58 - The Freeing of Tara and Chandramaa of the Blemish 

Narada said - To which race, did Suratha, the best of the religious kings, belong? How could be obtain knowledge from the sage Medha? О Brahmana, О best of the sages, in which race was the sage Medha born? Where did the conversation between the sage and the king take place? 

O lord, О best of those well-versed in the Vedas, how and where did the king Suratha and the business man, Samadhi, become friends? I would like to listen to the whole story in detail.

Narayana said - Atri was the son of Brahma and a son named Chandramaa was born to him because he was known as the king of the Brahmanas. He performed a Rajasuya-yajna. 

He produced a son named Budha from the wife of Bruhaspati. Chaitra was the son of Buddha and Suratha was the son of Chaitra. 

Narada Said- O' great sage! how could he produce a son from the spouse of Bruhaspati, because this is an outragious act of god. Therefore, please tell me. 

Narayana said - Once Chandramaa getting intoxicated with his rich possessions was roaming about on the bank of the Ganga. At that very moment he found the chaste Tara coming there, who happened to be the wife of Bruhaspati and was quite noble. She was quite beautiful and had developed breasts, well developed thighs, a beautiful pelvic region, a slender waist, a charming line of teeth, tender limbs, was youthful and was clad in fine garments. She was adorned with gem-studded ornaments on her head. There was a red spot beside the small spot of sandal-paste on the forehead. The vermilion was adorned on the head at the parting of the hair. 

The lower garment was suddenly removed by air. At that very moment Tara having red eyes, the face like the full moon of the winter season, the lips resembling ripe wood-apples, moved on wearing a smile on her face, lowering her head with shame. Looking at Chandramaa she moved on towards her home like an intoxicated elephant. 

О sage, on looking at her Chandramaa was infatuated with passion and shedding his shame and with the hair of his body standing on end, he spoke to her in a passionate tone. 

Chandramaa said - О best of the damsel, you are the best of the beautiful ladies. You stop for a moment, О beautiful one, you always steal away the minds of passionate people. 

О ocean of the passion, Bruhaspati adored Durga for a thousand years and as a result of the tapas he got a fortunate damsel like you. 

But it is surprising that foolish Brahma gave away a passionate woman like you to an ascetic as a wife. 

Therefore, what type of pleasure would you be enjoying by keeping the company of that poor ascetic because a passionate lady can remain happy only with a passionate man and thus, they are drowned in the ocean of pleasure. 

О goddess, you being the passionate one, are suffering from the pain of passion uselessly. Or this could be due to the turn of destiny. Because who can know the mind of a lady? You are quite youthful and therefore your youthfulness is getting wasted day by day. 

Bruhaspati always remains engrossed in tapas. Whether sleeping or awake he adores his lord Krishna; he is free from desires but on the other hand you are filled with passion. You are, therefore, quite passionate and remaining so, you always are attracted towards beautiful persons. Your mind is attracted towards passion but the aim of the life of your husband is entirely different. If the couple whose minds movements are differently placed, how can they enjoy the life?

Therefore, in the spring season, in the forest of Madhavi creepers and on a bed of flowers, sprinkled with sandal-paste, you can enjoy my company here in this secluded forest of sandal wood, having an abundance of fragrant flowers. You being a fortunate lady should enjoy my company on the flower-beds. After enjoying here, we can move on to the garden of campaka flowers there. 

О beautiful one, you enjoy my company in the caves of Mandracala mountain located at the lonely spots. 

О virtuous one, you enjoy my company in the forest of Svarnarekha on the bank of river Narmada which place is desired by the gods. 

Thus, the foolish Chandramaa desired to carry her on the back of Mandakini which place was quite beautiful. Thus, speaking he fell at the feet of the goddess Tara. With the obstruction thus created by Chandramaa, the throat, lips and tongue of Tara dried up and her eyes became red like the red lotus flower. Thereafter she became fearless and spoke in anger. 

Tara said - О Chandramaa, disgrace to you. I treat you like a straw because you are crooked and are attracted towards the wives of others. It was a disgrace on Atri having got you as a son because your life and birth are of no consequence.

О wicked person, you think yourself to be all powerful after performing the Rajasuya-yajna. All your tapas have become infructuous by your getting attracted towards the wife of a Brahmana. 

Because he whose mind is attracted towards the wives of others, is considered to be an unchaste person. Not only this, such a great sinner is denounced the world over and is deprived of the reward of his good deeds. 

In case you defile my chastity then you will suffer from the disease of consumption. This has been ordained in the Vedas. The one who rises up is sure to fall. 

Lord Krishna who shatters the pride of the wicked people will also destroy your pride. Therefore, О son, I am like your mother. You leave me alone. I am speaking out the truth and this will bestow welfare for you. 

Thus speaking, the chaste Tara cried aloud again and again and invoked Dharma, Surya, Vayu, Agni, Brahma, the great soul, the sky, the wind god, the earth, day and night, sandhya and all the gods as witnesses.

О sage, on hearing these words of Tara, Chandramaa was not all afraid, but on the other hand he became enraged. He caught her with both hands and placed her in the chariot. Chandramaa enjoyed her company. 

Then enjoyed each other's company on the bank of Pusphabhadra river, in the sandal-wood forest named Vispandaka, on the bank of Pushkara-kshetra in the lands of blossoming flowers, on the bed of roses scented with flowers, the secluded places in the Malaya mountain, on the forest of sandal-wood trees, in the banks of rivers and streams. He continued the love sport for a hundred years which were spent like a muhurta. 

Thereafter, Chandramaa getting terrified by the gods went to Shukra, the teacher of the demons to take refuge with him. Shukra then provided him shelter taking pity on him. He then started making fun of Bruhaspati who happened to be his enemy. 

In the court of the demons, intoxicated with pride they provided shelter to terrified Chandramaa who was filled with blemish and made fun of Bruhaspati. Because defiling of the chastity of a chaste lady, Chandramaa earned a black spot in disk. 

Thereafter, Shukra well-versed in the Vedas spoke to the terrified Chandramaa, the truthful words full of welfare which were according to the Vedas and resulted in delight. 

Shukra said - You are the grandson of Brahma and the son of sage Atri; you have acted like the wicked people and it is not graceful. 

After performing the Rajasuya-yajna, you had earned a great glory but that collection of nectar has vanished like a drop of wine, earning you the blemish. I want that you should leave the wife of Bruhaspati, the priest of the gods. She is like your mother and quite a chaste lady. Bruhaspati is the best of the noble people and also the best of the Brahmanas. Shiva is the lord of the gods and Brahma happens to be the son of his Guru, Bruhaspati who happens to be his grandson and the son of Angria who always shines with eternal lustre. 

One should speak out the virtues of the enemies and the failings of his teacher. This is the nature of the people who are born in the noble race.

О lord of the night, though Bruhaspati, the priest of the gods, is my enemy in the universe, still he is of a noble character and one should not forget it. Wherever the noble people reside, the eternal Dharma resides there. Wherever Dharma resides Krishna too dwells there and wherever there is Krishna victory is always found there. 

The cow litters one calf, the tigress litters five and a lioness litters seven, the terrific people are destroyed. Therefore, Dharma alone protects the religious people. Though the gods, the teacher and the Brahmanas are unable to protect themselves, yet the one who is deprived of the Dharma is never protected by anyone. If one enjoys the company of the wives of Brahmanas and wicked women, he earns the sixteenth part of the sin of Brahmahatya but in case the women offer themselves for the purpose, one earns only one fourth of the sin of Brahmahatya. 

To discard them is neither sinless nor sinful. This has been ordained by Brahma.

But to enjoy the company of a Brahmana woman forcefully, one earns the sin of a hundred Brahmahatyas. This has been ordained in the Vedas. Therefore, О noble person, you move according to Dharma and leave this Brahmana woman. You should repent for the sin you have already committed, because it is better to relieve oneself of the sin. 

You can be relieved of your sin by other means also. Getting terrified you have come to take refuge with me inspire of you being a god. Therefore, it is my duty to protect you. Because he who does not protect a person without arms, a terrified person, a miserable person and the one who takes refuge, such an irreligious person falls into the Kumbhipaka hell. 

But in case he protects him, he earns the merit of performing a hundred Rajasuya-yajnas besides achieving immense riches and pleasures in the world. 

Thus, speaking the teacher Shukracharya took his bath in the river Mandakini and made Chandramaa also to do so. Thereafter, he adored lord Vishnu. 

Thereafter he offered the sacred Ganga-water of Vishnu’s feet, offering the naivedya to him. O' sage, thereafter, Shukra took the terrified Chandramaa in his lap and placing the kusha-grass in his hand, he made him recite the name of the lord repeatedly.

Shukra said - In case I have performed my tapas truly, in case the adoration of Hari is truthful, it is true to have the reward of performing vrata, one gets a truthful reward by speaking the truth, it is truthful to have a bath at the holy places, it is truthful to have the reward by the performing of charity and it is truthful to have the reward of fasting, then Chandramaa should be freed from all his sins.

The sin accrued from the heinous sin committed by Chandramaa should befall on a Brahmana who does not perform sandhya thrice a day, the one who is deprived of the adoration of lord Vishnu. 

The one who enjoys the wives of others, cheating his own wives, such as a sinful person, relieves the sin of Chandramaa and falls into terrific hell. 

A wicked woman who antagonises her husband by speaking harsh words, would fall in to terrific Lalamukha hell because of the sin of Chandramaa. If a Brahmana eats without offering food first to lord Vishnu, he falls in to kalasutra hell because of the sin of Chandramaa and shall remain there to the end of four yugas. 

A wiked person who digs the earth at a prohibited place, he falls into the kalasutra hell because of the sin of Chandramaa. If a lady goes to some other person depriving of her own husband, she falls into Agnikunda hell because of the sin of Chandramaa and remains there for four yugas. 

The one who gets infatuated with greed, deprives others of their legitimate glory and glorifies himself and he falls into the Kumbhipaka hell because of the sin in Chandramaa. 

Such of the persons as does not maintain his parents, wife and teachers, becomes a Chandala under the influence of the sin of Chandramaa. 

The one who consumes the food of a wicked woman, a woman having no son, a woman in period, such a sinner, because of the sin of Chandramaa, has to remain in the Kumbhipaka hell for four yugas and then is reborn as a Chandala. 

The sinners who cohabits during the day with passionate intentions and enjoys the company of a pregnant woman or a woman in period, such a sinner has to suffer for the sin of Chandramaa and has to fall into kalasutra hell where he has to remain for four yugas.

Such a person who casts a passionate glance at the face of others' wives, her body or breasts, he earns the sin of Chandramaa and because of that, he remains in Lalabhakshya hell for four yugas. Thereafter, he is born as a blind Chandala and impotent. 

The one who consumes meat, lentil¹ and lakuca² or cohabits during the day of Amavasya, Purnima, Chaturdashi, Ashtami and Sunday, he earns the sin of Chandramaa and remains in the kalasutra hell for four yugas. 

1. Ervaylens 

2. Lakuchah kshudrapanasah (A. Lacoochaii)

Such a sinful person then becomes a Chandala and remains infested with diseases, a pauper and a hunch-back for seven births. 

The one who takes food on Ekadashi, the birthday of lord Krishna and Shivaratri, he earns the sin of Chandramaa. 

He remains in the Kumbhipaka hell for the period equivalent to the life of fourteen Indras and because of the same sin, he is reborn as a Chandala. 

The one who consumes milk in a copper vase or the wine of Elloope tree³, ghee, coconut water in a bronze vase, milk with salt, the left-over of water and food or the one who consumes cooked rice again and again before the sunset, attracts the great sin of Chandramaa and because of that sin he falls into the andhakupa hell where he remains for four yugas. 

3. Bassia Latifolia

A Brahmana who sells away his daughter, the priest of a temple, one who mounts a bull, bums the body of Shudras and eats with them or cooks for them, the one who cuts away the pipala tree or denounces Vishnu and Vaishnavas, such a sinner attracts the terrific sin of Chandramaa.

Because of that sin he falls into Taptasurmi hell and remains there up to the life of fourteen Indras, where he always remains burning. 

While coming out of it, he is transformed into a Chandala. He is reborn a Chandala seven times, a bull during seven births and an ass for a hundred births, a pig for seven births, a crow in holy places for seven births, an insect of refuse for five births, a leech for a hundred births and is purified thereafter. 

He who uselessly consumes meat or consumes food without having been given by anyone, earns the sin of Chandrama. 

It Because of this sin he has to remain in the Asipatra hell for four yugas. Thereafter, he becomes a snake for seven births and an animal thereafter. 

A Brahmana who receives interest or earns livelihood by illegitimate means or by becoming a physician or sells away his limbs or sells away his Dharma, praises himself, earns his livelihood by selling ink, serves as a messenger, is maintained by a wicked woman, he earns the sin of Chandramaa who is freed from his sin. Because of that sin he falls into the Shulaprota hell and he remains there up to the life of fourteen Indras. Thereafter he is born as a pauper, a person with diseases and a human like an animal.

The one who sells lac, meat, juice, sesamum, salt, horses, iron is a killer of human beings or the one who works as a potter, or the one who steals, such a Brahmana earns the sin of Chandramaa and falls into Kshuraghara hell, which is quite terrific and unbearable and he remains there up to the time of a thousand Indras, where he gets shattered. After coming out of that, he is born as a jackal for seven births. Thereafter he is born as a cat for seven births, a buffalo for five births, a bear for seven births, a dog for seven births, a fish for a hundred births, a cancer for five births, a lizard for a hundred births and an ass for seven births, a frog for seven births and thereafter he is born as a degraded human like a cobbler, a washer man, an oil man, a carpenter, a gardener, the one who earns his livelihood out of dead bodies, a hunter, a goldsmith, a potter, an iron-smith and thereafter he is born as a Kshatriya and then a Brahmana. 

Thus, by purifying Chandramaa, Shukra said to Tara, "O chaste lady, you better go back to your husband leaving Chandramaa." 

Because you are pure at heart you will be purified even without repentance. A lady who is not passionate remains pure even with the advances of an undesirable person.

Thus, speaking smilingly to the chaste Tara, and Chandra, Shukra blessed both of them.