Bāhu
King Bāhu belonged to the Solar dynasty (Sūryavaṃśa). He ruled the whole earth with perfect dharma (right conduct). Later, pride and envy clouded his mind. The Haihayas and Tālajaṅghas defeated him, and he died in exile in the forest near the āśrama (hermitage) of Aurva Maharshi. His son was Sagara, who became one of the greatest cakravartins (emperors) of the Sūryavaṃśa.
The Nārada Mahā Purāṇa tells his account.
Lineage
Bāhu was the son of King Vṛka in the Solar dynasty. He is an ancestor of the great Bhagīratha, Dilīpa, Aṃśumān and Sagara. Through them he is also an ancestor of the kings of the Rāmāyaṇa.
A reign of dharma
At the height of his power, Bāhu was a model of dharmic kingship. He governed all four varṇas (the four classes of society) and even the animals, each according to its own dharma.
- He performed seven Aśvamedha yajñas (fire rituals with a horse) in the seven dvīpas (the seven great continents).
- He gave very many dānas (gifts) of cows, land, gold and garments.
- He kept his enemies down through nītiśāstra (the science of statecraft).
Under his protection, the earth gave harvests that nobody had sown. The trees bore fruit in every season. Indra gave rain at the right time. Adharma (the opposite of dharma) was completely absent. Every subject was joyful, and so were the animals of his kingdom.
The Nārada Mahā Purāṇa presents this reign as a picture of the kingdom of a sāttvika (pure and balanced) ruler. Even the cattle and wild animals shared in the plenty and the protection.
The three faults: ahaṃkāra, asūyā and kāma
In time, ahaṃkāra (ego, pride) arose in Bāhu’s mind. He began to think: “I am the ruler of all. I am the protector of all. I am bali (strong). I have performed great yajñas. I am vivekin (wise) and aiśvarya-sampanna (rich in power). I have conquered all enemies. Who equals me in this bhūloka (the world of humans)?”
This pride bred asūyā (envy of others). Envy gave birth to kāma (desire). The Purāṇa teaches that these three together are the triple gateway to pātana (downfall).
The Purāṇa also names four intoxicants:
- yauvanam (youth)
- aiśvaryam (wealth)
- adhikāram (power)
- avivekam (lack of discrimination)
Each one alone is enough to bring down even a great person. All four together bring certain ruin.
The Purāṇa adds one more lesson. Envy is like wind added to a fire hidden in chaff. It destroys the wealth, the dharma, the sons, the friends and even the body of the one who feeds it. The one who wishes ruin on the prosperity of others ends up ruining only himself.
Defeat, exile and death
Because of Bāhu’s pride, the kṛpā (grace) of Śrī Hari was withdrawn. The Haihayas and Tālajaṅghas became his enemies. A fierce war of one month ended in his defeat. He fled to the forest with his wives.
In the forest, his former subjects, who had once praised him, now mocked him. They said “vyartha, vyartha” (wasteful, wasteful) and recounted his faults. The Purāṇa says: “There is no death equal to apakīrti (dishonour). A person who is virtuous when praised becomes disgraced the moment he cultivates a vice.” Bāhu wandered like a dead man. He had destroyed the fame that his dharma had earned him.
At last he settled near the āśrama of Aurva Maharshi. There he fell ill and died. His body had been wasted by the fire of mental pain and shame.
Freedom after death
His younger queen was preparing to mount the funeral pyre for sahagamana (a widow’s going to the pyre with her husband). Aurva Maharshi stopped her from giving up her life. He performed the proper antyakriyās (funeral rites).
By the grace of the ṛshi’s presence, the spirit of the dead Bāhu rose from the pyre in a radiant divya-rūpa (divine form). He mounted a divine vimāna (aerial chariot) and rose to the paramadharma (the highest state). The Purāṇa says that the very sight of mahātmas (great ones) frees even the departed. Aurva’s nearness gave Bāhu liberation even after death.
What the account teaches
Bāhu’s account in the Nārada Purāṇa is a complete lesson in miniature. It goes from the glory of dharma, to ruin, to freedom after death. It also prepares the way for the far greater account of his son Sagara.
Sources
- Nārada Mahā Purāṇa, Poorvardha, Chapters 7–8