Kings of Kṛta Yuga
The Varāha Mahā Purāṇa tells of fifteen warriors born from a divine gem (cintāmaṇi) that Bhagavān Viṣṇu gave to the ṛṣi Gauramukha. They were to become kings in the Kṛtayuga. Chapter 17 returns to their births on earth, and Chapter 36 tells of their births again in the Tretāyuga.
The fifteen gem-warriors as kings
The Varāha Purāṇa gives the royal names of the warriors as follows.
| Gem-warrior | Royal name | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Suprabhā | Prajāpāla | In Chapter 17, King Śrutakīrti (Mahābāhu) was a great king of the Kṛtayuga. Suprabhā was born as his son and named Prajāpāla (Protector of People). He later met the ṛṣi Mahātapa. |
| Dīptateja | Śaṃtu | |
| Suraśmi | Śaśakarṇa | |
| Śubhadarśana | Pāñcāla | |
| Sukānti | Suśānti | In the Aṅga dynasty |
| Sundara | Mucukunda | |
| Sudyumna | Tura | |
| Sumaṇu | Somadatta | |
| Śubha | Saṃvaraṇa | |
| Suśīla | Vasudāna | |
| Sukhada | Asupati | |
| Śambhu | Senāpati | The commander |
| Kānta | Daśaratha | |
| Soma | Janaka Mahārāja | The great king Janaka of the Tretāyuga |
King Prajāpāla (Suprabhā)
Suprabhā was born again as Prajāpāla, son of the Kṛtayuga king Śrutakīrti (Mahābāhu).
Meeting the ṛṣi Mahātapa
Prajāpāla went hunting in a forest. He came to the āśrama (hermitage) of the great ṛṣi Mahātapa. The ṛṣi sat on kuśa grass and practised the highest tapas (austerity) without food. He was lost in meditation on the eternal Brahman.
The forest āśrama was beyond words in its beauty.
- The footprints of divine women could be seen on the grounds, for beings of the higher worlds came there.
- The flowering trees never withered.
- Birds and bees lived in untroubled joy.
- Bowers of fragrant creepers shone like moonlight.
- The sound of Vedic recitation by students filled the air.
Prajāpāla entered the āśrama and found Mahātapa shining with the light of great tapas. The ṛṣi received the king with proper welcome.
The king’s question
Prajāpāla sat down and asked the ṛṣi a basic question. He asked what a person who is sunk in this sorrowful saṃsāra (the cycle of birth and death), and who wishes to cross it, should do.
Mahātapa’s answer: the raft of liberation
The ṛṣi answered:
“People drowning in the ocean of saṃsāra must build a strong raft. Pūjā, homa, dāna, yajña and dhyāna are the bolts and pegs of that raft. The bound beings who are the boatmen will pull such people up with ropes of prāṇa and the like. O King! Make the ruler of the three worlds himself your raft now.”
“One who bows to Nārāyaṇa, the destroyer of naraka, leaves behind the sorrow of saṃsāra and reaches the undying state (avyaya-pada) of Śrī Mahāviṣṇu.”
The devas within the body
After this beginning, Mahātapa gives Prajāpāla a long teaching on the devas who dwell within the human body. These include Agni, Aśvinī, Gaurī and Gaṇapati. Each of the great devas first arose from cosmic principles, and each now lives in a part of the body. This teaching runs from Chapter 17 to Chapter 28. It tells of the origin of each deva and of the matching sacred tīrtha.
Rebirths in the Tretāyuga (Chapter 36)
In the Tretāyuga the fifteen gem-warriors, who had been kings in the Kṛtayuga, took new royal births.
| Gem-warrior or Kṛtayuga king | Tretāyuga name |
|---|---|
| Suprabhā (Prajāpāla) | Mahāmanu |
| Dīptateja | Śaṃtu |
| Suraśmi | Śaśakarṇa |
| Śubhadarśana | A king of Pāñcāla |
| Sukānti or Suśānti | A king of the Aṅga dynasty |
| Sundara | Mucukunda |
| Sudyumna | Tura |
| Sumaṇu | Somadatta |
| Śubha | Saṃvaraṇa |
| Suśīla | Vasudāna |
| Sukhada | Asupati |
| Śambhu | Senāpati |
| Kānta | Daśaratha, father of Rāma |
| Soma | Janaka Mahārāja, father of Sītā |
“In the Tretāyuga these were born with great strength. These kings, after enjoying the pleasures of this earth and performing many yajñas, will all reach svarga.”
In this way the gem-warriors of King Durjaya’s time are joined to the great kings of the Rāmāyaṇa, above all Daśaratha and Janaka.
The end of Prajāpāla
Mahātapa ended his long teaching, which ran from Chapter 17 to Chapter 35, with these words:
“O King, I have now told you the whole Purāṇa discourse that is the nectar of brahmavidyā (knowledge of Brahman).”
Prajāpāla was glad of the teaching. He went to the forest of Bṛndāvana in Chapter 36 and worshipped Govinda, who is Bhagavān Viṣṇu. Then he left his body and merged with Govinda, and so reached the eternal.
Sources
- Varāha Mahā Purāṇa, Chapters 10–11
- Varāha Mahā Purāṇa, Chapter 17
- Varāha Mahā Purāṇa, Chapters 17–28
- Varāha Mahā Purāṇa, Chapters 17–35
- Varāha Mahā Purāṇa, Chapter 36