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8/6/2019 BHAGAVATHA PURANA
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THE BHAGAVATA PURANA
by,
PRADYUMNA VASU DEV
SUTA AND OTHER SAGES
Many years ago, some sages (rishis) desired to go to heaven
(svarga). They therefore began to perform a yajna (sacrifice) in a
forest known as naimisharanya. The sacrifice was a difficult one,
and all the assembled sages were resting, when Suta arrived on
the scene. Suta was himself a sage and was the sage
Romaharshanas alternatively, Lomaharshana) son. Suta wasalso extremely learned in the Puranas and the shastras (sacred
texts).
The assembled sages welcomed Suta with offerings and said,
Suta, not only are you learned in the shastras and the Puranas,
you have also interpreted them. This is kaliyuga, the last of the
four eras when evil reigns supreme everywhere. People are no
longer interested in righteousness. Moreover, men do not live for
as long as they used to earlier. They therefore have less time todevote to the hearing of the shastras. Tell us briefly, the essence
of the shastras. Vishnu was born as Krishna, the son of Vasudeva
and Devaki, to rid the world of evil. Who knows about Krishna
more than you ? Tell us about Krishna and his exploits,
Suta was very happy that sages had asked him about Krishna.
He began to tell the story of the Bhagavata Purana.
Vishnus twenty-four Incarnations
Usually, ten incarnations (avataras) of Vishnu are mentioned in
the Puranas. The Bhagavata Purana however mentions twenty-
four incarnations.
Vishnu has an original form which cannot be normally seen. It
has many legs, thighs, hands, mouths, eyes, ears and noses. It is
from this original form that the incarnations are created. And it
was also from this form that Brahma was created.
Vishnus first incarnation was as a celibate brahmana, the
brahmanas being the first of the four classes. The duties of
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brahmanas were to pray and devote themselves to the study of
the shastras.
Vishnus second incarnation was a wild boar (varaha). In this
form, he rescued the world from the depths of the underworld.
In his third incarnation, Vishnu adopted the form of the great
sage Narada. As Narada, he instructed men about the virtues of
being devoted to Vishnu.
In the fourth incarnation, Vishnu adopted the forms of two
different sages. Their names were Nara and Narayana. These
two sages performed very difficult tapasya (meditation).
Vishnus fifth incarnation was also as a sage. This sages name
was Kapila. There was another sage named Asuri. Kapilainstructed Asuri about the school of philosophy that is known as
samkhya darshana.
In his sixth incarnation, Vishnu was born as the son of the sage
of the sage Atri and his wife Anusuya. The name that Vishnu
adopted in this incarnation was Dattatreya. As Dattatreya,
Vishnu instructed Alarka, Prahlada and others on the path to true
knowledge.
The seventh incarnation took place during the rule of
Svayambhuva Manu, the first Manu to rule over an era
(manvantara). Vishnu was now born as the son of Ruchi and
Akuti and his name was Yajna. Yajna held the title of Indra
during the first manvantara.
Vishnus eighth incarnation was as Rishabha, the son of King
Nabhi and Queen Maru. In this incarnation, he instructed even
the most learned of scholars about the best form of meditation.
The ninth incarnation was as a king. In fact, the sages had asked
that Vishnu might be born as a king. From the word for asking
(prarthana), the king came to be called Prithu and the earth is
known as prithivi after king Prithu. Prithu milked the earth and
obtained all the herbs and plants which were then handed over to
humans.
Vishnus tenth incarnation was as a fish (matsya). This took
place during the manvantara that was known as chakshushamanvantara. At this time, the whole world was flooded with
water. The Manu who ruled over this manvantara was known as
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Vaivasvata Manu. As a fish, Vishnu told Vaivasvata Manu to
build a boat and save himself and the rest of humanity from the
waters of the flood.
The eleventh incarnation was at the time of the churning of the
ocean (samudra manthana). Vishnu now adopted the form of aturtle (Kurma). The gods (devas) and demons (asuras) churned
the ocean with Mount Mandara as a churning rod. But this
would not have been possible had there not been a base on which
Mount Mandara could rest. This base was provided by the back
of the turtle. As the churning of the ocean continued.
Dhanvantari came out with a pot of amrita ( a life-giving drink)
in his hands. Dhanvantari was Vishnus twelfth incarnation.
Dhanvantari was also the originator of all medical knowledge.
Together with the gods, the demons also wanted a share of the
amrita. But Vishnu adopted the form of a beautiful woman and
so charmed the demons that they gladly parted with the amrita.
This was Vishnus thirteenth incarnation.
Hiranyakashipu later became the king of the demons and began
to oppress the gods. So Hiranyakashipu had to be destroyed.
Vishnu did this in his fourteenth incarnation, known as narasimha
because the being was half-man and half-lion. This man-beast
tore apart Hiranyakasipus breast with its claws.
After Hiranyakashipu, Vali became the king of the demons and
drove the gods out of heaven. Vishnus fifteenth incarnation was
that of a dwarf (vamana). The dwarf came to Vali and desired
that it might be granted as much of land as could be encompased
in three of its steps. The generous Vali did not refuse. But the
dwarf adopted a gigantic form and in three of its steps, it covered
all the three worlds. Thus Vali had to surrender heaven to the
gods.
There was once a time when the kings on earth became evil and
began to ignore the brahmanas. The kings were kshatriyas. The
kshatriyas constituted the second of the four classes and their
primary duty was to bear arms and protect the world from evil.
When it was found that the kings had themselves became evil.
Vishnu was born as Parashurama. This was his sixteenth
incarnation. Parashurama destroyed all the kshatriyas in the
world twenty-one times, so that good might once again prevail.
Thereafter, the seventeenth incarnation was born. This wasVedavyasa, the son of Parashara and Satyavati. Vedavyasa
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recompiled the sacred texts of the Vedas so that they might
become more easily understandable to men. It was thus that
there came to be four Vedas. Vedavyasas real name was Krishna
Dvaipayana. He came to be known as Vedavyasa because he had
divided the Vedas.
The eighteenth incarnation was Rama, about whom you must
have read in the Ramayana. The nineteenth and twentieth
incarnations were born as Yadavas. Their names are also familar
to you, this time from the Mahabharata. The nineteenth
incarnation was Baladeva or Balarama and the twentieth was
Krishna.
The twenty-first incarnation was Buddha, the originator of
Buddhism. The twenty-seond incarnation is yet to come. It will
be Kalki, the son of a brahmana named Vishnuyasha. Kalki will
arrive at the end of kaliyuga and destroy the evil of the world.
And a new righteous order will be established.
Although the Bhagavata Purana had promised to talk about
twenty-four avataras of Vishnu, it actually lists only twenty-two.
It however points out that such incarnations occur whenever
there is evil on earth and there is a need to destroy evil and
establish righteousness. Accordingly, there have been several
incarnations.
Vedavyasa and Narada
Vedavyasa had a son named Shukadeva. Shukadeva was a great
sage. He was learned and free from all wordly illusions. But he
never displayed his knowledge, so that most people thought him
to be ignorant and stupid.
Vedavyasa divided the Vedas into four. These sacred texts came
to be known as Rig Veda, Yajur Veda, Sama Veda and Atharva
Veda. Vedavyasa taught the four Vedas to four of his disciples.
Paila was taught the Rig Veda. Vaishamapayana the Yajur Veda,
Jaimini the Sama Veda and Sumanta the Atharva Veda. The
Puranas are known as the fifth Veda. Vedavyasa later taught the
Puranas to his disciple Romaharshana. And this Romaharshana
was the father of Suta, the narrator of the Bhagavata Purana.
But despite having done all this work one the Vedas in addition
to having composed the Mahabharata, Vedavyasa was intenselydissatisfied. His hermitage (ashrama) was on the banks of the
river Sarasvati. After having bathed in the river, Vedavyasa sat in
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his hermitage and began to ponder about what he might do next.
It was then that the sage narada arrived on the scene.
Vedavyasa, asked Narada. Why are you looking so miserable?
You have accomplished much that one ought to feel proud about.
I dont really know why I feel dissatisfied, replied Vedavyasa.
You are all-knowing. Why dont you tell me why I keep feeling
discontented?
That may be because you have spent too much time in
describing dharma, that which is righteous, said Narada. There
descriptions are too impersonal. Most people need that which is
more personalised. Dry words of dharma do not mean very
much. The cause of dharma might have been better served had
you described the exploits of Krishna. That would have made itmuch more personal. Why dont you do it? You alone are
capable of accomplishing a task like that.
Thus encouraged by Narada. Vedavyasa composed the
Bhagavata Purana and initially taught it to his son Shukadeva.
Ashvatthamas Punishment
Many Kaurava and Pandava warriors died in the course of theKurukshetra War. Towards the end of the war, Bhima and
Duryodhana fought a duel and Bhima broke Duryodhanas thighs
with a mace. Duryodhana lay there on the ground, defeated but
not yet dead. Ashvatthama had fought the war on Duryodhanas
side and was looking for a way to please the disconsolate
Duryodhana. Droupadi had five sons, the sons of the five
Pandavas. In the dead of the night, Ashvatthama entered the
Pandava camp and sliced off the heads of these five sons. He
then brought them as gifts to Duryodhana.
It was now Droupadis turn to be disconsolate and she demanded
revenge. Arjuna promised her that he would bring her
Ashvatthamas head as atonement. He therefore hunted out
Ashvatthama and challenged him to a duel.
Ashvatthama let loose a terrible divine weapon known as
brahmashira on Arjuna. To counteract it, Arjuna had to release a
brahmashira weapon of his own. But these two divine weapons
threatened to burn up the entire world. And the sages asked thetwo warriors to writhdraw their weapons. Arjuna did this easily,
but Ashvatthama did not know how to wirthdraw a brahmashira
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weapon, so the weapon was directed at Uttaras womb Uttara
was Arjunas widowed daughter-in-law, his son Abhimanyu
having died earlier in the course of the battle. Ashvatthama was
captured and brought to Droupadi by Arjuna. There it was
decided that Ashvatthama should not be killed. He was, after all,
the son of Dronacharya, the teacher of the Pandavas.Ashvatthama used to wear a jewel (mani) on his head. This
jewel was cut off and given to Droupadi and Ashvatthama was
allowed to leave.
But what was to happen to the brahmashira weapon that had
been directed at Uttaras womb? Uttara came running to Krishna
for protection. And Krishna himself entered the womb and so
protected the baby. This baby was Parikshit. Since the baby had
been protected by Vishnu in his form of Krishna, the brahmanas
proposed that he should be named Vishnurata, that is, protected
by Vishnu. But the baby had met Krishna inside Uttaras womb
and had become devoted to Krishna. Whenever the child met
someone, he tested to see if the person he had just met was
indeed the person whom he had met inside the womb. The word
for a test is pariksha. Thus it was that Vishnurata came to be
popularly known as Parikshit.
Krishnas Return to Dvaraka
Yudhisthira, the eldest of the Pandava brothers, became king
after the end of the Kurushetra War. For some time, Krishna
stayed in the capital city of Hastinapura. But thereafter, he had to
return to Dvaraka, the capital of the Yadavas. Great was the
rejoicing in Dvaraka when Krishna returned. Musical
instruments were played. Woman climbed up to the roofs to
catch a glimpse of Krishna. The brahmanas blessed him as he
walked down the streets. Before entering the city, Krishna blew
loudly on his conch-shell.
Dvaraka was a very pretty city. The trees bore all sorts of fruits
and flowers. The houses had creepers on them. The ponds were
gay with lotuses. Beautiful gardens wre scattered throughout the
city. There were many gates, all of which were decorated with
pennants and flags. The shops and street were clean.
Krishna had sixteen thousand wives. They were very glad that
their husband had come back after such a long itme.
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Krishnas Death and the Destruction
of the Yadavas
After some time had passed, Arjuna went on a visit to Dvaraka.
Months passed, but Arjuna did not return. Meanwhile,
Yudhishthira could see all sorts of ill omens in Hastinapura.People became evil, the seasons did not arrive at their appointed
times. Relatives fought with each other and friends became
enemies. Yudhishthira became seriosly worried and decided to
send Bhima to Dvaraka to find out what was happening there.
Why had Arjuna not come back despite the fact that seven
months had elasped since his departure from Hastinapura?
But before Bhima could be sent, Arjuna returned. He was no
longer his old self. He sat quietly, without utteringa word. Silent
drops of tears rolled down this cheek.
Yudhishthira was beside himself with worry. What has
happened, Arjuna?, he asked. Are our friends in Dvaraka well?
Why arent you uttering a word? Or is it that you yourself are
not well?
For a long while Arjuna could not bear to say anything. But
eventually he told them that Krishna had died.
The Yadavas had been destroyed as a clan.
The Bhagavata Purana will describe these incidents in the
eleventh skandha.
But hearing that Krishna had died, Yudhisthira decided to rule no
more. The five Pandavas and Droupadi left for the Himalayas.
Parikshit was made king in Hastinapura.
Parikshit
Parikshit was a good king. He always consulted the brahmanas
before taking any major decisions. He married Iravati, the
daughter of Prince Uttara. Parikshit and Iravati had four sons,
the most important of whom was Janmejaya. Parikshit also
performed three ashvamedha yajnas (horse sacrifices) on the
banks of the river Ganga. Prikshits guru (teacher) was
Kripacharya.
One day, Parikshit heard that the demon Kali had entered his
kingdom. The kaliyuga era had started as soon as Krishna had
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died. But in this particular incident. Kali invaded Parikshits
kingdom a person.
As soon as Parikshit learned that his kingdom had been invaded,
he dressed himself in his armour and took up his weapons. He
then ascended his chariot and, with his army, set out to conquerthe world and fight Kali. The earth is divded into seven regions
or dvipas. One by one, Parkshit conquered each of these dvipas.
He forced the conquered kings to pay him taxes.
In the course of his travels, Parikshit came upon the world
(prithivi) wandering around in the form of a cow. The cow was
talking to a bull and the bull was none other than the god Dharma
in disguise. The cow and the bull were conversing about the evil
that had befallen the earth. A shudra belongs to the lowest of the
four classes, the duty of a shudra being to serve the other three
classes. When Parikshit came upon the bull and the cow, a
shudra was in the process of beating the two animals up. The
animals shook with fear as they were beaten by the shudras
mace.
Parikshit shouted at the shudra, What do you think you are
doing? Have you no shame or fear? You deserve to be killed.
He consoled the two animals and took out his word to kill the
shudra. But the shudra was none other than Kali and Kali fell atParikshits feet and begged for mercy.
The king could not kill someone who was begging for mercy.
So he spared Kali, but told him that Kali was not to live inside
Parikshits kingdom. Otherwise, lies, jealousy, theft and quarrels
would become commonplace in the kingdom. This put Kali in a
dilemma. Where was Kali going to live? Parikshits kingdom
extended throughout the world. So Kali begged the king to tell
him where he might live. Parikshit earmarked certain places asKalis habitat. These were places where gambling, drinking and
violence took place. As long as Parikshit was king, Kali was thus
permitted to do no harm.
Once Parikshit had gone on a hunt. After chasing deer for a very
long time, the king felt hungry and thirsty. He look for a place
where he might get some water to drink. And this search brought
him to the hermitage of a sage. The sage was meditating,
oblivious of what was going on in the world around him. His
hair was matted and his body was clothes in deerskin.
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Parikshit asked the sage for some water, but the sage did not
bother to reply. At this, Parikshit felt slighted. There was a dead
snake lying there in front of the hermitage. Parikshit picked up
the dead snake with his bow and wound it around the shoulders
of the sage. The king then returned to his capital.
The sages son was very powerful. He had been busy playing
with his friends when all this had happened. But when he
returned and discovered what had happened, he was extremely
angry. How dare a kshatriya king insult a brahmana? He
therefore cursed Parikshit that the king would die of snakebite
within the span of seven days. And the snake which would do
this deed would be a snake named takshaka.
The sage got to know of the curse that his son had imposed on
Parikshit and was not at all happy. The sages name was
Shamika. Shamika told his son, What have you done? The king
is our protector. What will happen to us if the king dies?
Moreover, Parikshit is a good king. You have levied a heavy
punishment for a minor transgression.
Meanwhile, back in the capital, Parikshit was also struck with
remorse. He realize that he should not have thus insulted the
sage. He resolved that not only would he never act like that in
the future, he would also undergo penance (prayashchitta) for thesin.
While the king was thus pondering, news was brought to him
about the curse that had been imposed on him. Parikshit bore
this news with fortitude. He was prepared to atone for his sin.
And if it was desined that he should die at the hands of takshaka,
then so would it be. But prior to dying, he decided that his death
should take place on the banks of the holy river Ganga. And he
would devote the seven days that were left to him to thecontemplation of Krishna.
Parikshit therefore began a fast on the banks of the Ganga. He
meditated and thought of Krishna. Many sages assembled to
witness this wonderful spectacle The king was delighted that all
the sages had come, because that meant that his last moments on
earth were blessed. Parishits son Janmejaya had also come and
Parishit handed over the kingdom to his son. The gods and sages
were delighted to see the calm with which Parikshit was facing
up to his fate. Flowers were showered on the kings head fromheaven.
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At the time, Vedavyass son Shukadeva also arrived there. He
was only sixteen years of age, but so holy that all the sages stood
up to honour Shukadeva. Parikshit also worshipped Shukadeva
and said , I am honoured that you have come here.
Tell me what a man about to die should hear.
And so began Shukadevas narrative.
The Great Form of Vishnu
Shukadeva said, Most people are ignorant. They are obsessed
with material pursuits. They do not realize that all these are
merely illusions (maya). True bliss comes from knowing
Vishnu. The Bhagavata Purana tells of Vishnu and I learnt the
text from my father Vyasadeva. You are devoted to Vishnu. So Iwill relate to you the Bhagavata Purana.
When death knocks at ones door, one should forget about
material pursuits. One should go to a holy place and prepare to
meditate. The best incantation (mantra) for meditation is that
which goes by the name of omkara, the chanting of om
repeatedly. This chanting calms the mind. The senses are
controlled and one can contemplate God. Yoga is the technique
of uniting the human soul (atman) with the divine essence(brahman). And yogis are people who try to achieve this union.
A yogi has to sit in a proper posture (asana) and has to control his
breath in the process of meditation (pranayama). It helps to fix
ones mind on the great form of Vishnu.
Vishnus great form is everywhere. It is the beginning of the
past, the present and the future. The form is shrouded in the five
elements and the ego. But within the form is the being who is the
object of all yoga. The underworld rests at this beings feet, the
earth is near the thighs and the sky is at the navel. This great
form of Vishnu is known as vishvarupa. Near the breast of the
being is heaven (svarloka or svarga), surrounded by all the stars.
Higher up on the body are the higher regions. The entire
universe is divided into fourteen regions (lokas). Seven of these
form the underworld and their names are atala, vitala, sutala,
talatala, mahatala, rasatala and patala. Seven other lokas form
the upper regions and their names are bhuloka, bhuvarloka,
svarloka, maharloka, janaloka, tapoloka and satyaloka. Thus the
beings throat is maharloka, the mouth janaloka, the foreheadtapoloka and the head satyaloka.
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Indra and the other gods are the arms of the being. The four
directions are his ears. The two Ashvinis are his nose and his
mouth is flaming fire itself. The sun is Vishnus eyes, day and
night are his eyelashes and his smile is maya. The oceans form
his armpits, the mountains his bones, the rivers his veins and the
trees are the hair on his body. The wind is Vishnus breath andthe clouds are nothing but his hair. The brahmanas have a place
near Vishnus mouth, the kshatriyas near his arms, the vaishyas
(the third of the four classes) near his thighs and the shudras near
his feet. This vishvarupa of Vishnu is everywhere. And it is this
vishvarupa that one must concentrate on in the process of yoga.
Having heard all this, Parikshit gave himself up to the
contemplation of Vishnu. He forgot his wife, sons, wealth, and
kingdom. But he nevertheless wanted to know more about
Krishna, Vishnus incarnation on earth. He asked Shukadeva to
tell him about Krishna. And this is what Shudadeva proceeded to
do, beginning with the story of the creation.
Creation
Although Brahma is regarded as the creator, Brahma himself
owes his creation to Vishnu. Vishnu created the three gunas
(qualities) for the purposes of creation. These three qualities are
sattva guna, raja guna, and tama guna. Sattva guna relates toknowledge and is associated with the gods. Raja guna relates to
activity and is associated with the senses. Tama guna relates to
matter and is associated with the five elements.
In the beginning, there was only the great egg (brahmanda). For
thousands and thousands of years the egg floated on the waters
that were everywhere. Then a being came out of the egg. This
was nothing but Vishnus great form. It had thousands of thighs,
legs, hands, breasts, faces and heads. The learned know that allthe fourteen worlds were created from this great being. The
seven lokas that constitute the underworld were made out of the
lower part of the body. And the seven lokas that constitute the
upper regions were made out of the upper half of the body.
This vishvarupa extends throughout the universe. It even
extends beyond the universe. Nothing that was created is
independent of this great being. Brahma himself emerged from a
lotus that sprouted from this great beings navel. If Brahma
became the creator of all living beings, it was only because of theblessings of Vishnu. And Shiva happens to be the destroyers also
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by Vishnus grace. In every cycle (kalpa), Vishnu first creates
himself. Then he creates other beings, preserves them and
eventually destroys them.
Uddhava and Vidura
Many years ago, Vidura was once forced to leave his house.
If you have read the Mahabharata, you will remember that
Vidura was the younger brother of Dhritarashtra. And
Dhritarashtras son Duryodhana was always trying to bring some
harm to the Pandavas. He tried to burn them in the house of lac
(jatugriha), he unfairly defeated Yudhishthra in a game of dice
and he deprived the Pandavas of the kingdom that was rightfully
theirs. Dhritarashtra was so smitten by love for his son that he
never interfered, even though he realized that what Duryodhanawas doing was not quite right. Eventually, Vidura could bear it
no longer. He begged Dhritarashtra to forsake his son and return
the kingdom to Yudhishthira.
Hearing this, Duryodhana lost his temper. Who has permitted
this son of a slave-girl to enter the court premises?, he demanded
to know. How dare Vidura insult the hand that feeds him? He
behaves like an enemy. Banish him from the kingdom.
It was indeed true that Vidura was the son of a slave-girl. But
this did not mean that Duryodhana had the right to insult
someone who was his uncle. Vidura felt so hurt that he resolved
to leave Hastinapura. Having left he capital, Vidura visited many
places of pilgrimage. He travelled throughout the length and
breadth of Bharatavarsha and finally came to the river Yamuna.
On the banks of the Yamuna he met Uddhava.
Uddhava was Krishnas close companion and friend and Vidura
was delighted to have met him. He enquired from Uddhava
about the welfare of Krishna and the other Yadavas. At this,
Uddhava remembered various childhood exploits of Krishnas.
Krishnas Childhood
Uddhava had first met Krishna when he was only five years old.
But even at that early age, he had become a close friend of
Krishnas and could not bear to parted from him. And together,
the two friends had aged over the years. Now when Vidura askedhim about Krishna. Uddhavas eyes glistened with tears.
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He said, I am sorry to tell you that the days of Krishnas glory
are now over. Cursed are the Yadavas for not recognizing while
there was time that Krishna was Vishnus avatara. They treated
him like a mere human. There are only a few like you and me
who recognized Krishna for what he was. Alas, Krishna is no
more. He is dead. The world no longer seems to be the same.Do you remeber his childhood deeds?
The world was full of evil. And Brahma went and prayed to
Vishnu that something might be done about all this evil. Vishnu
agreed to be born as the son of Vasudeva and Devaki. But
Kamsa, the king of the Yadavas, had got to know that Vasudevas
son would kill him. So he imprisoned Vasudevas son would kill
him. So he imprisoned Vasudeva and Devaki. It was in Kamsas
prison that Krishna was born. To save the newly born baby from
Kamsas wrath, Vasudeva went and left baby Krishna with Nanda
and his wife Yashoda. There Krishna was brought up as the son
of Nanda and Yashoda. Krishnas elder brother was Baladeva,
also born as an incarnation of Vishnus.
For eleven years, the two brothers withheld from common
knowledge their divine nature. They played with the cowherds
along the banks of the river Yamuna and tended to the cattle.
Krishna was particularly fond of playing the flute.
Kamsa had got to know about Krishna and he sent many demons
to try and kill Krishna. But Krishna disposed of all these demons
effortlessly. There was a huge snake named Kaliya which was
poisoning the water of the Yamuna. Cowherds and cattle died as
a result of drinking this poisoned water. Krishna tamed Kaliya
and made the water of the Yamuna pure again. He also brought
back to life the cowherds and the cattle who had died.
The cowherds had been in the habit of praying to Indra through asacrificial ceremony. Krishna put a stop to this sacrifice. This so
angered Indra that he poured down torrents and torrents of rain
and threatened to destroy all the cowherds and their cattle. But
Krishna lifted up a huge mountain known as govardhana with his
finger. He held this aloft and all the cowherds and their cattle
took shelter under this mountain. They were thus saved.
Kamsas Death
Later on, Krishna came to Mathura. This city was Kamsascapital. He killed Kamsa and made Kamsas father Ugrasena the
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king of the Yadavas. He also freed his parents, Vasudeva and
Devaki, from Kamsas prison.
Those who were devoted to Krishna attained true knowledge.
And Uddhava asked Vidhura to worship the sage Maitreya if he
desired to attain this knowledge.
Maitreya
The sage Maitreya lived in Haridvara and it was there that
Vidura met him.
Vidura asked Maitreya, Our worldly life is such that no matter
what one does, there is unhappiness all around. Tell me how
Krishna can be worshipped so that one can conquer all this
unhappiness.
Maitreya told Vidura about the beginning of creation. Brahma
emerged from Vishnus navel and began the task of creation.
From the powers of his mind he created four sages whose names
were Sanakaa, Sananda, Sanatana and Sanatkumara. But these
sages did not seem to be at all interested in the process of
creation and this made Brahma very angry. From his furrowed
brows there was born a son known as Nilalohita, so named
because he was partly blue (nila) and partly red (lohita) incolour. Nilalohita was the ancestor of all the gods.
As soon as he was born, Nilalohita began to cry.
Why are you crying?, asked Brahma.
Because I have no name, replied the boy, Give me a name and
tell me where I should stay.
Brahma told the boy not to cry. From the word for crying (rud),he named the boy Rudra. In additon, Brahma gave the boy
eleven more names. These were Manyu, Manu, Mahinas,
Mahan, Shiva, Ritadhvaja, Ugrareta, Bhava, Kala, Vamadeva and
Dhritavrata. Eleven wives named Dhi, Dhriti, Rasala, Uma,
Nishut, Sarpi, Ila, Ambhika, Iravati, Svadha, and Diksha were
earmarked for Rudra. Brahma also decided that Rudras habitat
would be the heart, the life, the sky, the air, the fire, the water, the
earth, the sun, the moon, and all meditation.
Brahma next asked Rudra to create more beings. The first Rudra
created several other Rudras. But all these creations were terrible
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and they proceeded to destroy whatever Brahma had so far
created.
Brahma told Rudra, Please desist. Enough is enough. There is
no need for you to create anything any more. Why dont you go
away and meditate?
Thus instructed by Brahma, rudra went away to meditate. And
with Rudra safely out of the way, Brahma could concentrate on
the act of creation once more. Ten sons were born to Brahma.
Their names were Marichi, Atri, Angira, Pulastya, Pulaha, Kratu,
Bhrigu, Vashishtha, Daksha and Narada. Narada was born from
Brahmas lap, Daksha from his thumb, Vashishta from his breath
of life, Bhrigu from his skin, Kratu from his hands, Pulaha from
his navel, Pulastya from his ears, Agnira from his mouth, Atri
from his eyes and Marichi from his mind.
Several sacred texts came out of Brahmas mouth. These
included the four Vedas (rig, sama, yajur, and atharva), and
ayurveda (the art of medicine), dhanurveda (the art of fighting)
and gandharvaveda (the art of singing). The Puranas also came
out of Brahmas mouth and they came to be known as the fifth
Veda.
Finally Brahma split his own body into two. One part becamemale and the other female. The man was called Svayambhuva
Manu and the woman Shatarupa. Manu and Shatarupa had five
children, two sons and three daughter. The sons were Priyavrata
and Uttanapda and the daughters were Akuti, Devahuti, and
Prasuti.
The Boar Incarnation
Maitreya continued with the story.
Manu and Shatarupa touched Brahmas feet. Lord, we have no
place to live in, They said. The whole world is full of water.
The earth is submerged in water.
Brahma found that this was indeed true and he wondered what
might be done. Perhaps he should pray to Vishnu for
deliverance. But while Brahma was thinking, a minute little boar
came out from his nose. Within seconds, the boar grew and grew
until it became as huge as an elephant. Brahma, the sages, andManu marvelled to see this wonderful sight. Who could this boar
be?
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As they wondered, the boar began to roar. The wold shook with
the sound of this roaring. And everyone realized that the boar
could be none other than Vishnu. They started to pray to Vishnu.
They chanted mantras (incantations) so that the boar might be
pacified.
The boar kept up into the sky. It hardened its body and the hair
on its neck stood up. It struck the clouds with its hooves. The
light from its eyes lit up the four directions and its tusks glistened
white. Glancing at the people who had assembled, the boar
entered the waters of the ocean. Like a mountain the boars body
fell and the bed of the ocean was ripped apart. The waves rose
up as if in protest. The boar went all the way down into the
underworld and there it discovered the earth. It raised the earth
with its tusks and brought the earth up to where it should be. In
the water there was also a daitya (demon) named Hiranyaksha.
Hiranyaksha tried to fight the boar with a mace, but was no
match for Vishnu. Vishnu killed the demon with his sudarshana
chakra (a weapon like a bladed discus).
The sages prayed at this wonderous deed.
But Vidura was not satisfied. Sage Maitreya, he said, you have
been too brief. Who was this Hiranyaksha who met Vishnu in the
underworld?
Maitreya then began to relate the story of Hiranyaksha.
Daksha s daughter Diti was married to the sage Kashyapa.,
Kashyapa himself being the son of the sage Marichi. Kashyapa
and Diti had two sons. Unfortunately, Diti had had the idea of
having children when it was evening. The evening is not
auspicious for such a task, since it is then that ghosts and demons
wander around. The upshot was that the two sons who were bornwere destined to be evil. They would oppress the world. And it
was also destined that they would be killed by Vishnu in two of
his incarnations. These two sons were Hiranyaksha and
Hiranyakashipu.
But Kashyapa was a powerful sage. So he granted his wife the
boon that one of their grandsons would be so righteous that he
would be a model for everyone to follow. This grandson was
Prahlada, who was always devoted to Vishnu.
For a hundred years the two evil sons stayed in Ditis womb
without being born. So evil were they that, even before they
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were born, the four directions became dark and the sun and the
moon faded. The gods were greatly alarmed at these
developments and went to Brahma for a solution.
Brahma said, Do not worry. All this has been ordained. Let me
tell you about Jaya nd Vijaya.
Once upon a time, several sages went to vaikunthaloka. This
was the place where Vishnu lived. Vaikunthaloka was a beautiful
place to behold. It was full of wonderful gardens. The gardens
had miraculous trees which yielded whatever fruits or flowers
one desired. The ponds were full of flowers. The gandharvas
(singers of heaven) and apsaras (dancers of heaven) were
everywhere. All those who are devoted to Vishnu stay in
vaikunthaloka. The evil can never go there. Vaikunthaloka is a
better place than even brahmaloka, Brahmas residence.
The sages were very happy to have come to vaikunthaloka.
They now desired to see Vishnu himself. They crossed six gates
without difficulty and so arrived at the seventh, the gate they
would have to cross before meeting Vishnu. But there were two
sentries who stood guard at the seventh gate and they would not
let the sages pass. They had maces in their hands and they
threatened the sages with these weapons.
The sages felt insulted. They therefore cursed the two sentries
that they would leave vaikunthaloka and be born on earth. The
two sentries were named Jaya and Vijaya. And it was Jaya and
Vijaya who were born as the two asuras (demons) Hiranyaksha
and Hiranyakashipu.
After the babies had spent a hundred years in Ditis womb, they
were born as a pair of twins. When they were born, there were
ill omens all around. The earth shook and fires broke outeverywhere. There were showers of meterors and thunder and
comets. Terrible duststorms darkened the earth. Trees were
uprooted in the storms and lightning split the sky. The clouds
were so thick that the suns rays could not be seen. There were
tidal waves in the sea. Donkeys brayed and owls hooted.
The elder of the twins was named Hiranyaksha and the younger
Hiranyakashipu. They became very powerful and strong.
Hiranyaksha once arrived in heaven. He had become invincible,
thanks to a boon received from Brahma. He defeated Indra andthe other gods and expelled them from heaven. Having
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conquered heaven, Hiranyaksha decided to conquer the sea. The
god of the ocean was Varuna, but Varunas army was no match
for Hiranyaksha. Varunas palace was named Vibhavari.
Hiranyaksha won over Vibhavari and began to live there.
After some time, Hiranyaksha encountered Vishnu in the form ofa boar in the water. He challenged the boar to a duel and hurled a
mace at it. But Vishnu easily repelled the mace. And he struck
Hiranyaksha with his own mace. Thus they continued to fight for
some time, striking each other with maces. Vishnu struck the
asura on his throat with the mace. But this did not affect
Hiranyaksha. He counterattacked so hard that Vishnus mace fell
off from his hand. At this, Vishnu called for his sudarshana
chakra. He repelled the various maces and spears that the asura
hurled at him.
Hiranyaksha now restored to maya, the art of creating illusions
and hallucinations. He completely disappeared and made the
whole world dark. And from the darkness, he began to fling
down boulders and weapons. There seemed to be demons
everywhere. But when Vishnu flung his chakra, all this maya
disappeared. And the chakra sliced off Hiranyakshas head.
Having achieved his purpose, Vishnu gave up the form of a boar.
Kardama and Devahuti
One of Svayambhuva Manus daughters was Devahuti. She was
married to the sage Kardama. For ten thousand years Kardama
performed very difficult tapasya (meditation) on the banks of the
river Sarasvati. This meditation so pleased Vishnu that he
granted Kardama the boon that he himself would be born as the
son of Kardama and Devahuti.
But a special place needed to be designed for Vishnu to be born.
With the powers of his tapasya, Kardama created a vimana ( a
space-vehicle). This vimana was bejewelled and richly
decorated. It had many rooms inside it. For a hundred years
Kardama and Devahuti lived in this vimana and Devahuti gave
birth to nine daughters. Their names were Kala, Anasuya,
Shraddha, Havirbhu, Gati, Kriya, Khyati, Arundhati, and Shanti.
These nine daughters were married to the nine great sages
Marichi, Atri, Angira, Pulastya, Pulaha, Kratu, Bhrigu,
Vashishtha and Atharva.
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Thereafter, Vishnu himself was born to Kardama and Devahuti
as Kapila. His purpose was to teach men the intricacies of
samkhya tattva, the theory of true knowledge that showed the
path to an union with the brahman.
After Kapila was born, Kardama went off on a pilgrimage andKapila was brought up by Devahuti. They lived in an ashrama
(hermitage) named Vindusarovara.
Once Devahuti went to her son and said, I am tired of this
world. I am tired of its illusions. Teach me true knowledge.
Kapila taught his mother. And these teachings have come to be
known as samkhya yoga. Yoga means union and is used in the
sense of the human soul (atman) uniting with the divine assence
(brahman). This is what Kapila taught.
Yoga conquers both happiness and unhappiness. The mind gets
attached to material pursuits and this is the main obstacle in the
path. of yoga One has to free oneself from these attachments.
This also requires the overcoming of ones own ego. The main
path to achieving this union with God is bhakti (devotion and
faith). The brahman has no traits, it cannot be described. It is
not moved by any emotions. Those who do not realize the
identity of the atman with the brahman are destined to be bornagain and again.
The supreme knowledge that Kapila taught her, freed Devahuti
from all here illusions. She realized tha the body was nothing.
True bliss was in yoga. She went to an ashrama on the banks of
the river Sarasvati and there began to practice yoga. She
meditated on the various forms of Lord Vishnu that Kapila had
told her of. The place where Devahuti performed tapasya has
now become a famous place of pilgrimage. It is known assiddhipada.
The Daughters of Manu
You will recollect that Svayambhuva Manu had three daughters,
Akuti, Devahuti and Prasuti. You have already heard Devahutis
story.
Akuti was married to the sage Ruchi and they had a son and a
daughter. The son was Vishnus incarnation and was brought upby Svayambhuva Manu. The daughter was named Dakshina.
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Dakshina married Vishnu himself and their twelve sons were the
gods known as tushitas.
Brahmas son was Daksha and Daksha married Prasuti. They
had sixteen daughters. Thirteen of these daughters were married
to the god Dharma, one to the god Agni, one to the ancestors andthe last one to Shiva. One of Dharmas wives was Murti and she
gave birth to the two great sages, Nara and Narayana. Nara and
Narayana were incarnations of Vishnu. They were worshipped
by everyone and went off to perform tapasya on Mount
Gandhamadana.
You have been told that Shiva married one of Dakshas
daughters. Her name was Sati. She gave up her life because her
husband was insulted. Thereby hangs a tale.
Shiva and Daksha
Many years ago, there was a yajna (sacrifice) at which all the
gods and sages had assembled. All the guests were seated, when
Daksha suddenly arrived. Everyone stood up to honour Daksha,
except Brahma and Shiva. Brahma had no reason to show
Daksha respect; Daksha was after all his own son. But Daksha
was greatly insulted at Shivas ignoring him. Apart from
anything else, Shiva also happened to be his son-in-law.
Assembled guests, said Daksha, Please listen to what I have to
say. This Shiva has no sense of shame, he does not know how to
honour his seniors. He is married to my daughter Sati. Wouldnt
it have been proper of him to stand up and show me respect? It
was stupid of me to marry my daughter to this useless fellow.
His companions are ghosts and demons. He frequents cremation
grounds (shmashana) like a lunatic. His body is smeared with
ashes from dead bodies, he wears a garland of skulls and hedrinks all the time.
Shiva continued to ignore Daksha and did not react at these
angry words. But Dakshas ire had been roused and he cursed
Shiva that, henceforth. Shiva would not be entitiled to receive
any offerings that were made to gods at yajnas. He then left the
place in a huff.
Shivas main companion was Nandi. Nandi was incensed that
Shiva should have been cursed and that the sages and thebrahmanas should have kept quiet and not protested. Nandi
therefore cursed the sages and brahmanas that they would be
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born again and again on earth. They would have to work for a
living and they would lose sight of true knowledge and become
addicted to material pursuits.
Now it was the turn of the sage Bhrigu to get angry. He cursed
all followers of Shiva that they would become addicted todrinking and would roam around with bodies smeared with ashes
and decorated with skulls. Their hair would always be matted.
Shiva had been silent through all this pandemonium. But at all
this general cursing, he collected his followers and companions
and left the yajna.
The yajna was performed in Shivas absence. This went on for a
thousand years.
Days passed. Daksha organized another yajna named vajapeya
and did not invite Shiva or his followers. The yajna was
successfully completed and this made Daksha so arrogant that he
decided to hold yet another yajna named brihaspatistava. He
invited all the other gods and sages to this yajna, but did not
invite Shiva and his followers. The sacrifice was a tremendous
success and people talked about it everywhere. Some such
people who had been to the yajna were conversing about it while
travelling through the sky. Sati overhead their conversation. Shealso saw many gandarva women going to attend the yajna in their
vimanas. This excited Satis curiosity and she too wanted to go
to her fathers sacrifice.
She went to Shiva and said, Your father-in-law Daksha is
organizeing a wonderful sacrifice. Let us go there; all the other
gods are going. I will get to meet my sisters, I have not met them
for such a long time. Nor have I met my mother for ages. This is
a chance to talk to all ones relatives. Let us go. Or at least, letme go. I know that we have not received an invitation. But does
one need an invitation to go to ones husband, father or friends?
Shiva reminded Sati of what Daksha had said earlier and asked
her to desist. She would not be welcome there. For although she
was Dakshas own daughter, she happened to be Shivas wife as
well. But despite Shivas warning, Sati was adamant. She would
go. So he sent several of his companions to accompany her.
Sati arrived at Dakshas sacrifice and found that the yajna hadstarted. The gods and the sages had arrived. The Vedas were
being recited. But except for Satis mother and sisters, no one
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dared to welcome her. Her father ignored her completely. She
also noticed that, at the yajna, no provison had been made for
Shivas share. Shiva was to be deprived.
Sati told her father, I had not expected that you would stoop to
such low levels. Who but you would have insulted a person likeShiva? It is the duty of a pativrata (a woman who is devoted to
her husband) to protest if her husband is being insulted. You
have insulted my husband. I owe this body of mine to you, since
you happen to be my father. But I no longer wish to possess a
body that is thus contaminated.
Saying this, Sati sat down on the floor. She controlled her breath
and brought the breath of her life to the centre of her forehead.
She thought of Shiva and exhaled the breath of life. And her
body was immediately consumed by fire. The assembled guests
marvelled at this wonderful incident.
Shiva had sent several companions with Sati. These companions
now attacked Daksha and the guests. But amongst the guests
was the powerful sage Bhrigu. With his powers, Bhrigu created
thousands and thousands of gods (named ribhus) from the fire of
the yajna. The ribhus soon put all Shivas companions to fight.
These companions rushed back to Shiva and told him what had
transpired.
Shivas anger knew no bounds. He tore off a flaming hair from
his head flung it down on the ground with a thunderous laugh.
From the hair was created a gigantic being named Virabhadra.
Virabhdras head touched the sky. He was as dark as the clouds.
And he had a thousand arms and three eyes. A garland of skulls
hung around his neck and his hands held diverse weapons.
Virabhadra stood before Shiva in all humility and asked, Whatare my orders?
Shiva replied, I have given birth to you and you are invincible.
Go and destroy Daksha and his yajna.
Virabhadra took up a terrible trishula (trident) and rushed
towards the place where the sacrifice was being held. He was
accompanied by several other demons and ghosts. Some of them
broke down the pillars of Dakshas house, others demolished the
sacrificial pyre. The fire of the yajna was put out. Some demonschased the sages and the gods were attacked by others. One of
Shivas companions was named Manimana. He caught hold of
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the sage Bhrigu and tied him up. The gods who did not flee were
also tied up. Virabhadra himself imprisoned Daksha. He tore off
Bhrigus beard. And then he tried to slice off Dakshas head with
his sword. But he found that this was very difficult to do. So
Virabhadra dragged Dakshas body to a scaffold that had been
erected for sacrificing animals. He placed Dakshas head on thescaffold and cut it off with his sword. This severed head was
flung into the fire. Having accomplished his purpose, Virabhadra
returned to Shivas residence in Mount Kailasa.
The gods fled in despair to Brahma and told him what had
happened. Brahmas reaction was that the gods had got what
they deserved. They had no business to insult Shiva or to be a
party to such insults. Shiva was entitled to shares in all yajnas
just as the other gods were. Brahma therefore advised the gods
to pray to Shiva. No one else could pacify Shivas anger.
The gods went to Kailasa and began to pray to Shiva. They
desired that Daksha might be brought back to life, Bhrigus beard
might sprout again, and the gods who had injured might quickly
be restored to good health. Shiva had cooled down by then, so
that he was not averse to grantng these boons. But what was to
be done about Daksha? His old head had been consumed by the
fire. Shiva proposed the solution that the head of a goat might be
stuck onto Dakshas body. The gods and sages returned withShiva to the place where the sacrifice was being held. Shiva
stuck the goats head onto Dakshas body and Daksha was
brought back to life. He begged Shiva for mercy and
forgiveness.
The yajna started afresh and this time Vishnu himself acted as
the chief priest. As for Sati, she was born again as the daughter
of Himalaya and Menaka, and united once again with Shiva. But
that is a different story.
Dhruva
Svayambhuva Manu had two sons named- Priyavarata and
Uttanapada. Both of them became kings. King Uttanapada had
two wives, Suniti and Suruchi. He was extremely fond of
Suruchi, but did not like Suniti all that much. Suruchis son was
Uttama and Sunitis son was Dhruva.
One day, Uttama was sitting on his fathers lap and beingfondled by him. Dhruva came there and also wanted to sit on his
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fathers lap. But Suruchi said, What do you think you are doing?
The kings lap and his throne are reseved for my son. You are
not my son. Go away. Go to your mother Suniti.
Dhruva burst into tears at these harsh words. And so enamoured
was the king of Suruchi that he did not protest. The weepingDhruva went to his own mother and was consoled by her.
Suniti said, son, do not be unhappy. If Suruchi has sinned, she
will have to pay for her sins in the future. Unfortunate are you
that you are my son. We must be paying for sins that we have
committed earlier. Do not be sad. Pray to God, there lies true
salvation.
Dhruva resolved to do this and left his fathers house. He was
accosted by the sage Narada who told him that he was too small
to be performing difficult tapasya. That was meant for the sages.
But Dhruva was insistent. Throught his tapasya he wished to
attain a position that had not been attained by any of his
ancestors. This resolve pleased Narada no end. Narada advised
Dhruva to go to the banks of the Yamuna to a grove named
Madhuvana. He should there pray to Vishu. Narada also taught
Dhruva an incantation that he could use for this purpose. At this
time, Dhruva was only five years of age.
Dhurva began his tapasya. For the first month, he ate only fruitonce every three days. The remaining days he fasted. In the
second month he ate once every five days, once every nine days
in the third month, and he lived only on air in the fourth month.
Thus, five months passed. Dhruva stood there on one leg,
praying. He saw nothing but Vishnu everywhere. Eventually
Vishnu was pleased and appeared before Dhruva. When Vishnu
offered to grant a boon. Dhruva desired that he might attain a
position that no one had reached even before.
Vishnu carved out a place for Dhurva in the sky. No one had
live there before. This would be known as Dhruvaloka. Dhruva
would become the pole star and all the other stars would revolve
around him. Dhruvaloka would not be destroyed at the end of a
kalpa (cycle) when everything else was destroyed. But all this
would happen only after Dhruva died. For the moment, Vishnu
informed him that he should return to his father. For Dhruva was
destined to rule as a king for thirty-six thousand years. His
brother Uttama would get lost while on a hunting expedition.
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Thanking Vishnu, Dhruva returned to his fathers kingdom.
King Uttanapda was very happy to have him back, and Uttama
and Dhruva embraced each other. The two princes grew up
together. And When Uttanapada desired to retire to the forest, he
handed over the kingdom to Dhruva.
Dhruva had two wives, Bhrami and Ila. Uttama never married.
He went on a hunt and was killed by a powerful yaksha in the
forest. These yakshas were beings who were the companions of
Kubera, the god of wealth. Uttamas mother, Suruchi, went to
look for her son in the forest and died there.
When Dhruva learned that his brother had been killed by a
yaksha, he was furious. He climbed onto his chariot and left for
the abode of the yakshas to avenge his brother. The yakshas
lived towards the north in a valley in the Himalayas. Dhruva
found their city and started to blow on his conch-shell,
challenging the yakshas to a fight. The yaksha soldiers attacked,
but Dhruva pierced them with his arrows. The yakshas brought
millions of soldiers to bear on Dhruva and the king was
completely surrounded by his enemies. But he triumphed over
them and killed many of them with his weapons. The yakshas
retaliated with the use of maya (the art of creating illusions).
Dhruva repelled the maya with a divine weapon known as
narayanastra.
Before the fight could progress further, several sages came to
Dhruva. Why are you doing this? they asked. Why are you
killing innocent yakshas? That is a sin. Control your anger.
Only one yaksha had killed your brother. Punish him, but why
kill the others? Besides, everyones destiny is ordained by
Vishnu. He alone decides on what is to happen. Your brother
was destined to die. Why blame the poor yaksha? He was only
the instrument.
Dhruva realized the wisdom in these words and ceased to fight.
Kubera himself came to Dhruva and offered to grant him a boon.
Dhruva wanted the boon that he might always remain devoted to
Vishnu. The boon was granted and Dhruva returned to his
kingdom. He ruled well and performed many sacrifices. He
ruled for thirty-six thousand years.
When he was tired of the material life, Dhruva handed over the
kingdom to his sons. He retired to a hermitage namedvadrikashrama to perform yoga. After some time had passed, a
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vimana descended from the sky for Dhruva. Vishnus
companions Nanda and Sunanada were in the vimana. They took
Dhruva to the place that had been reserved for him in the sky.
If you look up at the sky at night, you will be able to see Dhruva.
Vena and Prithu
Dhruva had a son named Utkala who was asked to become king
after Dhruva left for the forest. But Utkala was not interested in
becoming a king, he was more concerned about getting to know
about the brahman. So the kingdom was handed over to his
younger brother Vatsara.
Vatsaras descendant was king Vena. Vena was terrible, even as
a prince. It was really Venas acts that drove Venas father Angato the forest.
In fact, King Anga had arranged for an ashvamedha yajna (horse
sacrifice). Anga sent several priests with invitations for the
gods. But these invitations notwithstanding, the gods did not
come to attend the sacrifice. Anga was puzzled. Had he
committed a sin that the gods had refused to come? He was then
told that the gods had not come because Anga did not yet have a
son. It was imperative that Anga perform a yajna so as to obtaina son. Anga did as he was told. He performed a sacrifice and
was given some rice pudding that his wife should have if they
desired a son. Angas wife Sunitha had the rice pudding and
gave birth to a son. This son was Vena.
Sunitha s father was Mrityu and Mrityu was an evil person. But
ever since an early age, Vena got attached to his maternal
grandfather and picked up evil pursuits from him. He would go
to the forest and unnecessarily kill deer. He killed those who
came to play with him. Things came to such a pass tha tpeople
used to run away when they saw Vena coming.
Anga tried to discipline his son, but to no avail. Vena was
beyond all control. In sheer desperation, Anga left the kingdom
one night and left for the forest. No further trace could be found
of him.
A kingdom cannot function without a king. Vena was crowned
the king. Although the subjects were not at all keen that Venashould become the king, they had no choice in the matter. When
he became king. Venas oppression knew no bounds. He stopped
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all yajnas in his kingdom. The sages realized that they had made
a mistake. They had crowned Vena king to prevent the anarchy
that would have resulted had there been no king. But what was
happening was worse than anarchy.
The sages went to Vena to try and persuade him to mend hisways. But Vena would have none of it. He would not permit
yajnas. Yajnas were meant for the gods. But what need was
there of gods when the people could pray to King Vena himself?
Having realized that Vena was beyond redemption, the sages
resolved to kill him. This they did with the power of their anger.
But Vena had left no son. Who was to become king in his place?
In the absence of a king, the kingdom degenerates. In the brief
period when there was no king, there were ill omens all around.
All thieves took over the kingdom since there was no protector of
the people.
Venas dead body had been preserved by his mother. The sages
went to the dead body and began to knead it. As a result of the
kneading, a dwarf emerged from the dead kings thighs. The
dwarf was dark and his eyes were red. The dwarf asked, What
shall I do?
Sit, replied the sages.
The word nishida means sit and so the dwarf came to be known
as nishada. The evil traits of Vena had entered the dwarfs body.
So the dwarf and his descendents were not permitted to live
inside the kingdom. They lived in the forest and became hunters.
The sages continued to knead the dead bodys arms, and a son
and a daughter emerged. The sages were now content, for they
realized that the son, Prithu, was an incarnation of Vishnu. And
the daughter, Archi, was an incarnation of the goddess Lakshmi.
Prithu married Archi and was crowned king.
Prithu was a good king.
But at that time, there were no foodgrains available on the earth
and people were starving. They went to Prithu and said, Save
us. The earth has swallowed the seeds of all foodgrains and
herbs and crops do not grow. Please do something to prevent the
famine.
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Prithu fixed an arrow to his bow and decided to let it loose at the
earth. But the earth started to run away and Prithu followed after
her with the arrow in his bow. The earth could not outdistance
Prithu. Finally she said, Please do not destroy me. If I am
destroyed, where will you and your subjects live? I will grant
whatever it is that you wish for.
Prithu asked her to restore the foodgrains and the herbs. The
earth adopted the form of a cow and Prithu milked from her the
goodrains and the herbs. It is after Prithu that the earth is known
as prithivi.
Prithu resolved to conduct a hundred ashvamedha yajnas. This
disturbed Indra, the king of the gods. Indra had himself
performed a hundred ashvamedha yajnas and thus obtained for
himself the title of Shatakratu. Now Prithu was about to equal
his glory. Indra become jealous. A horse is an essential
component of the sacrifice and when no one was noticing, Indra
stole the sacrificial horse.
This was noticed by the sage Atri and he pointed it out to
Prithus son. Prithus son chased Indra and brought the horse
back. But Indra stole the horse yet again, and yet again Prithus
son bought it back. Prithu was greatly angered at the disturbance
that Indra was causing and decided to kill Indra. Brahmahowever convinced Prithu that the killing of Indr
a was not advisable. Indra was after all the king of gods. Prithu
had already successfully completed ninety-nine ashvamedha
yajnas and how did it matter whether the hundredth one was
completed or not? Posterity would remember Prithu as a far
greater person than Indra. Prithu listened to Brahma and became
friends with Indra.
Prithu was given advice by four brahnmarshis (sages). He ruledaccording to this advice. And after many years, he handed over
the kingdom to his sons and went to the forest to do tapasya.
When he died, he was taken to vishuloka or vaikunthaloka, the
abode of Vishnu. Prithus wife Archi immolated herself on her
husbands funeral pyre and was also taken to vishnuloka.
The Prachetas and Puranjana
Amongst Prithus descendants there was a king named
Prachinavarhi. This king had ten sons who were known as thePrachetas.
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Once, the Prachetas were journeying westwards to perform
tapasya inside the ocean. On their way, they came to a huge
lake. Fishes were playing in the water and many lotuses had
bloomed on the lake. Musical instruments were being played on
the shores of the lake. The Prachetas were amazed to find that
Shiva and his companions were bathing in the lake. Shiva gavethe Prachetas a lot of good advice. And the Prachetas spent ten
thousand years under the water, performing tapasya.
Meanwhile, Narada came to visit king Prachinavarhi. The king
worshipped Narada and said, I am to attached to wordly pursuits.
Give me some advice so that I may be freed of these illusions.
I will tell you the story of Puranjana, replied Narada.
There used to be a king named Puranjana. He had only onefriend, but no one knew what the friends name was.
Puranjana was looking for a place where he might live on earth.
But no place that he saw appealed to him. His search for a
proper residence eventually brought him to the foot of the
Himalayas and there he discovered a beautiful city. The city was
full of groves and houses. It had moats and walls around it.
The houses were bright with jewels. And the doors andwindows were made of gold and silver. Wild beasts roamed
inside the city, but they had forgotten their cruel natures.
In the city Puranjana discovered a beautiful woman guarded by
ten bodyguards. A snake with five hoods also protected her.
Who are you?, asked Puranjana. And who are these ten guards
and the snake who follow you around?
Puranjana wanted to marry the woman and the woman readilyagreed. She said that Puranjana could live in the city for a
hundred years and be her husband.
Puranjana married the woman and forgot about everything else.
He did not go on hunts lest his wife be offended . He forgot all
sense of night and day. He had eleven hundred sons and a
hundred and ten daughters. But slowly Puranjana grew old. The
pleasures that he had earlier enjoyed no longer appealed to him.
And his own kingdom Panchala had also been conquered by his
enemies.
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When the king died, he was taken to hell and spent a hundred
yars there. While he was in hell, he thought of his wife all the
time. And since he kept thinking about a woman all the time, he
was born as woman in his next life. Born as the daughter of the
king of Vidarbha, he was married to King Malayadhvaja. They
had seven sons and one daughter.
King Malayadhvaja ruled for a long time and then handed over
the kingdom to his sons. He went to meditate in the forest and
his wife accompanied him. For a hundred years Malayadhvaja
meditated. But then he died and his wife was struck with grief.
She decided that she would immolate herself on her husbands
funeral pyre. But just as she was about to do so, a brahmana
arrived on the scene.
What are you doing?, asked the brahmana. Who are you
sorrowing for ? What is this man to you? For that matter, who
are you ? Dont you recognize me? I am your friend from you
earlier life, when you were Puranajana. You had gone off to a
city in the Himalayas and had forgotten all about me. Forget
material pursuits and realize true knowledge. You are neither
Puranajana nor are you Malayadhvajas wife. You are your
atman. Understand this and be free of all illusions.
Prachinvarni understood the message that was latent in Naradasstory . He went to the sage Kapilas hermitage to meditate.
Meanwhile, his sons the Prachetas had succeeded in their
tapasya. Vishnu had appeared before them. They married a
woman named Marisha and had many children.
Priyavrata and His Descendants
Priyavrata had no real desire to be king, he was not interested in
worldy matters. But his father Svayambhuva Manu, his teacherBrahma, and the sage Narada convinced him that there was
nothing wrong in becoming a king. This did not necessarily
mean that the one would get tied down by the illusions of the
world. So Priyavrata did become king. He married Vahirshmati.
The sun goes around the world in his chariot. When the sun is
on the other side of the world, it is night. But Priyavrata was
quite upset that night should occur. Why could it not always be
day? One night, he decided that he would drive his flaming
chariot around the world so that night might disappear. Andwhen the king was doing this, he looked like a second sun.
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Seven times he drove his chariot around Mount Sumeru. The
wheels of his chariot gouged the earth and created the seven
oceans. These seven oceans surround the seven regions (dvipas)
of the earth. The names of these dvipas are Jambhu, Plaksha,
Shalmali, Kusha, Krouncha, Shaka and Pushkara. These seven
dvipas Priyavarata left to his seven sons Agnidhra, Idhnajihva,Yajnavahu, Hiranyareta, Ghrita-prishtha, Medhatithi and
Vitihotra.
Agnidhra ruled over Jambu dvipa. Agnidhra had no sons. He
went to Mount Mandara and started to pray to Brahma that he
might have a son. Brahma knew what Agnidhra wanted and so
he sent an apsara named Purvachitti to Agnidhra. She was so
beautiful that Agnidhras meditation was disturbed.
Who are you?, he asked. Are you an illusion? If you are not,
please marry me.
Purvachitti married Agnidhra and they had nine sons whose
names were Nabhi, Kimpurusha, Harivarsha, Ilavrita, Ramyaka,
Kuru, Hiranmaya, Bhadrashva and Ketumala. After Agnidhra
died, the nine sons split up Jambu dvipa into nine different
regions (varshas). Each ruled over one region and the region
took on the name of its ruler.
Nabhis son was Rishabha and Rishabha was devoted to Vishnu.
He married Indras daughter Jayanti and they had a hundred
sons. The eldest was called Bharata and it is after him that this
land came to be known as Bharatavarsha. Rishabha gave his
sons a lot of learned advice so that they might not get bogged
down by the illusions of the world. When Rishabha died,
Bharata became king.
Bharata
Bharatas queen was named Panchajani, Bharata ruled well. He
performed many yajnas. When he had ruled for many years, he
handed over the kingdom to his sons and became a hermit. He
lived alone in an ashrama on the banks of the river Gandaki and
prayed to Vishnu for enlightenment.
One day a deer came to drink water from the river. Just as the
deer was drinking water, a lion roared nearby and the deer was
frightened. She jumped into the water of the river and delivereda baby there. The baby deer was carried away by the current of
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servants found Bharata and brought him to the king. Bharata
seemed to strong and healthy enough. He was therefore made to
bear the planaquin with the other beares.
But Bharata could not keep pace with the other bearers. He
stepped very carefully so that he might not step on living beingssuch as insects and kill them. The result was that the palanquin
did not move smoothly. This irritated the king and, when he
scolded the bearers,they pointed out that it was Bharata who was
responsible. Rahugana shouted at Bharata.
Are you tired?, he asked. Have you travelled a long distance?
Or is it that you are weak? You look strong enough to me.
Bharata merely smiled. I am not tired, he replied. Nor have I
travelled a long distance. I am neither weak nor strong. I am myatman. How can the atman be tired, weak or strong? How can it
travel a long distance?
The king was amazed at these words of wisdom. He fell down
at Bharatas feet and begged that he might be forgiven. He
wished to learn more words of wisdom from Bharata. Bharata
taught Rahugana about the brahman and about the indentity of
the atman and the brahman. He told the king that the physical
body was only transitory. It was the atman that was permanent.Life was like a forest with the dangers of illusions and material
attachments everywhere. The learned knew how to step carefully
so as to avoid these pitfalls.
Thus it was that King Rahugana learnt true knowledge from
Bharata.
Geography
You have already been told that the earth is divided? into sevenregions (dvipas). Jambu dvipa is snaped like the leaf of lotus and
there are nine regions (varshas) within Jambu dvipa. Ilavrita
varsha is in the centre and Mount Sumeru is right in the middle
of Ilavrita varsha. On the peak of Mount Sumeru is Brahmas
famous city. Bharatavarsha is the most sacred of the varshas.
Hells
There are several different hells (naraka). Each naraka isearmarked for a specific sort of sin. All the hells are located
below the underworld. Some people say that there are twenty-
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The time came for Ajamila to die. Three terrible messengers of
Yama came to take Ajamila to naraka. Their faces were fierce
and they held nooses in their hands. Ajamila did not realize what
was happening. He was still thinking of his youngest son and he
called out, Narayana, Narayana. But Narayana is also Vishnus
name and at these words, Vishnu servants appeared.
The tussle began between Yamas messengers and Vishnus
servants. Yamas messengers wanted to take Ajamila to naraka
but Vishnus servants would not let them do this. They
maintained that since Ajamila had called upon Narayana
(Vishnu) before his death, all his sins had been pardoned. Finally
both parties left and Ajamila was allowed to live for some more
time. He had now become penitent for his deeds and he spent the
remaining part of his life in performing tapasya. When he died,
Vishnus servants took him to vishnuloka.
Indra and Vritra
Once upon a time, Indra was seated on his throne and the other
gods were all seated around him. The gandharvas were singing
and the apsaras were dancing.
The guru (teacher) of the devas (gods) was Brihaspati.
Brihaspati came to the assembly. But so engrossed was Indra inthe singing and the dancing that he neglected to stand up and
honour Brihaspati. At this, Brihaspati felt insulted and left the
assembly. Indra immediately realized what had happened and
decided to hunt out Brihaspati and beg forgiveness. But the guru
was not going to let Indra get away so easily. Using his powers
of maya, he simply vanished. Indra searched and searched, but
could not find Brihaspati.
The asuras had got to know that the devas were now without aguru. They thought that this was the opportune moment to
attack. With their guru Shukracharyas permission, they attacked
the gods and drove them away. The gods went running to
Brahma.
Brahma said, All this has happened because you insulted your
guru. You have become weak because you have no guru. You
need a guru. Go and pray to the sage Vishvarupa, the son of
Tvashta. He will find a way out.
Now Tvashta had married Rachana, who was a daitya woman.
So Vishvarupa was a nephew of the daityas (demons) and it was
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inconceivable that he would help the devas in their fight with the
asuras or daityas. But when the devas prayed to him Vishvarupa
could not refuse. He became the priest of the gods and thanks to
his advice, the gods succeeded in defeating the demons.
Vishvarupa had three heads. He used one for eating, the secondfor drinking wine and the third for drinking the juice of the soma
herb. Indra was never very sure of Vishvarupa. He was after all
related to the daityas; he might be helping them secretly. When
he got the chance, Indra cut off all three of Vishvarupas heads.
The severed heads became three types of birds.
Tvashta was furious that Indra had killed Vishvarupa. He
performed a yajna and wished that an enemy of Indras might be
born out of the flames. A terrible asura came out of the fire and
rapidly began to grow. He was as dark as a mountain and his
eyes burnt like the midday sun. The asura held a trident in his
hand. The earth shook when he roared and danced. His mouth
was as huge as a cave, and when he opened his mouth, it seemed
as if he would swallow up all the three worlds and everything
that was in them. People began to flee. This giant asura was
known as Vritra. The gods came and attacked Vritra with many
weapons, but he simply swallowed up the weapons.
The gods didnt know what to do. They began to pray toVishnu. Vishnu appeared before them and said, Go to the sage
Dadhichi. His body is strong and hard from many years of
tapasya. Ask him for his body and he will not refuse. A weapon
named vajra will be made from Dadhichis bones. And Indra will
kill Vritra with the vajra.
Dadhichi did not refuse when the gods asked him for his body.
For the mere physical body was nothing. It was the atman that
was everything. Vishvakarma, the architect of the gods,fashioned the vajra out of the sages bones. And armed with
vajra, Indra climbed onto his elephant Airavta and attacked Vritra
and the other demons. The other gods also came along to help
Indra and a terrible war raged between the gods and the demons.
The sky was littered with weapons which were being hurled
around. There were so many arrows flying around that the sky
could not be seen.
The demons began to flee. Vritra tried to restrain them.
Cowards, he said. Why are you running away ? Everyone who
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is born has to die. It is better to die a glorious death on the
battlefield than do die as a coward. Come back.
But the asura soldiers did not listen. Vritra continued to fight
alone. He crushed the gods under his feet. Indra hurled a mace at
Vritra, but Vritra caught the mace in his hand and struck Indraselephant. Airavata on the head with the mace. The elephant
retreated and started to vomit blood. Vritra could have attacked
Indra, then, but he permitted him to rest. When Indra had rested,
they began to fight again.
Vritra said, I will try to kill you with my trident and avenge
Vishvarupas death. But since you have been blessed by Vishnu,
you will in all probability kill me with your vajra. Who can win
without Vishnus support?
The demon hurled the trident at Indra, but Indra cut it up with his
vajra. And with the vajra he next sliced off Vritras right hand.
But Vritra took up a club in his left hand and hit Indra so hard
that the vajra was dislodged from Indras hand. It lay there on
the ground and Indra was too ashamed to pick it up.
Come on, Indra, said Vritra. Pick up the vajra and kill me.
Dont waste time. I am eager to die and meet Vishnu.
Saying this, Vritra picked up another club in his left hand. But
this time Indra sliced off Vritras left hand with his vajra. Vritra
opened his mouth wide and tried to swallow up Indra and
Airavata. And before he could do anything, Indra realized that he
was inside Vritras stomach. But he cut open Vritras stomach
with the vajra and then sliced off Vritras head as well. Vritras
body was so thick that it took three hundred and sixty days for
the entire head to be severed.
The gods were delighted. But Indra was still not at peace with
himself. Vritra had been a brahmana and Indra had committed
the sin of killing a brahmana. The sin followed him around
wherever he went. Finally Indra went and hid in manasa
sarovara lake. He hid inside the stem of a lotus flower in the lake
and stayed there for thousands and thousands of years. While
Indra was away, King Nahusha ruled as Indra. But eventually,
the severity of the sin was diminished, Indra returned and
performed an ashvamedha yajna as complete atonement for the
sin.
Chitraketu
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King Parikshit heard the story of Indra and Vritra from the sage
Shukadeva. And Parishit was puzzled. How can an asura like
Vritra have become devoted to Vishnu? Shukadeva told him the
story of Chitraketu.
Many years ago, in the kingdom of Shurasena and in the city ofMathura, a king named Chitraketu used to rule. The king had
many wives. But he was sad because he did not have a son. The
sage Angira came to visit him once and the king told the sage
about his misery. Angira decided that a yajna had to be
performed so that Chitraketu might have a son. The eldest of
Chitraketus wives was named Kritadyuti and the rice pudding
that came out of the sacrifice was fed to her. In due course, a son
was indeed born and everyone rejoiced.
Chitraketu was delighted. He loved his son. And he seemed to
love Kritadyuti even more now that she had given birth to a boy.
The other queens felt slighted and becamed jealous. They fed the
boy poison and the boy died.
Chitraketu and Kritadyuti went mad with grief. To hide their
crime, the other queens also pretended to weep. The sages
Angira and Narada came to comfort Chitraketu.
They said, There is no need to sorrow. Who are you sorrowingfor? What is this boy to you? He was nothing to you in your
earlier life. People are born again and again. Again and again
they adopt physcial bodies. But these are temporary, nothing but
illusions. Your sons atman has not been killed. To think
otherwise is to be ignorant.
To convince Chitraketu, Narada used his powers to bring back
the atman of the dead prince. He told the atman, of the dead
prince. He told the atman, Come and enter the body of the deadprince. You still have some life left as the prince. Live for some
more time. Enjoy your fathers property and be king after him.
The atman replied, Which life, which father and what property?
I have lived many times. I have had many lives and many
fathers. Which body are you talking about?
These words convinced the relatives. They gave up their
sorrowing and performed the last rites for the dead prince. The
queens who had posioned him became penitent. As penance fortheir sin, they did prayashchitta on the banks of the river
Yamuna. Chitraketu himself performed tapasya. And through
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the powers that he acquired, he got to meet Vishnu. He spread
the knowledge of Vishnu everywhere and this inflated his ego no
end.
On one occasion he even insulted Shiva and Parvati. Shiva
ignored the insult, but Parvati cursed Chitraketu that he would beborn as an asura. It was he who had been born as Vritra. Ths
explains his devotion to Vishnu.
Ditis Children
The sage Kashyapa married Diti and Aditi. Ditis children were
known as the daityas and Aditis children were the adityas or
devas.
Diti was very upset that Indra and the other gods kept killing herchildren. She resolved to have a son who would kill Indra.
Accordingly, she started to serve her husband really well. The
sage Kashyapa was pleased and asked her, what boon do you
desire?
Diti replied, Give me a son who will kill Indra. Kashyapa was in
a fix. He said, All right. You will have to perform certain rites
for a year. If you do them for an entire year, you will have a son
who will kill Indra. But if you stop before a year, the son whowill be born will become a friend of the gods.
Diti agreed to this condition. The rites included the avoidance of
thrity-one acts that were prohibited, such as lying or cursing. It
was also forbidden to go to sleep without washing ones feet.
Indra had got to know about his aunts desire and he was always
hanging around, waiting for a chance to bring his aunts wishes
to nought. But he pretended to serve Diti faithfully.
Once Diti was very tired and went to sleep without washing herfeet. Indra saw his chance. He entered Didis womb and sliced
up the baby who was there into seven parts with his vajra. These
parts began to cry and Indra said, ma ruda. That is, dont cry. He
then cut up each of the seven parts into seven parts again. There
were thus forty-nine parts and they asked, You are my cousin.
Why are you killing us?
I shall not kill, replied Indra. You will be called the maruts and
you will be my friends and companions.
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These maruts became gods. And Diti was so happy to see them
that she forgave Indra all his crimes.
Hiranyakashipu and Prahlada
You probably remember that Vishnu adopted the form of a boarto kill the asura Hiranyaksha. And that Hiranyaksha had a
brother named Hiranyakshipu.
Hiranyakashipu was furious to learn of his brothers death. He
resolved to kill Vishnu. He called all the asuras together and
asked them to stop all yanas and Veda recitals on earth. The
asuras did as they had been told and religious ceremonies on
earth came to an end. The gods were oppressed and fled from
heaven. Hiranyakashipu consoled his mother and nephews and
asked them not to sorrow. He would avenge his b
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