Chapter 51 - Greatness of Kalaśeśvara (Kalaśa-īśvara)

[Sanskrit text for this chapter is available]

Sūta said:

1-2. On hearing those solemn oaths, the tiger became surprised. Considering that it was the truth, he said to Nandinī fond of her calf: “If it is so, go home and meet your calf. Entrust it to your companions and return soon.”

Sūta said:

3. On hearing these words of the tiger, Nandinī of excellent conduct went homewards where her calf was tied.

4. The calf was surprised on seeing its mother coming back before the usual time in a frightened state of mind and lowing it said:

5. “Why have you come back before the time? Why are you upset and bewildered? Why is your face drenched and full of tears? O dear mother, speak out quickly.”

Nandinī said:

6. If you want to ask me anything, first you suck the udders. If you are fully satisfied after sucking the milk, I shall tell you everything.

Sūta said:

7. At her instance the calf sucked up as much milk as it was wont to do. Then the mother sniffed at its head. The calf thereupon said immediately.

8. “Tell all the news of the forest now. On hearing it, O dear mother, straight from you, I shall have some relief.”

Nandinī said:

9. Dear son, I went to the great forest today and as I was roaming about as I pleased, I was held up by a tiger.

10-11. When that wild animal with claws as his weapon was bent upon devouring me, I requested him on oath, “I shall come back after meeting my calf in the cowpen.”

I was allowed to come away after many solemn oaths had been taken. I shall go there again. I have met you and talked to you.

The calf said:

12. I shall go there where you are proceeding to. My death in front of my mother could be worthy of praise now.

13. If I am deserted by you I am sure to die in a short while being left alone and denied the sucking of milk.

14. Mother, if the tiger kills me too along with you, I am sure to attain the goal of those devoted to their mothers.

15. Or, O splendid mother, let those solemn oaths taken before him by you be held in abeyance for me. Do remain here in the cowherds colony.

16. To children sustained with milk there is no other kinsman on a par with the mother. There is no other leader and guide on a par with mother; there is no other place of resort equal to mother.

17. There is no other person worthy of adoration on a par with mother. There is no other friend equal to and on a par with mother.

18. With this consideration always excellent persons should evince ardent devotion to mothers. Those sons who follow this highest righteous rule ordained by Prajāpati, attain the greatest goal.

19. Hence I shall go there. Do stay here in the cowherds’ colony. Undoubtedly I shall save your life by means of mine.

Nandinī said:

20. On this day it is my death that has been enjoined, not yours, son. Hence, how will you save my life through yours?

21. Dear son, this is the ultimate and excellent message conveyed to you which you will assiduously carry out in pursuance of my direction.

22. While roaming about in the forest, dear son, do not commit any mistake. Both here and in the other world, ruin is bound to occur through greediness.

23. Persons deluded by greed enter ocean, great forest and battlefield. Here there is nothing which men do not undertake due to greed.

24. A person is doomed due to three things: covetousness, inadvertence and trust. Hence one should not covet, be inadvertent or trust blindly.

25. When you roam about in a deep forest with all efforts, dear son, your own self should be guarded by you always from the beasts of prey.

26. You should not stray away from the herd anywhere, dear son. Should the grass, fodder etc., be in a risky place, you must not go there alone.

27-28. Thus that Nandinī addressed her calf and licked it repeatedly. She was overwhelmed with great grief and her eyes were dimmed with tears. Then, O excellent Brāhmaṇas, in that very state of excitement and afflicted utterly by the grief for her son, she went to meet with all her companions.

29. She went to the great forest, O excellent Brāhmaṇas, where all of them were joyously grazing the grasses they liked and said to them:

30-32. (She addressed the companions individually:) “O Bahulā, O Caṃpakā, O Dāmā, O Vasudhārā, O Ghaṭasravā, O Haṃsanāḍī, O Priyānandā, O Śubhakṣīrā, O Mahodayā and other cows present here belonging to your cowherds colony, listen to my words. Thereafter do accordingly.

Today I was roaming about not very far from our herd. Then I entered the thick jungle devoid of men. Roaming there for the love of the green grass I was waylaid by a tiger.

33. By means of solemn oaths (for a sure-return to the tiger) after seeing you all and talking to my calf I was able to make that claw-weaponed one relent with very great difficulty, and I have now come back.

34. I have met and talked to my son. He has been suitably advised and admonished. Now this dear son is being entrusted to the care of all of you.

35. O fair ones, it may be that I had committed some misdemeanour against you knowingly or otherwise. May that be forgiven with favour

36. My weak and distressed child, still feeding on milk, will now be helpless and all the more grief-stricken due to separation from its mother. All of you should rear him up.

37. Should he stray into other herds or roam about in uneven places or be engaged in misdeed of any sort, all of you will always dissuade him with care.

38. I am going to that place where the tiger is presenṭ This is my final adieu to all of you.”

The cows said:

39. O Nandinī, you should not go there at any cost. You are not aware of Āpaddharma (misdeed condoned during distress). Hence you are keen to go there.

40. Utterance of falsehood on these occasion is not sinful: when death is imminent, when there is the likelihood of loss of all wealth, when indulging in a joke, when talking about castes among women, at the time of fixing up of marriages.

41. Hence, O fair one, you should not go there. In this you are not blameworthy. Bring up your calf. Come along with us to our adobe.

Nandinī said:

42. O splendid ones, such a course is proper to be undertaken for the sake of saving the life of others. But in the case of good people it is not commended when the aim is saving one’s own life or furthering one’s own welfare.

43. The universe is well-established on truth. Piety is well-established on truth; the ocean does not transgress the limit on account of the truthful statement.

44. Bali handed over the earth to Viṣṇu and took refuge in nether worlds. The king of Daityas did not back out after making his promise.

45. If anyone promises anything but does not carry it out as promised, he becomes a thief of irresolute character. Has he not then committed a great sin?

The companions said:

46. O Nandinī, you are worthy of being bowed down to by all the Suras and Asuras for you have decided to give up your life for the preservation of truth. Life is not ordinarily given up easily.

47. What else shall we say, O auspicious one, to you already engaged in expounding pious themes, equipped with all the good qualities and always abiding by truth?

48. O highly esteemed one, do proceed ahead. Do not be worried for your child. What we have been told by you we shall cany out.

49. This we know fully well that a task undertaken by truthful men never goes to waste.

Sūta said:

50-51. After addressing all the companions thus Nandinī started towards the tiger. She continued to be afflicted with the grief for her son. Giving up the hope of seeing her son again she was extremely distressed by the fire of grief. She was like a ruddy goose separated from her beloved. She was like a creeper fallen from a tree.

52-53. Like a blind one devoid of sight, she faltered at every step. For the sake of her child she prayed to all the sylvan deities:

“May all the sylvan deities guard my infant calf whether he is asleep or in the act of roaming. May they do so at my instance.”

54-55. Lamenting thus mentally, she reached the place where the terrible tiger with sharp fangs (curved teeth) was waiting for her. He was roaring like thunder with the throat parched due to hunger. He was displaying his fury and arrogance, licking the corners of the mouth.

Nandinī said:

56. O great tiger, here I am. Abiding by my true and solemn oath I have came back. Now you can gratify yourself with my flesh.

57. Though he was wicked-minded he experienced a state of highest detachment on seeing her because she had come back without any fear for her life, only because she was clinging eagerly to the truth.

The tiger said:

58. Welcome to you, O excellent cow of auspicious features and truthful speech. Nothing is inauspicious in the case of truthful ones.

59. O fair one, pledging solemn oaths you said, “I will come again.” That provoked my curiosity as to what will this (cow) do?

60. Ruthlessly killing living beings, I have been very wicked in conduct. On account of this perpetual activity, I am bound to fall into terrible Naraka.

61. O highly esteemed one, it behoves you to do me the favour of imparting instructions to me though I am a sinner and utterly evil-minded.

62. Thereby I will have the greatest weal in this world as well as in the other one. I believe that there is nothing not known to you, thanks to the truthful conduct.

63. Hence you describe to me succinctly the essence of piety and virtue. Thereby I will reap the fruit of association with the good entirely.

Nandinī said:

64-65. They commend austerities in Kṛta Yuga and meditation in Tretā Yuga. In Dvāpara Yuga Yajña and Yoga are praise-worthy, but in Kali Yuga it is Dāna alone. One who gives freedom from fear to all living beings both mobile and immobile, becomes himself free from all fears and attains the greatest Brahman. Of all the types of Dāna there is nothing greater than this.

The tiger said:

66-67. O auspicious one, in the case of other living beings who sustain themselves through food (i.e. vegetation) without injuring anyone that type of Dāna may be relevant. On the other hand it is impossible for us to sustain ourselves without violence. Hence, O highly esteemed one, tell me something conducive to my happiness, an instruction in excellent piety though I am one who injures other living beings.

Nandinī said

68. Here there is a great Liṅga installed by Bāṇa in this forest. Certainly it is the power of that Liṅga whereby I have been liberated by you.

69. Do get up early in the morning, circumambulate it everyday and then bow down to it. Thereby you will attain the desired fulfilment.

70. O claw-weaponed one, this is my opinion that you do not have the ability to perform other rites such as adoration etc. in view of the fact that you do not have hands.

71. O excellent Brāhmaṇas, after saying thus that cow stood before the tiger at the outskirts of the forest and showed that Liṅga.

72. Thanks to its sight, he instantly got rid of his tiger-hood. He became a king as before.

73. The excellent king remembered the curse uttered by Durvāsas and his own kingdom along with his sons. Then he said to Nandinī:

74. “I am a king named Kalaśa, born of the Haihaya race. I was cursed by Durvāsas earlier for certain reasons.”

75-76. When he was pacified he had said, “When Nandinī shows you that Liṅga you will become liberated.” It is now known that you are certainly that Nandinī because my curse has come to an end. So, tell me, O excellent cow, what is this part of the land.

77. Thereby I can quickly go back to my abode, O highly esteemed one, after meeting some human being and finding out my way.

Nandinī said:

78. O king, this is the holy spot of Camatkārapura. It is destructive of sins. All the Tīrthas are present in it and it yields all desired benefits.

79-80. I had thought thus, ‘There is no doubt about this that within a day one perfectly achieves that weal which ascetics get elsewhere in the course of a year.’ After thinking thus, I went away from my herd always with my mind purified by devotion and bathed the Liṅga with my milk.

The king said:

81. O Nandinī, god bless you! Do go back to your calf, the herd, your companions and other friends.

82-83. I had heard about this holy spot from the report (speech) of some Brāhmaṇas earlier. I had wished to enquire about but I could not visit it, O Nandinī, because I was engaged in kingly duties or rather I was over-indulging in worldly pleasures. Since it has been achieved by myself I would rather not lose it.

84. It was a blessing to me that the lofty-minded sage cursed me, O splendid one. How could I have attained this holy spot otherwise?

Sūta said:

85. After saying thus and bidding goodbye to that Nandinī, the king stayed there itself meditating upon that Liṅga day and night.

86. He built a wonderful mansion (shrine) as lofty as the peak of Kailāsa and performed penance before it.

87. Then, O Brāhmaṇas, by its power within a few days he obtained the greatest fulfilment inaccessible even to those who regularly perform Yajñas.

88. One who lights and offers a lamp there in the month of Kārttika will be rid of all sins and honoured in the world of Śiva.

89. A man who makes arrangement for songs, dances etc. before it devoutly in the month of Mārgaśīrṣa attains the greatest goal.

90. Thus, O excellent Brāhmaṇas, the greatness of Kalaśeśvara, destructive of all sins, has been fully narrated in detail to you all.

91. One who is endowed with great faith and reads this devoutly becomes liberated from sins and is honoured in the world of Śiva.