Chapter 107 - The story of Upamanyu (upamanyucarita)

The sages said:

1. O Sūta, it behoves you to recount now how the chieftancy of the Gaṇas was acquired from Maheśvara by Upamanyu. How was the milk-ocean also obtained by him?

Sūta said:

2. When the three-eyed lord went away after creating^[1] Kālī thus, Upamanyu worshipped him by performing penance and acquired the benefit of worship.

3-7. O excellent brahmins, there was a sage known as Upamanyu. He was as refulgent as Kārttikeya.^[2] Once while playing about in the hermitage of his materrial uncle, he got only a small quantity of milk while his uncle’s son drank a good quantity of excellent milk malicioulsy. On seeing him drinking milk as much as he pleased, Upamanyu spoke to his mother. “O mother, O highly blessed mother, O ascetic woman, give me cow’s sweet milk, which should be hot and not too little in quantity. I am bowing down to you.”

Sūta said:

Thus fondly requested, the mother earnestly embraced her son. O brahmins, recalling again and again to his mind the milk, the highly refulgent Upamanyu lamented to her and said—“Give me, give me milk”.

8-9. That sweet-voiced lady ground some seeds she had gathered by gleaning one by one. She then stirred the grounded paste with water and then lovingly called her son gently and said, “Come, come on, my dear son”. The distressed lady embraced the boy tenderly and gave him the artificial milk she had prepared.

10. O excellent brahmins, on drinking the artificial milk given by his mother the boy became dejected and said, “O mother, this is not milk”.

11. On observing this she became unhappy. With her hands she wiped her son’s lotus-like wide eyes. She kissed him on the head and said:—

12. There is a river full of jewels within the range of heaven and nether worlds. Those who are unfortunate, being devoid of devotion to Śiva do not perceive it.

13. Such persons do not obtain kingdom, heaven, salvation and the diet of milk. They do not achieve pleasing things unless Bhava is satisfied with them.

14. Everything results from the grace of Bhava and not from the grace of other deities. Those who are devoted to other deities are miserable, confused and bewildered.

15-18. Whence can we get milk? We have not worshipped Mahādeva. O son, only that can be achieved, which has been gifted after exalting Śiva and not by exalting Viṣṇu or any other lord.

On hearing the words of his mother, Upamanyu of great refulgence, despite being a boy, bowed down to his mother who was piteously miserable, and said:—“O highly blessed lady, eschew your sorrow. If there exists Mahādeva anywhere, sooner or later I shall obtain the milk ocean.”

Sūta said:

After bowing to her and saying thus, he began to get ready to perform penance.

19. The mother then said to him, “Perform the splendid penance perfectly”. On being permitted by her he performed a very severe penance.

20. He went to the mountain Himavān. With great attention and concentration he took in only wind as food. Due to his penance the universe became agitated.

21-24. The excellent Devas bowed down to Viṣṇu and mentioned everything to him. On hearing their words lord Viṣṇu thought, “What is this?” On deep consideration he rerealized the cause. With a desire to see Maheśvara, he hastened to the Mandara mountain. On seeing the lord, he joined his palms in reverence, bowed down to him and said:—“O lord, a certain brahmin boy known as Upamanyu has, for the sake of milk, burnt everything by means of his penance. Curb him.” On hearing their petition, the Pināka-bearing lord resolved to go there in the guise of Indra.

25. Having assumed the form of Indra the king of immortal beings, he went to the penance grove of the sage riding on the white elephant. He was accompanied by Devas, Asuras, Siddhas and Nāgas.

26. Indra was accompanied by Śaci and he mounted the elephant. The sun held the fan in his left hand and the white umbrella in the other.

27. With his white umbrella, lord Sadāśiva who had assumed the form of Indra and was accompanied by Umā [in the form of Śacī] shone like the Mandara mountain with the disc of the moon above it.

28. Having assumed the form of Indra like this, the lord went to the hermitage of Upamanyu in order to bless him.

29-30. “Today my hermitage^[3] has been sanctified since Indra, the lord of Devas and of the universe, has come here along with the sun god”. O excellent sages, so said Upamanyu, on seeing lord Śiva in the guise of Indra. He bowed down his head.

31. On seeing that the brahmin boy after saying thus, stood aside with palms joined in reverence, lord Śiva in the guise of Indra said in a majestic tone.

32. “O highly intelligent sage of good holy rites, O elder brother of Dhaumya, I am delighted with you for your penance. Tell me the boon you wish to choose. I shall give you all desired things.”

33. The excellent sage who was thus urged by Indra, said with palms joined in reverence:—“I choose devotion to Siva.”

34. On hearing the words of the sage, Lord Īśāna himself in the guise of Indra said excitedly as if he was angry.

35. “O celestial sage, you do not know me, the lord of Devas. I am Indra the overlord of the three worlds, bowed to by all Devas.

36. O brahmin sage, be my devotee. Worship me always. I shall give you everything. Welfare unto you. Leave off Rudra devoid of attributes”.

37. On hearing the words of Indra that rent his ears, Upamanyu said thus after repeating the splendid five-syllabled mantra: Oṃ namaś śivāya.

38. “I think some base Daitya has come here in the guise of Indra, in order to create obstacles in my holy rites. It cannot be otherwise.

39. Every quality has been mentioned by you while engaged in censuring Bhava. Incidentally, the state of his being devoid of attributes has been extolled.

40. Of what avail is much talk? I know that I have committed a great sin in my previous birth. For I am compelled to hear the censure of Bhava.

41. On hearing the censure of Bhava, one must kill the person who censures, immediately and cast off his body at the very instant. He shall thereby go to the world of Śiva.

42. He, who plucks out the tongue of the person who is engaged in censuring Śiva verbally, uplifts twenty-one generations of his family and goes to the world of Śiva.^[4]

43. O base one, let alone my desire for milk. I shall leave off my body after killing you by the missile of Siva.

44. Undoubtedly what had been mentioned by my mother was true. The lord has not been worshipped by us in the- previous birth.”

45. After saying this boldly to the lord, Upamanyu the knower of mantras resolved to kill Indra by means of the Atharva missile.

46. The sage of great refulgence took a handful of Bhasman from the receptacle. Then, he discharged the Atharva missile against him and roared.

47. The sage of great brilliance, the unchanging soul meditated on the lord, invoked the Dhāraṇā of Agni, and got ready to burn his body like the dry fuel.

48. When the brahmin boy attempted this, the lord, the destroyer of the eyes of Bhaga, prevented him by means of the missile of Soma.

49. The Atharva missile of that sage that resembled Kālāgni was withdrawn by Candraka (moon) missile at the instance of Nandin.

50. Then lord Parameśvara assumed his own form with the crescent moon at his crest and showed himself to the brahmin.

51-52. All round the boy, the following appeared, viz:—thousands of milk currents, the milk ocean, the ocean of curd, the ocean of ghee, the ocean of fruits, the ocean of various edibles and food-stuffs and mountains of Apūpas.

53. The merciful lord looked smilingly at the smiling daughter of the mountain. He then sympathetically looked at Upamanyu who was surrounded by his kinsmen. The lord then said:

54. See, O dear Upamanyu. Enjoy all pleasure as you desire in the company of your kinsmen. O highly blessed one. This Pārvatī is your mother.

55-56. You have been adopted as my son now. Hence, this ocean of milk, the ocean of honey, the ocean of curds, the ocean of rice soaked in ghee, the ocean of fruits and lambatives, the ocean of edibles and foodstuffs and also mountains of baked pies.

57. O sage, your father is Mahādeva who is the father of the worlds. Undoubtedly your highly blessed mother is the mother of the universe.

58. Immortality is bestowed upon you. So also the perpetual chieftancy of the Gaṇas. Choose your boons; you shall not hesitate in this matter. I shall give you whatever you ask for.

59. After saying thus, Mahādeva lifted him with his hands. Lord Bhava kissed him on the head and handed him to the goddess.

60. O excellent brahmins, on seeing her son the delighted goddess, the daughter of the mountain gave him yogaiśvarya (the prosperity of the yoga) and the Brahmavidyā (the esoteric doctrine of Brahman).

61. After attaining the boon from her, and the perpetual bachelorhood he eulogised Mahādeva with words choked with delight.

62. With palms joined in reverence he bowed down again and again to the lord. He chose boons with eyes devoid of Rajas Guṇa.^[5]

63-64. O lord of the chiefs of Devas, bless me with unswerving devotion unto you. O Mahādeva, may I have faith and perpetual nearness to you. On thus being requested by him the smiling lord Śaṅkara offered the brahmin the cherished desire. Thereafter the lord vanished there itself.

Footnotes and references:

[1]:

upālabhya—utpādya Śivatoṣiṇī. having created.

[2]:

Kumāra iva—Skanda-sadṛśaḥ Śivatoṣiṇī. as Karttikeya.

[3]:

pāvitaś cāśramaḥ. We have adopted the N.S. reading.

[4]:

Mark the sectarian attitude of this purāṇa.

[5]:

virajekṣaṇa [virajekṣaṇam]—virajeṣu eva īkṣaṇaṃ yasya tam Śivatoṣiṇī. one who looks after the affairs of only those who are given to benevolent activities.