Chapter 8 - Sudarśana Becomes a Vampire

[Sanskrit text for this chapter is available]

Note: This Sudarśana story is special to Skandapurāṇa. Neither this Gandharva youth nor Sage Gālava who cursed him is traced in PI and PE.

The sages said:

1-2.0 venerable Sūta, O omniscient one, O great favourite of Kṛṣṇa Dvaipāyana, we are not satiated by listening to the stories showering nectar in our ears. We eagerly imbibe the nectar-like words of yours—the stories that issue forth from your mouth. Hence narrate the splendid stories again and again to us who wish to hear.

3-4. Previously you mentioned that there was an exceedingly meritorious Tīrtha named Vetālavarada to the south of Cakratīrtha. How did this Tīrtha get that name Vetālavarada? It behoves you to recount to us the power of this Tīrtha.

Śrī Sūta said:

5. O great sages, you have aptly enquired about the great secret. Listen attentively. I shall recount the wonderful story.

6-7. On hearing this auspicious story, even stupid ones are delighted. This story of great merit was recounted by Śaṃbhu to Pārvatī, O Brāhmaṇas, formerly on the Kailāsa mountain during the period of sporting. I shall narrate that exceedingly wonderful story to you.

8. Formerly a great sage named Gālava who was very pure and exceedingly truthful in speech, meditated on the Supreme Brahman and performed penance in his hermitage.

9-14a. His illustrious daughter named Kāntimatī who was endowed with beauty and a youṃful personality moved about near her father serving him. She used to bring flowers for the worship and sacred rites of the sage. She regularly swept the altar. She fetched sacrificial twigs. Thus the maiden served her father very well.

Once while she was engaged in collecting flowers for worship, Kāntimatī went very far into the interior of that forest. She put the beautiful flowers in a basket and returned to the hermitage, because she was eager to serve her father. As the girl was returning thus, two Vidyādhara youths named Sudarśana and Sukarṇa who were seated in an aerial chariot, happened to see her.

14b-22a. On seeing that daughter of Gālava, who was endowed with beauty and youth and who appeared to be Rati, the graceful wife of Kāma, embodied, the elder one of the Vidyādhara youths, named Sudarśana became infatuated with love. His eyes sparkled like lotuses in full bloom and he desired her. He looked repeatedly at her face as beautiful as full moon. Seeking sexual dalliance with her, he alighted from the excellent aerial chariot. Approaching the daughter of the sage, Sudarśana spoke thus:

Sudarśana said:

Who are you, O gentle lady? Whose daughter are you? You are endowed with beauty and youth. Your matchless beauty delights my mind. On seeing you resembling Rati, I am afflicted with love. I am son of the Vidyādhara king named Sukaṇṭha. I am endowed with handsome features and I am Sudarśana by name. Accept me, O gentle lady. Save me by means of your merciful glances. If you accept me as your husband, you will obtain all pleasures.

On hearing these words of that Vidyādhara prince, Kāntimatī spoke these righteous words:

22b-28a. “O blessed Sudarśana, O Vidyādhara prince, know me as the daughter of the noble-souled Gālava. I am a virgin not yet married. I am engaged in serving my father.

I have come to collect flowers for worship by my father. I have already taken a Yāma (3 Hrs.) in gathering flowers. On account of this delay that sage, a great ascetic, who is eager to worship deities, will surely get angry. I have already gathered the flowers. I shall therefore hurry up. Indeed girls are under the command of their fathers. They can never be free. If you desire me, request my father.”

After saying this to the Vidyādhara prince, Kāntimatī who was afraid of her father hurried to the hermitage.

28b-31. On seeing her going away, the Vidyādhara prince who was afflicted with passionate love, ran after her and caught hold of her tresses. On seeing him coining to her and catching hold of her tresses, that daughter of the sage cried aloud like a Kurarī bird (osprey): “O lord, O my father, save me from this Vidyādhara prince. The wicked one, the Vidyādhara prince, violently catches bold of me.” Thus she cried loudly not far from her hermitage.

32-34. On hearing that cry, the sage, the inhabitants of Gandhamādana with the great sage Gālava at their head, came to that spot immediately to enquire what it was all about. After coming there, all those eminent sages saw the daughter of the sage caught hold of by the Vidyādhara prince and another Vidyādhara prince standing nearby.

35. On seeing this, Gālava, the great sage, the great Yogin, became furious and cursed that vicious soul:

36-45a. “O mean Vidyādhara, since you have perpetrated such a misdeed as this, be born in the human womb and reap the fruit of your own action.

You will attain human birth full of extreme miseries. Ere long after that, in that very same birth, you will attain the state of a Vetāla (Vampire) despicable even to the human beings. You will always eat flesh and blood. Vetālas are mostly demoniacal. They abduct women with great violence. Hence after becoming a human being, you will become a Vetāla as well. Your younger brother who abetted your crime shall also become a human being known as Sukarṇa. As he did not directly commit any misdeed like this, he shall attain the human birth alone and not the state of a vampire. When your younger brother will see the lord of Vidyādharas named Vijñaptikautuka, he shall become liberated from the curse.

You are the actual perpetrator of a great sin like this. You will attain the human birth and in the very same birth you will attain the form of a Vetāla. You will wander over the world for a long time.”

After saying this and cursing the Vidyādhara princes, Gālava took his daughter with him and went back to his hermitage along with the other sages.

45b-50. When that great sage, the illustrious one, had gone, the Vidyādhara princes named Sudarśana and Sukarṇa became extremely worried on account of the sage’s curse. They began to ponder over this very much. Sudarśana and Sukarṇa came to a decision as to what they should do. They selected a Brāhmaṇa named Govindasvāmin, resident of a place on the banks of Yamunā, to be their father. Then they abandoned their real form and were born as his sons named Vijayadatta and Aśokadatta. The elder one named Sudarśana was born as the son named Vijayadatta. Sukarṇa, the younger one, became the son named Aśokadatta. Vijaya and Aśoka gradually attained the age of youth.

51. At that time, on account of absence of rain, there occurred a drought lasting for twelve years on the auspicious banks of Yamunā.

52-54. Observing his own city devastated by famine, the Brāhmaṇa named Govindasvāmin, master of all the Vedas, proceeded towards the city of Kāśī along with his sons and wife.

When he reached Prayāga and visited the meritorious Mahāvaṭa^[1], he saw a sage in front of him wearing a garland of skulls. The Brāhmaṇa, named Govindasvāmin, bowed down to that sage.

55. That sage spoke to him, offering his blessings to him along with his sons and wife. He then spoke these words to Govindasvāmin:

56. “Now, O excellent Brāhmaṇa, very soon you will be separated from this elder son Vijayadatta”.

57-58. On hearing his words, the Brāhmaṇa called Govindasvāmin, went away for his Sandhyā prayers as the sun had set. After concluding the daily rites, the Brāhmaṇa who was fatigued and vexed on account of a long travel, stayed for that night in a vacant temple along with his wife and sons.

59. Aśokadatta and the Brāhmaṇa lady who were utterly exhausted, spread a cloth on the ground and went to sleep.

60-61. Vijaya was greatly exhausted on account of the long journey. He was overwhelmed with fever with fits of cold. Although he was closely embraced by his father Govindasvāmin for dispelling the suffering from cold, he could not get rid of the affliction.

62. (Then the boy said:) “O father, an excessive chillness and fever with cold fits afflicts me very much. Fetch some fire to check completely this chillness. Do not delay.”

63. On hearing these words of his son, he went in search of fire. Nowhere could he get the same. He returned to his son and said thus:

64-69. “O son, I am not able to get fire, though I have searched for it everywhere. It is midnight now. All the doors are closed. The citizens are overcome by sleep. They will not give fire.” Thus Vijayadatta who was afflicted with fever was told by his father. Still in a piteous tone, he begged of his father to fetch him some fire. (He said:) “I am afflicted with chillness as a result of the shivering fever. The wind with icy sprays oppresses me with doubly increased severity. A lie has been uttered by you, O father, that fire could not be got. See, yonder, there, in front of us, a fire is blazing. It has clusters of flames. It licks the sky with shooting flames. O father, fetch that fire quickly for quelling the chillness.”

As the son spoke thus, the father replied thus:

70-74. “I do not utter any lie now, my son. I am speaking the truth. The place that is seen from afar as having fire, know it to be the cremation ground, my son. The fire that blazes forth at present with its flames licking the sky, in front of us, know it to be the fire of the funeral pyre that generates fear. This fire (of the funeral pyre) is inauspicious. Its very touch defiles. It should not be resorted to. If anyone resorts to the funeral pyre, his span of life gets reduced. The inauspicious funeral fire unworthy of being touched is not brought here by me, dear son, lest there should be an adverse effect on your span of life.”

As the father said thus, that miserable wretch replied:

75. “It may be the fire in funeral pyre or it may be the sacrificial fire. In any case let it be fetched. If not, it is sure that I will die.”

76. Under the influence of filial affection, the Brāhmaṇa named Govindasvāmī went immediately to the cremation ground in order to fetch the funeral fire.

77. When Govindasvāmin went away to bring the funeral fire, Vijayadatta too quickly followed him.

78. Coming very near the warm fire, the funeral fire, where the bones lay scattered, it appeared as though he was going to embrace it. Gradually he attained some relief.

79-80. He then asked his father: “What is this excessively brilliant and circular object that resembles a red lotus and shines in the fire?” On hearing these words of his son, the excellent Brāhmaṇa carefully looked at it and spoke these words:

Govindasvāmī said:

81. This piece of circular object is the skull with fiery flames. It is full of fat, flesh and hard bony stuff. It resembles a red lotus.

82. On hearing this, the son of the Brāhmaṇa hit it with the tip of a log of wood, whereat it broke. The fat that splashed about sprinkled his face.

83. When particles of blood from the broken skull stuck to his face, he began to lick them with his tongue repeatedly. He began to relish that blood.

84. After relishing it, he seized the skull and excitedly drank the melted fat. His body grew bigger in size and he became exceedingly dreadful.

85-88. Immediately he was transformed into a Vetāla (Vampire) with sharp teeth. At that hour of the night, the quarters, inter-spaces between the cardinal points, the heaven, the firmament and the earth began to burst as it were at the loud report of his boisterous laugh.

Then he rushed at his father with a great speed and attempted to kill him. Instantly a heavenly voice spoke: “Do not indulge in this rash, heinous act.”

On hearing that divine utterance, the highly dreadful Vetāla let off his father. Without faltering in his steps, he rushed along the ethereal path with great speed.

89-90. After going a long way, he got into touch with (other) Vetālas. On seeing him arrived thus, all the Vetālas joined together and called him by the name ‘Kapālasphoṭa’ because it was by shattering the Kapāla (Skull) that he was transformed into a Vetāla.

91-92. Surrounded by all the Vetālas, this Kapālasphoṭa immediately went to the presence of the king of Vetālas named Narāsthibhūṣaṇa. Equipped with a great army, Narāsthibhūṣaṇa appointed him his Commander-in-chief.

93-95. Once a powerful Gandharva named Citrasena killed Narāsthibhūṣaṇa in battle. He too was killed. When Narāsthibhūṣaṇa was killed by the Gandharva, Kapālasphoṭa got into his position.

On account of the curse of the great sage, Sudarśana, son of the lord of Vidyādharas, at first became a man. Then he attained the state of a Vetāla and gradually became the lord of Vetālas.

Footnotes and references:

[1]:

This is probably the celebrated Akṣaya Vaṭa which is now in a subterranean chamber in the fort of Allahabad. That Banyan Tree is still worshipped by pilgrims.