Canto LXXII - About the Auttama Manvantara (continued)

The brahman performs a sacrifice which turns the queen’s heart to the king, and the Rākṣasa brings her back from Pātāla — The brāhman frees the Nāga princess from the curse, and she coining to thank the king promises him a son who shall be a Manu — Accordingly a son is born who was theManu Auttama.

Mārkaṇḍeya spoke:

Then arriving at his city, the king saw the joyful brāhman accompanied by his wife also who was sweet-dispositioned.

The brāhman spoke:

O noble king, successful am I inasmuch as righteousness has been preserved by thee, who art wise in righteousness here and who bringest back my wife.

The king spoke:

Successful art thou, O brāhman, because thou observest thy own laws of righteousness. I am in a strait, who have no wife at home, O brāhman.

The brāhman spoke:

O king, if she, thy queen, has indeed been devoured by wild beasts in the forest, away with her! Why dost thou not take another’s hand in marriage? Falling under the dominion of anger thou didst not preserve righteousness.

The king spoke:

My darling wife is not devoured by wild beasts; indeed she is alive, with character unblemished. How shall I act in this matter?

The brahman spoke:

If thy wife lives and has not gone astray, why then dost thou commit a sin which will render thee wifeless in another birth?

The king spoke:

In sooth, although she were brought back, she is ever opposed to me, O brāhman, she would tend to unhappiness, not to happiness; enough! her friendship is not at all towards me. Do thou so strive for me that she may become submissive unto me.

The brāhman spoke:

The Vara sacrifice^[1] is beneficial for mutual affection between thee and her. I will perform the Mitravindā^[2] sacrifice which those perform who wish for friends; for it produces affection between two persons who love not each other; it creates^[3] the warmest^[4] affection between wife and husband, O king. I will perform that sacrifice for thee. Fetch thy beautiful-browed wife from wherever she is now, O king; she shall feel the warmest love for thee!

Mārkaṇḍeya spoke:

Thus admonished, the king then collected all the materials requisite, and the brāhman performed that sacrifice. Seven times then the brāhman performed the sacrifice in repetition in order to procure for the king his wife. When the great muni deemed that he had aroused friendliness within her towards her husband, then he, the brāhman, addressed the king—“Fetch her, O king, who is dear to thee, close to thy soul; enjoy all enjoyments with her, and offer sacrifices, being duly respected.”

Mārkaṇḍeya spoke:

Thus exhorted by the brāhman the king a-wondering then recalled to mind the very valiant, truthful, night-roaming Rākṣasa^[5] And he, the Bākṣasa, being remembered by him, approached the king at once then, and prostrating himself before the great muni exclaimed, “What shall I do?”

Thereupon, after the king had declared the matter fully, he went to Pātāla and brought the queen back. And she, when brought hack, gazed on her husband then with exceeding love and said “Be gracious!” again and again, while filled with joy. Thereat the king embraced the stately lady impetuously and said—“Darling, I am indeed well pleased! why dost thou keep on repeating that?”

The queen spoke:

If thy mind is inclined with favour to me, O king, then I make thee this request; do thou do it as an honour to me.

The king spoke:

Speak out fearlessly whatever thou desirest from me, lady. Thou shalt certaiṇly obtain it, timid one! I am all docile towards thee and not otherwise.

The queen spoke:

On my account the Nāga cursed his daughter who is my friend; he said “Thou shalt become dumb,” and she became dumb. If thou, Sir, canst for love of me devise a remedy for her to cure her deprivation of speech, then what wilt thou not have done for me?

Mārkaṇḍeya spoke:

Then said the king to the brāhman—“What kind^[6] of ceremony is there for this, in order to dispel her dumbness?” And he replied to the king:—

The brāhman spoke:

O king, I will perform a sacrifice to Sarasvatī at thy word. Let this thy wife discharge her debt of gratitude by stimulating the power of speech in that friend.

Mārkaṇḍeya spoke:

The brāhman performed the sacrifice to Sarasvatī on her behalf, and uttered the hymns addressed to Sarasvatī, with composed mind.

Thereupon Garga^[7] spoke to the maiden, who had recovered her speech, in Rasātala — “This most difficult benefit has been effected by thy friend’s husband.”

Having gained this information Nandā sped in haste to the city. Then the Nāga’s daughter, embracing her friend the queen and praising the Icing with auspicious words again and again, spoke sweetly, she, the Nāga maiden placing herself upon a seat,—

“By this benefit, that thou, O noble hero, hast done me now,^[8] my heart is drawn out. Listen to what I tell thee. Thou shalt have a son great in valour, O king; he shall wield the discus unresisted on this earth. He shall be skilled in the principles of all the useful sciences,^[9] devoted to the practice of righteousness, in truth a Manu, the wise lord of a manvantara.”

Mārkaṇḍeya spoke:

Having thus bestowed a boon on him, the Nāga king’s daughter then closely embraced her friend and departed to Pātāla, O muni.

While the king lived in pleasure there, along with her and ruled his subjects, a very long time passed by. Then the son was born of her to the high-souled king, like the lovely full-orbed moon at the period, of full-moon. At the birth of that high-souled child all the. people rejoiced, heavenly drums sounded forth, and a shower of flowers fell.

Seeing that his body would be lovely and his disposition also, and reflecting that he was the son of Uttama,^[10] the assembled munis gave him a name saying, “He is born in an excellent^[11] family and at an excellent time in it; he has excellent limbs; hence he shall be Auttama.”

Mārkaṇḍeya spoke:

So he was Uttama’s son and was famed as Auttama by name. He was a Manu, possessing the majesty of such; hearken to me, O Bhāgnri.^[12]

He who listens constantly to the entire story of Uttama and also the birth of Uttama,^[13] never experiences enmity; nor shall the man who listens to it or reads it ever incur separation from his loved wife or sons or kinsmen. Hearken while I tell thee, O brāhman, about his manvantara, and hear who was the India in it and who were the gods and ṛṣis.

Footnotes and references:

[1]:

Vareṣṭi.

[2]:

“Friend-finding.”

[3]:

Sañjananī: not in the dictionary. Sañjanana is given only as a neuter noun.

[4]:

Param: anu-rāgam or some similar non-feminine noun must be understood; unless we read param to agree with prīti as in the next verse.

[5]:

See canto lxx, verse 38.

[6]:

For kidṛśī read kīdriśī ?

[7]:

See canto lxxv, verse 13. Garga was the mame of an old ṛṣi, a descendant of Bharad-vāja and Aṅgiras (see MahāBhārata,.Śalya-P. liii); and also of various other persons.

[8]:

For mamāghunā read mamādhunā?

[9]:

The Artha-sastras.

[10]:

Auttama.

[11]:

Uttama.

[12]:

Bhāgure; see canto lviii, verse 40, note ‡. It is said to he a patronymic of Krauṣṭuki.

[13]:

But Auttama seems preferable : read caivauttamasya for caivottamasya ?