३८ अष्टात्रिंशदशकः - त्ित्तशुद्धिप्राधान्यम् 38 asht'aatrimshadashakah' - chittashuddhipraadhaanyam
(in this chapter it is said that just by doing rituals, it does not help
you. Several examples of this is given. The best option is to pray to
the Goddess with a very pure mind.)
अन्तर्मुखो यः स्वशम भेच्छयैव
स्वयं ववर्शेन र्नोर्लावन ।
दृष्ट्वा शर्ाद्यैर्मुनमते सर्ूलं
स भाग्यवान्दे वव तव वियश्च ॥ ३८-१॥
antarmukho yah' svashubhechchhayaiva
svayam vimarshena manomalaani .
dri'sht'vaa shamaadyairdhunute samoolam
sa bhaagyavaandevi tava priyashcha .. 38-1..
1. Oh Goddess! He who for his own progress, sees within himself
and finds and analyses his shortcomings in his mind and uproots
them, that person is very lucky as he is very dear to you.
Most people waste their life in wishing for an easy life and
children. If one of the children wishes to progress in life then that
is a wonder by itself. That wish is his ultimate aim. Someone who
aims should 1st look within himself, criticise himself, and search for
the causes of incompleteness like anger and failure etc. within
himself. He should carefully analyse all his thoughts, actions and
words. Then He should make efforts to find solutions to the
incompleteness found out by him. By practicing patience and self-
restraint, one can overcome this mental stain. In this manner,
whoever wipes out all his mental stains, is very lucky. He is loved
by devi.
न वेदशास्त्राध्ययने न तीर्ु -
संसेवया दानतपोव्रतैवाु ।
शमद्धं र्नो यावत तव स्मृतेस्तद्
वैशद्यर्ादशुवदे वत र्ातः ॥ ३८-२॥
na vedashaastraadhyayanena teertha-
samsevayaa daanatapovratairvaa .
shuddhim mano yaati tava smri'testad
vaishadyamaadarshavadeti maatah' .. 38-2..
2. By learning Vedas and other religious scriptures, or by bathing in
sacred waters, or by doing charity, meditation or observing fasts,
the mind need not become pure. Oh mother just by remembering
you, it would become as clear as a mirror.
Without going inwards within yourself and self-criticism the
mental dirt cannot be removed. Many of them, in order to get a
merit for their righteous actions, go have bath in sacred rivers,
give a lot of charity, observe fasts etc. all thes are definitely good.
But, by just observing these, one’s mental dirt will not go away.
The benefits one gets by studying the vedas and religious
scriptures is ditto. Because, the diseases caused due to anger
cannot be treated by this. At the same time, constantly
remembering devi, might help in removing a persons mental dirt.
When one gets enlightened by meditating on devi constantly,
then the tamo guna of anger has no choice but to shift. So when
someone wants to prosper then, it is not enough for them to do
several mechanical duties, in fact, they should look inwards and
criticise oneself, practice patience and self restraint and also pray
to devi.
शमद्धनु यज्ञेन यजन् शशाङ्कः
पत्ीं गमरोः िाप भृशं स्मरातुः ।
शतक्रतमगौतर्र्र्ुपत्ी-
र्गादहल्ां र्दने षम ववधः ॥ ३८-३॥
shuddhirna yajnyena yajan shashaankah'
patneem guroh' praapa bhri'sham smaraartah' .
shatakraturgautamadharmapatnee-
magaadahalyaam madaneshu viddhah' .. 38-3..
3 By doing yajna you do not become pure. The Moon, who did yajna,
became very passionate, and had an affair with the wife of Guru.
Indra who had carried out a Hundred yajnas, hit by the arrows of
cupid, had an affair with the virtuous wife, ahalya, of sage Gauthama.
Just because one does a lot of yagnas, it does not mean that they
are mentally pure. The proof for this in the story of Chandra, moon.
Chandra conducted a yagna. He had an affair with Brihaspati’s (his
guru’s) wife-tara. A son was also born to them. This story can be
read in the 1st skanda chapter 11 of devi bhagavatham. Indra
performed 100 yagnas. How he had an affair with ahalya, gauthama’s
wife, very well known from the Ramayana. Indra and Chandra who
had performed yagnas could not win over the effect of cupid on
them.
Brihaspati the Teacher of devas had a beautiful wife named Tara.
Once, Chandra (Moon) visited the house of Brihaspati the Guru and
instantly fell in love with Tara, who too reciprocated her romantic
feelings. In course of time, she deserted Brihaspati and moved into
Chandra’s house. Brihaspati approached Chandra and counselled
him that this romance with his own Guru’s wife was not only
illegitimate but a blatant infringement of Dharma which would
attract a sin tantamount to ‘Brahma Hatya’ or the murder of a
Brahmana and asked Tara to be returned to him. Chandra declined
to do so as Tara came away out of her own desire. Brihaspati visited
Chandra again but the latter was adamant to return Tara saying that
the couple were madly infatuated mutually. Brihaspati warned
Chandra with dire consequences and approached Indra for redressal.
Indra himself faced a situation similar but his role was as a cheat for
masquerading as Sage Gautama in Ahalya’s bed and received the
curse to imprint genital marks all over his body. However his role
was that of the Chief of Devas and despatched an intelligent
emissary to Chandra Loka. The Representative advised Chandra to be
sensible as he already had twenty eight beautiful Stars as his wives
and even offered any of the Apsara Damsels to quench his lust. The
Messenger returned to Indra empty handed and the latter decided
to wage a war against Chandra Loka. Knowing of this incident, the
Danava Guru Sukracharya, the arch-rival of Deva Guru Brihaspati,
espoused the cause of Chandra and assured of the help of Demons
in a possible war. Meanwhile Brahma Himself flew across by His
‘Hamsa Vahana’ (Chariot of Swan) to Chandra Loka and
consequently Chandra let Tara return to Brihaspati, who was happy
and excused Tara for her indiscretion. Tara a pregnant woman gave
birth to a charming boy but Tara confirmed that he was Chandra’s
own son and Chandra took away the child and named him ‘Budha’.
Story of ahalya
Ahalya was the wife of Gautama Maharishi. Ahalya was also known
as Ahilya. The Mythology tells that Lord Brahma had created some
beautiful woman out of whom Ahalya was the best. She was a
virtuous woman and she was impeccably beautiful. Lord Brahma
wished Sage Gautama to look after this virtuous girl and later on the
couple tied knot with each another.
After Gautama leaves for his ritual bath, Indra masquerades as
Gautama and asks Ahalya to satisfy him. Ahalya, engrossed in
worship, rejects him, considering it inappropriate to have sex at the
cost of neglecting the gods. Indra reminds her that her first duty is to
serve him. Finally Ahalya gives in, but Gautama learns of Indra's
deception through his supernatural powers and returns to the
ashram. When Gautama arrives after the act, Indra tries to flee as a
cat but is cursed to bear the marks of a thousand vulvae. When
asked by Gautama about her visitor, Ahalya wittily answers that it
was a majjara, a word meaning either "cat" or, when split as ma-jara,
"my lover". Gautama laughs and curses her to be turned into stone,
Ahalya's plea of innocence is acknowledged by Gautama, who
declares that her mind is pure and she has kept the "vow of chastity
and fidelity", but another man's seed has defiled her body. Gautama
orders her to go to the forest and become a stone until rescued by
the touch of Rama's feet
Indra represents our five indriyan (senses) and our mind. Here,
adultery implies that the mind and our senses took control of Ahalya.
When, instead of your consciousness, your mind runs you,
materialistic desires can haunt you anytime. Once our spiritual power
becomes weak, any seeker would feel the attraction of materialistic
pleasures to be greater than that of spiritual joy. Thus, Sage
Gautama advised Ahalya to do more penance and went for
hermitage in the Himalayas.
The symbolic story that she became a stone, implies that she kept all
the indriyas inside her such that she became as inert as a stone. A
materialistic mind always reacts, while a stable mind watches. A
seeker has all his/her indriyas in control. One can then see how the
mind plays tricks in making you believe all that it wants.
स ववघ्नकारी तपसां र्मनीनां
गतस्पृहं योवगवरं िशान्तर्् ।
हा ववश्वरूपं पववना जघान
न वकञ्चनाकायुर्र्र्ुबमधेः ॥ ३८-४॥
sa vighnakaaree tapasaam muneenaam
gataspri'ham yogivaram prashaantam .
haa vishvaroopam pavinaa jaghaana
na kinchanaakaaryamadharmabuddheh' .. 38-4..
4.Indra created impediments to the tapas of the sages. The great,
desireless, peaceful yogi, vishwaroopa, was killed by Indra with the
help of the weapon vajra. Alas! there is nothing in this world that a
person of evil mind would not do.
The one who has performed 100 yagnas, indra, was not just lustful,
he was also full of jealousy and ill-feelings towards people. In
different puranas one can find stories about how indra tries to
prevent any good deeds done by man on earth. The story of how he
tried to obstruct the penance of the desireless nara-narayana has
been described in devi bhagavatham skanda 4 chapter 5. That
effort was a total waste. The completely desireless vishwaroopa, was
observing penance in solitude. Indra for no reason just chopped off
that yogi’s head. When the brain is ruled by unrighteousness, then
there is nothing that he will not do-he will do anything, say anything.
Indra was the 1 who had performed 100 yagnas. Still ill-feelings and
jealousy always ruled him.
The Guru of Devas was Brihaspati. But once he had an altercation
with Indra, the king of Devas, and Brihaspati abandoned the Devas.
Without a proper Guru to guide, Devas faced several reversals.
Finally, on the advice of Brahma, Vishwarupa was appointed as the
Guru of Devas.
Vishwarupa to impress Indra, gave him Shiva Kavach, with which he
defeated the demons (asuras).
Vishwarupa was born of the union of a Deva (Tvashta) and an Asura
woman (Rachna). He had deep love and affection for his mother and
this made him a supporter of the Asuras.
So whenever he performed a yajna for the Devas, in his mind he
prayed for the welfare of the Asuras.
Soon Asuras became powerful and Devas grew weaker.
Soon Indra realized the treachery of their newly appointed Guru and
in a fit of rage; he beheaded Vishwarupa in his ashram.
र्मवनवुवसष्ठः खलम तीर्ुसेवी
तपोवनवर्गाु वर्समतश्च कोपात् ।
उभौ वर्र्ः शेपतमराविभावं
िाप्तः वकलै को बकतां परश्च ॥ ३८-५॥
munirvasisht'hah' khalu teerthasevee
taponidhirgaadhisutashcha kopaat .
ubhau mithah' shepaturaad'ibhaavam
praaptah' kilaiko bakataam parashcha .. 38-5..
5. Was not sage Vasishta an attender of sacred rivers, was not the
son of Gaadhi(Vishwamitra) an eminently pious man. In extreme
anger both of them cursed each other. One of them became a
kingfisher and other a stork.
With the help of examples it has been proved earlier that by just
performing yagnas one’s mind does not become pure. Also by going
for pilgrimages one’s mind need not become pure. Vasishtha lives
on the banks of river ganga. He bathes in the water of the ganges,
drinks also the water of the ganges. Still his anger, ill-feelings etc. did
not get eliminated. That is why he picked a fight with vishwamitra.
He was a rishi who had performed penances for a very long time. He
too did not have a pure mind. Vashishta did not like satyavrata, who
was a king from the surya clan. But vishwamitra sent him to heavens
along with his body. The competition between Vasishta and
vishwamitra starts here. Harishchandra, the son of satyavrata, was
liked a lot by Vasishta. It was just the opposite with vishwamitra. In
the name of Harishchandra, vishwamitra and Vasishta had a face-off.
Vishwamitra claimed that Harishchandra told lies, whereas Vasishta
claimed otherwise. By using devious means vishwamitra usurped the
entire kingdom of harishchandra. On that basis Vasishta cursed
vishwamitra- “may you change into a stork”. In return vishwamitra
cursed Vasishta-‘then, may you change into a kingfisher”. Both built
their homes on two nearby trees-always fighting with each other.
After many years passed by like this, brahma decided to interfere.
Both of them withdraw their curses. The story of this curse can be
seen in skanda 6, chapter 13 of devi bhagavatham.
From Vasishta’s competitive spirit we get the proof that by just going
for pilgrimages one‘s dirt in the mind cannot be removed. He used
to stay on the banks of river ganga. Doing penance without looking
within oneself and self analysing oneself, one’s mind will not be
purified, this is proved from the story of vishwamitra.
The mind always tries to seek shelter with various objects and is, therefore,
always restless. How, then, can the purity of mind be effected, with ease, when
it is occupied with all sorts of thoughts on various objects. Cupidity, anger,
greed, pride, and egoism, these bring about all sorts of obstacles in the holy
places of pilgrimages, in practising tapasyā and in observing vows. Non-injury,
truthfulness, non-stealing, chastity and purity, controlling of senses, and
observing one’s own religion, all these bring about the fruits of the labour in
visiting all tīrthas. They bestow fruits that can be obtained by visiting all the
tīrthas. During one’s pilgrimage, one forsakes one’s Nitya Karma (daily duties)
and one has to come in contact with various persons. Hence one’s journey
becomes fruitless; rather it becomes a source of sin. The waters of the sacred
places can only wash the outside dirts and the impurities of the physical
bodies; they can never wash the impurities of their inner minds. Were it the
fact that the waters of the tīrthas could purify their minds, why was it, then,
that the Munis, residing on the banks of the Ganges, and devoted to God, ever
indulged themselves with feelings of jealousy and enmity against each other.
The humble Munis like Vaśiṣṭha, and the Ṛṣis like Viśvāmitra were always
entangled in love and hatred and they were ever impatient with anger.
Therefore it is evident that the internal purification, the purification of heart,
the bathing in the Gñān Gaṅgā flowing within, no doubt removes more the dirt
than the Ganges and other places of pilgrimages. No doubt this fact must be
admitted on all hands that one’s impurity of mind is washed away if by the
strange combination of Fate, one comes in intimate contact with a man
possessed of the Divine Knowledge. The Vedas or Śāstras, vows or austerities,
sacrifices or gifts none can purify the heart. Vaśiṣṭha, the son of Brahmā,
though versed in the Vedas and residing on the banks of the Ganges, was
under the control of love, hatred and other infirmities. Out of the enmity of
Viśvāmitra and Vaśiṣṭha, arose the great battle named Āḍi Baka, astonishing
even to the Gods. In this, the ascetic Viśvāmitra was cursed by Vaśiṣṭha, on
account of some curse in connection with the king Hariścandra and had to
take his birth as a crane (Baka). The Ṛṣi Vaśiṣṭha was cursed also by Viśvāmitra
and was born as a bird named Śarāri. Thus the two powerful Ṛṣis were born as
Āḍi Baka and lived on the banks of the Mānasarovara and they fought for full
ten thousand years (ajuta) terribly, out of anger, with their nails and beaks like
two maddened lions.
The story of Harishchandra
Harishchandra was a great monarch, belonging to the Ikshvaku dynasty (Lord
Sri Rama's lineage). Several years had passed after his marriage, but he did not
have children. Both he and his wife, Taramati, yearned for a child and undertook
many a ritual and pilgrimage for begetting a son. Then, they decided to pray to
Lord Varuna (the Rain God) in order to invoke his blessings. Varuna was pleased
with them and blessed them with a son. However, he also wanted them to
sacrifice the child to him. The couple was helpless and was forced to agree to
the condition laid down by Varuna.
In due course of time, the son was born to Harishchandra. While they were
ecstatic by the birth of their first child, they were also anxious when they realized
that they had to keep up their promise to Varuna.
A few days later, Varuna appeared before them and demanded that the child be
offered to him as a sacrifice, as they had promised earlier. Harishchandra
pleaded with the God and requested him to let the infant stay with them until
he developed his teeth. Varuna agreed and returned once the child developed
his teeth. Still unwilling to let his son go, the king asked the Lord to wait till the
child had had his tonsure ceremony. Once again, Varuna agreed and went away.
Harishchandra kept making newer excuses and Varuna kept agreeing to them.
A few years went by this way, by which time, the boy was old enough to
understand everything going on around him. He came to know the story behind
his birth and that he should have been handed over to Varuna a long time ago.
Disappointed with this parents' lack of integrity, the boy absconded from home
and ran away tlando another . This enraged Varuna, who came again, wanting
the child back.
By this time, Harishchandra was afflicted by a deadly strain of dropsy. Seeing his
pitiful condition, Varuna himself relented and told him that did not want the boy
back. He also blessed the king that he should be free of his disease.
Harishchandra realized his folly and knew that this was his punishment for not
having fulfilled his promise to God. He felt really bad that he had cheated his
own Lord and vowed then and there, that he would never lie or go back on his
promise anymore. Thereafter, he stayed true to his resolution and lived a life of
truth and righteousness. This gave him the name, 'Satyavrata', or the observer
of truth.
Indra Tests Harishchandra
One day, in the court of Indra, the God of the Gods, some earthly matters were
being discussed by the sages and Devas present there. Indra raised a doubt
whether there were at all any honest and truthful human beings on earth. Sage
Vasishtha mentioned the name of Harishchandra. This incensed Indra, who was
aware about how the latter had cheated Varuna by not fulfilling his promise. To
this, the sage replied that the king's past was of no consequence now, because
he had truly changed and become a pure and honest man now. He also
confidently stated that, if he was proven wrong, he would dismantle his jata
(tightly wound locks of hair), letting his hair loose, and also walk away, bare-
bodied.
When all these discussions were going on, Narada asked sage Vishwamitra what
he would do if Harishchandra stuck to path of truth, as he had promised.
Vishwamitra replied that he would give the king half the quantum of divine
blessings and grace that he had earned throughout his lifetime, and that he
would make him a world-renowned monarch.
The sages then decided that they would join forces in order to test
Harishchandra and see how well he fared in his life. Thus started the most
difficult phase in the ruler's life.
Harishchandra Faces Immense Challenges
Sages Vasishtha and Vishwamitra returned to earth after their celestial meeting
and put their heads into planning ways and means by which they could test
Harishchandra and lead him on the path to sin. They were plotting to rid him of
all his wealth, to see if he would lie at least then. In the meantime, the ruler,
blissfully unaware of what was happening around him, continued to be the ideal
husband, father and king.
Some followers of Vishwamitra approached him and informed him of a religious
sacrifice, the Bahu Suvarna Yagna, also stating that he would be the most
qualified person to conduct the same. Harishchandra heard them out and then
promised them that he would make all the arrangements to conduct it, along
with the other sages. One of the conditions of the ritual was that the king should
distribute unlimited gifts and wealth after the sacrifice - which he should give
away whatever anyone asked for, even if it eventually hurt him to do so.
King Harishchandra was well aware of this condition, and yet he agreed to
conduct this sacrifice. He gave away much wealth, gifts and food to the poor
and the needy. By the end of the yagna, his subjects and the sages conducting
the ritual were all pleased and satisfied.
Vishwamitra, however, wanted to test the king even further. He approached the
king and demanded that a man should stand on the back of an elephant and
toss a coin in the air, up to a certain height. He then said that the king should
pile up money and jewels so as to measure up to that height and give the same
away to him. Harishchandra instantly agreed to this demand and arranged for
the wealth to be sent to the sage's ashram.
Bewildered by his integrity and generosity; also disappointed in his own failure;
Vishwamitra left the wealth and gifts there, saying that he would send someone
to pick up his gifts, at a later time. Harishchandra had clearly won this first round
of tests.
Vishwamitra Unleashes More Tragedies on Harishchandra
Vishwamitra was getting more worried by the minute. He had not succeeded in
this round and would be ridiculed by the Devas if he failed once again. Ever
since the yagna, Harishchandra was earning more and more respect from
everyone around. The sage thought for some time and then decided to
completely rob the king of his power, so that he would have no other choice,
except to lie for his survival. He used his siddhis (magical powers) to create
several wild animals and let them loose inside the kingdom, so that they could
make the subjects suffer to the maximum.
The wild beasts, pests and insects that the sage created, wrought immense
damage on the kingdom. They attacked farmers' fields, destroying crops;
destroyed food and other supplies; and damaged people's homes. The suffering
subjects beseeched the king for redressal of their issues. The king assured them
that he would do everything in power to set right the great misfortune that had
befallen his kingdom. He then set out to hunt the animals causing the damage
and kill them.
Reaching the interiors of the jungle, he spent all day finding and slaying them.
As he proceeded yet deeper into the jungle, he unexpectedly came upon a
sanctuary where wild animals lived together in a peaceful environment. On
venturing ahead, he approached a hermitage he had never seen before. As he
neared it, he realized this was the ashram of his family teacher, sage Vasishtha.
The locale was calm and serene and soothed his frayed nerves. After taking the
blessings of the sage, he told him about his errand and then left to travel yet
deeper into the forest.
By afternoon, he reached another hermitage - that of sage Vishwamitra. But as
he neared the place, he could feel a tangible change in the atmosphere. Tired,
he decided to rest a little before visiting the sage. He lay down with his head
resting on his wife's lap and soon went into a deep slumber.
When Vishwamitra came to know that the king was near his ashram, he started
feeling restless and his feeling of revenge came to the fore. Still smarting at his
humiliation the previous time, he vowed to defeat Harishchandra this time.
Using his yogic powers, the sage created two beautiful girls. However, as his
intentions were evil, the girls were made of filth and dirt. He then ordered them
to go to the king and tempt him to commit sin. Sage Vishwamitra was rather
infamous for his spiteful and vengeful nature. Once he decided he did not like
someone, he could harbor ill-will against that person for a very long time.
In the meantime, Harishchandra, who was sleeping, had a horrible dream. He
sensed something inauspicious was about to take place. On getting up, he
described the dream to Taramati. She tried to placate him, as did his son and
minister.
At this time, the two girls sent by the sage approached him and entertained him
with song and dance. Their main purpose was to tease and annoy him, finally
distracting him from the path of righteousness. They then demanded that he
marry them. At this, Harishchandra flared up and referring to them as lowly
beings that did not deserve to marry a mighty monarch as himself, asked them
to leave immediately. When they refused, he beat them with a sledge hammer
and drove them out.
The girls, in tears, rushed to Vishwamitra, begging for his help. This moment was
just the one the sage had hoped for. Burning with indignation, he approached
the king and stood angrily before him. The monarch respectfully greeted and
welcomed him, also apologizing for any fault shown in his duty towards him. All
the while, Harishchandra could not but help noticing the difference in the aura
between this sage and that of sage Vasishtha. The latter had been so calm and
graceful, whereas Vishwamitra's whole being seemed to be one contorted
bundle of hatred and rage.
Vishwamitra mercilessly shouted at Harishchandra for killing his animals, as also
for beating up his girls. He demanded that the latter marry them forthwith.
When he refused to do so, the sage grew even more resentful and abusive.
Finally, in order to placate the sage, the king offered to give up his kingdom to
him. The sage agreed in a trice and asked Harishchandra to give up his entire
kingdom to him.
The monarch agreed without batting an eyelid. The sage, however, was adamant
that he pass on his power to him in the presence of all his subjects. Agreeing to
the sage's wishes, he seated the sage in his chariot and followed him on foot,
all the way back to the kingdom. Once back in the palace, he summoned his
minister, court officials and all his subjects, and handed over all his royal and
administrative powers to sage Vishwamitra, in their presence.
In spite of all this, Vishwamitra was still not satisfied. He demanded that the king
take off all his jewels and those of his wife and child as well. He further gave
them cheap garments and asked them to hand over their expensive silks and
other clothes to him. Harishchandra then requested Vishwamitra to give them
permission to leave. The sage, still resentful, half-heartedly gave his consent. On
stepping out of the palace, the citizens were confused on seeing their king and
his family in such a sorry state. He consoled them, and, telling them that
Vishwamitra was now their ruler, proceeded to walk away from them all.
Still not satisfied with all his newly-gained possessions, Vishwamitra stopped
Harishchandra in his tracks and demanded the gifts that he had earlier agreed
to safeguard, till the time the sage came to claim them. The latter had nothing
else to offer now - he had handed over everything to the sage. However,
Vishwamitra stubbornly insisted that he expected those gifts back and gave
Harishchandra a time period of 48 days, within which he would have to return
those gifts to him.
The sage then asked one of his followers, Nakshatraka, to follow them and
relentlessly torture them, till the time they had paid up their dues. He himself
decided to take the shape of terrible storms, fire, thirst, hunger and various wild
animals, in order to make them lose their way; finally forcing Harishchandra to
utter at least one single lie.
Harishchandra Travels to Varanasi
Harishchandra was now a pauper and could not hope to pay Vishwamitra's debt.
He decided to go to Kashi or Varanasi and collect money by taking a huge loan
and then working hard to repay it. They had to travel through a dense jungle in
order to reach Varanasi. While that was difficult in itself, Vishwamitra created
limitless troubles for them. They all suffered immense trauma, both physically
and mentally. However, Harishchandra never once swerved from his vow of
truthfulness and righteousness. Additionally, the power of Taramati's chastity
also protected them all from permanent harm.
On reaching Varanasi at last, they felt even more lost in a strange town; among
strange people. They then went to the temple of Lord Vishweshwara (Shiva) to
offer their obeisance to him. They were all wondering how to clear all their debts,
when Taramati suggested that he sell her and their son, in order to pay up all
their debts. Harishchandra was shocked when he heard her utter those words.
He could not even think of doing something so lowly. She insisted even as he
started mouthing his refusal.
Eventually, the once-powerful monarch; a descendant of the mighty lineage of
Lord Rama himself; prepared to sell his wife and son. He wandered from street
to street, offering his wife and son for sale. After a long time, one Brahmin
seemed slightly interested. He, however, found fault with the wife, saying that
she looked too old. He also said that son looked too weak. Then, after much
haggling, he bought them both for cash.
The king paid this money to Nakshatraka, thereby debiting some amount.
However, a large part of the loan remained unpaid. As the day for the full
repayment of the debt neared, the king got more and more panicky. He decided
he would sell himself as well and so, he roamed around the streets of Varanasi,
yelling, "I am a king of the Ikshvaku dynasty. I now offer myself for sale".
Finally, a man offered to buy him. This person was Veerabahu, an outcast, who
was in charge of the burning-ground. He was obviously drunk and his breath
reeked of alcohol. For a moment, Harishchandra wondered if he was doing the
right thing by accepting this drunk's offer. After all, he came from the exalted
Ishvaku dynasty and this was way below his caliber. However, there was no other
way he could repay his debt and so, he accepted Veerabahu's offer. He told him
about the amount he had to repay, telling him that he would have to stand atop
an elephant and toss a coin - he would then have to pay up gold and money
that reached up to that height. The latter asked him what Harishchandra would
do for him if he were to pay up the required wealth. The king promised him that
he would forever remain his servant and do his bidding for the rest of hs life.
Veerabahu agreed and paid the money to Nakshatraka, thereby clearing all of
Harishchandra's debts. Nakshatraka was amazed at the amount of money
heaped up before his eyes and also felt bad at the way his Guru, Vishwamitra,
had tortured a pure soul such as this noble king standing humbly in front of
him. In any case, he did his duty and took all the money back to his Guru.
Vishwamitra Tests Them Even More
When Nakshatraka came back with all the money, Vishwamitra got even more
angry and upset. He had never failed in any challenge and this defeat was too
much for him to take. He decided to unleash even more tragedies on
Harishchandra. Taramati and her son, Rohitashwa, were serving at the Brahmin's
house. The Brahmin was, in actuality, an evil manifestation of Vishwamitra
himself. He kept harassing them endlessly. They were already being treated
badly out there - slaving away for him; being starved and scolded all day long.
They, though, kept struggling through it all, hoping and praying for better days.
One day, Rohitashwa went to the forest gather wood. There, he was stung by a
poisonous serpent. Taramati came to know of his death only late evening. She
was completely heartbroken. Her son was the only little solace to her and he too
had gone. However, she tried to compose herself. She realized that she was all
alone and was the only one to cremate her son's body. Even to do so, she had
to take her master's permission. The evil man gave her permission for only one
day.
Weeping inconsolably, she went into the forest, in search of her child's body.
Finding it, she wept her heart out. She then lifted his lifeless body and walked
to the cremation ground. Placing him down gently, she went in search of
firewood for the funeral. Since she had no money, she had to collect it all herself.
Finally, she collected enough firewood and was about to light the fire, when
Harishchandra, who was guarding the ground, snatched the firewood from her
hands and, holding the boy's dead body by the toe, hurled it away from the
funeral pyre.
Taramati shed bitter tears, beseeching him to permit her to cremate her dead
child. Not recognizing her or the child, Harishchandra demanded that she first
hand over the boy's clothes to him and also pay up the prescribed fees for the
cremation. She told him that she was penniless and, therefore, could not pay
him. He suggested that she pawn her mangalsutra (symbol worn around the
neck by married women) and bring him the required money. Taramati
bemoaned her condition and the fact that her son - a prince of the Ikshvaku
dynasty - had to endure this unceremonious funeral.
Taramati Goes through Immense Crisis
Vishwamitra, who was repeatedly facing defeat the hands of Harishchandra,
made a final bid to trap him. The same night that the boy died, some bandits
kidnapped the prince of Varanasi and killed him, in order to take all his jewels.
Hearing the child cry for help, Taramati, in her distraught condition, thought it
was her son crying out for her. She rushed to the dying boy and tried to soothe
him. The bandits quickly packed up his jewels and left the place before anyone
could spot them. Seeing Taramati near the boy, the king's men misunderstood
the situation and thought that she had murdered him. They forcefully took her
to the king's palace.
When she was brought before the king, she looked disheveled and benumbed.
She was not even in a position to speak up and explain her position. The king
felt sorry for her, but decided that she must be executed for her crime. He
ordered Veerabahu, the public hangman, to execute her. Veerabahu, in turn,
ordered his new assistant to complete the execution of this woman.
In the meantime, Harishchandra was awaiting the woman, hoping that she
would return soon with the money to cremate her son. Now, he had to go and
execute another strange woman. He led the woman to the gallows and asked
her to say her last prayers. He did not know she was and did not care anyways.
Taramati squatted on the ground and offered her salutations to her Guru, sage
Vasishtha. She then looked skyward and loudly prayed for her husband,
Harishchandra, taking his name; wishing that his name lasted forever and that
his son came back to life. She also wished that Vishwamitra became immortal.
With that, she asked the executioner to strike the blow.
Hearing her words, Harishchandra was shocked out of his stupor and
immediately recognized this shriveled woman, who was actually his wife. He also
realized that this was the same woman who had brought her son to the
crematorium, in order to burn his body. In spite of knowing this, however, he
realized that he was merely a servant to his master and hence, had to do his
bidding. He had no right to defy his master's orders and therefore, he had no
choice, but to kill this wonderful woman, who was the love of his life. His pulse
racing and tears coming to his eyes, he raised the hangman's sword and
prepared to bring it down on his wife's neck.
Harishchandra Witnesses the Miracle of Grace
Dawn was just arriving and the Sun was rising on the mountains. Suryadeva (the
Sun God) was gazing down at the brilliant glory of the Suryavamsa (the dynasty
of the Sun) and was taking pride at the honor and integrity displayed by his
descendant. All the Gods and angels too assembled to witness this heavenly
event - when a mortal king would achieve Godhead. Vasishtha was fervently
hoping that Vishwamitra would at least now realize his folly and liberate
Harishchandra and his family from all their terrible troubles.
Just then, Vishwamitra appeared before Harishchandra and told him that he
would pardon him and bring his son back to life, also giving him back all his
wealth and power, on one condition - that he married the 2 girls that had
entertained him at an earlier time. Only then did the king realize that all he had
endured was not a result of karma, but occurred due to the evil machinations of
this Guru standing menacingly in front of him. He had had enough and with
determination ringing in his voice, refused his Guru's offer, saying that he would
not yield to any sort of temptation. Saying thus, he lifted his sword and prepared
to behead his wife.
Just before the blade could touch her neck, Lord Shiva, Lord Vishnu and Lord
Brahma, appeared before them. This was the ultimate triumph of truth. They
blessed Harishchandra and revived his dead son, Rohitashwa.
Vishwamitra prostrated before the Lord. He went on to speak about the feud
between himself and sVasishtha and how that became the prime cause of
Harishchandra's suffering. He then also explained that all that suffering was an
illusory drama and that the evil Brahmin, who bought Taramati and Rohitashwa,
was actually Lord Agni, the God of Fire. Veerabahu, who bought the king, was
actually Yama, the God of Death. The sage then officially stated, in front of all
present there, that Harishchandra had indeed won the challenge and that he
would give back all the wealth and power, and also half of all the grace that he
had earned in his lifetime of penance.
The angels showered flowers on the king and his family, also returning him to
his kingdom. All his suffering turned out to be a blessing in disguise, as the
world had been witness to the true power of his truthfulness and virtue.
र्नावन पृष्टावन गमरूनदातॄन्
स्वान् भागुवान् पमत्रकलत्रभाजः ।
क्रमधाः परं है हयभूवर्पाला
न्यपीियन् कोऽत्र ववशमधवित्तः ॥ ३८-६॥
dhanaani pri'sht'aani guroonadaatree'n
svaan bhaargavaan putrakalatrabhaajah' .
kruddhaah' param haihayabhoomipaalaa
nyapeed'ayan ko'tra vishuddhachittah' .. 38-6..
6. the Bhargavas, who were the gurus of the haihaiya, were angered
by the haihaiya kings, who troubled them along with there wives and
children, as they had not given them(the haihaiyaas) the promised
wealth. Who has got a clean mind here? (-nobody)
When lust, anger and greed enter into one’s mind without any end,
then a situation arise where one will do anything. A very good
example of this is the story of the haihaiyas. Once the rule of
kaartaveerya arjun ended, the haihaiyaas lived in poverty. The
bhargavas,their family priests, had a lot of wealth. Knowing this the
haihaiyaas asked the bhargavaas for some money. The bhargavaas
did not give. The haihaiyaas got extremely angry and attacked the
bhargavaas. Women, children and even pregnant ladies-were all
harassed by them. Finally due to the blessings of devi they were
saved.[ refer 35th dashakm shloka 9]. Had the haihaiyas been pure
in mind then they would not have attacked the bhargavaas. Had the
bhargavaas been pure in mind then they could have give some
wealth to the haihaiyaas. Both the parties were greedy. Who is there
who has conquered lust and anger. If we ignore those rishis who are
in solitude, then we will have to say nobody is there.
कमयाु न्न वकं लोभहतो र्नमष्यो
यमवर्वष्ठराद्या अवप र्र्ुवनष्ठाः ।
वपतार्हं बन्धमजनान् गमरू ं श्च
रणे वनजघनमः खलम राज्यलोभात् ॥ ३८-७॥
kuryaanna kim lobhahato manushyo
yudhisht'hiraadyaa api dharmanisht'haah' .
pitaamaham bandhujanaan guroomshcha
rane nijaghnuh' khalu raajyalobhaat .. 38-7..
7. a man whose intellect is clouded by greed, what will he not do?-he
will do anything. Though Yudhisthira and others were followers of
Dharma, Because of their greed for the kingdom, in the war, they
killed their grand father, relatives and their great Gurus.
Once one gets intoxicated with greed, then they will do anything. All
loving relations will be shattered. People who are righteous forget
their righteousness. A very well know example for this is the story of
the pandavaas. Why did the Kurukshetra war take place?-in the
name of greed. Yudhishtira and the other padavas were generally
righteous in there behaviour. But when greed rang its bells, thren
they forgot all their righteousness. bheeshma was their grandfather,
drone their their teacher. Weren’t Duryodhana and the other
kauravas their brothers? All of them were killed. Once greed is filled
in one’s mind, then he will not hesitate to do anything.
कृष्णोपवदष्टो जनर्ेजयस्तम
शमधान्तरङ्गः वपतरं र्खेन ।
परीवितं पापववर्मक्तर्ायं
ववर्ाय ते िापयवतस्म लोकर्् ॥ ३८-८॥
kri'shnopadisht'o janamejayastu
shuddhaantarangah' pitaram makhena .
pareekshitam paapavimuktamaaryam
vidhaaya te praapayatisma lokam .. 38-8..
8. Janamejaya as per the advice of vyaasa, with a pure conscious
performed a yagna, freed his father parikshith from sin, and also
made him a king par excellence, and sent him to your land.
Though the Pandavas were greedy, but their descendent, parikshith
was not greedy. Due to the association he kept, he insulted a
maharshi and he got the tag of being a sinner. Due to the curse of
the muni, parikshith got bitten by takshaka and died an untimely
death, due to which his soul roamed around outer space without
getting deliverance. His son janamejaya, from veda-vyaasa-muni,
heard and learnt the glories of devi. Vyaasa taught him the ill effects
of lust, greed etc. Soon janamajeya performed a yagna to please
devi-devimakham. As soon as the yagna was completed, his father
parikshith’s sins got washed out. He soon got moksham.
Whatever is done to please devi-yagna, going on pilgrimages,
keeping fasts etc.- with a pure mind that has not been touched by
lust greed etc., will always give results. But will give adverse reslts if
done with an impure mind. The Pandavas performed the rajasuya
yagna with the il-gotten wealth with great pomp and show, and did
not get any benefits, whereas janamajeya performed the devi yagna
with a clean and pure mind and that was successful. Through these
stories it has become very clear that it is cleanliness of the mind that
is very important.
सदा सदािाररतो ववववक्ते
दे शे वनषण्णश्चरणाम्बमजे ते ।
ध्यायन्नजस्रं वनजवासना यो
वनर्ाु वष्टु स त्वन्मयतार्मपैवत ॥ ३८-९॥
sadaa sadaachaararato vivikte
deshe nishannashcharanaambuje te .
dhyaayannajasram nijavaasanaa yo
nirmaarsht'i sa tvanmayataamupaiti .. 38-9..
9. A person who is high in morality, meditates alone on your lotus
feet, and removes all the bad desires, attains salvation and merges
with you.
All the bad qualities like lust, anger etc. of the mind will be removed
by virtue of constant practice of religious activities. One should do
an analyses of oneself by looking within oneself. By doing this one
will be able to identify the incompleteness of one’s mind. We should
erase the bad qualities by doing good things(sath-karma). Like this
one should distance the defects and the unwanted desires.
Whopever does this will attain salvation and be one with the lord.
ज्ञानं न भद्क्तनु तपो न योग-
बमद्धनु र्े वित्तजयोऽवप र्ातः ।
अन्धं तर्ोऽहं िववशावर् र्ृत्ोः
सर्मधरे र्ं वरदे नर्स्ते ॥ ३८-१०॥
jnyaanam na bhaktirna tapo na yoga-
buddhirna me chittajayo'pi maatah' .
andham tamo'ham pravishaami mri'tyoh'
samuddharemam varade namaste .. 38-10..
10.Oh mother! I lack wisdom, devotion, self-discipline, inclination for
Yoga, nor do I have control over the mind. Blinded, I am falling into
the darkness of hell. Please lift me from death. Oh giver of boons,
Oh Goddess my Salutations to you. The poet is convincing devi that
he does not possess the above said mental purity or the knowledge
of devotion etc.; not only that he feels that he is about to fall into the
darkness of hell. He ends this chapter by requesting devi to pull him
up before he falls into the darkness of hell.
Thus ends the 38th chapter
Chitta-Śuddhi, the purity of the heart (that purity which imparts to man the
blessedness of God-vision) is very difficult even for the high-souled persons;
with the greatest caution and utmost effort one has to practise for that. To
those persons, that are void of this Chitta Śuddhi, it is all vain to go to places
of pilgrimage, to make charities, to practise tapasyā, to be truthful; in fact,
anything, which is the means to attain Dharma, becomes useless.
O King! Śraddhā (Faith) is of three kinds :-- (1) Sāttvikī, (2) Rājasikī and (3)
Tāmasikī to all persons in all their religious matters. The Sāttvik faith is the only
one of the three that yields entire results; and it is very rare in this world. The
Rājasik faith, done according to due rules, yields half the results thereof and
the Tāmasik faith is fruitless and inglorious; the Tāmasik faith arises with those
persons that are overwhelmed with lust, anger, greed, etc. Therefore, Keep to
the company of the good and hear the Śāstras, Vedānta, etc., and free the
heart of worldly desires and then concentrate it to the worship of the Devī and
live in a sacred place of pilgrimage. Men afraid and troubled with the defects
of the Kālīyuga, should always take the name of the Devī, sing praises, and
meditate on Her lotus feet. Thus the Jīvas will not have any fear of Kālī and the
fallen vicious persons will easily be able to cross this ocean of the world and be
free. There is no doubt in this.
