by Bibek Debroy
‘Vaishampayana’s disciples were known as Charakadhvaryus. 1378 For their preceptor’s sake, they undertook a vow to atone for the sin of killing a brahmana. 1379 Yajnavalkya, his disciple, told him, “O illustrious one! These ones are limited in substance. What can be gained from anything they undertake? I alone will perform extremely difficult austerities.” Thus addressed, the preceptor became angry and said, “Enough! You have insulted the brahmanas. Give up everything that you have been taught by me.” At this, Devarata’s son 1380 vomited out the collection from the Yajur Veda. When he left, the sages saw the collection from the Yajur Veda. They looked at them greedily and assuming the form of tittira birds, 1381 gathered them up. This beautiful branch of the Yajur Veda came to be known as Taittiriya. O brahmana! Yajnavalkya wished to search out verses that were not known even to his preceptor. Therefore, he worshipped the lord, the sun god. Yajnavalkya said, “Oum! I bow down before the illustrious Aditya. In the form of the atman, he is present in the entire universe. He is in the form of time. He is inside the hearts of the four kinds of living creatures, beginning with Brahma and ending with clumps of grass. Like the sky, he covers everything that has a name from the outside, but is himself not covered. He gathers up the waters and gives them back for the sustenance of the worlds. He alone is the fragments of kshana, lava, nimesha and samvatsara. O bull among the gods! O Savita! O glowing one! Following the rituals of the sacred texts, we worship you thrice a day. 1382 You are the one who burns down the seeds of all sins and the resultant sufferings. O illustrious one! We meditate on your glowing orb. You are inside all mobile and immobile objects and they depend on you for refuge. You are the atman inside them, inspiring the aggregate of their minds, senses and breaths of life, which are distinct from the atman. This world has been swallowed up by a python and is unconscious, as if it is dead. The python’s terrible mouth is known as darkness. O extremely compassionate one! Glance favourably towards it, so that thrice a day, the virtuous engage in ensuring what is beneficial. Urge their atmans towards what is known as their own dharma. Like a king on earth, you travel around everywhere, generating fear among the wicked. You are surrounded by the guardians of the directions. In their cupped hands, which are like lotus buds, they bring you offerings. O lord! Therefore, I have approached and am worshipping your lotus feet, which are revered by the preceptors of the three worlds. I desire that part of the Yajur Veda that is not known to anyone else.” Thus addressed, the illustrious sun god was pleased and assuming the form of a horse, taught the sage parts of the Yajur Veda that were not known to anyone else. The lord used these to classify fifteen branches of the Yajur Veda, known as vajasanya. 1383 He taught these to Kanva, Madhyadina and others.
‘Jaimini possessed knowledge about the Sama Veda and Sumantu was his son. The sage 1384 taught the samhita to each of his sons. Jaimini’s disciple, Sukarma, was a great brahmana and divided the great tree of the Sama Veda, with the Sama hymns, into one thousand samhitas. Sukarma’s disciples were Hiranyanabha from Kosala, Poushyanji and Avantya, 1385 supreme in knowledge of the brahman, and they learnt this. Poushyanji and Avantya had five hundred disciples each. They were known as the northern reciters of the Sama hymns, though some among them came to be known as the eastern reciters. Poushyanji’s disciples, Lougakshi, Mangali, Kulya, Kushida and Kukshi, received one hundred samhitas each. Hiranyanabha’s disciple, Krita, taught his own disciples twenty-four samhitas. The rest were taught by Avantya, who was in control of his atman.’
Chapter 12(7)
Suta said, ‘Sumantu, who knew about the Atharva Veda, taught it to his own disciple, 1386 who in turn spoke about the samhita to his own disciples, Pathya and Vedadarsha. Vedadarsha’s disciples were Shouklayani, Brahmabali, Modosha and Pippalayani. O brahmana! Hear about Pathya’s disciples. They were Kumuda, Shunaka, descended from the Angiras lineage, and Jajali, who knew about the Atharva Veda. Shunaka’s disciples, Babhru and Saindhavayana, studied the two samhitas. Savarnya and others also did this. Nakshatrakalpa, Shanti, Kashyapa, Angiras and others were teachers of the Atharva Veda.
‘O sage! Now hear about the teachers of the Puranas. There were six who were teachers of the Puranas—Trayaruna, Kashyapa, Savarni, Akritavarna, Vaishampayana and Harita. From the mouth of my father, 1387 Vyasa’s disciple, each of them learnt one part of the samhita. I became a disciple to each of them and learnt all of it. I, Kashyapa, Savarni and Akritavarna, Rama’s 1388 disciple, learnt the four original samhitas from Vyasa’s disciple. O brahmana! Using their intelligence and following the sacred texts of the Vedas, the brahmana rishis have determined the characteristics of the Puranas. Hear that. O brahmana! The learned have said that there are ten characteristics associated a Purana —sarga, visarga, vritti, raksha, antara, vamsha, vamshanucharita, samstha, hetu and apashraya. 1389 Some say there are only five and that this distinguishes the major ones from the minor ones. Sarga is about the generation of Mahat from the agitation of the gunas of the umanifest, the three kinds of ahamkara, the gross and the subtle and the senses and the objects of the senses. Through the favours of Purusha, visarga is the aggregation of desires of mobile and immobile objects, just as a seed is created from another seed. 1390 Vritti is the means whereby mobile and immobile creatures sustain themselves on other creatures. Goaded by desire and the injunctions, men create this for themselves. From one yuga to another yuga, for the protection of the universe and the destruction of those who hate the three, 1391 Achyuta descends. This is raksha. In each manvantara, there are said to be six kinds of appearances—Manu himself, the set of gods, Manu’s sons, the lord of the gods, 1392 the rishis and Hari’s descent through his portion. Through Brahma, vamsha is about the lineage of kings, progressing through the three phases of time. 1393 Vamshanucharita is about the conduct of their descendants. The wise have said that there are intrinsically four kinds of layas—naimittika, prakritika, nitya and atyantika. When all of these happen, that is samstha. The brahman is the ultimate apashraya, present in the three states of living creatures, wakefulness, sleeping and sushupti, covered in maya, but also distinct from them. The substance of a material object is the basis for its existence and assumes different names and forms. 1394 That original seed is present, both separate and joined in all states, ending with death. When the mind is regulated, or when one transcends the three states, 1395 through yoga, one retreats from this world and realizes the atman. Thus, sages who know about the ancient accounts have spoken about the major and minor Puranas as being eighteen, depending on their characteristics. The names of the eighteen are known as Brahma, Padma, Vishnu, Shiva, Linga, Garuda, Narada, Bhagavata, Agni, Skanda, Bhavishya, Brahmavaivarta, Markandeya, Vamana, Varaha, Matsya, Kurma and Brahmanda. 1396 O brahmana! I have described to you the various branches expounded by the sage, 1397 his disciples and the disciples of his disciples. These extend the brahman’s glory.’
Chapter 12(8)
Shounaka said, ‘O Suta! O virtuous one! O supreme among speakers! May you live for a long time. Men are roaming around in darkness and you are the one who can show them the way to the other shore. Tell us this. People say that the rishi who was Mrikandu’s son had a long lifespan. At the end of the kalpa, when this universe was destroyed, he was the only one left. In this kalpa, the bull among the Bhargava lineage was born in our lineage. 1398 No one born now has witnessed living beings destroyed through a deluge. When he was whirled around on that single ocean, he saw Purusha, in the wonderful form of an infant who was lying down inside a banyan leaf. O Suta! Among us, this generates curiosity and a doubt. You are revered as a great yogi and someone who knows about the Puranas. Please dispel this.’
Suta replied, ‘O maharshi! The question you have asked will remove a confusion among people. This will lead to Narayana’s account being sung and will destroy the impurities of kali yuga. In the course of time, from his father, Markandeya obtained the sacred thread, as is done for dvijas. Following dharma, he studied the hymns and came to possess austerities and learning. He observed great vows
. He was tranquil. With matted hair, his garments were made out of bark. He carried a water pot and a staff and wore a sacred thread and girdle. He was attired in black antelope skin and held a bead of rudrakshas and some kusha grass, so that the rituals were followed. At the time of the morning and evening sandhyas, he worshipped Hari in the form of the fire, the sun, preceptors, brahmanas and his own atman. Controlling his speech, he begged in the morning and the evening and gave whatever he got to his preceptor. He ate only once a day, when he had been granted permission by his preceptor. Otherwise, he fasted. In this way, engaged in austerities and studying, he spent one hundred million years. 1399 He worshipped Hrishikesha and conquered death, which is impossible to vanquish. Brahma, Bhrigu, Bhava, Daksha, the other sons of Brahma, humans, gods, ancestors and other beings were extremely astounded at this. Thus, the yogi worshipped Adhokshaja through great vows, austerities, studying and control. Withdrawing into this inner atman, he destroyed all hardships. The yogi fixed his mind in this great yoga. A long period of time passed, extending across six manvantaras.
‘O brahmana! In the current seventh manvantara, Purandara got to know about this. He was scared of the austerities and started to create impediments. He sent gandharvas, apsaras, desire, the pleasant breeze of the spring and, from Mount Malaya, the children of rajas and intoxication to the sage. O lord! They went to his hermitage, on the northern slopes of the Himalaya mountains, where the River Pushpabhadra flows near the stone known as Chitra. The sacred hermitage was adorned with sacred trees and creepers. It was full of flocks of sacred birds. There were sacred and spotless bodies of water. There was the singing of intoxicated bees. Maddened cuckoos called. Crazy peacocks danced in ecstasy. It was full of flocks of crazy birds. The breeze entered, bearing with it the cool spray from waterfalls in the mountains, embraced by the fragrance of flowers. As it blew, it ignited desire. The moon arose, as if it was the face of the night. Rows of sprouts and blossoms covered the trees and the creepers in a net. Spring manifested itself. Followed by the songs of gandharvas and the playing of musical instruments, the god of love was seen, the lord of a bevy of women, and with a bow and arrow in his hand. Shakra’s servants saw him seated there, having offered oblations into the fire. His eyes were closed and he was impossible to assail. He was like the fire personified. The women danced in front of him and the singers sang. Delightful music was played from drums, veenas and cymbals. Kama fixed the five-headed weapon to his own bow. 1400 Spring, the children of rajas and Indra’s servants tried to make his mind waver. Punjikasthali 1401 played with balls, her heavy breasts weighing down on her slender waist. The garlands were dislodged from the braids of her hair. Her eyes darted around here and there. As she ran after the balls, the string of her girdle loosened and the wind blew her garment away. Thinking that he was ready to be vanquished, the god of love released his arrow. But like all the efforts of those who do not believe in the lord, the attempt was unsuccessful. O sage! When they tried to harm him, the sage’s energy burnt them down and they stopped, like children who have awoken a snake. O brahmana! Thus, though he was afflicted by Indra’s followers, the great sage did not succumb to ahamkara. Among those who are great, this is not surprising. The illustrious lord of heaven saw and heard that the god of love and his companions had lost their energy. Perceiving the brahmana rishi’s powers, he was filled with great surprise. While his 1402 mind was immersed in austerities, studying and control, Hari Nara-Narayana desired to show him his favours and manifested himself. One was fair and the other was dark. Their eyes were like freshly bloomed lotuses. They were four-armed and were clad in garments made out of bark and the skin of ruru antelopes. Their purifying hands held a sacred thread made out of three strings, a kamandalu, an upright staff made out of bamboo, a garland made out of lotus seeds and a broom to brush away insects. 1403 They were the personified forms of the Vedas and austerities. Their yellowish radiance possessed the complexion of lightning. They were tall in stature and the bulls among the gods worshipped them. On seeing the illustrious one’s form as the Nara and Narayana rishis, he stood up with great respect. Like a staff, he bent down and prostrated himself. The bliss of seeing them satisfied his body, his mind and his senses. His body hair stood up and his eyes were full of tears. He was incapable of looking at them. He arose and humbly joined his hands in salutation. In his eagerness, it was almost as if he was embracing them. In faltering words, he said, “I bow down. I bow down.” He gave them seats to sit on and washed their feet. He worshipped them with offerings, unguents, incense and garlands. When they were comfortably seated and ready to shower their favours on him, he again bowed down at the feet of the two sages. He spoke to the revered ones.
‘Markandeya said, “O lord! How can I describe you? It is through your urging that the breath of life pulsates. It is through your urging that speech, mind and the senses pulsate. This is for all living beings, Aja and Sharva included. That is also true of me. However, you are a friend to those who worship you. O illustrious one! These two forms of the illustrious one are for the welfare of the three worlds, the cessation of torments and the conquest of death. For the sake of protection, you assume many transcendental forms like this. Like a spider, you create and withdraw everything. I seek refuge at the feet of the protector and controller of mobile and immobile beings, where one is not touched by the impurities of karma, gunas and time. Sages who have grasped the essence of the Vedas praise you, bow down to you, constantly worship you and meditate on you. You are the personified form of liberation. O lord! From all sides, people are subjected to fear and we do not know of any refuge other than your feet. Brahma’s lordship is for a period of two parardhas and therefore, he is also extremely scared of you, in the form of time. What need be said about beings who are created by him? Therefore, I worship the feet of the one whose intelligence represents the truth. I give up the body and other things that are useless, unreal and temporary. They are coverings for the atman and are thought of as different from you, the atman’s preceptor. I will thereby obtain all the desired objects. O lord! O friend of the atman! Sattva, rajas and tamas are the result of maya. These causes behind creation, preservation and destruction are the result of your pastimes. Full of sattva, you alone lead to serenity. The other two do not free men from delusion. 1404 O illustrious one! Therefore, accomplished devotees worship your pure form, so loved by those who are your own. Great devotees can see the form of Purusha that is based on sattva. That is what grants people freedom from fear and joy in realization of the atman, nothing else. I bow down to the illustrious one, the pervasive Purusha. The universe is your form. You are the preceptor of the universe. You are the supreme divinity. You are Narayana rishi and Nara, supreme among humans. You are hamsa, the controller of speech and the propounder of the sacred texts. You are established within a person’s own breath of life, heart and the objects of the senses that he can see. However, his intelligence is enveloped in maya and his mind follows the misguided path of the senses. Therefore, he does not know you. However, when a person directly realizes you, the preceptor of everything, he knows you, the origin of everything. The vision of the sacred texts illuminates the mysterious nature of your atman. However, even though they try, wise ones, Aja being the foremost, are confounded. Depending on whichever school of thought is being debated, you present your nature in an appropriate form. I worship the great being, the comprehension about whose atman is concealed.”’
Chapter 12(9)
Suta said, ‘Praised in this way by the intelligent Markandeya, the illustrious Narayana, Nara’s friend, was pleased and spoke to the descendant of the Bhrigu lineage. The illustrious one said, “O noble brahmana rishi! You are supreme among those who have meditated on the atman. Your devotion towards me is unwavering. You are controlled and have performed austerities and have studied. We are satisfied with the great vow you have observed. O fortunate one! I confer boons. I wish to confer a boon on you. Ask whatever you desire.” The rishi replied, “O lord of the lord of the gods! May you b
e victorious. O Achyuta! You remove the afflictions of those who seek shelter with you. This is enough of a boon that you have shown yourself to me. After ripening their minds through yoga, Aja and the others see your lotus feet and obtain all their opulences. However, you are in front of my eyes. O one with eyes like the petals of a lotus! O jewel on the crest of everyone who is praised! Because of your maya, the worlds and the guardians of the worlds take everything to be differentiated. I want to witness that.” O sage! Praised and worshipped in this way, the illustrious one agreed to the rishi’s wish. The lord smiled and returned to his hermitage in Badarika.
‘The rishi remained in his hermitage and continued to think about his objective. He meditated on Hari everywhere—fire, the sun, the moon, water, the earth, the wind, the sky and within his own atman. He worshipped him with mental objects. 1405 Sometimes, he was so overwhelmed in the deluge of love that he forgot to worship him at all. O best among the Bhrigu lineage! O brahmana! Once, during sandhya, the sage was seated on the banks of the River Pushpabhadra and was meditating. A giant storm arose, generating a terrible roar. Fierce clouds followed it and showered down rain that was as heavy as the wheels of chariots. There was lightning and the loud roar of thunder. The oceans were seen in the four directions. They advanced and swallowed up the surface of the earth. The force of the wind stirred up waves, full of extremely fierce aquatic creatures. There was the terrible sound of whirlpools. All the four kinds of creatures, and he himself, suffered inside and outside. The water rose up into the sky. The wind was fierce and there was thunder and lightning. The world was scorched. The earth was deluged with water. On seeing this, the sage’s mind was distressed and he was scared. As he looked on, the fierce waves rose up still higher and the great ocean was whirled around by the turbulent storm. Everything was filled by the wind and the clouds. The earth, the dvipas, the varshas and the mountains were deluged. The earth, the sky, heaven, the stellar bodies and their inhabitants, the three worlds and the directions were submerged in that deluge and the great sage was the only one who remained. He wandered around, as if he was blind and dumb, with his matted hair dishevelled. He was afflicted by hunger and thirst. He was oppressed by makaras and timingilas. He was struck by the storm and the wind. He descended into a fathomless darkness and roamed around. He could not determine the directions, the sky or the earth and was exhausted. Sometimes, he was dragged into a gigantic whirlpool. Sometimes, he was tossed by the waves. Sometimes, he was bitten by aquatic monsters. While trying to seize him, they fought against each other. Sometimes, he was filled with grief. Sometimes, he was filled with delusion. Sometimes, he experienced misery, happiness or fear. Sometimes, he thought he was about to die. Sometimes, he suffered from physical ailments, mental ailments and the wind. Hundreds, thousands and billions of years passed in this way. With his atman shrouded in Vishnu’s maya, he wandered around there.
