Chapter 13 - Greatness of Bakulārka

[Sanskrit text for this chapter is available]

Vyāsa said:

1. The son of Kāśyapa was installed to the west of (the idol of) Śaṃbhu. O blessed one, it is what is called Ravikṣetra (‘the region of the Sun-god’).

2. The great divine beings, Aśvins, otherwise called Nāsatyas, were born there. They are endowed with (perpetual) beauty and youth. These two gods are well reputed as dispellers of ailments.

Yudhiṣṭhira said:

3. O blessed grandfather, be pleased to tell in detail. How did it come about that Aśvins were born in the mortal world?

4-5. How did the Sun come down from the solar world to the earth? Please try to tell all these things in detail. O blessed one, everyone shall be released from all sins on hearing it.

Vyāsa said:^[1]

6-7. O king, you have asked well about the events of the higher world. O tiger among men, one is rid of all ailments on listening to it. Saṃjñā, the daughter of Viśvakarman, was wooed by Ravi, the Sun, of many resplendent rays. Since, on seeing the Sun, Saṃjñā always closed her eyes, the infuriated Sun spoke to her these words:

The Sun said:

8. Since you have been closing your eyes always on seeing me, O deluded woman, Yama, the controller of the subjects, will be born of you.

9-10. Thereafter the lady glanced at him agitatedly due to fear. On seeing her with tremulous eyes, the Sun said to her: “O Saṃjñā, on seeing me you turned away your tremulous glance. Hence you will give birth to a daughter of unsteady features.”

Vyāsa said:

11. Due to the curse of her husband, a son, Yama, and a daughter, Yamunā, were born to her. The latter is the well-known great river.

12. The beautiful lady Saṃjñā could not bear the great refulgence of the Sun. In that state, she thought thus:

13. ‘What shall I do? Where can I go? Whereby can I get some relief? How will the anger of the Sun, my husband, subside?’

14. Thinking thus on various occasions that blessed daughter of the patriarch Viśvakarmā better decided (to go to her father) and sought refuge in her father.

15-17. Having come to the decision of going to her paternal house the lady of good repute called her own reflection. That noble lady, the beloved of the Sun, spoke to her: “You shall stay here in the abode of the Sun in the same manner as I (did). Further, you should behave well with the children as well as with the Sun. No wicked statement shall be pronounced by you so that I will be duly honoured. O sinless one, you shall also say, ‘I am Saṃjñā herself.” (The way in which you speak should not provoke any doubt about your identity.)

The Shadow Saṃjñā said:

18. I shall carry out what you instruct me to do as long as no one catches hold of my tresses and curses me. I shall say so, till they drag me by the tresses.

19. On being assured thus by her, that noble lady went to the abode of her father. There she saw Tvaṣṭṛ who had rid himself of all sins by means of austerity.

20. She was duly honoured by Viśvakarman and that blameless lady stayed in her father’s abode for some time.

21. Then the father, Viśvakarman, conversant with righteousness, spoke respectfully and lovingly to his daughter who had stayed there for a long time:

22-25. “Dear daughter, I have been seeing you here for many days, though these days have appeared like an hour, Muhūrta (due to the filial affection), but this is causing loss of righteousness.

Staying with kinsmen for a long time is not conducive to the good reputation of women, although they may desire to have the bride at the father’s place.

Dear daughter, you have been united in wedlock with the Sun, the lord of the three worlds. Hence it does not behove you to live for long at your father’s abode.

Hence you go back to your husband’s place. I have seen you and duly honoured you, O girl of splendid eyes, you should come here again and meet me.”

Vyāsa said:

26. O sage, on being spoken thus, she promptly said “It will be so”. She duly venerated her father and went to Northern Kurus.

27. Not favourably disposed towards the blazing heat of the Sun and afraid of his refulgence, she performed penance there, in the guise of a mare.

28. Considering the second lady to be Saṃjñā herself, the Sun begot of her two sons and a charming daughter.

29. The Shadow-Lady did not behave lovingly towards the daughter and the two sons of Saṃjñā in the same manner as towards her own children. There was partiality in the manner of fondling and feeding (them) everyday.

30. Manu was ready to forgive this behaviour on her part, but not so in the case of Yama. He even raised his leg to kick her angrily. He later controlled his mind and hence did not actually touch her body with his foot.

31. Then, O king, the Shadow-Saṃjñā angrily cursed Yama with her lips throbbing with anger and gesticulating (to strike) with her hand:

32. “Since you raised forcefully your foot towards me, the wife of your father, that foot shall fall to the ground this day itself.”

33. On hearing this curse, Yama became very suspicious about his mother. He approached his father, bowed down to him and said:

34-35. “O father, this is extremely wonderful. It is not to be seen anywhere that a mother should curse her son without any endearing affection. This mother does not speak to me in the same way as my real mother. A (real) mother can never be devoid of good qualities towards her sons, even if they are devoid of good qualities.”

36. On hearing these words of Yama, the Sun, the dispeller of darkness, called the Shadow-Saṃjñā and asked her, “Where has she gone?”

37. She said, “I am the daughter of Tvaṣṭṛ, O refulgent one. I am your wife Saṃjñā. These children were begotten of me by you.”

38. Despite the fact that the Sun asked her many times, she did not tell the real fact. Thereupon, the Sun was about to curse her.

39. At that, she stated everything to Vivasvān in the manner it happened. On coming to know everything, the lord went to the abode of Tvaṣṭṛ.

40. Then Tvaṣṭṛ worshipped the Sun, honoured by all the three worlds: “O refulgent one, why have you come to the abode without your Śakti?”

41. He then asked him about Saṃjñā. (Tvaṣṭṛ) who knew the truth told him everything: “O Ravi, she had come to my abode on being sent by you.”

42. The Sun went in deep meditation and saw her performing penance in the guise of a mare in the Northern Kurus.

43-47a. She was unable to endure the brilliance of the Sun. She was much oppressed by it. She left back her fiery brilliance in the form of a shadow and came to Dharmāraṇya. She performed a very difficult penance. O king, the Sun saw Śani, the son of the Shadow-Lady, as well as Yama and the other one (Manu) (of Saṃjñā) and became surprised. On seeing the wicked sons, he was absorbed in meditation for a while to find out the real cause thereof. He understood the reason. ‘That chaste lady had her body scorched due to the heat of the rays. Since she could not bear to look at me of excessively unendurable brilliance, she began to perform penance. Fifty years have elapsed since she had gone to the earth and performed penance.’

47b-51. After reflecting thus the shining god (Sun) hastened to the holy forest of Dharmāraṇya where Saṃjñā was performing penance. On seeing the Sun come, the wife of the Sun became (i.e. assumed the form of) a mare. The Sun transformed himself into a horse. The penis was introduced into the nostril and thus their union took place. Thereupon the twin gods Aśvins were born on the earth. When the surface of the ground was dug up by the right hoof, water flowed out and a pool was formed. The second pool resulted from the hind leg.

52-54. The sage announced that the same meritorious fruit accrued in the Kuṇḍa here as accrued to one in the rivers flowing to the north at Kurukṣetra and at the town (Vārāṇasī) on Gaṅgā. There is no doubt that one merits the same benefit after taking a holy dip in Taptakuṇḍa. He is rid of all sins. The body is never afflicted with sickness such as leprosy etc. Thus, O king, the cause of the birth of Aśvins has been narrated unto you.

55-57. Then, O king, the Devas including Brahmā came there. Boons, more than ever contemplated by Saṃjñā, were given by them to Saṃjñā. They installed the Sun-god as the lord of the forest groove named Bakula. Saṃjñā assumed her previous form. She was installed like a queen. So also the twin gods. O king of great intellect, listen, I shall tell the benefit accruing from this holy shrine of pilgrimage.

58-62. The initial spot, O foremost one among the descendants of Kuru, is inaccessible even to gods. A man who takes his holy bath in Ravikuṇḍa with all the sense-organs under control and possessing real faith, shall redeem all the Manes even if they had fallen in great hells. If a man offers libations to the Manes and the Devas and drinks the sacred water faithfully, whether it be very little or fairly much, it shall become magnified up to ten million times. On the seventh lunar day in conjunction with Sunday or at the time of the lunar or solar eclipse, if people take bath in Ravikuṇḍa, they will never be born in a womb again.

If a man takes the holy dip on the day of the transit of the Sun, on Vyatīpāta, on Vaidhṛta, on the full-moon day, on the new-moon day, on the fourteenth day of the dark or bright half of a month, in Ravikuṇḍa, he shall obtain the benefit of ten million sacrifices.

63-64. If a man worships Bakulārka with single-minded attention, he attains the highest abode. His prosperity and glory shall be stable as long as the Sun blazes. He shall obtain happiness and progeny. With the favour of the Sun-god all the hosts of his enemies become extinct.

65. He has no fear from fire, tiger or elephant. Nor need he be afraid of serpents, evil spirits, ghosts and others.

66. All the Bālagrahas (demons and malignant Planets afflicting children), Revatī, Vṛddharevatī etc. become destroyed. O Bakulārka, obeisance unto you.

67. When Bakulārka is duly revered and bowed to, the devotee’s cows flourish, so also his wealth and granary. His lineage is never broken.

68-69. O king, if women take bath in the Kuṇḍa, all the defects are dispelled such as the state of a woman having only a single progeny or no progeny or the child being dead, or she becoming barren, or the woman being ugly or becoming Vīṣakanyā (‘poison girl’). The man enjoys conjugal bliss and begets sons and becomes very beautiful.

70. A man afflicted with any sickness or ailment becomes rid of all illness within six months, if he takes his holy dip in Ravikuṇḍa.

71. If a devotee performs the rite of letting free a dark-coloured bull at Ravikuṇḍa, his Manes become pleased as long as the time of the destruction of all living beings.

72. O son, if a man performs the rite of gifting away (in marriage) a virgin in this holy spot, he becomes a purified soul by means of that holy wedlock and he is honoured in the world of Brahmā.

73-76. Many things can be gifted away in this holy spot such as a cow made of gingelly seeds, O descendant of Bharata, sandals, umbrella, things according protection from chilliness etc. Rites of Lakṣa Homa (‘making sacrificial offerings a hundred thousand times’), Rudra and Atirudra rites etc. should be performed there. I shall, O dear one, state correctly the benefit of every donation made in that holy spot with adequate faith. Listen to it. By the donation referred to, the devotee acquires enjoyment in this world as well as hereafter.

77. By performing the rite of marriage a man acquires a kingdom. There is no doubt about this that all virtues, riches and desires pertaining to human beings are acquired through a wife.

78-79. Happiness is derived from worship. That pleasure is obtained in every birth. If a man remembers Bakulārka on the seventh lunar day falling on a Sunday, he need not be afraid of fever etc., enemies and sickness.

Yudhiṣṭhira said:

80. O sage, how did the Sun get the name of Bakulārka. O most excellent one of eloquent persons, it behoves you to narrate the truth.

Vyāsa said:

81-83. In order to reduce the severity of the refulgence of her lord, O eminent king, Saṃjñā performed the penance with due regard for Sun, beneath a tree of Bakula (Minsusops elengi). On seeing the Sun come forth, she became a mare. The refulgent Sun became cooled down excessively near the Bakula. Then the queen gave birth to two divine, charming sons. Hence the Sun here became well-known as Bakulārka.

84-85. He who takes bath there is not afflicted with illness. Undoubtedly he gets virtue (Dharma), love (Kāma) and wealth (Artha). Within six months he gains fulfilment of his desires. He gets salvation too. Thus, O great king, the greatness of Bakulārka has been narrated.

Footnotes and references:

[1]:

VV 6-54 give the story of Saṃjñā and birth of Aśvinīkumāras. It is given in Mbh, Ādi 66.35 and Anu. 150.17-18; also in VP III, Ch. 2.