Chapter 15 - Story of a Ruler of Pāñcāladeśa

[Sanskrit text for this chapter is available]

Śrutadeva said:

1-5. Listen further, O king, to the sin-destroying supreme efficacy of the month of Vaiśākha, a great favourite of Viṣṇu.

Formerly in the land of Pāñcāla, there was a king named Puruyaśas.^[1] He was son of Bhūriyaśas who was intelligent and righteous.

When his father passed away, O king, he was installed in the kingdom. He was eager to maintain Dharma. He was endowed with the qualities of heroism and liberal-mindedness. He was an expert in the science of archery. The highly intelligent king ruled the entire earth through his pious and righteous activities.

Since he had not offered water (to the needy) in the previous birth, he had incurred a great fault.^[2] O sinless one, after a lapse of some time, he suffered a great loss of wealth. Horses and elephants met with deaṃ after being afflicted with a fatal disease.

6. A great famine of unprecedented fury swept the land and the entire realm was denuded of its population. The kingdom and treasury became empty like a wood-apple (tree) eaten up by an elephant.

7-9. On coming to know that the king had become weak and bereft of strong army, treasury and (stable) kingdom, hundreds of oṃer kings, the enemies of ṃis king, thought that that was the proper time to defeat him. They came in and conquered the overlord of Pāñcāla land in battle.

Defeated by them, the king resorted to mountain caves along with his wife Śikhinī and accompanied by nurses and other attendants.

10-14. Others could not know his whereabouts. He was agitated on account of various kinds of miseries. Remaining concealed thus, he spent fifty-three years.

The king pondered over the why and wherefore (of his condition) on many occasions. (He thought thus:)

‘I am pure by birth and activity. I am engaged in the welfare of my parents. I am a sincere devotee of my preceptors. I am endowed with chivalry and courtesy. I am a benefactor of Brāhmaṇas. I am interested in Dharma. I am kind and considerate towards all living beings. I am a devotee of Devas and have conquered the sense-organs. Neither my brother nor my son nor my friends are my well-wishers now, although I am of noble birth and they are famous for their kindness and manliness. Why? For what Karma has poverty overtaken me? It gives me much misery. Why have I suffered defeat? What is the reason for my stay in the forest?’

15-19. Worried by these thoughts, the king remembered his preceptors. He was utterly dejected. Two excellent sages named Yāja and Upayājaka who were omniscient, highly intelligent, eminent sages and who were invited by the king, came there. On seeing them the lord of Pāñcāla got up promptly. With great devotion, he bent down his head. He had been excessively afflicted on account of his exile. He was devoid of all royal insignia. His whereabouts were not known to anyone. He stood silent for a short while and fell on the ground at their feet. With their hands they raised him up and wiped off the tears from his eyes. With the splendid materials available in the forest he duly worshipped them. Bowing down with humility he asked ṃose Brāhmaṇas when they were comfortably seated:

20-23. “O ye Brāhmaṇas, tell me the cause of my misery. I was lord of the earth. I am pure by birth and activity. I am a favourite of the manes and Devas. I am afraid of sins. I am compassionate. I am a devotee of my preceptors. Still, why am I beset with poverty, loss of treasury and humiliation at the hands of my enemies? What is the reason for my exile in the forest? What is the reason for my loneliness? I have no son. I have no brother. I have no well-wishers. I have no friends: Why was there a famine in the splendid land protected and administered by me? Explain this in detail. Tell me the reasons, O eminent sages.”

24. On being asked thus by the king who was extremely miserable, those noble-souled excellent sages meditated for a short while and then replied:

Yāja and Upayājaka said:

25. Listen, O king. We shall tell you the cause of your misery. In all the previous ten births you were a highly sinful hunter.^[3]

26. You were ruthless and always engaged in violently injuring all the people in the world. You did not perform even the slightest and smallest of holy rites at all. You had no control over the sense-organs or the mind.

27. Your tongue did not utter the names of Viṣṇu in any way. Your mind did not remember the lotus-like pair of feet of Govinda.

28. You never bowed down your head to the Supreme Ātman. Like this, O king, nine of your births passed by, when you continued to be vicious.

29. In the tenth birth you were a hunter on the Sahya mountain. You were pitiless towards all the people in the world. You were like the god of Death unto all men.

30. You were devoid of mercy. You lived by means of your weapons. You were always after violence and harmful activities. You had no good qualities at all. You were knavish and accompanied by your wife you harassed wayfarers.

31-36. You were like a man-eating Rākṣasa to the subjects belonging to Gauḍa land.^[4] Thus years rolled by in your ignorance of what was conducive to your own welfare.

Since you had been mercilessly killing infants, children, animals and birds and were very vicious, no son was born to you in this birth. Since you had been treacherous previously, you have no uterine brothers. Since you had been harassing wayfarers, you are now devoid of friendly people. Since you had been disrespecting and reproaching good people, you have now been defeated by enemies. Poverty has beset you and your abode (family) on account of the sinful defect of having never given (anything to anyone). Since you had always caused agony and heart-bum (to others), you have had to undergo the unbearable sufferings of exile. Since you had displeased all, a misery exceedingly impossible to bear has beset you now. Your (present) inability to take food is also due to the same reason. Formerly you were very cruel in all your activities. Hence, O highly intelligent one, you have been deprived of your kingdom in the course of this birth.

37-42. I shall tell reasons also for your birth in a good and noble family.

When you were an inhabitant of the Gauḍa land during your ultimate birth as a hunter, you engaged in your own job of ruthless (killing of everyone) in the forest full of thorns. You stood on the path as the merciless annihilator of all living beings.

At that time two rich and brilliant Vaiśyas came that way. They were afflicted with heat. A sage named Karṣaṇa who had mastered the Vedas and the Vedāṅgas also had come. He had matted hair and was clad in bark garments. The meritorious sage had the sole possession of a waterpot. On seeing these, you took up your bow and stood there obstructing their paṃ. You rushed at the Vaiśyas and pierced their bodies with your arrows. You killed one of them and seized all his cash and other possessions. When you attempted to kill the other one, he hurriedly fled out of fear. He hid the cash and the valuable possessions in a hedge. Utterly frightened, he tried to save his life.

43-51a. Afraid that he would be killed by the hunter, the sage Karṣaṇa hurriedly ran in the hot sun. He was oppressed by heat and thirst. He perspired profusely and then swooned. He was only very slightly conscious. The Vaiśya, eager to save his life, left the sage and fled.

You pursued them. But on seeing the Brāhmaṇa unconscious on the path you wanted to ask him, “Where are the valuable possessions kept hidden? How far has the merchant gone?” In order to ask him about this, you attempted to revive the Brāhmaṇa who was too much tired. You blew into his ears and put powdered ginger to make him recollect properly. You wiped his eyes with the water from the puddle full of mud and worms. As he lay tired, you fanned his face with leaves. After making the sage conscious, you felt mentally relieved and spoke to him:

“Do not be afraid or suspicious of me in this forest, because I hold weapons. One who is poor and without any possessions is happy in this world. Wherefore need you be afraid so much? Nothing will I gain from an old broken pot. O learned one, say only this much. Where has that merchant fled? In which hedge is the valuable possession hidden by him as be fled hurriedly. I will kill you if you tell a lie.”

Karṣaṇa said:

51b-55. The wealth is hidden in (this) hedge. He fled by this path.

So said he out of fear and desire to save his life, when he was so questioned. (You told the Brāhmaṇa,) “Go happily along this path, O Brāhmaṇa. You need not be afraid of me at all. A little farther from here, there is excellent water in a lake. Drink that pure water and be relieved of your fatigue. Then go to the village. Now itself royal officials will be coming along this path. They will be engaged in tracing my footsteps after hearing the shrieks and shouts of the prominent merchant. It is not possible for me to accompany you, O Brāhmaṇa, although you are oppressed by thirst. Fan yourself with this leaf. The heat will subside a little.”

56-57. You went away into the forest again after giving him the Palāśa (leaf-fan?) (Butea frondoza). This was your meritorious deed during the month of Vaiśākha with oppressive heat, though the same was performed for the sake of your own selfish ends. It resulted in saving the sage on the way. By the power of this merit you took birth in the highly meritorious and big royal family.

58-63. If you wish for happiness, kingdom, wealth, food-grains and other riches, heavenly pleasures, salvation, Sāyujya with Hari or the region of Hari, perform the holy rites prescribed for the month of Vaiśākha. You will obtain all sorts of happiness. This is the month named Vaiśākha. This is the third day called Akṣayā (i.e. Akṣaya-Tṛtīyā).

Fetch a cow that has delivered a calf only and give it to a Brāhmaṇa who is undergoing sufferings. Thereby your treasury will become filled up. Donate a bed; you will gain happiness. Make the gift of an umbrella; you will get back your empire. Take the holy bath in accordance with the injunctions. Similarly worship Mādhava. Get an excellent idol made and give it away. Thereby you will be victorious. If, O king, you desire to have sons having good qualities on a par with those of yours, make a gift of Prapās (free-water booths) for the sake of the welfare of all living beings. Scrupulously perform all these holy rites prescribed for the month of Vaiśākha.

64-68a. Thereby all the worlds will be under your control. There is no doubt about it.

If you perform these holy rites with a mind free from desires, in the meritorious month of Vaiśākha, for the gratification of the Slayer of Madhu, Viṣṇu will become visible to you as your mind is devoid of impurities.

The seers mentioned in the Purāṇas know that everlasting worlds will be attained by those people who have performed all these excellent holy rites. All this has been recounted to you as we have seen and heard.

After saying this the Brāhmaṇa priests Yāja and Upayājaka took leave of him and went away the way they came.

68b-70. Then the king of great prowess, enlightened by his preceptors, performed all the Vaiśākha rites with great faith. He worshipped the Slayer of Madhu in the manner he had been advised.

Thereupon he regained his power. Surrounded by all his kinsmen and accompanied by the survivors of the army, he reached the city of Pāñcāla.

71. His old enemies, the kings (of neighbouring realms), heard that this king had re-entered his city. Therefore, they haughtily came (to attack him).

72. A battle ensued between ṃose kings and the king of Pāñcāla. That great warrior single-handedly conquered all the mighty kings.

73. When those kings fled along the paths leading to different realms, this powerful king confiscated the treasuries, horses and elephants of those kings.

74-76. He brought to the city one hundred millions of horses, thirty millions of elephants, one hundred millions of chariots and ten thousand camels as well as three hundred thousand donkeys. Due to the greatness of the Vaiśākha rites all the kings were suddenly turned into payers of taxes. They were crushed under his feet and their plans were smashed and frustrated. There was unprecedented and matchless prosperity in the Pāñcāla land.

77. He held sway over all the realms brought under a single umbrella. With the favour of the Slayer of Madhu he begot five sons endowed with the qualities of heroism and liberal-mindedness.

78. They were Dhṛṣṭakīrti, Dhṛṣṭaketu, Dhṛṣṭadyumna, Vijaya and Citraketu. They were all on a par with Kārttikeya.

79. The subjects who were virtuously protected became lovingly attached to him. By the efficacy of Vaiśākha, he instantaneously gained the credence of all.

80. Again the lord of Pāñcālanagara performed those holy rites with a mind free from any desire whatsoever, for the gratification of the Slayer of Madhu.

81. Delighted with this holy rite, Lord Madhusūdana appeared before him on the Akṣaya Tṛtīyā day.

82. On seeing Acyuta, the Supreme Ātman, Nārāyaṇa with four arms holding the conch, discus, iron club etc. he became awe-struck.

83-85. The Lord clad in yellow robes was adorned with garlands of sylvan flowers. He was seated on Garuḍa along with all his followers as well as Goddess Lakṣmī.

On seeing the unbearable refulgence, he immediately closed his eyes. He began to dance with delight. He moved about and whirled like a mad and inebriate man. All his limbs were marked with horripilation. Tears welled up in his eyes. He prostrated on the ground. With palms joined in reverence he eulogized with great devotion.

Footnotes and references:

[1]:

Though no such king is traced in Purāṇic dynasties that ruled Pāñcāla, the object of the author is to emphasize the efficacy of Vaiśākha-Vrata. Pāñcāla is modem Rohilkhand (De 145).

[2]:

Arrangement for distribution or supply of cool water in the hot month of Vaiśākha is a part of Vaiśākha-Vrata. The king failed to make it in his previous birth. Hence he met with calamities mentioned in vv 5-10.

[3]:

Karmavāda is a basic belief in Hinduism (Buddhism & Jainism as well). The circumstances in this birth are explained as a result of acts in previous births. Such stories are found in Pāli and Ardhamāgadhī also (e.g. Jātaka Tales).

[4]:

The association of the Sahya mountain with Gauḍadeśa (vide vv 37-42 also) can be explained if we accept a Southern Gauḍa on the bank of Kāverī mentioned in Padma Purāṇa (De 63).