Chapter 30 - Sulobha and Śapharahā; Suśaṅkha and Sunīthā

[Sanskrit text for this chapter is available]

The sages said:

1-2. O brāhmaṇa, what was the course of conduct of that sinful Vena, whom you mentioned as behaving sinfully, and what fruit did he get? O you wisest and very intelligent one, tell us in detail the account of that Vena (as it) formerly (took place).

Sūta said:

3-9a. I shall properly tell you the story of that Vena and also the very meritorious account of his noble son, as I have heard it before. When that magnanimous son, Pṛthu, was born, the king (Vena) became spotless and again became religious. All the major sins earned (i.e. committed) by mean persons vanish with their close contact with the sacred places. There is no doubt that merit alone is produced in the company of the good; and sin alone is produced in the company of sinners. Sin would spread around by talking with, seeing, touching, sitting and taking food with and by the company of sinners. In the same way merit alone would spread in the company of the meritorious. The sinners are purified by their contact with great sacred place (only) and in no other way; and ultimately, with all their sins completely washed, they obtain a holy status.

The sages said:

9b-16a. O best brāhmaṇa, how do the sinners reach the highest attainment? Tell that in detail; faith is produced (in us).

Sūta said:

There were very sinful hunters, slaves and fishermen, who remained in the water of Revā, Yamunā and Gaṅgā. By chance they knowingly or unknowingly bathed and sported in the water of the great river and obtained the highest position. Casting off their slavish life—the heap of sins—they went to the highest position. Due to their contact with the holy water they all crossed (the ocean of mundane existence). (This was) due to (their) contact with the great river, and not due to contact with other rivers, O best ones. By the contact of a highly meritorious person, and also by seeing and touching him, the sin of even the sinners perishes. No doubt should be raised about this. O brāhmaṇas, in this matter an account, destroying sins, is heard. I shall today tell you that (account) giving great merit.

16b-24a. In a great forest there was a deer-hunter named Sulobha. Greedy of tasting flesh, he everyday killed deer with (the help of) dogs, and with traps and snares. Once that very wicked one, holding a bow and arrows in his hand, being surrounded by dogs went to Vindhya-forest. He killed many beasts, deer and pigs that were frightened. A man, the killer (i.e. hunter) of śaphara (a kind of small glittering fish), resorting to the bank of Revā, and killing many śaphara, came out of the water. Then a female deer, afflicted with fear of that deer-hunter Lobha, and intent upon saving her life, distressed, frightened and with her mind unsettled, fleeing hurriedly, resorted (i.e. came) to the bank of Revā. She that was hurt by the stroke of an arrow, was attacked by dogs. Sulobha, the deer-hunter, pursued her with the speed of wind, and the female deer ran before him. The śaphara-killer, with an arrow in his hand and ready (to strike), bent his bow quickly and checked the female deer.

24b-30. Just then the hunter called Lobha came there with his dogs. “Do not kill her, she is my (game), she has come in the range of my hunt.” Hearing (these) words of him (i.e. of Lobha), the wicked and very powerful fish-killer, greedy of flesh, discharged an arrow directed towards her. Struck by the deer-hunter with an arrow, the female deer who was (thus) struck with the two arrows of (i.e. discharged by) the two wicked ones, died there. (Trying) to run away in a hurry, she, being attacked by the dogs, fell from the peak into the Revā-pool that destroyed sins. The dogs also hurrying (to attack her) fell into the sacred pool. Overpowered with anger, the deer-hunter (i.e. Lobha) said to the fisherman: “O wicked one, this female deer is my (game); why did you strike her with arrows?” Then the fish-killer too said to the deer-hunter: “She is my (game); there is no doubt; why are you talking (like this), O proud one (i.e. proudly).”

31-35. Then the two lucky ones, fighting with each other through anger and greed, fell into the sacred water (of Revā). At that time the great parvan, giving a great religious merit and leading to an (excellent) position, viz. Amāvāsyā (i.e. the new-moon day) arrived. All of them, bereft of muttering prayers and meditation and of truthfulness fell (into the water) during the period of the parvan, O best one. On account of the bath of the holy place, the female deer, a dog and the hunter, being freed from all sins, attained the highest position (i.e. went to heaven). O best brāhmaṇa, due to the power of the sacred place and the company of the good, the sin of the sinners would be destroyed as fire would burn fuel.

Sūta said:

36-38. By the company of the noble sages, by talking with them, by seeing and touching them, by the company of the good, formerly the sin of king Vena perished. The sin of sinners perishes by the contact of very great merit (i.e. very meritorious persons). Sin alone would spread by the company of very great sinners. Vena was stained with the sin of his maternal grandfather.

The sages said:

39-44a. Tell us in detail what the fault of the maternal grandfather was. He is death, he is Kāla (i.e. god of death) and is Yama and Dharma. He does not harm anyone. He is well-settled in his position. All mobile and immobile worlds, influenced by their own deeds, live and die due to their own deeds, and also enjoy due to their own deeds. On the ripening of their deeds, the sinners meet the fierce one. O Sūta, it is this very meritorious Yama, who, everyday would employ or punish (beings), according to their deeds, in all the hells. The pious-minded and righteous one employs (beings) in all very meritorious deeds. No fault of his is observed (in this). Due to what fault of Mṛtyu (i.e. Yama) was that sinful Vena born?

Sūta said:

44b-56. That Mṛtyu remains in the form of Kāla (i.e. god of death) as the ruler of the wicked-minded. He reflects opon their deeds. He would destroy a person, who has (done) a wicked deed, with (i.e. as a result of) that deed. Knowing his sin this Yama takes him. A righteous soul, through his merit would obtain (i.e. go to) heaven. Mṛtyu alone, through his good messengers, unites all of them (with proper reward). He unites the blessed souls with great happiness, auspicious songs and gifts, and enjoyments. That Mrtyu, being angry would frighten them only with various kinds of afflictions and distresses and beat them with terrible (clubs) of wood. O noble one, his function remains in (i.e. with reference to) the deeds, and that is due to one’s greed of merit. A daughter by name Sunīthā was born to that magnanimous one. Always sporting and observing the deeds of her father, she advised him who observed the good and bad deeds of the subjects. That glorious daughter of him, Sunīthā by name, sporting and surrounded by (her) friends came to a forest. There she saw an excellent distinguished son of a Gandharva, by name Suśaṅkha, with all his body charming, practising penance, and meditating on Sarasvatī, for obtaining great competence in the science of music, in spite of (i.e. even though there was) a loud and confused sound of music. Everyday she created an obstruction in his (penance and meditation). Everyday Suśaṅkha, saying “Go, go (away)”, pardoned her. Though thus sent away (i.e. asked to go away) she would still cause harm to him. (Thus) told by him, she, too, getting angry, struck him, who remained in (i.e. practising) penance.

57-62. Then that Susankha angry and overcome with wrath said to her: “O wicked, sinful one, why did you obstruct (my penance)? Great people do not beat (back) a wicked person when beaten (by him). Though abused they do not get angry. This is the restraint (brought about) by righteousness. O wicked one, you struck me who am faultless and endowed with penance.” Speaking this to that sinful Sunīthā, that pious one, ceased (to speak) and knowing her to be a female, kept himself away from anger. Then she, through sinful delusion and immaturity, spoke to that noble Susankha, who remained in (i.e. was practising) penance: “My father himself is the destroyer of the residents of the three worlds; he would always destroy the bad ones and would protect the truthful ones. There would be no fault on his part, he would behave very meritoriously.”

63-66. Saying so, she went to her father and said to him: “O father, in the forest I struck a Gandharva’s son, who was always practising penance in a secluded place and was free from desire and anger. He, the righteous one, endowed with anger and love said to me: ‘One should not beat him who beats one, nor should one make him weep, who makes one weep.’ Thus, O father, he spoke to me. Tell me the reason (for this).” O best brāhmaṇas, that righteous Mṛtyu, thus addressed, did not say anything to Sunīthā, in reply to (her) question.

67-71. She again came to the forest where that Suśaṅkha remained. Through wickedness she struck him, the best among those who practised penance, with the blows of her hands. O brāhmaṇas, the daughter of Mṛtyu beat Suśaṅkha. Then the highly lustrous one got angry and cursed her of a slender waist: “O wicked one, since you beat me, who am faultless and who remained in this forest, therefore I shall give (you) a curse. Listen, O wicked one, when, with your husband, you will lead the life of a housewife a son, full of evil conduct, censurer of gods and brāhmaṇas, engrossed in all sinful acts, will be (conceived) in your womb.” Cursing like this, he too left, and resorted to penance only.

72-75. When that glorious one had left, Sunīthā went home. With her mind burning (with anger) she told her noble father as (to how) she was then cursed by the son of a Gandharva. Mṛtyu listened to all that, and said: “Why did you harm him, who was practising penance and who was innocent? O (my) daughter, you have not done a proper thing in beating a truthful person.” Saying so, the righteous Mṛtyu, reflecting upon what she had told him, became extremely pained.

Sūta said:

76-85. O brāhmaṇas, once the brāhmaṇa, the very lustrous and vigorous son of Atri went to the Nandana (garden); there he saw Indra, Pākaśāsana. He saw Indra, who was accompanied by hosts of celestial nymphs and Gandharvas and Kinnaras, who was (i.e. whose praise was) being sung by singers with seven very melodious notes, who was being fanned by beautiful women walking like swans with fragrant fans, and with chowries, who, the thousand-eyed one, shone with an umbrella (white) in colour like swans and (round) like the disc of the moon, who was adorned with all ornaments, who was engaged in sexual sports, who possessed an unlimited prowess. By his side he saw the blessed virtuous Paulomī, charming and auspicious, glorious with beauty, lustre and penance, shining with good fortune and chastity. With her that Indra enjoyed in the Nandana forest. Seeing his sport, the best brāhmaṇa Aṅga (thought): ‘Lucky is the king of gods who is surrounded by such (beings). Oh, (great) is the power of his penance, due to which he has obtained such a great (i.e. high) position. When I shall have such a son, the great support of all the worlds, I shall obtain great happiness. There is no doubt about it.’ Thus engaged in thinking he quickly came home.