Legend of Ksupa

Legend of Ksupa [ksupakhyanam] / By Sri Paranjape Vinayak Sharma, M. A.; Sanskrit Mahavidyalaya, Tilak Maharashtra Vidyapith, Poona-2. . 284-289

[The Puranas are closely connected with the religious sects like Saiva, Vaisnava and Sakta, hence a particular Purana mainly aims at glorifying the God concerned, by elevating him to the highest position and showing him to be superior to all others; and in order to achieve this they naturally include a good number of legends or myths, besides their main topics as pronounced in the definition of 'Purana'. The writer here, for example, mentious the legend of Ksupa and Dadhica, as we now get it in the Siva Linga Puranas, and takes great pains to make an historicocritical appraisal of it. He also makes out that the story was developed through many stages and that in its course of development it got considerably changed and reconstructed in accordance with the avowed position of the Puranic tradition. The author of these Puranas has primarily intended to serve twofold purpose through such a story, to establish the great superiority of the God Siva and the consequent greatness of his devotee who had been blessed by Him with the three boons, and also at the same time as he cherished the desire, to prove that the Brahmana caste was ever superior to the Ksatrya caste. The legend is here actually reproduced with a view to explore the possibility of the conditions and motives that led the author of the puranas to modify or reconstruct it. There are, however, some connecting links between the different stories to be met with in the Rgveda and the Mahabharata on the one side and the Puranic form of the legend on the other. The author of the legend, according to the present writer, has expressly incorporated into it almost all significent elements as referred to here in a syncretic way. From this it becomes clear that the Puranas

July, 1967] ksupakhyanam 285 present the best amalgamation of Vedic and Tantrik elements in a synthetic manner that also constitutes one of the most important charactaristics of the Puranas.] puranam tavat pancalaksanam bhavati iti nanantyeva sarve | tani ca pancalaksanani nirupitani santi tesu tesu puranesu yathah sargasca pratisargasca vamso manvantarani ca | vamsanucaritam caiva puranam pancalaksanam || yasya kasyapi puranasya pancalaksanavyaptah amsah prayah puranasya samagrasya pancamamsato'pi nyunah bhavati | urvarite puranasya vibhage prayah sarvesi visayah samavesitah bhavanti | tatra vartante smrtayah, vidyante acaradharmah bhavanti samskaravarnanani santi tirthamahatmyani upalabhyante akhyanani, kirtyante kathasca | 5 astadasa mahapuranani santi iti paricitam eva samesam | tani ca mahapuranani tredha vibhajyante | tatra kanicana rajasani brahmadevatamahatmya varnanaparani, aparani ca satvikani visnudevatastutiparani, anyani ca vartante tamasani sivam devata srestham upavarnayantica | yasmin purane sivah pradhana-devata tatra prayah kathah samgrhyante, viracyante, pranoyante nibadhyante ca sivasya mahatmyam prasthapayitum | tatra varnitah bhavanti satasah tasya tasya devatayah avataravisesah tesam tesam bhaktanam samkatanivaranaya | kadacit vaidikah kadacit tantrikah kadacinnu sammisro'pi pujavidhih puranesu upavarnito bhavati | tatra prasamgavasat upadisyante naikani vratani prayah kamyani kvacittu niskamanyapi | bahudha tatra tatra nibadhyante stotrani tatrapi ca sahasranamadinamapi samgrahah krto drsyate | evam ca mahan vistarah sampadyate puranakaraih sutadibhih tesam tesam puranam | asmin prabandhe tu sivadevatamahatmya varnanaparayoh sivalingapuranayoh upalabhyamanam ksupakhyanam yadva ksupadadhicopakhyanam vimarsanaya svikriyate | tatra prathamam tavat puranadvaye yam katham upalabhamahe tameva samksepena upasthapayamah |

286 puranam -- PURANA [Vo IX., No. 2 bhrgugotrotpannah dadhico nama asit kascit vipravarah | brahmasunuh prana- hitadaksah ksatriyavarah nrpah babhuva ksuso nama | tayosca mahan snehah parasparam vrddhim jagama | drdhasauhardavaddhayoh ksupadadhicayoh sabhayam vividhan visayan adhikrtya samvadah kadacit vivado'pi pravartate sma | kadacita visayah prasamgikah pravartata varnesu viprah sresthah uta ksatriyah iti | dadhicena viprasya sresthatvam upa- varnitam | ksupena yuktaya nrpasya astalokamsa sambhavadi pratipadya ksatriyasya sresthatvam prasthapitam | dadhicastu yuktimupasthapayitumaprabhuh krodhena mustaya ksupamurdhni praharam akarot | kruddhasca ksupah asahamanah viprakrtam avamanam vajrayudhenaiva dadhicam dvidha ciccheda | evam chinnadehah dadhicah kulapurusam bhargavam sasmara | sapadyeva sukrah pradurbhutah mrtasanjivanena mantrena khandadvayam samghaya ujjjivayamasa dadhicam | upadidesa ca mahamrtyumjayam mantram bhargavam dadhicam | upadesanusaram mrtyumjayanusthanam vidhaya prasaditat sivat varatrayam lebhe dadhicah | vajrasthitvam, avadhyatvam, adinatvamceti trayah varah samadhigatastena sivat | labdhavarasca dadhicah ksusamabhigamya kadacit padena murdhni tadayamasa | yathapurvam ksupah vajrena tadurasi jaghana | paramtu sampratam vajrasthitvat sarirasya vajrameva kunthitam babhuva | jnatadadhicabalah ksusah tapasa visnum prasadayamasa | prasannamca visnum dadhica- parabhavakarmani sahayyamayacata | bhagavanapi paricitasamarthyah sivasya tadbhakta- syapica ksusam nisphaladudyamat paravartayitum mahantam yatnamatisthat | avamanaksubdha- hrdayah ksupah dadhicaparabhava nirbandhena yayace | bhaktaghino bhagavan bhaktasamadhanartha- meva kevalam nisphalam yatnamareme | krtabrahmanavesah dadhicam rsimupagamya bhiksam yayace | jnatavisnukautilyasca dadhicah tvatto'pi rudrabhaktasya bhayam nasti kutah anyasmat ksupadeh | krpaya kautilyam parityajya pratinivartasvetyaha | bhagavan santvam prayujya dadhicam upastutya madanugrahayapi va bhavatu sakrt 'nrpat bibhemi ' 'nrpah eva sresthah viprat ' iti nivedayitum prarthayata | paramtu dadhicah tannanumene | kruddhah visnuh sayudhah sadevah dadhicam abhijagama | tumulam yuddham asit | visnoscakamapi kunthitam asit | kusamusthaya trisikham ayudham nirmaya sarvesam devanam parabhavam sampadayamasa | antatasca sadevah visnuh rudrabhaktam saranam

July, 1967] ksupakhyanam 287 nagama | dadhicasca sadevam visnum daksayajne virabhadrat tava vinaso bhaviteti sasapa | ksupastu parabhutah dadhicasya ksamam prarthayitva prasadam pratinyavartata | dadhicosi svam asramam pratyajagama | kathayamasyam dvau purusau adhikrtya katha pravartate tau tu prathitau varttate pracine vanmaye vede bharatadau ca | tatra dadhyanatharvanastu rgvede, sayyamatra- brahmane, vajasaneyibrahmane, satapathabrahmane ca asti ullikhitah | dadhicah rsih mahabharatadau api bahudha ullikhitah asti | aparam ksusam nrpavaram yadyapi vaidike vanmaye nopalabhamahe athapi mahabharate pancasu sthalesu tadiyamullekham samadhi- gacchamah | na kevalam tayoh namna paricayah pracine kale asit | kimtu atra ye nama tesam gunah santi upavarnitah te'pi asan drdhaparicitah iti prastha- payitum saknumo vayam | tatra daghicah yan varan prasannat sivadadhigacchati tatra ullikhyamanam vajrasthitvam rnvede evam samullikhitam asti | (r. 1.116 . 12 ; 1.83 .13 ). sayanasca mantrayoranayoh artham visadikartum satyayanadi brahmanagatam katham ullikhati | ksupasya yah visesah brahmanah putratvarusah tatrapi ca tasya brahmanah ksupat utpattih itidam dvayamapi mahabharate santiparvani 122 tame adhyaye 15-18 slokesu varnitam bhavati | ksupasya vajrayudham yat prakrtakathayam ullikhitam tattu manye kathakarena mahabharate santiparvani 160 tame adhyaye 71 sloke ca 'asi dharmasya goptaram dadau satkrtya visnave ' ityadina .. 'manuh prajanam raksartham ksusaya pradadavasim ' ityantena varnitah dharmadandaeva vajrarupena parinamitah syat ; itah param asyam kathayam ye amsah santi varnitah tesam vastutah prasiddhayoh ksupadadhicayoh pracine caritrenaiva bhavati upalabdhih | te tu sutadibhih anyatra prasiddha eva prakrtakathayam nivesita iti vaktum susakam | tatra prathamam dadhicena yah mustipraharah krtah yasavaradhigamanantaram padatalena murdhni praharah krtah sa kila amsah samgrhitah syat venopakhyanat bharatadau sarvatra vikhyatat |

288 puranam -- PURANA [Vol. IX, No. 2 bhargavena samagatya khandadvayam samdhaya punarujjivanam krtam dadhicasya iti yah amsah tasya mulamtum mahabharate sabhaparvani varnitam jarasamdhopakhyanameva iti vaktum susakam | dadhicasya ujjivitasya mrtyumjaya mantropadesah tasya mantrasya yat arthadivivaranam sa sarvosi bhagah asti svikrtah mantrasastradeh | mrtyumjaya- mantranusthanena vajrasthitvam varam praptavaniti amsah vedavanmayadeva svikrtah iti tu purvam pratipaditameva | avadhyatvam 'amaratvam ' tu tasya mantrasya visistam phalameva satasah akhyanesu upavarnitam bhavatyeva | prayah sarve asurah amartyatvam adhigantum prayatanta iti suparicitameva samesam vidusam | trtiyasyatu adinatvasya pracine vanmaye sumullekhah tena sabdena nasti | kadacit bhagavatadau krsnasya krpavasena sudamnah yadaisvaryam asit tadanusaram dadhicasya brahmarseh putrah kadacidapi upajivikayai ksupadinam yacana kartavya ma bhavatu iti buddhayaiva tat varnitam syat iti bhati | visnuh vipravesena dadhicam yacitumagacchati ityayamamsastu prayah maha- bharatiyam indrena viprarupena kavacakundalayoh yacanaprasangam asrityaiva pravrttah syaditi vaktum sakyam | tatraivaca 'dadhicena svasarire nikhilam jagat sthitam vartate ' iti yah kathamsah prayuktah yasya tu bijam arjunasya bhagavata pradarsitam visvarupadarsanameva iti vaktum sakyam | dadhicasya parabhavaya visnuh svasarirat laksasah ganan utpadayamasa ityadi yad varnanam tat tu daksayajnavidhvamsaprasamgena virabhadravataram sambhasurakhyanam va smarayati iti spastameva | antavasca dadhicena darbhamustaya nirmitasya trisikhasya kalpana bharatiyayuddhe narayanastraprayogah yada krtah asvatthamna tada kevalam saranagatimeva samasrayamasuh sarve yoddharah ityadih kathavastuna eva svikrtayat | etavata asyam kathayam prayuktayoh kathapurusayoh mulam tathaivaca tatsambaddha tayosavarnitanam vividhanamamsanam mulam kidrsam bhavitumarhati iti visayah pradarsitah | evam sutaih vividhabhyah kathabhyah vividhah visayah samgrhitah ini suniscitameva | bahvibhyah kathabhyah svikrtaih visayaih ekamakhyanam tairuparacitam | tasya ca

July, 1967] ksupakhyanam 289 akhyanasya viracanayam kim prayojanam tesamuddistam syat ityetavanamsah itah param prastuyate | puranadvayamapi asyah kathayah samgrahakam bhavati tamasam sivadevata- bhahatmyakhyapakam | dadhicasya brahmarseh sivabhaktih purvam anullikhitapi atra nirdista | tasya paramasivabhaktatvam samsadhya tadrsasivabhaktadvara mahavisnoh api parabhavah bhavati iti upavarnitamasti | tena ca sivasya mahatmyam prakarsena aviskrtam bhavati | visnubhaktah sivabhaktasya puratah ksudratama eva tulanam sarvatha narhati iti tu ksupasya parabhavenaiva samsadhitam | saksat visnurapi sivabhaktena yoddhum aprabhuh sivabhaktam saranam yacate, iti sivasya mahatmyam sthapayatyeva | tatra ekenaiva upalena yatha phaladvayapatah nipunena kriyate tadvat sivamahatmyam sthapayanneva sutah tayoh yathakramam dvijatvam ksatriyatvam ca upanibadhnan anayasena anadiparamparapraptam brahmanaksatriyayoh samgharsa ullikhya brahmanasya sresthatvam atmano'bhimatam samsadhayati | evam ca puranesu ullikhitah samgrhitasca kathah prayah kamcana visistam uddesyam sadhayitumeva pranitah bhavanti | tasu ca kathasu anyatra prathitah visayah eva sutadibhih upayujyante ityapi suspastam pratiyate | 10