Nābhāga

Nābhāga was the son of King Diṣṭa and a prince of the solar lineage. He is known for the events surrounding his love for a Vaiśya maiden, his defiance of the counsel of Ṛṣis and his father, and the consequent loss of his Kṣatriya status. His story, narrated by Mārkaṇḍeya, also encompasses the life of his son Bhalandana, who reconquered the ancestral kingdom, and the revelation by his wife Suprabhā that neither she nor Nābhāga were truly Vaiśyas by origin. The account illustrates the workings of dharma concerning varṇa, the consequences of defying the guidance of elders and gurus, and the mysterious hand of karma and curses across generations.

Nābhāga’s Desire for the Vaiśya Maiden

Nābhāga, the son of Diṣṭa, in his early youth one day saw an extremely beautiful Vaiśya maiden. The moment the prince saw her, his mind became overcome by Madana, and he began releasing long sighs. He went to her father and prayed to be given the maiden in marriage.

The father of the maiden, seeing the prince whose mind was subject to kāma, feared the Mahārāja Diṣṭa. He joined his hands and, with humility, spoke to the prince. He said that they were princes, while his family belonged to the class that pays taxes, and asked how the prince could desire a relationship with such unequal people.

The Prince’s Argument

Nābhāga replied that Vidhātā had created the human body with kāma, krodha, and other qualities in an equal manner. He argued that these qualities do not always remain in a man but arise at certain times. He said that kāma, krodha, and other dispositions become worthy or unworthy according to time, and that even the body which one satisfies with desired substances such as food is not stable, for time, which destroys the rules of worthiness, consumes and withers it. He told the Vaiśya that he had a desire for his daughter and asked him to give her, saying that otherwise the Vaiśya would see the destruction of his body.

The Vaiśya replied that he was dependent, and that the prince too was under the control of the King. He told the prince to obtain the permission of his father and then accept her, promising that he would give his daughter.

The Debate Over the Guru’s Permission

Nābhāga then argued that while it is appropriate for men under the command of gurus to ask the guru in all matters, it is better not to let such a matter as kāma reach the words of the guru. He said that stories of kāma and the hearing of gurus are greatly distant from one another, and therefore it would be contradictory. He concluded that except for such matters, one should take the permission of the guru in all other works.

The Vaiśya responded cleverly, acknowledging that what the prince said was true, but pointed out that if the prince obtained the guru’s permission it would be a story of kāma on the prince’s part, whereas if the Vaiśya himself asked regarding the matter, he would not have the intention of a story of kāma. When the Vaiśya spoke these words, the prince remained silent.

The King Consults the Ṛṣis

The Vaiśya then told the complete opinion of the prince to King Diṣṭa. The King summoned the excellent Dvijās such as Ṛcīka and others, and also summoned his son, and submitted all the aforementioned matters before them. He asked the excellent Dvijās to command him as to what his duty was in this matter.

The Ṛṣis declared that if the prince had affection for the Vaiśya maiden, there was nothing contrary to dharma in it. However, they said it was dharma that it should happen according to the proper order. They instructed that the prince should first marry the daughter of a Mūrdhābhiṣikta King, and subsequently he could marry the Vaiśya maiden. They warned that if he obtained the maiden in this proper order, there would be no defect, but otherwise, because of taking away the girl, he would attain a low jātī from an excellent jātī.

Nābhāga Seizes the Maiden

When all those mahātmās declared their opinions in this manner, Nābhāga did not accept their words. He went away from there, held a sword, seized the maiden, and declared that he had taken the Vaiśya maiden according to the Rākṣasa vivāha procedure. He challenged anyone who had the capability to release the maiden.

The Vaiśya, seeing his daughter seized by the prince, went to the prince’s father and took refuge, pleading to be saved.

The Battle Between Father and Son

King Diṣṭa became extremely angry and ordered the army to kill his wicked son Nābhāga, calling him a defiler of dharma. By the King’s order, the army began battle with the prince. But Nābhāga, with his astras, struck down many soldiers in that army. Hearing that the army was being destroyed, the King himself, surrounded by more of his forces, went to the battle. A fierce battle occurred between father and son, and in that clash of weapons and astras, the father had the upper hand over the prince.

The Intervention of Nārada

Right at that time, Nārada appeared suddenly from the sky and spoke to the King, asking him to desist from the battle. He explained the dharma of varṇa and marriage. He said that if a Brāhmaṇa first marries a Brāhmaṇa woman and subsequently accepts women of other varṇas, there is no loss to his brāhmaṇatva. Similarly, if a Kṣatriya first marries a Kṣatriya maiden and subsequently accepts Vaiśya or Śūdra maidens, he does not fall from his dharma. A Vaiśya likewise, if he first marries a Vaiśya maiden and then marries a Śūdra maiden, does not fall from the Vaiśya kula. Behaving according to this order is dharma.

Nārada further explained that if Brāhmaṇas, Kṣatriyas, or Vaiśyas do not first marry maidens of their own varṇa and instead marry women of a lower varṇa jātī, they become fallen and attain the jātī of that woman. Such a man cannot be an authority. He declared that the slow-witted Nābhāga had attained vaiśyatva. Since the King was a Kṣatriya, his son no longer had the authority to fight with him. He told the prince to desist from the act of battle.

Nābhāga Attains Vaiśyatva

Subsequently, the King desisted from the battle with his son. Nābhāga married the Vaiśya maiden and attained vaiśyatva. Having attained this new status, he went to the King and asked what he should do, requesting his father’s command.

The King told him that all those tapasvīs such as Bābhravya and others, who had been appointed for matters of dharma, would declare what his dharma was, and that he should perform that. The munis present in the sabhā declared that the protection of cattle, agriculture, and commerce were his supreme dharma. Afterwards, Nābhāga, having fallen from his own dharma, began to perform the dharma directed by the speakers of dharma according to the King’s command.

The Birth and Mission of Bhalandana

After some time, a son named Bhalandana was born to Nābhāga. His mother told the boy to keep protecting the cattle and appointed him to the protection of cattle. According to his mother’s command, Bhalandana saluted her and went to the rājarṣi named Nīpa, who was a dweller of the Himālaya mountains.

Bhalandana went near the rājarṣi, saluted his feet according to the vidhi, and spoke to him. He said that his mother had commanded him to become a protector of cattle, but protecting the earth was his necessary duty. He asked how he could accept the protection of cattle. He acknowledged that even if he accepted the protection of the earth, the entire kingdom had been occupied by powerful kinsmen. He asked the rājarṣi, by his grace, to command him as to how he might be able to protect the earth.

The rājarṣi Nīpa then bestowed the entire group of astras upon Bhalandana. Having obtained the jñāna of astras, Bhalandana took the command of the rājarṣi and went to his father’s cousins, Vasurāta and others. He prayed for a portion of the kingdom appropriate to his grandfather. The grandfathers refused, saying that he was a Vaiśya’s son and protecting the kingdom was not appropriate for him.

Bhalandana Conquers the Kingdom

Bhalandana, having obtained the astras, became enraged and began battle with Vasurāta and others, raining astras upon them. In that battle, the dharmātmā Bhalandana, only through dharma-yuddha, wounded all the armies with weapons, defeated them, and occupied the earth.

Bhalandana thus conquered the enemies and offered the entire kingdom of the earth at the feet of his father. However, Nābhāga did not accept it.

Nābhāga’s Refusal of the Kingdom

Nābhāga spoke to his son in front of his wife. He told Bhalandana to enjoy the kingdom ruled by their ancestors by himself. He said it was not that he was incapable of protecting the kingdom, but that in the past, although he was under his father’s command, because his father did not agree and he had accepted a Vaiśya maiden, he had attained vaiśyatva. Therefore, he had become ineligible for the enjoyments of the kingdom.

He explained that if he now protected the earth by transgressing his father’s command, because of the cause of the vidyā-pratijñā, the King also could not attain puṇyalokas until the time of the pralaya. And for Nābhāga himself, there would be no mokṣa even in a hundred kalpas. He said that for a person who transgresses his father’s commands, it was not appropriate to enjoy the kingdom conquered by another’s strength of arms. He told Bhalandana to rule the kingdom himself or give it back to the kinsmen, saying that following his father’s command was superior and ruling the kingdom was not appropriate for him.

The Revelation of Suprabhā

Hearing the words of her husband, his wife named Suprabhā laughed and spoke. She told him to accept the kingdom, which was a giver of prosperity. She declared that he was not a Vaiśya and that she also was not born in a Vaiśya kula. She said he was a Kṣatriya, and she too was born in a Kṣatriya kula.

She then narrated the story of her father. Formerly, there was a famous king named Sudeva. Nala, the son of King Dhūmrāśva, was his friend. One day in the month of Vaiśākha, Sudeva, accompanied by his friend and wives, went to a forest named Āmravana for recreation. There they consumed various drinks and foods. Afterwards, on the bank of a Puṣkariṇī, the King saw the beautiful wife of Sage Pramati, the son of Cyavana. She was a rājakanyā.

The King’s friend, the evil-minded Nala, attempted to seize her by force. She cried out to the King, saying save me. Her husband Sage Pramati heard the sound of crying from a distance and went there quickly. He saw that while King Sudeva was sitting, his evil-minded friend was using force. Pramati told Sudeva that as the King, he was the one who should punish, and it was appropriate for him to punish the wicked Nala.

The Curse of Pramati Upon Sudeva

King Sudeva, because of his regard for Nala, said that he was a Vaiśya and told Pramati to go to another Kṣatriya for the sake of protection. Pramati, hearing these words, became extremely enraged and spoke to the King. He declared that the name Kṣatriya exists for the protection of the afflicted, and that Kṣatriyas wear weapons so that there may be no sound of affliction. He cursed Sudeva, saying that from that time he would not be a Kṣatriya and that he would become a Vaiśya, the lowest of the kula.

The Destruction of Nala and Sudeva’s Plea

The Bhārgava Pramati, after cursing Sudeva, turned to Nala with great anger. He declared that because Nala, intoxicated with pride, had used force to seize his wife in his āśrama, Nala would turn to ashes right then without delay. As soon as the Maharṣi ratified the curse, immediately after his words were completed, the body of Nala became a heap of ashes due to the fire born of his own body.

Sudeva, seeing the influence of Pramati, abandoned his attachment and saluted with humility. He asked for forgiveness, saying that whatever way he had behaved toward Pramati while intoxicated with surāpāna, he begged that all of it be forgiven and that the curse be withdrawn.

When the King prayed in this manner and Nala was burnt, the anger of Bhārgava Pramati was pacified. He spoke with a detached mind, saying that his words could never be in vain. Nevertheless, being pleased, he showed grace. He declared that for a few days Sudeva would certainly belong to the Vaiśya jātī, but whenever any Kṣatriya youth took his daughter by force, Sudeva would again become a Kṣatriya.

Suprabhā revealed that in this manner, her father Sudeva had become a Vaiśya.

The Origin of Suprabhā

Suprabhā then told Nābhāga about herself. Formerly, a rājarṣi named Surata was in the Gandhamādana mountain, in a forest, having built an āśrama, and was performing tapas with restricted food and abandoned attachments. One day, seeing a śārikā falling to the earth from the mouth of a hawk, out of compassion that mahātmā fainted. After he regained consciousness, a girl was born from his body. He saw her and accepted her with a heart wet with affection. He declared that because the maiden had taken birth from his kṛpā, she would be named Kṛpāvatī.

Afterwards, the girl resided in his āśrama and grew day by day. She was always wandering in the forest with her companions of equal age.

The Curse Upon Kṛpāvatī

One day, a brother of Agastya, who was of equal influence as Agastya, was gathering flowers and other things in that forest. At that time, the companions of Kṛpāvatī caused anger to him. He became enraged and gave her a curse, declaring that because she had made fun of him saying he was a Vaiśya, by his curse she would become a Vaiśya maiden.

When Kṛpāvatī heard this terrible curse, she protested, saying that she had not done any harm to him and asking why he was cursing her for the offense of others. The Ṛṣi replied with an analogy, saying that just as a vessel filled with pañcagavya becomes defiled merely by the fall of a single drop of surā, similarly, even faultless men become wicked due to wicked association.

However, the Ṛṣi said that she had pleased him by proving that he was not wicked, and therefore he would show grace toward her. He declared that when she was born in a Vaiśya womb and when she appointed her son for the sake of obtaining the kingdom, she would attain jātismaraṇa. Along with her husband, she would again become a Kṣatriya woman and be an authority for divine enjoyments. He told her to go to her āśrama and abandon fear.

The Restoration of Nābhāga’s True Identity

Suprabhā concluded her narration by telling Nābhāga that she had received the curse from that Maharṣi in the past, and Pramati had also given such a curse to her father in the past. Therefore, neither Nābhāga nor her father were truly Vaiśyas. Although she was faultless, it was because of her cursed association that Nābhāga had been defiled. She declared that from that point on, he would never be subject to that taint. Having appointed her son Bhalandana for the sake of obtaining the kingdom, the condition of the curse was fulfilled, and her jātismaraṇa had been restored, revealing the truth of their Kṣatriya origins to all.

Source: Mārkaṇḍeya Purāṇa, Chapters 110 to 112