INTRODUCTION
Jaimini,
a disciple of sage Vedavyasa, had once expressed his curiosity before Markandeya-
'O Lord! In the great epic Mahabharat, which was created by Vedavyasa,
description of Dharma, Arth, Kama and Moksha appears to be intertwined at times
and at other times, it appears to be separate from one another. Vedavyasa had
described the norms, the stages and the means to perform the duties in all the
four stages. This epic contains cryptic knowledge ofthe Vedas. Hence O great
sage! I have approached you in order to grasp the full knowledge contained in
Mahabharat with your help. Why did the Lord take human incarnation even though
He is the cause of the origin, perpetuation and destruction of the universe? How
did Draupadi become the wife of five Pandavas? How did Balaram expiate for the
sin of killing a Brahmin? How did Draupadi's sons give up their lives? Kindly
narrate all these things in detail. '
Markandeya says- 'O Muni ! Presently I am engaged in evening worship.
Hence I do not have time to narrate these things in detail. But I am telling you
about the birds which will narrate you the entire content of Mahabharat. Those
birds will also remove all your doubts. Sons of the great bird Drona- Pingaksha,
Vibodha, Suputra, Sumuk etc. stay in the caves among the hills of Vindhyachal.
They are proficient in Vedas. Go and ask them, they will remove all your doubts.'
Markandeya's words surprised Jaimini. To confirm, he asked again- 'It is
surprising that the birds could narrate the content of Mahabharat just like
human beings. It is even more surprising that they are proficient in Vedas
knowledge, which is even rare to find among humans. Kindly tell me how did they
come to acquire such profound knowledge despite having being born in the form of
birds. Why do you call them as the sons of Drona?'
Markandeya says- 'Long ago, a strange event took place in Nandanvan
involving Indra, Devrishi Narad and some of the elves. One day, Indra was
enjoying his time in the Nandanvan forest along with his elves. At the same time
Narad also arrived there. Indra welcomed and offered him a seat. The elves also
greeted Narad. Indra then said- 'Munivar! Tell me what you desire now? If
you desire to listen to a song, should I order the Gandharvas or if you wish to
watch the dance, should I order one of my elves, Menka, Rambha, Mishrakeshi or
Urvashi? Any of these four can perform a seducing dance before you.'
Narad expressed his desire to watch the dance of an elf, who was superior in
beauty to the other elves. This led to a row among the elves. Each one of them
was proud of her beauty and talent. Narad then advised them to test their beauty
by breaking sage Durvaasa's penance who was at that time staying on a hilltop.
All the elves expressed their inability to perform this task successfully. Only
an elf named Vapu, driven by her haughtiness accepted to break the penance of
sage Durvaasa.
Accordingly she reached the hill where Durvaasa was staying and began to sing an
infatuating song in her sweet voice. Very soon, the song began to show its
effect on Durvaasa. Attracted by the sweet voice, Durvaasa went in search of the
origin of the voice and found Vapu singing at a distance. Durvaasa understood
that the elf had come to break his penance. Angrily, he cursed the elf that she
would take birth in the lineage of the birds for sixteen years, she would not
bear a child and ultimately would be killed by a weapon to regain her heavenly
abode. After saying this, sage Durvaasa migrated to Akashganga.
VARIOUS
CREATIONS AND FAMOUS MYTHOLOGICAL CHARACTERS
BIRTH
OF FOUR BIRDS
Markandeya says - 'In
the lineage of the avian King Garud, there were two brothers- Kank and Kandhar.
One day, Kank visited Kailash Parbat where a demon Vidrayudrup, who was a slave
of Kuber, was enjoying privacy with his wife and drinking wine. Seeing Kank, the
demon showed his displeasure at his arrival at an improper time. But Kank boldly
asserted his right on the mountain as according to him, it belonged to all. The
infuriated demon decapitated Kank with his sword.
Hearing the news of his brother's killing, Kandhar resolved to kill the demon.
After performing the last rites of his brother, he also arrived on the mountain
where the demon Vidrayudrup was still drinking wine with his wife. The demon
lost his temper again. Kandhar then challenged the demon to have a fight with
him. A fierce battle ensued between them. Ultimately, Kandhar killed the demon.
The demon's wife- Madanika finding herself in a helpless situation accepted
Kandhar as her husband. Thus, Kandhar returned to his palace with a newly found
wife. Madanika was in fact the daughter of Menka, the elf and could change her
guise at will. After marrying Kandhar, she took the guise of the bird. The bird
Madanika was born as elf - Vapu in her next birth due to the curse of sage
Durvaasa. Kandhar named her Taarkshi.
A Brahmin named Mandapal had four sons. Drona was the youngest among them and
proficient in scriptures, Vedas etc. Kandhar married his daughter, Taarkshi to
Drona. After their marriage, Drona and Taarkshi were spending their time
happily. Taarkshi conceived during the same time when the battle of Mahabharat
was going on. As destiny would have it, Taarkshi flew over the battlefield where
she saw Arjuna and Bhagdatt, the king of Pragjyotishpur, fighting valiantly
against each other. Accidentally an arrow aimed at Bhagdatt went in the
direction of Taarkshi and struck her in the abdomen and tore it apart. As a
result of this, four eggs fell on the ground. At the same time, a huge bell fell
from Supratik's neck, the elephant of Bhagdatt, and covered the eggs safely.
After the battle of Mahabharat was over, a sage Shami visited the battlefield.
There he happened to spot the bell and heard faint chirping coming from
underneath the bell. The sage removed the bell and discovered four wingless
chicks beneath it. Surprisingly he said to his disciples- 'Look! Falling
of these eggs and getting safely covered by the bell simultaneously shows that
these chicks are no ordinary birds.' Then he instructed his disciples to
carry the eggs to the hermitage and keep it securely at a place safe from
predators. The disciples did as told.
BIRDS
MIGRATE TO VINDHYACHAL
Sage Shami thereafter
began to foster the chicks in his hermitage. With time, the chicks grew feathers
and began to fly here and there. But every time the birds went out, they
returned to the hermitage by evening. The birds also gained Vedic knowledge by
hearing the discourses, which sage Shami used to give daily to his disciples.
One day, when sage Shami was preaching his disciples, the birds arrived
there and said- 'O great sage! You are like our father because you have
protected us. You are our teacher also because we have gained knowledge from
you. Now we have grown up, kindly tell us what should we do?'. The birds
speaking like learned people amazed the sage as well as his disciple.
He asked the birds- 'Tell us, how did you speak so clearly and is there
any curse behind your present condition?'. The birds replied- 'O
sage! Long ago, there used to live a sage, Vipulasvan. He had two sons- Sukrish
and Tumbaru. In our previous birth, we were the sons of Sukrish. When our father
and uncle performed Yagya, we brought them all the required materials. One day,
Indra arrived at our hermitage disguised as an aged bird. The aged bird was
starving, hence we requested our father to provide him with some food. Upon
enquiring by our father, the bird expressed his desire to eat human flesh. Our
father tried to dissuade the bird but it did not give up its insistence. Then
our father called us and said that he had promised the bird to feed it with
human flesh. So, we were asked to donate our body in order to satisfy the bird's
hunger. But being frightened, we expressed our inability to meet the demand of
the starving bird. This infuriated our father for we were violating his promise
that he had made to the bird. He then cursed us to take birth as birds in our
next life and himself got ready to donate his body. As our father was breathing
his last, Indra resumed his real self and said- 'O great sage! I took
this guise only to test your character. Kindly forgive me and tell me what you
desire now?' Indra blessed our father to have divine knowledge and
penance free from all obstacles. Thereafter we also fell at our father's feet
and begged for his pardon. We requested him to take back his words but he said
that his words would not go futile. But still he blessed us to have supreme
knowledge even in the form of birds.'
Concluding their talk, the birds said- 'O lord! Thus controlled by
destiny, our father cursed us. After sometime, we took birth in bird form in the
battlefield where you found us and fostered us in your hermitage. Now we are
strong enough to fly long distances. So kindly free us from your obligation.'
Hearing the words of the birds, sage Shami said to his disciples- 'Look!
I had already told you that these birds were no ordinary creatures. They even
survived the battle of Mahabharat. It shows their greatness.' Then sage
Shami granted them permission to migrate to the Vindhyachal. The birds decided
to pass their time by studying the Vedas and doing penance as long as they
stayed there.
DIVINE
PLAYS OF GOD
Sage Jaimini reached
Vindhyachal and arrived before the birds as per Markandeya's instructions. He
said- 'O birds! I am Jaimini, the disciple of Vedavyasa. I have come here
with a desire to have your glimpse.' The birds welcomed him saying- 'It
is our great fortune that you have arrived here. Your arrival has made us feel
as if God himself has arrived.' Jaimini said- 'O learned birds!
Kindly listen to the purpose of my visit. Sage Markandeya instructed me to come
here and see you. You kindly answer my questions that I have in the context of
Mahabharat.' The birds assured him of every possible explanation as per
their knowledge. Sage Jaimini proceeded- 'Why did Lord take human
incarnation even though He is the cause of the origin, perpetuation and
destruction of the universe? How did Draupadi come to be the queen of five
Pandavas? How did Balaram expiate for the sin of killing a Brahmin? How were
Draupadi's sons attain martyrdom? Kindly narrate all these things in detail.'
The birds say- 'The omnipotent, omniscient and the omnipresent Almighty
God is worshipped even by the deities. We salute that Lord Vishnu who is the
originator of this universe and who pervades everywhere. We salute Brahma from
whose four mouths, the Vedas appeared and sanctified all the three worlds. We
bow down at the feet of Mahadev. Those sages who have metaphysical knowledge
assert that Narayan exists in four forms, which are both tangible and
intangible. His first form is Vasudev, appearance of who is more imaginative in
nature. This form exists everywhere and in every ages.
The second form of Narayan is the one that bears the earth on his head. This
form of god is known as Shesh. Being Taamasi in nature, this form has taken a
serpent incarnation. The third form of God exhibits his divine power and plays.
It fosters all the creatures, protects religion, and is known as Pradyumna. Yet
another form of God known as Aniruddh rests on the serpent's bed in the abysmal
depth of water. It carries out the task of creation.
The third form of God destroys the irreligious demons. In the past, this same
form rescued the earth from the abyss in the incarnation of a boar (Varaha
avatar) and killed the demon King Hiranyakashipu in the form of Narsimha (lion
face with human body). This same form of God has appeared now in Lord Krishna's
incarnation.
DRAUPADI'S
FIVE HUSBANDS
The
birds say- 'Frightened by the severe penance of Trishira, Indra killed
him to protect his authority and power. But the sin of killing a Brahmin took
away Indra's radiance. Trishira was the son of Twashta. Twashta became furious
at his son's death. He plucked one strand of hair from his hair-lock and offered
it in the sacrificial fire. This resulted into the creation of a formidable and
strong demon named Vritrasur. This demon was created with the objective of
killing Indra.
Learning about the birth of Vritrasur, Indra sent Saptarishis as emissaries to
work out a pact with the demon. The Saptarishis effected a friendship between
Indra and Vritrasur. But Indra had other ideas. He took Vritrasur by surprise
and killed him. This deceitful action of Indra further enraged the clans of the
demons. Soon the atrocities of the demons increased to unbearable limits. Even
Prithvi felt unable to bear the burden of their atrocities. She approached the
deities and requested them to get her rid of the burden.
Thus, to relieve Prithvi of her burden, the deities began to take incarnation on
earth. Dharma and Vayu implanted Indra's radiance in the womb of Kunti. This
resulted in the birth of Yudhishthir and Bheema. Then Indra himself produced
Arjuna from Kunti. Nakul and Sahadev were born because of Indra's radiance
implanted by Ashwini kumars in the womb of Madri. Thus all the five Pandavas
originated from the same source even though they appeared as distinct entities,
whereas Draupadi was none other than Shuchi, the wife of Indra, produced from
the altar in Drupad's palace. In human incarnation, Draupadi got five Pandavas
as her husband.
EXPIATION
OF BALARAM
Shri Krishna's brother
Balaram had remained impartial in the battle of Mahabharat. Instead of
championing the cause either for the Pandavas or for the Kauravas, he had
preferred to go on a pilgrimage. His wife Revati also accompanied him on this
pilgrimage. Once while travelling, Balaram drank toddy and entered a beautiful
garden known as Raivat. Taking a stroll, Balaram and Revati then reached a hut.
In the hut, many Brahmins were sitting and listening to Sutaji's oration. When
the Brahmins saw Balaram, they stood up and felicitated him. Only Sutaji did not
stand up. Balaram felt insulted and at once killed him. When Balaram regained
his composure after the intoxication receded, he felt guilty for his deed. His
belief that killing of Suta would enable him to attain a place in Brahma loka
proved to be based on false notion as the Brahmins had shunned him for his deed.
After Balaram realised his folly, he began to curse himself and resolved to
observe a twelve-year long fast in order to expiate for his sin. Thereafter,
Balaram migrated to a place of pilgrimage known as Pratiloma Saraswati to carry
out his expiation.
KILLING
OF DRAUPADI'S SONS
In Treta Yug, there was
a king named Harishchandra. Once he was hunting in the Mahabaahu forest when
suddenly, he heard loud cries of a woman- 'Save me! Save me!' It was followed by
the cries of many women. Hearing those cries, King Harishchandra shouted loudly-
'Don't be afraid' and dashed in the direction of the cries. The
cries however were an illusion created by Vighnaraj, the lord of the obstacles.
At that time when King Harishchandra heard those cries, sage Vishwamitra was
observing severe penance in the forest. In order to test Harishchandra's
virtuosity, Vighnaraj entered his body. As soon as Vighnaraj entered
Harishchandra's body, Harishchandra lost his temper and began to abuse
Vishwamitra, which enraged him. His anger destroyed all the knowledge, he had
acquired due to his severe penance. Seeing the angry Vishwamitra, King
Harishchandra began to shiver. With folded hands, he begged Vishwamitra's
pardon. He said- 'O great sage! It is my duty to protect the subjects.
Kindly forgive me. Your wrath could greatly affect the performance of my duties
as a king. Vishwamitra said- 'O king! If you are a true follower of
religion, tell me, who should be given a donation? Who should be protected and
who should be fought with?' Harishchandra answered- 'O great
penancer! Donations should be made only to such a Brahmin who indulges in fast
and religious actions. Protection should be extended to those who are afraid and
battle should be fought with enemies.'
Vishwamitra said- 'If you are a religious king, give me Dakshina
(donation) as I am a Brahmin seeking salvation.' Harishchandra said- 'Tell
me your desire. I am ready to grant it. Vishwamitra said- 'O king! Just
presume that I have received whatever you would donate me. Now, give me Dakshina
for the Rajsuya Yagya.'
Harishchandra said- 'Ask me whatever you wish to have as the Dakshina of
Rajsuya Yagya.' Vishwamitra said- 'O king! Give me all you have
except your own body, your wife and child.' Feeling pleased, King
Harishchandra granted what Vishwamitra desired. Vishwamitra said- 'O
king! Tell me, who is the lord of your kingdom?' Harishchandra said- 'Since
the moment I have presented this kingdom to you, you are its master.'
Vishwamitra said- 'If I am the master of this kingdom, what are you doing
here? Leave at once! But before leaving, remove all your clothes, ornaments and
other royal insignia and go out wearing tree's bark only.'
Thus after losing his kingdom, King Harishchandra got ready to leave with his
wife Shaivya and son Rohit. Vishwamitra then intercepted him and said- 'Where
are you going without paying a Dakshina for Rajsuya Yagya. Harishchandra said- 'O
lord! I have donated my whole kingdom. Now only our bodies remain with us. What
can I give you now?' Vishwamitra said- 'You cannot leave without
paying a Dakshina because you have promised me.' Harishchandra said- 'Don't
be angry, O Brahmin! I have nothing at present in my position but I will
definitely pay you your Dakshina in due time.' Vishwamitra said angrily- 'Specify
the time period within which you will give me my Dakshina or else be ready to
get cursed by me.' Harishchandra said- 'I will pay the Dakshina
within a month.' Thereafter, Harishchandra started to live in seclusion
with his wife and children. Seeing the king's pitiable condition, his entire
subjects began to follow him. Seeing their condition, Harishchandra halted and
took a look on his subjects. At the same time, sage Vishwamitra also arrived
there and began to curse Harishchandra for having attachment towards his
subjects. Hearing the harsh words of Vishwamitra, Harishchandra left the kingdom
with his wife Shaivya and son Rohit. To drive the king away as soon as possible,
Vishwamitra began to beat the queen's back with a stick.
Vishwamitra's abhorrent action enraged the five guardian deities of the
directions and they condemned him. Enraged Vishwamitra cursed them- 'O
sinners! Go and take birth as human beings.' This curse of Vishwamitra
frightened the deities. They begged his pardon. Pleased by their prayers,
Vishwamitra said- 'My words cannot be undone. But despite having
incarnation of human beings, you will remain bachelors throughout your life. You
will never feel attachment and allurement for anybody.' Thus due to
Vishwamitra's curse, those five guardian deities took birth as the five sons of
Draupadi. Dronacharya's son, Ashwatthama, ultimately killed them.
KING
HARISHCHANDRA
After
being thrown out from his kingdom by Vishwamitra, Harishchandra reached the holy
town of Varanasi, which was an abode of Lord Mahadev. There Harishchandra saw
Vishwamitra standing before him. Vishwamitra said- 'A month has been
completed now. Now, give me my Dakshina.' Harishchandra said- 'There
is still half an hour in the completion of this month. Please wait. I will give
your Dakshina.' Vishwamitra said- 'I will come after half an hour.'
Saying this, Vishwamitra departed.
When Vishwamitra left, Harishchandra started to worry as to what would happen to
him in his next birth if he did not keep his promise made to a Brahmin. Seeing
him perplexed, queen Shaivya tried to console him. She said- 'Man
requires a wife only to produce a child. Now we already have a child- Rohit.
Hence I am no longer useful for you. You sell me and pay the acquired wealth as
Dakshina to the Brahmin.' Harishchandra fainted after hearing his wife's
words. The queen began to wail at her husband's condition. Thus wailing, the
queen also fell unconscious. The little Rohit also felt perplexed by his
parent's condition. He began to cry- 'O father! O mother! I am hungry.
Give me food.' At the same time, Vishwamitra arrived there in the guise
of Kaal. After sprinkling water on Harishchandra's face, he made him conscious
and said- 'O king! Get up and pay my Dakshina. Your sorrows will increase
if you do not fulfil your promise.'
Harishchandra was regaining his consciousness slowly but seeing Vishwamitra he
fainted once again. This further enraged Vishwamitra. He said- 'O king!
If you have even slightest of respect for Dharma, give my Dakshina at once. I
will wait till evening and curse you if you fail to pay my Dakshina.'
Saying this Vishwamitra departed. The fear of the curse began to terrorise
Harishchandra. Meanwhile the queen also regained consciousness. She once again
insisted to sell her in order to pay the Dakshina. This time, Harishchandra
accepted her proposal and took the queen to the township. There addressing the
crowd, he said- 'O dear citizens, kindly listen to me. I am selling my
wife who is dearer to me than my own life. Anybody interested in buying her,
please do so before evening.' An old Brahmin stepped forward from the
crowd and said- 'I will buy her.' Hearing his words, Harishchandra
became extremely sad that he could not even utter a word. The Brahmin then
stuffed the money in the bark clothes of Harishchandra and began to drag the
queen by her hair. The boy Rohit began to cry holding the hem of her mother.
Seeing the condition of her son, the queen requested the Brahmin- 'O
Arya! Kindly let me see the face of my child for once.' Then the queen
turned towards Rohit and said- 'O son! Your mother is no longer free now.
She has become a slave. Do not touch me because I have become an untouchable.'
Then the old Brahmin began to forcibly drag the queen with him. Rohit also
followed them crying loudly for his mother. The old Brahmin angrily kicked him.
But still the boy did not give up following them. At last, the queen requested
the Brahmin- 'O lord! I will not be able to serve you without my son. So
kindly buy him also.' Hearing the words of the queen, the Brahmin once
again stuffed some more money in the clothes of Harishchandra and tied the boy
with the queen and began to drag both of them. Meanwhile Vishwamitra also
appeared there and demanded the Dakshina. Harishchandra gave him all the money
he had got from selling his wife and son. Seeing that amount of money,
Vishwamitra boiled with anger and said- 'O wretched among the Kshatriyas!
You call this small amount of money as Dakshina! Now look at the powers of my
penance.' Harishchandra trembled with fear and said- 'O lord!
Please wait a little more.' Vishwamitra said- 'Now only, a quarter
of the day remains. I will wait only for this period and not more.'
Saying this, Vishwamitra went away. With stooped face, Harishchandra once again
said addressing the crowd- 'Now I am available for sale. Whoever wishes
to buy me, please come forward before sunset.' Dharma in the guise of a
Chandaal stepped forward from the crowd. He had a huge stinking body. He said- 'I
will buy you.' Harishchandra asked- 'Who are you?' The
Chandaal said- 'I am a Chandaal. My name is Praveer and I am the resident
of this very town.' Harishchandra thought- 'It is better to accept the
curse than accepting the slavery of a Chandaal.' At the same time, Vishwamitra
also arrived there and said angrily- 'This Chandaal is ready to pay you a
lot of money. Why don't you then pay my Dakshina?' Harishchandra said- 'O
lord! I am born in Suryavansh. Accepting the slavery of a Chandaal causes great
pain for me. I have no money now. Since now onwards, I will be your slave and do
whatever you will ask me to do.' Vishwamitra said- 'If you are my
slave and ready to obey me, then I sell you to this Chandaal for 1000 gold
coins. Go and become his slave.' The Chandaal then presented many
villages that were spread over an area of 100 Yojans to Vishwamitra and tying
Harishchandra with a rope dragged him to his town.
In the Chandaal's house, Harishchandra contemplated- 'The queen must be thinking
that I would soon get her freed from the slavery of the old Brahmin after paying
his dues. But she does not know that I myself have become the slave of a
Chandaal.' After a few days, the Chandaal appointed Harishchandra as the
supervisor of the cremation place and instructed him to be there present all the
time and to cremate each dead body only after thorough investigation. He also
instructed him to collect the toll for cremating every dead body and divide it
in such a way that one sixth part of the toll goes to the king and from the
remaining five parts, three parts should be reserved for him he should take only
the remaining two parts as his remuneration. Since that day, Harishchandra began
to live in the cremation ground. He always remembered the glorious days of his
kingdom, his queen and his son. He had great regret that just because of the
anger of Vishwamitra, he lost everything. Very soon, his new found occupation
began to show on his appearance. His hair grew long and was unkempt, his body
dry and stinking. In this guise, he began to roam in the cremation ground always
carrying a stick in his hand. His whole day passed in the assessment of the
cremation toll and its division among the various claimants. He had lost his
mental stature as he even forgot the count of the days and could not distinguish
between the day and night.
One day, a snake bit Rohit as a result of which, he died. Shaivya brought Rohit,
crying and wailing to the cremation ground. Even in the unkempt guise, she
recognised Harishchandra. Hearing her wailing, Harishchandra went near her
expecting to get the clothes of the deceased. There he saw a woman carrying a
dead boy wrapped in a black cloth. He could not recognise queen Shaivya but the
royal appearance of the boy forced him to think- 'To which royal family did this
unfortunate boy belong to? How pitiable, the cruel Kaal did not even spare this
boy. My son Rohit would have attained the same age by now.' His silence further
hurt the queen who said- 'O lord! O king! How come, you have been living
here without caring for your wife and son? We have already lost our kingdom.
Now, we have lost our son also. O destiny! Did you not destroy everything of
Harishchandra?' Harishchandra began to think who that woman could be and
who that dead boy was? 'Isn't she my wife?' Thus recognising his wife and dead
son, Harishchandra began to cry loudly and fainted. The queen after seeing her
husband's condition fainted too. After sometime both of them regained their
consciousness. Then the king took the dead boy in his lap and once again
fainted. Queen Shaivya began to wonder why Harishchandra was staying in the
cremation ground. For a moment, she forgot her sorrow and began to look at her
fainted husband. Then she noticed the stick in Harishchandra's hand. Usually
Chandaals used to carry that kind of stick. She became dejected with the thought
that she had become the wife of a Chandaal. She then began to curse the destiny
and began to wail embracing King Harishchandra and said- 'O king! I don't
know whether I am dreaming or it is a reality. I have lost the power of
thinking.'
Hearing the words of the queen, the king opened his eyes and narrated the whole
events that led to his becoming a Chandaal. Then the queen narrated her
experiences and how their son Rohit died because of snakebite. Harishchandra
fell on the ground and began to hug his dead son. He was wailing- 'How
unfortunate I am that even my wishes are not under my control. Without the
permission of the Chandaal, I cannot even commit self-immolation. But now, I
will not differentiate between the sin and virtuosity. I will destroy my body in
the pyre of my son.' The queen said- 'O king! I am also unable to
bear the burden of sorrows. I will also commit immolation with you. Then all
three of us will stay unitedly in the heaven. It won't matter to us even if we
suffer the tortures of hell.' Then the king arranged a huge pyre and put
his dead son on it. With the queen, he began to pray to God. Just then all the
deities arrived there led by Dharma. Sage Vishwamitra also accompanied them.
They praised Harishchandra. Then Dharma, Indra and Vishwamitra came closer to
the king.
Dharma said- 'O king! You have satisfied me with your merits like
patience, endurance, truthfulness etc.' Indra said- 'Harishchandra,
you are very fortunate. You have won our hearts along with your wife and son.
You have even won the heaven with your action. I invite you to stay in heaven
along with your wife and son.' Then Indra sprinkled ambrosia on the dead
Rohit. Rohit got up and sat up in no time. Harishchandra, his wife and son Rohit
were clad in divine clothes and garlands. Indra invited them to stay in the
heaven forever but Harishchandra said- 'O king of the deities! Without
the permission of this Chandaal, I cannot go anywhere.
' Dharma said- 'O king! I had learnt in advance about the miseries
you would suffer in future. That's why I took the guise of a Chandaal and showed
you all the grotesque action.' Indra once again invited them to heaven
but once again, Harishchandra refused saying that in Koshal, people must have
been living mournfully in his absence. 'I cannot leave them in that
pitiable condition to enjoy the comforts of the heaven', said
Harishchandra. Then, Indra, Dharma and Vishwamitra led Harishchandra to Ayodhya,
the capital of Koshal. There they carried out the coronation of Rohit.
Thereafter, they took Harishchandra and his queen Shaivya to the heaven.
The birds say- O great
sage Jaimini! When, King Harishchandra attained his heavenly abode, their family
priest, sage Vashishta re-emerged from water. He came to know about the entire
development. He was angry at Vishwamitra's stubbornness. He at once cursed
Vishwamitra to become a stork.
On the other hand Vishwamitra cursed Vashishta to become a partridge. Thus both
of them turned into birds and began to fight. Their fight caused great panic all
around. At last accompanied by the deities, Brahma himself arrived at the scene
and dissuaded the birds from fighting. But Brahma could not convince them and
they continued to fight.
Brahma then destroyed their avian appearances and both the sages regained their
original form. Their enemity too ended at the same time. Brahma explained to
them that Vishwamitra had not done any harm to Harishchandra. In fact he had
felicitated Harishchandra's ascend to the heaven. Both the sages felt ashamed
and they embraced each other before leaving for their respective hermitages.
Jaimini says- O great
birds, how does a living being take birth? How does it grow in the womb bearing
all the pain? How does it grow after taking birth? What happens to the soul
after death? How does it experience the fruits of his Karmas? The greatest
surprise is how does a little foetus survive in the womb. Kindly clear all these
doubts.
Birds say- Once upon a time, a Brahmin lived along with his son- Sumati. One
day, the Brahmin instructed Sumati to study Vedas under the tutelage of a
teacher and himself went to the forest to attain Brahmagyan- the knowledge which
frees the soul from transmigration. But due to his laziness, Sumati did not pay
heed to his father. When his father repeated his instruction, he simply laughed
and said- 'O father! I know everything. I have studied all the Vedas in
my various births. I have experienced the darkness of mother's belly for many
times. I have suffered thousand kinds of diseases in my previous lives. I have
experienced the authority as well as slavery in my previous births. I had killed
as well as got killed by others. Hence, I feel, I have all the knowledge and I
am sure that I will definitely attain Brahmapad.' Sumati's father was
pleased at his son's claims and asked him how he attained such virtuosity.
Sumati said- 'O father! I was a Brahmin in my previous birth. I had
attained the designation of Acharya. After sometime, I became a recluse. I was
blessed with an extraordinary memory, which I retained even after my death. This
is the reason why I remember the self knowledge attained in my previous birth.
With the support of this knowledge and religious virtues, I will attempt to
attain salvation. Tell me what you expect from me. I will try to fulfil your
expectations.' The Brahmin then asked many questions related to life and
death. Sumati explained those queries thus:
Those who never tell a lie, who have faith and devotion, only such people die
peacefully. Whoever's mind is free from the evils like Kama, Krodh, Moha, Dwesh
etc. (lust, anger, affection, jealousy etc.) and who are altruistic in nature
and make donations liberally die in peace. Those who lack these virtues suffer
great pain at the time of death. As soon as such people sight Yamadoot they
begin to cry and call their relatives. But their relatives do not understand
their calls. Then the dying person turns away his eyes and grasps for breath. He
feels great pain when his soul leaves his body. Even after death, sufferings of
such people do not end. They have to undergo scores of tortures in hell. Those
who donate umbrella, shoes, clothes and cereals attain heaven. The sinners on
the other hand pass through different hells and take birth as inferior creature
in their next lives. After continuous transmigration through lower life forms,
these sinners once again take birth as human beings but are imperfect. They
remain dwarf, hunched or have any other deformity. Then they pass through all
the four castes- Shudra, Vaishya, Kshatriya and Brahmin classes. As their action
improves, they might even attain the position of Indra.'