Canto LXIV - About the Svārociṣa Manvantara (continued)

Vibhāvarī and Kalāvatī then tell Svarocis their storyand he marries them both.

Mārkaṇḍeya spoke:

Now the maiden, being thus freed from her disease and filled with joy, spoke thus^[1] to Svarocis—“Hear my word, O lord. I am the daughter of the Vidyādhara Mandāra, famed by name as Vibhāvarī.^[2] O my benefactor, I offer thee my very self, do thou accept me. And I will give thee knowledge, by which the utterances of all created things shall become manifest to thee. Be thou favourably inclined!”

Mārkaṇḍeya spoke:

“So be it!” said Svarocis, wise in righteousness. And then the second maiden spoke these words—

“A youthful Brahmacārin was my father, by name Pāra, a brahmarṣi, exceedingly illustrious, thoroughly learned in the Vedas and Vedāṅgas. Formerly in a spring-time, which was charming by reason of the songs of the male koils, an Apsaras known as Puñjikāstanā approached near him. Then the noble muni was moved so that he could not but speak of love. By their union I was born of her on this great mountain. My mother abandoned me, a girl, all alone, in this desolate forest on the earth’s surface, which swarms with snakes and wild beasts, and went away. Since then being nourished daily by the moon’s increasing phases, which cause wane to wax again^[3], I have grown up, O best of men. Hence Kalāvatī^[4] is the name which my high-souled father gave me when he took me. My high-souled father, when solicited by a Gandharva, did not give me who am beautiful of face^[5] in marriage to him then, hence he was cursed^[6] by Āli^[7] the foe of the gods and perished^[8]. I was about to destroy myself then from excessive despair. Śambhu’s wife Satī who is true to her promises prevented me, by saying, ‘Grieve not, beauteous-browed maiden; thou shalt have an illustrious husband by name Svarocis, and thy son by him shall be a Manu. And all the Nidhis^[9] shall submissively obey thy command, and shall give thee wealth according to thy desire, O beauteous one! Take, my child, the knowledge by the power of which thou shalt succeed; this knowledge is called Padminī, it is greatly worshipped by Mahāpadma.’ So spake to me Dakṣa’s daughter Satī, who is devoted to truth. Thou art Svarocis in sooth—the goddess will not speak amiss. I now offer that knowledge and myself in my true form to thee who hast given me life; do thou receive them with favour beaming from thy face on me.”

Mārkaṇḍeya spoke:

“So be it!” said he to the maiden Kalāvatī. The loving glances of Vibhāvarī and Kalāvatī urged him on to joy; and he, lustrous as the immortals, then took the hands of both in marriage, while heavenly musical instruments sounded out and the Apsarases danced.

Footnotes and references:

[1]:

For uvāceda read uvācedaṃ ?

[2]:

“The resplendent.”

[3]:

Kalābhir rarddhantībhir ava-kṣayam. The allusion appears to be to the waxing of the moon after its waning.

[4]:

“Possessing the digits of the moon.”

[5]:

For subhānanā read śubhānanā ?

[6]:

For saptas read śaptas.

[7]:

Or, Ali, as the text may be read. This name is not in the dictionary, and I have not met with it elsewhere. Āli may however be taken as an adjective meaning “idle, worthless”, and the text rendered “by a worthless foe of the gods”, bat this cannot refer to the Gandharva.

[8]:

This passage seems erroneous. Gandharveṇa cannot be taken with pitrū (see verse 5) nor with devāriṇā.

[9]:

See canto lxviii.