Bhagavatapurana 4.13: atha trayodaśo'dhyāyaḥ

4.13.1

/0 sūta uvāca
niśamya kauṣāraviṇopavarṇitaṃ dhruvasya vaikuṇṭha-padādhirohaṇam /
prarūḍha-bhāvo bhagavaty adhokṣaje praṣṭuṃ punas taṃ viduraḥ pracakrame //

Sūta said:
Hearing the ascent of Dhruva to the realm of Vaikuṇṭha described by Kauṣāravi,
Vidura, his devotional emotion toward the Lord Adhokṣaja having deeply arisen, proceeded to question him again.

1. Suta said.—Having heard the account related by Maitreya of Dhruva's ascension to the seat appointed by the Lord, and, with intensified devotion to the Lord Adokshaja, Vidura again proceeded to make further enquiries.

4.13.2

/0 vidura uvāca
ke te pracetaso nāma kasyāpatyāni suvrata /
kasyānvavāye prakhyātāḥ kutra vā satram āsata //

Vidura said:
Who were those known as the Pracetases? Whose sons were they, O you of noble vows?
In whose lineage were they renowned, and where did they perform the sacrificial session?

2. Vidura said.—Who are those Prachetasas? Whose children are they? To what illustrious race do they belong? Where do they perform their sacrifice?

4.13.3

manye mahā-bhāgavataṃ nāradaṃ deva-darśanam /
yena proktaḥ kriyā-yogaḥ paricaryā-vidhir hareḥ //

I consider Nārada an exalted devotee, a seer of the divine,
by whom the yoga of ritual action, the method of worshiping Hari, was spoken.

3. I know that Nārada is a great votary of the Lord and has attained realisation of the Lord; and it is by him that Kriyā Yoga *i. e.*, the method of worshipping Hari is expounded (in the Pancharātra); the glorious Lord, the deity of all sacrifices, is, it has been said, being propitiated by those Prachetasas who are righteous by nature.

4.13.4

sva-dharma-śīlaiḥ puruṣair bhagavān yajña-pūruṣaḥ /
ijyamāno bhaktimatā nāradeneritaḥ kila //

When the Lord, the person of sacrifice, was being worshiped by men abiding by their own dharma,
He was celebrated by the devoted Nārada, it is said.

4.13.5

yās tā devarṣiṇā tatra varṇitā bhagavat-kathāḥ /
mahyaṃ śuśrūṣave brahman kārtsnyenācaṣṭum arhasi //

Those narratives of the Lord described there by the divine sage,
you ought to relate in full to me, who am eager to hear, O holy one.

4. O worshipful sage! May you be pleased to tell me as I long to hear exhaustively all the sacred stories which the divine sage Nārada related during that sacrifice.

4.13.6

/0 maitreya uvāca
dhruvasya cotkalaḥ putraḥ pitari prasthite vanam /
sārvabhauma-śriyaṃ naicchad adhirājāsanaṃ pituḥ //

Maitreya said: / And when his father set out for the forest, Dhruva's son Utkala / did not desire the sovereign splendor of his father's supreme imperial throne.

6. Maitreya said.—When his father left for the forest, Utkala, Dhruva's son, did not like to ascend his imperial throne and to enjoy the imperial fortune.

4.13.7

sa janmanopaśāntātmā niḥsaṅgaḥ sama-darśanaḥ /
dadarśa loke vitatam ātmānaṃ lokam ātmani //

Calm in mind from birth, unattached, seeing all things equally, / he saw the self extended through the world and the world within the self.

7. He was by birth possessed of a tranquil mind destitute of attachments, regarded everything in the same light, and he saw the all-pervading Lord Atman (self) in the world and again the world in Atman.

4.13.8

ātmānaṃ brahma nirvāṇaṃ pratyastamita-vigraham /
avabodha-rasaikātmyam ānandam anusantatam //

He perceived the self as Brahman, extinguished of worldly form, / consisting purely of the essence of consciousness, uninterrupted bliss.

8. He saw that Paramatman is the formless Brahman in whom all differences vanish and the embodiment of pure wisdom and uninterrupted absolute bliss.

4.13.9

avyavacchinna-yogāgni- dagdha-karma-malāśayaḥ /
svarūpam avarundhāno nātmano 'nyaṃ tadaikṣata //

With the impurities of karma and latent impressions burned away by the unbroken fire of yoga, / dwelling in his true nature, he beheld nothing other than the self.

9. Utkala had all the impurities of his mind burnt up by the uninterrupted force of the fire engendered by his constant Yoga and fixed his mind upon (realised) the essence, he ceased to see anything beyond His own Atman or (self).

4.13.10

jaḍāndha-badhironmatta- mūkākṛtir atan-matiḥ /
lakṣitaḥ pathi bālānāṃ praśāntārcir ivānalaḥ //

Appearing like one dull, blind, deaf, mad, or mute, though his mind was not so, / he was seen by the childish on the road as if he were a fire with its flames subsided.

Verse 9. *V* Here Yoga is that of true knowledge of the nature of self अन्यत् *V.* Anything other than self *i.e.*, the body and its belongings which are the objects of man. *D.* Notes that here the word Yoga indicates the knowledge engendered by means of Yoga and so all his impurity is burnt up by the fire namely the knowledge engendered by deep contemplation of the Lord. Thus he has his mind completely purified and so he was able to see the true relation between Paramatman and the world. Again the word स्वरूप in this verse is to be taken in the sense of the Jiva's *Bimba* *i. e.*, Paramatman of whom the Jiva is like a reflection. Realising this relation of his self to the Lord he did not find anything other than Hari to be the absolute Lord. On the other hand he realised the Truth that the world is created, preserved, governed, destroyed, enlightened subjected to bondage and released from it only by Hari. 10. Remaining like a stupid, blind, deaf, dumb and mad man, but unlike any of them in mind, he was seen by children on the way like the fire which does not send out its rays or show its severity.

4.13.11

matvā taṃ jaḍam unmattaṃ kula-vṛddhāḥ samantriṇaḥ /
vatsaraṃ bhūpatiṃ cakrur yavīyāṃsaṃ bhrameḥ sutam //

Deeming him dull and mad, the elders of the lineage together with the ministers / made his younger brother Vatsara, the son of Bhrami, king.

11. The elderly members of the family and the ministers thought him dull and mad and made Vatsara, the younger son of Bhrami, king of the country.

4.13.12

svarvīthir vatsarasyeṣṭā bhāryāsūta ṣaḍ-ātmajān /
puṣpārṇaṃ tigmaketuṃ ca iṣam ūrjaṃ vasuṃ jayam //

Svarvīthi, the beloved wife of Vatsara, gave birth to six sons: / Puṣpārṇa, Tigmaketu, Iṣa, Ūrja, Vasu, and Jaya.

12. Svarvati, the beloved wife of Vatsara, bore him six sons viz., Pushpārna, Tigmaketu, Ishu, Urja, Vasu and Jaya.

4.13.13

puṣpārṇasya prabhā bhāryā doṣā ca dve babhūvatuḥ /
prātar madhyandinaṃ sāyam iti hy āsan prabhā-sutāḥ //

Puṣpārṇa had two wives, Prabhā and Doṣā. / Prātar, Madhyandina, and Sāyam were the sons of Prabhā.

13. Pushpārna had two wives called Prabhā and Doshā; Prabha, bore three sons called Prātar, Madhyandina and Sāyam.

4.13.14

pradoṣo niśitho vyuṣṭa iti doṣā-sutās trayaḥ /
vyuṣṭaḥ sutaṃ puṣkariṇyāṃ sarvatejasam ādadhe //

Pradoṣa, Niśītha, and Vyuṣṭa were the three sons of Doṣā. / In Puṣkariṇī, Vyuṣṭa begot a son, Sarvatejas.

14. Dosha had three sons namely Pradosha, Nisita and Vyushta; and Vyushta had by Pushkarani a son of every brilliant quality.

4.13.15

sa cakṣuḥ sutam ākūtyāṃ patnyāṃ manum avāpa ha /
manor asūta mahiṣī virajān naḍvalā sutān //

He obtained a son named Cākṣuṣa Manu in his wife Ākūti. / Manu's queen, the faultless Naḍvalā, bore sons:

15. That Sarvatejas had by Akūti his wife a son who was a Manu called Chakshus. And Nadvalā the queen of Manu brought forth faultless sons.

4.13.16

puruṃ kutsaṃ tritaṃ dyumnaṃ satyavantam ṛtaṃ vratam /
agniṣṭomam atīrātraṃ pradyumnaṃ śibim ulmukam //

Puru, Kutsa, Trita, Dyumna, Satyavant, Ṛta, Vrata, / Agniṣṭoma, Atirātra, Pradyumna, Śibi, and Ulmuka.

16. They are Puru, Kutsa, Trita, Dyumna, Satyavat, Rita, Vrata, Agnisotoms, Atirātrā, Pradyumna, Sibi and Ulmuka.

4.13.17

ulmuko 'janayat putrān puṣkariṇyāṃ ṣaḍ uttamān /
aṅgaṃ sumanasaṃ khyātiṃ kratum aṅgirasaṃ gayam //

In Puṣkariṇī, Ulmuka fathered six excellent sons: / Aṅga, Sumanas, Khyāti, Kratu, Aṅgiras, and Gaya.

17. Ulmuka begot on Pushkarani six excellent sons viz., Anga, Sumanas, Khyati, Kratu, Angiras and Gaya.

4.13.18

sunīthāṅgasya yā patnī suṣuve venam ulbaṇam /
yad-dauḥśīlyāt sa rājarṣir nirviṇṇo niragāt purāt //

Sunīthā, the wife of Aṅga, gave birth to the cruel Vena, / disgusted by whose wicked nature that royal sage departed from the city.

18. Sunithā the wife of Anga bore a cruel son called Vena; grieved at the wickedness of the son, the saintly king departed from the city.

4.13.19

yam aṅga śepuḥ kupitā vāg-vajrā munayaḥ kila /
gatāsos tasya bhūyas te mamanthur dakṣiṇaṃ karam //

O dear one, when the sages were angered, their words like thunderbolts, they cursed him; / and when his life had departed, they churned his right arm.

19. O beloved Vidura! the angered sages whose words act like the Vajra of Indra, pronounced a curse upon him and when he fell dead, they again churned his right arm.

4.13.20

arājake tadā loke dasyubhiḥ pīḍitāḥ prajāḥ /
jāto nārāyaṇāṃśena pṛthur ādyaḥ kṣitīśvaraḥ //

At that time, when the world was kingless and the subjects were tormented by thieves, / Pṛthu, the first sovereign of the earth, was born from a portion of Nārāyaṇa.

20. For, then the world not having a ruler, the people were put to difficulties by robbers. (Now) Prithu the first Lord of the earth was born with a portion or Amsa of Narayana.

4.13.21

/0 vidura uvāca
tasya śīla-nidheḥ sādhor brahmaṇyasya mahātmanaḥ /
rājñaḥ katham abhūd duṣṭā prajā yad vimanā yayau //

Vidura said: / From that king, an ocean of good character, virtuous, devoted to the brāhmaṇas, a great soul, / how was wicked offspring born, because of which he departed dejected?

21. Vidura said.—How was it that the good king Anga full of virtue devoted to Brahman and Brāhmanas and possessed of a noble spirit had such a bad son and that he went away sorrowing on that account.

4.13.22

kiṃ vāṃho vena uddiśya brahma-daṇḍam ayūyujan /
daṇḍa-vrata-dhare rājñi munayo dharma-kovidāḥ //

And what sin did the sages, learned in dharma, observe in Vena / to employ the staff of brāhmaṇical curse against a king who holds the rod of punishment?

22. What crime did the sages deeply versed in Dharmasastras notice in the king Vena whose duty is to punish the offenders, for which they inflicted punishment upon him.

4.13.23

nāvadhyeyaḥ prajā-pālaḥ prajābhir aghavān api /
yad asau loka-pālānāṃ bibharty ojaḥ sva-tejasā //

The protector of the subjects is not to be despised by the subjects, even if he is sinful, / since by his own splendor he bears the vigor of the world-guardians.

23. For, though full of faults, a king being the protector of the people, ought not to be scornfully treated, since he is endowed with the spirit and powers of Indra and other gods, the protectors of the world, and he is able to maintain them by virtue of his own superior power.

4.13.24

etad ākhyāhi me brahman sunīthātmaja-ceṣṭitam /
śraddadhānāya bhaktāya tvaṃ parāvara-vittamaḥ //

Relate this to me, O brāhmaṇa, the deeds of Sunīthā's son; / for you know both the higher and the lower, and I am a faithful devotee.

24. O holy sage explain the history of Sunīthā's son (Vena), to me who is full of faith and devotion to thee, and thou art foremost among those that know Para and Avara (all things from Brahman down to the simplest thing).

4.13.25

/0 maitreya uvāca
aṅgo 'śvamedhaṃ rājarṣir ājahāra mahā-kratum /
nājagmur devatās tasminn āhūtā brahma-vādibhiḥ //

Maitreya said: / The royal sage Aṅga performed the great sacrifice, the horse sacrifice; / but the deities did not come to it when summoned by the teachers of Brahman.

25. Maitreya said.—The mighty king Anga performed the great Asvamedha sacrifice, but when invoked by the Brahmins versed in the Vedas the gods did not attend it.

4.13.26

tam ūcur vismitās tatra yajamānam athartvijaḥ /
havīṃṣi hūyamānāni na te gṛhṇanti devatāḥ //

There the priests, astonished, spoke to him, the sacrificer: / 'The oblations being poured are not accepted by the deities.'

26. Then the priests full of astonishment said to the sacrificer (the king), "The gods do not accept thy offerings poured into the fire.

4.13.27

rājan havīṃṣy aduṣṭāni śraddhayāsāditāni te /
chandāṃsy ayāta-yāmāni yojitāni dhṛta-vrataiḥ //

'O King, the oblations are unblemished and brought forth with faith; / the Vedic meters are unvitiated, employed by those who observe their vows.'

27. "O king the materials of offerings are all pure and have been righteously obtained by thee, and Vedic texts of undiminished virtue have been sung by us properly keeping our vows.

4.13.28

na vidāmeha devānāṃ helanaṃ vayam aṇv api /
yan na gṛhṇanti bhāgān svān ye devāḥ karma-sākṣiṇaḥ //

'We do not see here even the slightest disrespect toward the gods, / and yet the gods, who are witnesses of karma, do not accept their portions.'

28. "And in this life we do not know (think) we have offended the gods in the least so that the gods witnessing our sacrificial duties might not accept their portions."

4.13.29

/0 maitreya uvāca
aṅgo dvija-vacaḥ śrutvā yajamānaḥ sudurmanāḥ /
tat praṣṭuṃ vyasṛjad vācaṃ sadasyāṃs tad-anujñayā //

Maitreya said: / Hearing the words of the twice-born, Aṅga, the sacrificer, deeply distressed in mind, / spoke, with their permission, to ask the members of the assembly:

29. Maitreya said.—On hearing the words of the Brāhman priests, king Anga the sacrificer full of disappointment proceeded with their permission to ask the learned assembly about the cause.

4.13.30

nāgacchanty āhutā devā na gṛhṇanti grahān iha /
sadasas-patayo brūta kim avadyaṃ mayā kṛtam //

'The summoned gods do not arrive, nor do they take the cups of soma here. / Tell me, leaders of the assembly, what offense has been committed by me?'

30. "The gods being invoked do not come and accept the cups of Soma-juice in the sacrifice; O leaders of the assembly, please tell me what sin I have committed."

4.13.31

/0 sadasas-pataya ūcuḥ
nara-deveha bhavato nāghaṃ tāvan manāk sthitam /
asty ekaṃ prāktanam aghaṃ yad ihedṛk tvam aprajaḥ //

The leaders of the assembly said: / 'O lord of men, there is indeed not the slightest sin of yours present here in this life. / Yet there is one past sin, because of which you are childless like this in this life.'

31. Sadasaspatis said.—"O Lord of men, nothing sinful in thee has been observed in this life so far; but there is a sin of

previous life, on account of which, highly virtuous as thou art, thou hast no issue.

4.13.32

tathā sādhaya bhadraṃ te ātmānaṃ suprajaṃ nṛpa /
iṣṭas te putra-kāmasya putraṃ dāsyati yajña-bhuk //

'Therefore, may you be blessed, O King, ensure that you have good offspring; / worshiped by you who desire a son, the enjoyer of sacrifices will grant a son.'

32. "Good betide thee! do thou so endeavour in securing an issue to thyself that the gods may be pleased to accept thy offerings; when properly worshipped the Yajna Purusha (the god of fire) will bless thee with an issue which thou seekest.

4.13.33

tathā sva-bhāgadheyāni grahīṣyanti divaukasaḥ /
yad yajña-puruṣaḥ sākṣād apatyāya harir vṛtaḥ //

'Then the dwellers of heaven will take their shares, / since Hari, the Person of sacrifice Himself, will have been chosen for the sake of offspring.'

33. "Now the gods also will accept their portions, if Sri Hari the Deity to whom all sacrifices are intended is invoked to be thy son.

4.13.34

tāṃs tān kāmān harir dadyād yān yān kāmayate janaḥ /
ārādhito yathaivaiṣa tathā puṃsāṃ phalodayaḥ //

'Whatever desires a person wishes for, those very desires Hari would bestow; / according to how He is worshiped, in that way arises the fruition for men.'

34. "Hari bestows upon man various things which he desires and the fruits which he obtains are according as He is worshipped by him."

4.13.35

iti vyavasitā viprās tasya rājñaḥ prajātaye /
puroḍāśaṃ niravapan śipi-viṣṭāya viṣṇave //

Having thus resolved, the brāhmaṇas, for the king's procreation, / offered a sacrificial cake to Viṣṇu who pervades the universe.

35. The wise Brāhmanas thus came to a conclusion and for the sake of securing the king an issue they offered *Purodāśa* to Vishnu the Supreme Deity to whom all sacrifices are dedicated.

4.13.36

tasmāt puruṣa uttasthau hema-māly amalāmbaraḥ /
hiraṇmayena pātreṇa siddham ādāya pāyasam //

From that sacrifice arose a man wearing a golden garland and spotless garments, / bearing in a golden vessel prepared milk-rice.

36. From that fire rose a person wearing ornaments of gold clad in pure silk and bringing the ready made *Pāyasa* in a jar of gold.

4.13.37

sa viprānumato rājā gṛhītvāñjalinaudanam /
avaghrāya mudā yuktaḥ prādāt patnyā udāra-dhīḥ //

Permitted by the brāhmaṇas, the noble-minded king took the food with cupped hands, / smelled it, and filled with joy, gave it to his wife.

37. With the assent of the wise Brāhmanas the noble-minded king received the food in his joined hands, and, having smelt it with great joy, gave it to his queen.

4.13.38

sā tat puṃ-savanaṃ rājñī prāśya vai patyur ādadhe /
garbhaṃ kāla upāvṛtte kumāraṃ suṣuve 'prajā //

The queen, partaking of that pregnancy-conducive food from her husband, conceived a child; / and when the time arrived, she, previously childless, gave birth to a boy.

38. Having tasted that food which had the virtue of promoting the birth of a son, the queen conceived and in due time she brought forth a son.

4.13.39

sa bāla eva puruṣo mātāmaham anuvrataḥ /
adharmāṃśodbhavaṃ mṛtyuṃ tenābhavad adhārmikaḥ //

Even as a child, that male followed his maternal grandfather, / Death, who was born from a portion of unrighteousness; therefore he became unrighteous.

39. As a boy he (the son) was devoted to his grandfather on his mother's side who was Mrityu born with an Amsa of Adharma, and so he became unrighteous.

4.13.40

sa śarāsanam udyamya mṛgayur vana-gocaraḥ /
hanty asādhur mṛgān dīnān veno 'sāv ity arauj janaḥ //

Raising his bow, wandering in the forest as a hunter, / that wicked one killed helpless deer, so that people cried out: 'Here is Vena!'

40. He constantly took up a bow wandered through the forest in search of game and was so heartless as to kill poor innocent animals (deer) and hence people loudly called him 'Vena.'

4.13.41

ākrīḍe krīḍato bālān vayasyān atidāruṇaḥ /
prasahya niranukrośaḥ paśu-māram amārayat //

Exceedingly cruel and pitiless, in the playground he violently killed / boys of his age playing there, slaughtering them like sacrificial animals.

41. This very cruel boy without the least compunction seized the childern and his mates playing in the playground and killed them like animals.

4.13.42

taṃ vicakṣya khalaṃ putraṃ śāsanair vividhair nṛpaḥ /
yadā na śāsituṃ kalpo bhṛśam āsīt sudurmanāḥ //

Observing him to be a villainous son, when the king was unable / to discipline him through various punishments, he became exceedingly disheartened:

42. When, after trying various punishments to rectify this wicked son, the king found himself incapable to rule him, he was sorely depressed in spirits.

4.13.43

prāyeṇābhyarcito devo ye 'prajā gṛha-medhinaḥ /
kad-apatya-bhṛtaṃ duḥkhaṃ ye na vindanti durbharam //

'Generally the god has been honored by householders who are childless, / who do not experience the unbearable sorrow caused by a bad child!'

43. The Lord is generally worshipped mostly by those householders who are childless and who would not suffer the unbearable misery caused by a wicked son.

4.13.44

yataḥ pāpīyasī kīrtir adharmaś ca mahān nṛṇām /
yato virodhaḥ sarveṣāṃ yata ādhir anantakaḥ //

'From which comes wretched infamy and great unrighteousness for men, / from which arises enmity with everyone, from which comes endless mental agony!'

44 & 45. Which wise man would set a high value upon the deluding bondage called a child, which fills the household life (the house) with troubles, entails a bad name and great loss of Dharma to kings, and becomes the source of enmity with all and endless anxieties filling the heart.

4.13.45

kas taṃ prajāpadeśaṃ vai moha-bandhanam ātmanaḥ /
paṇḍito bahu manyeta yad-arthāḥ kleśadā gṛhāḥ //

'Who, being wise, would highly esteem that bond of delusion for the self called a child, / for whose sake homes become givers of affliction?'

4.13.46

kad-apatyaṃ varaṃ manye sad-apatyāc chucāṃ padāt /
nirvidyeta gṛhān martyo yat-kleśa-nivahā gṛhāḥ //

'I consider a bad child better than a good child, who is an abode of grief, / since from the former a mortal becomes disgusted with home, where homes are collections of misery.'

46. Or I think that a wicked son is preferable to a good son who is the source of many sorrows; for the mortal man might come to renounce the house, (when) full of troubles on account of a bad son.

4.13.47

evaṃ sa nirviṇṇa-manā nṛpo gṛhān niśītha utthāya mahodayodayāt /
alabdha-nidro 'nupalakṣito nṛbhir hitvā gato vena-suvaṃ prasuptām //

Thus, with a mind disgusted, the king arose in the dead of night from his home of great prosperity; / unable to sleep and unnoticed by men, he abandoned Vena's sleeping mother and went away.

47. Thus with a heart sore with disappointment the sleepless king rose in the dead of night, and unobserved by other men left his sleeping queen, the mother of Vena, and departed from the palace which was the home of all kinds of prosperity (where all kinds of prosperity attended).

4.13.48

vijñāya nirvidya gataṃ patiṃ prajāḥ purohitāmātya-suhṛd-gaṇādayaḥ /
vicikyur urvyām atiśoka-kātarā yathā nigūḍhaṃ puruṣaṃ kuyoginaḥ //

Learning that their lord had departed in disgust, the subjects, priest, ministers, and groups of friends, / distraught with intense sorrow, searched the earth just as poor yogins search for the hidden Puruṣa.

48. His subjects, priests, ministers, friends and others knowing that their lord departed in disgust and in great anxiety, searched for him all through the earth, even as bad Yogins look for the unmanifest Supreme Being.

4.13.49

alakṣayantaḥ padavīṃ prajāpater hatodyamāḥ pratyupasṛtya te purīm /
ṛṣīn sametān abhivandya sāśravo nyavedayan paurava bhartṛ-viplavam //

Failing to see the path of the lord of subjects, their efforts foiled, they returned to the city, / and bowing down in tears to the assembled sages, O descendant of Puru, they reported their master's disappearance.

49. Not being able to trace the path of the king and after all their endeavours in vain they returned to the city, bowed to the assembled sages and with tears in their eyes informed them of the loss of their king, O Vidura.