Nandabhadra

Nandabhadra was a devout merchant. He lived near the Bahūdaka Tīrtha at the Mahīsāgara Saṃgama, and three times each day he worshipped the Kapīleśvara Liṅga there. He did not only follow the customs he had inherited. The Kaumārika Khaṇḍa says that he “churned the ocean of dharma and brought out its essence.” He looked at each famous path of dharma in turn: trade, yajña, renunciation, farming, wealth and pilgrimage. For each one he drew out the plain principle behind it.

When his son died and then his dear wife Kanakā died, his grief shook him, and he questioned Bhagavān Śiva. A seven-year-old boy with leprosy then came to him and taught him about suffering, affection and tṛṣṇā (thirst, greed). The boy was later known to be Sūrya.

At the Kapīleśvara Liṅga

Nandabhadra lived near the Bahūdaka Tīrtha at the Mahīsāgara Saṃgama. The ṛṣi Kapila had once done tapas (austerity) there and set up a Liṅga called Kapīleśvara. Nandabhadra worshipped this Liṅga three times a day with deep respect. He was fair to all beings and always worked for the good of others. The Kaumārika Khaṇḍa describes him as being like another Dharma in person. (Skanda Mahā Purāṇa, Māheśvara Khaṇḍa, Kaumārika Khaṇḍa, Chapter 45)

The essence of dharma

Nandabhadra searched each form of dharma down to its root.

Trade (vāṇijya). He chose the merchant’s work as the best way to earn a living. He took only a moderate profit, used no deceit and told no lies. He treated all buyers alike.

Yajña (fire ritual). He found that a yajña done by a greedy or false person destroys the world and leads to darkness. The true yajña is worship of Parameśvara with sincerity, bowing, praise and offerings of havis (the offering poured into the fire), free of pāpa (sin).

Renunciation. He did not praise outward renunciation that still grasps inwardly. The true recluse sees stone and gold as the same, neither hates nor loves, and gives fearlessness to all living beings.

Farming. He saw that farming brings great harm to bulls, oxen and the creatures of the soil. Its essence is this: give a thirtieth part of the produce in charity, and use its fruits for the devas and the ancestors.

Wealth. He found that rich men often treat other people as slaves. The essence of prosperity is to turn away from no living being and to help everyone as far as one can.

Pilgrimage. He asked whether tīrthas (holy places) really make a person pure. His answer was: “It is the ātmā itself that makes a man pure, if he stops committing pāpa from now on. The essence of the tīrthas is in every house.”

The devas, led by Indra, were amazed at this deep understanding. (Skanda Mahā Purāṇa, Māheśvara Khaṇḍa, Kaumārika Khaṇḍa, Chapter 45)

Grief and a crisis of faith

Nandabhadra was wise, yet in his old age his only son died. He accepted this as the fruit of fate. Then his dear wife Kanakā died too. She was a true model of pātivratya (devotion to her husband). He was overcome with grief and cried, “Alas, I am a pāpī (sinner).”

His neighbour Satyavrata did not believe in Bhagavān Śiva and had long envied him. Satyavrata used this moment of weakness to shake his faith.

Nandabhadra stood before the Kapīleśvara Liṅga on the fourth day after his loss and spoke to Bhagavān Śiva:

“Why was this world without awareness created, when you yourself are awareness? Why are your own devotees made to sink in the ocean of misery together with those who do pāpa? This is very wrong.”

He decided to eat and drink nothing and to meet his death before the Liṅga. (Skanda Mahā Purāṇa, Māheśvara Khaṇḍa, Kaumārika Khaṇḍa, Chapter 46)

The leprous boy and Sūrya

On the fourth day a seven-year-old boy came to the Bahūdaka Kuṇḍa. He was very thin and sick with leprosy. His wounds dripped with pus, and he nearly fainted at every step. Yet he came up to Nandabhadra, perfectly calm, and asked, “O handsome man, why are you unhappy?”

The boy taught Nandabhadra these things:

• There are two kinds of misery: of the body (vyādhi) and of the mind (ādhi). Mental suffering comes from getting what one does not want and losing what one wants.
• The root of all mental suffering is affection (sneha). From it come attachment, greed, sorrow, joy, tiredness and fear.
• Tṛṣṇā (thirst, greed) is the worst pāpa of all. It has no beginning and no end. It enters the whole body. As rust destroys iron, tṛṣṇā destroys the person for whose sake it arose.
• So do not be greedy for the sake of the body or relatives. Do not be proud when you gain, and do not cry when you lose.

Nandabhadra saw that this was no ordinary boy, and he bowed to him. Nārada later named the boy as Sūrya himself, who had come in disguise to teach the great devotee. The form of Sūrya set up in his honour at the Saṃgama is called Bālāditya. (Skanda Mahā Purāṇa, Māheśvara Khaṇḍa, Kaumārika Khaṇḍa, Chapter 46)

Sources

• Skanda Mahā Purāṇa, Māheśvara Khaṇḍa, Kaumārika Khaṇḍa, Chapters 45–46