Part 12: Incarnation as Tripṛṣṭha

Now, there was in this same Bharata in the city Potana a long-armed king, named Ripupratiśatru. He had a wife, Bhadrā, and she bore a son, who had been indicated by four dreams, the Balabhadra Acala. He had also a doe-eyed daughter, Mṛgāvatī. When she was grown, beautiful, she went to pay her respects to her father. As soon as he saw her, love was born, and he set her on his lap. After considering a way to marry her, he dismissed her.

Then the king summoned the city-elders and asked: “When a jewel is produced here, whose is it? Give your judgment.” “Yours,” they replied unanimously. When he had obtained that reply three times, the king had Mṛgāvatī brought there to marry. Ashamed, they all went away; and the king obtained Mṛgāvatī by himself by means of a gāndharva-marriage.

Queen Bhadrā, filled with shame and anger, left the king and went with Acala into the Deccan. There Acala founded a new city, Māheśvarī, established his mother in it, and returned to his father. His father was called Prajāpati by all the people, because he was the husband of his own daughter. Indeed, karma is very strong.

Viśvabhūti fell from Śukra at that time and entered the womb of Mṛgāvatī, with a birth as a Viṣṇu indicated by seven dreams. At the proper time she bore a son, the first Śarṅgabhṛt (Vāsudeva), named ‘Tripṛṣṭha’ because he had three backbones. Eighty bows tall, playing with Acala, with all the arts acquired, he gradually grew to manhood.

After Viśākhanandin’s soul had passed through a birth, it was born as a lion on Mt. Tuṅga and attacked the district of Śaṅkhapura. At that time King Aśvagrīva, the Prati-viṣṇu, asked an astrologer,

“Whence will my death come?”

“Your slayer will be the man who will attack the messenger, Caṇḍavega, and who will kill with ease the lion on Mt. Tuṅga,”

Then Aśvagrīva had rice sown in Śaṅkhapura and appointed kings to guard it in turn. He heard of the two powerful sons of King Prajāpati and quickly sent Caṇḍavega to him on some business of his. Intoxicated by his master’s power, Caṇḍavega went suddenly into the private assembly of Prajāpati who was holding a concert. The king rose to greet him who was an obstacle to the singing, like an inopportune flash of lightning to the study of the scriptures. The princes questioned the ministers and they said,

“This man is the chief officer of powerful Mahārāja Aśvagrīva.”

Acala and Tripṛṣṭha instructed their own men, “Let us know when the messenger leaves.”

On the following day he (Caṇḍavega) left, dismissed by Prajāpati who had treated him with respect; and the princes were quickly notified by their men. The princes met him halfway on the road and had him beaten by soldiers; his attendants fled at once like crows. Prajāpati was terrified when he learned about it, had Caṇḍavega brought to his house, entertained him in the best way, and said to him: “Please do not tell your master about the princes’ bad behavior. Truly, the noble overlook bad behavior that results from ignorance.”

The messenger agreed to this, and departed; (but) Aśvagrīva learned fully about the attack on him from his men who had gone ahead of him. When the messenger learned that Hayagrīva knew this, he was afraid to lie and gave an accurate account of the attack on himself.

Aśvagrīva sent another man with orders to Prajāpati. He went and told him: “Guard the rice from the lion. This is our lord’s command.” Prajāpati said to his sons, “The lord has been made angry by you, since he has commanded guarding from the lion out of turn.” The princes stopped the king who had started, after saying this, and, eager to fight the lion, went to Śaṅkhapura. Questioned by Tripṛṣṭha, “How and how long have other kings kept off the lion?” the rice-guards said, “The kings kept guard by making a rampart of the four-part army, coming in turn at the time of the rains (and staying), indeed, until the gathering of the rice.”

Tripṛṣṭha said to them: “Who, pray, will stay so long? So show me the lion, that I alone may kill him.” Then they pointed out the lion who had gone into a cave in Mt. Tuṅga. Seated in a chariot, Rāma (Acala) and Śārṅgin (Tripṛṣṭha) went to the cave. The people made a loud noise at the sides of the cave and, on hearing it, the lion came out, his mouth open in a yawn.

Saying, “Our fight is not equal if I am in a chariot and he is a foot-soldier,” Tripṛṣṭha got down from the chariot with his shield and sword. He has teeth and claws as weapons; I have a shield and sword. Verily, that is not right.” With these words Hari threw away his shield and sword. The lion noticed that and, remembering former births, reflected: “The fact that he came alone to my cave is one piece of impudence; dismounting from the chariot is a second; throwing away his weapons is a third. Therefore, I shall destroy him, arrogant (durmada) like an elephant blind from ichor (mada).” With these reflections, this best of lions, his mouth wide-open, instantly took a leap, sprang up, and fell upon Tripṛṣṭha. Tripṛṣṭha seized his upper jaw with one hand and his lower jaw with the other and tore the lion asunder like an old garment. The gods rained flowers, ornaments, and garments on Hari; and the people, filled with astonishment, praised him, saying, “Well done! Well done!”

“Alas! how was I killed by this boy today!” The lion continued to struggle from anger at this reflection even though he was in two pieces. Then the soul of the Gaṇabhṛt Gautama, the charioteer of Śārṅgin who was the soul of the last Arhat, said to the quivering lion: “He is a lion among men; you, on the other hand, are a lion among beasts. Therefore, you were killed by him. Why do you foolishly feel disgraced, since you were not killed by a low person?”

Consoled by this speech like nectar, the lion died, and became a hell-inhabitant in the fourth hell.

The princes took his skin and went to their own city, after instructing the villagers: “Tell this to Vājigrīva: ‘Eat rice as you like. Be reassured now, since the lion, who was an arrow in your heart, is dead.”

With these words, the princes went to the city Potanapura. The villagers went and told Hayagrīva just what had happened. Hayagrīva was terrified and, wishing to kill them by trickery, sent a messenger with instructions to king Prajāpati. The messenger went and said to him: “Send your sons to the master, for the master intends to give a kingdom to each of them.” Prajāpati replied: “I shall go to the master. There is no need of my sons going there, sir.”

The messenger said again: “If you will not send your sons, then arm yourself for battle. Do not say that you were not warned.”

The princes were angered and attacked the messenger speaking in this way and immediately drove him out of the city. Then the messenger went and reported the attack to Hayagrīva who blazed with anger like a fire.

Hayagrīva with his army and Tripṛṣṭha and Acala, eager to fight, met on the great mountain, Rathāvarta. The soldiers of both sides fought together, clashing with each other like clouds at the end of the world. When the soldiers were exhausted, Aśvagrīva and Tripṛṣṭha forbade the armies to fight and they themselves fought in chariots. Aśvagrīva’s missiles became useless, and he hurled the cakra,^[1] which is eager to cut the enemy’s neck, at Tripṛṣṭha, which was observed by the people with cries of “Ha! Ha!” The cakra fell on Tripṛṣṭha’s breast with the hub, like a śarabha^[2] that has jumped up impetuously on a mountain-plateau. Tripṛṣṭha, best of heroes, cut Hayakaṇṭha’s neck with the cakra as easily as a lotus-stalk.

“Acala and Tripṛṣṭha, the first Halin and the first Śārṅgin,” was proclaimed by gods in the air, acccompanied by a rain of flowers. At once all the kings submitted to them; and the southern half of Bharatakṣetra was subdued by their strength. The first Pundarīkākṣa (Vāsudeva) lifted the rock Koṭiśilā with his hand and held it easily over his head like an umbrella. With the globe subdued by his power, he went to Potanapura and was consecrated by gods and kings in the rank of an ardhacakrin.

Every jewel of every kind resorted to Tripṛṣṭha even from a distance. Some sweet-voiced persons, jewels among singers, came to him. On one occasion, when they were singing during the night, Hari said to the chamberlain, “When I am resting, you must certainly send them away.” The chamberlain assented and sleep came to Śārṅgin; but the chamberlain did not send away the singers, as he was eager for their singing. While they were singing, Viṣṇu got up and said to the chamber-lain,

“Why did you not send them away?”

“Because I wanted to hear their song”, he replied.

On hearing that, Viṣṇu was angry and at daybreak had hot tin poured into the chamberlain’s ears; and he died. By that act Tripṛṣṭha acquired firm feeling-karma (vedya) and from his sovereignty he acquired other severe karma with evil consequences. Not desisting from injury, et cetera, possessing property and great enterprises, Prajāpati’s son passed eighty-four lacs of years. After death he was born as a hell-inhabitant in the seventh hell.

Footnotes and references:

[1]:

The cakra is the discus of the Cakravartin (ruler of all of Bharata) and the Vāsudeva (ruler of half of Bharata). It is invincible with rare exceptions, e.g. a member of the family. I, p. 321.

[2]:

A śarabha is a fabulous animal, the only superior of the elephant.