Revākhaṇḍa ascribed to the Vāyupurāṇa (RKV) 155
English (machine translation) 155
- Language
- English
Contents
- 155.119 — 2 parts
155.1
Śrī Mārkaṇḍeya said: / Hereafter I shall declare Śuklatīrtha on the north bank of the Narmadā, / unsurpassable among all pilgrimage places, O Yudhiṣṭhira.
155.2
Because of its sacredness and auspicious sight, all other pilgrimage places / on the earth are not worth a sixteenth part of that pilgrimage place.
155.3
Yudhiṣṭhira said: / I wish to hear truly the glorification of that pilgrimage place, / together with all my brothers and the other best of the twice-born.
155.4
Śrī Mārkaṇḍeya said: / Hear, O ruler of men, the origin of Śuklatīrtha, / from the mere sight of which the murder of a brāhmaṇa dissolves.
155.5
The Narmadā is the best of rivers, destroying all sins; / whatever sin was committed in childhood is destroyed by its mere sight.
155.6
[Pilgrimage places] do not grant liberation everywhere, O king, except Śuklatīrtha. / The glorification of Śuklatīrtha that was heard by me in the Purāṇa,
155.7
which was related by the blue-throated god of gods, O Bhārata, / on Kailāsa, the best of mountains, at an assembly of sages and gods alike, / that I shall relate to you.
155.8
Long ago, at the beginning of the Kṛta age, Viṣṇu practiced extensive asceticism / for a thousand years to please the husband of the mountain's daughter, / feeding on wind, fasting, settled at Śuklatīrtha.
155.9
Then Maheśvara, the god of gods, became visible; / he appeared suddenly at that pilgrimage place, O ruler of men.
155.10
He made this [place] of two krośas the granter of worldly enjoyment and liberation; / having bathed at that pilgrimage place, a man is released from all sins.
155.11
The Gaṅgā is sacred at Kanakhala, the Sarasvatī at Kurukṣetra, / but the Narmadā is sacred everywhere, whether in a village or in the forest.
155.12
Food is primary among all plants; water is primary among all drinks; / sleep is primary among pleasures, a woman among delights; the head is primary among all limbs.
155.13
Just as the forehead is the sacred part of one who has bathed, O best of kings, / so is Śuklatīrtha sacred upon the Narmadā, O Yudhiṣṭhira.
155.14
And just as the Gaṅgā is [foremost] among rivers, and Janārdana among deities, / so is Śuklatīrtha situated as sacred upon the Narmadā.
155.15
Just as Surabhi is foremost among four-footed beasts, and the brāhmaṇa among classes, / so is Śuklatīrtha foremost among all pilgrimage places, O king.
155.16
Just as the sun is [foremost] among planets, and the moon among constellations, / or the head among all limbs, so is truth regarded as foremost among dharmas.
155.17
Just so, O son of Pṛthā, Śuklatīrtha is unsurpassable among pilgrimage places. / Just as the eternal supreme self is difficult to know in the world,
155.18
indescribable because of its extreme subtlety, so is Śuklatīrtha, O king. / A man who has fallen into dullness of intellect, gripped by great delusion,
155.19
does not know Śuklatīrtha situated on the bank of the Narmadā. / What is the use of speaking much on this matter again and again, O son of Dharma?
155.20
The highly sacred Śuklatīrtha is attained through the destruction of impurities. / Whoever, becoming pure, offers here a single handful of Revā water,
155.21
by him the ancestors are satisfied for thousands of crores of kalpas.
155.22
There was a king named Cāṇakya on the surface of the earth, an only son / who destroyed the distress of his ancestors; and he knew Śuklatīrtha.
155.23
Yudhiṣṭhira said:
Who was he, O best of excellent twice-born, known by the name Cāṇakya,
who knew Śuklatīrtha, for indeed no one else knew it?
155.24
By what means was that pilgrimage place known to him on the surface of the earth?
I wish to hear that, for great indeed is my curiosity.
155.25
Śrī Mārkaṇḍeya said:
A king descended from Ikṣvāku, the grandson of Śuddhodana,
a royal sage named Cāṇakya, enjoyed this earth.
155.26
Valiant, intelligent, heroic, and undeceived by any being,
that best of kings was suddenly deceived by two roguish crows.
155.27
Yudhiṣṭhira said:
How was that king deceived by two crows, or from where did they come—
he by whom, endowed with profound intellect, a great-souled vow had previously been made:
155.28
“I will not live if deceived by another; I shall abandon my life, there is no doubt”?
Tell me this, O best of brahmins, for great is my curiosity.
155.29
Śrī Mārkaṇḍeya said:
Knowing himself to have been deceived, he then captured the two crows
and dispatched them to Yama's abode with severe punishment.
155.30
The two crows said:
“We are the sons of Sunda and Upasunda, who have attained the state of crows.
Do not slay us, O fortunate one, for the sake of some other reason.
155.31
Having formed a resolve, whether driven away or not driven away
by you in anger, O honor-giver, we two shall attain the supreme state.
155.32
Therefore command us, O king of kings, and having done you a great favor,
we shall be freed from our curse, in accordance with the word of Brahmā.”
155.33
Hearing that speech of the crows, Cāṇakya, the best of kings, [said]:
“Knowing myself thus deceived by anyone at any time, I shall not live.
155.34
Therefore find out about that pilgrimage place in the abode of Yama, O birds!
I shall send [you] according to rule; having heard [it], you shall tell that [to me].”
155.35
Released by him, those two swift-flying crows, adorned with garlands and sandalwood paste,
he dispatched toward the abode of Yama.
155.36
The king said:
“Having gone there to the city of Dharma, wandering here and there,
if the righteous, great Yama, the Restrainer, asks:
155.37
‘From where have you two come? Speak! Or by whom are you both adorned?’
my words must indeed be spoken to him without hesitation:
155.38
‘The righteous king born of Ikṣvāku, named Cāṇakya,
on the twelfth day after his death, we were gratified with food and other offerings.’”
155.39
Hearing those words of the king, the two went to the abode of Yama;
adorned with garlands and sandalwood paste, they played in his courtyard.
Seen by the King of Dharma, the two bold crows were questioned.
155.40
Yama said:
“From what place have you two arrived, or by whom are you both adorned?
Let this story be told without fear, O crows!”
155.41
The two crows said:
“The righteous king born of Ikṣvāku, named Cāṇakya,
on the twelfth day after his death, we were gratified with food and other offerings.”
155.42
Having heard those words of the two, the Vaivasvata Yama,
looking at Citragupta, Kali, and Kāla, spoke this always:
155.43
“Of all creatures born from eggs and born from sweat, among the moving and unmoving,
proximity to me has been ordained by Brahmā, the creator of the worlds.
155.44
Where has this wicked-acting one named Cāṇakya gone here?
Let it be searched in the Purāṇas and in the Itihāsas, what his destiny is!”
155.45
Then, impelled by the King of Dharma, those guardians of Dharma
examined the destiny and return born of action, as spoken in the Purāṇas.
155.46
Then Dharma, the best of the upholders of righteousness,
spoke these words in a voice deep like a thundercloud, while the guardians of Dharma listened:
155.47
“For those born from eggs and sweat who die in Śuklatīrtha,
in the clear waters of the Narmadā, there is no arrival into my presence.
155.48
That righteous pilgrimage place in the world was fashioned by Brahmā, Viṣṇu, and Maheśvara
with supreme devotion, out of a desire for the welfare of the worlds.
155.49
Men who are joined with sins and minor sins,
when dead in the waters of the Narmadā at Śuklatīrtha, become pure and are never my subjects.”
155.50
Hearing that speech uttered by Yama,
those two swift-flying crows returned, O Pārtha, having seen the great city of Yama.
155.51
Questioned by the king, the two Dānavas who had become crows
bowed and related, O Pārtha, as it happened and as it was heard:
155.52
“We two went from this place to the excellent city of Yama,
in the southern quarter of the earth, crossing through many births.
155.53
That city moves at will, divine, with golden ramparts and archways,
crowded with numerous houses, adorned with jewels and gold,
155.54
adorned with crossroads, courtyards, and bell-hung thoroughfares,
covered with gardens and groves, embellished with clusters of lotuses,
155.55
resounding with swans and cranes, teeming with flocks of cuckoos,
filled with lions, tigers, and elephants, and frequented by bears and monkeys,
155.56
thronged with men and women, adorned with perpetual festivities,
resounding with the sounds of conches and drums, and with lutes and flutes,
155.57
laid out along Yama's path like another heavenly world.
Having arrived there, we were again recognized by other messengers of Yama by Yama's command,
155.58
and sent to where the god, the lord of the world, resides.
Through fear for our lives, that lord seated on a throne was seen:
155.59
having a massive body, massive shanks, massive shoulders, and a massive belly,
having a massive chest, massive arms, a massive face and eyes—a great being,
155.60
mounted upon a great buffalo, adorned with a great crown.
And there were others: Kali, Kāla, and the highly intelligent Citragupta.
155.61
When we approached, they were seen like blazing fires in the midst,
masters of the meaning of revelation and tradition regarding the merits and sins of creatures,
155.62
standing day and night, constantly deliberating.
Then, after our prostration, we two were questioned about the cause of our arrival
by Yama, the personification of restraint. Listen to what we said to him:
155.63
‘In Ujjayinī there was a glorious protector of the earth, Cāṇakya.
Having eaten on the twelfth day after his death, we have arrived at Yama's dwelling.’
155.64
Then, having heard our words, Yama shook his head
and spoke true words in the midst of the assembly, as if laughing:
155.65
‘There is a reason why Cāṇakya, a sinful man,
has not come to my world, which is terrifying to all sins.
155.66
For those who die at Śuklatīrtha on the Narmadā, the supreme state
155.67
arises for all creatures; there is no doubt about this.
Whether helpless or independent, a creature within the circle of that sacred field
155.68
who dies there—no doubt about it—becomes an attendant of Rudra.’
Having heard that righteous speech, having emerged outside the city,”
155.69
beholding various terrible torments of mortals in hell. / Indeed, thirty crores of terrible hells, O best of kings,
155.70
were seen; terrified, they experienced supreme distress on that great path. / There was the hell Raurava, and indeed Mahāraurava;
155.71
Peṣaṇa, Śoṣaṇa, Kālasūtra, Asthibhañjana, / Tāmisra, Andhatāmisra, and Kṛmipūtivaha;
155.72
and another, Mahājvāla, was seen right there, [and] Viṣabhojana; / the two hells Daṃśa and Maśaka, and the Yamala mountains;
155.73
the river Vaitaraṇī was seen, destroying all sins, / where [the virtuous] drink cool water resembling nectar,
155.74
[but] that very water turns into blood for sinners; / and another, Asipatravana, was seen, and another huge stone slab;
155.75
another huge Śālmalī tree resembling a heap of fire; / and other [hells] named by the hundreds and thousands,
155.76
dreadful and most dreadful, were seen, where mortals suffer / for vocal sins, mental sins, and various bodily sins;
155.77
for faults produced by egotism preceded by deceitful words, / [and when] father, mother, guru, brother, the destitute, or the disabled
155.78
wander about unassisted, their destination is indeed in Raurava. / Having spent twelve years there in Raurava, those vile people
155.79
become wretched and blind here in the human world. / For evil-doing men who steal the property of gods and brāhmaṇas,
155.80
dwelling in Yama's abode, taking resort in Mahāraurava, is certain. / Then, after a long time, shrouded in sin, those sinners
155.81
are born pierced by thorns, or as silkworms in a cocoon. / Slayers of beasts and birds, and eaters of flesh,
155.82
go to the Peṣaṇa hell, and to Śoṣaṇa from binding living beings. / Having endured the terrible torment prescribed in the scriptures there,
155.83
men attain human birth here as lame, blind, and deaf. / For those who speak untruth here for the sake of cows or brāhmaṇas,
155.84
The fall of [such] men takes place into the hell called Kālasūtra. / The terrible torment there has been ordained by the authors of the treatises.
155.85
Having experienced [it] and returned here, they go to an outcast state; / and those who bind living beings, abandoning the lineage of their own family,
155.86
fall into the hell called Asthibhañjana, of this there is no doubt. / There, at the end of a hundred years, having attained human birth here,
155.87
the wicked ones are born as hunchbacks and dwarfs, partaking of sorrow. / Those fools who consider themselves learned and abandon their own wives,
155.88
go to the terrible hell Tāmisra, of this there is no doubt. / There, at the end of a hundred years, having attained human birth here,
155.89
those men are born afflicted with skin diseases and unfortunate. / Those who speak falsely of measures, falsely of balances, or utter deceit,
155.90
those lowest of men are cooked in the Andhatāmisra hell. / Having dwelled there for a period of a hundred thousand [years], those men
155.91
wander blind in an enemy’s house here, pitiable in appearance. / Those who eat food here without offering it to the ancestors, gods, and twice-born,
155.92
nourishing only themselves, fall into the hell called Kṛmibhakṣya. / From there, at the time of birth, devoured by worms and full of sores,
155.93
having a foul stench, one is born here, subsisting on another’s fortune. / Those wicked ones who have fallen from their own duty and are devoid of caste and stage of life,
155.94
suffer for ten thousand years in the hell filled with pus. / Then, when the time is completed there, having attained human existence,
155.95
they are born causing terror to living beings, afflicted with diseases. / A man who sets fires, gives poison, or is accompanied by greed and delusion,
155.96
that evil-minded one sinks into the hell filled with poison. / There, rising up after a period of a hundred years,
155.97
having attained human birth on earth, he is born miserable again. / Having not given sandals, shoes, an umbrella, a bed, or coverings,
155.98
they are eaten by gnats and mosquitoes for seventy births. / Those who seize a father's wealth, engaged in beating and reviling,
155.99
torment is inflicted on them where the twin mountains are. / That which is the terrible Vaitaraṇī, the river flowing with blood—
155.100
those who approach a menstruating woman drink blood there. / In the terrible Asipatravana, evildoers are tormented,
155.101
men who constantly cause pain to others, and who consort with outcast women. / As for those who take pleasure in a guru's wife, though they be great sinners,
155.102
the embracing of a stone pillar occurs for them for seventy births. / Those who lust after another's wife embrace a blazing,
155.103
terrible iron silk-cotton tree covered with many thorns. / Having abducted another’s woman, and having stolen a brāhmaṇa’s property,
155.104
he becomes a cruel rākṣasa in a waterless region in the forest. / And he who takes the property of a god or of a brāhmaṇa out of greed,
155.105
that sinful-souled one lives in the other world on the leavings of vultures. / Sins such as these they suffer by the decree of Yama,
155.106
from the very sight and hearing of which fear arises. / And others were seen enjoying the fruit of their gifts in the abode of Yama,
155.107
and heard, as the messengers described them by the command of Yama: / some riding chariots, others on elephants, some surrounded by horses,
155.108
were seen there, O fortunate one, established in their accumulated austerities: / men who gave cows, who gave gold, and who bestowed land and gems.
155.109
That world grants the desires of men regarding beds, food, houses, and the like. / Those men who give food along with water here,
155.110
there, gratified and well-pleased, sport in the abode of Yama. / Whatever gift is given here, even of the size of the tip of a hair,
155.111
all that bears imperishable fruit at Śuklatīrtha, O best of kings. / All this has been told to you, what was seen and what was heard.
155.112
Do what you intend; if you are able, be liberated!” / Having heard that speech of the two, Cāṇakya, delighted in mind,
155.113
dismissed the two birds, having praised them repeatedly. / When the two had departed, having given away all his possessions to the brāhmaṇas, O descendant of Bharata,
155.114
having abandoned desire and anger, he went to Amaraparvata. / Having firmly bound a raft there held by a black rope,
155.115
floating quickly, meditating upon the god Janārdana: / one should seek health from Bhāskara, wealth indeed from Agni,
155.116
one obtains knowledge from Īśāna, one obtains liberation from Keśava. / The cord that was blue, red, and dark
155.117
having seen the rope resembling pure crystal, the highly intelligent one / bathed in the pure water and went to the realm of Viṣṇu.
155.118
That ancient, eternal [reality] named Acyuta, Nārāyaṇa, whom the knowers of the Veda praise, / that great-souled prince reached, having cast off his body at the auspicious Śuklatīrtha.
155.119
This perfection of King Cāṇakya has been told to you, O king. / I shall tell you another; listen with a one-pointed mind.
155.119.p1
|| Thus ends the one hundred and fifty-fifth chapter, named 'The Description of the Attainment of Perfection by Cāṇakya', in the Revākhaṇḍa of the Āvantyakhaṇḍa, in the glorious Skandapurāṇa, a great purāṇa consisting of eighty-one thousand verses.
155.119.p2
RKV Chapter 156
Linked texts (1)
- Revākhaṇḍa (Vāyupurāṇa) — Sanskrit