Chapter 50 - The Story of Puṇyanidhi

[Sanskrit text for this chapter is available]

Note: This legend is introduced here to explain why Setumādhava (Viṣṇu on the Setu) came to be installed in this place specially holy for Śiva.

Śrī Sūta said:

1-5. Henceforth, I shall recount the glory of Setumādhava. Listen, O sages, with devotion. It is highly meritorious and destructive of sins.

Formerly there was a king born of the lunar race, named Puṇyanidhi. He ruled Madhurā graced by Hālāsyeśvara.

Once, that king installed his son in Madhurā and went to Rāmasetu accompanied by his army consisting of the four divisions. He was followed by the members of his Antaḥpura and all the attendants. He was eager to take his holy bath. After reaching that place, he took his holy bath in Dhanuṣkoṭi with the requisite Saṃkalpa rite.

The excellent king took his holy bath in the other Tīrthas too located there. With great devotion, he served Lord Rāmeśvara.

6-8. Thus, for a long time he stayed there happily. Staying in the meritorious Rāmasetu on the Gandhamādana mountain, once the king performed a Yajña that was highly pleasing to Viṣṇu. At the end of the Yajña, eager to have his Avabhṛtha (valedictory bath), the king joyously took his bath in Rāmadhanuṣkoṭi along with his wives and attendants. After serving Rāmanātha, O Brāhmaṇas, he went to his abode.

9-11. While King Puṇyanidhi continued his stay thus, once Lakṣmī had a playful quarrel with Hari. In order to test the devotion of the king, she stipulated certain conditions with Hari. Lakṣmī, the goddess with lotus for her abode, was sent by Viṣṇu from Vaikuṇṭha. In the guise of a girl of eight years, she went to the Gandhamādana mountain. Goddess Lakṣmī came to Dhanuṣkoṭi and stood there waiting.

12. At that time, O Brāhmaṇas, king (Puṇyanidhi), the storehouse of good qualities, went to Rāmadhanuṣkoṭi to take his holy bath along with his wives and soldiers.

13-14. After going there, the king took his holy bath with due observance. He made the full gifts such as Tulāpuruṣa, etc. Desirous of returning to the abode, he saw a certain girl of eight years, with pure smiles and of excessive beauty.

15. On seeing her who had beautiful eyes, smiled sweetly and had splendid teeth, her lips resembling the Biṃba fruit (Momordica monadelpha), and whose waistline was slender, the king asked that girl:

Puṇyanidhi said:

16. Who are you, O girl? Whose daughter are you? From where have you come here? O dear girl of beautiful smiles, what is your purpose in coming here?

17. Thus the king asked that girl with eyes like lotus. On being asked thus, O Brāhmaṇas, the girl spoke to that king:

18. “I have neither mother nor father. Nor have I any kinsfolk. I am without a protector, O great king. I shall become your daughter.

19-20. I shall stay in your house, O father, looking at you, always. If anyone holds me by the hand and violently pulls at me, O king, you shall chastise him. In that case, I shall stay in your place as your daughter for a long time, O father, O storehouse of good qualities.”

21-24. On being told thus, the king, the storehouse of good qualities, said to the girl:

“I shall do everything mentioned by you, O splendid girl. I have no daughter. I have a son, the support of the family. I shall give you whatever appeals to you. Come to my house, O girl. Live in my Antaḥpura as the daughter of my wife. O uncensured (praiseworthy) girl, live here as you please.”

On being told thus by the king, that girl of lotus-like eyes said to the king: “That’s right”. She went to his abode along with him.

25-26. The king handed over that splendid girl to his wife. The king told his wife Vindhyāvalī then: “O splendid queen Vindhyāvalī, this is your daughter. Protect her in every respect, O dear lady, from all other men.”

27. On being told thus by the king, Vindhyāvalī, the wife, said “Of course”, and grasped that girl, her daughter, by the hand.

28. That girl was brought up and nurtured by the king like his own son. Always fondled (by them), the girl lived in the king’s palace happily.

29. Then in order to search for Lakṣmī, O Brāhmaṇas, Viṣṇu, the Lord of the universe, eagerly rode on his Garuḍa and set out from Vaikuṇṭha.

30. Going out from Vaikuṇṭha, he traversed the ethereal path. He wandered over many lands. But he did not see Lakṣmī in those places.

31. Then he went to Rāmasetu on the Gandhamādana mountain. Searching for Indirā, he wandered all over Rāmasetu.

32. At that very time, that girl went to the trees in the garden of the palace, eager to gather flowers, accompanied by her companions.

33-36. She began to collect the flowers in the forest along with her companions. Viṣṇu came there, O Brāhmaṇas, assuming the form of a Brāhmaṇa. He held (a pot of) Gaṅgā water on his shoulder. He held an umbrella in his hand. He had adopted the dress and the guise of a Brāhmaṇa who regularly bathed in Gaṅgā. In his right hand, he had the Pavitra made of Kuśa grass. He had applied Bhasma all over his body. He shone with his Tnpuṇdra mark. He repeated the names of Śiva. He wore a garland of Rudrākṣa beads. He had the upper cloth. O Brāhmaṇas, thus Janārdana came there in a neat guise.

37. On seeing the Brāhmaṇa the girl stood stunned. He saw his beloved in the form of a girl of eight years gathering flowers.

38. On seeing that sweet-voiced girl, the Garuḍa-emblemed Lord in the form of a Brāhmaṇa hurriedly seized her by the hand.

39. Then along with her companions in the forest, the girl shouted loudly. On hearing that shout, the king too came there.

40. The king went to the park of the palace accompanied by a few soldiers. After going there, the king asked the girl and her companions too:

41-42. “O girl, what for did you shout and cry out loudly along with your companions now from this palace park? Let the reason thereof be told. O my daughter, by whom have you been teased? Did anyone seize you by force?”

On being asked thus, the girl said to the king, the storehouse of good qualities, with her eyes full of tears. She had been annoyed and was sad. She had been frightened much.

The girl said:

43-46. O king of Pāṇḍyas, it was this Brāhmaṇa who violently seized me. O dear father, quite undaunted he is standing there under that tree.

On hearing her words, the intelligent king, the storehouse of good qualities, caught hold of the Brāhmaṇa with force. He took him to the shrine of Rāmanātha. The king was not aware of the real power of the Brāhmaṇa. He bound him with fetters and noose and took him to the pavilion. The king then consoled his daughter and took her to the Antaḥpura.

47-53. The great king went to his beautiful mansion. During his sleep the king saw that Brāhmaṇa in his dream. He was adorned with a conch, discus, iron club, lotus and garland of sylvan flowers. His chest was embellished with the Kaustubha jewel. He was Hari clad in yellow garments. He was brilliant with the complexion resembling a black cloud. He was seated on Garuḍa. He had beautiful teeth and splendid smiles. His ear-rings resembling Makara, shone well. He was attended upon by Viṣvaksena and other servants. He lay on the couch (of the body) of Śeṣa. He was eulogized by Nārada and other sages; (further) he saw his own daughter standing in a full-blown lotus. In her hand there was a lotus flower. Her hair was black, curly and glossy. She had her abode in the broad chest of Viṣṇu. Her breasts were lifted up and protruding. Her limbs were showered upon by the elephants of the cardinal points. She was dark-complexioned and clad in yellow garments. Her tresses were embellished with garlands made of golden lotuses. She appeared rich with the splendour of divine ornaments. She was bedecked in beautiful necklaces.

54-58. She appeared very splendid in her nose ornaments made of costly jewels. Gold coins (wreathed together) constituted her ornament. She shone with her girdle and anklets. The king thus saw his daughter that night in the form of Mahālakṣmī. On seeing his daughter as well as that Brāhmaṇa in the dream thus, the king got up suddenly from his bed and went to the abode of his daughter. There he saw his daughter in the same form as he saw in his dream. When the sun rose, the king took his daughter and went to the temple of Rāmanātha where he had kept the Brāhmaṇa. There in the excellent Maṇḍapa he saw the Brāhmaṇa in the form of Hari exactly as he had seen in the dream, marked with the garland of sylvan flowers, etc. After knowing him to be Viṣṇu, the king eulogized Lord Hari.

Puṇyanidhi said:

59-65. Obeisance to you, O lover of Lakṣmī. Be pleased, O Garuḍa-emblemed one. Obeisance to you, O lord with the Śārṅga bow in your hand. Forgive my offence. Obeisance to you, O lotuseyed one, O Lord of Śrī having the discus in your hand. Bow to the lord marked and adorned with Kaustubha jewel; obeisance to the lord with Śrīvatsa scar; obeisance to you with Brahmā as your son; to the lord who crushed multitudes of Daityas. Hail to the lord with a lotus in (i.e. growing from) the navel, the abode of all the worlds. Obeisance to the destroyer of Madhu and Kaiṭabha; obeisance to you, to the destroyer of Rāvaṇa. Bow to you, to the protector of Prahlāda. Obeisance to the lord of the earth, to the lord devoid of attributes, to Viṣṇu, to the incomprehensible one, to the witness of the intellect (of all). Obeisance to you; to Śrīnivāsa; to the creator of the universe; to the Supreme Ātman. Bow to Lord Nārāyaṇa, to Kṛṣṇa, the enemy of Madhu. Obeisance to the lotus-navelled one, to the lotus-eyed one. Obeisance to the husband of Goddess Lakṣmī with the lotus in her hand. Hail to the lord with lotus-like feet.

66-74a. Again and again obeisance to you, O lord of the universe. Obeisance to one with lotus-garlands. Obeisance to you, O mercy personified. Forgive my offence, O slayer of Madhu, I have offended you with these fetters and nooses. O lord, this has been committed by me without knowing your real form and nature. Hence my offence should be forgiven, O slayer of Madhu.

After eulogizing Mahāviṣṇu thus, O Brāhmaṇas, King Puṇyanidhi joyously eulogized Lakṣmī, the mother of all living beings:

“Obeisance to you, O mother of the universe, O goddess with Viṣṇu’s broad chest for your abode. Obeisance to you, O Daughter of the Ocean, O Mahālakṣmī, O beloved of Han. Perpetual obeisance to Siddhi, Puṣṭi, Svadhā and Svāhā. Repeated obeisance to Sandhyā, to Prabhā, to Dhātrī, to Bhūti. Obeisance, Obeisance to Śraddhā, to Medhā and to Sarasvatī. O Yajñavidyā (‘science of sacrifice’), O Mahāvidyā, O Guhyavidyā (‘science of the secret things’), O highly splendid one, O Ātmavidyā (‘science of Ātman’). O goddess of Devas, O bestower of salvation on all the embodied beings, O mother of the universe, O goddess, the embodiment of three Vedas, O protectress of the universe! Save me by your benign glance, O goddess, the cause of creation, sustenance and annihilation. Again and again, obeisance to you, O mother of Brahmā, O great goddess.”

74b-78. After eulogizing Mahālakṣmī thus, he prayed to Mādhava: “Out of ignorance, offence has been committed by me against you, O Viṣṇu, by tying your feet with fetters. Let that offence be forgiven by you.

All the people of the worlds are your children, O Hari. You are the father of all the worlds, O Madhusūdana; the offence of the sons should be forgiven by the fathers.

You have given even your own form to the offending Daityas, O Viṣṇu. Forgive this offence of mine. O lord, formerly Pūtanā had approached you with a desire to kill you. Still you took her to your region. Therefore, O storehouse of mercy, protect me. O Keśava, the lover of Lakṣmī, cast at me your merciful glance.”

Śrī Sūta said:

79. On being entreated thus by that king, O excellent Brāhmaṇas, Viṣṇu spoke these words to King Puṇyanidhi in a majestic voice.

Viṣṇu said:

80-86. O king, you need not entertain any fear as a result of keeping me in bondage. I have revealed unto you the fact that I am completely subject to the control of the devotees. You have performed a Yajña causing great delight unto me. Hence you are my devotee. Being bound down with the noose of devotion, I have become subject to your control.

O suppressor of enemies, I always forgive the faults of my devotees. This goddess was despatched by me, because I was desirous of knowing your devotion. Lakṣmī, my beloved, was protected by you now, O king. Therefore, I am delighted with you. This goddess has always my form. She is identical with me. One who is a devotee of hers in this world is called a devotee of mine. One who is averse to her, O king, will always be remembered as one who hates me. Since with great devotion you have worshipped her, my worship also has been performed by you, for she is not different from me.

87-91. Hence, O ruler of men, no offence has been committed by you against me. But worship alone has been performed by you to me by worshipping her. With my wife you came to an agreement earlier. It was to honour that agreement that you bound me. Therefore, I am pleased with you, O king. Lakṣmī has been protected now. Lakṣmī is one with my form. She is the mother of the universe. She is identical with the Vedas. In the course of according protection to her, O king, you bound me. That bondage is delightful unto me, O eminent king. Let not fear be entertained by you. Really this Lakṣmī is your daughter. There is no doubt about it.

When this was spoken by Hari, Lakṣmī said to the king:

Lakṣmī said:

92-97. O king, I am also pleased with you, because I have been protected by you in your abode. It is to test your power of devotion that both of us, Viṣṇu and I have come here, O king, shamming a playful quarrel. Both of us are pleased with your yogic power and devotion, O scorcher of foes. With our favour, O king, may you have perpetual happiness. May you certainly have all the riches of the entire sphere of the world forever. May you have steady devotion unto our feet. On death, O king, may you have Sāyujya with me without further return (to Saṃsāra) forever, O king. May you not have evil-mindedness at all. Let there always be devotion to Viṣṇu. Let your mind be inclined towards Dharma forever.

After saying this to the king, Lakṣmī went to her abode on the broad chest of Viṣṇu.

Then, O eminent Brāhmaṇas, Viṣṇu spoke to the king these words:

98-106a. “O excellent king, I shall stay here by the name Setumādhava in the manner in which I have been fettered by you. This Setu has been built by me. I shall bè here for its protection from the multitudes of Bhūtas and Rākṣasas and for subduing all sorts of fears. Brahmā too lives here day and night for protecting the Setu. Śaṅkara named Rāmanātha permanently stays here on the Setu. Indra and other guardians of the worlds too stay here with great joy. Hence, I will also stay here under the name Setumādhava for the purpose of protecting the Setu and to suppressing all troubles, for the purpose of fulfilling the desires of everyone and quelling all sins. Those men who serve me here where I have been fettered by you, will attain Sāyujya with me, O king, and realize all their desires.

Those who read this narrative of mine, of Lakṣmī and of yours, will never become poor. They will get all riches. Those who read or listen to or joyously write this prayer to Lakṣmī and to me composed by you, O king will never return from my world.”

106b-108. After saying this to King Puṇyanidhi, Hari became permanently present there.

After bowing down to Viṣṇu in the form of Setumādhava and after devoutly performing the great worship of the lord, and after serving Rāmanātha, he went to his abode.

109. O Brāhmaṇas, King Puṇyanidhi stayed in that excellent holy spot Setu throughout his life. At Madhurā he installed his son as the ruler.

110. Staying there, the king on his death, attained salvation. Vindhyāvalī, his wife, died after him. The chaste lady loving her husband as much as her own vital breath, attained good goal.

Śrī Sūta said:

111-113a. Those who perpetually serve Setumādhava here with devotion, will never return from Kailāsa. Those men who do not serve Setumādhava here, cannot have success in their worship of Rāmanātha too.

113b-117. If a man takes sand from Setu and scatters it in Gaṅgā, that man shall stay in the city of Mādhava in Vaikuṇṭha.

One who is desirous of going to Gaṅgā, O Brāhmaṇas, shall perform the Saṃkalpa rite in the presence of Setumādhava. He should then go to Gaṅgā. His pilgrimage shall be fruitful. He should bring the water of Gaṅgā and bathe Rāmeśvara with that. He should deposit all his problems and burdens on the Setu. He shall certainly attain Brahman.

Thus, O Brāhmaṇas, the glory of Setumādhava has been narrated to you all. One who reads this or listens to this attains Vaikuntha [Vaikuṇṭha?].