Puranic Encyclopaedia: A Comprehensive Dictionary with Special Reference to the Epic and Puranic Literature c9.1556

c9.1556

The maharṣi remained in meditation for some time and the condition of the horse became vivid in his mind. Then he spoke as follows:— "There was once a brahmin named Sātvika in Gauḍa (?) land on the banks of river Kāverī. Once he began performing tapas. He spent three days, drinking only water the first day, consuming air the next day and fasting completely the third day. He continued his tapas repeating the above course until one day he entered samādhi (expired). He got into a decorated plane sent from Devaloka, went to the peak of mount Meru and thence came to river Jambū, which flowed from the great Jambū tree on the mountain. There in Jambū were many maharṣis, who had acquired merit by bathing in the golden water of the river, enjoying all comforts in the company of apsarā women. Sātvika, one day, haughty with the thought that he was the master of the maharṣis, did something which quite displeased the latter, and they cursed him. When he prayed for absolution from the curse they told him thus: "When you paralyse the feet of Śrī Rāma's horse, you will happen to hear Rāma's story and then you will be redeemed from curse."