Chapter 62 - Aniruddha taken captive by Bāṇāsura

[Sanskrit text for this chapter is available]

[Note: Not traced in Padaratnāvalī’s Text.]

The King Parīkṣit submitted:

1. The best of Yadus (Aniruddha) married Uṣā, the daughter of Bāṇa. On this occasion a terrible and very great combat took place between Lord Hari and god Śaṅkara. O great yogin! May you be pleased to describe to me in details this episode.

[The Vrindāvan edition records the following verse from the Text of VT. and other commentators of Gauḍīya Vaiṣṇava school.]

1(A). Bāṇa was the eldest out of the hundred sons of the noble-souled Bali. Being endowed with a thousand arms, he pleased god Śiva by playing on a musical instrument while the latter performed his Tāṇḍava dance.

Śrī Śuka narrated:

2. Bāṇa was the eldest of the hundred sons of the great- souled Bali who donated in charity the whole of the earth to to Lord Hari who presented himself before him in the form of Vāmana (a dwarf, a Brāhmaṇa boy).

3. Balī’s own son Bāṇa was always engaged in devotion to god Śiva. He was respectable, generous, intelligent, true of word and firm in observance of vows.

4. Formerly, he used to rule over his kingdom from the beautiful city of Śoṇitapura^[1] as its capital. By the grace of god Śiva even those celestials (the sworn enemies of Asuras) behaved with him as his servants. Endowed with a thousand arms as he was, he pleased god Śiva (the world-delighter) by playing upon musical instruments while god Śiva performed his Tāṇḍava^[2] dance.

5. The glorious god Śiva, the Lord of all beings, worthy of seeking shelter, who is affectionate to his votaries, asked Bāṇa to seek any boon. Bāṇa begged of him to be the guardian deity of his capital.

6. On one occasion, Bāṇa who was madly elated with his prowess, touched with his crown brilliant like the sun, the lotus-feet of god Śiva who (as the presiding deity of his capital) was near to him and said:

7. “I bow to you, O great God, the preceptor and the highest Ruler of the world, the Wish-yielding tree fulfilling the desires of persons whose longings are not satisfied.

8. The (boon of) thousand arms conferred by you have resulted into a burden to me; for I do not find an equal combatant (against me in the three worlds excepting you).

9. With my arms itching for a fight and being impelled by eagerness to combat, I marched against the elephants (supporting the world) at the end of cardinal points, crushing down the mountains on the way. But being terrified, the elephants hastily took to flight, O Ancient-most Person”.

10. Hearing this (arrogant speech), the glorious god Śiva got enraged and told him, “When your flag-staff (with the peacock ensign) shall be broken down automatically, your combat with some one equal to me will take place and it will humiliate (break down) your pride, O stupid fellow”.

11. Thus snubbed, the Asura with perverse mentality became delighted and repaired to his place. The crooked- minded fellow was waiting for the fulfilment of Śiva’s augery which indicated a crushing blow to his prowess.

12. He had a daughter called Uṣā. Virgin as she was, in dream, she enjoyed sexual pleasure with Aniruddha, the son of Pradyumna as her beloved consort whom she had never seen or heard of.

13. Not finding him there near her (after opening her eyes), she got up in a bewildered state, exclaiming “Where are you my beloved lord?”, in the midst of her girl-companions and was exceedingly abashed.

14. Bāṇa had a minister called Kumbhāṇḍa. His daughter Citralekhā was her bosom-friend. Out of great curiosity, she enquired her friend Uṣā:

15. “Whom are you searching for, O friend with beautiful eyebrows? what is the nature of your desire? As far as I have observed, as yet there has been no suitor to your hand, O princess.”

Uṣā narrated:

16. “In my dream I saw an unknown man of dark complexion, lotus-eyed, endowed with (knee-) long arms, wearing a yellow (silken) garment, captivating the hearts of women (capable of enjoying them).

17. I am seeking after him as my beloved Lord who having allowed me to drink the honey of his lips, has gone (to some unknown place) throwing me into the sea of misery even though I am still thirsty (after him).”

Citralekhā said:

18. “I shall remove (the cause of) your grief. If he who captivated your heart exists somewhere in the three worlds, I shall bring that man. Please tell me who it is.”

19. Saying thus she drew graphic portraits (of elite youths) of gods, Gandharvas, Siddhas, Cāraṇas, serpents, Daityas, Vidyādharas, Yakṣas and human princes.

20. Out of human beings, she drew the portrait of VṛṣṇiṆ’s: Ugrasena, Vasudeva, Balarāma, Kṛṣṇa. When she saw Pradyumna’s portrait, she felt shy.

21. Seeing the carefully painted portrait of Aniruddha she looked down in shyness and exclaimed smilingly, “It is he. It is he.” O Ruler of the earth.

22. Citralekhā who was endowed with yogic powers knew that he was the grand-son of Kṛṣṇa and through the air, she went to Dvārakā under the protection of Kṛṣṇa, O King.

23. Resorting to her yogic powers, she bore Aniruddha, the son of Pradyumna, who was sleeping on an excellent bed and brought him to Śoṇitapura and presented her beloved to her friend, Uṣā.

24. Beholding the most beautiful of beautiful persons, she was extremely rejoiced and in her private apartment which was inaccessible to the eyes of males, she enjoyed herself with the son of Pradyumna.

25. He was respectfully received with excellent garments, wreaths of flowers, perfumes, sweet incense, lights, high seat, with drinks, foods and other eatables, with sweet conversations and personal service.

26. Aniruḍdha who remained concealed in the princess’s apartment, got his senses captivated by Uṣā whose love for him was ever increasing and he did not know how many days rolled away.

27. As she was thus enjoyed by the Yādava hero and lost her virginity, the attendants observed through marks which could be hardly concealed, that she was enjoying specially joyous life.

28. The servants reported to Bāṇa, “O King, from the behaviour of your daughter, we mark that she is casting a stain on your family.

29. Though we were cautiously guarding her, we do not know how such pollution took place in the apartment of your virgin. daughter who was closely guarded and was beyond the reach of male eyes.”

30. Thereupon Bāṇa who was sorely distressed to hear of his daughter’s pollution, hastened immediately to the appartment of his daughter and saw there the best of the Yadus.

31. He saw Aniruddha who was the son of Kāma (Pradyumna), the most beautiful person in the world, dark in complexion, wearing a yellow garment, of lotus eyes, long and mighty arms and with his countenance brightened with the lustre of his ear-rings, and locks of hair and was beaming with smiling looks.

32. Bāṇa was shocked to see Aniruḍdha playing at dice with his beloved daughter who on her part adorned herself with festle ornaments—and wearing between his arms a garland of Jasmine flowers, special to the season of spring, tinged with the saffron on her bosom during his contacts with her person seated in front of her,

33. Seeing Bāṇa enter surrounded with fierce looking soldiers, Aniruḍdha, the descendent of Madhu, took up an iron bludgeon and took position like Yama, the wielḍer of the rod determined to finish with any body that may approach him.

34. Like a great boar that kicks away the attacking dogs, he struck them down who attacked him on all sides with the intention of arresting him. Beaten thus by him, they ran out of Uṣā’s palace with their heads, thighs and arms broken.

35. The powerful son of Bali got angry with Aniruddha who was striking down his soldiers and he bound him down with Nāgapāśa (serpent-like cords).

36. Uṣā was overwhelmed with grief and despondency to see him bound with the cords of Nāga and wept loudly with tears flowing down her eyes.

Footnotes and references:

[1]:

Assames claim Tejapur as the Śoṇitapur of Bāṇa. But the route followed by Kṛṣṇa in his expedition against Bāṇa and its siege etc. (as given in Harivaṃśa), show that Śoṇitapur in Kumaun on the back of Kedār-gaṅgā about 6 miles from Uṣāmaṭha near Gupta Kāśi has better claims to be this Śoṇitapur-GDAM p. 189.

[2]:

According to Bharata, the sage Taṇḍu was its initiator. But later as Śabdārthacintāmāṇi notes it came to be applied to all male dances and dancing by women was called lāsya. It implies violent type of dance in which Rudra indulges at the end of yugas. The violent effect of this dance is expressed in the 1st verse (MaṅgalaJ of Matsya Purāṇa. as follows:

pracaṇḍa-tāṇḍavāṭope praksiptā vena dig-gajāḥ /
bhavantu vighna-bhaṅgāya bhavasya caraṇāmbujāḥ //
  —Matṣya-purāṇa 1.1