Story of Kauśika

A hermit. This ancient hermit lived in Kurukṣetra. His sons Svasṛpa, Krodhana, Hiṃsra, Piśuna, Kavi, Vāgduṣṭa, and Pitṛvarttī lived with hermit Garga for learning under him. Their names indicated their character. Their father died. The sons were in poverty. At this time rain ceased altogether. Garga asked his disciples to take his milch cow to the forest for grazing. Owing to hunger the brothers decided to kill and eat the cow. But the youngest said: "If you are bent on killing the cow, we had better make use of it as an offering to the Manes, and no sin will visit us."

All agreed to this and Pitṛvarttī killed the cow and began the sacrifice. Two elder brothers were employed in worshipping the gods and three were detailed to give offerings to the manes. One was asked to be the guest. Pitṛvarttī was the sacrificer. Remembering the ancestors with reverence he began the sacrifice in accordance with the rites. Thus the seven hermits ate the cow and told Garga that the cow was caught by a tiger.

In due course the seven of them died, and took rebirth as rude low-caste people in Dāśapura. Because of the sacrifice and offerings to the Manes they had the remembrance of their previous birth. So they feared god and took fast and vow at a holy bath and in the presence of a multitude cast off their lives and were born again as animals in Kālañjara hills. Because of their abstinence due to knowledge they cast off their lives by Prapatana (jumping down from the top of the mountain) and were born again as Ruddy geese, in the Mānasasaras whentheir names were Sumanas, Kusuma, Vasu, Citradarśī, Sudarśī, Jñātā and Jñānapāraga-names conforming to their character. The seven brothers became pure and sinless by their union with God the Supreme Spirit. But three of them fell out of the union because of their desire. They saw the pleasurable life led by Aṇuha the King of Pāñcāla who was immensely wealthy with many beautiful wives. At the sight of this, one of the geese—the Brahmin Pitṛvartti, who performed the sacrifice of offering to the Manes because of his love for his father—wished to become a king. Seeing the two wealthy ministers who led luxurious lives, two of the ruddy geese wanted to become ministers. Accordingly Pitṛvartti was born as Brahmadatta the son of Vaibhrāja and the other two as sons of ministers with names Puṇḍarīka and Subālaka. Brahmadatta was anointed as King of Pāñcāla in the great city of Kāmpilya. That King was mighty, loving his father well, always desirous of giving offerings to Manes and harmonious with God, having the ability to read the hearts of every living being. He married Sannati the daughter of Sudeva. This woman in her previous birth was the cow of Garga. As this cow was used as offering to the Manes she got rebirth as a religious-minded woman and became the queen of Brahmadatta, who ruled over the kingdom well for a long time.

Once the King and the queen were walking in the garden when they saw two ants which were quarrelling with each other. They were husband and wife. After a time the quarrel ended and they grew more loving than before and the she-ant pressed closely against her husband. Brahmadatta hearing their conversation stood smiling. He could understand the language of every living being because of the merits of his previous births. When the King smiled his wife asked him for the reason. He described to his wife the quarrel of the antcouple. The queen did not believe his words. She thought that the King had been making fun of her. She asked him how he learned the language of birds and beasts. But the King could not give an answer and he became thoughtful. The remaining four of the ruddy geese took rebirth as the sons of a poor Brahmin in the same city of Kāmpilya. They had the remembrance of previous births. Their names were Dhṛtimān, Sarvadarśī, Vidyācandra and Tapodhika, names befitting their character. They decided to perform severe penance to attain Supreme bliss, and were about to get away from the house when their father, the poor Brahmin cried bitterly, being helpless. They taught their father the following poem and advised him to recite the poem before the King the next morning, in order to get plenty of wealth.

"noble brahmins in kurukṣetra the seven foresters in dāśapura deer in kālañjara and in mānasa ruddy geese, the same now are men." Brahmadatta who was not able to give answer to the question of his wife, was about to go out from the palace for a walk with his wife and ministers, when the old brahmin made his appearance and recited the poem taught by his sons, to the King. When the King heard the stanza he remembered the previous births and fainted and fell down. The two ministers, Subālaka son of Bābhravya the author of the science of love and Puṇḍarīka son of Pāñcāla the author of the science of medicine and treatment, also remembered about their previous births and fell down with grief. The three of them lamented about their fall from the union with the Supreme Spirit. Brahmadatta gave that old Brahmin plenty of wealth and villages and sent him away contented. After anointing his son Viṣvaksena as King, Brahmadatta and his retinue went to Mānasasaras for penance. For a while they lived in the forest engaged in penance and then cast off their lives and entered the world of Supreme bliss. (Padma Purāṇa, Part 3, Chapter 10).