Skandha 6
Kartavirya Arjuna and Aurva
Kartavirya Arjuna was a great warrior with 1000 arms; a direct disciple of Dattatreya. He performed many sacrifices and gave lavish donations to the priests of the Bhrigu lineage. Over time, his Haihaya dynasty kings became impoverished and were reduced to the pathetic state of having to beg the Bhrigu priests for wealth. When the Bhargava priests refused to give wealth, the two sides fought. The Haihayas seized the wealth that the priests had buried underground in their homes, drove them out, and in great anger, attempted to kill everyone. Even when the priests hid in mountain caves, they chased them down and killed them. They spared no one – women, children, or even unborn foetuses.
Some Bhargava women took refuge in the Himalayas and worshipped the Devi through penance. The Devi appeared in their dream and blessed them, saying, “The son born from the ‘Uruja’ (thigh) of the pregnant woman among you will bring you good fortune.” Later, when the Haihayas chased them again, and they were fleeing, a child was born by tearing through the thigh of a pregnant woman. He shone like the sun. Immediately upon birth, he transformed into a young boy. At that very moment, all the Haihayas who were chasing them lost their eyesight. They pleaded with the brahmana woman for mercy. The brahmana woman said, “I know nothing. I carried this child in my thigh for 100 years. He has already learned the Vedas and Vedangas and has received the grace of the Devi. Pray to this child.” When the Haihayas prayed to the child, he, out of compassion, blessed them, and they regained their eyesight and returned. That child later became known as the sage ‘Aurva’, one of the seers who discovered Vedic mantras, and a sage of the Bhargava lineage.
If the Haihaya dynasty, which originated from Lord Mahavishnu and Mahalakshmi themselves, fell to such a low state, it shows how the Rajasic and Tamasic qualities present in creation can overpower even the greatest of men, instilling in them flaws like lust and anger, and dragging them down to degraded state. Therefore, Vyasa Bhagavan repeatedly emphasizes, through many historical accounts, the importance of always remaining vigilant and never abandoning devotion to the Devi. To illustrate how powerful Maya (illusion) is, Narada himself narrated two stories to Vyasa, where he fell under the sway of Maya.
Narada under the spell of illusion – Damayanti
Once, the divine sages Narada and Parvata came to Earth from the celestial realm. Before departing, they had made a vow to each other that they would not conceal anything from one another. When the Chaturmasya period arrived on Earth, they accepted the hospitality of King Sanjaya and stayed in his palace. The king appointed his daughter Damayanti to attend to their needs. Damayanti, captivated by Narada’s Samagana (divine music), offered him special hospitality in contrast to ordinary hospitality for Parvata. Narada himself later recounts that she provided him with hot water for bathing, curd with his meals, and a luxurious bed; while Parvata received cold water, buttermilk with his meals, and an ordinary bed. When Parvata, noticing these differences and Narada’s unusual state of mind, questioned him, Narada admitted that he too had developed feelings of love for the girl. Extremely angered that Narada had concealed the matter from him, contrary to their vow, Parvata cursed Narada to have a monkey’s face. Immediately, Narada, having acquired a monkey’s face, cursed Parvata to lose the power to return to heaven. Since the Chaturmasya period had ended, Parvata departed from there.
Narada remained in the palace. Soon, when the king began making arrangements for Damayanti’s swayamvara (ceremony of choosing a husband), she strongly expressed that she had lost her heart to Narada. She said that Narada’s musical knowledge was unparalleled, with perhaps the exception of Shiva himself; and that she was immersed in his extraordinary ocean of music. Even when her parents tried to distract her by pointing out Narada’s monkey-like face, she firmly declared: “The Kinnaras have horse-like faces, but they are supreme in music; similarly, even though Narada has a monkey-like face, he is an unparalleled singer, and I will marry him.”
किं मुखेन च रूपेण मूर्खस्य च धनेन किम् ।
नारदो वेत्ति यां विद्यां मातः सप्तस्वरात्मिकाम् । तृतीयः कोऽपि नो वेद शिवादन्यः पुमान्किल ॥
“Narada’s face or appearance is of no consequence to me; it is like the wealth possessed by a fool. The knowledge of music encompassing the seven notes that Narada possesses, O mother, is not found in anyone else except Lord Shiva,” she said. Having no other option, the king arranged the marriage between Damayanti and Narada. After some time, Parvata arrived there. He felt pity upon seeing the married couple. He withdrew the curse he had given to Narada. Narada regained his original form. Narada also withdrew the curse he had given to Parvata.
Narada under the spell of Maya – Taladhvaja
Vyasa Bhagavan speaks about the power of Maya:
मायाबलं सुदुर्ज्ञेयं मुनिभिर्योगवित्तमैः । मायया मोहितं सर्वं जगत्स्थावरजंगमम् ॥
The power of Maya is extremely difficult to comprehend, even for sages and the greatest of yogis. The entire universe, both animate and inanimate, is deluded by Maya.
Narada once went to Shvetadvipa to have a darshan of Vishnu. Vishnu and Lakshmi were sitting together. When Narada entered, he was startled to see Lakshmi quickly get up and go inside. He said to Vishnu: “O Jagadguru, why did Devi Lakshmi go inside? I am neither lustful nor unworthy; I am an ascetic; I have conquered my senses, I have conquered anger, and I have conquered Maya, O Janardana!” Vishnu then extensively explained the influence of Maya and advised him that it was not right to claim to have conquered Maya. Narada stubbornly insisted, and finally, he pressed his wish to see Maya. Since Narada did not listen despite Vishnu’s dissuasion, Vishnu agreed and, taking Narada with him on Garuda, landed on the bank of a pond in a place called Kanyakubja on Earth. He said to Narada, साधूनामिव चेतांसि जलानि निर्मलानि च ।
“This sacred water is as pure as the minds of virtuous people. You take a bath first,” he said. Similarly, Valmiki, in the Ramayana, describes the waters of the Tamasa river to his disciple:
अकर्दममिदं तीर्थं भरद्वाज निशामय । रमणीयं प्रसन्नाम्बु सन्मनुष्यमनो यथा ॥
Before the bath, Vishnu took Narada’s veena and Krishna-ajina (deer skin) and kept them aside.
While bathing, Narada transformed into a beautiful woman. Vishnu returned to Vaikuntha with the veena and the deer skin. Narada completely forgot who he was. As he came ashore, King Taladhvaja of Kanyakubja, who happened to be there, was captivated by the beauty of the woman who was Narada. He proposed marriage, named her Saubhagya Sundari, and took her to his palace in a palanquin and married her. The king became engrossed in sensual pleasures, neglecting his royal duties. After 12 years, their first son was born. Narada’s state was:
विस्मृतं ब्रह्मविज्ञानं ब्रह्मज्ञानं च शाश्वतम् । धर्मशास्त्रपरिज्ञानं तदासक्तमनाः स्थिता ॥
The eternal knowledge of Brahman and the experience of Brahman were completely forgotten. Even the ordinary acquaintance with Dharma Shastras was lost due to worldly attachments. Twenty sons were born, and they too were married, and grandsons were born, and the palace was in a state of great commotion.
Then, a king from a foreign land suddenly invaded, and a fierce battle ensued. All the sons and grandsons perished. Saubhagya Sundari’s grief was boundless; she wept bitterly. At that time, Vishnu came as an old brahmana, consoled the king and queen, and preached Vedanta. He told them that they should perform a ritual bath for the deceased and led them to the same pond we saw earlier. When Saubhagya Sundari took the first bath, she transformed back into Narada. Vishnu stood on the shore in his true form with his veena. Narada’s astonishment knew no bounds. He was filled with all his former wisdom. The king’s grief now intensified. His wife had disappeared; and Narada suddenly appeared.
Vishnu preached Vedanta to the king. “You suddenly found this woman here; you do not know her lineage or gotra. A thing that is suddenly acquired disappears just as suddenly. In this worldly existence, both union and separation are divinely ordained. Pleasures come and go; sorrow should not be entertained. Human birth is rare and perishable in an instant. Only in human birth is self-realization possible; therefore, one should always strive for self-realization,” he said. Thus, the king was fortunate enough to receive spiritual instruction directly from Vishnu himself. He attained peace of mind. He entrusted the kingdom to his only remaining grandson, went to the forest, performed penance, and attained salvation. Now Narada asked Vishnu, expressing his astonishment, how all his former wisdom had vanished when he transformed into a woman. Vishnu said: You yourself wanted to witness Maya firsthand; this is the power of Maya.
सुप्तो नरो न जानाति नश्रृणोति वदत्यपि । पुनः प्रबुद्धो जानाति सर्वं ज्ञातमशेषतः ॥
Just as a sleeping man neither knows, nor hears, nor speaks, but upon waking, he knows everything completely, so it is with this. In sleep, in dreams, many experiences occur. Similarly, there are experiences in worldly life; after attaining knowledge, the realization dawns that worldly life itself is a dream. Thus, Vishnu explained profound Vedantic concepts. After Vishnu returned to Vaikuntha, Narada, still unable to fully comprehend the overwhelming influence of Maya, went directly to Brahma and inquired.
Brahma emphasized that even ascetics and yogis who subsist on air cannot overcome the power of Maya. Narada later explained this in detail to Vyasa, who now instructed Janamejaya, advising him to worship the Devi.
ध्यायेत् तदा-राधयेच्च प्रणमेच्च जपेदपि । तेन सा सदया भूत्वा मोचयत्येव देहिनम् ॥
स्वमायां सम्हरत्येव स्वानुभूति-प्रदानतः । भुवनं खलु माया स्यात् ईश्वरी तस्य नायिका ॥
“One should meditate on her, worship her, prostrate before her, and chant her name. By this, she, becoming compassionate, liberates the embodied soul.
She withdraws her own Maya by granting self-realization. This universe is indeed Maya, and the Devi is its mistress.”
(to be continued)