Devaśarman

Devaśarman · deva-śarman

Devaśarman was a brāhmaṇa muni who held back both his speech and his mind (vāk-manas vigrahin). He lived at the Gaṅgāsāgara Saṃgama, where the Gaṅgā meets the sea. There he did śrāddha (rites for the ancestors) for his ancestors on every amāvāsyā (new moon day). His pitṛdevatās (the divine ancestors) were so pleased with his devotion that at the end of each śrāddha they appeared before him and spoke with him. One day they took him to their home in pitṛ-loka (the world of the ancestors). There he saw that the ancestors of another muni, Subhadra, were fed much more richly and happily than his own. This shamed him and sent him to the Mahīsāgara Saṃgama. His wife Ruci would not come, so he went alone. Bhṛgu and Nārada found him weeping there, and Subhadra comforted him. Subhadra offered to do tarpaṇa (water offerings to the ancestors) for Devaśarman’s ancestors at Mahīsāgara. Devaśarman would in return do the same for Subhadra’s ancestors at Gaṅgāsāgara. The exchange was sealed with the gift of a quarter of Devaśarman’s tapas-puṇya.

Who he was

Devaśarman is described as a muni who had held back both speech and mind, a sign of great discipline and self-control. He was a sincere pitṛ-bhakta (devotee of the ancestors). He did śrāddha and tarpaṇa for his ancestors with great regularity and sincerity at the Gaṅgāsāgara Saṃgama. His pitṛs were so moved by his devotion that they appeared before him at the end of each śrāddha and spoke with him directly. This was an uncommon sign that his practice bore fruit. (Skanda Purāṇa, Māheśvara Khaṇḍa, Kaumārikā Khaṇḍa)

The visit to pitṛ-loka

One day his pitṛdevatās appeared in their usual way and said to him: “Devaśarman! We always come to you. But why do you never come to our home?” He agreed to go with them.

In pitṛ-loka Devaśarman saw other pitṛs being served with great plenty. They were well fed, shining and happily content. He asked his own pitṛs: “Who are those pitṛs being served so richly and happily? Why are you not in that state?”

His pitṛs answered: “Son! Those being honoured so happily are the ancestors of the muni Subhadra. He gives them tarpaṇa at the Mahīsāgara Saṃgama, where all tīrthas (sacred places) have their essence. It is his tarpaṇa that keeps them in this state.”

Devaśarman returned ashamed. He thought: “What kind of pitṛ-bhakta am I, if my ancestors must look with longing at another man’s? What use is the life of a man whose pitṛs look with desire at another’s offerings?” (Skanda Purāṇa, Māheśvara Khaṇḍa, Kaumārikā Khaṇḍa)

The decision to go to Mahīsāgara

Devaśarman decided gladly to go to the Mahīsāgara Saṃgama with his wife Ruci. He would do tarpaṇa there on every amāvāsyā, as Subhadra did. He told Ruci his plan and asked her to come.

Ruci answered harshly and with scorn. She would not go with him. She called him names and complained about how hard the journey was. Devaśarman heard her words and simply closed his ears. He did not answer in anger, did not give her a śāpa (a curse), and did not argue. He told his disciple Vipula to look after the household and set out alone for the Mahīsāgara Saṃgama. (Skanda Purāṇa, Māheśvara Khaṇḍa, Kaumārikā Khaṇḍa)

Found weeping by Bhṛgu and Nārada

The journey to the Mahīsāgara Saṃgama was long and hard. When Devaśarman arrived he was found weeping there with his arms stretched out. Bhṛgu and Nārada were at or near the saṃgama (meeting of waters) at that time and saw him. They saw a tall, thin brāhmaṇa, all bones and skin, old but shining with tapas-lakshmī (the glory of austerity), weeping again and again. Bhṛgu said that a person of feeling feels his own grief a hundred times greater at seeing another weep. Moved, they went to him and asked what had happened.

Devaśarman told them his whole story: his devotion to the pitṛs at Gaṅgāsāgara, the visit to pitṛ-loka, the discovery that Subhadra’s pitṛs were better served, his shame, and his decision to come to Mahīsāgara. Now he was in trouble. He had come, but without his wife, who joins him in the rites of the ancestors in the dharma of the householder (gṛhastha-dharma). He said: “A man without a wife is only half a body. How can he do the rites properly?” He was deeply troubled, for he had come to the right place but could not fully do the right rites. (Skanda Purāṇa, Māheśvara Khaṇḍa, Kaumārikā Khaṇḍa)

Subhadra’s offer: the exchange of tarpaṇa

At that moment Subhadra arrived. His worship of the pitṛs was the very thing that had sent Devaśarman on this journey. He comforted Devaśarman with kind words: “Do not grieve. Nothing has been lost yet. I will do tarpaṇa for your ancestors here at Mahīsāgara. In return you will give tarpaṇa for my ancestors at the Gaṅgāsāgara Saṃgama.” Devaśarman gladly accepted.

As a further seal of the gift, Devaśarman offered Subhadra a quarter of his stored tapas-puṇya. He declared three times that he gave a fourth of all his puṇya (merit) from tapas to Subhadra. Subhadra accepted with joy. So the exchange was complete. Each would serve the other’s pitṛs at his own tīrtha. Devaśarman went back to Gaṅgāsāgara with Subhadra’s promise. Subhadra stayed at Mahīsāgara. (Skanda Purāṇa, Māheśvara Khaṇḍa, Kaumārikā Khaṇḍa)

Sources

• Skanda Purāṇa, Māheśvara Khaṇḍa, Kaumārikā Khaṇḍa, Chapter 9 (the chapter number is approximate)