Chapter 33 - The Glory of Dhanuṣkoṭi: Parāvasu Liberated

[Sanskrit text for this chapter is available]

[Full title: The Glory of Dhanuṣkoṭi: Parāvasu Liberated from the Sin of Brāhmaṇa-Slaughter]

Śrī Sūta said:

1-2. I shall further recount the glory of Dhanuṣkoṭi. It is very wonderful. It is a great secret. It is the sole thing that sanctifies all the worlds.

Formerly, a Brāhmaṇa named Parāvasu,^[1] the most excellent one among those conversant with the Vedas, unknowingly killed his father and incurred the sin of Brāhmaṇa-slaughter. He took his holy bath in Dhanuṣkoṭi and instantly got rid of that sin.

The sages said:

3-4. How did Parāvasu kill his father previously, O Sūta? How did he get redemption, O sage, in Dhanuṣkoṭi? It behoves you to recount this to us who faithfully (listen to it).

Śrī Sūta said:

5. There was a king, a very powerful Emperor named Bṛhaddyumna. He righteously ruled the earth extending as far as the ocean.

6. He performed a sacrifice of long duration and worshipped Devas with Indra as their leader. The priest in his Yajña was Raibhya, an excessively righteous scholar.

7. He had two sons named Arvāvasu^[2] and Parāvasu. They were masters of the Vedas with their six ancillary subjects. They were great experts in (the holy rites laid down in) Śrutis and Smṛtis.

8. They were proficient in the Vaiśeṣika system of philosophy, in Pūrva Mīmāṃsā, Sāṅkhya, Vedānta (Brahma Sūtras), Nyāya system, in the Yogic treatises and in the system of Grammar propounded by Pāṇini.

9-12. They were perfectly acquainted with the Smṛtis of Manu and others. They were masters of all scriptures. They were requested by Bṛhaddyumna^[3] to assist in the Sattra (Yāga). On being permitted by their father Raibhya, the brothers who appeared like Aśvins in physical form, went to the Sattra of Bṛhaddyumna.

Raibhya remained in the hermitage along with the elder daughter-in-law. The two brothers went to the excellent Sattra of the king.

They performed the Yajña (Sattra) on behalf of King Bṛhaddyumna. Not a single slip did the brothers commit in the Sattra and in the holy rites with their subsidiary activities.

13-18. While the Sattra was being elaborately performed on behalf of King Bṛhaddyumna, all the sages invited by the king came there to witness it.

They were: Vasiṣṭha, Gautama, Atri, Jābāli, Kāśyapa, Kratu, Dakṣa, Pulastya, Pulaha, Sage Nārada, Mārkaṇḍeya, Śatānanda, Viśvāmitra, Parāśara, Bhṛgu, Kutsa, Vālmīki, Vyāsa, Dhaumya and many others.^[4]

They came there surrounded by innumerable disciples and disciples’ disciples.

On seeing them come, Bṛhaddyumna, the king, respectfully adored them with Arghya etc. Many kings accompanied by armies consisting of four divisions came there from different lands in order to witness the Sattra. They had brought with them gifts. Similarly many Vaiśyas and Śūdras too had come. People of all the four castes had arrived (then).

19. Religious students, householders, forest-dwellers and recluses came there to witness the Sattra of Bṛhaddyumna.

20-21. The excellent king honoured all of them befittingly. He gave cooked rice, ghee, sauce, etc. to all of them. He gave them garments, gold coins, many necklaces and jewels. Thus the king welcomed and entertained all those who had come for the Sattra.

22. At that time, O Brāhmaṇas, Arvāvasu and Parāvasu, the two sons of Raibhya, performed all the rites in connection with the sacrifice without any mistake.

23. On observing the skill of the sons of Raibhya, the sages, chief among whom was Vasiṣṭha, praised them nodding their heads in approbation.

24-27. After getting some rites performed at the end of the third Savana, O Brāhmaṇas, Parāvasu went to his hermitage to look after the duties at home. He went there without Arvāvasu in the evening. At that time, he saw his father Raibhya covered with deerskin, moving about in the forest. He was overcome with sleep. When there was blinding darkness at night, he suspected that a beast was about to rush at him in order to kill him. So Parāvasu killed his father in the great forest (mistaking him for a beast of prey).

28. It was with a desire to protect his body that his father was killed by the great sinner, but not with any other intention.

29. He came close to the person struck down and saw that it was his own father who was killed at night. Wiṃ all sense-organs afflicted, he bewailed him.

30. Parāvasu performed all the obsequies for his dead faṃer and returned to the Sattra of the king.

31. He reported everything done by him to his younger brother. On hearing that his faṃer was dead, he too became grief-stricken.

32-35. The elder one then said to the younger one, O excellent Brāhmaṇas: “The great Sattra of King Bṛhaddyumna has begun. You are only a boy. You cannot by yourself bear the entire responsibility of the holy rite. Our father has been killed by me at night suspecting him to be a beast (of prey). Expiatory rite has to be performed for the purification of the sin of Brāhmaṇa-slaughter. O dear one, O my younger brother, perform those holy expiatory rites for my sake. I am capable of bearing the burden of the Sattra single-handed.” On being told thus by his elder brother, Arvāvasu replied to him:

36. “O elder brother, let it be so. I shall perform the excellent holy rites for the purification of the sin of Brāhmaṇa-slaughter. You do bear the burden of the Sattra.”

37-38. After saying thus to his elder brother, the younger brother went out of the chamber of the Sattra. After he had gone, the elder one performed all the rites of the Kratu. The younger one performed the expiatory rites for the sin of Brāhmaṇa-slaughter, O Brāhmaṇas, for a period of twelve years. Then he joyously returned to the place of the Sattra.

39-44. On seeing his brother, the elder one said to Bṛhaddyumna: “See here, the Brāhmaṇa-slayer Arvāvasu has come to your Sattra. O excellent king; expel him quickly from this Sattra. Otherwise you will lose the merit of the Sattra.” On being told thus, he got him removed from the place of Sattra through his own servants.

While being expelled, Arvāvasu spoke to the king: “O sinless Bṛhaddyumna, this Brāhmaṇa-slaughter has not been committed by me. But, O lord, that murder of a Brāhmaṇa has been committed by my elder brother. It was for his sake that the expiatory rite for Brāhmaṇa-slaughter was performed by me.”

Though he was told thus, the king expelled Arvāvasu from his Sattra at the instance of Parāvasu. He was condemned and reproached by the Brāhmaṇas and so he (Arvāvasu) quietly went to the forest.

45. Entering the penance grove filled with groups of ascetics, Arvāvasu performed a penance which is very difficult even for Devas to perform.

46-48. Performing the penance he worshipped Sun-god with mental concentration.^[5] On account of his great penance, Sun-god became delighted in his mind. Bhāskara (Sun-god), the witness of all actions, the eye of the universe, the leader of all deities, appeared before him in a physical form, illuminating the surface of the earth by his own brilliance. Devas too appeared there with Indra at their head. O Brāhmaṇas, Indra and other Devas spoke thus to Arvāvasu:

49-56a. “O Arvāvasu, you are a Pravara (excellent man), on account of your penance and vow of celibacy, regular good conduct, learning and training in the Vedas and scriptural treatises. You were reproached and slighted much by Parāvasu. Still you suffered it patiently. You did not become angry with him. Since it was your elder brother who killed your father and you did not injure him at all, O highly intelligent one, since the expiatory rite for Brāhmaṇa-slaughter was performed by you on his behalf, we accept you and banish Parāvasu.” After saying this, all those heaven-dwellers, the chief of whom was Indra, made Arvāvasu a Pravara and banished Parāvasu.

Again, keeping Sun-god in front of them the Devas including Indra said to Arvāvasu, “Choose your boon.”

He requested the Devas for the restoration of his father back to life and also making him and his father forget the slaughter. The Devas said “So be it” and added: “We shall grant you one more boon, O highly intelligent one, choose it.”

56b-57a. On being told thus by the Suras, Arvāvasu spoke: “O heaven-dwellers, let my brother be free from the sin.”

57b-61a. On hearing the words of Arvāvasu, the Devas spoke to him again:

“Since he has killed his father, a Brāhmaṇa, Parāvasu’s is a great sin. If a man commits one of the five great sins, it cannot be dispelled by the expiatory rite performed by another. There is no redemption at all for one who kills his father or a Brāhmaṇa. Even by means of the expiatory rite performed by himself he has no redemption. Hence there is no redemption for your brother Parāvasu. Thus it is not possible for us to grant him freedom from the sins.”

61b-71. Thereupon Arvāvasu spoke once again to the Devas, the leader among whom was Indra:

“Still, in view of your greatness and your favour, O excellent Devas endowed with mercifulness, do tell me how redemption can be had by my brother who has killed a Brāhmaṇa, i.e. my father.” On hearing these words of Arvāvasu the heaven-dwellers meditated for a long time. After coming to a decision they spoke thus:^[6] “We shall tell you the means that will dispel his sin. In the southern sea, on the meritorious Rāmasetu that bestows salvation, there is a Tīrtha well-known as Dhanuṣkoṭi. It yields salvation. It is destructive of the sins of Brāhmaṇa-slaughter, drinking liquor and stealing gold. It dispels the sins of defiling preceptor’s bed as well as those of having dealings with great sinners. If a man takes the holy bath therein, even without any desire, it yields salvation. It dispels (the effects of) evil dreams. It is conducive to wealth. It destroys the distress of Narakas.

It helps in attaining Kailāsa and other regions. It grants the greatest of riches. It yields everything desired by men. It destroys indebtedness and poverty. By uttering the name Dhanuṣkoṭi three times it yields heavenly pleasures and salvation to men. It bestows great merits.

If your elder brother Parāvasu goes there and takes his holy bath therein, he shall be liberated from the sin of Brāhmaṇa-slaughter at that very instant. This is a great secret means of expiation recommended by us.”

After saying this to Arvāvasu, the Devas went to their own city.

72. Then Arvāvasu took his elder brother Parāvasu and went to Dhanuṣkoṭi, the bestower of salvation.

73. For the sake of purifying the sin, Parāvasu performed the Saṃkalpa rite on the Setu in accordance with the rules and took his bath in Dhanuṣkoṭi along with his brother.

74-75. When he took his bath and got up, an unembodied voice declared to him: “O Parāvasu, your sin of Brāhmaṇa-slaughter arising from the murder of your father, a Brāhmaṇa, has perished. The extremely dreadful sin of Brāhmaṇa-slaughter causing distress in Narakas has perished.”

After saying this, the unembodied voice ceased.

76-77. Then, accompanied by his younger brother, O Brāhmaṇas, Parāvasu devoutly bowed down to Rāmacandra Dhanuṣkoṭi. Then they made obeisance to Rāmanātha Mahādeva with great devotion. Freed from his sins, O Brāhmaṇas, he went to the hermitage of his father.

78. At that time Raibhya got up from his state of a dead man. On seeing his sons come he became delighted in his heart. Therefrom he continued to live in his hermitage.

79. As Parāvasu’s sin was now destroyed by his holy bath in Rāmacandra Dhanuṣkoṭi all the sages accepted him (received him cordially).

80. Thus the liberation of Parāvasu from the sin of Brāhmaṇa-slaughter has been recounted. His liberation from the sin merely on account of his holy bath in Dhanuṣkoṭi has been recounted to you, O eminent sages.

81. The sins of drinking liquor, etc. do perish by taking the holy plunge here. It is true. It is true. (I repeat) It is true. It is being declared by raising up the arms.

82-83. By taking the holy plunge here all the masses of great sins shall perish. If anyone reads this chapter on the liberation from the sin of Brāhmaṇa-slaughter, that sin of Brāhmaṇa-slaughter shall perish at the very instant. There is no doubt about this. Sins of drinking liquor, etc. shall also subside immediately.

Footnotes and references:

[1]:

A son of Sage Raibhya, elder brother of Arvāvasu. The story given here is based on Mbh. Vana 138. The credit of his redemption from patricide by a bath in Dhanuṣkoṭi is the contribution of this Purāṇa to glorify the Tīrtha Dhanuṣkoṭi.

[2]:

Arvāvasu: A famous sage, knower of Brahman (Mbh, Anuśāsana 150.30-32). Relieved his brother Parāvasu from the sin of patricide by his spiritual power (Mbh. Vana). not by bath in Dhanuṣkoṭi according to Mbh. He got spiritual power by propitiating Sun-god.

[3]:

A powerful king who employed the sons of Raibhya for his sacrifice (Mbh, Vana 138.1-2).

[4]:

A traditional list of famous sages of old. They were not necessarily contemporaries.

[5]:

Vide ftn. 2, p. 209. Arvāvusu’s propitiation of Sun-god has basis in Mbh, Vana.

[6]:

This glorification of Koṭitīrtha and its sanctifying efficacy are the additions of this Purāṇa.