The Markandeya Purana Page 46

  Chapter 118

  ‘Markandeya said, “After this, the king went to Gomati, the destroyer of sins. He controlled himself and satisfied the god Purandara. He tormented himself through fierce austerities. He controlled his speech, body and mind. For the sake of offspring, the lord of the earth controlled himself and pleased Purandara. O great sage! The illustrious Indra, the lord of the gods, was satisfied with his hymns, austerities and devotion and told him, ‘O lord of the earth! I am satisfied with your austerities, devotion and the hymns you have uttered. Tell me about the boon that you desire.’ The king replied, ‘I am without a son. May I have a son who will be supreme among those who wield weapons. May his prosperity always be unimpeded. May he act in accordance with dharma. May he know about dharma. May he be successful.’ Shakra agreed to this and the king accomplished his desire. O lord of the earth! To protect the subjects, he returned to his own city. He performed a sacrifice and protected the subjects properly. O brahmana! Through Shakra’s favours, a son was born to him. His father, the lord of the earth, gave him the name of Balashva. He had his son receive instruction in all the different kinds of weapons.

  ‘“O brahmana! After his father, he became the king and emperor. Balashva brought all the kings on earth under his subjugation and made them pay the best of taxes as tribute. He became the king of all the land and protected the subjects. However, all those Indras among men and their heirs were indomitable. Though they never rose up against him, they did not pay the taxes either. They were no longer satisfied and set themselves up in their own territories. Thereafter, those kings seized the land of that Indra among men. O sage! The lord of the earth used his strength to cling onto his own kingdom. But there were many kings who laid siege to his own city. Those extremely valiant ones assembled with their equipment and their riches. Those lords of men confined the lord of the earth to his own city. Having been confined within his own city, the lord of the earth was enraged. But his treasury was exhausted and he had limited means to punish them. Therefore, he suffered from supreme grief. O supreme among brahmanas! He did not see any succour in his own army. He covered his face in his hands, and suffering from mental anguish, sighed. The breath from his mouth emerged through the space between his hands. As it emerged, it created hundreds of warriors, chariots, elephants and horses. O sage! Within a short period of time, the entire city of the king was covered by this extremely large force, very strong in its essence. Surrounded by that extremely large force, the lord of men emerged from his city and vanquished everyone. Having defeated them, he brought them under his subjugation and compelled them to pay taxes again. As was the case earlier, the immensely fortunate lord of men obtained great prosperity. Since the trembling of his hands generated an army that caused the enemy to be destroyed, Balashva came to be known as Karandhama. 989 The great-souled one had dharma in his soul and was friendly towards all creatures. O lord of the earth! He became famous in the three worlds under the name of Karandhama. He had gone through great affliction. But the force created, through dharma from the agitation, led to the destruction of the enemy and itself appeared before him.”’

  Chapter 119

  ‘Markandeya said, “Viryachandra’s daughter possessed excellent eyebrows and was auspicious in her vows. Her name was Vira. In a svayamvara, she accepted the great king, Karandhama. The valiant Indra among kings had a son through her. On the surface of the earth, he became famous under the name of Avikshit. When he was born, the king asked those who knew about destiny. 990 ‘Has my son been born under an auspicious nakshatra and an auspicious lagna? Have they looked down on my son’s birth in a benevolent way? There are evil planets. I hope he has not come into the sight of vision of such planets.’ Thus asked, those who knew about destiny spoke to the lord of men. ‘Your son’s muhurta, nakshatra and lagna are auspicious. He has been born such that he will be immensely valiant, immensely fortunate and immensely strong. O great king! Your son will be a great king. The preceptor of the gods has looked at him from the seventh house and Shukra is also in the seventh house. 991 Soma is looking at him from the fourth house. Stationed at the edge, Soma’s son is looking at him. O great king. Savitar, Bhouma and Shanaishchara have not looked at him. Your son is blessed. He possesses all the good signs and will possess prosperity.’ Hearing the words of those who knew about destiny, the mind of the lord of the earth was filled with delight. He went to his house and said, ‘The preceptor of the gods, Soma and Soma’s son have looked at him. Aditya, the sun’s son 992 and Bhouma have not looked at him. When you 993 spoke, you used the expression “look at” several times. Therefore, he will be famous by the name of Avikshit.’ His son, Avikshit, became accomplished in the Vedas and the Vedangas. From Kanva’s son, he acquired the knowledge of using every kind of weapon. The king’s son surpassed the two physicians of the gods 994 in his beauty. He surpassed Vachaspati 995 in intelligence, the moon in loveliness, Ravi in energy, the ocean in fortitude and the earth in tolerance. He was brave. There was no one who was equal to the great-souled one in valour.

  ‘“At a svayamvara, Hemadharma’s daughter, Vara, accepted him as her husband. So did Sudeva’s daughter, Gouri; Bali’s daughter, Subhadra; Vira’s daughter, Lilavati; Virabhadra’s daughter, Nibha; Bhima’s daughter, Manyavati; and Dambha’s daughter, Kumudvati. Because the time wasn’t right, a few did not accept him at their svayamvaras. Nevertheless, the king’s valiant son seized them by force. Resorting to his own valour, he fended off all the kings and all those from the lineages of their fathers. He was strong and he was proud of his strength. The daughter of the lord of Vishala possessed excellent teeth and her name was Vaishalini. She was from Vishala and the time arrived for her svayamvara. But she did not choose him voluntarily. O brahmana rishi! He was proud of his strength and had seized others by force. Therefore, he defeated all the kings and seized her in that way. All the many respected kings were repulsed and were extremely dejected. Anxious, they assembled and spoke to each other. ‘How can we pardon this deceit committed by a single person against all of us powerful ones? Shame on us kings! All of us have been born in a single varna. 996 When a person is being slain by someone who is wicked and insolent, a kshatriya is someone who saves him from injury. If a person does not do this, he takes that name only in vain. When a wicked person acted against us, we weren’t able to save ourselves from harm. Having been born in the lineage of a kshatriya, what do you 997 wish to do now? The sutas, magadhas and bandis utter praises for us. Let those be true. O brave ones! Because we were destroyed by the enemy, let that not be falsified. O lords of the earth! Let spies not spread this account of our conduct in different directions. All of us have been born in distinguished lineages. Let us resort to our manliness. Why should we be scared of dying? Without fighting in battle, who can become an immortal? Our conduct should be based on manliness and the use of weapons. Let us think about that.’ Hearing this, all the kings were visibly filled with intolerance. All of them spoke to each other and stood up, raising their weapons. Some mounted chariots. Some mounted elephants. Others mounted horses. Others succumbed to rage and advanced with foot soldiers.”’

  Chapter 120

  ‘Markandeya said, “At that time, there were many kings who had been destroyed. But some kings who had been repulsed, remained and they prepared themselves for fighting. O sage! A terrible encounter ensued between several excellent kings and the son of the king, fighting alone. Extremely unassailable, they attacked him with swords, spears, clubs and arrows in their hands and fought. He fought against all of them. The son of the king was accomplished in the use of weapons and pierced them with one hundred fierce arrows. Those powerful ones also struck him back with sharp arrows. Some had their arms severed. Others had their heads sliced off. Some were pierced in the hearts. Others were struck in the chest. The trunks of elephants were severed and the heads of horses. He struck the chariots and the horses yoked to the chariots. In other cases, he struck the charioteers. With arrows that rained down, he splintered the arrows of the
enemy into two. Exhibiting his dexterity, he severed the swords of some and the bows of others. The son of a king tore apart the armour of an enemy and killed him. Some were killed by Avikshit. Others fled from the field of battle on foot. That entire band of kings was thus agitated. There were seven hundred brave ones who were determined that they were going to die. They were young and born in noble lineages. They were brave, but modest. Meanwhile, all the other soldiers were defeated and were intent on running away. The son of the king fought with the assembled kings. He was not excessively angry and fought in accordance with the dharma followed in fighting. The extremely strong one shattered their vehicles and their armour. O great sage! Filled with rage, they abandoned dharma. Though he fought in accordance with dharma, they fought against him. 998 The faces of those princes became wet with beads of perspiration. He pierced one with torrents of arrows and splintered the bow of another. Using his arrows, he severed the standard of another and brought it down on the ground. One struck his horses and another shattered his chariot. One struck him with a blow of the club and another pierced him in the back with arrows. 999 When his bow was splintered, the son of a king was filled with rage. He seized a sword and a shield, but those were also brought down. When his sword and shield were severed, the best among those who fought with a club seized a club. However, displaying the dexterity of his hands, another one used a kshurapra arrow to cut it down. The kings turned their faces away from the principles of fighting according to dharma. They hemmed him in from all sides. One pierced him with one thousand arrows, another with one hundred. He was alone and was afflicted by many. Distraught, he fell down on the ground and those immensely fortunate princes bound him up. Using adharma, they captured the son of a king.

  ‘“Along with King Vishala, they entered the city of Vaidisha. They were happy and delighted at having been able to capture the prince. They brought him before the maiden whose svayamvara had been arranged. 1000 The king and the priest repeatedly told her, ‘From amongst these kings, choose whichever one appeals to you as a groom.’ O sage! The proud maiden did not accept any of them as a groom. At this, the lord of men asked an astrologer about her marriage. ‘Tell me about the best day for her marriage. There has been a battle today and that must have given rise to this impediment.’ Asked by the Indra among men, the one who knew about destiny thought. He discerned the ultimate truth and therefore, distressed in his mind, he spoke to the lord of the earth. ‘O lord of the earth! Without much delay, there will be other excellent and auspicious lagnas. O one who grants honours! Conduct the marriage when those days arrive. Since a great impediment has presented itself, enough about this now.’”’

  Chapter 121

  ‘Markandeya said, “Karandhama heard that his son had been bound. His wife, Vira, and all the other kings also heard this. The lord of the earth heard that his son had been bound by following adharma. O great sage! For a long time, he had consultations with the kings who were his neighbours. Some lords of the earth said that all those kings, who had followed adharma and had bound him with many fighting against one, should be slain. Some said, ‘Why are we delaying? Let the army be swiftly prepared.’ Others who had assembled said, ‘The wicked Vishala should be killed.’ However, there were lords of the earth who also said, ‘Avikshit deviated from dharma first. Though she was unwilling, he unjustly seized her by force. At the svayamvara, he simultaneously countered all the princes. But when all of them got together, he has been subdued.’ Vira was a mother who had given birth to a brave son and she heard their words. She had been born in a brave gotra and she was the delighted wife of a brave husband. She spoke in the presence of her husband and the kings. ‘O lords of the earth! My son’s arms are used for the good and he has acted well. He has defeated all the lords of the earth and seized the maiden by force. He fought in that cause. However, when he was bound, he was single-handed and that is not in accordance with dharma. I do not think that affects my son’s honour in any way. This is indeed the manliness a man displays when he is under the influence of intolerance. When a lion desires to kill its enemies, it does not think of good policy. When maidens were presented at their svayamvaras, my son seized many, while those extremely proud lords of the earth looked on. How can there be a comparison between a person born in a kshatriya lineage and a person born in an inferior lineage who is begging for something? In the presence of the strong, a kshatriya uses his strength to seize. Even when he is subjugated and is bound in iron chains, he is not distressed. Even kings who follow dharma use force. Therefore, enough of this weakness in the mind. Bondage is praiseworthy. You should bring down and kill those who have a former enmity towards you and enjoy the earth, their lands, their sons and other things, even their wives. 1001 For the sake of valour, that is the path that leads to great honour. Therefore, you should swiftly prepare to do battle, ascending chariots and other mounts. Without any delay, ready the elephants, the horses and the charioteers. Are you thinking about a battle with many kings? Even if he has few on his side, there is plenty to satisfy a brave person when fighting with many. Who is not capable of defeating a limited number of kings in battle? If they do not give rise to fear, the enemies aren’t valorous. When a man acts so as to defeat those who envelop the worlds, like the sun driving away darkness, he is the one who acts in an exceedingly brave way.’ O sage! In this way, King Karandhama was goaded by his wife. He made efforts to ready the army and kill those who had caused his son injury.

  ‘“O great sage! There was a battle between him and King Vishala and all those who had bound his son. The battle between King Karandhama and those who followed Vishala lasted for three days. When that array of kings had generally been defeated, Vishala appeared before Karandhama, holding arghya in his hand. Worshipped by the king, Karandhama was delighted. With his son having been freed, he happily spent the night there. O brahmana rishi! Bringing his daughter with him, Vishala presented himself before him and Avikshit spoke to his father about the marriage. ‘O king! I will not accept her, or any other woman, in front of whose eyes I have been defeated in battle. Bestow her on someone else. Let her choose someone else whose fame has been left intact and who has not been insulted by the enemy. Since I have been defeated by the enemy, I am as incapable as a woman. Where is my manliness? There is no difference between her and me. Independence is the trait of a man. Dependence on another is always a woman’s trait. If a man is dependent on others, what kind of manliness does he exhibit? She has often seen my face. How will I again show her my face? In her sight, I have been disabled and brought down to the ground by enemy kings.’ Thus addressed by his son, the lord of the earth spoke. 1002 ‘O child! You have heard the words spoken by the great-souled one. O beautiful one! Choose a husband in whom your heart finds pleasure. Choose whoever you honour. O one with the beautiful face! We will grant you a habitation in any place that lies in the sun’s path.’ The maiden replied, ‘Acting properly, he has been defeated by many who did not act properly. O lord of the earth! This kind of battle does not damage his fame or his valour. Single-handedly, he fought against many, like a lion against elephants. By standing his ground like that, he has manifested supreme valour. Not only did he remain steadfast in battle, all of them defeated him together. By striving against many, he exhibited his bravery. He fought according to dharma and was full of bravery and valour. All the kings followed adharma and defeated him. Where is the shame in this? O father! 1003 I do not hanker after him only because of his beauty. His bravery, valour and fortitude have stolen my heart. What is the need to speak a lot? For my sake, please beseech this extremely great-minded king. No one else will be my husband.’ Vishala said, ‘O prince! My daughter has spoken these excellent words. Indeed, there is no other prince on earth who is your equal. Your bravery and valour are beyond any dispute. O brave one! Accept my daughter and purify my lineage.’ The prince responded, ‘O king! I will not accept her, or any other woman. O lord of men! My intelligence is entirely feminine in nature now.’ After this, Karandhama said, ‘O son!
Accept her. The heart of Vishala’s daughter, with the excellent eyebrows, is firmly fixed on you.’ The prince replied, ‘O lord! I have not violated your commands ever before. O father! Therefore, command me and I will carry out your command.’ Vishala saw that the king’s son was firm in his determination. His mind was troubled and he told his daughter, ‘O daughter! Take your mind away from him. There is no need for this. There are many princes. Choose someone else as your husband.’ The maiden answered, ‘O father! If he does not desire me, then I ask for the boon that no one else will be my husband, even in other births. I will perform austerities.’ King Karandhama spent three happy days with Vishala and then returned to his own city.