Khanīnetra

Khanīnetra was the son of King Viviṃśa and a descendant of the solar lineage. He was renowned as a king of great strength and parākrama, and was celebrated as the greatest performer of yajñas on the earth-maṇḍala. He performed sixty-six thousand seven hundred sixty-seven yajñas with abundant dakṣiṇas, and upon the completion of ten thousand yajñas, he gave the entire earth along with the ocean in dāna to mahātmā Brāhmaṇas. The Gandharvas themselves, astonished by his yajña acts, sang that there would be no one on the earth-maṇḍala equal to Khanīnetra in performing yajñas. Despite his immense greatness, Khanīnetra was childless, and his quest for a son through a pitṛ-yajña led him into a profound encounter with two deer in the forest, which ultimately caused him to renounce the killing of living beings and resolve to obtain a son through fierce tapas alone. His account is narrated by Mārkaṇḍeya.

The Yajñas and Generosity of Khanīnetra

Khanīnetra, the son of Viviṃśa, was of great strength and parākrama. Seeing the yajña acts he performed, the Gandharvas, being astonished, sang that there would be no one on the earth-maṇḍala equal to Khanīnetra in performing yajñas, because when ten thousand yajñas were completed, he gave the earth along with the ocean in dāna.

Mahārāja Khanīnetra gave the entire earth to mahātmā Brāhmaṇas, and through tapas, having obtained wealth, he delighted them with what was acquired. Those Brāhmaṇas obtained abundant wealth from Khanīnetra, who was the greatest among givers, and did not accept dānas from any other king. He performed sixty-six thousand seven hundred sixty-seven yajñas, and in every yajña he gave abundant dakṣiṇas.

The Journey into the Forest

Mahīpāla Khanīnetra was childless. With a desire to obtain meat for a pitṛ-yajña for the sake of obtaining a son, he mounted a horse without an army and went alone into the mahāvana, wearing leather guards and finger-guards and holding a bow, arrows, and a sword. After going some distance, he rode the horse from that dense forest to another forest.

The First Deer

Then a deer came out and said to him that having killed it, the King should fulfill his desire. Khanīnetra was surprised and asked why, when all other deer were seeing him and running away with great fear, this deer desired to make a gift of itself to death. The deer replied that it was childless and therefore had considered its birth to be in vain.

The Second Deer

Right at that time, another deer came and spoke to the King in the presence of the first deer. It asked what the King would do by taking the first deer, and said that through its own meat the King’s purpose would be accomplished, and that the King would also have done a favor to it. It explained that the King was performing the pitṛ-yajña desiring a son, but asked how the King’s desire could be accomplished through the meat of a sonless one. It reasoned that just as the karma is, the substance required for it should also be of that kind, and gave the analogy that the determination of the knowledge of the fragrance of aromatic substances is not made through bad odors.

Khanīnetra Questions the Second Deer

Khanīnetra observed that the first deer had stated its sonlessness as the reason for vairāgya. He then asked the second deer to tell the reason for its own vairāgya in giving up life.

The second deer replied that it had many sons and many daughters, and because of their suffering, it was dwelling in the midst of the flames of the forest fire of grief. It explained that the deer-jāti, being timid, is generally subject to all beings. It had developed attachment for its offspring, and for that reason it always experienced grief. It said it was afraid of humans, lions, tigers, wolves, and even of the dog and the fox, which are inferior to all beings. Due to affection for its kinsmen, it desired the entire earth to be empty because of the fear of humans, lions, and others performing cruel acts. When cattle such as the cow, sheep, goat, and horse consumed grass, all the grass was taken away, and for the nourishment of its own offspring, it had to desire the death of the grass-consuming cattle.

The second deer continued that when its offspring went out separately, hundreds of anxieties occurred for its mind which was covered by attachment. It would think whether its son, while wandering in the forest, had encountered a hidden snare, or a vajra, or a net, or had fallen into the power of a lion. When one had returned, grief occurred regarding the condition of the second one. The offspring went to eat grass in the mahāraṇya, and their condition there was not known until they returned. As soon as the children came near, it experienced supreme bliss, but even at that time it kept grieving for their welfare throughout the night. Again after it dawned, throughout the day, and after sunset, throughout the night, it kept grieving for their welfare. It grieved about them every moment so that they may be safe in all conditions.

The Second Deer’s Plea

The second deer told the King that it had explained the reason for its agitation and asked the King to follow it and release an arrow upon it. It then explained why, being overcome by hundreds of griefs, it was not giving up its life itself. It said that those who are self-killers go to the worlds named Asūrya, but all the animals appointed for yajña attain a superior state. It narrated that in ancient times, Agni, Varuṇa, and the Sun accepted animalhood and were appointed in yajña acts, and for that reason they attained a superior state. Therefore, it asked the King to show mercy and lead it to a superior state, saying that the King would attain his own desired wish through the acquisition of a son.

The Debate Between the Two Deer

The first deer then spoke again, telling the King that it was not dharma to kill the second deer, for it had many offspring. The first deer said the second deer was a possessor of puṇya and was a fortunate one, and since the first deer had no offspring, the King should kill it instead.

The second deer responded that he for whom there is anxiety and grief for only a single body, he alone is fortunate. For him who has many bodies, griefs are of many kinds. It explained that first, when it was alone, the grief born of its body was only for its single body. When a wife was obtained, due to the influence of love the grief was divided into two parts. And whenever many offspring were born, its body was also divided into that many parts, and therefore griefs born of many bodies were produced. It told the first deer that since the first deer had not experienced so many griefs, it was the fortunate one. It declared that offspring is the cause for grief in this world, and in the other world it becomes the cause for naraka. It said that whatever it did for the sake of the protection and nourishment of offspring, all that was undoubtedly the cause for narakas.

Khanīnetra’s Resolution

Khanīnetra, having heard both deer, replied that he did not know who among the possessors of sons and those devoid of sons was fortunate. He said his mind was wavering because the undertaking was for the sake of a son. He acknowledged that it was true that because of offspring one has to experience grief in this world and the next. Nevertheless, he said he had heard that those who do not have offspring cannot be free from the three debts.

He then addressed the deer and declared that without the killing of living beings, he would strive for the sake of a son through fierce tapas alone, as the rulers of the earth did in the past. Thus, moved by the words of the two deer, Khanīnetra abandoned his intention to hunt and resolved to seek a son through tapas rather than through the taking of life.

Source: Mārkaṇḍeya Purāṇa, Chapter 117