cried, he said, “Do not cry,” and sliced each of the fragments into seven pieces each. O king! While they were being struck, all of them joined their hands in salutation and said, “O Indra! Why are you killing us? We are your brothers, the Maruts.” 625 Koushika 626 saw that the large number of Maruts were devoted to him. He replied, “O brothers! Do not be scared. You will be with me.” He made them his companions. Because of Shrinivasa’s 627 compassion, the foetus in Diti’s womb didn’t die, though it was sliced into many bits by the vajra weapon, just as you were saved from the weapon of Drona’s son. Diti worshipped Hari for a little less than a year. If a man worships the original being even once, he goes to a place where he has the same form as the illustrious one. Together with Indra, the Maruts became fifty gods. 628 Hari removed their maternal taint and gave them a right to drink soma. When she arose, 629 Diti saw those sons, who were like the sun in their radiance. They were with Indra and the unblemished lady was satisfied. She told Indra, “O son! I performed this extremely difficult vow because I desired a son whom the Adityas would find to be terrible. I wished to have one son. How have I got forty-nine? O son! If you know the truth, tell me. Do not lie.” Indra replied, “O mother! Discerning your intention, I approached you. I disregarded dharma and pursued what was good for me. I sought for a weakness and, finding it, I severed the foetus. I severed the foetus into seven parts and they became seven sons. I severed each of these into seven more parts, but they did not die. Having witnessed this extraordinary event, I came to the conclusion that this secondary success must have come about through worshipping the great being. 630 Those who worship the illustrious one without desiring any objective in this world, or wishing for something in the next world, are said to be accomplished in pursuing what is best for them. The divinity who is the lord of the universe is part of one’s own atman and bestows his own atman. After worshipping him, which learned person will wish to be touched by the gunas? Those are also available in hell. O great lady! I committed this wicked act out of foolishness. O mother! You should pardon me. It is good fortune that the dead foetus has come back to life.” She was satisfied with Indra’s pure sentiments and gave him permission to leave. Taking the Maruts with him, the lord went to heaven. I have thus told you everything that you had asked me about, including the auspicious birth of the Maruts. What else shall I tell you?’

  Chapter 6(19)

  The king asked, ‘O brahmana! You have spoken about the pumsavana vow, through which, Vishnu is pleased. I wish to know about it.’

  Shri-Shuka replied, ‘With the permission of her husband, a woman must start this vow on the first day of shukla paksha in the month of Margashirsa. 631 It yields all the objects of desire. She must hear about the birth of the Maruts and invite brahmanas. She must bathe and clean her teeth, attiring herself in two white pieces of garment thereafter. She must adorn herself with ornaments. Before breakfast, she must worship the illustrious one and Shri. “O one who expects nothing! O one who has accomplished all his desires! I bow down before you. You are the lord of all the great opulence. I bow down before the one who has accomplished all objectives. O lord! You possess the qualities of compassion, power, energy, greatness, and everything else. You are the illustrious lord. O Vishnu’s wife! You possess great maya. You possess the signs of a great being. O immensely fortunate one! Please be pleased with me. O mother of the worlds! I bow down before you. Oum! I bow down before the illustrious great being who is great in his sentiments. O husband of the one with great opulence! O one with great opulence! I am rendering you these offerings.” Every day, controlling oneself, Vishnu must be invoked with this mantra and with arghya, padya, water, bath, garments, the sacred thread, ornaments, fragrances, flowers, incense, lamps, food and other such objects. 632 Whatever is left of the offerings must be offered as oblations into the fire twelve times, with the mantra, “Oum! I bow down before the illustrious and great being, the lord of great opulence. Svaha.” 633 If one desires boons and benedictions and all kinds of prosperity, one must always devotedly worship the two divinities, Shri and Vishnu. Humble in intelligence, she must prostrate herself on the ground, like a rod. Thereafter, she must chant this mantra ten times. “You are the lords of the entire universe and the supreme cause behind the universe. This is subtle Prakriti and the power of her maya is extremely difficult to overcome. You are yourself her lord and the supreme being. You are all the sacrifices, while she is the act of sacrificing. You are the one who enjoys the fruits. This goddess is the manifestation of the gunas, while you cause that manifestation and enjoy the gunas. You are the atman in all living bodies. Shri is the body, the senses and the mind. The illustrious one 634 represents the names and forms, while you are their support and cause their manife
station. You two are the supreme lords and the granters of boons in the three worlds. O Uttamashloka! Therefore, let my great desires be successful.” Along with Shri, Shrinivasa, the granter of boons, must thus be worshipped. Thereafter, having removed the objects of worship, she must worship again with offerings of water. 635 With a humble mind, she must devotedly worship, using the stotram 636 mentioned. Having inhaled what is left of what was offered into the fire, she must worship Hari again. With great devotion in her mind, she must worship her husband as an aspect of the great being. Her own husband, who is loving towards her, will lovingly help in all the rites undertaken by his wife, great or small. From the couple, it is sufficient if one person undertakes the worship. If the wife is unable, 637 the husband must control himself and undertake it. When one is undertaking this vow to Vishnu, one must never break it. Every day, with devotion, she must worship brahmanas and women who have surviving husbands and sons, with garlands, fragrances, offerings and ornaments. She must also adhere to the rituals and worship the god. Thereafter, after requesting the god to leave for his abode, she must eat what had been offered to him earlier, for the sake of her purification and prosperity and the accomplishment of all desires. This mode of worship must be followed for a period of twelve months. After one year has passed, the virtuous lady must fast on the last day in the month of Kartika. 638 When it is the morning of the next day, she must touch water and as earlier, worship Krishna. According to the ordinances of paka-yajna, 639 boiled milk must be mixed with charu and ghee and the husband must offer this, twelve times, into the fire. Thereafter, he must bow his head down before the brahmanas and accept the benedictions they happily pronounce. With their permission, he must faithfully eat. Controlled in his speech, he must feed the preceptor and his relatives. After that, for the sake of excellent offspring and excellent fortune, the wife will eat what is left of the charu. If a man follows this vow in the proper way, he obtains everything that he desires from the lord. A woman receives good fortune, prosperity, offspring, a long life for her husband, fame and a house. A maiden who does not have a husband obtains a husband with all the signs and a destination that is free of sin. A woman whose sons have died obtains sons who will remain alive. She also becomes the mistress of riches. An extremely unfortunate woman obtains good fortune. One without beauty obtains great beauty. A diseased person becomes free of disease, obtaining health and a full complement of senses in the body. If one recites this when auspicious acts are undertaken, the gods and the ancestors are satisfied. When the oblations are over, if they are satisfied, the fire god, Shri and Hari confer all the objects of desire. O king! This is the great and auspicious account of the birth of the Maruts and Diti’s vow. I have described it to you.’