Chapter 18 - The conversation between Nārada and Jalandhara

[Sanskrit text for this chapter is available]

Sanatkumāra said:—

1. When the great Asura was ruling over the Earth virtuously, the gods were reduced to be mere slaves, O great sage.

2. The distressed gods mentally sought refuge in Śiva the benefactor, lord of gods and of everyone.

3. They eulogised the great lord, the bestower of everything and favourably disposed to his devotees, by means of pleasant words.

4. The great lord, the bestower of all desires to his devotees called Nārada and commissioned him with a desire to carry out the task of the gods.

5. Then the celestial sage, the wise devotee of Śiva, the goal of the good, went to the gods in the city of the Asuras at the bidding of Śiva.

6. On seeing the sage Nārada coming, the distressed gods, Indra and others, stood up.

7. After bowing to the sage, Indra and other gods, their anxiety apparently manifest in their faces, offered a seat to Nārada.

8. After bowing to Nārada the great sage who sat comfortably, the distressed gods, Indra and others spoke to him again.

The gods said:—

9. O excellent sage, listen to our misery. O merciful one, after listening to it, destroy it quickly. You are powerful and the favourite of Śiva.

10. The gods have been routed by the Asura Jalandhara from their abodes and positions of controlling authority. Hence we are miserable and distressed.

11. The hot-rayed sun and the moon have been ousted from their positions. The fire-god and the god of death and guardians of the quarters have been expelled.

12. The gods have been harassed by that powerful Asura. We who have been subjected to great grief now seek refuge in you.

13. The great Asura Jalandhara who has suppressed the gods and who is very powerful has made Viṣṇu subservient to him in the battle.

14. Becoming subservient because of helplessness occa. sioned by the boon granted to him, Viṣṇu who carried out our tasks has now begun to stay in his palace along with Lakṣmī.

15. O intelligent one, please exert yourself for the destruction of Jalandhara. You have fortunately come to us and you have always been the person who can achieve everything for us.

Sanatkumāra said:—

16. On hearing these words of the gods, the great sage Nārada, the merciful, consoled them and said.

Nārada said:—

17. O gods, I know that you have been defeated by the king of Asuras, that you are miserable and harassed and have been deposed.

18. There is no doubt in this that I shall carry out your task according to my ability. O gods, since you are in misery I shall be favourable to you.”

Sanatkumāra said:—

19. After saying so and consoling the gods, the excellent sage went to the assembly chamber of Jalandhara to see the favourite Asura.

20. On seeing the excellent sage, the king Jalandhara stood up and offered him a splendid seat with great devotion.

21. After worshipping him duly the surprised king of the Asuras laughed loudly and spoke to the excellent sage.

Jalandhara said:—

22. O brahmin, whence do you come from? What did you see here? O sage, what is the aim of your present visit here?

Sanatkumāra said:—

23. On hearing these words of king Jalandhara the delighted great sage Nārada replied to him.

Nārada said:—

24. O Jalandhara of great intellect, O lord of Dānavas and Daityas, O lord of all the worlds, you are blessed. You alone are the enjoyer of all jewels.

25. O excellent king of Daityas, listen to the purpose for which I have come here. I shall explain it to you.

26. O lord of Daityas, I had been to the summit of Kailāsa casually. It is ten thousand Yojanas wide. It has a grove of Kalpa trees.

27. Hundreds of Kāmadhenus are found there. It is illuminated by Cintāmaṇi gems. It abounds in gold. It is divine and wonderfully brilliant.

28. There I saw Śiva seated along with Pārvatī. He is fair-complexioned and exquisitely handsome. He has three eyes and the moon for his crest.

29. On seeing this wonderfully great thing, a doubt arose in my mind. Can there be anywhere in the three worlds such a splendour as this?”

30. O lord of Daityas then the idea of your prosperity struck into my mind. Now I have come to you to see it personally.

Sanatkumāra said:—

31. On hearing these words of Nārada the lord of Daityas Jalandhara showed all his glory to Nārada.

32. On seeing it, the wise Nārada, eager to realise the interests of the gods, spoke to the king of Daityas, Jalandhara, induced by the lord.

Nārada said:—

33. O foremost among heroes, you have everything conducive to prosperity. You are the lord of the three worlds. What wonder that you possess this wealth.

34. Big jewels, heaps of gems, elephants and other adjuncts to prosperity flourish in your mansion. Whatever valuable thing there is in the worlds finds a place here.

35. O great hero, the most excellent of all elephants, Airāvata of lndra has been brought by you. The most excellent of all horses, Uccaiḥśravas^[1] of the sun has been brought by you.

36. The celestial Kalpa tree has been brought by you; the treasures of Kubera and the aerial chariot of Brahmā yoked to swan have been brought by you.

37. Thus all excellent things available in heaven, earth and nether worlds, O great Daitya, flourish in your mansion in their entirety.

38. O great hero, I am highly delighted on seeing your great affluence consisting of diverse objects—elephant horse etc.

39. But O Jalandhara, your mansion is deficient in the most excellent of all ladies. You deserve to bring that.

40. O Jalandhara, one who possesses all excellent things but does not possess the most excellent of women does not shine. His life is rendered waste.

Sanatkumāra said:—

41. On hearing these words of Nārada the noble soul, the king of Daityas, with his mind excited by passion, spoke as follows—

Jalandhara said:—

42. “O celestial sage, O Nārada, obeisance be to you, O holy lord. Where is this most excellent of all ladies? Please tell me now.

43. Wherever it may be in the whole of this universe, if such a lady exists anywhere, I will bring her here. Truth, it is certainly the truth.”

Nārada said:—

44. Kailāsa is very beautiful and it possesses all sorts of things conducive to prosperity. Śiva lives there assuming the form of a naked Yogin.

45. His wife Pārvatī is exquisitely beautiful in every limb. She is charming and has all the characteristics of a beautiful lady.

46. Such an exquisite beauteous form has never been seen anywhere. It incites the enthusiasm of everybody. It is highly wonderful. It fascinates even the Yogins. It is worthy of being seen. It is conducive to great prosperity.

47. This occurs to my mind, O valiant Jalandhara that there is none more prosperous in the three worlds than Śiva who possesses the most excellent of all ladies.

48. Even the four-faced^[2] lord Brahmā, immersed in her ocean of beauty, lost his mental steadiness formerly.^[3] Who can be compared to such a beautiful lady?

49. Even Śiva reputed to be free from infatuation has been won over by her womanly sports. Śiva who is independent has been subjugated by her.

50. The prosperity that he enjoys inasmuch as he indulges in dalliance with the most excellent of all ladies has not come to you O lord of Daityas though you are the master of excellent gems and jewels.

Sanatkumāra said:—

51. After saying this, the world-renowned celestial sage, Nārada, pursuing his attempt to help the gods departed from there by the aerial path.

Footnotes and references:

[1]:

Uccaiḥśravas, the horse of the sun, is distinct from that of the same name which was appropriated by Indra after it was produced at the churning of the ocean (Cp. V. 11 of the next chapter).

[2]:

Brahmā is called four-faced (caturānana or caturmukha). Originally he had five heads but one was cut off by Śiva for telling lies. According to another version it was burnt off by the fire of Śiva’s central eye for speaking disrespectfully.

[3]:

Cp. Śiva-purāṇa Rudrasaṃhitā Pārvatīkhaṇḍa 49.8.