Chapter 61 - Saubhāgyeśvara (saubhāgya-īśvara-liṅga)

[Sanskrit text for this chapter is available]

Note: King Aśvavāhana exiled his queen Madanamañjarī despite her deep love for him. In the forest she learnt from a sage that propitiation of Saubhāgyeśvara Liṅga in Mahākālavana would restore her to her previous position.

Īśvara said:

1-7a. Know Saubhāgyeśvara Liṅga as the sixty-first deity. By merely visiting it, one attains great fortune and unparalleled conjugal felicity.

In the first Prākṛta Kalpa there was a king named Aśvavāhana in the beautiful city of Prāgjyotiṣapura. He was a pious soul of increasing fame. He was intelligent. He performed many Yajñas. He was never defeated in battles. O lady of wide eyes, the name of his wife was Madanamañjarī. That lady of excellent eyebrows was daughter of the king of Kāśī. She was highly splendid in her beauty. She was excellent in her habits, clever in her duties, righteous and very skilful in domestic duties. She was well-versed in the sixty-four fine arts and pursued whatever was beneficial to her husband. That gentle lady, with a countenance resembling the full Moon, always spoke sweet words. But, O goddess, due to her previous Karmas, she was deficient in good luck as far as her conjugal felicity was concerned. She was not liked by the king. She was a perpetual eyesore unto him. Her words caused discomfort to the ears of the king. The very sight of the queen appeared to scorch the eyes of the king. By her mere touch the king appeared to suffer from an unbearable fainting fit.

7b-8. Once, O lady of excellent countenance, the king was looked at by her with great love and affection. Thereupon the king behaved as though he was scorched by a blazing fire. He said to the gatekeeper:

9. “O porter, take this wretched wife of mine and abandon her away in a dense forest. You need not doubt these words of mine.”

10-11. Thereupon he considered the king’s words not to be trifled with and so took her in a chariot and left her in the forest. Thus abandoned in the desolate forest, she lamented continuously remembering the king whom she considered a deity.

12-14. The lady, beautiful in every limb, with her mind and soul attached to him, spent the remaining part of the day and the whole of the night sighing and lamenting, “Alas! Alas!” The lady of exquisitely beautiful eyes censured herself as being deficient in luck. She never felt interested in the caves of the mountains, the beautiful forest, or in any type of sport therein or even in the intake of food. Abandoned by him (the king), O lady of excellent countenance, she censured her own youthful age:

15-20. “I am unfortunate. How have I been brought under the control of the wicked fate? How did I get that excellent king as this sort of husband? He is blessed. He is highly meritorious. In his prime of youth, he will undoubtedly delight the other ladies even though they are unchaste. The wife is a beloved only to someone. The husband is excessively liked only by some woman. It is extremely difficult to come across a married couple blessed with mutual love. This king is my beloved. I am not the beloved of the king. Only blessed people have this deep mutual love. If the king does not come into contact with me today, the unendurable fire of his love will consume me certainly. This forest which is echoing with the chirping, cooing sounds of the cuckoo and is considered beautiful, burns me today because it is bereft of my lover.”

21-23a. Thus the lady overcome by love was lamenting again and again. She saw there a sage of firm vow. He was conversant with the events of the three divisions of time. He had a girdle of sacred grass, antelope-skin, a loin-cloth and a sacred staff. He was highly fortunate and possessed great spiritual power. The eminent sage ardently desired for salvation. He had a lustre on a par with that of fire and he resembled the rising sun.

23b-24. On seeing him the queen, vexed in mind, got up suddenly, approached him with humility and bowed to him. Then she asked him as to what caused the separation from the king:

25-28. “O holy Sir, I am a most favourite daughter of the king of Kāśī. I am a sister of Śatrusena. I am a great pet of my mother and brother. O great sage, I was given in marriage to King Aśvavāhana who is on a par with the god of piety, Dharma, and equal to Prajāpati (Brahmā) too. O holy Sir, I have been in love with that king. But how is it that I am not loved by that king? By what Karma have I become a wretched woman, O sage? How will that excellent king, my husband, become amiable and favourably disposed towards me? How can I have conjugal felicity? May you kindly tell me exactly.”

29-31a. On hearing her words the sage of firm vow, understood the cause of the great ill-luck through his (spiritual) knowledge and spoke to her: “At the time of the celebration of the marriage when the king formally grasped your hand malefic Planets glanced at you. Dear daughter, your husband, the king, was glanced at by the benefic Planets. Therefore, although you love the king, you are not the beloved of the king.”

31bc. On hearing his words the queen, mentally worried and distressed, asked him in all humility after bowing down with devotion:

32-36. “O holy Sir, how and by what type of holy bath, Dana, pious observance and holy rite, can one attain the greatest conjugal felicity?” On hearing her words that sage of firm vow mentioned the greatness (of the Liṅga) whereby conjugal felicity could be attained. (He said:) “Dear daughter, in Mahākālavana, near Mataṅgeśvara Deva there is a Liṅga that bestows conjugal felicity. It bestows everything desired. Merely by seeing it you will attain conjugal felicity. Formerly this Liṅga was propitiated by Indrāṇī for the sake of Saubhāgya (conjugal felicity). She attained it to a remarkable degree. Śakra who was lost was regained. Hence at my bidding, go to the splendid Mahākālavana. There you will attain conjugal felicity. Visit it along with your lover. O auspicious lady, by visiting that Liṅga you will beget a son.”

37-40a. On being told thus, O lady of excellent countenance, by that sage, she went to Mahākālavana where that Liṅga was present. With love and ardour she visited the Liṅga that bestows Saubhāgya. Due to her perceiving that Liṅga, the king remembered his beloved. He asked Jamadagni: “O holy Sir, where has my beloved wife gone? O Brāhmaṇa, was she devoured in the forest by lions, tigers or demons? I have been cruel enough to abandon her though I was loved by her.”

40b-45. When the king said thus, Jamadagni replied: “O king, she has not been eaten up by lions, tigers or night-stalkers. Her chastity has been upheld (undisgraced). She is your devotee with the vow of fidelity unto you. With an earnest desire for Saubhāgya, O king, she has gone to Mahākālavana. The excellent Śruti avers that one’s wife should be well-protected. If the wife is protected with care, the progeny too is well-preserved. O king, one’s own self is reborn in her. Hence she should be well-protected. One separated from wife incurs loss of Dharma everyday. Slipping away from the daily round of rites brings about downfall. A wife should be favourably disposed, whatever be the habits and idiosyncrasies of the husband. O king, a wife should be maintained well even though she is unlucky and ill-behaved.”

46-51. On hearing his words thus, the king came to the beautiful Mahākālavana and then saw his beloved. After embellishing herself for the purpose of Saubhāgya, the lady of excellent eyebrows was adoring Maheśvara. After seeing his beloved he embraced her affectionately and said to her: “O lady of excellent countenance, I am extremely distressed due to the separation from you. Today my eyes have become fruitful and my life has become excellently lived since I see you. I have been rendered contented with fulfilment (of my desires) by you.” Thus seen with great delight, she looked at her husband with great pleasure and said joyously, “Be pleased,” again and again. Thereupon the king embraced the beautiful lady impetuously and said: “My beloved, I am indeed pleased; why should I say it repeatedly?” Then their union took place and an extremely righteous son was born. By the greatness of that Liṅga, he is sung about by the name “Datta”.

52. O Daughter of Himālaya, that fair lady obtained unparalleled Saubhāgya. Ever since then the deity is named Saubhāgyeśvara.

53-60. If people visit Saubhāgyeśvara Deva, O lady of wide eyes, there will not be ill-luck in their family. There will never be poverty nor separation from kinsmen, sons, friends or wives by the worship of the Liṅga. If they visit the deity named Saubhāgyeśvara, O lady of excellent countenance, they need not be afraid of unforeseen calamities or malefic Planets. By visiting Saubhāgyeśvara, O fair lady, a man becomes rich by acquiring wealth and food-grains. He gets rid of all kinds of oppressions and obstacles. He will be worthy of adoration in all the worlds and be the storehouse of Saubhāgya. By visiting Saubhāgyeśvara a king becomes an emperor; a woman shall be blessed with a son; she will never be devoid of wealth; she will never be miserable or wretched; she will never be unlucky. As a result of the visit to the Liṅga, O my beloved, all these can be averted: widowhood, sickness, premature death, misery on account of husband or sons. By visiting Saubhāgyeśvara a woman stands on a par with Lakṣmī the beloved of Hari, Sāvitrī the beloved of Brahmā, Rohiṇī the beloved of Moon and Sācī the beloved of Śakra. Thus, the sin-destroying power of Saubhāgyeśvara Deva has been recounted to you, O goddess, O my beloved. Now listen to that of Rūpeśvara.