Parva 1 Chapter 13: triśaṅkucaritaṁ - legend of trishanku

With reverence and compassion satyavrata pledged to look after the wife and family of viśvāmitra, for which he had been hunting harts, boars, buffalos, and other forest ranging animals, and used to hang up the meat on trees near at a place where viśvāmitra is undertaking ascesis for the sake of that family. upāṁśu-vratama āsthāya dīkṣāṁ dvā-daśa-vārṣikīm | pitur niyogāt avasat tasmin vana gate nṛpe || 1-13-3 satyavrata spent twelve years of his exile without others noticing his pledges according to the orders of his father. tasmin vana gate nṛpe ayodhyāṁ caiva rāṣṭraṁ ca tathaiva antaḥpuraṁ muniḥ | yājya upādhyāya saṁbandhāt vasiṣṭhaḥ paryarakṣata || 1-13-4 When the king trayyaruṇa also went to woods in search of his son, then sage vaśiṣṭha safeguarded the kingdom, ayodhya and palace-chambers of queens, as he is that kingdom's royal priest, teacher and as the wheelsman of vedic rituals for that family. satyavratastu bālyāt ca bhāvino'rthasya vā balāt | vasiṣṭhe'bhyadhikaṁ manyuṁ dhārayāmāsa vai tadā || 1-13-5 pitrā hi taṁ tadā rāṣṭrāt tyajyamānaṁ svam ātmajam | na vārayāmāsa muniḥ vasiṣṭhaḥ kāraṇena ha || 1-13-6 satyavrata always nurtured a grouse stupidly and self-conceitedly against vaśiṣṭha, because that sage being a family advisor did not dissuade his father from ordering exile. But, sage vaśiṣṭha has a reason for it. pāṇi-grahaṇa mantrāṇāṁ niṣṭhā syāt saptame pade | na ca satyavratastasya tam upāṁśum abuddhyata ||1-13-7 jānan dharmaṁ vasiṣṭhastu na māṁ trāta iti bhārata | satyavrataḥ tadā roṣaṁ vasiṣṭhe manasa akarot || 1-13-8 "Technically any bride and bridegroom will not be declared married unless the seventh joint-circumambulation around ritual fire is finished with chanting of hymns like - sakhā sapta-paḍī mama... Till such time the bride remains a damsel. Though this rule position is known to him, and though I carried off an unwed damsel, vaśiṣṭha countenanced the unnecessary fury of my father when my father declared me a wife-lifter..." this is the grouse nurtured by satyavrata against vaśiṣṭha. guṇa-buddhyā tu bhagavān vasiṣṭhaḥ kṛtavān tathā | na ca satyavratastasya tam upāṁśum abudhyata || 1-13-9 Whatever that godly vaśiṣṭha did is with certain foreseeing, but satyavrata is not cognisant of that sage's thinking. tasmin na paritoṣo yaḥ pitur āsīt mahātmanaḥ | tena dvādaśa varṣāṇi na avarṣat pākaśāsanaḥ || 1-13-10 When the father of satyavrata too is unhappy about the exile and proceeded in search of his son, then indra did not cause rains for twelve long years. tena tu idānīṁ vahatā dīkṣāṁ tāṁ durvahāṁ bhuvi | kulasya niṣkṛtiḥ tāta kṛtā sā vai bhavet iti || 1-13-11 na taṁ vasiṣṭho bhagavān pitrā tyaktaṁ nyavārayat | abhiṣekṣyāmi ahaṁ putram asye tu evaṁ matiḥ muneḥ || 1-13-12 "This satyavrata has taken up a pledge that is impossible for others, by which his and his family's expiation will result... I wish to anoint him after the completion of pledge period..." this is the thinking of sage vaśiṣṭha, and thus he did not resist the exile. sa tu dvādaśa varṣāṇi dīkṣāṁ tām udvahat balī | upāṁśu vratam āsthāya mahat satyavrato nṛpa || 1-13-13 But that might satyavrata carried on his rigid vow for twelve long years, without letting others know what he is doing. upāṁśu vratam = pareṣām avidita [vrata] niyamam - others are unaware as to what and why he is doing in his pledge. avidyamāne māṁse tu vasiṣṭhasya mahātmanaḥ | sarva kāma-dughāṁ dogdhrīṁ dadarsha sa nṛpātmajaḥ || 1-13-14 tāṁ vai krodhāt ca mohāt ca śramāt caiva kṣudha-ārditaḥ | daśa-dharmān gato rājā jaghāna janamejaya || 1-13-15 But, oh, king janamejaya, once when the hunt is unavailable, satyavrata killed the cow of vaśiṣṭha, which is a sacred cow yielding all desired objects. He did so because he is ensorcelled by ten-subversions because he is famished. Then ten subversions generally undergone by humans are: mattaḥ pramattaḥ unmattaḥ śrāntaḥ kruddho bubhukshu iti | tvaramāṇaḥ ca bhīruḥ ca lubdhaḥ kāmī ca te daśa || tat ca māṁsaṁ svayaṁ caiva viśvāmitrasya ca ātmajān | bhojayāmāsa tat śrutvā vasiṣṭho api asya chukrudhe | kruddhastu bhgavān vākyam idam āha nṛpātmajam ||1-13-16 He no only partook in that cow meat, but fed the children of viśvāmitra with it. vaśiṣṭha's rage is heightened and he cursed satyavrata in this way. vasiṣṭha uvāca - vaśiṣṭha's curse: pātayeyam ahaṁ krūra tava śaṅkum asaṁśayam | yadi te dvau imau śaṅkū na syātāṁ vaikṛtau punaḥ || 1-13-17 "You cruel fellow... two sins carried on your head are not enough or what... you committed this third sin also... now I should quash you down, undoubtedly... pituḥ ca aparitoṣeṇa guroḥ dogdhrī vadhena ca | aprokṣita upayogāt ca tri-vidhaḥ te vyatikramaḥ || 1-13-18 "You transgressed in three ways... you hurt the feelings of your father in two ways - by using an unsanctified food earmarked for manes, and by abducting an bride; now, by killing a sacred cow of your own family priest..." vaśiṣṭha cursed satyavrata in this way. devī bhāgavatam, ch 10 onwards will have more mythological narrations of this legend of satyavrata. vaiśaṁpāyana uvāca - vaiśampāyana continued: evaṁ trīṇi asya śaṅkūni tāni dṛṣṭvā mahātapāḥ | triśaṅkuḥ iti ha uvāca triśaṅkuḥ iti sa smṛtaḥ || 1-13-19 Because satyavrata committed three offences, vaśiṣṭha labelled him as tri-shanku... as such he is generally identified with the name tri-shanku... viśvāmitrastu dārāṇām āgato bharaṇe kṛte | sa tu tasmai varaṁ prādāt muniḥ prītaḥ triśṅkave || 1-13-20 chandyamāno vareṇātha varaṁ vavre nṛpātmajaḥ | sa śarīro vraje svargam iti evaṁ yācito muniḥ || 1-13-21 On returning from his asceis viśvāmitra appreciated satyavrata for maintaining his family and blessed him to seek a boon. ṣatyavrata chose to go to heaven with his own mortal body and sought the same from that sage. anāvṛṣṭi bhaye tasmin gate dvā daśa vārṣike | rājye abhiṣicya pitrye tu yājayāmāsa taṁ muniḥ || 1-13-22 When the scare of famine ended after twelve years, viśvāmitra established satyavrata on the throne of ayodhya and conducted vedic rituals for him. miṣatāṁ devatānāṁ ca vasiṣṭhasya ca kauśikaḥ | sa śarīraṁ tadā taṁ tu divam āropayat prabhuḥ || 1-13-23 To the reluctance of gods, as well as that of vaśiṣṭha, viśvāmitra strived to send satyavrata to heaven with his mortal body. Of course, unsuccessfully 0 si the finishing line, but viśvamitra created a separate heaven with heavenly bodies for this, and lodged him there. This legend of trishanku's ascent heaven can be seen in the later parts of bāla kāṇḍa of vālmīki rāmāyaṇa. tasya satyarathā nāma bhāryā kaikeya vaṁśa-jā | kumāraṁ janayāmāsa harishcandram akalmaṣam || 1-13-24 satyavrata's wife is lady satya-ratha, a descendant of kekaya lineage, and she begot the impeccable king harishcandra. sa vai rājā hariścandraḥ traiśaṅkava iti smṛtaḥ | āhartā rājasūyasya sa samrāṭ iti viśrutaḥ || 1-13-25 And, trishanku's son rājā harishcandra is a well-known entity... he successfully performed rājasūya-yāga, and acquired the title of emperor... harishcandrasya putraḥ abhūt rohito nāma vīryavān | yena idaṁ rohita-puraṁ kāritaṁ rājya-siddhaye || 1-13-26 kṛtvā rājyaṁ sa rājarṣiḥ pālayitvā tu atha prajāḥ | saṁsāra asāratāṁ jṣātvā dvijebhyaḥ tat puraṁ dadau || 1-13-27 harishcandra's son is a valiant one named rohita, or lohita, by whom the city rohita-puram is built for the purpose of his administration... having ruled the kingdom well keeping the interests of subjects in view, this rohita has become a kingly-saint left off that city to brahmaṇā-s, as he realised that the world is pithless... harito rohitasya atha chaṣchuḥ hārīta ucyate | vijayaḥ ca sudevaḥ ca chaṣchu putrau babhūvatuḥ || 1-13-28 jetā kṣatrasya sarvasya vijayaḥ tena saṁsmṛtaḥ | rohita's son is harita; from him forward the princes are; harita ® chenchu got two sons namely vijaya and sudeva, out of them prince vijaya became famous because he vanquished all kshatriya-s of his age... rurukaḥ tanayaḥ tasya rāja-dharma-artha kovidaḥ || 1-13-29 rurukasya vṛkaḥ putro vṛkāt bāhuḥ tu jajṣivān | shakai yavana kāṁbojaiḥ pāradaiḥ pahlavaiḥ saha ||1-13-30 haihayāḥ tālajaṅghāḥ ca nirasyanti sma taṁ nṛpam | na atyarthaṁ dhārmikaḥ tāta sa hi dharma-yuge'bhavat |1-13-31 vijaya's son is ruruka who is an expert in kingcraft; rururka's son is vṛka, and his son is bāhuka, who turned out as a licentious king. So, the shaka-s, yavana-s, kāṁboja-s, pārada-s, pahlava-s, haihayā-s and tālajaṅghā-s have invaded his country and drove him to forests. His misconduct in an era of righteous conduct led him to such a misfortune. sagaraḥ tu suto bāhoḥ jajṣe saha gareṇa ca | aurvasya āśramam āgamya bhārgaveṇa abhirakṣitaḥ | || 1-13-32 āgneyam astraṁ labdhvā ca bhārgavāt sagaro nṛpaḥ | jigāya pṛthivīṁ hatvā tālajaṅghān sa haihayān || 1-13-33 śakānāṁ pahlavānāṁ ca dharmaṁ nirasat achyutaḥ | kṣatriyāṇāṁ kuru-śreṣṭha pāradānāṁ sa dharma-vit || 1-13-34 bāhuka's son is sagara, i.e., sa gara, meaning that he took birth with poison in his body... but he is protected, educated and brought up by sage aurva... he also obtained a missile called āgneya-astra from that sage... and that righteous emperor sagara brought whole earth under one umbrella and deprived tālajaṅghā-s, haihayā-s, śakā-s, pahlavā-s of their institution... thus that knower of dharma, namely emperor sagara, established the the moral custom of kaśatriyas... The legend of sagara is detailed in bāla kāṇḍa of vālmīki rāmāyaṇa. --o)0(o-- iti śrī mahābhārate khileṣu harivaṁśaparvanic triśaṅkucaritaṁ nāma trayodaśo'dhyāyaḥ Thus, this is the thirteenth chapter of first canto called harivamsha-parva, in harivamśa-purāṇa, the sequel of mahābhārata, narrating the legend of trishanku. --o)0(o--