Pushkara, Son of Varuṇa

Pushkara is the son (kumāra) of Varuṇa. He is the main teacher of the second part of the Vishṇu Dharmottara Purāṇa, called the Dvitīya Khaṇḍa. He teaches the whole of rājadharma, the dharma of kings, to Paraśurāma. This covers government, law, medicine for people and animals, purification, marriage and daily conduct. The Purāṇa says Pushkara learned these subjects from Indra. Mārkaṇḍeya later told this teaching to King Vajra at Aśmanagara.

Who he is

Pushkara is the son of Varuṇa. Varuṇa is the deva of ṛta (cosmic order), of the waters, and of the binding force of oaths. Varuṇa guards dharma at the cosmic level. His son Pushkara carries that dharma into the practical rule of the world.

How the teaching began

The frame of the Dvitīya Khaṇḍa is set in Chapter 1. Paraśurāma went to Varuṇaloka, the world of Varuṇa. There he first heard Varuṇa’s own teaching on cosmic time (kāla-saṃkhyā-māna). Then he asked Varuṇa to teach him rājadharma.

Varuṇa said that he had taught these subjects to his son Pushkara, and that Pushkara had learned them from Indra. Varuṇa called Pushkara, introduced Paraśurāma to him, and asked him to teach Paraśurāma all he knew of rājadharma. He blessed them both with the words:

śubhaṃ bhavatu

This means “may good fortune be yours.”

Pushkara then taught Paraśurāma the whole of the Dvitīya Khaṇḍa. It has 183 chapters. They cover the science of government (rājadharma), medicine for humans and animals, botany, building, ritual, purification, personal conduct, the study of omens, war strategy, rites before a campaign, jyotisha (astronomy and astrology) and dhanur veda (the science of archery and arms).

Mārkaṇḍeya later told this teaching to King Vajra at Aśmanagara. In this way it became the Dvitīya Khaṇḍa of the Vishṇu Dharmottara Purāṇa.

What Pushkara taught

Pushkara’s teaching to Paraśurāma covers a very wide range.

Kingship. The king is the form of Vishṇu’s tejas (radiance) on earth. Where there is no righteous king, the kingdom falls into disorder. The bond between humans and devas breaks, yajñas stop, and the universe suffers. Pushkara always bases rājadharma on faith in Bhagavān Vishṇu: the king rules under his authority and on his behalf.

Statecraft. The saptāṅga (seven limbs of the state), the four upāyas (strategies) and the seven upāyas (saptopāya), the legal code (daṇḍa-praṇayana), court procedure, alliances, forts, and the mind of power.

Sciences. Āyurveda for people, horse medicine (aśva-cikitsā), elephant medicine (gaja-cikitsā), cattle medicine (go-cikitsā), plant medicine (vṛkshāyurveda), the science of gems (ratna-lakshaṇa), the science of auspicious marks on people, horses and elephants (lakshaṇa-śāstra), architecture and vāstu, and perfumery.

Dharma. The full sequence of saṃskāras (rites of life), brahmacarya, vivāha (marriage), āpad-dharma (duty in times of distress), āśauca (ritual impurity), antyeshṭi (funeral rites), the philosophy of the ātman, varṇa-dharma and sadācāra (good conduct).

Ritual. The five great daily yajñas (pañca-mahāyajña), vaiśvadeva, Vishṇu-pūjā, the bathing rites of the nakshatras, all the śānti rites (rites of peace) for cattle, horses and elephants, the use of Vedic mantras (Ṛgvidhāna, Tantravidhāna, Sāmavidhāna and Ātharvavidhi), and the full cycle of royal rites (Śakradhvaja, Bhadrakālī pūjā and Nīrājana).

Omens and war. The whole system of utpāta-śānti (rites of peace for portents), passed on through the Garga and Atri conversation within the text. The rājyamaṇḍala, the circle of twelve kings. The six tools of foreign policy (shāḍguṇya). The king’s daily routine (dinācarya) and the cycle of the year. The order of worship before a campaign. The eleven named battle formations. The ethics of war. The full dhanur veda, with archery, weapons, fighting stances and the related military sciences.

Jyotisha. The Paitāmaha Siddhānta, Brahmā’s own system of astronomy, passed on through the conversation of Bhṛgu and Brahmā. It covers the twelve rāśis (signs), calculations, measuring shadows, finding the tithi, and the science of nakshatra and lagna.

Throughout, Pushkara teaches from the Vaishṇava view. Every act, from the crowning of a king to the cleaning of a vessel, is turned toward Bhagavān Vishṇu and finished in his worship.

How he teaches

Pushkara answers questions. Paraśurāma asks, and Pushkara replies in detail. The Purāṇa keeps Paraśurāma’s questions. Some are practical, such as “What is the most important first duty of a kingdom?” Others are deep, on free will and fate, and on the nature of the ātmā. Pushkara’s answers are both practical and grounded in philosophy.

He also teaches through upākhyānas (told stories):

• The story of Sāvitrī and Satyavān shows pativratā-dharma, the dharma of a devoted wife.
• The story of Cyavana and Mada shows the four vices of kings.
• The story of Nandaka and the dānava Loha gives the account behind Gaja-śānti, the rite of peace for elephants.

Sources

• Vishṇu Dharmottara Purāṇa, Uttarārdha (Dvitīya Khaṇḍa), Chapters 1–183