28 - The Departure of Bhrugu to Brahmaloka 

Renuka said - I shall follow the footsteps of my husband, but this is the fourth day of the period of my menses when my husband has been killed. О best of those well-versed in the Vedas, because of the merits of many of my earlier births, you have arrived here and you kindly tell me as to what I should do in my present condition. 

Bhrugu said - О chaste lady, you follow the footsteps of your virtuous husband because on the fourth day of the period a woman gets purified in all respects and can perform all the deeds for the husband. But the woman gets purified on the fourth day for the husband and not for performing divine actions. For performing the tasks of the gods and the manes she is purified on the fifth day. 

As the snake-charmer catches the snake from the hole in the earth, similarly, the wife carries the husband with her in the heaven. 

О virtuous one, she remains there for the period is equivalent to the life of fourteen Indras. Therefore, you also enjoy the result of your good or bad deeds. 

О daughter, only that son is virtuous who bestows the devotion of the lord and only that woman is virtuous who follows the footsteps of the husband. Only such of the brothers could be termed as true brothers who give away in charity. A true pupil always respects his brother. 

Only he could be termed as the true family god who protects his devotees, only that king could be called a true king who maintains his people well. Only such a lord could be treated as a true lord who can make his wives devoted the dharma. 

Only such of the teacher could be termed as true teacher who could bestow on his pupils the devotion of lord. This is because they have been praised accordingly in the Vedas and Puranas. 

Renuka said - О sage, О virtuous one, which are the ladies in the land of Bharata who are competent to follow the footsteps of their husbands and those who are considered to be incompetent. You tell me. 

Bhrugu said- The ladies having small children, those who are pregnant, the lady who has not started the menses, the lady in period, degraded woman, woman suffering from leprosy, the women who are averse to serving the husbands, undevoted women and the women with foul tongue are not considered to be suitable for following the footsteps of their husband. In case by the move of destiny, they do so, they cannot achieve for their husbands the desired goal. The one who pleasantly carries the body of the husband to the pyre and follows him, the one who is dear to the husband, she surely gets him the heaven. 

Because such of the ladies who follow their husbands, they achieve them again and they get together again and again in their future births. О virtuous lady, I have narrated to you the position of the house-holder. Now I tell you the position of such of the Vaisnavas as die in the sacred places. You listen to me. 

Wherever the husband of a chaste lady goes, she follows him. She ultimately reaches Vaikunt ha together with the husband. 

But, О Narada, in the land of Bharata there is nothing special if one dies at a sacred place because the devotees of lord Krishna are always free from the death; therefore, they earn the same merit by meeting with their end anywhere. They do not fall even at the time of dissolution. Therefore, the husband and wife always adore Narayana and Lakshmi. 

If one dies at a sacred place possessing all the knowledge, he surely goes to Vaikuntha and he remains there up to the life of Brahma with pleasure." 

After thus speaking to Renuka, Bhrugu also spoke to Parashurama the words which were appropriate to the time and also according to the Vedas. 

He said, "O Parashurama, О son, you come here. О virtuous one, you relieve yourself from the inauspicious grief and you place the body of your father on the pyre with the head towards the southern direction. You clad it in a new cloth and yajnopavita but your tears would not fall while doing so. You also remain facing the south. 

You ignite the fire from the wood and remember all the sacred places of the earth which include Gaya and other sacred places like the sacred mountain, besides Kurukshetra, Ganga, Yamuna, the best of rivers, Kausiki, Chandrabhaga which removes all the sins, Gandaki, Kasi, Panasa, Sarayu, Puspabhadra, Bhadra, Narmada, Sarasvati, Godavari, Kaveri, Svamarekha, Pushkara, Raivata, Varaha, Srishaila, Gandhamadana, Himalaya, Kailasa, Ratna parvata, Sumeru, Varanasi, Prayaga, the sacred Vrundavana, the Haridvara and Badrikashrama. You recite the name of the these again and again. 

And fragrant flower on the fire covered the same with the cloth. 

О son, adoring your ears, eyes, nose and face with gold, you give it away to the Brahmana. 

The copper vase filled with sea-same seeds, the cows and silver, should be given in charity together with daksina in gold. Thereafter, the fire should be lit in the pyre and you should speak out that knowingly or unknowingly, by performing good or bad deeds, the human has met with the death. 

Thereafter you burn all the limbs of the body which are free from dharma or adharma, greed or desire which will enable it to proceed to the divine abode of the lord. By reciting a mantra, you should circumambulate the pyre and by reciting the mantra you perform all the last rites. 

Reciting you must think that you can be reborn in this race once again. You again recite the word svaha and desire for the proceeding of the soul to the region of heaven. 

О son of Bhrugu, you ignite the fire towards the head of the body together with your brothers." Thus with the command of Bhrugu he performed the last rites with his kith and kin. 

Thereafter Renuka embracing her son Parashurama spoke to him the pleasant words. 

"The best form of prosperity in the universe is not to come into conflict with anyone. The conflict is the cause of destruction and upheavals. 

Therefore, you do not pick up controversy with the Kshatriyas. And for this you give me your solemn words. You listen to my few other words. 

Consulting Brahma and your divine courtier Bhrugu, you act according to their advice because it is always good to consult the noble people." 

Thus speaking she left Parashurama and taking the body of her husband in her lap. She entered the funeral pyre 

Thereafter Parashurama together with his brother ignited the fire in the pyre. He then started lamenting with his brothers and the pupils of his father. 

The chaste Renuka reciting the name of Rama was reduced to ashes. On hearing the name of their lord, the messengers arrived there at once who were of dark complexion having four arms and holding samkha, chakra, gada and padma in the four hands wearing a long garland of forest flowers round the neck and the kirita on the head and kundalas in the ears. They were clad in lower yellow garment. 

Those messengers carried Renuka and Jamadagni to the heaven before the lord. 

Thus the divine couple arrived in the Vaikunt ha and started serving the lord as his slaves with devotion. 

О Narada, thereafter Parashurama accompanied by Bhrugu and other Brahmanas performed the last rites of his parents and gave away riches in charity to the Brahmanas which included cows, land, gold, garments, beautiful beds, water, fruits, sandal-paste, lamp of gems, heaps of silver and gold, golden seat, fragrant betel, umbrella, sandals, rosary, roots and fruits and tasteful sweets. Thus giving away charities to the Brahmanas, he left for Brahmaloka. 

Reaching there he saw Brahmaloka which was built in gold and was having the boundary wall of gold and pillars of gold. 

He found Brahma there possessing divine lustre and seated on a gem-studded lion-throne in a comfortable posture and adorned with gem studded ornaments. 

He happens to be the best of the siddhas, sages, ascetics and was surrounded by them, wearing a serene smile on his face. He witnessed the dance of Vidyadharis. 

He was listening to the singing accompanied by music. The fragrance of sandal-wood, kasturi, saffron pervaded the place. He happened to be the one who granted the results of all the deeds and riches. He was the creator of the entire universe and its preserver as well. He was the supreme lord, complete in all respects, eternal Brahman and was reciting the name of lord Krishna and was revealing the truth about the secret yogic practices when asked by his pupils to do so. 

Finding such a type of Brahman before him, Parashurama stood before him and bowed in reverence to him. Thereafter he started crying aloud and told him the cause of his mental agony. 

Bhrugu said - "O Brahmana, I am bom in your race and am the son of Jamadagni. You happen to be my grandfather and are well-aware of everything. What should I speak to you? 

The king who was wandering in the forest feeling hungry having arrived there for hunting, was served with food by my father which emerged from the Kapila cow. He was fed with that food. 

Thereafter the king who happened to be none else than Kartavirya, tempted to snatch away 

Kapila from my father and in greed for the cow, he killed my father." Thus speaking he started crying aloud. 

The merciful Parashurama some how controlled himself and stopped the flowing of tears and said to Brahma, "O teacher of the universe, my mother has also left me and accompanied my father. 

I am an orphan at the moment and therefore, you are my father, mother and teacher. You are also the performer, the preserver and a man of charity. You, therefore, protect me since I have come to take refuge under you. I have come here in your court with the permission of my mother. О lord of the universe, you tell me the way out by which I should be able to take revenge. 

Because the king who maintains the downtrodden can be considered as religious, merciful, glorious, respectable and the possessor of imperishable wealth. 

Because the rich man who does not care for the down-trodden person, fortune getting annoyed leaves him and he falls from grace." 

Brahma, the ocean of mercy, on hearing the words of the Brahmana boy blessed him at the same time. 

The four-faced Brahma was astonished to know about the vow of Parashurama, which was quite terrific and could result in the killing of innumerable creatures. 

Everything happens according to one's own deeds. Thus thinking he started speaking to Jamadagni, the words which were quite pleasant in result. 

Brahma said - О son, this is a very difficult vow of yours which will result in the killing of many creatures. The universe is created with the desire of the lord. 

О son, I have created this universe with great efforts at the command of the lord and your vow is quite horrible and cruel. The universe will be destroyed by it. 

You want to deprive the earth of the kings twenty-one times. You want to destroy the entire race of Kshatriyas because of the sin of a single person. The universe created at the command of the lord includes Brahmanas, Kshatriyas, Vaishyas and Sudras who always remain in the same status. 

Because of your traditional beliefs, this vow of yours cannot materialise but you can be successful after making great efforts. 

Therefore, О son, you go to Shivaloka and take refuge under lord Shiva. There are several kings who are devoted to lord Shiva who always wear the kavacha of Shiva as well as Durga and till such time as they wear those kavachas no one can kill them without the permission of lord Shiva. You must make great efforts to meet with success, because one could meet with success only by making sustained efforts. You try to receive from Shiva the mantra of Krishna, his kavacha and the Vaisnava glory which is difficult to get. With the application of the same, you will be able to overcome the tejas of Shiva as well as the shakti. 

Shiva, the lord of the universe, happens to be your teacher for many births, therefore, my mantra will be of no use to you. I have spoken to you whatever would be appropriate for you to do. 

Because one can get the mantra only because of his deeds and one can get a teacher with his deeds. Therefore, everyone gets whatever belongs to him. 

О Bhrugu, by receiving the best of kavacha named Trailokyavijaya, you can relieve the earth of the Kshatriyas twenty-one times. 

Lord Shiva can give you the Pasupata weapon and you will be able to destroy Kshatriyas with the use of his mantra.