Chapter 19 - The Story of Sāradā

[Sanskrit text for this chapter is available]

Note: This chapter describes how the observance of Umā-Maheśvara-Vrata bore fruit. The husband of Śāradā’s previous birth visited her in her dreams and she got a son even though the husband was in a distant land. As usual the motif of rebirth is used to explain incidents of the present birth.

Sūta said:

1. Thus while she was performing the great Vrata in the presence of her preceptor, with her mind fully engrossed in the observances and restraints, a year elapsed.

2. At the end of the year the girl duly performed the Udyāpana rites (valedictory and concluding rites) in her father’s abode, beginning with the feeding of Brāhmaṇas.

3-4. All the Brāhmaṇas were duly paid monetary gifts they deserved. After sending them off with due obeisance, she was congratulated by her parents. On that day she observed fast with all other observances. She recited the great Mantra imparted (to her) by the noble-souled one.

5-6. At dusk she duly worshipped Śaṅkara. The chaste lady was engaged in Japa and Arcanā in the presence of the preceptor in the apartment close to the house. She meditated on the great Lord. Then at night she sat ready for the nightlong vigil near Śiva.

7. At night the sage along with her propitiated Pārvatī by means of Japa, meditation and austerities.

8. Bhavānī was pleased with the devotion of her who had acquired purity by the observance of the Vrata as well as with the austerities and Yogic absorption of the sage. Then that sole Mother of the universe appeared before them but did not reveal her entire form.

9. When Gaurī who pervades the world appeared before them, even the blind sage regained sight of both the eyes.

10. On seeing the Mother of the worlds appearing and standing before them, the sage and the girl fell down at her feet.

11. The two revealed the purity of their heart by their devotional ardour. Tears of joy drenched all their limbs. Overwhelmed with compassion, she lifted them up and lovingly spoke to them:

The Goddess said:

12. O excellent sage, I am pleased with you. O dear girl devoid of sins, ī am pleased with you. What desire of yours shall I grant you that may not be accessible even to the Devas?

The sage said:

13-14. This girl named Śāradā is a widow; while blind, I was propitiated (by her) and hence I had promised her thus: “You will be sporting about for a long time along with your husband. Attain an excellent son.” Kindly make true what has been said by me. Obeisance to you.

The Holy Goddess said:

15. In her previous birth, this girl was the second wife of a Draviḍa Brāhmaṇa. She was well-known by the name Bhāminī.

16. She was endowed with sweet, tender beauty. She was always the beloved of her husband. She brought her husband under her control by means of her seductive charms as well as deceitful means.

17. With his heart attached to her, that Brāhmaṇa, due to infatuation for her, never approached the senior wife, though she was a chaste lady.

18. Being never approached by her husband, that lady had no son. She was always distressed with grief. After the lapse of some time, she passed away.

19. A certain Brāhmaṇa youth near her house became love-lorn on seeing the lady of beautiful limbs and caught hold of her hand.

20. With eyes turned (red like) copper on account of anger, the Brāhmaṇa was stopped by. her. He courted death remembering her alone day and night.

21. After fascinating her husband she had made him averse to the senior wife. On account of that sin she became a widow in this birth.

22. Child-widowhood in the course of twenty-one births (is the sure fate) of those women who create estrangement between husband and wife.

23. Since in her previous birth she had performed a great worship of mine, that merit had destroyed the entire sin at that time itself.

24. The Brāhmaṇa who had become fascinated by his love to her and died of unbearable grief of separation, held her hand (for a short while) in this birth and passed away.

25. Her husband in the previous birth is now born in the Pāṇḍya kingdom as an excellent Brāhmaṇa with a wife and all kinsmen.

26. Let this girl be lovingly united with that husband night after night and obtain sexual love in dream, better than in waking state.

27. That Brāhmaṇa who is stationed in a place three hundred and sixty Yojanas (1 Yojana = 12 Kms.) away from this place, shall see this girl fascinating his mind in dreams and accord her adequate sexual pleasure.

28. Due to her nightly contact with her husband in dreams, she will in due course get a son destined to be a master of the Vedas and Vedāṅgas.

29. That Brāhmaṇa too will always see in his dreams the son born out of (pure) love to her by the long contact with himself.

30. O great sage, I was propitiated by her in her previous birth. Hence I have appeared before her now to grant this boon.

Sūta said:

31. Then the great goddess spoke to the girl eagerly: “O dear girl of great fortune, listen to my final remark:

32-37. Whenever and wherever you happen to see your earlier husband, the one seen in dreams, you will be clever enough to recognize him. That Brāhmaṇa too will recognize you, the lady of good behaviour, by the features seen in the dream. Then both of you will talk over the matter. Then, O fair lady, hand over your learned son to him. Place in his hands the greatest fruit of this Vrata. Thereafter, O lady of excellent waistline, stay under his control. But let there be no physical contact between you two, apart from the dalliance in the course of dreams. In due course, when that excellent Brāhmaṇa passes away, you should enter his funeral pyre and attain my region. O lady of excellent eyebrows, your son will be the delighter of the minds of the entire public. He will have riches too. He will also attain the highest region.”

Sūta said:

38. After saying this and granting her wish, the Mother of the three worlds quickly vanished even as both of them were watching.

39. After receiving the boon from Pārvatī, the storehouse of mercy, the girl derived great pleasure. She worshipped the preceptor.

40. When the night passed off, the sage who had regained his eyes and who was conversant with Dharma, secretly informed her parents about everything.

41. After taking leave of Śāradā, the glorious girl, and of all the others, offering them all blessings, the sage went away as he pleased.

42. As days passed on, the girl did have the contact with her husband in dreams, increasing her pleasure every moment.

43. Due to the boon bestowed by Gaurī, Śāradā, the performer of spotless holy vows, conceived as a result of the dream-dalliance with her husband.

44. On hearing that Śāradā had conceived even as she continued to be a widow, all of them said, “Fie upon you!” The people proclaimed her an adulteress.^[1]

45. The kinsmen and the family friends of her dead husband got the news and hastened to her parent’s house.

46. Then all the elderly persons of the village and the learned men came there and held an assembly including the old men of the family.

47. They summoned Śāradā, the pregnant girl. (As she sat) with face bowed down, they furiously threatened and rebuked her. Some of them turned their faces away from her.

48. “O adulteress, O evil-minded one, what have you done? You have brought about dishonour and infamy to our family in your childish waywardness.”

49. After rebuking her thus, the learned old men of the village consulted together asking, “What shall we do?”

50-51. There some old men spoke to the girl mercilessly: “This girl of evil intentions has destroyed both the families. Her hairs should be closely shaved. Her ears and nose should be cut off. Let her be driven out of the family and banished from the village.”

52. After thinking thus, they were about to do so. Thereupon, an ethereal voice was heard:

53-54. “No sin has been committed by this girl, nor has this family been disgraced. She has not broken any of her vows. This woman is decent in her behaviour. Henceforth, if any one dares to call her an adulteress, he deluded by his own fault will get his tongue split and torn in a trice.”

1. VV 44-51 describe the social attitude to widow-mothers.

55. On hearing these unembodied words arising from the firmament, her mother, father and all the others became delighted.

56. Then all those elders of the villages and members of the assembly became bewildered. They sat silent for a short while, extremely frightened with heads hanging down.

57. Some among them were not credulous enough. They said that the ethereal voice was not genuine at all. Their tongues became split into two and they soon vomited worms.

58. Then the kinsmen and the relatives adored that girl. The elderly female and male relatives praised, “Excellent! Excellent!”

59. Some of the excellent ones among them shed tears of joy. The ladies of the family consoled themselves regarding her. They were happy (without any regret).

60. Then the others said, “The god does not utter any lie. But how did she conceive without swerving from the path of virtue and modesty?”

61. When some of the persons assembled there were seen doubting, an all-knowing old man well conversant with the truth about the world, said:

62. “This whole universe which is seen and heard is a product of Māyā. What is it that should happen or should not happen in this transient world?

63. An unprecedented and indescribable thing is clearly born of Māyā. The Māyā is under the control of Īśa. Who can know his activities?

64. The semen virile of the royal sage Yūpaketu fell into water. It is said that a harlot drank that water together with the semen and became pregnant.

65. After drinking the semen of Sage Vibhāṇḍaka together with water, a female deer became pregnant and gave birth to Ṛṣyaśṛṅga.

66. A female deer touched the hand of the king of Surāṣṭra, became pregnant instantly and gave birth to an ascetic.

67. Similarly, the woman Satyavatī was born of the womb of the glittering fish called Śapharī. The demon Mahiṣa was born of the womb of a buffalo.

68. Similarly there have been women who were made pregnant out of pity. For example a son was born of Rohiṇī through Vasudeva.

69. By the boons of deities or curses of great sages, even improper things become proper undoubtedly.

70. A pestle came out of the belly of Sāṃba by the curse of a sage. By the power of the Mantras of the sages Yuvanāśva became pregnant.

71. Certainly this auspicious girl became pregnant, because she had been serving the sage’s feet and had observed great Vratas of excessive efficacy.

72. In this connection, let the women secretly ask her and get at the real truth. Then the public will be free from suspicions.”

73. Accordingly the women asked her secretly and she narrated the miraculous incident that happened to her in its entirety.

74. Comprehending everything, they accepted her as a chaste lady. Joyously praising her, they went to their respective abodes.

75. At an auspicious hour Śāradā of pure heart gave birth to a son having the lustre of the rising sun.

76. The lotus-eyed boy of beautiful features acquired great learning even in childhood and became highly intelligent.

77. He was invested with the sacred thread by the preceptor at the proper time. He earned the reputation of being a Śāradeya (‘child of Śāradā’ or ‘one pertaining to Goddess Sarasvatī i.e. highly learned’). He delighted the minds of the people.

78. The intelligent boy easily learned Ṛgveda in his eighth year, all the Yajur Mantras in the ninth year, and Sāma Veda in the tenth year.

79-81. All the residents (of that village) went to Gokarṇa when the great festival of Śiva, devoutly celebrated in all the three worlds, approached. The chaste lady Śāradā too went to Gokarṇa along with her son. There she saw the husband of the previous birth coming (towards her) in the same form as was seen in the dreams. He was surrounded by his Brāhmaṇa relatives.

82. On seeing him, she became overwhelmed with love. Hairs stood on their ends all over the body. With great difficulty she could control the profuse shedding of tears. She stood there with her eyes fixed on him.

83-84. On seeing that woman recognized by beauty of form and other features, who had been enjoyed by him in dreams and who gave him much of sexual pleasure and also the boy born of his own body as seen in the dream, the Brāhmaṇa was struck with wonder and approached her.

85. “O fair lady, I wish to ask you something that is in my mind”. After saying this he took her to a secret place.

86. “O lady of beautiful thighs, tell me who you are. O lady of excellent Vratas, whose wife are you? What is your native place? Whose daughter? What is your name?” He further asked.

87. On being asked by him, the woman with eyes brimming with tears, narrated everything concerning her, including her child-widowhood.

88. Then he asked that girl, “Whose excellent son is this? How was this boy as beautiful as the moon conceived in your womb?”

Śāradā said:

89. O my lord, this is my son. He is a master of all learnings. He is called Śāradeya after my own name.

90-91. On hearing her words the excellent Brāhmaṇa laughed and said: “O beautiful lady, your life story is extremely painful. Immediately after holding your hand, your husband was dead. How is this boy born? Let his source be disclosed.”

92. On hearing these words uttered by him she became ashamed. Her face was covered with tears for a short while. Immediately she regained courage and spoke thus:

Śāradā said:

93. Enough of jocular utterances! O highly intelligent one, you know me. I too know you. In this matter, our mind is the ultimate authority.

94. After saying this and narrating the details of the boon granted by the Goddess, she gave him the boy, the partial fruit of her Vrata, who himself was in the habit of observing Vratas.

95. The delighted Brāhmaṇa accepted the boy and with the permission of his parents took her to his abode.

96. She stayed in that Brāhmaṇa’s abode for many months. When he passed away she too jumped into the funeral pyre and followed him.

97. They rode on a divine chariot in the form of a couple. They enjoyed all divine pleasures and went to Śiva’s place.

98. Thus the meritorious narrative has been recounted by me. To those who read this or hear this, it yields the benefit of worldly pleasures and salvation.

99. It increases longevity, health, riches and grain-stock. It makes women achieve auspicious conjugal bliss, progeny and happiness.

100. He who devoutly listens to or glorifies even once, this great narrative that lauds the merit of Gaurīmaheśa Vrata, that destroys mass of sins, enjoys all pleasures and then attains the eternal position.

Footnotes and references:

[1]:

VV 44-51 describe the social attitude of widow-mothers.