Parva 3 Chapter 83: ghaṇṭākarṇasya muktiḥ - ghaṇṭākarṇa attains liberation

vaiśampāyana said: (O janamejaya!) Laughing strangely again and dancing as much as he can, the flesh eater quickly brought the dead body of the Brahmin who was killed. dvidhākṛtya mahāghoram piśitaṁ keśaśāḍvalam | tataḥ khaṇḍaṁ samādāya adbhirabhyukṣya yatnataḥ ||3-83-2 He split the highly terrible flesh along with hair in two pieces. Taking one piece and carefully cleaning it with water, vidhāya pātre suśubhe namaskṛtya janārdanam | idaṁ provāca deveśaṁ prāṣjaliḥ praṇataḥ sthitaḥ ||3-83-3 he put the same in a clean auspicious vessel and bowed to janārdana (viṣṇu, kṛṣṇa). Standing with folded hands, he spoke to the lord of gods (viṣṇu, kṛṣṇa). gṛhāṇa me jagannātha bhakṣyaṁ yogyaṁ tava prabho | bhavādṛśairjagannātha grāhyaṁ sarvātmanā hare ||3-83-4 (ghaṇṭakarṇa said) O the lord of universe! Accept this eatable, which suits you(*) O lord! O hari! O the lord of universe! People like you should accept this wholeheartedly! (* See translator's Note) bhaktinamrā vayaṁ viṣṇo nātra kāryā vicāraṇā | dattaṁ yadbhaktinamreṇa grāhyaṁ tatsvāminā hare ||3-83-5 O viṣṇu! We bow with devotion to you! There is nothing else to be thought on this. O hari! What is offered with devotion shall be acceptable to the lord. navaṁ susaṁskṛtaṁ bhakṣyaṁ brahmaṇyaṁ shavamuttamam | asmākaṁ piśitāśānāṁ śāstre niyatameva hi ||3-83-6 This is fresh and well-processed eatable. It is the dead body of a Brahmin, the best. For those of us who eat flesh, this is prescribed by the scriptures. tasmādgṛhāṇa bhagavanyadi doṣo na vidyate | Hence accept this, O lord, if there is no fault. ityuktvā vikṛtaṁ bhūyo vihasya sa tu kāmataḥ ||3-83-7 dātumaicchattadā khaṇḍamaspṛśyaṁ tu shavasya ha | (vaiśampāyana continued: O janamejaya!) Saying this, again laughing strangely as he liked, then, he wanted to offer the piece of the dead body, which is untouchable. tataḥ prīto'bhavattasmai manasāpūjayaccha tam ||3-83-8 aho'sya snehakāruṇyaṁ mayi sarvatra vartate | iti saṣchintya manasā provāca yadupuṅgavaḥ ||3-83-9 Then kṛṣṇa became pleased with him and respected him mentally. Thinking in his mind that "Oh! He has love and compassion all over on me", the chief of yādava-s (kṛṣṇa) said: alametena sarvatra piśāca piśitāśana | aspṛśyaṁ mādṛśairetadbrāhmaṇyaṁ shavamuttamam ||3-83-10 (kṛṣṇa said): This is enough. O piśāca! O the flesh-eater! This dead body of a Brahmin, the best food for you, can not be touched by people like us everywhere. brāhmaṇaḥ sarvathā pūjyo jantubhirdharmakāṅkṣibhiḥ | piśācā ghorakarmāṇo yatante brahmahiṁsane ||3-83-11 brāhmaṇa is respectable always by those beings who desire dharma. The piśāca-s who do terrible deeds attempt to kill brāhmins. na hantavyāḥ sadā viprāstaddhimsā narakāvahā | tasmādaspṛśyamasmābhirnātra kāryā vicāraṇā ||3-83-12 brāhmins are always not to be killed. Killing of brāhmins lead to hell. Hence this is untouchable for us. There is nothing else to be thought on this. bhaktyā prīto'smi bhadraṁ te mano nirmalatā mayā | manaḥśuddhiṁ yadā yatnaṁ tataḥ prīto'smi māṁsapa ||3-83-13 I am pleased with your devotion and the purity of your mind. Let there be good to you. O flesh-eater! When the mind becomes pure, I shall become pleased. asmatsaṅkīrtanācchaśvacchuddhaṁ hi karaṇaṁ tava | atīva manasā prīta ityuktvā bhagavānhariḥ ||3-83-14 Your mind has become pure due to the daily rendering of the hymn praising me. (vaiśampāyana continued: O janamejaya!) Becoming highly pleased in mind, lord hari( kṛṣṇa, viṣṇu) spoke thus. pasparśāṅgaṁ tadā viṣṇuḥ piśācasyātha sarvataḥ | kareṇa mṛdunā devaḥ pāpānnirmochayaddhariḥ ||3-83-15 Then lord viṣṇu (kṛṣṇa), hari (viṣṇu, kṛṣṇa) who liberates from sins, touched the limbs all over the terrible piśāca, softly with his hand. tatastasyābhavadrūpaṁ kāmarūpasamaprabham | dīrghakuṣchitakeśāḍhyo dīrghabāhuḥ sulocanaḥ ||3-83-16 Then his form immediately became splendorous and handsome like the form of the god of desire. His hair became curly and long. His arms became long. His eyes became beautiful. samāṅguliḥ samanakhaḥ samavaktraḥ samunnasaḥ | padmākṣaḥ padmavarṇābhaḥ padmakeśarabhūṣaṇaḥ ||3-83-17 His fingers and nails became equal and his mouth became leveled and his nose became high. His eyes became beautiful as lotus flowers. He became splendorous with the colour of a lotus flower. His hair became beautiful and decorated with ornaments. keyūrī cāṅgadī caiva kauśeyavasanastadā | jṣānavānsattvasaṁpannaḥ sākṣādindra ivāparaḥ ||3-83-18 He had bracelets on the upper and lower arms. He was wearing silk clothes. He became wise and enriched with goodness like another real indra. gandharva iva gāyaṁstu siddhaḥ siddha iva svayam | sākṣatspṛṣṭaṁ tadā viṣṇoḥ kareṇa mṛdupūrvakam ||3-83-19 He could sing like a gandharva and he became accomplished as a siddha because viṣṇu caressed him softly with his hand. na nūnaṁ tādṛśaṁ rūpamāsītkālāntareṣvāpi | adyāpi naiva munayo labhante tādṛśaṁ vapuḥ ||3-83-20 Definitely, such a form was never seen even with the passage of time. Even now the sages are unable to get such a form (after performing penances). kṛtvā subahusho ghoraṁ tapaḥ paramadaruṇam | yaccha labdhaṁ tadā tena piśācena nṛpottama ||3-83-21 O the best among kings! (janamejaya! vaiśampāyana continued) After performing many terrible and severe penances, the piśāca was able to get that form. ko nu nāma jagannāthamāśritaḥ sīdate nṛpa | sa hi sarvatra kalyāṇo yo hi nityaṁ janārdanam ||3-83-22 dhyāyanpaṭhaṣjapanvāpi tasya kiṁ nāsti bhūpate | O king! (janamejaya! vaiśampāyana continued) Who will suffer among those who depend on the lord of universe? (None will suffer ever.) He will have good everywhere who meditates on janārdana (viṣṇu, kṛṣṇa), speaks about him and chants his name always. O the lord of earth! (janamejaya! vaiśampāyana continued) What will he not have? tataḥ provāca bhagavānsthitaṁ kāmamivāparam ||3-83-23 Then the lord(viṣṇu, kṛṣṇa) told him who was standing like another god of desire. akṣayaḥ svargavāsaste yavādindro vasiṣyati | tāvatsvargī bhavānastu śāsanānmama nānyataḥ ||3-83-24 (kṛṣṇa said) You shall have un-decaying stay in heaven till the time indra is there. According to my order, you shall live in heaven till then and not anywhere else. naṣte shakre tataḥ svargātsāyujyaṁ mama gacchatu | yo'yaṁ bhrātā tava svargī yāvadindro bhavettadā ||3-83-25 When śakra perishes, then you shall leave heaven and have communion with me. Till the time of indra, your younger brother will also stay in heaven. varaṁ varaya bhadraṁ te yaste manasi vartate | dātāsmi sarvaṁ sarvatra nātra kāryā vicāraṇā ||3-83-26 Accept a boon as you have in your mind. Let there be good to you. I shall provide you all everywhere. There is nothing further to be thought on this. yaśchemaṁ saṅgamaṁ deva saṁsmaranniyatātmavān | bhaktistasyācalā deva tvayi bhūyajjanārdana ||3-83-27 ghaṇṭākarṇa said: O lord! (viṣṇu, kṛṣṇa) If one having a controlled soul remembers this meeting of ours, O lord! (viṣṇu, kṛṣṇa), O janārdana! He shall have unmoving (firm) devotion on you. manaḥśuddhirbhavettasya mā bhūtkaluṣatā hare | kāluṣyaṁ manasastasya mā bhūdeṣa varo mama ||3-83-28 Let his mind become pure. O hari! (viṣṇu , kṛṣṇa) Let him not have foulness in his mind. My boon is that he shall not have foulness of mind. evamastviti deveśaḥ svargaṁ gaccheti keśavaḥ | indrātithirbhavānastu tvāṁ pratīkṣya hariḥ sthitaḥ ||3-83-29 (vaiśampāyana continued: O janamejaya!) The lord of gods (viṣṇu, kṛṣṇa) said: Let it be so. keshava (viṣṇu, kṛṣṇa) said: Go to heaven. You are the guest of indra. hari (indra) is expecting you. ityuktvā bhagavānkṛṣna utthāpya brāhmaṇaṁ tadā | tena stuto jagannāthaḥ pūjayitvā ca taṁ dvijam ||3-83-30 Saying this, lord kṛṣṇa, made the dead brāhmin alive and made him stand up. He praised the lord of universe (viṣṇu, kṛṣṇa) and kṛṣṇa honoured the twice-born. tato visṛjya govindastasmāddeśādupāgamat | yatra te munayaḥ siddhā agnihotrasamanvitāḥ ||3-83-31 Leaving the brāhmin, govinda left that place where those sages and sidddhas were keeping the sacrificial fires. sa ca svargī tataḥ svargamājṣayā keshavasya ha | Then ghaṇṭākarṇa went to heaven, as ordered by keshava (kṛṣṇa, viṣṇu). tasmātpaṭha sadā rājanmanaḥśuddhiṁ yadīcchasi | manashcha śuddhaṁ bhavati paṭhataste jagatpate ||3-83-32 O king! (vaiśampāyana continued: O janamejaya!) Hence study this always if you desire purity of mind. O the lord of the world! By studying this the mind becomes pure. iti śrīmābhārate khileṣu harivaṁśe bhaviṣyaparvaṇi ghaṇṭākarṇamuktipradāne tryaśītitamo'dhyāyaḥ This is the eighty-third chapter of bhaviṣyaparva, harivaṁśa, khila of mahabhārata, in kalāsayātra, ghaṇṭākarṇa attains liberation Translator's Note: (1) See nīlakaṇṭha commentary This is from Valmiki Ramayana http://www.venkatesaya.com/255.ramayana/daily.readings.php?m=4&d=7 section āyodhyā Kāṇḍam chapter 103 idam bhuṅkṣva mahāraja prīto yadaśanā vayam yad annaḥ purusho bhavati tadannāstasya devatāḥ (103.30) http://www.valmikiramayan.net/utf8/ayodhya/sarga103/ayodhya_103_frame.htm Desiraju Hanumantarao translation 30. mahārāja = O Great King! prītaḥ = be pleased, bhuṅkṣva = to partake, idam = of this, vayam yadaśanā = which we eat, yadannaḥ puruṣaḥ = for, that which man eats, tadannāḥ = is also consumed, tasya = by his, devatāḥ = gods. "O, Great King! Be pleased to partake of this, which we eat for, that which man eats, is also consumed by his gods." Translator's Note (2): janārdana: (1) janaiḥ puruṣārthamabhyudayaniḥśreyasalakṣaṇaṁ yācyate iti janārdana (To whom people pray for success and liberation) (2) janān durjanānardayati hinasti, narakādīn gamayatīti vā janārdana ( he who punishes the wicked people) See page 53, srīviṣṇusahasranāmastotraṁ śaṅkarabhāṣya bhāṣābhāṣyasahitam, swami nirmalānanda sarasvati, second edition,(1998) ṣivanandāśramam, Palakkad -9. English translation is from page 33 srivishnusahasranamastotram with notes in Sanskrit and English, G.S.R. Narasimhamurty, (2009) Sri Kanchi Kamakoti Peetham, Kancheepuram Both the above are based on shankaracarya's commentary. nīlakaṇṭha commentary · 3-83-4 gṛhāṇeti | yogyaṁ yadannaḥ puruṣo bhavati tadannāstasya devatā iti śruterityāśayaḥ || · 3-83-14 karaṇam antaḥkaraṇam || · 3-83-17 padmākṣaḥ saṁnimeṣadṛṣṭiḥ piśācānāṁ prāk tadabhāvāt || iti śrīmahābhārate khileṣu harivaṁśe bhaviṣyaparvaṇi ṭīkāyāṁ tryaśītitamo'dhyāyaḥ || 83 ||