Dharmadatta and Kalahā
The Ānanda Rāmāyaṇa tells of the past life of Daśaratha. In that life he was the brāhmaṇa Dharmadatta, a man of great puṇya (merit) and learning. He freed a suffering preta named Kalahā out of compassion. For this, in his very next birth he became Daśaratha, the father of Bhagavān Rāma. This account is in Sargas 4 and 5 of the Sāra Khaṇḍa. With it comes a long explanation of the Kārtika vrata.
Muni Mudgala’s words
The account begins with the muni Mudgala. He came to Daśaratha before the birth of Rāma. He told Daśaratha that the son born to him would be none other than Bhagavān Vishṇu himself, coming to destroy Rāvaṇa and set dharma right in the world.
Mudgala then told Daśaratha why he had such great good fortune. The chief reason was an act of freeing that he had done in his past life as Dharmadatta.
Dharmadatta the brāhmaṇa
In his past life Daśaratha was born as Dharmadatta, a learned and good brāhmaṇa. He knew the scriptures well, he was devoted to dharma, and he was generous by nature. He performed yajñas, studied the Vedas and lived a life of right conduct.
The preta Kalahā
One day Dharmadatta met a preta named Kalahā. A preta is a being who has died but is held back, between death and the next birth. A preta may be held in this state by acts of pāpa (sin) done in life, by the lack of proper funeral rites, or by debts of karma not yet settled.
Kalahā came before Dharmadatta in great suffering. She was tormented by hunger and thirst and by the pain of that between-state.
In life Kalahā had been a quarrelsome and bad-tempered person. The name Kalahā itself means “the quarrelsome one”. She had died without the proper saṃskāras (rites). She was doomed to wander as a preta and could not go on to her next birth.
Freed through compassion
Dharmadatta was moved by deep compassion. He performed the right śrāddha rites. He gave tila-jala (sesame and water). He recited the proper mantras. He gave the puṇya of his good acts to Kalahā, so that she would be freed. By his sincere effort and the power of the puṇya he had gathered, Kalahā was freed from her life as a preta and went on to her next birth.
The Kārtika vrata
With this account comes a long telling of the Kārtika vrata. Two women appear in it: Puṇyaśīla (the virtuous one) and Suśīla (the well-tempered one). They explain to others how the vrata is kept and how great it is.
The Kārtika vrata is kept in the month of Kārtika (October to November). It includes bathing every day before dawn, lighting lamps, pūjā of Bhagavān Vishṇu, keeping certain rules about food, and giving in charity. The text says:
- Those who keep the Kārtika vrata with the right intent are freed from great pāpa.
- Even a part of the vrata gives great puṇya.
- The vrata is especially strong for women. It helps them in their devotion to their husbands, in the good of the family and in their moksha.
- Giving in charity during Kārtika carries great puṇya, especially anna-dāna (the gift of food) and dīpa-dāna (the gift of lamps).
Birth as Daśaratha
Dharmadatta gained great puṇya by freeing Kalahā, by keeping the Kārtika vrata, and by his whole life of dharma. Through this he was born again as Daśaratha, the noble king of Ayodhyā and the chosen father of Bhagavān Rāma.
Sources
- Ānanda Rāmāyaṇa, Sāra Khaṇḍa, Sargas 4–5