Chapter 101 - Kapiñjala’s Narration

[Sanskrit text for this chapter is available]

Sūta said:

1-2. Viṣṇu, the god of gods, told the best king, the son of Aṅga, the very meritorious account that destroys sins. Listen, I shall narrate to you the meritorious account, and also the account of the noble Kuñjala.

Viṣṇu said:

3-4a. And the pious Kuñjala with joy called his fourth son Kapiñjala, and said to him: “O son, tell me what wonder you saw. O best son, to which (forest) did you go for your food from here? Tell me, O blessed one, what very meritorious (event) you have seen.

Kapiñjala said:

4b-24. O father, I shall narrate to you the wonder about which you have asked, which no one has seen or heard (before) and which I have not heard from any one. I shall tell it just now. O father, listen to it now. May all (my) brothers listen to it. O mother, you (too) listen to it now. The mountain Kailāsa is the best one. It is white like the moon. It is full of many minerals, and is adorned with various trees. O father, it is washed all round with the auspicious, pleasing water of the Ganges. O father, from which (i.e. from that mountain) thousands of divine rivers of various kinds have arisen. So also various kinds (of streams of) water (have arisen from it). On the great mountain there are thousands of lakes containing water. On the best mountain there are large rivers which are resorted to by swans and cranes, which give religious merit and which destroy sins. There are various thickets of trees full of flowers and fruits, and also full of various trees, green and auspicious. (The mountain) is full of the groups of kinnaras, and is crowded with the celestial nymphs. It is well-adorned with gandharvas, siddhas, bards and hosts of gods. It is possessed of the thickets of divine trees; is full of divine objects; it is very rich with the loveliness of divine fragrances. It is very beautiful on account of the white slabs of crystal. O king, it is full of the sun’s rays and possesses brilliance. Everywhere it is adorned with trees full of flowers like sandal trees of agreeable fragrance, bukula trees with blue flowers. It is pleasant due to the good (i.e. sweet) notes of divine birds. It is pleasant due to the humming of bees and multitudes of trees. That mountain, along with the forest, looks splendid by the notes of cuckoos. There is a Śiva-temple, crowded with crores of Śiva’s attendants; with rays (the mountain) was white and was auspicious; it was having auspicious slabs of a heap of virtue. It was on all sides resounding with roaring lions, with buffaloes and elephants; so also with the loud trumpets of the quarter-elephants. It was crowded with various (kinds of) deer and with monkeys. In the caves it was resounding (i.e. its caves were resounding) with the loud notes of peacocks. It was adorned with caves, plasterings and ridges and summits. It was full of many streams. It shone with herbs. It was divine, of a divine merit, and full of auspicious sites. The great mountain, the heap of merit was resorted to by pulindas, bhillas and kolas. The lord of mountains shone with frightful peaks and with huts; pure, auspicious and meritorious pleasures and a great sound of the streams of the water of the Ganges spread about.

25-26a. There (i.e. on the mountain) is the abode of Śaṅkara. To (that) Kailāsa I had gone. There I saw a wonder which was never seen or heard of (before). O father, listen to all that will be said by me.

26b-30. From the auspicious, highly rising peak of the lord of mountains (like that of Meru), a snowy, milky and golden stream flows (down) on the ground; and O glorious one, this stream of the Ganges adorned with (i.e. flowing with) a thundering sound has speedily reached the peak of Kailāsa and has expanded there. There is a great pool of water (in the stream) of the Ganges of the measure of ten yojanas. It shines with much auspicious and pure water. It has received auspiciousness from all sides and greatly shines with large swans. (It is auspicious because of) auspicious, divine, sweet utterance of the sāmans. The swans coo there, and by that (cooing) the lake looks splendid.

31-46. O you very intelligent one, on its bank on a slab of stone was seated Himālaya’s daughter (i.e. Pārvatī) with her hair let loose, and endowed with the wealth of beauty. She, well-endowed with a divine form, virtuous, of divine characteristics, and adorned with divine ornaments shone on its bank. I do not know whether she was the daughter of the lord of mountains (i.e. Pārvatī) or the daughter of the great ocean (i.e. Lakṣmī) or was Brahmā’s wife (viz. Sarasvatī) or was Svāhā (the wife of Agni) or she was the illustrious Indrāṇī (i.e. the wife of Indra) or Rohiṇī (the spouse of the Moon). O father, by all means such wealth of beauty is not observed (in the case) of other very divine young females. Such marks of beauty, qualities and character (that) were noticed in her, so also her body deluding the universe which I saw were not to be seen (even) in the celestial nymphs. That young girl, seated on a slab and full of grief, and (being) without many kinsmen, wept very melodiously. She shed many pearl-like tears. The pure tears fell into the lake, O very intelligent ones. The drops (i.e. the tears), resembling pearls, fell into that great (mass of) water. From them arose lotuses which were charming and fragrant. O highly intelligent one, from the tears (that fell) from her eyes, lotuses were produced. Those innumerable (lotuses) floated in the water of the Ganges. The very pleasant ones speedily fell into the stream of the Ganges, well-resorted to by multitudes of swans. The stream of the Ganges has flowed out from that place. Reaching the top of Kailāsa, called Ratna and having pleasant caves, it is full of water and has extended over a couple of yojanas. It was crowded with groups of swans and full of aquatic birds. There are lotuses of many special colours in the pure stream resorted to by groups of sages. The lotuses which were produced from the tears in the morning were large and fragrant and floated in the pure stream of the Ganges full of water, which time and again resounded with the (notes of) beautiful swans and aquatic birds.

Sūta said:

47-53. O father, the great lord (Śiva called Ratneśvara), very venerable to gods and demons, always remains on that mountain called Ratna. O father, there I saw a sage full of religious merit, covered with a mass of matted hair, without any clothes and holding a staff. He was without any support, (lived) without food, was very weak due to penance, emaciated, (just) a bundle of bones, and covered with skin only. The limbs of the noble one were powdered with ashes only. He, of a great penance, with an improper support and seated in devotion to Śiva would eat dry and withered leaves fallen (there). Bringing those fragrant lotuses from the water of the Ganges, he, the noble one, skilled in singing and dancing, would worship the god of gods, Ratne-śvara (with them). The religious-minded one, coming to the temple and remaining at the door of the enemy of Tripura, sang and danced, and also wept melodiously.

54-57. O father, O best of speakers, this is the wonder that I saw. Through favour (i.e. being favourable to me) tell me the reason if you know it. O noble one, who is that girl? Why would (i.e. does) that man worship the great god (i.e. Śiva)? Tell me all that in detail, which is the cause of (my) doubt.” The very intelligent Kuñjala, who was thus addressed by his son Kapiñjala, spoke to him, while the sage was listening.