Parva 1 Chapter 17: pitṛkalpaḥ (1) - beatification of manes

Then I approached sage mārkanḍeya according to my father's instruction repeating the same questions I asked my father... and he said, "oh, bhīṣma... you may listen while I explain everything... ahaṁ pitṛ-prasādāt vai dīrgha-āyuṣṭvam avāptavān | pitṛ-bhaktyā eva labdhaṁ ca prāk-loke paramaṁ yaśaḥ || 1-17-3 By the grace of my father I acquired longevity, and owing to my devoutness to my father I also acquired high renown in this mortal world... saḥ ahaṁ yugasya paryante bahu varṣa sahasrike | adhiruhya giriṁ meruṁ tapo'tapyaṁ sudushcharam || 1-17-4 Such as I am I undertook very difficult ascesis on Mt. meru for some thousands of years a the close of yuga, era... tataḥ kadācit paśyāmi divaṁ prajvālya tejasā | | vimānaṁ mahat āyāntam uttareṇa gireḥ tadā || 1-17-5 At certain certain time during that period I saw an aircraft coming from north brightening the sky with its resplendence... tasmin vimāne paryaṅke jvalita āditya sannibham | apaśyaṁ tatra ca eva ahaṁ śayānaṁ dīpta-tejasam || 1-17-6 aṅguṣṭha-mātraṁ puruṣam agnau agnim iva āhitam | In that glowing aircraft I saw a thumb sized dwarfish being resplendent like sungod... thus he appeared like a glowing fire inlaid in another glowing fire... saḥ ahaṁ tasmai namaskṛtya praṇamya śirasā vibhum || 1-17-7 sanniviṣṭaṁ vimānasthaṁ pādyā arghābhyām apūjayam | apṛccaṁ caiva durdharṣaṁ vidyāma tvām kathaṁ vibho || 1-17-8 tapo vīryāt samutpannaṁ nārāyaṇa-guṇa-ātmakam | daivataṁ hi asi devānam iti me vartate matiḥ || 1-17-9 Then, on revering that emplaned being with folded-palms and bowing down and offering holy water, I asked, "you appear to be undeniable, aggregate of ascesis and prowess, possessing a triumphant air of nārāyaṇa about you... to me you look like god of gods... but, how do I signify you... sa mām uvāca dharmātmā smayamāna iva anagha | na te tapaḥ sucaritaṁ yena māṁ na avabuddhyase || 1-17-10 kṣaṇena eva pramāṇaṁ saḥ bibhrat anya anuttamam | rūpeṇa na mayā kashchit dṛṣṭa-pūrvaḥ pumān kvachit || 1-17-11 Then that highsouled-being spoke to me smilingly, "unconsummated is your ascesis wherefore you are unable to recognise me..." and then in a trice he transfigured into a most astonishing form... I have never seen such a personality in any man till then... sanatkumāra uvāca- sanatkumāra said: viddhi māṁ brahmaṇaḥ putraṁ mānasaṁ pūrvajaṁ vibhoḥ | tapo vīrya samutpannaṁ nārāyaṇa guṇa-ātmakam || 1-17-12 sanatkumāra iti yaḥ shruto deveṣu vai purā | saḥ asmi bhārgava bhadraṁ te kaṁ kāmaṁ karavāṇi te || 1-17-13 "Know me as the eldest brainchild of brahma... you are right in saying that I am an 'aggregate of ascesis and prowess, possessing an air of nārāyaṇa about me' etc... I am that sanatkumāra... you might have heard about me from the legendarily accounts of gods... blest you be... what can I do for you... ye tu anye brahmaṇaḥ putrāḥ yavīyān astu te mama | bhrātaraḥ sapta durdharṣāḥ teṣāṁ vaṁśāḥ pratiṣṭhitāḥ || 1-17-14 kratuḥ vasiṣṭhaḥ pulahaḥ pulastyaḥ atriḥ tathā aṅgirāḥ | marīchiḥ tu tathā dhīmān deva gandharva sevitāḥ | trīṇi lokān dhārayanti imān deva gandharva pūjitāḥ || 1-17-15 The other brainchildren of brahma younger to me are: kratu, vasiṣṭha, pulaha, pulastya, atri, aṅgira, and mariachi. The lineages of these insuperable brainchildren of brahma are well established, and they who are reverential equally to gods and gandharva-s will hold the three worlds together, after receiving worship from those gods and gandharvas... vayaṁ tu yati dharmāṇaḥ saṁyojya ātmānam ātmani | prajā dharmaṁ ca kāmaṁ ca vyapahāya mahāmune || 1-17-16 Amalgamating our souls in supreme soul, we the brainchildren of brahma discarded libidinal activity thus remained non-procreative... yatha utpannaḥ tathaiva ahaṁ kumāra iti viddhi mām | tasmāt sanatkumāra iti nāma etat me pratiṣṭhitam || 1-17-17 I still retain the aura of a neonate with which I took birth; hence I am called kumara... a boy; sanat - always; kumara - a boy; a perpetual neonate; because neonates are doubtlessly away from lust, greed, conceit etc., so am I... so my name too came to pass as sanat-kumara... mat bhaktyā te tapaḥ cīrṇaṁ mama darshana kāṅkṣayā | eṣa dṛṣṭaḥ asmi bhavatā kaṁ kāmaṁ karavāṇi te || 1-17-18 | You are undertaking ascesis just to jhave a glimpse at me... here I present myeslf to you... now, tell me what I can do for you..." Thus sanatkumara said toi sage mārkanḍeya. iti uktavantaṁ tam ahaṁ pratyavocaṁ sanātanam | anujṣāto bhagavatā prīyamāṇena bhārata || 1-17-19 tataḥ aham enam arthaṁ vai tamapṛccaṁ sanātanam | pṛṣṭaḥ pitṝṇāṁ sargaṁ ca phalaṁ śrāddhasya ca anagha || 1-17-20 When that sempiternal god sanatkumara spoke to me in this way, then I asked that acquiescent god, of course, taking his permission to receive questions, about the genesis of manes, results of their beatification etc... ciccheda saṁśayaṁ bhīṣma sa tu deva īśvaro mama | sa mām uvāca dharmātmā kathānte bahu vārṣike | rame tvayā ahaṁ viprarṣe śṛṇu sarvaṁ yathātatham || 1-17-21 Dispelling all my doubts, oh, bhīṣma... he told me at the end of his long-time narration, "oh, brahma-sage mārkanḍeya, I am pleased with you... you may now listen to all in detail... devān asṛjata brahmā māṁ yakṣyanti iti bhārgava | tam utsṛjya tathā ātmānam ayajan te phala-arthinaḥ || 1-17-22 | te śaptā brahmaṇā mūḍhā naṣṭa-samjṣā divaukasaḥ | na sma kiṣchit vijānanti tato loko api amuhyata || 1-17-23 Originally brahma created gods saying to them, "you needs must adore me..." But, those gods left him off and started adoring themselves, as the beneficiaries of fruits of actions done by humans and other living beings... then brahma had to curse them saying, "you fools you shall now become scatterbrained loosing the faculty of retention..." Then they not only became blockheaded but also checked out of heaven because they are unable to recollect what heaven meant to them... Adore me - you adore nārāyaṇa through me is the import. te bhūyaḥ praṇatāḥ śaptāḥ prāyācanta pitāmaham | anugrahāya lokānāṁ tataḥ tān abravīt idam || 1-17-24 prāyaśchittaṁ charadhvaṁ vai vyabhicāro hi vaḥ kṛtaḥ | putrāṁ ca paripṝcchadhvaṁ tato jṣānam avāpsyatha || 1-17-25 Later the gods reverently pleaded for the mercy of brahma, and brahma benevolently accorded it saying, "you gods, you will have to atone yourselves for your deviating behaviour... now go and seek your own sons, from whom you will receive proper enlightenment... prāyaśchitta kriya-arthaṁ te putrān papracchuḥ ārtavat | tebhyaḥ te prayata-ātmānaḥ śaśaṁsuḥ tanayāḥ tadā || 1-17-26 prāyaśchittāni dharmajṣā vāk manaḥ karma-jāni vai | śaṁsanti kuśalā nityaṁ cakṣurbhyām api nityaśaḥ || 1-17-27 prāyaśchitta-artha-tattvajṣā labdha-saṁjṣā divaukasaḥ | gamyantāṁ putrakāḥ ca iti putraiḥ uktāḥ ca te tadā || 1-17-28 Like distracted beings then the gods approached their own sons seeking information as to how to make amends. Their sons enlightened them about the propitiatory acts of atonement for the wrongdoings, done at three levels viz. mentally, vocally or physically, that mainly concerns about the filial duteousness... at the end, the sons of gods said to their fathers, "you have learned enough, my dear sons, now you may return to brahma, the only knower of the subtext of atonement..." abhiśaptāḥ tu te devāḥ putra vākyena ninditāḥ | pitāmaham upāgacchan saṁśaya cchedanāya vai || 1-17-29 Those gods are already carrying a curse of brahma on their head... now they felt ridiculed when their sons expressed a 'reverse filiation'... then the gods again approached brahma seeking clarification on this... tataḥ tān abravīt devaḥ yūyaṁ vai brahma-vādinaḥ | tasmāt yat uktaṁ yuṣmākaṁ tat tathā na tat anyathā || 1-17-30 yūyaṁ śarīra kartāḥ teṣāṁ devā bhaviṣyatha | te tu jṣāna pradātāraḥ pitaro vaḥ na saṁśayaḥ || 1-17-31 Then brahma said to them, "you are the adherents of brahma-concept, i.e., the syndrome of cause-precedes-effect... isn't it... so, your sons have said to you to honour 'your' cause first, then the 'effects' of yours will honour you... maybe you are the architects of the physiques of your sons, but they are the fathers of your intellect which you have lost in your sophomoric impertinence... thus whatever they have said is nothing but truth... as such, there can be no doubt in their addressing you as 'oh, sons...' anyonyaṁ pitaro yūyaṁ te chaiveti na saṁśayaḥ | devāḥ ca pitaraḥ caiva tat budhyadhvaṁ divaukasaḥ || 1-17-32 Each to each is a father as well as a son in give and take relationship... thus the words devatāḥ and pitarāḥ - gods and manes, can become nomenclative in their proper sense... therefore, you gods, you should be familiar with this interrelationship... tataḥ te punaḥ āgamya putrān ūcuḥ divaukasaḥ | brahmaṇā ccinna-saṁdehāḥ prītimantaḥ parasparam || 1-17-33 yūyaṁ vai pitaro asmākaṁ yaiḥ vayaṁ pratibodhitāḥ | dharmajṣāḥ kaḥ ca vaḥ kāmaḥ kaḥ varaḥ vaḥ pradīyatām | 1-17-34 yat uktaṁ caiva yuṣmābhiḥ tat tathā na tad anyathā | uktāḥ ca yasmāt yuṣmābhiḥ putrakā iti vai vayam | tasmāt bhavantaḥ pitaro bhaviṣyanti na saṁśayaḥ || 1-17-35 Then the gods came back to their sons and said to them, "brahma dispelled all our doubts and we glad to know each other... oh, sons of gods, whatever you said is nothing but truth... you achieved fatherhood because you termed us as your sons... no doubt about it... oh, sons of gods, because you imparted knowledge to us you have become our fathers of gnosis - jṣana pitas... not only to us gods, but you should have fatherhood of all worlds... you are gods because you the sons of gods, and now on achieving fatherhood you shall be called pitṝ devatās... fatherly-gods... so-called manes... tell us what boon can be given to you... what for your heart is longing and..." Thus gods asked their sons. But when the sons of gods maintained a reticent silence, the gods continued to say: yaḥ aniṣṭvā tu pitṝṣ śrāddhaiḥ kriyāḥ kāśchit kariṣyati | rākṣasā dānavā nāgāḥ phalaṁ prāpsyanti tasya tat || 1-17-36 Whoso worships gods and gods alone, duly bypassing the acts of beatifying fatherly-gods viz. the śrāddha-kriyā-s to pitṛ devatā-s, so-called manes; the fruits of his worship are henceforth transferable to rākṣasā-s, dānavā-s and nāgās... śrāddhaiḥ āpyāyitāḥ caiva pitaraḥ somam avyayam | āpyāyyamānā yuṣmābhiḥ vardhayiṣyati nityadā || 1-17-37 śrāddhaiḥ āpyāyitaḥ somo lokān āpyāyayiṣyati | samudra parvatavanaṁ jaṅgama ajaṅgamaiḥ vṛtam || 1-17-38 And when, oh, sons of gods, who now stand consecrated as pitṛ-gaṇā-s, observances of fatherly gods, so-called manes, you will be sated with the beatification processes offered to you, you in turn will always be satiating soma, the god of moon and the repository of nectar, and when soma is sated through you, he will be sating whole world spanning from mountains to oceans, whether animate or inanimate... this shall be the cyclic process in give-and-take syndrome... śrāddhāni puṣṭi-kāmāḥ ca ye kariṣyanti mānavāḥ | tebhyaḥ puṣṭiṁ prajāḥ caiva dāsyanti pitaraḥ sadā || 1-17-39 Thus this beatification is welfare-enriching process to those humans who undertake it, and you as fatherly-gods shall always be according well-being, progeny etc to them... śrāddhe ye ca pradāsyanti trīn piṇḍān nāma gotrataḥ | sarvatra vartamānn tān pitaraḥ sa pitāmahān | bhāvayiṣyanti satataṁ śrāddha-dānena tarpitāḥ || 1-17-40 Any human who regularly offers three offertories reflecting on the names and lineages of his fathers and grandfathers, he will achieve an all-round success, because he always stands alembicated of hi blemishes with these offertories... piṇḍa does not necessarily mean rice-balls or morsels. It is just an offertory item made with the staple food of the offerer. Where is a morsel in the phrase aṇḍa-piṇḍa-brahmāṇḍa? evamā jṣāpitaṁ pūrvaṁ brahmaṇā parameṣṭhinā | iti tat vacanaṁ satyaṁ bhavatvadya divaukasaḥ | putrāḥ ca pitaraḥ caiva vayaṁ sarve parasparam || 1-17-41 This is how the supreme brahma educated us... as such, oh, sons of gods, his word shall come true... henceforth let us mutually become fathers and/or sons according as the situation..." This is how gods who realised their mistake have said to their sons. sanatkumāra uvāca - sanat-kumāra continued narration to mārkanḍeya: ta ete pitaro devā devāḥ ca pitaraḥ tathā | anyonyaṁ pitaro hi ete devāḥ ca pirataḥ ca ha || 1-17-42 "Thus the gods are both fathers and gods; fatherly gods are both fathers and gods; they mutually conduct themselves in pitā-putra-nyāya - an indivisible syndrome of father-son-father-son, ad infinitum..."Thus sanat-kumāra enlightened sage mārkanḍeya about the genesis of fatherly-gods, so-called manes, and about the fruits of their beatification. --o)0(o-- iti śrīmahābhātare khileṣu harivaṁśe harivaṁśaparvani pit+ikalpe saptadaśo.dhyāyaḥ Thus, this is the seventeenth chapter of first canto called harivamsha-parva, in harivamśa-purāṇa, the sequel of mahābhārata, narrating the genesis of fatherly-gods, so-called manes, and about the fruits of their beatification. --o)0(o--