Chapter 9 - Origin of the sacred Bel tree (1)

Parvati thereafter related the wonderful history of the Bel tree to her two companions as follows:—

The ancient Brahma Loka^[1] is situated in the upper regions of the universe. The residents of that Loka (world) who have four heads and four faces are always engaged in chanting the Vedas. Above this Brahma Loka is situated the Siva Loka, all the dwellers whereof are like so many different Sivas in form and appearance. Above, this again, is the Vaikuntha dhama, which is inhabited by people resembling the great Lord Hari in every respect. Above the Vaikuntha dhama is the Durga Loka in which every woman is a model of beauty and splendour, and a bestower of benefits. This Loka is represented on earth by Kamarupa. Above this Loka is the resplendant Golokadhama the counterpart of which on this earth is Vrindavana.

Now, once upon a time, it so happened in Vaikuntha dhama that while the great and mighty lord thereof, Hari or Narayana, was sleeping with his wife, Lakshmi, the god Siva whose brightness exceeded that of millions of suns put together, appeared before him in a dream. He had a trident and a Damaru^[2] in his hands, and snakes were coiled round his body. He was also surrounded by Siddhas^[3] and gods who were singing his praises. Narayana’s sleep was suddenly disturbed by this dream, and, as he rose to sit up on the bed, his wife, Lakshmi, was also startled from sleep. They held a consultation together and came to the conclusion that the indication of the dream was that the god Siva, wanted to see them. They, accordingly, decided to start for Kailasa, the abode of Siva, and did so without delay.

On their way they saw the mighty Siva himself, with his wife, Parvati, coming towards the Vaikuntha dhama. They were agreeably surprised at this unexpected meeting, and, after exchange of hearty greetings, came to know that just at the time when Narayana had seen Siva in dream, the latter had also had a similar dream in which Narayana and his wife appeared before him, and had thereupon started from home to see them.

Both were highly delighted at this extraordinary coincidence, and invited each other simultaneously to their respective houses. At this the question arose as to which of them should comply with the other’s request. They did not know which way to decide it, and were looking quite puzzled when the sage Narada happened to be passing by, and they referred the matter to him. He expressed his inability to come to a decision on such a knotty point, and suggested that their wives, Lakshmi and Parvati, should be consulted, because both of them were experts in giving advice. Thereupon Lakshmi was questioned by Siva, but she begged to be excused from expressing an opinion on the point, and pointed to Parvati as the proper person to be made a referee on account of her superior wisdom.

Parvati was accordingly questioned by Narayana, and she, after deliberating within herself for some time, said,

“My lords, from the unfeigned love and friendship which exist between you, it is evident that you two are one and the same. Both of you are united in soul although your bodies are separate. Even your wives, are similarly united with each other. To hate one of you is to hate both, and the man who thinks that you two are different gods is doomed to eternal damnation. Why then, my lords, am I asked to create distinction between you by deciding which of you should follow the other?”

Both the gods were equally pleased with Parvati’s answer which put an end to the question of precedence between them for ever, and they bade a cordial farewell to each other and to Narada, and went home quite satisfied.

Footnotes and references:

[1]:

The world of Brahma or the creator.

[2]:

A sort of small drum, shaped like an hourglass.

[3]:

See footnote at page [?].