Chapter 1(58)
‘Full of compassion, Kushika’s descendant spoke these sweet words to the king, who presented himself in the form of a chandala. “O son!408 O descendant of the Ikshvaku lineage! Welcome. I know that you are extremely devoted to dharma. O bull among sages! Do not be scared. I will be your refuge. I will invite all the maharshis who are auspicious in their deeds, so that they can assist in the sacrifice. O king! You will perform the sacrifice that was foiled. You will go to heaven in your own physical body, in your original form, as well as in the form obtained because of the curse of your preceptors. O lord of men! I think that heaven is as good as in your hands. You have approached and sought refuge with Koushika, who is the one who grants refuge.” Having said this, the immensely energetic and immensely wise one instructed his sons, who were supremely devoted to dharma, to make all the arrangements for the sacrifice. He summoned all his disciples and spoke these words to them. “O sons! Following my instructions, bring all the rishis and their disciples. Bring their well-wishers and the extremely learned assistant priests. If anyone ignores these words, or inflamed by the strength of their words, speaks anything against them, and also everything that is left unsaid, let all that be reported to me.” Hearing these words and following his command, they left in different directions. All those who knew about the brahman started to assemble from different countries. The disciples returned to the sage, who blazed in his energy, and reported all the words spoken by those who knew about the brahman. “On hearing your words, all the brahmanas have arrived from different countries, or are coming. However, Mahodaya409 ignored them. Also, all those one hundred sons of Vasishtha dilated their eyes in rage. O bull among sages! You should hear everything that they said. ‘A kshatriya410 is the officiating priest for a chandala who is undertaking a sacrifice. In such an assembly, how can the gods and the rishis partake of the oblations? Having enjoyed the food of a chandala, how will the great-souled brahmanas go to heaven, even if they are protected by Vishvamitra?’ O tiger among sages! Their eyes dilated with rage, all the sons of Vasishtha, together with Mahodaya, uttered these harsh words.” Hearing all their words, the eyes of that bull among sages dilated with rage. He angrily said, “I am established in my fierce austerities. All those evil-souled ones who revile an unblemished one like me will be reduced to ashes. There is no doubt about this. Right now, the noose of time will convey them to Yama’s eternal abode. For seven hundred births, all of them will be those who feed on corpses. They will be known as mushtikas.411 They will be shunned and will always feed on the flesh of dogs. They will roam around in the worlds, deformed and disfigured. The evil-minded Mahodaya has abused someone as unblemished as me. He will be abhorred by all the worlds and will become a nishada. He will always be engaged in taking the lives of others and will always be cruel. Because of my rage, he will face this catastrophe for a long period of time.” The great ascetic, Vishvamitra, spoke these words. After this, in the midst of the rishis, the immensely energetic and great sage stopped.’
Chapter 1(59)
‘In the midst of the sages, through the strength of his austerities, the immensely energetic Vishvamitra said that he would slay Mahodaya and the sons of Vasishtha. He said, “This heir of the Ikshvaku lineage is known by the name of Trishanku. He is generous and is devoted to dharma. He has sought refuge with me. He wishes to conquer the world of the gods in his own physical body. With me, all of you undertake this sacrifice, so that he can go the world of the gods in his own physical body.” All those maharshis knew about dharma. Hearing his words, all of them consulted with each other and spoke words that were full of dharma. “The sage who is an heir of the Kushika lineage is extremely prone to anger. There is no doubt that we must completely act in accordance with his words. The illustrious one is like the fire. He will curse us in his rage. Therefore, let us undertake this sacrifice, so that the heir of the Ikshvaku lineage can go to heaven in his own physical body, thanks to Vishvamitra’s energy.” Thus, all of them engaged themselves in undertaking that sacrifice. Having spoken those words, all the maharshis initiated the rites. The immensely energetic Vishvamitra became the officiating priest for the sacrifice. The officiating priests, accomplished in the use of mantras, chanted mantras. Following the prescribed ordinances, they performed all the rituals. After a long period of time, Vishvamitra, the great ascetic, invited all the gods to accept their shares in the sacrifice. However, all the gods did not arrive to accept their shares in the sacrifice. At this, Vishvamitra, the great sage, was infused with rage. He angrily raised a sacrificial ladle and spoke to Trishanku. “O lord of men! Behold the strength of the austerities I have earned for myself. Through my own energy, I will convey you to heaven in your physical body. It is extremely difficult to go to heaven in one’s own physical body. O lord of men! Go there. O king! Even if I have earned a little bit of merit through my own austerities, through that energy, go to heaven in your own physical body.” O Kakutstha! When the sage spoke in this way, while the sages looked on, the lord of men went to heaven in his own physical body.
‘When he saw that Trishanku had soared to the world of the gods, with all the other large number of gods, the chastiser of Paka addressed him in these words. “O Trishanku! Leave this place. You have not done anything to make heaven your abode. O foolish one! You have been cursed by your preceptor. Fall down to earth, with your head facing downwards.” Thus addressed by the great Indra, Trishanku started to fall down again. He screamed out to Vishvamitra, the store of austerities, “Save me.” Hearing his loud wails, Koushika became extremely angry and said, “Stay there. Stay there.” He was like another Prajapati.412 In the midst of the sages, along the southern direction, the energetic one created another group of saptarshis.413 Senseless with rage, in the midst of the sages, the extremely illustrious one then started to create garlands of nakshatras, located in the southern direction. Tainted by his rage, he created generations of nakshatras. “I will create another world with an Indra, or perhaps it doesn’t need an Indra.” In his anger, he started to create another set of gods. The large number of rishis and the bulls among the gods were extremely terrified at this. They entreated the great-souled Vishvamitra in these words. “O immensely fortunate one! This king is blemished because of the curse imposed by his preceptor. O store of austerities! He does not deserve to go to heaven in his own physical body.” Hearing the words of the gods, Koushika, bull among sages, spoke these extremely great words to all the gods. “O fortunate ones! I have promised King Trishanku that he will ascend there in his own physical body. I am not interested in ensuring the falsity of that pledge. In his own physical body, let Trishanku enjoy heaven for eternity. Let all my fixed nakshatras also be there. As long as the worlds exist, let all of them remain there. For my sake, all of you gods should agree to this.” Thus addressed, all the gods replied to the bull among sages. “O fortunate one! It shall be that way and all of them will remain there. Many of them will be there, but will be outside Vaishvanara’s path.414 O best among sages! Trishanku will also be there, amidst the radiance of the blazing nakshatras, like an immortal, but with his head hanging downwards.” In the midst of the rishis, worshipped by all the gods, the immensely energetic Vishvamitra, with dharma in his soul, agreed to what the gods had said. O supreme among men! After this, at the conclusion of the sacrifice, all the gods and the great-souled sages, stores of austerities, returned to wherever they had come from.’
Chapter 1(60)
‘O tiger among men! The immensely energetic Vishvamitra saw that the rishis had left. He spoke to all the residents of the forest. “A great obstruction has now arisen in the southern direction.415 We will head for another direction and perform austerities there. O great-souled ones! There is the extensive region of Pushkara in the western direction. We will happily practise austerities in the supreme hermitages there.” Having said this, the immensely energetic, invincible and great sage performed fierce austerities in Pushkara. He subsisted on roots and fruit. At that time, there
was a king who was the lord of Ayodhya. He was famous as Ambareesha and he started to perform a sacrifice. However, Indra seized the animal the sacrificer had earmarked. When the animal was destroyed, the brahmanas spoke to the king. “O king! Because of your carelessness, the animal has been seized and destroyed. If objects belonging to the king are left unprotected and are destroyed, the sin devolves on the king. O bull among men! A great rite of atonement must be performed. Let a man or an animal be quickly brought, so that the ritual can continue.” O bull among men! Hearing the words of the preceptors, the immensely intelligent king offered thousands of cows in exchange, so that he might obtain an animal. The lord of the earth searched in countries, habitations, cities, forests and even in sacred hermitages. O descendant of the Raghu lineage! O son!416 He saw Richika seated in Bhrigutunda, with his son and his wife. The infinitely radiant rajarshi bowed his head down and worshipped the immensely energetic brahmana rishi, who blazed in the radiance of his austerities. In every possible way, he asked about Richika’s welfare and then spoke these words. “O immensely fortunate one! O descendant of the Bhrigu lineage! If you give me your son in exchange for one hundred thousand cows, I will obtain a sacrificial animal and will be successful. I have visited all the countries, but have not obtained an appropriate sacrificial animal. In exchange for that price, you should grant me one of your sons.”417 Thus addressed, the immensely energetic Richika replied in these words. “O best among men! I will never sell my eldest son.” Hearing those words, the ascetic mother of those great-souled ones spoke to Ambareesha, tiger among men. “O king! Know that the youngest son is my beloved.418 O best among men! It is often the case that the eldest is loved by fathers and the youngest by mothers. Therefore, I am protecting the youngest.” O Rama! When the sage spoke those words and the sage’s wife spoke similar words, the son in the middle, Shunahshepa,419 himself said, “My father has said that the eldest cannot be sold and my mother has said the same about the youngest. O king! I therefore think that the son in the middle can be sold. Take me.” O descendant of the Raghu lineage! Extremely happy, the lord of men gave one hundred thousand cows, accepted Shunahshepa and left. Rajarshi Ambareesha swiftly ascended his chariot. The immensely energetic and greatly illustrious one left quickly with Shunahshepa.’
Chapter 1(61)
‘O best among men! O descendant of the Raghu lineage! Having taken Shunahshepa, when it was noon, the immensely illustrious king rested in Pushkara. While he was resting, the immensely illustrious Shunahshepa also came to the excellent Pushkara and saw Vishvamitra. He showed distress in his face. He was miserable because of thirst and exhaustion. He fell down on the sage’s lap and spoke these words. “I do not have a mother, nor a father. Where are my kin and relatives? O amiable one! O bull among sages! Following dharma, you should save me. O best among sages! You alone are the protector, the preserver of everything. Let the king be successful, but let me also have an undecaying and long life. Let me torment myself through the best of austerities and obtain the world of heaven. Using your intelligence become a protector to one who is without a protector. O one with dharma in his soul! Like a father, you should save me from all difficulty.” Hearing his words, Vishvamitra, the great ascetic, comforted him in various ways. He spoke these words to his sons. “Fathers give birth to sons for the sake of welfare and benefit in the world hereafter. That time has come to pass. This child, the son of a sage, desires refuge with me. O sons! We should bring him pleasure by ensuring his life. All of you are the performers of excellent deeds. All of you are devoted to dharma. Satisfy Agni by offering one of your own selves, like a sacrificial animal, to the Indra among kings. Then Shunahshepa will have a protector and there will be no obstructions to the sacrifice. The gods will be satisfied and I will also adhere to my pledge.” O best among men! On hearing the sage’s words, Madhushyanda and the other sons were insolent. They dismissively said, “O lord! How can you abandon your own sons and protect the son of another? We perceive this as something that should not be done, it is like an act of eating dog meat.” When he heard the words of his sons, the eyes of that bull among sages became red with rage. He said, “You have foolishly uttered these words and have thereby censured dharma. You have transgressed me in words that are terrible. They make the body hair stand up. Like the sons of Vasishtha, all of you will be reborn as those who subsist on dog meat. For a full one thousand years, you will roam around on the earth in that way.” Having cursed his sons in that way, the supreme sage then sought to protect the afflicted Shunahshepa and ensure his welfare. “When you are tied to the Vaishnava sacrificial altar with sacred bonds and adorned with red garlands and paste, address these eloquent words to Agni. O son of a sage! At Ambareesha’s sacrifice, chant these two divine hymns and you will obtain success.” Controlled in his mind, Shunahshepa accepted those two chants. He quickly went to Ambareesha and said, “O lion among kings! O great spirit! Let us quickly go to the assembly. O Indra among kings! Let your consecration take place.” On hearing the words of the rishi’s son, the king was eager and happy. Without deviating, he swiftly went to the sacrificial arena. With the permission of the assistant priests, he dressed the sacrificial animal420 in red garments, marked him out with auspicious signs and tied him to the altar. When he had been tied there, the sage’s son pleased the two gods, Indra and Indra’s younger brother421 with those two chants. The thousand-eyed one was pleased at that secret chanting. O Raghava! He granted a long life to Shunahshepa. O best among men! O Rama! The king completed his sacrifice and through the favours of the thousand-eyed one, obtained a multitude of fruits. O best among men! The great ascetic, Vishvamitra, with dharma in his soul, performed austerities in Pushkara for another one thousand years.’
Chapter 1(62)
‘One thousand years were over. After the vow was over, the great sage bathed and all the gods assembled to grant him the fruits he desired from the austerities. The greatly energetic Brahma spoke these extremely agreeable words to him. “O fortunate one! Through your own auspicious deeds, you have now become a rishi.” Having said this, the lord of the gods again returned to heaven. The immensely energetic Vishvamitra performed great austerities again. O best among men! After a long period of time, the supreme apsara, Menaka, arrived and started to bathe in Pushkara. Kushika’s greatly energetic son saw Menaka. She was unmatched in her beauty and was like a flash of lightning in a cloud. On seeing her, the sage came under the subjugation of Kandarpa and spoke these words. “O apsara! Welcome. Reside here, in my hermitage. O fortunate one! Show me your favours. I am extremely confounded by Madana.” Thus addressed, the beautiful one started to dwell there. Vishvamitra was confronted with a great obstruction in his austerities. O Raghava! O amiable one! While she happily dwelt there, in Vishvamitra’s hermitage, ten years passed. After this time had passed, the great sage, Vishvamitra, became ashamed. He was overcome by sorrow and started to think. O descendant of the Raghu lineage! The sage had intolerant thoughts. “All the gods have done this, to rob me of my great austerities. Ten years have passed, like only a day and a night. Because I was overcome by desire and confusion, this obstruction has presented itself.” The supreme among sages sighed. He sorrowed with repentance. He saw that the apsara was terrified and trembling, her hands joined in salutation.422 Using sweet words, Kushika’s son asked Menaka to leave. O Rama! Vishvamitra then went to the northern mountains.423 Wishing to conquer desire, the immensely illustrious one turned to devotion. On the banks of the Koushiki, he tormented himself through extremely difficult austerities. O Rama! In the northern mountains, he practised terrible austerities for one thousand years and the gods were scared. All the large number of rishis and gods assembled and consulted, deciding that Kushika’s son should be successful in obtaining the appellation of “maharshi”. Hearing the words of the gods, the grandfather of all the worlds spoke these sweet words to Vishvamitra, the store of austerities. “O son! O maharshi! Welcome. I am satisfied by your fierce austerities. O Koushika! I grant you the title of maha
rshi.” Hearing Brahma’s words, Vishvamitra, the store of austerities, bowed down, joining his hands in salutation. He replied to the grandfather, “O illustrious one! If I have accumulated unsurpassed merit through my own auspicious deeds, if I have conquered my senses, you should address me as brahmarshi.”424 Brahma told him, “O tiger among sages! You have still not conquered your senses and need to strive more.” Saying this, he returned to heaven. The gods also departed. The great sage, Vishvamitra, stood with his hands raised up, without any support. Subsisting only on air, he performed austerities. During the summer, he observed the five fires. During the monsoon, the open sky was his shelter. During the winter, during night and day, the store of austerities slept in the water. In this way, he performed fierce austerities for one thousand years. While Vishvamitra, the great sage, tormented himself in this way, Vasava and the other gods were extremely frightened. With the large number of Maruts, Shakra spoke words that were beneficial to him, but not beneficial to Koushika, or to the apsara Rambha.’
The Valmiki Ramayana Page 14
