Storia do Mogor 247: The Life of Vishnu.
Storia do Mogor (Irvine) 247
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The Life of Vishnu.
247.1
They say of Vishnu that he is the second son and the husband of Parachety (Parasakti); and notwithstanding this, they say elsewhere that he is the First Cause, and was married to a woman called Lachime (Lachhml or Lakshmi). The latter they assert to be ox, horse, house, mountain, money—in short, everything in the world that can be wished for. This wife is always carried under his arm, so that she may not take to flight. Vishnu has, they say, been incarnated nine times. The first time was as a fish, for which they assign no reason. The second was as a tortoise; and listen to what followed — to what, as they declare, was its motive. There are in this world, according to them, seven seas. Of these one is of milk, and to obtain the butter the gods brought a mountain of gold [96], weighing two hundred and eighty carats. In this mountain are contained fourteen worlds; it is called Magammero Paravadam (Mahameru-parvatam); around it lies a serpent with a thousand heads called Sextera (S'esha), within which, as they say, this world subsists. This serpent the gods used as a rope. Then the giants, always the enemies of the gods, pulled in one direction and the gods in another. Such force did they exert that the whole world shook, and would assuredly have fallen to pieces had not Vishnu noticed this disturbance and turned himself into a tortoise, putting himself beneath the world to sustain it.
247.2
The serpent, unable to endure the vigour with which they were pulling, vomited on the giants a great quantity of poison, killing many of them. But Vishnu was not content with doing this much damage. After the gods had collected the butter, which they call ambrosia, the giants, who had been deprived of their share, became their deadly enemies, and overcame them several times. To remedy this trouble, Vishnu took the form of a lovely and pleasing courtesan, by a vision of whom he much embarrassed the giants, until such time as the gods had consumed the ambrosia, after which he (Vishnu) disappeared. The third incarnation was as a boar, and his object was equally ridiculous. Here is their story: One day there arose a great dispute among the gods as to who was greatest among them. Thereupon Rudra said to Brahma and Vishnu that he would go and hide; whoever found his feet and head would be greatest among the gods.
247.3
To find this head Brahma transformed himself into a swan and flew away into mid-sky. When in despair of success in his search, he found in his course a thistle flower, and going to it, it told him where Rudra's head was. Brahma in the form of a swan heard this, and without a word made off in haste to find it. It is impossible to describe or imagine the resentment felt by Rudra at being thus discovered by Brahma. He had thought it an impossibility. Aware that it was the flower that had revealed the secret, he bestowed his curse upon it. This is why the Yogis never put this flower in the temples of Rudra. Instead of acknowledging Brahma for the greatest of the gods, as agreed on, Rudra imposed on him as a curse that he should never be worshipped, should have no temples, no sacrifices, and no followers. Thus arose, as they say, the condition Brahma finds himself in, due to having discovered the head of Rudra. To find his feet, of which I spoke, Vishnu turned himself into a boar, and went off to grub in the earth with his tusks; he dug so deep that he reached the bottomless abyss without ever finding the feet he sought for. Thus he had to return as stupid a beast as he had set out. This is why nowadays there is not in these regions anyone who reverences the boar.
247.4
The fourth incarnation was that of a man and lion jointly. The reason alleged for this is as follows: There was a giant called Hiranie (Hiranya-Kasipu), to whom Rudra accorded the privilege of immunity from being killed by anyone, whether by night or day, at home or abroad. The giant grew so high and mighty at this privilege that he promulgated an ordinance that none other name than his should be pronounced throughout the world. If anyone brought to mind the gods or invoked them, he should suffer no lesser penalty than death. At the time when this giant was the most puffed up, imagining to himself that no one in the world remembered the gods, a son of his, called Paragaladam (Prahladam), was a schoolboy. When his teacher told him to read and pronounce the name of his father, Hiranya, he brought forth that of Vishnu. Upon this the teacher, afraid of the father's anger, made an accusation to him against his son. Hiranya menaced his son with death by snakes, bears, tigers, and elephants; but the boy, through his devotion to Vishnu, was delivered from all without difficulty.
247.5
Then Vishnu, having tired of the devices and evil deeds of the giant Hiranya, menaced him with death to obtain the deliverance of his adherent, Prahlada. This menace was followed a moment afterwards by his issuing from a pillar turned into a man-lion. Then, when the sun was sinking, when it cannot be called day because that planet is no longer above the earth, and it cannot be called night because the light still peeps through the half-shut door, which cannot be said to be either inside or outside of the house — in this time, and at this place, I say, Vishnu came forth against the giant, and tearing open his chest with his claws, dragged out his entrails. Then he lacerated his throat, and as a proof of victory drank all his blood. But this draught produced such violent frenzy that the god became thereby mad for the rest of his life. In my judgment, those, too, are not less mad who worship him as God.
247.6
The fifth incarnation was as a dwarf, and here is the description they give : Once upon a time there reigned in this world a single king, called Magapelly Chacarvartey (Maha-ball Chakravartl). To seize and destroy this king, Vishnu took upon himself the form of a Brahman dwarf, extremely small. Then, coming to visit the king, he asked from him as a grace the grant of a plot of ground, three feet long, to build a house for himself. At the time the king had at his side as counsellor the Morning Star, who perceived that this demand was from an enemy, and to prevent acquiescence it placed itself by magic arts in the king's elbow. The king, to signify that he had granted the Brahman's request, had, according to the custom of the country, to pour water into his right hand. But the magic was no great success. The king finding that the movement of his elbow was impeded, without his knowing the cause, decided out of pique to have it opened with a lancet. In so doing one eye of Morning Star, who was hindering him, was destroyed. Then he poured the water into the right hand of the Brahman dwarf in proof of his granting the three feet of ground asked for.
247.7
But when the dwarf went to take possession he grew so enormous that the whole of earth and air were not big enough to hold one of his feet. He was forced to go back to the king, Maha-ball ChakravartI, and say to him : ' You have promised me three feet of ground, but on what you own there is not room to place one foot. Where am I to put the other ?' Upon hearing this, the king became aware that it was nothing but a deception by the god Vishnu. Thus he was obliged to worship him, adding : ' Lord, here is my head, and on it you may place the other foot.' On hearing this answer, Vishnu accepted the offer, and put his other foot on the king's head and thrust him down into hell. When the wretched king found himself there, he asked Vishnu what his end would be. To this the god replied that he would dwell for ever in hell ; only once in the year, in the month of November, he would return to earth. At that time, in every year, would be observed a solemn festival in his honour. This the Hindus never fail to carry out.
247.8
The sixth, the seventh, and the eighth incarnations took place in a man called Rame- (Rama). The reason on the first occasion was as follows : A class of men called Rajputs became so haughty that they allowed no one to live in peace on the earth, nor would they permit a king of penitent monks, called Mongis (Muni), to perform his penances. In brief, they inflicted pain on everybody in general. Noticing this, Vishnu incarnated himself as Rama, and for a space of twenty-one generations he was busy in slaying all the Rajputs, and bathed himself in their blood. Thus by this means the barbarous tribe of Rajputs came to an end. The second time of his incarnation as Rama was to kill a giant called Catavari Argune (Kartavirya Arjuna), who had not less than a thousand arms. He was destroying the world, and no one able to resist him. On perceiving this, Vishnu incarnated himself a second time as Rama, and taking as weapon a plough-share, he broke with it all the giant's bones and cut off his arms, though not without a great deal of labour, and slaying him, made his bones into a mountain.
247.9
The third incarnation as Rama was to kill the giant Rachanem (Ravanam) and his brothers Bacarnem (Kumbhakarnam) and Vibichinem (Vibhishana) and their armies, made up of innumerable giants, who were always in opposition to the gods, and often derided Vishnu when in the form of Rama. Furthermore, they had deprived him of his wife, and he was unable to find out where she had gone. After many contests and combats, with varying results, Vishnu found he could neither vanquish them nor trace his wife, Sidy (Sita) ; he therefore called on the monkeys to help him against the giants. With their aid he conquered, and found once more his wife after twelve years' captivity. Afterwards, having overheard a washerman say that he was not quite such a fool as the god Vishnu, who had made himself into Rama, and taken back his wife after she had been twelve years in the power of the Lord knows who, he led her back to his home in much dejection, and, leaving her there, he turned pilgrim and wandered the world over.
247.10
The ninth incarnation was in the shape of a man called Chrisne (Krishna) — that is, ' Black man,' one of the lowest of the people. Here is the story told on this subject. Reigning over the whole sublunary world was a king called Caprassem (Kansa), the persecutor and enemy of every virtue. The king had a sister called Echzudy (Yasoda). After she had been married, he obtained absolute knowledge through diviners that the eighth child born by his sister would cause his death. This fact inspired him with the most irreconcilable hatred of the children of the said sister, so much so that as soon as they were born he slew them. The time came when Vishnu [99] became incarnated to take the life of his uncle, for he was the eighth son born to Echzudy (Yasoda). When Kansa was told of the birth, he resolved to take the child's life with still greater precautions than observed with its brothers. But the mother had learnt by experience through the death of her other children, and feared that this one, too, would be made away with by her brother. She handed the child to her husband, and told him to flee with it. It was not an easy order to put into execution, for this brother-in-law had posted sentries all over the town. Nevertheless, by subterfuges he escaped, and gave his son to some cowherds to be brought up. His brother-in-law was kept in ignorance.
247.11
Yet the boy was not so well hidden that the king did not find it out, and he went himself in search, hoping to kill him. When he thought he had caught his nephew, and to get rid of him wanted to beat his head against a stone, he found he held a little female infant. It had been brought there by Krishna through magic arts, and he thus got the means of escaping. Then the little girl, who had been substituted by magic art in the hands of his uncle, did not come to an end forthwith. But she gave a vigorous kick in the stomach to Kansa, and laid him low, thereby evading the fate of becoming a victim of his hatred. She told him, 'He whom you seek is elsewhere.' It would be difficult to describe the king's displeasure at finding himself thwarted, and that the nephew he sought had escaped his rage. Nevertheless, he did not desist from his endeavours, but sent to all his vassals, ordering them to kill Krishna. Then, finding they could not carry out this command, he told the giants to take the boy's life. As they were equally unsuccessful, he gave his orders to the devils, but they were as powerless as the others. For Krishna was so keen that he found out for himself that his uncle wished to kill him by means of an apparition that he had appointed to be his nurse. To circumvent her he drank her life from her along with her milk, and in that way escaped.
247.12
When Krishna had grown bigger he stole from his cowherd foster-parents a large quantity of butter. He had decided on flight with the proceeds of this theft in order to escape from the hands of his cowherd brothers, just as he had done from those of the king, his uncle. But this time he was not so fortunate, and having been made a prisoner by the cowherds, he was tied to a post and well beaten. On growing older, he went out to fight in person against the king, his uncle, and, after many battles, put him to death. When he found himself delivered from this powerful enemy, he longed to take some rest. After having married two wives, he took to frequenting houses of ill fame along with sixteen thousand cowherds. But as he had not forgotten the whipping given him in their house, he was unwilling to incur the danger of another, and one night multiplied himself into several like himself. At one and the same time he visited all the courtesans, and sold to each his favours, so that through the love they cherished for him they forsook all the others. After all these tricks he played one still more audacious.
247.13
For, seeing a number of modest women bathing in a pond, as is the custom of the country, he carried off their clothes, placed by them near at hand on the edge of the pond. When the women emerged, covered by leaves they had found in the water, he declined to return their clothes unless they worshipped him by raising the hand to their head, by which mode of adoration they were forced to uncover themselves. When they had complied he gave them their things [100] . Thus can you see what little shame such divinities possess ! Still less of it have those who admit them to be gods ; and such are the false tales they relate of their false god Vishnu, or, rather, as much as Christian modesty allows me to repeat.