Canto LXVI - About the Svārociṣa Manvantara (continued)

Svarocis had three sons whom he settled in separate kingdoms, Vijaya in a city Vijaya in Kāmarūpa, Merunanda in Nandavatī in the North, and Prabhāva in Tāla in the South.— One day he met the goddess of a forest, and had by her a son Dyutimat Svārociṣa, who became a Manu — Svarocis, being again admonished by a conversation between two ducks, gives himself up to a religious life and dies.

Mārkaṇḍeya spoke:

Thus were those does discarded by the buck. Svarocis, hearing it, thought how he must have fallen; and he set his mind on quitting those his wives, O best of munis, spoken of as he had been by the hen-cakravāka and the buck, and despised as he was for his animal behaviour.^[1] Yet on again meeting with them, his love increased. Casting aside those disparaging speeches he sported for six hundred years. But while performing the works of righteousness without hindrance to righteousness, wise Svarocis continues to enjoy the pleasures of sense with those wives.

And then three sons were born to Svarocis, Vijaya, and Merunanda, and mighty Prabhāva; and Indīvara’s daughter Manoramā gave birth to Vijaya, Vibhāvarī to Merunanda, and Kalāvatī to Prabhāva. And by the power of the knowledge named Padmini,^[2] which accomplishes all pleasures, he their father built three cities for them. Now he gave a noble city named Vijaya on a hill in Kāmarūpa^[3] in the Eastern region to his son Vijaya at first; and he made Merunanda’s city the famous one in the north, called Nandavatī,^[4] which is begirt with lofty ramparts and walls; and he made Kalāvatī’s son Prabhāva to dwell in the famous city Tāla^[5] which is situated in the Southern region. Having thus settled his sons in their cities, he, the manly hero, sported with those his wives in charming highlands.

Now once upon a time he went to the forest for sport with bow in hand. Seeing a boar a ṭong distance off, he drew his bow; and then a certain doe approached him and said, “At me let the arrow be shot; show me this favour,” again and again; “What need hast thou to slay him now? lay me low quickly; an arrow discharged by thee will free me from suffering.”

Svarocis spoke:

I do not perceive thy body to be diseased. What then is the reason that thou wouldest quit thy life?

The doe spoke:

Without him on whom, though his heart is devoted to other females, my miud has fixed her seat, I must die; what other remedy is there in this life?

Svarocis spoke:

Who would not love thee, timid one? Or with whom art thou in love, that failing to gain him thou resolvest to quit thy life?

The doe spoke:

It is thee I desire; be welfare thine! Thou hast captivated my heart. Hence I choose death, let the arrow be discharged at me.

Svarocis spoke:

Thou art a doe with eyes always in motion; I bear a human form; how shall there be union between such as me and thee?

The doe spoke:

If thy mind has any regard for me, do thou embrace me; or if thou dost think good, I will do as thou desirest. I shall be supremely honoured by thee, Sir, such as thou art.

Mārkaṇḍeya spoke:

Svarocis then embraced the doe; and as soon as he embraced her, she assumed a heavenly body. Then filled with astonishment said he, “Who art thou?” And she told him this story in words rendered slow by love and modesty.—“I have been besought by the gods, I the goddess of this forest, with the demand that ‘Verily a Manu must be begotten of me by thee.’ O magnanimous man! Beget that son, who shall guard the terrestrial world, of me who am full of love. I speak to thee according to the gods’^[6] behest!”

Mārkaṇḍeya spoke:

Forthwith he begat in her a son marked with every auspicious mark, full of energy like unto himself. And as soon as he was born, heavenly instruments of music sounded forth, the Gandharva princes sang, and bands of Apsavases danced; the celestial elephants bedewed him with drops of water, and the ṛṣis rich in austerities and the gods scattered also a shower of flowers around. Beholding his splendour his father himself bestowed on him the name Dyutimat, since the regions of the sky were illuminated by his splendour. The boy named Dyutimat possessed great strength and valour; since he was son of Svarocis, he became known as Svārociṣa.

Svarocis also once, while roaming by a charming mountain cascade, saw a duck attended by his mate. He said then to his mate, who was full of continuous longings, — “Restrain thyself, I have played with thee full long. What dost thou need with pleasures at all times? Old age has fallen on us, the time to relinquish them has come to me and thee also, O water-roamer!”

The female duck replied:

What time is unfit for pleasures? The world is all composed of pleasures. Brāhmans with souls subdued perform sacrifices in order to get pleasures. Moreover people of discrimination, being eager for pleasures experienced and not yet experienced, both give alms and perform the full round of righteous acts. Why then dost thou not wish for pleasures? Pleasure is the reward of effort among men who have discrimination and among brute animals, how much more among those who have subdued their souls?

The duck spoke:

The mind of those who are not attached to pleasures is with the Supreme Soul. And when will it be so among those who have contracted attachments towards relatives? Creatures perish when attached to son, friend and wife, just as aged wild elephants when sunk in lake or mire or sea. Or dost thou not see, lady, how Svarocis, in whom attachments have grown up and who has been devoted to his lusts from his boyhood, has sunk in the watery mire of affection? Svarocis’ mind was exceedingly sunk in his wives in his youth, now in his sons and grandsons; whence will it obtain deliverance? I am not the equal of Svarocis, nor am I one to be distressed by females, O water-roamer! I possess also discrimination in pleasures, and I have desisted therefrom now.

Mārkaṇḍeya spoke:

Svarocis heaving this speech from a bird felt disturbed in mind; taking his wives he departed to another grove to practise austerities. After performing severe austerities there with his wives, he, lofty in mind, reached the pure worlds with every stain removed.

Footnotes and references:

[1]:

Mṛga-caryā.

[2]:

See canto lxviii.

[3]:

The western portion of Assam. A town on a hill there can only be in the Himalayas in the North, or in the Garo and Khasia hills on the South; neither seems a likely situation for an ancient Hindu capital.

[4]:

This is not in the dictionary and I have not found it elsewhere. Perhaps it may be connected with the river Nandā, and the people Nandas, see page 383 note ‖.

[5]:

Or Purantāla; neither seems to be in the dictionary, nor have I found any reference to them elsewhere.

[6]:

For davdnāṃ read devānāṃ,