Helī of Pampāpura

Helī of Pampāpura · helī, pampā-pura, “Helī of the city of Pampā”

Helī was a brāhmaṇa of Pampāpura who knew the sixty-four kalās and was intent on the upāsanā of Bhagavān Sūrya. Bṛhaspati, the guru of the devas, tells his account to Indra in the Pratisarga Parva of the Bhavishya Purāṇa, as the māhātmya of the Sūrya of Māgha. Helī gave up living on gifts and lived by the craft of his hands. With what he earned he performed yajñas to Bhagavān Sūrya in the month of Māgha, and he built a pillar of light at Pampā Sarovara, where Bhagavān Sūrya took his naivedya every midday. By that grace he lived a thousand years, became of the form of Sūrya, and shines in Māgha.

Source: Bhavishya Purāṇa, Pratisarga Parva, Khaṇḍa 4, Chapter 9

The iron mūrti

Bṛhaspati said: “Devarāja, long ago in the lovely Pampāpura there lived a brāhmaṇa named Helī.” He knew the sixty-four kalās and was intent on the upāsanā of Bhagavān Sūrya. He gave up pratigraha-vṛtti, living on gifts received, and took up the livelihood of making things by the craft of his hands.

He made a beautiful mūrti of iron, decorated it with many paintings, and sold it for five thousand mudrās. With the wealth from the sale he performed ārādhanā of Bhagavān Sūrya by yajñas in the month of Māgha.

The pillar of light

Helī built an excellent pillar of the form of light at the lovely Pampā Sarovara. Pleased with his bhakti, Bhagavān Sūrya took the naivedya offered by Helī there every midday.

By Bhagavān Sūrya’s grace he enjoyed a life of a thousand years. Giving up his prāṇas, Helī became of the form of Sūrya, stood within the Sūrya-maṇḍala, and began to shine in the month of Māgha.

The word to the devas

Bṛhaspati said: “Devendra, you too do upāsanā of Bhagavān Sūrya, who is Viśvakarmā and stands in the Āditya-maṇḍala. He will accomplish all your work.” Hearing the guru of the devas, Indra with the devas performed ārādhanā of Bhagavān Sūrya.

Pleased, Bhagavān Sūrya said to the devas: “O devas, I shall be born in Bilvagrāma in Vaṅga-deśa as the Niruktakāra, the maker of the Nirukta, and shall be renowned as Jayadeva, the crest-jewel of poets.” Then Bhagavān Sūrya came to Vaṅga-deśa and was born as a son in the house of the brāhmaṇa Kanduki.

Sources

• Bhavishya Purāṇa, Pratisarga Parva, Khaṇḍa 4, Chapter 9