Chapter 57 - The End of the Story of Vasishtha and Nimi

Hearing that wonderful and divine theme, Lakshmana, highly delighted, said to Raghava:—

“O Kakutstha, how did that Twice-born One and the king, adored by the Gods, who had been deprived of their physical bodies regain them again?”

Thus questioned, Rama, that true hero began to relate the history of the magnanimous Vasishtha, saying:—

“O Prince of the Raghus, from that vessel in which the two mighty Gods had emptied their vital seed, two Sages were born, who were the foremost of Rishis. First Agastya appeared, that blessed ascetic, and he said to Mitra, ‘I am not your son’ and went away. O Lakshmana, the seed of Mitra formerly received by Urvashi, was to be found in the same vessel as that of Varuna’s

“After a time Vasishtha was born in his turn, he who is worshipped by the Celestials, he is a God to the Ikshvakus and the mighty and highly effulgent Ikshvaku chose the irreproachable Vasishtha as his family priest for the good of our race, O My Friend! I have thus described to you how the magnanimous Vasishtha, who was previously bodiless, was re-born, now hear of the history of Nimi.

“Beholding the king deprived of his body, all the sagacious Rishis assisted him by the celebration of a sacrifice and the foremost of the Twice-born preserved the body of that first of monarchs by means of unguents, cloths and herbs with the help of the citizens and servants.

At the conclusion of the sacrifice, Bhrigu said to Nimi,

‘I shall restore you to life, O King, I am gratified with you.’

“Thereafter the Gods in their delight said to him:—

‘Choose a boon, O Royal Sage, where shall your consciousness be set?’

“Thus spoke the Gods and Nimi’s spirit answered:—

“‘I wish to live in the eyes of all beings, O Illustrious Gods!’

“‘So be it’, said the Celestials, ‘You shalt dwell in the eyes of all beings in the form of air. By your grace, O Lord of the Earth, their eyes shall close again and again for rest when you dost move about in the form of air.’

“Having spoken thus, the Gods returned to their own region and the magnanimous Rishis bore away Nimi’s body to the sacrificial ground and began to rub it with great energy to the accompaniment of sacred formulas. And from the Arani^[1], thus violently agitated, a great and highly ascetic Being arose and, on account of him being born from an inanimate body, he was called Mithi, the King of Videha, and through this birth, he became the ancient Janaka^[2]. It was from that Being of severe penances, who was called Mithi, that the race of Mithila originated. O Friend, I have told you all without omitting anything concerning the curse and of the wonderful birth of that royal Sage and the foremost of kings.”

Footnotes and references:

[1]:

Arani—The sticks used to light the sacred fire made of wood from the sacred fig-tree.

[2]:

Some Commentators explain that the name “Janaka” meaning “Sire” was given to the father or begetter of that great Race.