Chapter 105 - Nahuṣa is Born

[Sanskrit text for this chapter is available]

Kuñjala said:

1-3a. With her friends she went to Nandana garden to sport (there). There she heard significant words, not wholesome to her father, of the bards and siddhas talking delightfully, viz. ‘In the house of Āyu, the best son, of great might, resembling Viṣṇu in valour will be born; he will kill Huṇḍa’.

3b-4. Having heard such significant, unwholesome, painful words, she went (to her father) and told the painful words to her father in brief.

5-14. She narrated them to her father. The father, hearing them, was amazed. He remembered the curse of Aśokasundarī, given by her formerly. For this that Aśokasundarī practised penance. That demon who is wicked, who is dragged by Death, who is sinful, looking out for a flaw, always exerted to destroy the embryo of Indumatī. O noble one, when he saw the queen endowed with beauty and generosity, possessed of divine lustre, protected by Viṣṇu’s lustre, having divine brilliance and resembling the sun’s orb, he always remained by her side to watch her. From a distance the wicked demon showed her many spells and very fearful terrors and scares. She, endowed with the lustre of the child in the womb, was (thus) protected by Viṣṇu’s lustre. Never again fear arose in her mind. The demon became ineffectual, and his exertion was useless. The desired object of the wicked Huṇḍa never came about. A hundred years thus passed while he was watching. That daughter of Svarbhānu gave birth to a son. At night only a son was born to her, O best son. Like the sun in the sky he very much shone with brilliance.

Sūta said:

15-18a. There was a very wicked maid in the lying-in-chamber. She was of a wicked behaviour and talked very inauspicious words. Knowing everything about her the mean demon Huṇḍa entered her body and then got into the house of Āyu. When the multitude of men, very much deluded by sleep, was asleep, he kidnapped that son, resembling a child of a god, and went out. The mean demon reached his own city called Kāñcana.

18b-20. Having called his wife Vipulā, he said (these) words to her: “Kill this very sinful child, my enemy. Then hand it over to the cook for (cooking) a meal. Get it carefully cooked in many kinds and varieties. Later I shall undoubtedly eat it from the hand of (i.e. served by) the cook.”

21-22. Having heard (these) words of her husband, Vipulā was wonderstruck. ‘Why does my very rough husband become so cruel? Whose boy, endowed with all good marks, and resembling a god’s child, should he, bereft of forgiveness and full of cruelty, eat, and for what reason?’

23-24. She, full of pity, thought like this, she again asked her husband, “Why do you (want to) eat the boy? Why do you become so much angry and shameless? O lord of demons, tell me in truth the entire motive.”

25-27. That wicked Huṇḍa told her in brief his own fault, the account, and (about) the curse of Aśokasundarī. She understood the full motive of the demon. ‘This boy must be killed, otherwise my husband will die’. Thinking like this, Vipulā, overcome with anger, called her female-attendant Mekalā, and said to her:

28-33. “Mekalā, today kill this very wicked child in the kitchen; (and) hand it over to the cook, (to cook it) for the meal of Huṇḍa”. Mekalā took the child, and calling the cook, said to him: “Obey the order of the king. Today cook this child.” The noble cook heard like this and taking the child in his hand became ready, raising a weapon (to kill the child). This child, the son of Āyu, was protected by the lustre of Dattātreya, the god of gods. He again and again laughed. Seeing him laughing the cook was full of compassion. The female attendant also was full of pity and said to the cook: “O you very intelligent cook, do not at all kill this child. In whose good family is he, endowed with divine marks, born?’

The cook said:

34-42a. O you good one, you have spoken the truth, full of pity. Whose is this child, endowed with royal marks? Why will that wicked-minded, mean demon, Huṇḍa eat him? He, who has protected his family by means of good deeds in calamities, would live even in difficult (circumstances). This cannot be otherwise. He who is assisted by his deeds would undoubtedly live even if he is carried by the force (of the stream) of a great river or even if he has been in fire. Therefore, deeds united with piety and merit are performed. Due to that men having a long life, call it happiness. (One’s) deed is one’s savior and guardian. It protects and is awake. It always gives salvation and an occasion for friendship. There is no doubt that a deed always protects him only, who does a propitious deed connected with charity and merit, accompanied by agreeable words, and full of obligation. Urged by his own deed he goes to (i.e. is born in) another stock. What can a father do or what can a mother or other kinsmen and relatives do? They cannot protect him who is struck down by his deed.

Sūta said:

42b-48a. By that deed only, by which the son of Āyu was protected, the cook, being under the influence of fate, became full of pity. Urged by his deed that female attendant also became like that. Both of them protected Āyu’s son of good marks. That female servant of meritorious deeds took him from that house to Vasiṣṭha’s holy hermitage that night only. Placing the excellent child (there), she then went (back) to her house. Having killed a black antelope the cook cooked (its) flesh. The lord of demons, Huṇḍa, after eating deemed the curse of Aśokasundarī to be fruitless. That lord of demons, Huṇḍa, was then full of great joy.

Kuñjala said:

48b-54. When it was the bright morning, the best religious-minded sage, Vasiṣṭha, went out of the door of his hut made of leaves, and seeing the whole, beautiful child, endowed with divine marks, like the full moon, and of charming eyes,

Vasiṣṭha said:

All you sages should come and see the child. Whose (child) is it? Who brought it to the courtyard at my door at night? The sages may see the child, resembling a child of a god or of a gandharva, and resembling crores of Cupids.

All those best brāhmaṇas full of great curiosity and delighted, saw that son of that noble Āyu. That pious Vasiṣṭha, seeing the son of the noble Āyu, knew through his (supernatural) knowledge, the boy to be the son of the magnanimous Āyu, and endowed with (good) conduct and also knew the account of that wicked and evil-minded Huṇda.

55-60a. When that best brāhmaṇa, Brahmā’s son, picked up the boy with his hands through pity (for him), gods showered flowers on the boy. Gandharvas and kinnaras sang charmingly and melodiously. Sages praised that king’s son with Vedic hymns. Seeing him, Vasiṣṭha granted him a boon at that time. “Your name will be famous in the world as Nahuṣa. Due to your childlike feelings, you were not destroyed by him. Therefore your name will be Nahuṣa, and you will be honoured^[1] by gods.” The best brāhmaṇa (i.e. Vaṣiṣṭa [Vasiṣṭa]?) performed the ceremony at his birth, and taught him vows, charity and sent him away as a pupil to the teacher.

60b-64. Having fully studied as a student the Vedas with the six limbs and with the pada and krama^[2] (ways of reciting them), having studied all the sacred books from Vasiṣṭha, the best brāhmaṇa, archery with its secrets, and (the use of) divine weapons and missiles, along with the manner in which they are held and released, and the excellences like various branches of knowledge, science of logic, politics that handsome and devoted son of Āyu thus became fully accomplished. Due to the grace of Vasiṣṭha, he became the holder of (i.e. skilful in using) a bow and arrows.

Footnotes and references:

[1]:

Huṣita—The word is not clear.

[2]:

Padakrama—Pada is the detachment of the Vedic words from one another and Krama is the particular manner of reciting Vedic text.