Chapter 10 - Glorification of the Gift of Umbrellas: The Story of Hemakānta

[Sanskrit text for this chapter is available]

Maithila said:

1-2. O Brāhmaṇa, describe in detail the procedure of Aśūnyaśayanavrata that was advised by Devas and performed by the wife of Kāma. What is the charitable gift thereof? What is the procedure? How is the worship to be performed? What is the benefit thereof? Describe this, O Brāhmaṇa. I am very eager to hear.

Śrutadeva said:

3. Listen once again. I shall recount the Vrata that is named Aśūnyaśayana that is destructive of all sins and that was recounted by Hari to Ramā.^[1]

4. If that Vrata is performed, the Lord of Devas having the lustre of cloud, the Lord of the universe, the destroyer of all masses of sins, the husband of Lakṣmī, becomes pleased.

5. If a person does not perform this Vrata, O king, that is destructive of sins and continues to lead the life of a householder, that shall be fruitless unto him.

6-11. On the second day in the bright half of the month of Śrāvaṇa, 0 king, this excellent Vrata named Aśūnyaśayana should be taken up.

When the four months (of the rainy season) have arrived, men should regularly eat only the Haviṣya (food). O lord, the Pāraṇā should be completed in the course of the four months. Janārdana, the Lord of the universe, should be worshipped along with Lakṣmī. When the day of Pāraṇā arrives, four types of foodstuffs should be given as present to a Brāhmaṇa having a large family.

The Lord’s idol should be beautiful and made of gold or silver. The Lord shall be clad in yellow garments and adorned with sylvan garlands. The idol should be exquisitely made. The devotee should worship Puruṣottama with sweet-smelling white flowers. The worship should be accompanied by gifts of beds, garments, feeding of Brāhmaṇas, feeding of couples and monetary gifts.

12. After worshipping Janārdana during the four months thus, the devotee should worship Hari as before, in the months beginning with Mārgaśīrṣa.

13. He should meditate on Hari, red in complexion, and accompanied by Rukmiṇī, Thus he should worship the Lord during four months beginning with Caitra.

14-15. Then he should devoutly worship the Lord stationed along with Bhūmi (Earth), the Lord devoid of sins and eulogized by Sanandana and other sages. He should conclude the worship on the second day in the month of Āṣāḍha. He should perform the Homa in the auspicious fire with the eight-syllabled Mantra (oṃ namo nārāyaṇāya).

16. In the Pāraṇā of the months beginning with Mārgaśīrṣa, O king, the devotee should perform Homa with Viṣṇu-Gāyatrī.^[2] Note the procedure for the months beginning with Caitra.

17-19. He should perform Homa in the auspicious fire, with Pauruṣa (Sūkta) Mantra (RV X.90). (The Naivedyas) should be Pañcāmṛta, milk pudding and sweet pie cooked in ghee. The materials are to be given in this order. Note (the procedure) for the (gift of) idols. He should (in the beginning) give a golden idol of Lakṣmī-Nārāyaṇa. He should give a golden image of Kṛṣṇa, the Supreme Ātman, in the middle. He should give a silver idol of the noble-souled Varāha in the end.

20-21. He should then feed Brāhmaṇas with the names beginning with Keśava. After honouring them with pairs of clothes and ornaments in accordance with his financial position, he should adore them and offer sweet pies cooked in ghee as presents. He should offer these to twelve Brāhmaṇas.

22-25a. Then he should give the image fashioned in advance to the preceptor. The bed as planned before should be complete and embellished with all ornaments. The great deity Lakṣmī-Nārāyaṇa should be duly worshipped on it. That should be given to an excellent Brāhmaṇa, a Vaiṣṇava with a large family, along with a bell-metal vessel and many sweet pies. The present should be made along with garments and ornaments as well as monetary gifts. He should duly worship other Brāhmaṇas too and feed them.

The Mantra for the gift:^[3]

25b-26. “Just as your bed, O Janārdana, is not devoid of Lakṣmī, so also, O Keśava, let my bed too be not vacant by the merit of this charitable gift.”

After requesting the Lord of Devas thus, he should take his food himself.

27-30. This Vrata can be performed by a man, a chaste woman or a widow. This excellent Vrata should be performed for the sake of Aśūnyaśayana (‘non-vacant bed’ i.e. life-long partnership of the spouse).

Thus, O excellent king, the Vrata has been recounted to you in detail. When Jagannātha is delighted, there shall be different kinds of progeny; when the Lord of Devas is pleased, those inaccessible to even Devas (can be acquired). Hence, by all means, one should perform this Vrata. It should be necessarily performed by one who is desirous of going to the great region of Viṣṇu. Thus everything has been described by me. What else do you wish to hear?

31-33. On being told thus by him the saintly king requested the sage once again: “Describe in detail the greatness of the gift of umbrellas in the month of Vaiśākha. I am not satiated by listening to the holy rites mentioned for the month of Vaiśākha. They are conducive to auspiciousness.”

On hearing these words of his that bring about fame and increase merit, Śrutadeva of great fame replied to (the king) of great fortune.

Śrutadeva said:^[4]

34-35. Infinite is the merit of those persons who offer protection from sunshine to noble-souled men heated by the sun.

In this context they cite this traditional legend of yore pertaining to the holy rites of Vaiśākha. This is the incident that happened formerly in Kṛtayuga.

36. Formerly there was an intelligent king in Vaṅgadeśa, well-known as Hemakānta. He was the son of Kuśaketu. He was the most excellent one among those who bore weapons. Once, as he was much interested in hunting, he entered a deep forest.

37. There he killed different kinds of animals such as boars etc. At the time of midday he became completely exhausted. He went to hermitages of sages.

38. At that time the sages of good holy rites named Śatarcins were engaged in meditation. They were not at all aware of anything that was going on outside.

39. On seeing those Brāhmaṇas motionless, the king became furious and was inclined to kill them. At that time ten thousand disciples restrained the king.

40. “O evil-minded one, listen to our words. Our preceptors are engaged in meditation. They do not know anything that happens outside. Hence it does not behove you to be angry.”

41. Thereupon, excited with fury he spoke these words to the disciples: “O Brāhmaṇas, I am exhausted in my journey. Treat me with hospitality.”

42-43. On being told thus by the king, the disciples said to the king: “We have not been directed by our preceptors, O king. Further, we eat what we get by way of alms. We are dependent on our preceptors. How are we competent to entertain you?” (Thus) refused by the disciples, the king took up his bow in order to kill them.

44-48. ‘These have been saved by me in various ways from dangers due to animals, robbers etc. Now they who were given monetary gifts by me, try to teach me. These are ungrateful and excessively proud. They are (like) murderous assailants. Even if I kill them, there is no harm.’

Infuriated thus, he began to discharge arrows from his bow. When they fled, he chased them. Thus he killed three hundred disciples.

In their fright, they left the hermitage and fled away quickly. When the disciples were driven away, the evil-minded soldiers seized the various articles stocked in the hermitage forcibly and ate them up. In this they were encouraged by the king himself.

49-50. Thereafter the king returned to the city by the end of the day accompanied by his army.

On hearing about the action of his son, Kuśaketu reproached his son very strongly. As he was devoid of patience and unsuitable to the kingdom, the king banished him from the city as well as from his land itself, O king.

51-55. Banished by his father, king Hemakānta became excessively bewildered. He entered the thick forest and was very much afflicted by Hatyās (‘Sins of Slaughter’).

He stayed for a long time in the deep forest devoid of men. He followed the practice of hunters and maintained himself. He could not permanently stay anywhere because he was (hotly) pursued by the Hatyās continuously. Thus the vicious one passed twenty-eight years.

(Once) A great sage named Trita came to that forest in the course of his pilgrimage. It was the month of Vaiśākha and the time was midday with the sun blazing furiously.

As he went along, he was oppressed by the sun’s heat and was extremely afflicted with thirst. He fell into a swoon in a place where there was no tree at all.

56. As good luck would have it, King Hemakānta saw the great sage named Trita. Being overwhelmed with fatigue, he had swooned. He was much distressed due to thirst. The base king took pity on him.

57. He made an umbrella with leaves of Palāśa tree (Butea frondosa) and warded off the sunshine by holding it above the head of the sage. He gave him some water kept in a gourd.

58-63. By this service the sage regained his consciouness. He held the umbrella made of leaves which was handed over to him by that Kṣatriya. Thereby he recovered from fatigue. He went to a certain village and got back the regular functioning of the sense-organs.

On account of the power of that meritorious deed the three hundred Brahmahatyās perished instantaneously. He became a noble-souled one.

Thereupon Hemakānta, the mighty warrior, became surprised. ‘I have been afflicted in various ways. Where have those Brahmahatyās gone? How have they gone? Have they been dispelled by anyone? What is the cause thereof?’

He was thinking in this manner about his relief from Brahmahatyās. Even as the king stood thus ignorant of the cause thereof, the messengers of Yama came there in order to take away this high-souled Hemakānta who was staying in the forest. They made him sick with dysentery in order to take away the life of this noble-souled one.

64-72. Agitated due to the deathpangs, he saw three beings who were terrible with hair on their heads standing up erect. They were the messengers of Yama instilling fear in him.

Thinking about his (evil) deeds, the king remained silent then. As a result of the charitable gift of an umbrella. O king, he was reminded of Viṣṇu.

Recollected by him, Mahāviṣṇu said to his minister Viṣvaksena: “You go quickly and restrain the messengers of Yama. Protect Hemakānta who was engaged in the holy rite pertaining to Vaiśākha. Go to his city and hand over this devotee of mine free from sins to his father. Enlighten Kuśaketu through these words uttered by me: ‘Whether one is devoid of all Dharmas, or bereft of celibacy etc.. if he is engaged in Vaiśākha Dharmas, he shall undoubtedly be my favourite. Though your son has committed grave offences, he was engaged in saving the sage. Since he has made a gift of an umbrella in the month of Vaiśākha, he is rid of his sins. There is no doubt about it. By the power of that meritorious deed he has become Śānta (quiescent), Dānta (self-controlled) and Cirāyuṣa (long-lived). He is endowed with the qualities of heroism, liberalmindedness etc. and is on a par with you in good qualities. Hence establish this powerful prince in the administration of the kingdom.’ Command, that excellent king that he has been directed thus by Viṣṇu. Leave Hemakānta with his father and come back to me.”

73-74. On being ordered thus by the Lord, Viṣvaksena, the mighty one, came near Hemakānta and restrained the messengers of Yama. With his propitious hand he touched the limbs of the king. By the power of the contact with the devotee of the Lord, he became rid of ail ailments in an instant.

75-78a. Viṣvaksena went to his city along with him. On seeing him, Kuśaketu, the great lord, became surprised. He bowed down his head devoutly and prostrated flat on the ground. He took the attendant of the Supreme Being into his abode. He eulogized him with different kinds of prayers. He adored him with his great affluence. Delighted with him Viṣvaksena, the mighty one, told him everything that had been previously spoken to him by Viṣṇu in regard to Hemakānta.

78b-81a. On hearing it, Kuśaketu installed his son in the kingdom. Permitted by Viṣvaksena, he entered the forest along with his wife.

After taking leave of Hemakānta with due deference Viṣvaksena went to Śvetadvīpa. The intelligent and noble-minded Viṣvaksena returned to the side of Viṣṇu.

King Hemakānta thereafter performed all the holy rites pertaining to Vaiśākha causing auspiciousness and pleasing to Viṣṇu. He performed those holy rites every year.

81b-83. He was a favourite patron of Brāhmaṇas, strictly adhered to the path of virtue. He was quiescent. He subjugated all the sense-organs and the mind. He was merciful to all living beings. He was initiated in all Yajñas. He flourished with all affluence. He was surrounded by sons, grandsons etc. After enjoying all worldly pleasures he attained the world of Viṣṇu.

84. I do not see any other holy rite on a par with those pertaining to Vaiśākha. Effort in this regard is pleasant. They are the cause, of plentiful merit. They are like fire unto the fuel of sins. They are easily accessible. They are the giver of all aims of life beginning with Dharma and ending with Mokṣa.

Footnotes and references:

[1]:

VV 3-30 describe the details of the Aśūnya-Śayana-Vrata whereby a man or a woman is never separated from his/her spouse. Some of the details are a bit different from those described in MtP.

[2]:

Viṣṇu-Gāyatrī Mantra:

oṃ nārāyaṇāya vidmahe, vāsudevāya dhīmahi /
tanno viṣṇuḥ prcacodayāt //

[3]:

Cf. the Dāna-mantra occurring in MtP:

lakṣmyā na śūnyaṃ varada yathā te śayanaṃ sadā /
śayyā mamāpyaśūnyāstu tathaiva madhusūdana //

[4]:

VV 34-83 describe the story of prince Hemakānta to explain the efficacy of the donation of umbrellas in Vaiśākha.