Chapter 121 - Manifestation of Māyā

The sages said:

1-2. The benefit of the song of prayer at the time of keeping awake in propitiation of Viṣṇu has been listened to by us. By virtue of it the Cāṇḍāla attained the greatest goal. O extremely intelligent one, tell us how devotion to Viṣṇu can be effected. Now we wish to hear about the holy rite or penance whereby that becomes possible.

Vyāsa said:

3. Listen, O leading sages. I shall mention in due order how a person shall attain devotion to Viṣṇu with great benefit.

4-5. The worldly existence is extremely terrible. It strikes terror into all living beings. It causes sorrows to men. Hundreds of miseries abound in it. A soul is born again and again in thousands of species of lower living organisms, O brahmins, and with great difficulty it attains human birth.

6. After human birth he attains brahminhood, power of discrimination, sense of piety and happiness in successive births.

7. Until the ultimate destruction of all sins of men accumulated in different births, devotion to Vāsudeva identical with the universe, is not possible.

8-9. Hence, O brahmins, I shall tell you how devotion to Viṣṇu is effected.

A person may be devoted to other Devas mentally, verbally and physically. His soul is directed to those gods. Thereby, O excellent sages, he may become inclined to perform sacrifices.

10. Then, O brahmins, with great concentration and purity of mind be begins to love the fire-god. When the fire-god is propitiated he becomes a devotee of sun.

11. O brahmins, he worships sun-god regularly. When that god is pleased he becomes devoted to Śaṅkara.

12. He performs the worship of Śambhu duly and strenuously. When the three-eyed god is satisfied he becomes devoted to Keśava.

13. By worshipping the imperishable lord of the universe named Vāsudeva, O excellent brahmins, he attains worldly pleasures and salvation.

The sages said:

14. O great sage, some men are averse to devotion of Viṣṇu, O brahmin, tell us why they do not worship Viṣṇu.

Vyāsa said:

15. In this world, O excellent sages, two types of created beings are well-known, viz. Āsura (demonic) and Daiva (divine). They are created formerly by the self-born lord.

16. By attaining the divine nature men worship Acyuta. Those who have attained the demonic nature slander Hari.

17. The wisdom of those base men is obliterated by Māyā of Viṣṇu. Without attaining Hari, O brahmins, they attain lowest states.

18. His Māyā is deep and incomprehensible to Devas and Asuras. It causes great delusion to men. It cannot be surmounted by persons who are not self-possessed.

The sages said:

19. We all wish to comprehend that insurmountable Māyā of Viṣṇu. O sage conversant with details of virtue, it behoves you to narrate. Our eagerness is great.

Vyāsa said:

20. That Māyā is like a dream or the jugglery of a conjuror. It pulls and stretches the world, excepting the lord himself who is competent to comprehend Hari’s Māyā.

21. Even as I narrate, O brahmins, listen to the confounded states of a brahmin and Nārada due to this Māyā.

22. Formerly, in a city there was a glorious king well known as Āgnīdhra. His son was a pure soul named Kāmadamana.

23. He was Dharmārāma (who sported in piety). He practised forbearance. He was engaged in devotedly serving his parents. He was skilful in delighting his subjects. He exerted himself much in the Vedas and scriptures.

24. The father endeavoured to celebrate his marriage but he did not like it. So the father asked him: “Why don’t you like to take a wife unto you?.

25. Indeed all men desire it for pleasure. A wife is the root of all happiness. Hence take one unto you”.

26. Even after hearing the words of his father he maintained silence with solemnity. O brahmins, the father urged him frequently.

27. Then he said to his father: “O dear father, I have resorted to an attitude befitting my name (i.e. Kāmadamana). This is clearly a devoted service to Viṣṇu and it protects us”.

28-29. Approaching him, the father said: “O my son, this is not a righteous thing. This should not be adopted by a learned man. Do as I direct you, my son. I am your father and hence your lord. Do not immerse my family in the slough of hell due to the (impending) extinction of the family.”.

30. On hearing the behest of his father the son of perfect self-control was reminded of the old strange ways of the world. He said:

The son said:

31. Listen to my words, dear father. It is a statement of truth with cogent reasoning. O king, one should act in conformity with one’s name. It is very truthful.

32. I have acquired thousands of births, hundreds of deaths and old age and acquisitions of and separation from wives in all of them.

33. Hundreds of different states have been attained by me—like those of grass, shrubs, creepers, winding plants, reptiles, animals, birds, beasts, women, men etc.

34-35. I have been by turns a Gaṇa, a Kinnara, a Gandharva, a Vidyādhara, a great serpent, a Yakṣa, a Guhyaka, a Rākṣasa, a Dānava, an Apsaras, a divine being etc. Again and again I have attained a thousand oceans (?). I have been created many times during creation. I have been killed many times during annihilation.

36. In view of my being united with a wife I had been the victim of deception. Listen to what happened in the third preceding birth. I shall briefly mention it together with the greatness of a holy spot.

37. After passing through many births as man, god, Gandharva, Nāga, Vidyādhara, birds and Kinnaras, dear father, I was born in a family where I became a sage given to penance,

38. Then my devotion to Viṣṇu, the slayer of Madhu and the lord of worlds, was very steady. By means of devotion and different holy rites and fasts, the wielder of discus, club and other miraculous weapons was propitiated by me.

39. The delighted noble Viṣṇu came there riding on the lord of birds (Garuḍa) (with the intention of) granting me boons. He said in a loud voice: “O twice-born one, let any boon be prayed for. I shall give you whatever you desire.”

40. Then I said to lord Hari: “O Keśava, if you are pleased I shall choose a boon. O Janārdana, I wish to know that great Māyā belonging to you”.

41. The enemy of Madhu and Kaiṭabha then said to me: “O brahmin, of what avail is that Māyā to you? I shall give unto you virtue, wealth and love, prominent sons and freedom from sickness.”.

42. Then I said again to the enemy of Mura: “This is my desire to conquer wealth and virtue. I wish to know your Māyā, O Puṣkarākṣa (Lotus-eyed one). Show that unto me”.

43. Then lord Viṣṇu, the prominent Man-Lion, the lord of goddess of wealth said these words to me: “No one knows my Māyā nor will any one ever know it.

44-45. O brahmin, formerly the celestial sage Nārada, son of Brahmā, was a great devotee of mine. With great devotion, like you, he propitiated me formerly. I went unto him in order to grant him a boon. He too chose this very boon. Although he was prevented by me, he chose the same boon like you now, due to his excessive foolishness.

46. Then I said: “O Nārada, sink unto the water and you will know my Māyā”. Thereupon Nārada dipped himself under water. He was transformed into the daughter of the king of Kāśī named Suśīlā.

47. When she reached the prime of youth (the king of Kāśī) gave her in marriage to Sudharmā of fine virtue, the son of the king of Vidarbha. O great sage, in her company he indulged in unsurpassed pleasures.

48. When his father passed away, the kingdom duly passed on to him. Sudharmā of great valour became delighted and ruled over the Vidarbha kingdom. He was surrounded by sons and grandsons.

49. Then a great battle ensued between king Sudharmā and the king of Kāśī. In that battle were both the king of Vidarbha and the king of Kāśī together with their sons and grandsons.

50. (Defective text) Suśīlā came to know that her father and her husband were killed along with sons and grandsons. She set off from the city and went to the battlefield. On seeing her dead father and husband along with their sons and grandsons Suśīlā grieved much.

51-54. The distressed lady lamented for along time in the midst of the armies of her husband and father. Grief-stricken she rushed to her mother. She then took the dead bodies of her husband, father, brothers, sons and grandsons to the great cremation ground and prepared the funeral pyre. She herself lit the fire. When the fire blazed forth, Suśīlā rushed into it crying loudly “Alas! my son, Alas! my son”. She was then transformed again into the sage Nārada. The fire too assumed the pure lustre of cool crystal. The full lake appeared and he came out of it. Lord Keśava stood in front of him with conch, iron club, sword (etc.) in his four hands. Laughingly he said to Nārada the celestial sage:

55. “Who is your son? Tell me, O great sage. With your senses gone whom do you bevail?”

Thereupon, Nārada was ashamed. Then I said to him:

56. O Nārada, such is my Māyā. It is full of pain and misery. It cannot be understood by the lotus-seated lord, Indra, Rudra, and others. How will you comprehend this incomprehensible Māyā?

57. On hearing my words the great sage said: “O Lord Viṣṇu, grant me (the boon of) devotion to you. Whenever opportunity arrives let me remember you. Let me have your perpetual vision.

58. O Acyuta, let the place where, in my grief, I had stepped on to the funeral pyre become a holy spot. Let it be presided over by you, O Keśava, together with the lotus-born lord Brahmā.”

59. Then, O brahmin, Nārada was told by me thus “Let your funeral pyre be in the holy spot Śītoda. I, as Viṣṇu, shall stay here always. Maheśvara will stay on the northern side.

60. After cutting off that head of Brahmā which uttered harsh words, the three-eyed lord will come to this holy spot of thine for casting off the skull.

61. When the destroyer of the three cities, Śiva, takes his holy dip in this Tīrtha, the skull will drop down on the ground. Thereafter, this holy spot will become well known all over the Earth as Kapālamocana.”

62. Ever since then the cloud-vehicled Lord Indra has never forsaken this holy spot. O brahmin, say that the sin of the slaughter of a brahmin ceased to become fierce in him (defective verse).

63. As long as the slayer of the enemies of Indra does not forsake that holy spot it will continue to be great and sacred. This secret holy spot has been eulogised by Devas as Avimukta. It is called Imperishable. It bestows merit.

64. Even after committing sins, if a man enters that Tīrtha he becomes pure and free from lapses. When he meditates on me he becomes pure and attains salvation due to the grace of the Lord.

65. In another birth he is born as one called Rudrapiśāca and experiences some misery. After many years he is freed from sins and he takes birth in the abode of a brahmin.

66. He will be pure and one having self-control. At the time of his death Rudra will repeat the beneficial Tāraka Mantra to him. After saying this to Nārada, an excellent brahmin, I went to the ocean of milk, my abode.

67-68. That brahmin (i.e. Nārada) went to heaven and is being honoured by the king of Gandharvas.

“Thus everything has been told to you to enlighten you. My Māyā cannot be understood. If you wish to know enter this water and you will come to know.”

That brahmin, thus enlightened by Hari merged himself under water by the^rorce of the inevitable future.

69-70. O father, that brahmin merged himself under the water in the Tīrtha Kokāmukha and then he was transformed into a girl in the abode of a Cāṇḍāla. She was endowed with beauty, good conduct and excellent qualities. She attained youthful age. She was married to Subāhu, son of a Cāṇḍāla, who was devoid of handsome features. She did not like her husband but he liked her much.

71. She gave birth to two sons bereft of eyesight and a daughter who was deaf. The husband was very poor and so the helpless girl used to go to the river bank everyday and cry.

72. Once she went to the river taking the water pot with her. In order to take her bath she entered the water but was immediately transformed into her original form of a brahmin of good conduct engaged in holy rites and yogic practice.

73. As a long time passed by after her departure, her husband came to the holy river in search of her. He saw the water pot but not her on the bank. Thereupon in his excess of grief he lamented loudly.

74. Then the two blind sons and the deaf daughter came there. They too were distressed and on perceiving their crying father they wept bitterly.

75-76. Then he asked some brahmins who were on the river bank: “Tell me. Was a woman seen by you coming this way for water?”

They said: “She entered the river but never came up. Only this much are we aware of.”

On hearing their terrible words he began to cry again. Tears flooded his eyes.

77. On seeing him cry along with his daughter and sons I too became distressed. Grief reminded me, O King, that I was myself the Cāṇḍāla maiden.

78. Then, O King, I said to that Cāṇḍāla: “Why do you cry in distress? You are not going to get her back by your foolish cries. It is in vain. Of what avail to you is this lamentation?”

79. He said to me: “Both these sons are blind. The only girl is deaf. How can I, O brahmin, console these and bring them up?”

80. After saying this he cried all the more loudly along with his children. The longer I watched the Cāṇḍāla crying the more I pitied him.

81. Preventing him from crying further in his grief, I narrated to him the incidents of my life. Thereupon the distressed man entered the waters of Kokāmukha.

82. Immediately after his entry into the water the Cāṇḍāla became free from sins by the efficacy of the Tīrtha. Even as I stood watching, he entered an aerial chariot bright as the moon, O father, and went to heaven.

83. After his entering the water and passing away my grief increased causing me great delusion. Then, O excellent king, I dived into the sacred waters of the Kokā and went to heaven.

84. Again I was born, this time in the family of a Vaiśya. Here also I was distressed due to pain. I was endowed with the faculty of remembering my previous births due to the grace of the excellent Tīrtha. With a dejected mind I went to Kokāmukha putting sufficient restraint on my mind and utterances.

85. I observed holy rites and made my body emaciated. Then I went to heaven. Coming down therefrom I am now born in your abode. O father, I can remember my previous births by the grace of Hari.

86-87. I propitiated the lord in Kokāmukha. I have discarded my desire for both auspicious and inauspicious things.

After saying this he bowed to his father and went to Kokāmukha. He propitiated Viṣṇu in the form of Boar. The excellent man attained Siddhi.

Thus Kāmadamana forsook his defective physical body in the Kokāmukha, the extremely sacred and excellent Tīrtha. He went to heaven by aerial chariots resembling the sun, along with his sons and grandsons.

88. Thus O brahmins, the Māyā of the great lord, has been described by me. Even Devas are not able to think about it. It is like a dream or the jugglery of a conjuror. The whole universe is deluded by it.

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