Chapter 28 - The Glory of Sādhyāmṛtatīrtha: Purūravas Liberated from a Curse

[Sanskrit text for this chapter is available]

Note: If what is presently called ‘Satyāmṛta Teertham’ be the same as ‘Sādhyāmṛta Tīrtha’, it is near īhe Navaśakti Maṇḍapam.

Śrī Sūta said:

1. After resorting to the highly meritorious Koṭitīrtha the man who has conquered his passions, should surely go to Sādhyāmṛta (Tīrtha) to take his holy bath.

2-3. The great Tīrtha Sādhyāmṛta is on the Gandhamādana mountain. It bestows great merits. It subdues great miseries. It dispels the sins of men. It yields all desired objects. By taking his holy bath devoutly here, the man shall attain all desires.

4. Neither by penance nor by the vow of celibacy, neither by Yajñas nor by charitable gifts, does a man obtain that goal which one obtains by taking the holy plunge in Sādhyāmṛta.

5. Those whose limbs are touched by the auspicious waters of Sādhyāmṛta, all the sins in their bodies perish instantaneously.

6. The man who performs the holy rite of Aghamarṣaṇa in the holy waters of Sādhyāmṛta, gets rid of all his sins and is honoured in the world of Viṣṇu.

7-8. If a man commits sins in the early days of his life but repents for them in the later days and resorts to Sādhyāmṛta, he shall undoubtedly become liberated. By taking his holy bath in Sādhyāmṛta one becomes liberated from the bondage of the body.

9. Men of evil deeds who take their holy bath in the waters of Sādhyāmṛta never fall into Narakas that are terrible due to manifold distress.

10. The goal that men attain by taking the holy bath in the waters of Sādhyāmṛta, O Brāhmaṇas, cannot be obtained by means of Yajñas, Vedas and meritorious deeds.

11. Men stay in the world of Śiva and are honoured there very well for as many years as the number of bones of theirs remain deposited in the waters of Sādhyāmṛta.

12. Just as the sun at the time of rising, dispels the dreadful darkness and shines, so also the person who regularly takes his holy bath in Sādhyāmṛta breaks through sins and shines.

13. The man who takes his holy bath here always acquires all his desired objectives. By taking his holy baṃ in this highly meritorious Tīrtha formerly King Purūravas got rid of the separation from Urvaśī resulting from Tuṃburu’s curse.

The sages said:

14-16. O illustrious Sūta, how did the mortal king Purūravas at the outset come into contact with Urvaśī, the celestial damsel? How did he get rid of the separation from Urvaśī resulting from the curse of Tuṃburu? For what reason did Sage Tuṃburu curse the king? Describe all this in detail, O eminent sage.

Sūta said:

17-22. Formerly there was a king named Purūravas. In valour he was on a par with Indra. He was equal to Kubera (in affluence). He was honoured by the immortal beings. That excellent king ruled the earth righteously. He performed many Yajñas and always made charitable gifts.

While that king of great intellect was reigning over the entire earth, O Brāhmaṇas, Urvaśī came to the earth as a result of the curse of Mitrāvaruṇa. Urvaśī wandered here and there near the city of that king. She sang in a garden with a sweet lute and in a voice as sweet as the chirping of a cuckoo.

Once the king rode on a horse and went to that garden accompanied by a hundred young women, as he was eager to sport about therein. He saw the slender-waisted Urvaśī of such a beauty there. The king proposed to her, “Be my wife.”

23-27. She too was afflicted with love and replied to the king thus: “Let it be so, O excellent one among men. If you agree to my stipulations, I will live with you with all eagerness and enthusiasm.”

He replied, “O lady of beautiful eyebrows, I shall abide by your conditions.”

Thereupon Urvaśī said to Purūravā enthusiastically: “If you protect the pair of rams I keep like my pet sons, if, O king, you are never seen naked (by me), if you never give me the remnants of your food, I shall stay with you. O excellent king, ghee alone shall be my food.”

The king said, “It will be so.” After saying so, the king took her to his abode.

28-31. The king sported with her in Caitraratha park in Alakā (Kubera’s city) on the banks of Sarasvatī charming on account of clusters of lotuses.

The king spent sixty-one years sporting with her. Therefore the love of Urvaśī increased day by day. The slender-waisted lady had no desire (to go back to) the world of Devas. Without her the world of Devas ceased to be all (that) charming.

So, O Brāhmaṇas, Viśvāvasu thought thus, ‘I shall bring her back to the world of the Devas.’ Thinking thus he went to the terrestrial world in a trice.

32-37. Viśvāvasu had known the agreement of the king with Urvaśī. Accompanied by Gandharvas, he came in the middle of the night and swiftly seized one of the rams from the vicinity of the bed of Urvaśī.

While it was being carried through the sky, Urvaśī heard its bleat and so spoke to her husband: “By whom is my son being taken away? Let him be protected. I am helpless. I have lost consciousness. Whom shall I seek refuge in? Which man shall I look up to for shelter?”

Purūravas did hear her words during the middle of the night, but he did not stir out of his bed, lest he should be seen naked by her.

Then the Gandharvas seized the other ram too and went away. Urvaśī heard the bleating sound of that ram too. Then the gentle lady lamented loudly: “Helpless that I am, my son is being taken away by thieves. Which man shall I turn to for succour?”

38-40. On hearing her words, the king became very furious. Thinking that the whole place was plunged in darkness, the king seized a sword and rushed out saying, “O wicked one, O wicked one, where can you go?” In the meantime the lightning flash caused by the Gandharvas shone brilliantly. By the sparkling lustre of the same the queen saw the king bereft of clothes. As the agreement was broken she set off at that very moment.

41-42. The Gandharvas too abandoned those rams there and went away. The king came back to his bed taking the rams with him with very great pleasure. But he did not see the large-eyed beautiful Urvaśī there. Unable to see her he wandered over the earth still naked like a mad man.

43. The king went to Kurukṣetra and saw her sporting about along with four celestial damsels in a lake full of lotuses.

44. “O my wife of a cruel mind, wait.” He spoke thus very often. The king made very many utterances of this kind.

45-47. Sporting about in the company of the groups of celestial damsels, Urvaśī spoke: “O great king, O sinless one, no longer should you indulge in these (restless) activities. I have already conceived from you. You should come here at the end of the year. A son of great virtues will be born to you. Then I will stay with you for one night.”

On being told thus, O Brāhmaṇas, the king became delighted. He entered his city (i.e he returned to the city).

48-51. To those celestial damsels she spoke about the king: “This is that excellent man who has the handsome features of Kāma. I had been overwhelmed with love and had been living with this king for a very long time till recently.”

On being told thus the companions said to her: “Well done! Well done! O friend, we, on the other hand, would have remained with him forever.” So said the celestial damsels to Urvaśī, their friend then. When the year was complete, the king too came to the lake.

52. On seeing King Purūravas come there, Urvaśī became delighted in her mind. She presented her son Āyus to him.

53. With great love, she spent a night with him. In this manner Urvaśī bore to him five sons (lit. a foetus, giving birth to five sons).

54-55. Urvaśī, the excellent lady, said to the king: “Out of affection for me, O king, the Gandharvas will grant you boons. O excellent king of saintly features, let (the proper) boon be requested for by you.”

On being told by her thus, the king spoke to the excellent Gandharvas:

56-57. “My treasury is full. I have conquered the hosts of my enemies. I have nothing to be obtained except Salokatā (residence in the same world) with Urvaśī. Hence I choose a boon so that I can spend my time along with Urvaśī.”

When this was spoken by the king, the Ganḍharvas became delighted in their minds. They gave him an Agnisthālī (i.e. a pot or pan for sacred fire) and said to the king:

58-59. “O excellent king, following the injunctions of the Vedas divide the sacred fire into three. By performing a Yajña, O king, do attain Sālokya with Urvaśī.”

On being told thus, the king received the Sthālī for fire and went (to his city).

60-63. In the middle of the forest, he thought thus: ‘Alas! What a fool had I been! Urvaśī has not been obtained by me. Of what avail is this Agnisthālī for me?’ Then the king dropped the Agnisthālī in the forest and went to his own city. When the midnight was past he woke up from his sleep and thought thus: ‘It is for the purpose of achieving the world of Urvaśī that the Agnisthālī was given to me by the eminent Gandharvas. But it has been dropped in the forest by me. I shall get it back.’ Thinking thus, he got up and went to the forest. But Purūravas was not able to see the Agnisthālī there.

64-66. In the place of the Agnisthālī, he saw an Aśvattha tree with latent fire. Then he thought: ‘The Sthālī was dropped here in the forest earlier by me. But it has now become Aśvattha with the fire latent within it. Hence I shall take this to the city with me. It has the form of fire. I shall make an Araṇi (wood for the sake of creating fire by attrition). I shall respectfully worship the fire generated from it.’ Resolving thus the king went to his city.

67-70. He made a beautiful Araṇi measured with his own fingers. At the time of making it, O Brāhmaṇas, the king repeated the Gāyatrī Mantra. The king made the Araṇi as many Aṅgulas long as there are syllables in the Gāyatrī Mantra he recited. The king then churned it and generated three fires. With the desire for the benefit of attaining the world of Urvaśī, the king joyously performed Homa in all the three fires in accordance with the injunctions in the Vedas. By the same procedure he performed many Yajñas.

71. Thereby the lord of the universe attained the world of Gandharvas, O excellent Brāhmaṇas. In the company of Urvaśī, he sported for a long time in the world of Devas.

72. Once, accompanied by all the immortal ones, the Slayer of Bala and Vṛtra (i.e. Indra) was engaged in witnessing the dance of the celestial damsels in his court.

73-76. King Purūravas too had come then to the court of Devas in order to witness the dance of the womenfolk of Suras, the heavan-dwellers.

One by one, those ladies came before Indra and danced. Then Urvaśī came and danced before Hari (Indra). Urvaśī who was proud of her skill in dancing and symbolic gesticulations, looked at Purūravas and smiled fascinatingly. On seeing Urvaśī the king too smiled. Tuṃburu, the dance-instructor, was furious on account of this smiling (of mutual admiration). In his anger, he cursed both of them, Urvaśī and the excellent king.

Tuṃburu said:

77-81. Since (a mean thing) has been committed by both of you here in this assembly filled with many Devas, since you smiled for no reason at all in the midst of the dance programme, O eminent king, both of you will be separated presently.^[1]

Thus he cursed him in the presence of all the Devas. On being cursed by the Dance Instructor, the king became extremely sad. He sought refuge in Indra saying, “Save me; save me” Purūravas spoke to Indra in a piteous tone: “It was for the purpose of obtaining Sālokya with Urvaśī that I performed Yajñas. Hence, O Indra, separation from her is unbearable to me.”

82-87. As the king said thus, the Thousand-eyed Lord of Śacī said to him:^[2] “O excellent king, do not be afraid. I shall tell you the means of redemption from the curse. In the Southern Ocean on the meritorious Gandhamādana mountain there is an excessively great Tīrtha well-known as Sādhyāmṛta. It is resorted to by all Devas, Siddhas, Cāraṇas and Kinnaras; it is resorted to by groups of many Yogins and sages including Sanaka. It yields worldly pleasures and salvation to men. It bestows release from all curses. O king, do go to that Tīrtha immediately. By taking the holy bath there everyone can obtain Amṛta. Hence it is well-known in all the worlds as Sādhyāmṛta. By taking the holy bath there, you will have reunion with Urvaśī. You can have your residence in my world too. There is no doubt about it.”

88. On being directed thus, the king became delighted in his mind. He immediately started to the great Tīrtha Sādhyāmṛta.

89. He took his holy bath there in Sādhyāmṛta that is destructive of all sins. By taking his holy bath there, O Brāhmaṇas, the king was immediately released from the curse.

90. Immediately after the holy bath he was joined by Urvaśī. Seated in an aerial chariot along with her, he went to Amarāvatī.

91-96. Again he continued to sport with her in the divine abode like a Deva. That Tīrtha Sādhyāmṛta has such power. It is excellent. By taking his holy bath there, Purūravas became united with Urvaśī. Hence he who takes his holy bath in this Tīrtha which is destructive of all great sins, obtains everything he desires. He goes to the excellent heaven. If a man devoid of any desires bathes there, he will attain salvation.

He who reads this holy chapter that destroys sins and the man who listens to this attains the stay in Vaikuṇṭha.

Thus, O Brāhmaṇas, the glory of the Tīrtha Sādhyāmṛta has been recounted to you. It is destructive of sins. It has been faithfully recounted by me in detail. The same was previously narrated to Sanaka and others by the Four-faced Lord.

Footnotes and references:

[1]:

The legend of Purūravas and Urvaśī, their love and separation, forms the background of the famous Saṃvāda Sūkta in RV. In the transmission of the story during the Purāṇic period the curse motif was used to explain the separation; the person giving the curse is Brahmā, Mitrāvaruṇa; and here he is the dance-teacher, Sage Tuṃbaru.

The story is used to explain how the institution of sacrifice began in Purūravas’ times, the use of Agnisthālī and finally the method of producing fire by attrition of Aśvattha wood. PI gives a number of references to this story in different Purānas. See PI I, p. 243.

[2]:

As expected of a Sthala-Purāṇa, the curse of Purūravas is shown to be removed by a bath in Sādhyāmṛtatīrtha.