Parva 1 Chapter 24: pitṛkalpaḥ (8) - pitṛkalpa samāptiḥ - brahmadatta caritam

King vibhrāja who conducted ascesis by the side of swans has ultimately renounced his mortal body and took rebirth as the son of brahmadatta, with his name viṣavaksena... kadācit brahmadattaḥ tu bhāryayā sahito vane | vijahāra prahṛṣṭa ātmā yathā śachyā śacī-patiḥ || 1-24-2 tataḥ pipīlika rutaṁ sa śuśrāva narādhipaḥ | kāminīṁ kāminaḥ tasya yācataḥ kroshato bhṛśam || 1-24-3 śrutvā tu yācyamānāṁ tāṁ kruddhāṁ sūkṣmāṁ pipīlikām | brahmadatto mahā-hāsam akasmāt eva ca ahasat || 1-24-4 On certain occasion brahmadatta was taking a stroll jubilantly in a garden along with his wife lady sannati, as if indra would take a stroll along with his consort śacī-devi... then, he heard a call of an ant... it is a lovey-dovey talk of male ant cajoling the female ant to pander to his need, because she is turning him down for quite some time... on hearing that turgid love-talk, brahmadatta suddenly emitted a loud laugh, because, even a smallest creature like ant is in the cobwebby nature of earthly pleasures... tataḥ sā saṁnatiḥ dīnā vrīḍita iva abhavat tadā | nirāhārā bahu tithaṁ babhūva varavarṇinī || 1-24-5 prasādyamānā bhartrā sā tam uvāca śuchismitā | tvayā ca hasitā rājann āhaṁ jīvitum utsahe || 1-24-6 sa tat kāraṇam ācakhyau na ca sā śraddadhāti tat | Then his queen sannati, being an irreproachable lady, went into a state of consternation, presuming herself, or her own misdeed, to be the cause of the loud laughter of the king... she asked him many times about the reason for his laughter, because she alone is present at that time with the king... but he always evaded the reply... then her dismay grew large causing her to give up ailment, by which the king had to appease her, still evading proper reply... she then persisted and resentfully asked him like this, “I have no reason to live further because you laughed consumedly in my face...” Then the king said to her, “No, No... I did not laugh you off... I laughed on hearing ants’ conversation... “ uvāca ca enaṁ kupitā na eṣa bhāvo asti mānuṣe || 1-24-7 ko vai pipīlika rutaṁ mānuṣo vettum arhati | ṛte deva prasādāt vā pūrva-jātikṛtena vā || 1-24-8 tapo-balena vā rājan vidyayā vā narādhipa | yadi eṣa vai prabhāvaḥ te sarva-sattva-rutajṣatā || 1-24-9 yathā aham etat jānīyāṁ tathā pratyāyayasva mām | prāṇān vā api parityakṣye rājan satyena te shape || 1-24-10 Her apprehension is redoubled and she resentfully said to him, “ants’ conversation...? Humans listening to it...! who on earth can understand the conversation of ants, excepting those that are endowed with such a faculty by the grace of gods, or by the merit drawn from earlier births... if you really have that faculty of understanding the speech of any living being, oh, king, tell me everything about it duly demonstrating your skills... otherwise I pledge to give up my life, as I construe that it is me at whom you laughed... tat tasyā vacanaṁ śrutvā mahiṣyāḥ paruṣa akṣaram | sa rājā parama āpanno deva-śreṣṭham agāt tataḥ || 1-24-11 śaraṇyaṁ sarva-bhūteśaṁ bhaktyā nārāyaṇaṁ harim | samāhito nirāhāraḥ ṣaḍ rātreṇa mahāyaśāḥ || 1-24-12 dadarsha darshane rājā devaṁ nārāyaṇaṁ prabhum | On hearing those bitter words of his wife king brahmadatta went into sore straits, and he in anguish sought rescue from the best of best gods – śrīhari – remaining in utter devotion for six days and nights, and the king has seen that god nārāyaṇa in vision... uvāca chainaṁ bhagavān sarvabhūta anukampakaḥ || 1-24-13 brahmadatta prabhāte tvaṁ kalyāṇaṁ samavāpsyasi | iti uktvā bhagavān devaḥ tatrae eva antaradhīyata || 1-24-14 Then the god in vision has said to the king, “Oh, brahmadatta, everything will be alright by tomorrow morning...” saying so, that god vanished from there itself... caturṇāṁ tu pitā yaḥ asau brāhmaṇānāṁ mahātmanām | ślokaṁ saḥ adhītya putrebhyaḥ kṛta-kṛtya iva abhavat || 1-24-15 sa rājānam atha anvicchan saha mantriṇam achyutam | na dadarsha antaraṁ kiṣchit ślokaṁ śrāvayituṁ tadā || 1-24-16 In the meanwhile, the four brāhmaṇa scholars have given a verse to their aged father with which that old man felt that he achieved everything in this world... On the next day morning, that old man rushed to the king’s palace, with an eagerness to read that verse to the king when he is with his ministers, and without wasting further time... atha rājā saraḥ snāto labdhvā nārāyaṇāt varam | pravivesha purīṁ prīto ratham āruhya kāṣchanam | tasya raśmīn pratyagṛhṇāt kaṇḍarīko dvijarṣabhaḥ || 1-24-17 cāmaraṁ vyajanaṁ cāpi bābhravyaḥ samavākṣipat || 1-24-18 At the same time in the morning, king brahmadatta is returning to palace in a golden chariot after taking a holy bath in a lake, as god nārāyaṇa blessed him during last night... kaṇḍarīka, the son of one minister, maintained the reins of that golden chariot while pāncāla, the son of another minister babhravya, fanned the king with royal-fans in that chariot... in effect, all the three are present at one place to listen to the verse... idam antaram iti eva tataḥ sa brāhmaṇaḥ tadā | śrāvayāmāsa rājānaṁ ślokaṁ taṁ sachivau ca tau || 1-24-19 Deeming this as a best opportunity to make the verse audible to those three, that old brāhmaṇa started to recite that verse given by his four sons... that verse is like this: sapta vyādhā daśārṇeṣu mṛgāḥ kālaṣjare girau | cakravākāḥ śara-dvīpe haṁsāḥ sarasi mānase || 1-24-20 te abhijātāḥ kurukṣetre brāhmaṇā veda-pāragāḥ | prasthitā dīrgham adhvānaṁ yūyaṁ kim avasīdatha || 1-24-21 We who took birth as four brothers among the seven sons of kaushika in kurukshetra, among the seven tribals in daśārṇa province, among seven beasts on Mt. kālaṣjara, among seven cakravāka birds on an island, among seven swans near at Lake mānasa, have now taken birth as scholarly brāhmaṇa-s, i.e., as four sons of this old man... now, we four have started our journey on a long, long way... what for you three are dawdling here... tat śrutvā moham agamat brahmadatto narādhipaḥ | sachivaḥ ca asya pāṣcālyaḥ kaṇḍarīkaḥ ca bhārata || 1-24-22 srasta rashmi pratodau tau patita vyajanau ubhau | dṛṣṭvā babhūvuḥ asvasthāḥ paurāḥ ca suhṛdaḥ tathā || 1-24-23 muhurtam eva rājā sa saha tābhyāṁ rathe sthitaḥ | pratilabhya tataḥ saṁjṣāṁ prati āgacchat arindamaḥ || 1-24-24 Comprehending the gist of that verse, brahmadatta along with two of his minsiters is stupefied. While the reins and whip slithered from the hands of charioteer, while the royal-fans slipped through the fingers of the fanner, and while the people and friends have been witnessing this malady occurred to them, those three remained on the chariot as if transfixed....but on regaining senses after a while they alighted the chariot and rushed to the old man who recited the verse... tataḥ te tat saraḥ smṛtvā yogaṁ tam upalabhya ca | brāhmaṇaṁ vipulaiḥ arthaiḥ bhogaiḥ ca samayojayan || 1-24-25 Recollecting life as swans on the banks of Lake mānasa, and the curse-like prognostication of four brothers, and redemption from it, brahmadatta honoured that old brāhmaṇa with abundant riches, comforts etc... abhiṣicya sva rājye tu viṣvaksenam arindamam | jagāma brahmadatto atha sa dāro vanam eva ha || 1-24-26 Then brahmadatta anointed his son viṣvaksena as the king and repaired to forests along with his wife... atha enaṁ sannati dhīrā devalasya sutā tadā | uvāca parama-prītā yogāt vana gataṁ nṛpam || 1-24-27 jānantyā te mahārāja pipīlika rutajṣatām | choditaḥ krodham uddishya saktaḥ kāmeṣu vai mayā || 1-24-28 itaḥ vayaṁ gamiṣyāmo gatim iṣṭām anuttamām | tava ca antarhito yogaḥ tataḥ saṁsmārito mayā || 1-24-29 His wife sannati, the daughter of asita-devala, spoke in this way to that king brahmadatta who by his yogic disposition has entered an eremitic life in forest, “I know, oh, king, that you are proficient with the speech of ants... but I had to talk resentfully just to divert you from your involvement in materialistic life to a spiritual way of life... I think I have succeeded in rekindling the yogic power latent in you as we have come this far, wherefrom we proceed towards the most cherished supreme goal...” sa rājā parama prītaḥ patnyāḥ śrutvā vacaḥ tadā | prāpya yogaṁ balāt eva gatiṁ prāpa sudurlabhām || 1-24-30 King brahmadatta, gladdening to hear such bolstering words from his wife, braced himself with further ascesis and attained higher abode, which is otherwise unachievable, just by the dint of his own will-power... kaṇḍarīko'pi dharmātmā sāṅkhya yogam anuttamam | prāpya yoga gatiḥ siddhau viśuddhaḥ tena karmaṇā || 1-24-31 kramaṁ praṇīya pāṣcālyaḥ śikṣāṁ ca utpādya kevalām | yoga ācārya gatiṁ prāpa yaśaḥ ca agryaṁ mahātapāḥ || 1-24-32 Minister kaṇḍarīka also achieved highest abode following the course of yoga with a crystal clear policy and by following sānkhya system of yoga... while minister pānchika aka pāncāla propounding pāncāla samhita, a treatise of veda-s, and tutoring the tenets of veda-s to many students, attained highest heaven as any yoga-ācārya would attain, along with renown in this world for his work... evam etat purā vṛttaṁ mama pratyakṣam achyuta | tat dhārayasva gāṅgeya śreyasā yokṣyase tataḥ || 1-24-33 ye ca anye dhārayiṣyanti teṣāṁ caritam uttamam | tiryak yoniṣu te jātu na gamiṣyanti karhichit || 1-24-34 śrutvā ca idam upākhyānaṁ mahārthaṁ mahatāṁ gatim | yoga-dharmo hṛdi sadā parivartati bhārata || 1-24-35 sa tena eva anubandhena kadācit labhate shamam | tato yoga gatiṁ yāti śuddhāṁ tāṁ bhuvi durlabhām || 1-24-36 All these legends that have happened long time back in this way have become evident to me owing to the divine vision given by sanatkumāra, hence, oh, bhīṣma, hold it fast, because you will be benefited by it... not only to you, oh, bhīṣama, these legends will yield results to those that hear attentively and keep them abreast... the life of such of those people will be best as long as they are on earth, and on exiting from here they will not recur in animal wombs... never... listening to these legends which are with profound meaning itself yields non-recurrent course... axioms of yoga-dharma will always be prevalent in one’s own heart inculcating a sense of dharma in every action of theirs...as such, be associated with these teachings... someday these will bring serenity to soul, with which one can course through a sublime path, which is otherwise unachievable as long as one is on the earth...” Sage mārkaṇḍeya said thus to bhīṣma... vaiśampāyana uvāca – vaiśampāyana recapitulating evam etat purā gītaṁ mārkaṇḍeyena dhīmatā | śrāddhasya phalam uddishya somasya āpyāyanāya vai || 1-24-37 somo hi bhagavān devo lokasysa āpyāyanaṁ param | vṛṣṇi vaṁśa prasaṅgena tasya vaṁśaṁ nibodha me || 1-24-38 Sage mārkaṇḍeya narrated all these legends to bhīṣma in earlier times... these are recapitulated now in the course of narrating about vṛṣṇi dynasty... fatherly gods will be sated with the offertories in śrāddha, beatification, with which soma is enriched... if soma is nourished well, it will nourish entire vegetation and cattle on earth through god soma, produce of which can again be offered as havis, viands to gods... this is cyclic... --o)0(o-- iti śrīmahābhārate khileṣu harivaṁśe harivaṁśaparvaṇi pitṛkalpa samāptiḥ nāma [yadvā brahmadatta caritam nāma] caturviṁśo'dhyāyaḥ Thus, this is the twenty-fourth chapter of first canto called harivamsha-parva, in harivamśa-purāṇa, the sequel of mahābhārata, narrating the legend of brahmadatta, the concluding part of pitṛ kalpa. --o)0(o--