Chapter 42 - Menakā Meets Viśvāmitra

[Sanskrit text for this chapter is available]

Note: This is a strange story. Here Menakā falls in love with Viśvāmitra. He is not tempted, for which she curses him and Viśvāmitra retaliates with counter-curse of old age. Both became free from old age after taking a bath in Tīrtha near which Viśvāmitreśvara is installed (Chs. 42-44).

Sūta said:

1-3. O excellent Brāhmaṇas, there is another splendid Kuṇḍa (holy pit) pertaining to Viśvāmitra, situated there. It yields all desires.

If holy bath is taken there on the third lunar day in the month of Caitra, O excellent Brāhmaṇas, a man becomes endowed with divine form like another Kama himself.

On taking the holy bath there, a woman with ardent faith becomes pregnant. She will be a most cove table one on the earth and endowed with all conjugal felicity.

The sages said:

4. O Sūtanandana, at what time was the Tīrtha of that sage established? How is it free from all impurities? Do tell us without dropping anything.

Sūta said:

5. O excellent Brāhmaṇas, there was formerly an ordinary waterfall there falling down on the ground and endowed with greatness.

6. The divine river Gaṅgā herself is present therein. A person who takes the holy bath there is immediately rid of all sins.

7. If a person remains pure and performs a Śrāddha there with the Pitṛs in view, it becomes everlasting in benefit giving satisfaction to the Pitṛs.

8. Whatever is given as religious gift in that excellent Tīrtha, O Brāhmaṇas, will have lasting benefit of unlimited nature. Homa and Japa performed there too is similar (in benefit).

9. Once upon a time, a doe hit by the arrow of a hunter, entered the water there and died.

10. O excellent Brāhmaṇas, it was also the third lunar day in the bright half of the month of Caitra. It was a Sunday with the constellation Bharaṇī. The time was midday.

11. Due to the great power of that holy water she was transformed into an Apsarā of the Lord of the Devas. She was a lady full of charming smiles shedding lustre all round.

12. Remembering the efficacy of that Tīrtha the lady of excellent complexion used to come there regularly with great devotion and take her holy bath on the third lunar day in the bright half of the month of Caitra when the constellation happened to be Bharaṇī and the day Sunday.

13. Once, on that day, an eminent sage possessing the power of penance and well-known by the name Viśvāmitra came there in the course of his journey.

14. She too who had come there for visiting the deity, concluded the adoration and was about to return to heaven.

15-17. She happened to see the sage who was roaming about here and there. He was in the prime of his youth with handsome features as though he was another Lord of Love wielding the five arrows. He was endowed with the radiance born of the greatness of the Vratas performed by him. He was as brilliant as the sun with refulgent rays. He had burnt all his sins by means of the penance he had performed ever since the days of his childhood.

Merely at his sight, she became afflicted by the arrows of the god of Love. In the height of her delight, she came to the vicinity of the sage for the purpose of sexual dalliance.

18. On seeing the lady hitherto unseen, he hastened to her vicinity with a pleased mind. He stood in front of her as though he wanted to enquire about the way.

19. Apparently enquiring about the land, he spoke about the duties of women in particular.^[1] “O fair lady, may you acquire auspiciousness mentally, verbally and physically.

20. Let there be unswerving devotion unto Vāsudeva for ever. I hope, O daughter, you are devoted to the feet of your husband and equipped with chastity and humility and always speaking pleasant things.

21. I hope you always endear yourself to your husband making gifts to his kinsmen and circle of friends and praising them whether in front of him or behind his back.

22. O lady of excellent complexion, I hope, you always go to sleep after the husband is asleep and, I hope, you gel up even before he gets up.

23. I hope, you get up early in the morning and do the sweeping at home, O beautiful woman. All embellishments and beautifications thereof too you yourself do.

24. I suppose, you bow down to the deities and then to the elders. I hope, you give food and water to others in accordance with your capacity and then take your food.

25. I believe, O beautiful lady, that you never take cooked food after the Sun has set. I hope, you never take food before offering it to your servants and in particular to saintly people.

26. I hope, you always drink water after filtering it seven times with a thick cloth thus protecting the water-borns(?)

27. I hope, you are so kind-hearted as to preserve like your sons even lice, bugs and flies that afflict your limbs awfully (!)

28. I hope, you always hear straight from the mouths of good people, the Śivadharma (auspicious religious acts or devotional acts pertaining to god Śiva) with great devotion. O fair lady, I hope, you respectfully follow them too.

29. I believe that you do respectfully adore the scripture, the expounder and the person who reads it after listening to it.

30. I hope, you copy in beautiful handwriting the Purāṇas and the Śāstras composed by eminent people and then give away those manuscripts to good people.

31. One who listens to all the Śāstras but does not give the prescribed fees should be considered as Śāstra-thief. He never attains the fruit thereof.

32. I hope that you make due arrangements within your capacity for dances, songs, musical instruments and the like in the temple of Śiva. I hope, you make the customary oblations, offerings etc., within your means.

33. I hope, O excellent lady, that you offer shawls, blankets etc. to good people after respectfully bowing down to them.

34. O lady of wide eyes, I hope you avoid straying intonhe abodes of others unnecessarily without any work always, especially after nightfall.

35. I hope, O fair lady, you never take food while your husband is hungry. I hope, you take care to avoid disobedience to his command.

36. I hope, you never retort when the husband is angry. I hope, you speak pleasant things to dispel his anger.

37. I hope that when your husband is away from home you wear dirty clothes and become distressed, lean and pallid in face.

38. I hope that you never keep broken vessels in the backyard of the house or the remnants of food taken in by the people, though they may be of use.

39. I hope, you never wander at night even for religious vigils and discourses, in streams, isolated places, forests and sand banks.

40. O splendid lady, I hope, you never contract friendship with courtezans, nurses, a gardners’s wife and a washermen’s wife.

41. I hope, you always keep your face brightly coloured with saffron, hairs decorated with flowers and the eyes darkened by collyrium.”

Footnotes and references:

[1]:

VV 19-41 describe “Strī-dharma”, “Duties of an ideal wife”