Ṛtambhara

Ṛtambhara was a righteous king who had no child. On the advice of the ṛṣi Jābāli, he honoured a cow with vows and gifts. The cow was pleased and gave him a son of many virtues and great charm. This was Satyavān, who became the righteous king of Tejahpura and was devoted to Rāma. The Padma Mahā Purāṇa tells this account in the Pātāla Khaṇḍa.

A king without a child

Ṛtambhara was known across the world for his great righteousness. He had many wives, but not one child. This troubled him. The ṛṣi Jābāli came to his kingdom at the right moment, and the king asked him how to get a son. The Pātāla Khaṇḍa tells this in Chapter 30.

Jābāli’s teaching

Jābāli said to him: “O king, there are three ways for one who longs for a child: the grace of Viṣṇu, the grace of a cow, or the grace of Śiva. So honour with pūjā a cow that has a divine body, in whose tail, mouth, horns and back the devas live. When she is pleased, she will give what you long for, together with righteousness.”

The ṛṣi then told him the dharma of honouring a cow:

• A man who gives a cow her proper food every day has all his wishes fulfilled.
• The ancestors of one who honours a cow every day with grass are always pleased.
• A cow left thirsty at home destroys the puṇya (merit) one has gathered. It does so as an unmarried daughter who has come of age does, or as a mūrti with withered flowers does.
• A man who beats a cow with a stick goes to Yama’s city without his hands.

The Pātāla Khaṇḍa tells this in Chapter 30.

Honouring the cow, and the vara

Ṛtambhara followed Jābāli’s advice. He gave himself to honouring a cow with many vows and generous gifts. The cow was pleased with his sincere service. She gave him a vara (a boon) of a son with many virtues and great charm. This was Satyavān, who later became the righteous king of Tejahpura and a devotee of Rāma. The Pātāla Khaṇḍa tells this in Chapter 31.

Sources

• Padma Mahā Purāṇa, Pātāla Khaṇḍa, Chapters 30 to 31