१३ त्रयोदशदशकः - उतथ्यमहिमा
13 trayodashadashakah' - utathyamahimaa
(Greatness of Utathya)
(This is the continuation of the story given in last chapter.
Once utathya(Sathyavrutha) was doing thapas ,He saw a pig
running away from a hunter. The hunter arrived and asked
the sage to tell the truth. He told him, “Those who saw do
not speak and those who speak do not see. The confused
hunter went back, This story occurs in chapters 11 of book
3 of Devi bhagawatha )
अथागतः कश्चिदश्चिज्यिन्वा
मुश्चििं श्चिषादः सहसा जगाद ।
त्विं सत्यवाग्ब्रूश्चह मु िे त्वया श्चकिं
दृष्टः श्चकश्च ः सायकश्चवद्धदे हः ॥ १३-१॥
athaagatah' kashchidadhijyadhanvaa
munim nishaadah' sahasaa jagaada .
tvam satyavaagbroohi mune tvayaa kim
dri'sht'ah' kit'ih' saayakaviddhadehah' .. 13-1..
1.Immediately one hunter armed with bow and arrow, Came
and asked the sage” Are you not the one who speaks the
truth? So tell me, Did you see a boar hurt by an arrow here.”
The story of Utathya continues. We had already told the story
of a boar, wounded by an arrow and covered in blood, taking
shelter inside a creeper bush. Enquiring about that boar a
hunter came that way. The hunter asked utathya-‘did you see
a boar’. the hunter knew that utathya did not tell lies.
दृष्टस्त्वया चेद्वद सू करः क्व
गतो ि वाऽदृश्यत श्चकिं मुिीन्द्र ।
अहिं श्चिषादः खलु वन्यवृश्चिर्
ममास्ति दाराश्चदकपोष्यवगगः ॥ १३-२॥
dri'sht'astvayaa chedvada sookarah' kva
gato na vaa'dri'shyata kim muneendra .
aham nishaadah' khalu vanyavri'ttir
mamaasti daaraadikaposhyavargah' .. 13-2..
2.Oh king of saints if you have seen the boar please do tell
me. Where has it gone? As I am a hunter I depend on the
forest to live. As I have the duty to look after my wife and
others.
The nishada askes utathya-“did you see the boar? If you have
seen it please tell me-where did that boar go? I hunt in the
forest and live my life by eating other things from the forest-
a simple nishada. I have a family-my wife and others. I have a
responsibility of giving them food. I am enquiring about that
boar because I need food.”
The nishada was was not talking like somebody who has no
principles. In fact he was talking humbly like a householder
who has a lot of responsibilities.
On seeing the Muni Satyavrata sitting there alone and silent on the Kuśa grass
seat, the hunter bowed down to him and asked “O Brāhmin! Whither has that
boar gone. I know very well everything about you that you never speak untruth;
therefore I am enquiring about the boar pierced by my arrows. My family
members are all very hungry; and to feed them, I am come out in this hunting.
This is the living, ordained by the Fate; I have got no other means of maintaining
the livelihood of my family. This I speak truly to you; whether it is bad or good, I
will have to maintain my family with it. O Brāhmaṇ! You are famous as Satyavrata;
my family members are starving; kindly reply quickly where that boar has gone?”
श्रुत्वा श्चिषादस्य वचो मुश्चिः स
तूष्ीिं स्तथथतश्चिन्तयश्चत स्म गाढम् ।
वदाश्चम श्चकिं दृष्ट इतीयगते चेद्
हन्यादयिं तिं मम चाप्यघिं स्यात् ॥ १३-३॥
shrutvaa nishaadasya vacho munih' sa
tooshneem sthitashchintayati sma gaad'ham .
vadaami kim dri'sht'a iteeryate chedd
hanyaadayam tam mama chaapyagham syaat .. 13-3..
3.The sage who heard the words of the hunter, remained
silent and was drowned in deep thought, “What shall I do? If
I tell I have seen, he will kill it, and the Sin of causing its
death would come to me.
“did you see the boar? If you have seen please tell me-where
has it gone?”-hearing these words of the nishada utathya
was speechless. ‘The boar is inside the creeper bush’ i can say
that if I want. If I tell the nishada then immediately he will go
into the bush. Kill the boar. supporting him in the act of
killing will be equivalent to committing a sin. If I tell “I did not
see the boar” then that will be a lie. Satyavrata should not tell
lies-----he should not even think about telling a lie. And like
utathya’s thoughts got lengthened.
Thus asked by the hunter, the Mahātmā Satyavrata was merged in an
ocean of doubt; he began to argue “If I say I have not seen the boar
then my vow to speak the truth will certainly be broken.The boar
struck with arrows has gone this way, it is true. How can I tell a lie?
Again this man is hungry and is therefore asking, he will instantly kill
the boar no sooner he finds him. How then can I speak truth?
सत्यिं िरिं रक्षश्चत रश्चक्षतिं चे -
दसत्यवक्ता िरकिं व्रजेच्च ।
सत्यिं श्चह सत्यिं सदयिं , ि श्चकश्चित्
सत्यिं कृपाशून्यश्चमदिं मतिं मे ॥ १३-४॥
satyam naram rakshati rakshitam che-
dasatyavaktaa narakam vrajechcha .
satyam hi satyam sadayam, na kinchitsatyam
kri'paashoonyamidam matam me .. 13-4..
4. My opinion is that, if we protect the truth it would be
martyrdom and a liar would go to hell. Truth alongwith
mercy is truth and truth Without mercy is definitely not the
truth.
One should not tell lies or think about telling lies-that is
correct. Suppose by telling one truth it leads to a killing? Can
we tell that truth? Should we tell? Or to avoid the sin of
killing should one lie?-like this utathya got into deep
thinking. Final he reached this deduction-man should protect
the truth. Only then will the truth protect man. What is
truth? What is the basis for truth? He came to a solution: “all
truths need not be the truth. The truth that is filled with
compassion is the truth. All truths devoid of compassion is
not truth.” This was utathya’s final deduction
Where speaking out the truth causes injury and the loss of lives, that
truth is no truth at all; moreover, even untruth, when tempered with
mercy for the welfare of others, is recognised as truth. Really
speaking, whatever leads to the welfare of all the beings in this world,
that is truth; and every thing else is not truth.
एविं मुिेश्चिन्तयतः स्वकायग -
व्यग्रो श्चिषादः पुिरे वमूचे ।
दृष्टस्त्वया श्चकिं स श्चकश्च िग श्चकिं वा
दृष्टः स शीघ्रिं कथयात्र सत्यम् ॥ १३-५॥
evam muneshchintayatah' svakaarya-
vyagro nishaadah' punarevamooche .
dri'sht'astvayaa kim sa kit'irna kim vaa
dri'sht'ah' sa sheeghram kathayaatra satyam .. 13-5..
5.When the sage was thinking like this, The hunter who was
interested only in his affair, Again asked like this ”Did you
see that boar?, Did you not see it?. Tell quickly and tell the
truth.”
Utathya was thinking about the clarity of his answers, when
the nishada ignoring that fact asked his next question. He
had a one track mind-before the boar jumped and ran away
to catch it. Compassion, truth all were not a concern for the
nishada. ‘Did you see the boar? If you have seen it please say
so or if you have not seen please say that also’-this was the
nishada’s need. When the sage did not reply, the nishada
kept on repeating the question.
मुश्चििमाहात्र पुिः पुिः श्चकिं
श्चिषाद मािं पृच्छश्चस मोहमग्नः ।
पश्यि् ि भाषेत ि च रुवाणः
पश्येदलिं वास्तिरवेश्चह सत्यम् ॥ १३-६॥
munistamaahaatra punah' punah' kim
nishaada maam pri'chchhasi mohamagnah' .
pashyan na bhaasheta na cha bruvaanah'
pashyedalam vaagbhiravehi satyam .. 13-6..
6.The sage told the hunter, “ Oh hunter , now, You seem to
be drowned in desire and you are , Asking me again and
again. Those who see , Would not speak and those who
speak do not know, Reduce your words and understand
the truth.
‘did you or did you not see?’ say-this was the nishada’s
request. The answer to that question is what the sage said-
one who sees will not tell, one who tells will not see also’.
One who can see means ‘Eye’. The eyes do not tell. One who
tells is the ‘Tongue’. The tongue cannot see. So now you
need not ask.
उन्माश्चदिो जल्पिमेतदे विं
मत्वा श्चिषादः सहसा जगाम ।
ि सत्यमुक्तिं मुश्चििा ि कोलो
हति सवं तव दे श्चव लीलाः ॥ १३-७॥
unmaadino jalpanametadevam
matvaa nishaadah' sahasaa jagaama .
na satyamuktam muninaa na kolo
hatashcha sarvam tava devi leelaah' .. 13-7..
7.The hunter thinking that it is a lunatic prattle, Suddenly
left from there. While sage did not lie, The boar also did not
die and Oh Goddess , Is not all this your playful sports.
The nishada thought the muni’s words were the talk of a mad
man. He immediately left the place. Utathya did not have to
tell a lie. He kept his words of truth filled with compassion-
the boar was saved. All is Devi’s idea.
The story of the nishada, who was cursed by Valmiki for
killing krauncha birds with an arrow, is there in the
Ramayana(Valmiki ramayan-balakaandam-sargam 2). This
story is similar to that. Rishis can show kindness to birds and
animals-that is admirable. Will this kindness be an obstacle
for getting food in other living things? In animals it is a
natural practice that a strong animal kills a weaker one. The
animal that gets ready to eat its prey does not think of the
pain that the prey will experience. The nishadas who are
inhabitants of forest, are also like that. the nishadas have
hunger they also have “daaradiposhyavarga”. why do the
nishadas not have kindness towards animals and birds?
It is visually and ethically a very big question? There is no
relevance here this discussion is stopped here.
द्रष्टा परिं रह्म तदे व च स्याश्चदश्चत
श्रुश्चतः प्राह ि भाषते सः ।
सदा रुवाणिु ि पश्यतीद-
मयिं श्चह सत्यव्रतवाक्यसारः ॥ १३-८॥
drasht'aa param brahma tadeva cha syaaditi
shrutih' praaha na bhaashate sah' .
sadaa bruvaanastu na pashyateeda-
mayam hi satyavratavaakyasaarah' .. 13-8..
8.The Vedas tell that he who sees the Para Brahma,
Becomes one with itself and He then does not talk,
On the other hand one who always talks cannot see,
Para Brahma and this is the summary of words of Sathya
Vratha
Nishada wanted this from satyavrata: ‘say. Did you see the
boar?’. It was an answer to this question that satyavrata
(utathya) gave-“the one who sees does not talk. The one who
talks does not see”. The nishada thought that these were
rantings of a mad man. Actually,these were not the rantings
of a mad man but actually an upanishadic tattvam. “
brahmavid brahmaiva bhavati”(one who has known brahma
will be brahma-meaning) is said in the Upanishads. If the
thought ‘I am the brahma” arises then that person will not
talk is the essence of the sentence ’one who sees will not
talk’. One can see brahma by silence and penance only. One
who is always talking, it is doubtful if he will be able to c
brahma. That is “one who talks will not see”. because the
nishada was illiterate in the vedantas, he did not understand
the inner meanings of the sentence.
भूयः स सारस्वतबीजमन्त्रिं
श्चचरिं जपि् ज्ञािश्चिश्चिः कश्चवि ।
वाल्मीश्चकवत्सवगश्चदश्चश प्रश्चसद्धो
बभूव बन्धूि् समतपगयच्च ॥ १३-९॥
bhooyah' sa saarasvatabeejamantram
chiram japan jnyaananidhih' kavishcha .
vaalmeekivatsarvadishi prasiddho
babhoova bandhoon samatarpayachcha .. 13-9..
9.Then later Utathya chanted the root mantra of Goddess
Saraswathi for a very long time, And became famous as a
wise man and poet, Valmiki and made his relatives happy.
Let us remember the story about utathya’s birth once more.
Utathyan was born from the yagna conducted by devadutta.
Due to the curse by gobhila, one of the ritwik performing the
yagya, utathya was born as a blockhead. Then and there the
same ritwik said as time passes uthya’s foolishness will
reduce and he will become a knowledgeable person.
Everything happened just as the ritwik said. A big time killer ,
with concentration, chanted rama nama for many years. that
same person later became famous as Valmiki-he changed
into a great poet and a knowledgeable person. Uthatya who
was born a blockhead, later became a great knowledgeable
person and poet.
Check dashakam 11, where brahma tells the glories of devi to
narada. Especially the 8th shloka in that dashakam. Devi turns
a blockhead into poet, a dumb person into a great orator-
this is devi’s influence and her compassion. The story of
utathya is a very good example. Devi bhagvatham, 3rd
skandam, chapter 10 and 11, explains in detail the story of
utathya. The main speaker of this story was rishi lomasha.
After explaining the story lomasha continues:
स्मृता सम्पूश्चजता भक्त्या ियाता चोच्चाररता िुता ।
ददाश्चत वास्तितािथाग न्नकायगदा तेि कीत्यगते ll
‘That Great Goddess is known as Kamada (the giver of all
desires); for She grants all desires when men with devotion
remember Her, worship Her, take Her name, meditate Her
and eulogise Her.’
स्मृता िता दे श्चव सुपूश्चजता वा
श्रुता िुता वा खलु वस्तिता वा ।
ददाश्चस श्चित्यिं श्चहतमाश्चश्रतेभ्यः
कृपाद्रग श्चचिे सततिं िमिे ॥ १३-१०॥
smri'taa nataa devi supoojitaa vaa
shrutaa nutaa vaa khalu vanditaa vaa .
dadaasi nityam hitamaashritebhyah'
kri'paardrachitte satatam namaste .. 13-10.
10. Oh Goddess you do only good to all those Who think
about you, Who worship you. Who hear and pray to you,
Who salute you, And who surrender to you. Oh Goddess
With great mercy, I salute you always.
Always chant Devi’s name, keep describing and hearing her
glories, there are are many ways to worship devi. One can
follow any one of the path, devi will be very happy. And also
provide for dependents. That is devi compassionate heart of
devi. For the betterment of his future, the poet salutes the
devi.
Thus ends the 13th chapter of Devi narayaneeyam
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