Nārada and Sutanu at Kalāpagrāma

Nārada once travelled to Kalāpagrāma, a holy village hidden beyond the Himālaya. He had twelve questions for the brāhmaṇas who lived there. The senior brāhmaṇas said these were children’s questions, and they turned to the youngest among them, a boy named Sutanu. Sutanu answered all twelve. His answers explain the fifty-two letters of the mātṛkā (the alphabet as a sacred mother), the twenty-five tattvas (principles) of the Sāṃkhya way, the eight grades of brāhmaṇas, the sacred dates when the yugas and manvantaras began, and the two paths that souls take after death, archirmārga and dhūmamārga.

This account is told in the Kaumārika Khaṇḍa of the Skanda Mahā Purāṇa.

Nārada’s journey to Kalāpagrāma

After his visit to Mahīsāgara, Nārada went to Kalāpagrāma. This holy village lies beyond the Himālaya, one hundred yojanas beyond Kedāra, in a blessed land that is like a svarga (heaven) on earth. It can be reached in only two ways. One way is through the air, for those who have powers from tapas (austerity). The other is through an underground passage (bila-mārga), but even that needs the grace of Skanda first. A person who comes without proper preparation, or who has not gathered enough puṇya (merit), cannot enter the village at all. The people of the village live for four thousand years and eat only fruit. (Chapters 5 and 6)

Nārada could move freely through the sky. He arrived and presented himself to the brāhmaṇas gathered there. He said that he had twelve questions to ask. If they could answer them, he would settle among them for good and, with the help of Kapila Muni, give them land. The brāhmaṇas were each eager to answer and asked Nārada to speak. When he asked his twelve questions, the senior brāhmaṇas turned together to the youngest among them, the boy Sutanu. They said these were “children’s questions” and the smallest among them could answer. (Chapter 5)

Sutanu, the boy ṛshi

Sutanu was the son of a brāhmaṇa named Kodhuma from the city of Mithilā. Kodhuma had studied all the śāstras for thirty-one thousand years and then settled into the life of a householder (gṛhastha). Sutanu was born to him. The boy seemed withdrawn, almost dull (jaḍa-vat). He would only repeat the letters of the mātṛkā and refused all other study. His father was upset. But when Kodhuma challenged him, Sutanu showed deep understanding of the highest truths, and his father was amazed. Sutanu then answered all twelve of Nārada’s questions and showed that the wisdom of the mātṛkā holds everything. (Chapter 5)

The twelve questions and answers

1. What are the mātṛkās?

The mātṛkās are the fifty-two letters of the Sanskrit alphabet. First comes the sacred syllable Oṃkāra (praṇava). Then come fourteen vowels (svaras), thirty-three consonants (hallu), and then anusvāra, visarga, jihvāmūlīya and upadhmānīya.

Their deeper meaning is as follows.

  • The three parts of Oṃkāra, A, U and M, stand for Brahmā, Vishṇu and Rudra. These are the three guṇas (qualities of nature) in divine form. The half-measure above them (ardhamātrā) is Sadāśiva.
  • The fourteen vowels, from A to Aḥ, stand for the fourteen Manus.
  • The thirty-three consonants stand for the thirty-three devas. The twelve Ādityas are in Ka and the consonants that follow it, twelve in all. The eleven Rudras are in the letters from Ḍa to Ba. The eight Vasus are in the letters from Bha to Sha. The two Aśvins are in Ha.
  • The four special letters (anusvāra, visarga, jihvāmūlīya, upadhmānīya) stand for the four kinds of living beings: those born from the womb (jarāyuja), from an egg (aṇḍaja), from sweat (svedaja) and from sprouting (udbhija).

Those who worship the devas that live in the letters become free from all four kinds of birth. (Chapter 5)

2. What is the “house of twenty-five with fives”?

The “house” is the human body. It is made of the twenty-five Sāṃkhya tattvas arranged in groups of five:

  • the five mahābhūtas (great elements)
  • the five karmendriyas (organs of action)
  • the five jñānendriyas (organs of knowledge)
  • the five tanmātras (subtle elements)
  • Sadāśiva himself, as the twenty-fifth

The body is the dwelling place of Bhagavān Śiva. The Vedāntins name the many-formed intelligence (bahu-rūpiṇī buddhi) as the feminine principle in this house. One who knows this truth does not fall into naraka (hell). (Chapter 5)

3. What is the “fifth thing born of desire” (kāmānvita pañchama)?

This is lobha (greed), called the great crocodile. From lobha alone come pāpa (sin), krodha (anger) and kāma (desire). From lobha come also moha (delusion), māyā, māna (pride), stambha (stiffness of pride), the wish to own what belongs to others, avidyā (ignorance) and ajñāna (lack of knowledge).

Every form of adharma comes from lobha joined with moha: taking another person’s wealth and wanting another person’s wife or husband. Even great paṇḍitas who carry heavy loads of śāstra fall into naraka through lobha. This fifth thing must be conquered. (Chapter 5)

4 and 5. Further questions

The text gives these two questions as further questions on the structure of the world, and Sutanu answers them in full. Their questions and answers are not recorded here.

6. The eight grades of brāhmaṇas

Sutanu names eight kinds of brāhmaṇa, going upward:

  1. Mātra: born in a brāhmaṇa family but without upanayana (the sacred-thread ceremony) or practice. He is a brāhmaṇa by birth only.
  2. Brāhmaṇa: one who has learned at least a part of the Veda, has good conduct, speaks the truth and is kind.
  3. Śrotriya: one who has studied a śākhā (branch) of the Veda with all six Vedāṅgas and who does the six duties: studying, teaching, performing yajña (fire ritual), conducting yajña for others, giving, and receiving gifts (adhyayana, adhyāpana, yajana, yājana, dāna, pratigraha).
  4. Anūchāna: one who knows the essence of the Veda and the Vedāṅgas, is pure, and has jñāna (knowledge).
  5. Bhrūṇa: one who joins the qualities of the Anūchāna with active yajña, svādhyāya (self-study), mastery of the senses (indriya-jaya) and moderate eating.
  6. Ṛshikalpa: one who has mastered both Vedic and worldly (laukika) knowledge and lives in an āśrama with full self-control.
  7. Ṛshi: one who is ūrdhvaretas (his vital energy turned upward), firm in discipline, with the power to curse and to bless, and true to his word (satya-sandha).
  8. Muni: one with vairāgya (detachment), who knows all the tattvas, is free from kāma and krodha, lives in dhyāna (meditation), is not moved by outer events, and sees clay and gold alike.

Those who are great at once in lineage (vaṃśa), learning (vidyā) and conduct (pravṛtti) are called triśuklas. They receive the highest honour at yajñas. (Chapter 5)

7. The yugādis: sacred dates of the beginnings of the yugas

  • Kṛtayuga begins on Kārtika śukla navamī (the ninth day of the bright half of Kārtika).
  • Tretāyuga begins on Vaiśākha śukla tṛtīyā (the third day of the bright half).
  • Dvāparayuga begins on Māgha paurṇimā (the full-moon day).
  • Kaliyuga begins on Śrāvaṇa kṛshṇa trayodaśī (the thirteenth day of the dark half).

Dāna (gifts) given on these four tithis (lunar days) grows without end, equal to the dāna of hundreds of years at any other time. Homa (fire offering) done on these dates is also without end (ananta). (Chapter 5)

8. The manvantarādis: sacred dates of the beginnings of the manvantaras

The fourteen manvantarādis, the first days of the fourteen manvantaras, are these:

  • Āśvayuja śukla navamī
  • Kārtika dvādaśī (the twelfth day)
  • Caitra tṛtīyā
  • Bhādrapada tṛtīyā
  • Phālguna amāvāsyā (the new-moon day)
  • Pushya ekādaśī (the eleventh day)
  • Āshāḍha daśamī (the tenth day)
  • Māgha saptamī (the seventh day), also called Ratha-saptamī
  • Śrāvaṇa kṛshṇa ashṭamī (the eighth day of the dark half)
  • Āshāḍha paurṇimā
  • the paurṇimās of Kārtika, Phālguna, Caitra and Jyeshṭha

Dāna given on these days is also ananta. (Chapter 5)

9. The fourteen Manus and their colours

The fourteen Manus are linked with the fourteen vowels, and each has its own colour. The colours are: white (Svāyambhuva), pale-white, red, copper-red, yellow, tawny, black, deep-black, ash-grey, dust-coloured, piśaṅga (reddish-brown), three-coloured, variegated, and all colours together (Bhautya). Vaivasvata Manu, the present Manu, is black. (Chapter 5)

10. The thirty-three devas in the consonants

  • The twelve Ādityas, in Ka and the consonants that follow it: Dhātā, Mitra, Aryamā, Śakra, Varuṇa, Aṃśu, Bhaga, Vivasvān, Pūshan, Savitā, Tvashṭā and Vishṇu.
  • The eleven Rudras, in Ḍa through Ba: Kapālī, Piṅgalī, Bhīma, Virūpāksha, Vilohita, Ajaka, Śāsana, Śāstra, Śambhu, Chaṇḍa and Bhava.
  • The eight Vasus, in Bha through Sha: Dhruva, Ghora, Soma, Āpa, Nala, Anila, Pratyūsha and Prabhāsa.
  • The two Aśvins, in Ha.

The total is thirty-three. (Chapter 5)

11 and 12. The two paths after death: archirmārga and dhūmamārga

The Vedānta teaches two paths for the departing jīva (soul).

  • Archirmārga (the path of light or fire) is taken by those who do nishkāma karma, action without longing for its fruit. This path leads to moksha, with no return to saṃsāra (the cycle of birth and death).
  • Dhūmamārga (the path of smoke) is taken by those who do yajñas and other actions wanting their fruit (sakāma karma). This path leads to svarga, and then back to birth.
  • A third path, the Pākhaṇḍamārga, is for those who honour neither the devas nor the dharma laid down in the śāstras. They reach neither archirmārga nor dhūmamārga.

(Chapter 5)

Nārada’s reply

Nārada heard all twelve answers from the boy Sutanu and was filled with wonder and respect. He made known who he was. He said that Bhagavān Vishṇu himself had said that he could find no one equal to such pure brāhmaṇas. He declared that he would settle them at the Mahīsāgara Saṃgama with the help of Kapila Muni. In this way the brāhmaṇas of Kalāpagrāma came to live at Mahīsāgara, which is told in Chapter 6. (Chapter 6)

Sources

  • Skanda Mahā Purāṇa, Māheśvara Khaṇḍa, Kaumārika Khaṇḍa, Chapter 5
  • Skanda Mahā Purāṇa, Māheśvara Khaṇḍa, Kaumārika Khaṇḍa, Chapter 6