Shivasharma

Various sages wanted to hear a recital of the Padma Purana from Lomaharshana, and Lomaharshana told them the story of Shivasharma.

On the shores of the western osean there was a city named Dvaraka (also called Dvaravati). The brahmanas were the first of the four classes and a brahmana named Shivasharma lived in Dvaraka. He was learned in the Vedas and other shastras (sacred texts) and always performed yajnas (sacrifices).

Shivasharma had five sons named Yajnasharma, Vedasharma, Dharmasharma, Vishnusharma and Somasharma. The sons were devoted to their father; they promptly obeyed whatever it was that their father wanted them to do. But Shivasharma was not quite sure about the extent to which his sons were devoted to him. He wanted to test them.

Because Shivasharma had practised various religious rites, he had acquired all sorts of magical powers. He used these powers to create an illusion that his wife had died.

He then told Yajnasharma, �Son, your mother has died and the dead body is cluttering up our house. Take a sword and cut up the body into several pieces. Then throw the pieces away.�

Without questioning what his father had asked him to do, Yajnasharma did what had been asked of him. Shivasharma concluded that Yajnasharma was indeed devoted to his father.
Shivasharma now decided to test Vedasharma. He created a beautiful woman through his powers of illusion, and pointed her out to Vedasharma.

�Now that your mother is dead, I would like to marry again,� said Shivasharma. �Why don�t you ask that woman if she will marry me? I am in love with her and you must do all that is in your power to make her marry me.�

Vedasharma asked the woman to marry his father, but she refused. She had no intention of marrying and old and diseased man and offered to marry Vedasharma instead. But Vedasharma insisted that the woman should marry his father.

�Very well,� said the woman. �I will consent to marry your father. But there is a condition. You must cut off your head with a sword and give it to me as a present. It is only after I get your severed head that I will marry your father.�

Vedasharma promptly did what had been asked of him. Shivasharma concluded that his second son Vedasharma was also truly devoted to him.

Shivasharma gave Vedasharma�s severed head to the third son, Dharmasharma. Dharmasharma started to pray to the god Dharma. His prayers pleased the god and Dharma offered to grant Dharmasharma a boon. Dharmasharma desired the boon that his dead brother might be brought back to life and that he himself might always be devoted to his father. These wishes were granted. Vedasharma and Dharmasharma went to meet their father and bowed down before him. Shivasharma concluded that his third son Dharmasharma was also devoted to him.

Desirous of testing his fourth son Vishnusharma, Shivasharma told him, �You know that I wish to marry this beautiful woman. Unbfortunately, she is not at all keen to marry me. She thinks that I am old and diseased. Go to Indra�s residence in Indraloka (heaven) and get me some amrita (a heavenly life-giving drink). That should take care of my old age and ailments.�

Vishnusharma left for heaven. But Indra was not going to let Vishnusharma take away the amrita so easily. He first sent a beautiful apsara (heavenly dancer) named Menaka to try and entice Vishnusharma. She offered to marry Vishnusharma and make his life exceedingly happy. But Vishnusharma refused to be dislodged from his pursuit. Indra next sent all sorts of ghosts and demons to create impediments in Vishnusharma�s path. But Vishnusharma was unperturbed by these. Indra was so pleased at Vishnusharma�s devotion to his father, that he readily gave vishnusharma some amrita. Vishnusharma brought this home to his father.

Shivasharma concluded that his fourth son Vishnusharma too was devoted to him. He therefore resurrected his wife and told his sons. �I was merely trying to test you and your devotion. Your mother had not died at all. You have demonstrated that your devotion to me is above reproach. Through my powers, I am sending you straight to Vishnu�s abode in Vishnuloka (heaven).�

Because of their devotion to their father, the four sons went straight to heaven. This left the fifth son, Somasharma, on earth.

Shivasharma told his son, �I am taking your mother with me to visit various tirthas (places of pilgrimage). Your brother brought me a pot of amrita. Here it is. Guard it well, I will ask for it when I return.�

After his parents left, Somasharma began to guard the pot of amrita diligently, Shivasharma�s sole purpose was to test Somasharma. He used his powers to transform himself and his wife into lepers. In these hideous forms, they returned and Shivasharma asked his son to nurse them. Somasharma did this faithfully and did not protest at all on the occasions on which his father abused him.

Shivasharma now used his powers to make the pot of amrita empty and told his son. �I had forgotten all about the pot of amrita. Fetch it here. The amrita will cure me and your mother of the leprosy.�

Somasharma was greatly surprised to find that the pot of amrita was emtpy. But his devotion to his father had made him powerful as well. He used these power to replenish the pot and brought the amrita to his father.

Shivasharma was satisfied. He realised that also his fifth son was devoted to him. He now used his power to take himself and his wife to Visyhnuloka.

As for Somasharma, he spent his time in tapasya (meditation). While he as meditating, several danavas (demons) came to disturb his prayers. Somasharma died from fright at the sight of these demons. And because of this, he was born as a demon in his next life. He was born as Prahalada, the son of the demon Hiranyakashipu. But as a result of the punya (store of merit) that Somasharma had accumulated, Prahlada was devoted to Vishnu although born as a demon.

(Prahlada�s story occurs in several Puranas, for example, the Vishnu Purana. The Padma Purana mentions it cursorily.)

Indra
The gods once went to meet Vishnu.

�We have no one who can rule us,� they told Vishnu. �We need a king. Please do something so that we can have a ruler.�

�A ruler named Indra will be born to your mother, Aditi,� replied Vishnu.

(Aditi was married to the sage Kashyapa. She was the mother of all the gods and they were, therefore, also known as the adityas.)

Aditi performed tapasya for a hundred years of the gods. (The years of the gods are much longer than human years.) After the period of meditation was over, a son was born to her. The son had four arms and shone with the radiance of a million suns. This son had several names. Amongst them were Vasudatta, Vasuda, Akhandala, Marutvana, Maghava, Vidouja, Pakashasana, Shakra and Indra.

He became the ruler of the gods.

Somasharma

There used to be a brahmana named Somasharma. (This is obviously not the Somasharma who was Shivasharma�s son.)
Somasharma lived in a tirtha named vamanatirtha on the banks of the river Reva. His wife was Sumana. Somasharma and Sumana were poor. Nor did they have any sons. This made Somasharma very unhappy. Sumana advised her husband to go and meet the sage Vashishtha.

Perhaps the sage might be able to tell them how they could have a son.

Somasharma went to Vashishtha�s hermitage. �Why am I poor and why don�t I have any sons?� he asked the sage.
�Your are poor because of the sins you committed in your earlier life,� replied the sage. �Let me tell you your history.�

In his earlier life, Somasharma had been born as a shudra. (Shudras constitute the last of the four classes.) He had spent his life in agriculture and animal husbandry and had accumulated a lot of wealth. But he had never donated any alms. Nor had he ever bothered to listen to the shastras or to visit places of pilgrimage. He had been obsessed with the accumulation of wealth. It was because of these sins that Somasharma had been born poor in this life.

�But if all I ever committed were sins, how came I to be born as a brahmana in this life?� asked Somasharma. �Should I not have been born as a shudra again?�

�You were born as a brahmana because you did perform some good deeds in your earlier life,� replied Vashishtha. �Let me tell you about them.�

When Somasharma had been born as a shudra, a learned brahmana, devoted to Vishnu, had come to visit him. Somasharma had welcomed the brahmana as a honoured guest. Shuklapaksha is the lunar fortnight during which the moon waxes and ekadashi titthi is the eleventh lunar day. The next day had happened to be ekadashi tithi in shuklapaksha and the brahmana had observed a urata (religious rite) earmarked for such a day. On seeing the brahmana observe the rite, Somasharma had also observed the vrata. This act of piety had ensured that Somasharma would be born as a brahmana in his next life.

�What you have to do now,� continued Vashishtha, �is pray to Vishnu. It is Vishnu alone who can improve your lot and grant you a son.�

Somasharma and Sumana went to the banks of the river Reva, to a tirtha named kapilasangama. They started to pray to Vishnu there. They chanted a mantra (incantation) that was earmarked for praying to Vishnu. There were many distractions that almost made Somasharma deviate from the path of meditation. He saw poisonous snakes, wild animals, ghosts and demons by his side. But he paid no attention to them and continued with his meditation. The heat, the cold and the rains made him suffer. But he was unmoved.

Vishnu eventually appeared before Somasharma. His complexion was blue and he was dressed in yellow clothing. His eyes were like lotuses and he held many weapons in his hands.

�I am pleased with your prayers,� said Vishnu. �What can I do for you? Would you like a boon?�

�Yes indeed, I would,� replied Somasharma. �Please grant me the boon that I may be devoted to you. Please ensure that I am no longer poor. And please grant me the boon that I may have a son who will be devoted to you.�

Vishnu granted these boons.

A son named Suvrata was born to Somasharma and Sumana.

Suvrata

Many years ago, a king named Ritadhvaja used to rule in the city of Vidisha. Ritadhvaja�s son was Vali and Vali�s son was Rukmangada.

Rukmangada had wife named Sandhyavali and Sandhyavali gave birth to Dharmangada. Dharmangada was devoted to Vishnu and, after he died, went straight to Vishnuloka. He spent one thousand yugas in heaven and was thereafter born as Suvrata.

Right from his childhood, Suvrata used to pray to Vishnu. He named all his friends after Vishnu�s various names. He would forget hunger and thirst in the course of his meditations. When he grew up, Suvrata went to Mount Vaidurya on the banks of the river Narmada. For a hundred years he meditated there. Vishnu granted him the boon that Suvrata and his parents would go to Vishnuloka and live there for a very long time.

Bala

You already know that Aditi was married to the sage Kashyapa and that Aditi�s sons were the adityas or gods.
But the sage Kashyapa had another wife named Diti and Diti�s sons were the daityas or demons. The gods fought with the demons and killed several of them. In particular, Vishnu was responsible for killing many of Diti�s children.

Diti went and complained to Kashyapa. �My children are being killed by the gods,� she said. �Please grant me a son who will be strong and powerful and a source of joy to me.�

Kashyapa agreed. Diti meditated for a hundred years and gave birth to a son named Bala. (The word bala means strength.)

Kashyapa taught Bala the Vedas and various other shastras. When her son had grown up, Diti told Bala, �Several of my sons have been killed by the gods. I am thirsting for revenge. Defeat the gods. I particularly hate Vishnu I want you to kill him.�

Prior to doing this, Bala thought that he ought to obtain some powers by performing tapasya. He went to the banks of the river Sindhu (Indus) to meditate. Aditi got to know about this and warned her son Indra that Bala was meditating so as to become powerful. Once he accomplished this, it would be difficult to defeat him. If something was to be done, it should be done right away.

Indra has a wonderful weapon known as the vajra. (This is identified with the thunder. It is sometimes also identified as a club.) While Bala was meditating, Indra slew him with the vajra.

That was the end of Bala and also of Diti�s revenge.

Vritra

But Diti would not be denied. She went to Kashyapa and said, �My son Bala was meditating on the banks of the river Sindhu. That good-for-nothing sinner Indra has slain Bala while my son was meditating. Isn�t that grossly unfair? And aren�t you going to do something about it?�

Kashyapa agreed that it was unfair. He was furious that Indra had performed such a foul deed.

�I will give birth to a son who will kill Indra,� said Kashyapa.

He plucked a hair from his head and flung it down on the ground. From this hair was created a fierce son named Vritra. Vritra was as dark as the night and his eyes were yellow. He was armed with a shield and a sword.

�Why have you created me?� asked Vritra. �What do you wish me to do?�

�Kill that sinner Indra,� said Kashyapa. �Destroy him and become the king of the gods yourself.�

Vritra started to practise the art of warfare so that the might be able to kill Indra. This news was carried to Indra and he was greatly alarmed. He sent the seven great sages (saptarshi) on a mission of peace to Vritra. They were to try and engineer a peace between Vritra and Indra.

�Indra has sent us,� the sages told Vritra. �He wishes to be friends with you; he does not want to be your enemy. Why don�t you have a truce? Indra�s kingdom can be divided into two. You can rule over one half and Indra will rule over the other.�

�I have no objection to the truce,� replied Vritra. �But does Indra really want it? What guarantee is there that he will abide by the conditions of the truce?�

�The killing of a brahmana is a great sin,� answered the sages. �Indra has promised that if he goes back on his word, he will be guilty of committing a sin. And the sin will be as severe as would have been the case had Indra actually killed a brahmana.�

These words assured Vritra and he agreed to the truce. The sages led Vritra to Indra and the two to them made friends. Indra gave Vritra all sorts of offerings, including half of his kingdom.

But Indra did not really mean a word of what he had said. He continued to look for a way of destroying Vritra.

There was a beautiful garden named nandanakanana. On one occasion, Vritra went on a trip to this garden and was wandering around the place. Indra instructed an apsara named Rambha to try and entice Vritra. Rambha was so beautiful that Vritra immediately fell in love with her. �Please marry me,� he told Rambha.

�I will marry you,� replied Rambha. �But you must always do exactly as I say.�

Vritra accepted this stipulation. After some days, Rambha asked Vritra to drink wine.

�How can I drink wine?� asked Vritra. �I am the son of a brahmana. Drinking wine would be a sin for me.�

But Rambha insisted. Vritra fell unconscious as soon as he had drunk the wine. Indra was waiting for this opportunity and he killed Vritra with his vajra. AS per the condition, the sin (papa) of killing a brahmana was incurred by Indra.

(Vritra�s story is given in detail in the Devi Bhagavata Purana and differs in some essential respects from that given herew. Vishwakarma is the architect of the gods. According to that account, Vritra was Vishvakarma�s son, and Vritra and Indra fought for a hundred years on the shores of the lake Manasa Sarovara. The advice that a fake truce with Vritra should be agreed upon was proferred by Vishnu. Vritra also occurs in the Vedas. Having killed Vritra, Indra acquired the name of Vritraghna.)

The Maruts

Diti went to Kashyapa again.

�Indra has killed Vritra as well.� She said. �Please let me have another son. And this time, Please make sure that the son does kill Indra.�

�I will try,� replied Kashyapa. �But you will have to observe a religious rite for the period of a hundred years. And throughout the period, you must stay absolutely pure and observe rites of cleanliness. If you can succeed in doing this, the son who will be born will kill Indra. But if you fail to stay completely clean, your son will become a friend and companion of Indra.�

Diti went to a hermitage and started to observe the religious rite (vrata).

Indra had got to know what was afoot. He wanted to make sure that Diti did not succeed in her resolve. He therefore adopted the disguise of a brahmana and went to the hermitage. He promised to help Diti in her meditations. He brought her roots and fruits and flowers. HE gathered firewood for Diti and washed her feet. Diti came to trust Indra.

For ninety years, Diti observed the rites faithfully and Indra could find no fault with her. But Diti gradually became a little careless. When ninety years were over, she once fell asleep without having washed her feet. This was an act of gross uncleanliness. Moreover, she had fallen asleep without having braided her hair.


Indra seized his chance. Because Diti had committed an unclean act, her defences had been lowered. Indra entered Diti�s womb. He sliced up the baby whom he found there into seven parts with his vajra. These parts started to cry and Indra said �ma ruda�, which means, �don�t cry�. But the parts continued to cry and Indra sliced up each of the seven parts into seven sections. There were thus forty-nine sections in all.

When these sons were born, they came to be known as maruts from the words Indra had used in addressing them. Since Diti had not been able to complete her religious rite satisfactorily, the maruts became friends and companions of Indra. They were elevated to the status of gods and became gods of the wind.

Sunitha

Yama is the gods of death. He is also referred to as Mrityu, Kala or Dharma. The sinners are punished by Yama. Mritry or Yama had a daughter named Sunitha.

(This story is also given in the other Puranas. There, Sunithra is simply stated to have been Mrityu�s daughter. It is only in the Padma Purana that Mrityu is explicitly identified with Yama, the god of death.)

Sunitha was in the habit of going to the forest with her firneds. She came across a hermitage there. A gandharva (singer of heaven) named Sushankha was busy meditating in the hermitage.

Sunitha tried to disturb Sushankha�s meditation, but the gandharva paid no attention to her. He merely asked Sunitha to go away. Although his ire had been roused, her forgave Sunitha because she was a woman. But Sunitha would not leave. She was extremely proud that she was Yama�s daughter. She slapped Sushankha and at this, the gandharva lost his temper.

�You are really an evil woman,� said Sushankha. �You deserve to be punished. I have been quietly trying to meditate and you have been unnecessarily creating a disturbance. I curse you that your son will be exceedingly evil.�
Anga

There was a king named Anga who was the son of the sage Atri.

Anga once happened to go to the garden known as nandanakanana and came upon Indra there. Indra was being served by other gods, gandharvas and asaras. Anga was greatly impressed. He wished to have a son who would be as powerful as Indra.

Anga asked his father, �How can I have such a powerful son?�

�You must pray to Vishnu,� replied Atri.

Anga went to Mount Sumeru to meditate. Mount Sumeru defies description. It is full of gold and jewels and is frequeneted by the gods and the sages. Hermitages abound on the peak and the gandharvas can be heard singing. The apsaras dance there. There are beautiful lakes in which lotus flowers bloom. It is from Mount Sumeru that the sacred river Ganga originates.

Anga found a convenient cave on the banks of the Ganga. He made this his hermitage and started to pray to Vishnu. For a hundred years Anga meditated. To test the king, Vishnu created all sorts of distractions. Wild animals and ghosts threatened him. But Anga was unmoved. Vishnu alone was in his heart.

Finally, Vishnu appeared before the king. �Your prayers have pleased me,� said Vishnu. �What boon do you want?�
�I wish to have a powerful and righteous son.� Replied Anga.

�It shall be as you wish,� said Vishnu. �Find a righteous woman and marry her. Your son will bring glory to the line of Atri.�

Meanwhile, Sunitha had gone and told her father about Sushankha�s curse and Yama had been scandalised. He had realised that Suntiha had done a most improper thing by pestering the gandharva. He advised Sunitha to perform tapasya in the forest. The effects of the curse might be mitigated as a result of these meditations. There was also the fact that no one wished to marry Suntitha. Everyone had got to know about Sushankha�s curse, and who was going to marry a woman who would give birth to an evil son?

But Sunitha had some friends. These friends taught her the art of charming men. They also knew that Anga had received a boon from Vishnu that he would have a righteous and powerful son. They figured that Vishnu�s boon would more than compensate for Sushankha�s curse, provided that Anga could be persuaded to marry Sunitha.

Sunitha set about her task of charming Anga. She was so successful that Anga fell in love with her and the two married. Their son was Vena.

Vena

Vena became learned in the shastras and in the art of warfare. He was righteous and observed all the religious ceremonies. His mother, Sunitha, still remembered Sushankha�s curse and did her best to instruct Vena in the duties of righteous living. She was bent upon ensuring that Vena did not become evil.

Vena became king after Anga and ruled well. His subjects prospered.

The sages had been hearing this story from Lomaharshana and they protested. �What happened to Sushankha�s curse?� they asked. �Besides, we have always heard that Vena was evil.�

�I was coming to that,� replied Lomaharshana.

(Vena is mentioned in the other Puranas as well, and invariably, is depcited as evil. The question of his having been initially good does not crop up. Nor is Sushankha�s curse mentioned. It is merely mentioned that Vena associated too much with his maternal grandfather Mrityu. Mrityu was evil and Vena picked up evil ways from his grandfather. In the other Puranas, Mrityu is not identified with Yama.)
A religious teacher once came to visit Vena. The teacher was completely naked and his head was shaven. In his hands he held a broom made of peacock feathers and a cup made out of coconut shell.

�Who are you?� asked Vena. �What religion do you follow?�

�I follow the true religion,� replied the teacher. �I am a Jain. My god is the Arhat and I teach the religion of mercy for everyone. I do not believe in useless ceremonies and in reading the Vedas. What purpose do vajnas serve? What purpose do funeral ceremonies serve? All that happens is that the brahmanas get to have a good feast. The religion of the Vedas prescribes the killing of animals. But are not animals living beings as well? Why should there be this violence towards them? What is this class (varna) system that you talk of? A brahmana is determined by his actions, not by the mere accident of his birth. How can a river be a tirtha? It consists of drops of water. A tirtha can only be place where religion is indeed practised. Adopt my religion and you will be happy.�

These glib words persuaded Vena and he became a Jain. (Incidentally, there is a Padma Purana that is a sacred text of the Jains.)

By adopting this evil religion, Vena became evil and deviated from the righteous path. He gave up the religion that was recommended by the Vedas. He ordered that Vedas would no longer be read in his kingdom and that all yajnas must cease. The donation of alms was forbidden.

Anga tried to persuade his son that all this was most improper, but Vena did not listen. This so disturbed Anga that he and Sunitha went away to the forest to meditate. The seven great sages also tried to make Vena see reason. But Vena did not listen to them either. He insisted that there was no need to pray to the gods. If there was anyone who was deserving of worship, it was the king himself.

These words angered the sages. Fearing their curses, Vena went and hid inside a termite-hill. But the sages traced him there someone else should be appointed king in Vena�s place. But the problem was that Vena did not have a son.

The sages started to knead Vena�s body so that a son might be born. (In some Puranas it is stated that the sages killed Vena and kneaded that dead body.)
Vena�s left arm was kneaded first. A dark dwarf emerged as a result of this kneading. His eyes were bloodshot and he was evil. He stood before the sages with folded palms.

�Nishida,� said the sages. (The word nishida means �sit.�)

From this word, the dwarf came to be known as nishada. He and his descendants became a race of hunters and fishermen who made their home in the Vindhya mountains.

The evil that was in Vena�s body came out in the form of nishada and there was no more evil left in Vena. When Vena�s right arm was kneaded, a powerful and righteous son named Prithu emerged.

As for Vena himself, he went to southern bank of the river Reva. The sage Trinavindu had a hermitage there. Vena made his home in the hermitage and started to pray to Vishnu. He meditated for a hundred years. Visynu appeared before Vena and gave him a lot of good advice.

Prithu

Because Prithu had been born after the evil had been purged from Vena�s body, Prithu was righteous. When he was born, he emerged fully grown and glowing with the radiance of a thousand suns. He was clad in shining armour and held all sorts of weapons in his hands. The entire world rejoiced at Prithu�s birth.

The sages made arrangements for Prithu�s coronation. Brahma himself appointed Prithu the ruler of the whole earth and Prithu ruled the earth the way Indra rules heaven. The subjects who had suffered during Vena�s evil reign began to thrive and prosper. Righteousness prevailed everywhere. There was no disease or hunger.

At one of the yajnas that Prithu arranged, two classes of people emerged from the flames of the sacrificial fire. They were known as the sutas and the magadhas. The sages decreed that the sutas and the magadhas should sing songs to celebrate the glories of Prithu. Ever since that day, the sutas and the magadhas have become bards and raconteurs who sing of the glories and great deeds of kings.

But Prithu�s subjects still did not have th8e means to make a living. They came and complained to Prithu that the earth had swallowed up all the foodgrains. In a bid to force the earth to restore the foodgrains, Prithu decided that he would shoot her.

The earth fled. She adopted the form of an elephant and went and hid in the mountains. But Prithu discovered her there. The earth next adopted the form of a monkey, but was again discovered by the king. The earth now adopted the form of buffalo, but Prithu found her out yet again. The earth finally adopted the form of a cow and field to heaven. But the gods were not in a position to help her. Even Brahma, Vishnu and Shiva were powerless before Prithu.

The earth therefore sought refuge with Prithu himself. �Please do not kill me,� she said. �I am a woman and killing me would be a sin. Besides, where are your subjects going to live if you kill me? I have a simpler suggestion. I am in the form of a cow. Milk me instead and your goals will be attained.�

Prithu did what the earth asked him to. He milked the earth and out came an abundant supply of foodgrains on which Prithu�s subjects could live. Animal husbandry, agriculture and trade had been unknown prior to Prithu�s time. Prithu also levelled out the earth with the tip of his bow. Earlier, there had been no plains and mountains had been everywhere. Prithu created plains in which people could live.

Because Prithu did this, the earth came to be known as prithivi after Prithu�s name.

Subsequently, Prithu performed as ashvamedha yajna (horse sacrifice) for his father Vena. He also performed tapasya so that Vena might go to heaven. It was because of Prithu�s good deeds that Vena�s sins were pardoned.

Sukala

The city of Varanasi is located on the banks of the river Ganga. In that sacred city, there lived a vaishya named Krikala. (The vaishyas constitute the third of the three classes (varna). Their primary duties were agriculture, animal hushandry and trade.)

Krikala�s wife was Sukala. She was a sati, she was devoted to her husband. She was also an extremely religious and honest woman who meticulously followed all that the shastras prescribed.

Krikala had learnt of the punya that could be acquired by visiting tirthas and decided that he would set out on a pilgrimage.

Sukala expressed a desire to accompany her husband on his travels. �You are my husband,� she said. �It is my duty to be at your side all the time. Take me with you; how can I survive without you? Dutiful wives must always be with their husbands. Blessed is the wife who regards her husband�s right foot as the tirtha Prayaga and his left foot as the tirtha Pushkara. Blessed is the wife who bathes in water that has been used for washing her husband�s feet. Please take me with you.�

Kirkala thought about this and decided that he could not take his wife him. She would not be able to bear the rigours of the journey. But Sukala would most certainly not let him go alone. While Sukala had gone to a temple to worship the gods, Kirkala set out on his travels without telling her that he had left.

Sukala was miserable to find her husband missing. �Where has my husband gone?� she asked her friends.

�He has left on pilgrimage and will return,� replied her friends. Do not be despondent.�

�Very well then,� said Sukala. �I shall sleep on the ground until my husband returns. I will give up all good food and will eat only one a day until he returns. On some days, I will fast. Cursed am I that my husband has deserted .�

�He has not deserted you,� retorted the friends. �He has only gone on a pilgrimage and will return. What purpose will torturing your body serve?�

�You do not understand the wisdom of the Vedas,� said Sukala. �The shastras state that a husband is his wife�s only tirtha. Nothing avails a woman whose husband has deserted her. Do you not know the story of Sudeva?�

Sudeva

King Ikshvaku ruled in the kingdom of Ayodhya. Ikshvaku ruled well. He was a righteous king and worshipped the Vedas and the brahmanas.

The king of Kashi (Varanasi) was Vedaraja and Vedaraja had a daughter named Sudeva. Ikshvaku was married to Sudeva. Sudeva was devoted to Ikshvaku.

Sudeva once accompanied Ikshvaku on a hunt. The king killed many lions, pigs, horses and buffaloes.

In the forest there lived a family of wild pigs.

The male pig told the female pig, �King Ikshvaku has come to the forest on a hunt. He has brought many hunters and dogs with him. He is certain to kill me.�

�Why don�t we simply run away?� asked the female pig.

�I do sometimes run away when ordinary hunters come,� said the male pig. �Ordinary hunters are sinners and there is nothing to be gained by dying at their hands. But this time it is different. It is King Ikshvaku himself who has come. I am going to stay and fight with him. If I win, there will be undying glory for me. And if I lose, I shall go straight to heaven dying at Ikshvaku�s hands. I refuse to fly. I have been born as a pig because of the many sins that I must have committed in my earlier life. All those sins will be cleansed if King Ikshvaku kills me. Look after the family in case I do not life.�

�How can you say such a thing?� asked the female pig. �You are the head of our family. It is to you that our sons look for protection. It is form you that they learn the ways of wild pigs. How can I survive if you should die? You are my husband and my place is by your side. Let us run away. I repeat that nothing is to be gained by dying unnecessarily.�

�I cannot run away,� said the male pig. �That would be cowardice and cowards go directly to a hell named kumbhipaka.�

�In that case, I am also going to accompany you,� retorted the female pig. �My place is by your side.� She called the eldest piglet and told him, �Your father and I are going. Take your brothers and sisters and hide in a cave. King Ikshvaku has come on a hunt.�

�How can you say such a thing?� asked the eldest piglet. �We are your children and have to stay by your side. If we forsake you, we will directly go to the hell named maharoudra. We will not leave you.�

The entire family of pigs therefore waited for the king under a hill. They were discovered there by the king�s hunters. The hunters pierced the male pig with all sorts of weapons. The pig struck back with his tusks and gored several of Ikshvaku�s soldiers.

Ikshvaku was delighted to be confronted with such a brave pig and advanced on his own horse. But the pig charged the horse and knocked down the king from his perch. This so annoyed Ikshvaku that he dealt the pig a mighty whack with his club. The pig could not survive this stroke and fell down dead.

All this while, the female pig had been hiding with her children in a cave. Now that the male pig was dead, the hunters advanced to capture the female pig and her brood.

�Run away children,� said the female pig. �I will try and stave off the soldiers. I hope I can hold them off long enough for you to flee.�

�We can�t do that,� replied the eldest piglet. �I am your eldest son. Now that my father is no longer alive, it is my duty to protect you. You run away with my three brothers. I will stay and fight with the soldiers.�

The mother could not accept this. Both she and the eldest son stayed back to fight with the soldiers. The other three piglets took the opportunity to run away.

The eldest piglet fought bravely, but Ikshvaku killed him with an arrow. As for the female pig, she too fought bravely and wounded many of the king�s soldier. But Ikshvaku made no attempt to kill her.

�Why don�t you kill the female pig?� asked Queen Sudeva.

�Because the pig is a female,� replied the king. �Killing any female is a crime.�

Amongst the king�s hunters was one named Jharjhara. He had no such moral scruples. He struck the female pig with a sword and the pig fell unconscious. She did not immediately die. She merely lay there, bleeding.

The Male Pig

Sudeva could not bear the sight of the female pig suffering so. She poured some cold water on the pig�s mouth and wiped away the blood from the wounds.

�Thank you, good queen,� said the female pig. �My sins have been cleansed by your touch. I bless you that you may be fortunate.�

Sudeva was amazed to hear a female pig talk. �Who are you?� she asked. �And what about your husband, who fought so bravely? Tell me your stories.�

�I will first tell you about my husband,� said the female pig.

The male pig used to be gandharva whose name was Rangavidyadhara. He was an excellent singer.

The sage Pulastya had made his hermitage on Mount Sumeru. Rangavidyadhara came there and began to sing. So beautiful were the songs that the sage could not concentrate on his meditation.

�Please go somewhere else,� requested Pulastya. �Do not sing here.�

�Why should I go anywhere else?� asked Rangavidyadhara. �I am just singing and my songs do no one any harm. They please people. Why are you against singing?�

�I am not against singing,� said Pulastya. �I have got nothing against the art and I realise that it has its uses. But your songs are distracting me and I find it difficult to concentrate on my meditation. That is the reason I asked you to go and sing somewhere else.�

�If you cannot concentrate, that is your own failing,� responded the gandharva. �I know that those who can really meditate are not disturbed by anything. This forest does not belong to you. I belong here just as much as you do. If my singing disturbs you, go and find some other place for your meditation.�

Pulastya controlled his anger. Without bandying any further words, he went away. After a few days, Rangavidyadhara noticed that the sage was no longer to be seen. He found out that Pulastya had now made his hermitage in another part of the forest.

The gandharva felt like playing a trick on the sage. He therefore adopted the form of a pig and went to Pulastya�s hermitage. He tore up the ground with his hooves and gored the sage with his tusks. Pulastya was initially inclined to ignore all this disturbance, he forgave the pig as it was a wild animal. But he soon realised that the pig was none other than the gandharva in disguise. He cursed Rangavidyadhara that he would be born as a pig.

Realising that things had got out of hand, the gandharva fled to Indra and told him of his misfortune. �Please help me,� he begged the king of the gods. �I did what I did only for your sake. The sage was meditating and he was certain to acquire tremendous powers once his tapasya was accomplished. Who knows, he might then have aspired for the title of Indra.�

�I can�t unto the sage�s curse,� replied Indra. �I cant at beast mitigate its effects. When, as a pig, you are killed by King Ikshvaku, you will become a gandharva once again.�

The Female Pig

�Please tell me you story now,� requested Sudeva.

There used to be a city named Shripura and a brahmana named Vasudatta lived there. Vasudatta had a daughter named Sudeva. (This Sudeva should not be confused with Ikshvaku�s wife.)

Vasudatta was a good brahmana. He studied the Vedas and observed religious rites. His only fault was that he loved his daughter too much. Sudeva grew up, but Vasudatta made no attempt to get his daughter married off. Many brahmanas came to crave Sudeva�s hand, but Vasudatta refused them all.

�What are you doing?� asked Sudeva�s moter. �Why are you not marrying off your daughter?�

�I am looking for a brahmana who will marry Sudeva and live with us,� replied Vasudatta. �I love Sudeva so much that I cannot bear the thought of her going away to her in-laws. No, my son-in-law will live with us.�

After some time had passed, a brahmana named Shivasharma came to visit Vasudatta. He was well read in the shastras. More importantly, he had no parents. His only relatives were four brothers who lived elsewhere. Vasudatta ascertained that Shivasharma was not averse to the idea of marrying Sudeva and living with Vasudatta. The marriage took place.

Unfortunately, Sudeva had been spoilt by her father�s excessive love. She had not learnt that she should obey and respect her husband. Her father Vasudatta was rich, but Shivasharma was poor. Sudeva treated her husband with contempt and heaped abuse on him. Out of love for Sudeva, Shivasharma stomached all this. When it became too much for him to bear, he left the house without telling anyone where he had gone.

�This is a great calamity,� Vasudatta told his wife. �We had a most desirable son-in-law and he has now forsaken us because of the way our daughter has treated him. This is terrible. I am going to throw Sudeva out of my house.�

�That is hardly fair,� replied Sudeva�s mother. �It is you who have spoilt your daughter through excessive love. The learned say that a child should be brought up with love only until it is five years of age. After that, it is time for the rod. If you spare the rod, your child will be spoilt. The learned also say that a daughter should stay in her father�s house until she is eight years of age. After that, it is time for her to get married. And she should always go and live with her husband. The daughter and the son-in-law should never live in the father�s house. Do you not know the story of Ugrasena?�

Ugrasena

King Ugrasena used to rule in the city of Mathura. The king of Vidarbha was Satyaketu and Satyaketu had a daughter named Padmavati. Padmavati was married to Ugrasena.

Ugrasena was devoted to Padmavati and loved his queen. But Padmavati did not reciprocate her husband�s love. In comparison with Satyaketu, Ugrasena was not at all wealthy and Padmavati always compared the prosperity in her father�s kingdom with the relative poverty in her husband�s.

After some years had passed, Satyaketu asked Ugrasena to send Padmavati to her father�s house. He had not seen his daughter for a long time. Although Ugrasena was loth to part with Padmavati, he agreed and Padmavati went on a visit to her father.

The comfort that Satyaketu�s household provided, turned Padmavati�s head and she showed no inclination of returning to her husband.

There was a mountain not very far from Satyaketu�s capital. Padmavati once went to visit that mountain. Kubera, the god of wealth, had a companion named Govila. Govila happened to be passing in a vimana (space vehicle) and his eyes fell upon Padmavati. Padmavati was so beautiful that Govila fell in love with her. Through his powers Govila found out that this enchanting woman was King Ugrasena�s wife. Since Padmavati was already married, Govila realised that she could not possibly marry him.

He hit upon a stratagem. He adopted Urgasena�s appearance and came before Padmavati. Padmavatgi did not realise that this was not Ugrasena. She welcomed Govila whom she took to be her husband. Govila charmed her with his powers of singing. Padmavati was initially surprised at this, but assumed that her husband had acquired some new powers.

After they had lived together for some time, Padmavati realised that it was not Ugrasena that she was living with.

�Who are you and why have you deceived me thus?� she asked. �You are not my husband.�

�I am not,� replied Govila. �But why are you so bothered? I am Govila, Kubera�s companion. I would not have deceived you had I not realise that you do not love your husband. Would you have forsaken your husband had you loved him? It is you who are the guilty one."

Having said this, Govila left and Padmavati was mortified. She returned to King Ugrasena in Mathura. The king gladly welcomed his wife back. After ten years had passed, a son was born to Padmavati. This was however not Ugrasena�s son, but Govila�s. Kamsa was this terrible son and he had to be killed by Krishna.

Having related this story, Vasudatta�s wife advised her husband to indeed banish his daughter. There was no point in having an evil daughter.

Vasudatta said to his daughter Sudeva, �It is because of you that my son-in-law Shivasharma has left. Go back to your husband. You are no longer welcome in my house. And if you cannot find him, go wherever you will.�

Sudeva found that she was not welcome anywhere. People shunned her. No one wished to associated with a wife who had made her husband desert her. �A sinner is coming�, they would exclaim and run away.

The Female Pig Again

Sudeva travelled from kingdom to kingdom. She was poor and begged for a living, as best as she could. Eventually, she arrived in the city of Vanashthala, in the kingdom of Sourashtra.

Begging-bowl in hand, she wandered around the city, looking for alms. She soon came upon a palatial house, with high walls. The house was full of granaries and obviously belonged to someone who was extremely wealthy.

�I am starving. May I have some alms, please?� begged Sudeva.

The householder came out on hearing these words. His wife�s name was Mangala. �Mangala,� he called out to her, �someone is begging for food. Will you please give her something to eat?�

Mangala gave Sudeva a lot of sweetmeats to eat. While Sudeva was eating these, the householder addressed her. �Who are you?� he asked. �Why are you travelling alone and why are you in such a terrible state?�

When Sudeva heard the householder�s voice a second time, she realised that this was none other than her husband Shivasharma. She could not reply and hung her head in shame.

�Why doesn�t this woman reply?� Mangala asked her husband. �And why does she not look you in the face?�

�I will tell you the reason,� said Shivasharma. �I have recognised her now. She is Sudeva, daughter of Vasudatta. She is my wife. She must have come here looking for me. Please treat her well.�

Sudeva was amazed at these words; she had not expected such wonderful treatment at her husband�s hands. Mangala also treated her exceedingly well. Repentance for her past misdeeds now overcame Sudeva. And so stricken was she, that she died of this misery.

As soon as Sudeva died, Yama�s messengers came and tied her up. They then dragged her to Yama, the god of death. Yama metes out punishments in accordance with one�s sins and Sudeva�s sins were indeed severe. She was sent from one hell to another. Sometimes her body was sliced with weapons, at other times she was boiled in oil. After she had served her sentences in these various hells, Sudeva was born again. But she was born as a termite. When the termite died, Sudeva was successively born as various other insects and animals, culminating in the female pig.

�Now you know my story,� the female pig told Queen Sudeva. �Please do something for me so that I do not have to suffer any more. You are a woman who is devoted to her husband; you must have accumulated a lot of punya. King Ikshvaku is like the god Vishnu himself and you are like the goddess Lakshmi. Please do something for me.�

�I will grant you whatever punya I may have earned in the space of one year,� replied the queen.

As soon as these words were uttered, the female pig adopted the form of a divine woman, dressed in fantastic clothing and jewellery. A space vehicle (vimana) descended from the sky and took her straight to heaven.

Back to Sukala

Sukala amazed her friends with this story.

Soon, the story of Sukala�s devotion to her husband spread far and wide. Sukala became famous not only among humans, but among the gods as well.

Indra, the king of the gods, decided to test Sukala. He sent a messenger to Sukala. �You are wasting your time,� the messenger told Sukala. �Your husband has been away for three years. You think that he has gone to visit places of pilgrimage. But in reality, he has deserted you. Why are you wasting your youth in this fruitless waiting? Marry my master instead.�

�Who is your master?� asked Sukala. �Ask him to appear before me.�

Indra then appeared before Sukala in all his pomp and glory. He did his best to persuade Sukala to marry him. But Sukala spurned all Indra�s advances. Not only did she not marry Indra, but she gave the king of the gods a long lecture on the duties of faithful wives.


Meanwhile, Krikala had more or less finished his pilgrimage and was on his way home. Suddenly, a divine voice addressed him. �Krikala,� said the voice, �all your search for punya has been in vain. You have done this only to tickle your ego. But your ancestors will continue to rot in hell.�

�Why should that be?� asked Krikala. �Why should my visit to all the sacred tirthas be in vain?�

�That is because you did not take your wife with you,� said the voice. �A devoted wife must take part in all her husband�s endeavours. Otherwise, no punya is accumulated. A house where there is a devoted wife is superior to all the tirthas combined. Why did you leave your wife at home? Was that a proper thing to do?�

Hearing these words, Krikala hastened home. Husband and wife embraced each other with delight. And they jointly performed a religious ceremony so that Krikala�s ancestors might be rescued from hell.

Indra arrived to bless the couple. �I tried to tempt Sukala into marrying me. I was unsuccessful,� he told Krikala. �Blessed is your wife. I wish to grant the two of you a boon.�

�Please grant us the boon that we may never deviate from the righteous path,� said the couple. �Let us always be devoted to the gods and the sages.�

This boon was readily granted. The place where Sukala and Krikala lived is now a famous tirtha known as naritirtha.

Pippala

The sage Kashyapa had a son named Pippala.

Pippala desired to attain powers that were unrivalled by anyone else in the universe. He therefore went to a forest named dasharanya and began to meditate there. He meditated without any food or water. So amazing was this tapasya that the gods and the sages marvelled to see what was happening. The passing of the seasons made no impression on Pippala. He sat there like a boulder and meditated.

A thousand years passed in this fashion. Termites built a hill all around Pippala. But the sage was unmoved. Venomous snakes wound themselves around Pippala�s body and bit him. But Pippala did not even notice these snakes. Soon, the power of the tapasya made Pippala�s body radiant. Circles of energy hung around his body like a halo.

Pippala lived only on air.

After three thousand years had passed in this way, the gods showered down flowers on Pippala. �You have pleased us with your meditation,� they said. �Crave whatever boon you wish for.�

�I desire the boon that all objects in this universe may obey my will,� said Pippala.

The gods granted this boon.

Pippala was delighted with what he had achieved. He sat down near a pond and began to congratulate himself on his newly-acquired powers. Surely, there was no one else in the universe who could rival his powers.

A crane was standing in the pond and it sensed Pippala�s thoughts. �You fool,� the crane told Pippala. �Why are you so delighted with yourself? I do not think that you have achieved anything at all. You have wasted three thousand years of tapasya. Sukarma is far more learned than you are. And he did not have to perform any difficult tapasya to become learned.�

Pippala was greatly surprised to hear a crane speak thus. �Who are you?� he asked the crane. �Are you Brahma, Vishnu or Shiva?�

�Why don�t you go and ask Sukarma who I am?� retorted the crane. It also told Pippala how to find Sukarama.

Sukarma

There was a brahmana named Kundala and Sukarma was Kundala�s son. Sukarma spent all his time in serving his aged parents. That was his sole purpose in life.

It was to Kundala�s hermitage that Pippala came in search of Sukarma.
Sukarma welcomed Pippala with offerings. �Great sage,� he said. �I am indeed gratified that you have come to pay us a visit. I know why you have come. You have spent three thousand years in difficult tapasya. And the gods have granted you the boon that you will be able to subjugate all the objects that there are in the universe. Yet the crane told you that you are ignorant and know nothing at all.

�Who was that crane?� asked Pippala.

�That crane was the brahman,� replied Sukarma. �Is there anything else that you wish to know?� (The brahman is the divine essence.)

�Can you also control all the objects in the universe?" asked Pippala.

�Judge for yourself,� replied Sukarma. He called upon the gods to arrive before him.

Indra and the other gods immediately appeared before Sukarma to do his bidding. �Why have you summoned us?� they asked.

Sukarma explained that he had done this to demonstrate to Pippala his powers. The gods blessed Sukarma that he would always be devoted to his parents. Sukarma also explained to Pippala that all his powers were due to his devotion to his parents. He performed no tapasya, he chanted no incantations. There were no tirthas that he had visited. The punya that could be acquired through performing yajnas could be bettered by serving one�s parents faithfully. What was the point of studying the Vedas if one was not going to serve one�s parents?

�This is the knowledge that I can impart to you,� Sukarma told Pippala. �And if you wish, I will tell you the story of Yayati.�

Yayati

There was a king named Nahusha who was born in the lunar dynasty. Nahusha was a righteous king. He donated a lot of alms and performed many yajnas. Such was the power of his punya that he acquired the title of Indra and ruled over the gods in heaven. (This story is related subsequently in the Padma Purana. It is also to be found in the Mahabharata.)

Nahusha had a son named Yayati and when Nahusha went to heaven, the kingdom was handed over to Yayati.

Yayati was a good king who ruled according to the dictates of dharma (righteousness). He took good care of his subjects.

Yayati had four sons, brave and learned. Their names were Ruru, Puru, Kuru and Yadu. (The names are strange and contradict the names usually given in other Puranas or in the Mahabharata. Yayati had two wives, Devayani and Sharmishtha. As per the more common account, Devayani�s sons were Yadu and Turvasu. Sharmishtha�s sons were Druhya, Anu and Puru.)
For eighty-one thousand years, Yayati ruled wisely and his fame spread far and wide. Indra got to know about Yayati and desired to meet him. Indra�s charioteer was named Matali. Indra sent Matali to Yayati so that the king might be brought to heaven. Matali tempted Yayati with stories of the riches that heaven offered. But Yayati refused to go to heaven unless he could be taken there in his own physical body. He refused to die.

�Look at me,� said Yayati. �I am a hundred and fifty years old, but there are no signs of old age. Thanks to the punya I have accumulated, I seem to be only sixteen years of age. Why should I give up this body? As for riches, I have plenty of them here on earth.�

(There is a contradiction between someone who is a hundred and fifty years old having ruled for eighty-one thousand years. The Padma Purana reconciles this by explaining that the hundred and fifty years refer to years of the gods, and not human years.)

Matali reported to Indra what the king had told him. Meanwhile, Yayati instructed his subjects that they should all follow the path of dharma and worship Vishnu. The reslt was that all of Yayati�s subjects became righteous; old age, disease and sorrow were banished from earth. People stopped dying. Yama had no more work to do and was alarmed. He went and complained to Indra that his occupation was being threatened because of Yayati�s righteousness. Earth had become like heaven.

Indra decided that Yayati would have to be tempted so that he might become evil and deviate from the righteous path. He sent the god of love, Kandarpa, to accomplish this task. Because of Kandarpa�s blandishments, Yayati gave up some of his clean ways. He forgot to bathe at the appointed hours. Seizing this opportunity, old age entered the king�s body and Yayati became an old man. And once he had become and old man, he became more addicted to material pursuits.

On one occasion, Yayati went to the forest on a hunt. While pursuing a deer, he came upon a beautiful pond inside the forest. Floating in the pond was a gigantic lotus. And seated on the lotus, there was a beautiful woman. The woman was singing. So wonderful wa her son, that Yayati immediately fell in love with her.

�Who are you ?� asked Yayati. �I am the great Yayati, king in the lunar line. I have fallen in love with you. �Please marry me.�

� My name is Ashruvindumati,� replied the woman. �The goddess of love is Rati and I am her daughter. I am waiting here for an appropriate husband. But I will not marry you. You are an old man. Become young and come here again and I shall certainly marry you.�

Yayati returned to his capital. He called his four sons to him and explained to them the problem. He wished that one of his sons might accept Yayati�s age in exchange for his youth. This would enable Yayati to marry Ashruvindumati. When Yayati got tired of the worldly life, he would return the youth and take back his old age.
With the exception of Puru, all the other sons refused to perform this exchange. They felt that, if Yayati had become old, he had no business to marry again. Ruru, Kuru and Yadu were therefore cursed by Yayati that they would never inherit the kingdom. Their lines would be cursed and no kings would be born in them. As for Puru, he gave his father his youth and was blessed by the king.

Yayati went back to the pond in his youthful form and met Ashruvindumati. �Surely, there is no problem in marrying me now,� he said.

�Yes, there is,� replied Ashruvindumati. �You have two other wives - Sharmishtha and Devayani. Before marrying me, you have to give me your word of honour that you will no longer treat them as your wives Moreover, you have to agree that you will always do my bidding.�

�I agree to these conditions,� said Yayati.

(In fact, Yayati asked Yadu to kill Sharmishtha and Devayani. When Yadu refused, he was cursed by Yayati that Yadu�s descendant, the Yadavas, would become matriarchal.)

Now that her conditions were met, Ashruvindumati married yayati and the two lived happily for twenty thousand years. Ashruvindumati asked Yayati to organise an ashvamedha yajna (horse sacrifice). Yayati entrusted the task to his son Puru and the ceremony was an outstanding success.

After many years had passed, Ashruvindumati told Yayati, �We have had enough of worldly pleasures. Let us now ascend to heaven.�

Yayati accordingly called Puru and returned him his youth. He accepted his old age. Then, with Ashruvindumati, he died and went to heaven, after having profusely blessed Puru.

�One should be like Puru,� Sukarma told Pippala. �There is no punya that is superior to serving one�s parents.�

Chyavana

In the line of the great sage Bhrigu, there was a sage named Chyavana. Chyavana desired to attain true knowledge. He decided that the only way to attain true knowledge was by visiting famous tirthas. Chyavana therefore visited all the places of pilgrimage that were along the banks of the rivers Narmada, Sarasvati and Godavari. His travels eventually brought him to a place named Amarakantaka, on the southern banks of the river Narmada.

Chyavana was tired from his travels and he sat down to rest under a banyan tree. On that tree lived a learned parrot (shuka). The parrot was named Kunjala. Kunjala had a wife and four sons. The sons were named Ujjvala, Samujjvala, Vijjvala and Kapinjala.
Every morning, the sons would go out to find food. And they would bring some back for their parents. It was evening when Chyavana sat down to rest under the tree. The sons had just returned from their foraging.

After the family had fed, Kunjala asked Ujjvala, �Son, where did you go today? Tell us all that you saw and heard.�

�I always go to Plakshadvipa in search of food,� replied Ujjvala. �That region has many countries, mountains, river and forests. A king named Divodasa rules in Plakshadvipa. He has a beautiful daughter named Divyadevi.�

When the daughter had grown up, Divodasa looked around for an appropriate son-in-law and decided to get his daughter married off to King Chitrasena of the kingdom known as Rupa. The engagement ceremony was held. But before the marriage could take place, Chitrasena died.

�What am I to do now?� Divodasa asked his ministers.

�Since the marriage did not actually take place, Divyadevi can be married again,� replied the ministers. �Please look for another groom.�

This time, Divodasa chose King Rupasena. The engagement ceremony was held. But before the marriage could take place, Rupasena died. Divodasa looked for another groom and the process went on twenty-one times. On each occasion, the prospective bridegroom died before the marriage ceremony could take place.

In desperation, King Divodasa decided that his daughter would be married through a svayamvara ceremony. (In this ceremony, the bride chooses her own husband from amongst the invitees.) All the kings and princes of Plakshadvipa were invited to this august gathering. But a strange incident took place on the occasion of the svayamvara. The assembled kings and princes fell to fighting amongst themselves and killed one another.

Divyadevi could not get married. She retired to the forest to meditate.

�This is what I wistnessed in Plakshadvipa,� concluded Ujjvala. �Please tell us, father, why Divyadevi was so unfortunate.�

�I will,� replied Kunjala. �I know her story.�

Divyadevi

There is a sacred city named Varanasi. In that city, there lived a righteous vaishya (the third of the four classes) named Sudhira. Sudhira�s wife was called Chitra. Sudhira was rich and he was devoted to his wife.

But Chitra was evil. She had no interest in performing deeds that brought punya. She disobeyed her husband and went against his wishes. One of her favourite pastimes was to criticise Sudhira. When she got tired of this, she visited all the neighbours, spreading gossip, enmity and jealousy.

After a while, Sudhira could not stand this any more. He married again.

As for Chitra, she left Sudhira�s house and began to associate with thieves and robbers. She would be their messenger or spay, and assist them in the burglaries and the murders they committed.

When Chitra died, she was brought before Yama and made to suffer in several hells for her sins. When these terms of punishment were over, she was born again as Divyadevi. Since she had spent her earlier life in destroying other people�s families and households, it was destined that she would not have family of her own in this life. That is the reason why it proved to be impossible to get her married.

�There is still one thing that I do not understand,� commented Ujjvala. �If as Chitra, Divyadevi was so evil, how did she come to be born as the daughter of King Divodasa? That must have required some punya.�

�Yes indeed,� replied Kunjala. �I forgot to mention that part. One day, a mendicant came to Sudhira�s house, looking for alms. Chitra washed this sage�s feet and gave him food. The punya that this act led to, made sure that Chitra would be born as a princess. Do you have any more questions, my son?�

�I do have a final question,� said Ujjvala. �How can Divyadevi get over her present predicament? How can she perform penance for her sins?�

�That is not very difficult,� replied Kunjala. �She has to constantly pray to the great Vishnu and chant his name. There is no surer method of salvation. She should observe vratas (religious rites) that are sacred to Vishnu. Why don�t you go and tell her this? That will bring you some punya as well.�

The next day, Ujjvala went and told Divyadevi what his father had told him. Divyadevi prayed to Vishnu for four years and was freed of all her sins.

Samujjvala�s Account

�What do you have to tell us?� Kunjala asked Samujjvala. �What have you seen or heard?�

�I always go to the Himalayas to look for food,� replied Samujjvala. �There is one particular valley there which is frequented by sages and apsaras. The lake manasa sarovara is there and it is there that I went. As for what I have seen, I can make neither head nor tail out of it. But let me recount it if you.�

While Samujjvala waited by the lake, several swans arrived there. Some of the swans were black, the others white. The white swans had black beaks and black legs. There were also some swans which were pure white and other which were blue.

After the swans arrived, four women followed them there. These women were fierce of appearance. Their teeth jutted out and their hair stood up like spikes.

The black swans descended into the water to bathe. The other swans did not bate at all, but only circumambulated the lake. As for the women, they stood around and roared with laughter.

While this was going on, a gigantic swan emerged from manasa sarovara. It was followed by three other swans. There four swans took to their wings and flew away. The four women continued to hang around and roar with laughter. The other swans also waited.

Meanwhile, a hunter arrived and sat down by the side of the lake. Soon, the hunter�s wife joined him there. But the hunter�s wife did not recognise the hunter. He was much changed from when she had seen him last. He had become handsome and shone with radiance. But the hunter recognised his wife and addressed her. �Don�t you recognise me?� he asked. �Why are you going away without offering me some food? I am very hungry.�

�You can�t possibly be my husband,� replied the hunter�s wife. �My husband was fierce and dark. You are pleasant of appearance and fair. How can you possibly be my husband?�

�Believe me, I am you husband,� said the hunter. �I was tired of looking for game. I therefore went and bathed in the tirtha that is known as narmada sangama at the confluence of the rivers Narmada and Reva. As soon as I bathed there, my appearance was magically transformed. Come with me and I�ll take you there.�

The hunter and his wife left for the confluence of the sacred rivers Narmada and Reva. The swans and the four women also followed them. Stirred with curiosity, Samujjvala accompanied them.

At the sacred tirtha, the hunter�s wife bathed in the water and became divine in appearance. The swans too bathed in the water. Those which were black became white as snow after bathing. The four black swans, which had earlier left manasa sarovara, also came there and bathed in the water. They too turned pure white. As for the four fierce women, they fell down and died.

�I can make no sense of this incident,� said Samujjvala. �Can you explain it for me?�

�I certainly can,� replied Kunjala.

The Explanation

Once, the sage Narada went to visit Indra in heaven. Indra welcomed Narada and asked, �How are you, great sage? Where have you been travelling?�

�I visited all the tirthas,� replied Narada.

�Since you have visited them all, please tell me this, which is the best of all the tirtha?� asked Indra.

�I don�t know the answer to that question,� replied Narada. �All the tirthas are sacred.�

Indra thereupon summoned all the tirthas to his court and they all arrived there, each looking more resplendent than the other.

Amongst these tirthas were - Ganga, Narmada, Punya, Chandrabhaga, Sarasvati, Devika, Bimbika, Kubja, Prasiddha, Kunjala, Manjula, Rambha, Bhanumati, Sugharghara, Shona, Sindhusoubira, Kaveri, Kapila, Kumuda, Veda, Maheshvari, Charmanvati, Lopa, Sukoushiki, Suhamsi, Hamsapada, Hamsabega, Manoratha, Surutha, Svaruna, Vena, Bhadravena, Supadmini, Nahali, Sumaricha, Pulindika, Hema, Divya, Chandrika, Vedasamkrama, Jvala, Hutashani, Svaha, Kala, Kapilika, Svadha, Sukala, Linga, Gambhira, Bhimavahini, Devadrichi, Viravaha, Lakshahoma, Aghapaha, Parashari, Hemagarbha, Subhadra and Vasuputrika. There were merely the rivers.

There were several cities as well. Among them were Prayaga, Arghyadirgha, Pushkara, Varanasi, Dvaravati, Prabhasa, Avanti, Naimisha, Maharatna, Chandaka, Maheshvara, Baleshvara, Kalinjara, Brahmakshetra, Mathura, Manavahaka, Maya and Kanti.

The tirthas saluted Indra and asked, �King of the gods, we have all come. Why have you summoned us? What can we do for you?�

�I wish to know which among you is superior to all the others,� said Indra. �There are some sins which are really serious. Examples would be the killing of cows; the killing of women; the defiance of one�s husband; drinking wine; stealing gold; criticising one�s teacher; being a traitor to one�s friends; breaking the images of the gods; arson; and running away from the field of battle. Which amongst you are powerful enough to cleanse such sins?�

�We are not all equally powerful or equally sacred,� answered the tirthas. �But the most sacred undoubtedly are Prayaga, Pushkara, Arghyatirtha and Varanasi.�

In fact, there is a story connected with the tirthas. Many years ago, there was a kshatriya (the second of the four classes) named Vidura in the land of Panchala. In a fit of anger, Vidura killed a brahmana. This was a very serious sin. Vidura visited several tirthas, but his sin would not be pardoned.

Vidura�s travels brought him to the land of Malava where there lived a brahmana named Chandrasharma. This fellow had committed the sin of killing his teacher. He too had visited several tirthas, but his sin had not been pardoned.

Vidura and Chanrasharma started to travel together. In the course of their travels, they met another brahmana named Vedasharma. This person had committed the sin of marrying someone he should not have married. His sin had also not been pardoned, although he had visited many tirthas. Vidura, Chandrasharma and Vedasharma began to travel as a group.

The three encountered a vaishya named Vanjula. This character had been a drunkard and his sin had also not been pardoned. Vanjula joined Vidura, Chandrasharma and Vedasharma.

The four sinners eventually met a sage and asked him how they might be pardoned their sins.

�Why don�t you go and visit Prayaga, Pushkara, Arghyatirtha and Varanasi?� asked the sage. �I am certain that your sins will be pardoned then.�

The four sinners did as the sage had asked them to. But their sins were not pardoned. In fact, so severe were their sins that the four tirthas became contaminated in the process. The four tirthas adopted the forms of four black swans and began to follow the sinners around. The sinners went to many other tirthas. But whenever they bathed in any specific tirtha, the tirtha became contaminated, adopted the form of a black swan, and followed them. Tirthas which had not been contaminated (that is, the sinners had not bathed there) also followed the group. These were the white swans. Soon, there were sixty-four tirthas in the form of swans travelling with the group.

The group eventually made its way to the great tirtha known as manasa sarovara. But as soon as the sinners bathed in the lake, manasa sarovara became contaminated and adopted the form of a gigantic black swan.

Eventually, the group made its way to the confluence of the rivers Narmada and Reva. When the four sinners bathed there, their sins were pardoned. The tirthas too, in the forms of black swans, bathed there and were cleansed of all contamination. They became white swans. As for the four fierce women, these were the personifications of the four sins. As soon as the sinners were pardoned, the four women died. Although Prayaga, Pushkara, Arghyatirtha and Varanasi are great places of pilgrimage, the most sacred tirtha of all is the confluence of the rivers Narmada and Reva. This is known as Kubjatirtha.

Kunjala recounted this incident and said, �Son, what you witnessed must have become clear to you now. It was only an allegory.�

Vijjvala�s Account

�What about you, Vijjvala? Asked Kunjala. �Do you have something wonderful to tell us as well?�

�Indeed, I do,� replied Vijjvala.

Vijjvala usually went to look for food in the neighbourhood of Mount Sumeru. In that region, there was a wonderful forest named Anandakanana. I was full of fruits and flowers and divine trees. Apsaras and gandharvas came there to frolic. The vimanas of the gods descended there off and on. In Anandakanana forest, there was also a beautiful lake. Lotuses and swans abounded in the lake.

While Vijjvala was waiting there, he saw a shining vimana descend. In the vimana was a divine-looking couple. They were handsome and richly clothed. The couple got down from the vimana and advanced to the edge of the water. They bathed in the lake and picked up a pair of swords. It was then that Vijjvala noticed two dead bodies lying by the side of the lake. Wonder of wonders, the made dead body looked exactly like the man who had descended from the vimana. And the female dead body looked exactly like the woman who had got down from the vimana.

The woman sliced up some of the meat from the female dead body and began to eat it. The man did so as well, although he took his portion from the male dead body. While they were eating, two beautiful women arrived and began to laugh at the eaters. Two fierce and ugly-looking women also arrived and kept saying �give me some�, �give me some�.

After the couple had had their fill, they drank water from the lake got into their vimana, and left. The four other women also left. As soon as they had left, the corpses were replenished. That is, whatever mead had been eaten from them was restored.

Vijjvala witnessed this strange happening take place day after day.

�What does it mean, father?� he asked. �Who are the divine looking couple who alight from the vimana? Who are the two beautiful women who laugh at them? And who are the two fierce women who keep asking them for food?�

Suvahu

This was the story that Kunjala told his family.

In the Chola kingdom, there was a king named Suvahu. He was handsome, righteous, and possessed many good qualities. He was also devoted to Vishnu. No one on earth could equal his devotion to Vishnu. Suvahu�s wife was named Tarkshyi.

Suvahu performed many yajnas. But Suvahu�s priest, Jaimini, was not satisfied with what Suvahu had done.

�King,� said Jaimini, �please give me some alms. That is what grants undying punya.�

�What use will the punya be for me?� asked Suvahu.

�It will enable you to go to heaven,� replied Jaimini. �Heaven is a wonderful place.�

�That may be,� said the king. �But will I be able to live in heaven forever?�

�Of course not,� replied Jaimini. �You will be able to live in heaven only so long as your punya is not exhausted. The moment your punya is exhausted, you will be born on earth again.�

�In that case, I am not interested in giving alms,� said Suvahu. �Why should I be interested in such transient happiness? I will pray to Vishnu. And by his grace. I will get to live his abode in Vishnuloka. That will be far superior to living in heaven.�

The king did as he had suggested. Together with his wife, he began to perform very difficult tapasya and prayed to Vishnu. The upshot was that, when Suvahu and Tarkshyi died, they were brought straight to Vishnuloka.

Vishnuloka was a wonderful place. But try as they might, the king and the queen did not get to see Vishnu. Moreover, they started to suffer from hunger and thirst and there was no food or water to be had. While they were looking for food to assuage their hunger and water to quench their thirst, they came upon the hermitage of a sage named Vamadeva.

�Great sage,� asked Suvahu, �What is happening to us? Why are we suffering thus?�

�You and your wife have been truly devoted to Vishnu," replied Vamadeva. �But you have never given any alms. The best form of donation is the donation of food and water. Since you never donated these, you have to face hunger and thirst in Vishnuloka.�

�Is there no way I can perform penance for my sin?� asked Suvahu.

�There certainly is,� replied the sage, �Go to the place where the dead bodies of you and your wife are lying on earth. Those dead bodies have not got decomposed. Eat the flesh from your own dead bodies. Keep doing this until someone recites for you the hymn (stotra) that is sacred to Vishnu. The day you hear that hymn will be the day of your salvation.�

This was the explanation of what Vijjvala had witnessed. It was Suvahu and Tarkshyi eating up their own dead bodies. As for the two beautiful women who laughed at them, they were the personifications of prajna (knowledge) and shraddha (faith). Prajna and Shraddha laughed at the king and the queen because, by failing to donate alms, they had missed out on true knowledge and true faith. The two fierce women who kept saying �give me some� were the personifications of hunger and thirst.

�What about heir salvation?� asked Vijjvala. �Please teach me the hymn that is sacred to Vishnu. I would like to recite it to Suvahu and Tarkshyi so that they may attain salvation.�

Kunjala taught his son the hyman. Vijjvala went and recited it before the royal couple and thus freed them from their sin.

Kapinjala�s Story

It was now time for the fourth son, Kapinjala, to recount any wonderful sight that he might have seen.

Kapinjala was in the habit of going to Mount Kailasa to look for food. Mount Kailasa was a beautiful place and the sacred river Ganga flowed right through it. Thousands and thousands of other river also flowed through the region. The valleys were full of limpid ponds.

There was one particular lake which was gigantic. Lotuses bloomed on its surface in profusion. Next to the lake was a boulder. Kapinjala saw that on the boulder was seated a beautiful woman. The woman sat on the boulder and kept on crying. Drops of her tears fell into the water of the lake and turned into fragrant lotuses.

There was also a temple of Shiva on the shore of the lake, Kapinjala also saw a sage who worshipped Shiva in the temple. The sage lived only on dry leaves so that his physique resembled that of a skeleton. The lotuses that emerged from the teardrops were collected by the sage and offered to Shiva�s image. After these offerings were made, the sage danced and sang hymns in praise of Shiva. Then he sat down and cried.

�Father, what is this strange mystery?� asked Kapinjala. �Who is the beautiful woman and why does she cry? And who is the sage and why does he worship Shiva? Do you know the answers to these questions?�

�I do,� replied Kunjala.

Shiva and Parvati

Shiva and Parvati lived on Mount Kailasa. There was a beautiful grove known as nandanakanana and, one day, Parvati expressed a desire to visit that grove.

Shiva gladly took Parvati to the grove. The grove was full of all kinds of wonderous tress and Parvati admired them all. But there was one particular tree which seemed to be superior to all the others.

�What tree is this?� asked Parvati.

�This is known as a kalpavriksha,� replied Shiva. �That means that this tree will furnish whatever object one wishes for.�

�Is that really true?� said Parvati. �Let me try it out.�

Parvati wished that the tree might provide a beautiful woman. As soon as she expressed this wish, a beautiful woman emerged from the tree. She was so pretty that no description can do complete justice to her.

The woman paid her respects to Parvati and asked, �Why did you create me? What are your orders?�

�I had actually created you to satisfy my curiosity,� answered Parvati. �But now that you have been created, let me name you Ashokasundari. There will be a king named Nahusha who will be born in the lunar line. He will be your husband.�

Ashokasundari started to live in nandanakanana.

Hunda

There was a danava (demon) named Viprachitti and he had a son known as Hunda. Hunda happened to go to nandanakanana and meet Ashokasundari. He promptly fell in love with her and wanted to marry her. But Ashokasundari flatly refused to marry Hunda. She had been told by Parvati that King Nahusha would be her husband, and she would marry no other.

Hunda however was not one to give up so easily and he resorted to an artifice. Demons are skilled in the usage of maya (illusions). Through maya, demons could also transform themselves into some other form. Hunda adopted the form of a beautiful woman and appeared before Ashokasundari.

�Who are you?� asked Ashokasundari.

�I am an unhappy widow. My husband has been killed by the evil demon Hunda,� replied Hunda. �I am now performing tapasya so that Hunda may be killed. Why don�t you come and join me in my hermitage on the baks of the Ganga?�

Ashokasundari accompanied the woman to her so-called hermitage. But as soon as they were there, Hunda adopted his own form and tried to abduct Ashokasundari.

Ashokasundari repulsed this attempt. �Evil demon,� she said, �how dare you try to abduct me? I will perform tapasya so that my husband Nahusha may kill you.�

While all this was going on, Nahusha had not yet been born. He was destined to be born as the son of King Ayu and Queen Indumati. But at the time when Hunda was trying to abduct Ashokasundari, Ayu was still without a son. To obtain a son, the king prayed to the sage Dattatreya for a hundred years. He obtained the boon that he would have a powerful and righteous son.

Hunda had not forgotten that Ayu�s son would kill hum. So, as soon as the baby was born, the demon kidnapped the boy and brought him home. He gave the baby to this cook, with the instruction that the baby was to be killed and served up to Hunda for dinner. However, the cook was a good Hunda for dinner. However, the cook was a good sort who took pity on the baby. He killed a deer and served it to Hunda, pretending that it was the prince who had been killed and cooked. What was to be done with the baby? The cook went and left him in the Vashishtha�s hermitage.

Vashishtha discovered the boy and began to bring him up. The word husha means fright. Since the boy would never be frightened, Vashishtha named him Nahusha or �fearless�. The sage taught nahusha all that there was to be learnt, including the usage of weapons. When nahusha grew up, Vashishtha told him about his antecedents. He also told nahusha about Hunda and Ashokasundari and the fact that he was destined to kill Hunda and marry Ashokasundari.

Nahusha set out to battle with Hunda. So delighted were the gods that the evil demon was going to be killed, that they offered Nahusha all their weapons. Indra lent him his chariot to ride in.

Hunda�s capital was in nandanakanana. Nahusha went there and killed the demon after a fierce battle. He met Ashokasundari and married her. He was also reunited with his parents. In due course, Nahusha and Ashokasundari had a son named Yayati.

�But you have still not told me the identity of the beautiful woman who was crying,� said Kapinjala. �Nor have you told me who the sage who worshipped Shiva was.�

�I was coming to that,� replied Kunjala.

Vihunda

The demon Hunda had a son named Vihunda. When Hunda died, Vihunda was despondent. He realised that Nahusha had killed his father with the connivance of the gods, and decided that he would perform tapasya so as to destroy them. So terrible was this tapasya that the gods got sacred and field to Vishnu.

�Please save us from the demon,� said the gods.

�Don�t worry,� replied Vihunda. �I will bring about Vihunda�s downfall.�

Vishnu adopted the form of a beautiful woman and started to live in nandanakanana. When Vihunda caught sight of the woman he was stricken with love for her.

�Please marry me,� he said.

�I certainly will,� replied Vishnu. �There is however, a condition. You will first have to worship Shiva with seven crores of kamoda flowers. Once that has been done, you will have to make a garland of these flowers and give it to me. I will marry you then.�

Vihunda agreed to this condition. But try as he might, he could not find any kamoda tree from which kamoda flowers might be obtained. No one seemed to know anything about such a tree. Finally, Vihunda resorted to the sage Shukracharya, who is all-knowing.

�A kamoda flower is not obtained from a tree,� said Shukracharya. �There is a woman named Kamoda. When she laughs, fragrant yellow flowers emerge from her laughter. If one worships Shiva with these flowers, all one�s wishes are fulfilled. But when Kamoda cries, the flowers that emerge are odourless and red. These should never be touched.�

�Who is this woman Kamoda?� asked Vihunda. �And where do I find her?�

�She can be found on the banks of the Ganga,� replied Shukracharya. �As for who she is, she was born from the churning of the ocean.�

(The story of the churning of the ocean (samudra manthana) is not repeated in the Padma Purana. It can be found in the Ramayana, the Mahabharata and several Puranas.)

The gods had no intention of allowing Vihunda to obtain the flowers that emerged when Kamoda laughed. Their plan was that the demon would use the flowers that emerged when Kamoda cried and thus bring about his own downfall. They therefore sent the sage Narada to Vihunda. Narada persuaded Vihunda that three was no need to go to the place where Kamoda was, to obtain the flowers. The flowers would float by on the water of the Ganga and all that the demon would have to do was to collect them as they passed by.

Narada then plotted to make Kamoda cry. He went and told her that Vishnu was about to be born on earth (in one of his incarnations). The thought of Vishnu leaving heaven so depressed Kamoda that she started to cry. Flowers emerged from these tears and floated down the Ganga to where Vithunda was waiting. Not realising that these were flowers that had emerged from tears and not from laughter, Vihunda collected and used them to worship Shiva. This act so angered the goddess Parvati that she slew Vihunda with a sword.

(This last part is rather cursorily described. The two types of flowers also differed in colour and fragrance. It is therefore not quite clear why Vihunda could not differentiate between the two.)

�Now you have the explanation for what you saw,� said Kunjala.

Kunjala

I hope you have not forgotten that the sage Chyavana had overhead all of this, sitting under the banyan tree.

He now addressed Kunjala. �Padron me for interrupting.� Said Chyavana. �But how came you to be so learned?�

�I shall tell you my story,� replied Kunjala.

There was a learned brahmana named Vidyadhara. He had three sons, Vasusharma, Namasharma and Dharmasharma. Vashusharma and Namasharma followed in the footsteps of their father. They followed the dictates of dharma and studied the sacred texts. But Dharmasharma displayed no such inclination. He spent this time in idle pursuits.

The upshot was that people started to shun Dharmasharma. When this became fairly serious, Dharmasharma felt ashamed and decided to look around for a teacher who would be able to teach him all that there was know. He did come across such a teacher soon and Dharmasharma because really learned.

A hunter once brought a baby parrot to Dharmasharma and the brahmana became extremely attached to the parrot. When the bird was killed by a cat, Dharmasharma�s sorrow knew no bounds. Hr sorrowed over the parrot and died. Since he had been thinking of a parrot when he died, Dharmasharma was born as a parrot in his next life.

�That parrot is none other than I,� said Kunjala.

The Padma Purana subsequently has several sections on the geography of the earth and on various tirthas. These we will skip over, as they can be found in many other Puranas.

The Daughters of the Gandharvas

Gandharvas are singers of heaven. There were five gandharvas who had one daughter each. The daughter of the gandharva Shukasangiti was Pramohini; Sushila�s daughter was Sushila; Svaravedi�s daughter was Susvara; Chanrakanta�s daughter was Sutara; and Suprabha�s daughter was Chandrika. These five daughters were exceedingly pretty. The were also very good friends.

In the month of Vaishakha, the five friends decided to worship the goddess Parvati. They therefore went to the forest to collect flowers. In the forest there was a beautiful lake. The five friends bathed in the lake and collected lotus flowers. They then built a clay image of the goddess and started to worship it.

The sage Vedanidhi and a son named Tirthapravara and Tirthapravara was also a sage. While the five daughters of the gandharvas were praying, Tirthapravara happened to come upon the scene. Tirthapravara was so handsome that the gandharva girls immediately fell in love with him. They figures that Parvati must have been satisfied with their prayers and sent Tirthapravara as their husband.

�Please marry us,� they told the sage.

�I can�t marry you,� replied Tirthapravara. �I am engaged in performing difficult tapasya. While that is going on, it is forbidden for me to marry.�

But Pramohini and her friends continued to pester the sage. Tirthapravara was however well-versed in the use of maya. He used this power and disappeared. When the sage did not re-appear, the woman mournfully went back to their homes.

Next day, they returned again to the forest. And when they encountered Tirthapravar, they again kept on pressing him to marry them.

This time, Tirthapravara lost his temper. He cursed Pramohini and her friends that all five of them would turn into pishachis (female demons).

�We did you no harm,� said the women. �We only expressed our love for you and desired to marry you. Yet, you have responded by cursing us. We therefore curse you that you will turn into a demon (pishacha).�

Thus cursed, there were six demons wandering around the lake. They lived there and foraged for food.

After several years had passed, the sage Lomasha happened to visit the forest. The hungry demons immediately concluded that food was at hand and attacked the sage. But the sage Lomasha was so powerful that the demons could not get near him. They then bowed down before Lomasha and worshipped him.

�How may we be freed from our present forms?� they asked.

�Go and bathe in the waters of the sacred river Reva,� replied Lomasha.

The demons did as the sage had asked them to, and regained their earlier forms. Such are the wonderful virtues of the holy river Reva.

Vikundala

Many years ago, in satya yuga, there lived a vaishya named Hemakundala. He followed the path of dharma and was devoted to gods and brahmanas. His occupations were trade and animal husbandry and he accumulated a lot of wealth in these pursuits. His total wealth soon amounted to eight crores of gold coins.

Hemakundala became old and lost his hearing. Realising that his days on earth were numbered, he decided that he should devote himself more to the path that brought punya. He set aside one-sixth of his wealth for such pursuits. With this money, he built temples, dug ponds and planted trees. He also donated a lot of money as alms.

Hemakundala had two sons named Shrikundala and Vikundala. The vaishya had such a lot of wealth that there was plenty left over even after performing good deeds. He divided this money amongst his two sons and retired to the forest to meditate.

Shrikundala and Vikundala were young and rich. They therefore, soon lost their heads. Instead of sticking to the righteous path, they fell upon evil ways and devoted themselves to idle pursuits. They soon squandered away all their money in leading dissolute lives. When their money was all spent, their false friends deserted them, and Shrikundala and Vikundala had to life a life of penury.

Unable to bear the pangs of hunger, the two brothers went to the forest and became hunters. They hunted game for food. While they were in the forest, Shrikundala was killed by a tiger and Vikundala died of snake-bite.

Since they died at the same time, they were brought before Yama together.

�Take Shrikundala to the most severe of hells,� Yama instructed his messengers. �And take Vikundala to heaven.�

Yama�s words greatly mystified Vikundala. To the messenger who was to take him to heaven, he queried, �How is this possible? We brothers have been born in the same family. We have performed our evil acts together. We have died accidental deaths at the same time. How is it then that my brother should go to hell and I to heaven? I see no reason why I should be so rewarded.�

�What you say is true.� Replied the messenger. �But there is something that you have forgotte. Let me refresh your memory for you. You had a brahmana friend named Svamita. He had a hermitage on the banks of the river Yamuna. You went to visit him once and bathed in the tirtha known as papapranashana. It is thanks to that punya that all your sins have been forgiven and you are going to heaven. As for your brother, he did not bathe in the tirtha. He has to rot in hell.�

�That is not replied the messenger. �Eight lives earlier, you accumulated a lot of punya. If you transfer that punya to your brother, he will be freed from hell.�

�What was that punya?� asked Vikundala. �I don�t remember.�

�Many years ago, there was a sage named Shakuni,� said the messenger. �He had nine sons. Four of these sons, Nirmoha, Dhyanakashtha, Jitakama and Gunadhika, became sages. They spent their time in meditation. Once, they happened to visit a city in search of alms. Eight lives ago, you lived in that city as a brahmana. You not only gave the sages alms. You made them welcome under your roof. That was the punya I mentioned. If you transfer this to your brother, he will ascend to heaven.�

Vikundala gladly transferred the punya to Shrikundala. Shrikundala was freed from hell and both brothers went to heaven together.

Such is the wonderful story of Vikundala.

The Padma Purana now was a section on the Puranas.

The Puranas

The eighteen sacred Puranas correspond to parts of Vishnu�s body. Each Purana is associated with one part of Vishnu�s anatomy.
The Brahma-Purana - The head.
The Padma-Purana - The heart.
The Vishnu Purana - The right arm.
The Shiva Purana - The left arm.
The Bhagavata Purana - The thighs.
The Narada Purana - The navel.
The Markandeya Purana - The right foot.
The Agni Purana - The left foot.
The Bhavishya Purana - The right knee.
The Brahmavaivarta Purana - The left knee.
The Linga Purana - The right calf.
The Varaha Purana - The left calf.
The Skanda Purana - Body-hair.
The Vamana Purana - The skin.
The Kurma Purana - The back.
The Matsya Purana - The fat of the body.
The Garuda Purana - The marrow.
The Brahmanda Purana - The bones.

All of these texts are sacred and reading them brings a lot of punya.

Dandaka

In the last dvapara yuga, there was a thief named Dandaka. He stole the property of brahmanas, was a traitor to his friends, lied all the time and was very cruel. He ate beef for his food and drank wine instead of water.

Dandaka once went to one of Vishnu�s temples to steal the property that was in the temple. His feet were muddy and he wiped them on the threshold before entering the temple. This act had an effect that was certainly not what Dandaka had intended. The threshold was dirty and when Dandaka wiped his feet on the threshold, some of the dust that was there got cleaned.

The main chamber of the temple had a solid wooden door that Dandaka broke open with an iron rod. Inside was an image of Vishnu. The thief did not think that the image itself would be of any use to him. But there were several other valuable objects of gold and silver in the chamber. Dhandaka proceeded to tie these up in a piece of cloth. But in the process of doing this, he managed to drop a few of the objects and this made a terrible racket.

The noise brought the guards running to see what was happening. Dandaka fled. And in his hurry, he stepped on a poisonous snake which promptly bit him. Thus it was that Dandaka died and was brought before Yama.

Yama�s court has an officer named Chitragupta. He keeps accounts of all the good deeds and all the sins that a person commits on earth. When Dhandaka was brought before Yama, Yama asked Chitragupta to tell him what the thief�s record showed.

�This fellow was a thief,� said Chitragupta. �In fact, there is no conceivable sin that he has not committed. However, he performed one good deed. And such was the punya from that deed that it has more than atoned for all the sins Dandaka had committed. He cleaned some dust from the threshold of Vishnu�s temple.�

As soon as Chitragupta said this, Yama descended from his throne and worshipped Dandaka. He realised that there was no question of sending Dandaka to hell. The only place that was fit for Dandaka was Vishnu�s abode in Vishnuloka. There it was that Dandaka was sent.

Such are the wonderful effects of cleaning Vishnu�s temples.

The Rat

In treta yuga, there lived a brahmana named Vaikuntha. Vaikuntha was extremely devoted to Vishnu. He once lit a lamp in one of Vishnu�s temples. Having lit the lamp, he went home.

Clarified butter (ghrita) had been used by Vaikuntha for lighting the lamp. The smell of the clarified butter attracted a rat and the rat started to eat the ghrita. In the process, the lamp shook and the flame was brightened. It shone more clearly on Vishnu�s image and dispelled some of the darkness that was engulfing the image.

Eventually, the rat was bitten by a snake. Yama sent his messengers to bring the rat and they tied it up with nooses and ropes. But as they prepared to drag the rat to Yama�s abode, Vishnu�s messengers arrived.

�How dare you bind up this rat up?� asked Vishnu�s messengers. �Do you not know that you are not supposed to touch those who are devoted to Vishnu? This rat dispelled some of the darkness from Vishnu�s image. He is therefore one of Vishnu�s devotees. Leave him alone. He is going to go to Vishnuloka with us. All his sins have been pardoned.�

The rat was taken to Vishnuloka. He lived there happily for years and years. Subsequently, he was born as a princess.

Such are the wonderful effects of lighting up Vishnu�s image.

Shridhara

In treta yuga, there was a king named Shridhara. His wife was known as Hemaprabhavati. The king and queen were prosperous, but they were not happy. The reason for their unhappiness was that they did not have any sons.

King Shridhara once happened to meet the sage Vedavyasa.

�Why do I not have a son?� asked the king.

�I will tell you your story,� replied the sage.

In an earlier life, Shridhara used to be a brahmana named Chandra. And Queen Hemaprabhavati was Chandra�s wife, her name being Shankari. Chandra and Shankari were once travelling somewhere and they passed a small boy drowning in a pond. Since they were in a hurry, they did not stop to rescue the boy.

�It is because of this sin that you do not have a son,� said Vedavyasa.

�Can nothing be done about this?� asked the king.

�Donate pumpkins and clothing to brahmanas,� said Vedavyasa. �Give them gold and cows. Listen to recitals of the Puranas. I am certain that you will then have a son.�

Shridhara and Hemaprabhavati followed the sage�s advice. They had a handsome son. The act of donation never goes unrewarded.

Lilavati

A vrata (religious rite) observed on the birthday of Radha is sacred.

(The story of Radha and Krishna forms and integral part of Hindu folklore. Radha does not however figure in too many of the mahapuranas. Some mention of her can be found in the Padma Purana and there are more detailed accounts in the Brahmavaivarta Purana. Goloka or Vishnuloka is regarded as the heavenly abode of Vishnu (Krishna). The story is that, in Goloka, Radha emerged from the left side of Krishna�s body. She is a goddess associated with Krishna and is always seated to Krishna�s right in Goloka. When Krishna was born on earth, Radha was also born as the daughter of Vrishabhanu and his wife Kalavati. Radha was subsequently married to Ayana Ghosha.)

Many years ago, there was a woman named Lilavati. She was evil and never paid any attention to performing good deeds. This woman once happened to come upon a temple where various devotees were performing a vrata known as radhashtami. Flowers, clothing, incense and food were being offered to an image of Radha. Some devotees were singing, others were dancing, and still others were chanting incantations.

�What are you people doing?� asked Lilavati.

�Radha was born in the month of Bhadra, during shuklapaksha and on ashtami tithi,� replied the devotees. �Today is that day we are observing a vrata so that our sins may be pardoned.�

(Shuklapaksha is that lunar fortnight during which the moon waxes. A tithi is a lunar day and ashtami is the eighth lunar day.)

�I, too, will observe the vrata,� responded Lilavati.

Subsequently, Lilavati died of snake-bite and Yama�s messengers came and tried to drag her to Yama�s abode. But while they were doing this, Vishnu�s companions arrived and told Yama�s messengers that they could not take Lilavati to Yama�s abode. Lilavati had observed radhashtami vrata and all her sins had thus been forgiven. Lilavati went straight to Vishnuloka.

Such are the wonderful effects of observing radhashtami vrata.

Lakshmi Vrata

In dvapara vuga, there was a king named Bhadrashrava. He lived in the land of Sourashta. The king was learned in the Vedas. Bhadrashrava�s wife was named Suratichandrika. The king and the queen had seven sons. Later, a daughter named Shyamabala was born to them. Shyambala once went with her friends to play on the shores of the ocean.

While Shyamabala was away, Lakshmi arrived at the palace. (Lakshmi is the goddess of wealth and prosperity. She is also Vishnu�s consort.)

Lakshmi appeared in the disguise of an old brahmana woman and said to the sentry guarding the door. �I wish to meet Suratichandrika.�

�Why do you wish to meet the queen?� asked the sentry. �Who are you? What is your name? And where do you live?�

�My name is Kamala,� replied Lakshmi. �My husband is called Bhuvanesha. My husband lives in the city known as Dvaravati. I wish to remind the queen for her earlier history.�

(Since Lakshmi was in disguise, she was being indirect. Kamala is one of her names. As kamala is a lotus flower and Lakshmi is known as Kamala because she is seated on a lotus. Bhuvanesha means the lord of the world. And Dvaravati, or Dvaraka, is the city that Krishna built.)

The story that Lakshmi told me sentry is as follows.

In an earlier life, Suratichandrika was born as a vaishya woman. But she was not very happy. She quarrelled with her husband and left her husband�s house. Lakshmi met this unhappy woman and told her to perform a religious rite known as lakshmi vrata. This vrata brought a lot of punya. And thanks to the punya thus obtained, the vaishya woman spent many years in Vishnuloka after her death. For each time that the vaishya woman observed the vrata, she spent one thousand years in Vishnuloka. When the punya was exhausted, the woman was born as Suratichandrika.

�I have come to remind your queen of this,� continued Lakshmi. �She is wealthy now and have become proud and vain. She no longer observes the lakshmi vrata. That is unfortunate indeed.�

�What is this vrata?� asked the sentry. �When should it be performed?�

�The rite has to be observed in the month of Margashirsha," replied Lakshmi. �Rice-pudidng mixed with camphor has to be offered to Vishnu and Lakshmi. For four days one has to pray to Lakshmi continuously with offerings of wheat, curds, fruit and flowers.�

The sentry asked Lakshmi to wait and went to summon the queen. Suratichandrika did not recognise Lakshmi to be the goddess. When the brahmana woman offered the queen advice, Suratichandrika struck the woman and shooed her away.

While the brahmana woman was leaving, she met Shyamabala, who was then returning. Finding that the brahmana woman was weeping, Shyamabala asked her what the matter was. Upon hearing the whole story, the princess decided to observe the vrata herself.

Years later, Shyamabala was married to Maladhara, the son of King Siddheshvara. As soon as Shyamabala left for husband�s house, prosperity disappeared from the household of Bhadrashrava and Suratichandrika. (This was because Lakshmi deserted them. Lakshmi had not deserted them earlier, since Shyamabala had been living with her parents.) Things came to such a pass that the king and the queen were almost starving.

Bhadrashrava went to pay his daughter a visit and Shyamabala was aghast at what had happened. After having fed her father, she gave him a lot of wealth to take home. Bhadrashrava took this wealth home, but as soon as he entered his own house, the wealth turned into lumps of coal.

This time Suratichandrika went to visit her daughter. The time to this visit coincided with the designated time for observing lakshmi vrata and Shyamabala forcibly made her mother observe the rite. Lo and behold! When Suratichandrika returned home, she found that all the wealth and prosperity had been restored.

Such are the wonderful effects of observing lakshmi vrata.

Dinanatha and Vishvamitra

In dvapara yuga, there was a powerful kin named Dinanatha. Unfortunately, the king did not have any sons. He asked the sage Galava how he might have a son.

�Perform a yajna.� Instructed Galava. �And offer a human sacrifice. If the sacrificed human is perfect in every way, you will certainly have a son.�

The king sent his messengers to look for a human sacrifice who was handsome, young and fair. These messengers travelled far and wide. Eventually they came to a village known as Dashapura where the people were exceedingly handsome and where there lived a brahmana named Krishnadeva. His wife was called Sushila. Krishnadeva and Sushila had three sons.

The messengers asked the brahmana and his wife to part with one of their sons and offered four lakhs of gold coins in return. When the brahmana couple refused, the messengers started to abduct one of the sons by force. Seeing that they were helpless, Krishnadeva and Sushila prayed that their eldest and youngest sons might be spared. The remaining son was seized by the king�s messengers. They left the gold and departed.

Krishnadeva and Sushila sorrowed so much for their lost son that they became blind.

While the king�s messengers were returning to Dinanatha, they passed the sage Vishvamitra�s hermitage.

�Where are you going?� asked the sage. �And who is this brahmana lad?�

The messengers told Vishvamitra the story.

�Spare the lad,� said Vishvamitra. �He has a life to live and savour, he is still young. Take me instead. I will be the sacrifice.�

The king�s messengers refused. They thought that Vishvamitra was too old to be a good sacrifice. Vishvamitra therefore accompanied them to King Dinanatha. He persuaded the king to have the ceremony without the human sacrifice. Vishvamitra himself would guarantee that the king would have a son.

In due course, a son was born to the king. As for the brahmana�s son, Vishvamitra took him back to Krishnadeva and Sushila. So great was their happiness at geeting their son back that their eyesight was immediately restored.

Vishvamitra was indeed a great sage.

Chitrasena

Krishnapaksha is the lunar fortnight during which the moon wanes Ashtami tithi is the eighth lunar day. Krishna was born in the month of Bhadra, in krishnapaksha and on ashtami tithi. A vrata observed on this day is known as krishnashtami vrata and brings great punya.

There was a king named Chitrasena who performed many evil deeds. He was so evil that he avoided learned people and mingled only with outcasts.

Chitrasena once went to the forest on a hunt. Pursuing a tiger, he came to the banks of the sacred river Yamuna. The day happened to be Krishna�s birthday and many apsaras were observing krishnashtami vrata on the banks of the Yamuna. On witnessing this, the king felt like observing the religious rite himself.

Thanks to the punya thus obtained, King Chitrasena went straight to Vishnuloka after his death and all his sins were forgiven.

(Krishnashtami vrata is also known as janmashtami vrata.)

Bhima

Many years ago, in dvapara yuga, there was a shudra named Bhima. He committed so many sins that it is pointless to try and enumerate them.

This fellow once went to a brahmana�s house. He resolved that he would steel the brahmana�s property. But to scout out the place, he pretended to be a beggar. �I am very hungry, please give me some food to eat,� Bhima said.

�There is no one else in the house,� replied the brahmana. �I do not have parents, a wife, or children. There is no one here who can cook some food for you. Why don�t you help yourself to some rice and cook your own food?�

�I too, have no one,� said Bhima. �I will stay here and serve you.�

All this was really an act. Bhima was looking for an opportunity to enter the house so that he might steal the brahmana�s property. But once he began to live in the house, Bhima saw no reason to hurry. Life with the brahmana was very comfortable. There was no hurry in stealing the property. That could easily be stolen whenever Bhima wanted. But, living with the brahmana, Bhima began to serve the brahmana in little brahmana�s feet. All this led to a lot of punya.

One night, a thief entered the house. Bhima tried to prevent the thief from stealing, but while he was fighting with the thief, the thief sliced off Bhima�s head with a sword.

As soon as Bhima died, Vishnu�s messengers arrived to take Bhima to Vishnuloka. All his sins had been forgiven.

Such are the wonderful effects of serving brahmanas.

Hemaprabha

Ekadashi is the eleventh day of the lunar fortnight. If one fasts on ekadashi tithi and performs religious rites, that is known as ekadashi vrata. This is very sacred.

Many years ago, a man named Vallabha lived in the city of Kanchana. Vallabha�s wife was Hemaprabha. Vallabha was rich and prosperous. But he was not happy. The reason for his unhappiness was his wife. Hemaprabha did not obey her husband and quarrelled with him all the time. On one particular day, Vallabha could stand it no more. He gave his wife a sound thrashing.

This angered Hemaprabha so much that she retired to her bedroom and refused to touch food or water. She fasted throughout the day. As luck would have it, she died during the night.

The day had happened to be ekadashi and Hemaprabha had therefore fasted on ekadashi tithi. This brought her a lot of punya.

When Hemaprabha died, Yama�s messengers arrived and tried to take the woman to Yama�s abode. But Vishnu�s companions also arrived and they would not permit this to be done. Such was Hemaprabha�s punya that she was destined to life with Vishnu in Vishnuloka.