59 - The Prayer of Indrani to her teacher at the shattering of the pride of Indra 

Sri Narayana said- I have narrated to you about the shattering of the pride of all; now you listen to the story of the shattering of the pride of Indra in detail. Finding her teacher who was always engrossed in Brahman, Indra did not welcome him, having been filled with pride he did not get up from the gem-studded lion-throne. Bruhaspati felt immensely enraged at his insult and left the place. In spite of the fact that the immensely chaste teacher felt envious at that time still he did not pronounce a curse out of love for him.

But even without pronouncing a curse by Bruhaspati the pride of Indra was shattered. О Narada, in case someone does not pronounce a curse on a great sinner because his love for him or because of dharma but in spite of that the sinner has to reap the reward for the same and dharma destroys him completely. A religious person whenever he pronounces a curse on a sinful person, the sinner surely gets destroyed but the religious person is deprived of his dharma. Because of that sin Indra attached Brahmahatya and terrified with the same he left his kingdom and went to a lake and started residing in the lotus stalk in a tiny form.

The lake which happened to be quite auspicious and delighted lord Vishnu, Brahmahatya could not reach the lake. The same lake happens to be the prominent holy place of the people of Bharata.

The ancient intellectual’s term it as the Pushkara-tirtha. When Indra was so dethroned from his kingdom, his place was forcibly taken by Nahusa who happened to be a great devotee of lord Vishnu. Once she spotted Sachi, she had beautiful limbs and was without any children. She was quite charming, youthful and adorned with the gem-studded ornaments. She had a beautiful line of teeth. With a painful heart she was talking with her female friends and was moving towards Akasha-Ganga. Finding the chaste lady there, Rajendra Nahusa's mind was filled with passion and he fainted because of his young age. On regaining consciousness, he stood before her and started talking to her in a very meek and amiable way. 

Nahusa said- The movement of Brahma is quite surprising which remains unknown to the noble people. The one whose wife is so beautiful, still his mind was attracted towards other women and become greedy for the other woman and as a result of which he earned yonis on the entire body. 

The apsaras like Rambha, Urvashi, Tilottama, Mena, Ghrutachi, Ratnamala, Kalavati, Kalika, Sundari, Bhadravati, Champavati are of no consequence before Sachi and do not compare to the sixteenth ray of the same.

It is surprising that foolish Indra is desirous of other women, disregarding his chaste wife. All my wives are surely like her maid-servants.

Thus, thinking in his mind, he spoke to Sachi, О damsel be compassionate on a servant like me and. adore me. As Radha adorned the chest of Krishna in Goloka or Lakshmi adorns the lap of Vishnu together with Sarasvati or Brahmani adores the lap of Brahma or Mahasati adores the lap of Dharma, Lakshmi in the lap of Ananta, in the nether world, Pusti in the lap of Ganesha, Devsena in the lap of Karttikeya, Varunani in the lap of Varuna, Svaha in the lap of the fire god, Rati in the lap of Kamadeva, Sanjna in the lap of Surya, the wife of Vayu in the lap of the wind-god, Rohini in the lap of the moon, Devamata Aditi your mother in-law in the lap of Kashyapa, Mena mind born daughter of manes in the lap of Himalaya, Lopamudra in the lap of Agastya, Tara in the lap of Bruhaspati, Devahuti in the lap of Kardama, Arundhati in the lap of Vasistha, Shatarupa in the lap of Manu, Damayanti in the lap of Nala, similarly О beautiful one, you the virtuous one accept me.

I am more valorous than thoUshands of Indras and can shatter their pride. The wife adores her paramour more than her husband. 

I shall roam about on the peaks of the Sumeru mountain in your company which is quite inaccessible and is quite a secluded a place. Or otherwise we can visit the beautiful place of the sandal-wood forest at Malayacala which is well known for enjoying the conjugal pleasures. Similarly we can move to Nandakavana, Pus pabhadra river, the mountain known by the name of hundred peaks, the banks of Godavari, where the pleasant cool breeze always blows or the river Champavati and its banks, the attractive champaka forest, cremation grounds, the terrific cremation grounds, the pleasant and lonely forests, the deserted caves of the mountains, the mountains, the forest, islands and the places which are difficult of access, the rivers and rivulets devoid of all the acquit animals, the sea-shores because at such places a competent person can really enjoy the company of a competent woman which is quite rewarding. We shall enjoy the bed of flowers soaked in sandal-paste. You enjoy all your conjugal pleasures with me. О goddess, with the boon of Brahma, I am free from old age or death. 

O virtuous one, my youthfulness is eternal and stable and therefore you accept me as your husband because I am clad in the best of garments, I am beautiful, patient, well-versed in the scriptures, possess a face like the full moon of the winter season and have been born in the lunar race. When I was on earth then for enjoying the love-sports with me, Urvashi, herself came to me, but I discouraged her.

I have never been desirous of others' wives but on finding you today, my mind has been disturbed. Therefore, I am prepared to discard all other women, clad in the best of gem-studded ornaments for your sake or I shall keep them as your slaves. О beautiful damsel, I shall garland you with the precious garland of gems by defeating Varuna with Brahmastra. By becoming victorious on the god of fire, I shall bestow on you the two divine garments. Therefore, О goddess you provide an opportunity for a slave like me to serve you. О beautiful one, after achieving victory on the gods I shall adorn you with the makara-kundalas worn by Aditi, which are made of the best of gems. By getting victorious on the moon I shall snatch away the inaccessible armlets of Rohini and give them to you or otherwise Candrama who is suffering from consumption and happens to be my ancestor, would give me the precious ornaments even without my fighting with him. О auspicious one, I shall beg from Shiva who is always pleased with the prayers and is the lord of the devotees, is quite a compassionate one, is kalpataru; for providing the anklets of Parvati which creates a beautiful sound and I shall give them to you. О dear one, the couple of wristlets of Ganga which are studded with the best of gems are difficult to get. I shall get them for you today itself by waging a war. О gracious one, I shall snatch away the beautiful ornaments of Sanjna, the wife of Surya which is made of the best of gems and shall give them to you. I shall get you the spotless mirror of Rati, the wife of Kamadeva, by winning the god of love. 0 beautiful one, after adoring lord Vishnu I shall seek for the decaying lotus of Lakshmi and give it to you. Thus, I shall also by performing tapas take away the rings of Savitri from Brahma. I shall also give to you the vina of Sarasvati who always sings, playing on the vina. Performing the vrata for Narayana I shall also give to you the ornaments of the toes of the wife of Kubera. Thus, speaking Nahusa fell at the lotus-like feet of Indrani. 

Thereafter, getting nervous she lifted up the king holding him with her hands who had fallen on her feet on the royal path. At that point of time the throat, lips and palates of Indrani had dried up. Thereafter thinking of the feet of Bruhaspati again and again, the chaste Indrani said to Nahusa. 

Sachi said- О son, О great lord, О father, the remover of fear, you listen to whatever I am going to speak. The king saves everyone from the fears, being the preserver, he happens to be the father of everyone. Presently Mahendra has been dethroned and you have taken over as the king of heaven. The king happens to be the father of the people, their protector and surely everything for them. The wife of the teacher, the wife of the king, wives of the gods, wife of the son, sister of the mother, sister of the father, wife of the pupils, wife of the servant, wife of the maternal uncle, co-wife, wife of the brother, the mother-in-law, the sister, the daughter and the family goddess have been defined to be the sixteen mo0thers in the scriptures. You are a human being and I happen to be the wife of the god; therefore, I also happen to be like your mother. 

О son, in case you intend to enjoy the company of the mother then go to Aditi because, О son, there is a provision for repentance for every sin but the one who enjoys the company of his mother, no repentance has been prescribed for him. Such a person has to fall in the Kumbhipaka hell. Thereafter for seven births he suffers from leprosy and also the mlecchas. Therefore, no remedy has been prescribed for him; this has been ordained by Brahma. 

О king, therefore, according to Bruhaspati no remedy has been prescribed for enjoying the women of the Brahmani Kshatriya, Vaishya and Shudra. No such remedy has been prescribed in the Vedas as well.

For the people of the universe it is quite appropriate to enjoy the riches of the heaven which provides pleasure. Similarly, the truthseeker enjoys the achievement of moksa, tapas happen to be the pleasure for the Tapasvis. The aim of Brahmanas is to achieve Brahmanatva, for sages, it is incumbent to remain mum, for the people engaged in the learning of the Vedas, they have to be pleased with the putting into practice of the Vedic hymns. The poets enjoy the creation of poetry, the Vaishnavas enjoy the achieving of the slave hood of Vishnu and the devotion of the lord. The Vaishnavas are never interested in any type of salvation except their devotion of lord Vishnu. 

О saintly person, therefore you kindly let me know as to what type of pleasure one gets by enjoying the company of a damsel when the pelvic region is filled with dirt and watery substance. 

О great king, the light of the race, you have attained birth in the sacred land of Bharata after performing several noble deeds. You have been born in the race of the Chakravarti kings, in order to illumine the king of the lunar race possessing the lustre of lotus flower of the moon of the winter season. 

Therefore, the dharma of the dwellers of the hermitage have their own dharma and great glory. The people having been deprived of the dharma foolishly fall into hell,

It is the beauty of the Brahmana to adore the lord at least thrice a day and consume the water of his feet and naivedya which are more important than nectar.

О king, in case a Brahmana consumes food without first offering it to the lord it becomes like refuse and the water is turned into urine and the same Brahmana in turn is born as a pig.

Even if the Brahmanas consume food throughout the year but on Ekadashi day they should not take food. Similarly, on the birthday of Krishna, on Shivaratri day, they should not consume anything. 

Similarly, on the day of Ramanavami they are prohibited from taking food. О king, this has been prescribed by Brahma for the Brahmanas. 

Similarly, the biggest dharma for the chaste woman is to serve her husband. It is the dharma of the women to look at other men like their own sons. 

The kings treat the people like the sons who are born of their own wives and treat the women of the people of the kingdom as their mothers. 

They perform yajna, adore lord Vishnu and the Brahmanas and also govern the wicked people and the noble people are also well looked after by them. This is the dharma for Kshatriyas which has been prescribed by Brahma in the earlier times. The Vaishyas have to manage the business which is their dharma. 

The dharma of Shudras is to serve the Brahmanas. О king, the dharma of the ascetics or mendicants is to disown everything. They are required to be clad in red garment holding a danda and earthen kamandalu. They have to keep the feeling of the quality for all devoting their mind always at the feet of lord Narayana. They roam about always and do not stay in the house of anyone and do not part with the mantras for the sake of greed.

The Bhikshus do not build their dwelling places and are relieved of all the desires and do not accompany anyone. Getting detached, they always avoid the company of others. 

They do not eat tasty food because of greed, do not look at women, never beg for eatables from a householder and always conduct themselves as those performing vratas. 

This is the dharma prescribed for the mendicants by Brahma. О son, I have thus told you everything; now you can move with pleasure. Thus, speaking the chief queen of Indra kept quiet. Thereafter king Nahusa turned his face towards her and said. 

Nahusa Said- О goddess, whatever you have spoken is just the reverse. Now I will tell you the real dharma prescribed in the Vedas, which you please hear from me. 

О damsel, all the people don't have to reap their deeds in heaven or earth or Patala or islands. This has been ordained in the Vedas. Only the good or bad deeds performed in the auspicious land of Bharata have to reap the reward in other worlds. Because the one who performs the action has a binding for the same, he cannot remain without facing the reward for the same. 

The area between the Himalaya and the ocean is known to be Bharatavarsa which is the best of all the regions and is the land of tapas for the mendicants. 

After being born on the auspicious land of Bharata, the Jiva is influenced by the illusion of lord Vishnu and instead of serving the lord, he indulges himself all the worldly pleasures.

But an auspicious soul earning great merit proceeds to heaven where it enjoys the company of various girls. 

О beautiful one, the human being after his death arrives in heaven but look at my merit, I have arrived here with my human body. 

One achieves heaven with the performing of good deeds for many births but I know not as a result of which a real merit I have been able to meet you today and I am talking to you here. 

This heaven is not a land for performing deeds. This is a place for enjoying pleasure and of all the pleasures, to keep the company of the beautiful damsels happens to be the best. At the place which is meant for enjoying pleasures, it would not be proper to neglect the same at that place. You will be the one who would be attracted towards the feelings of passion and are to be used by the passionate people. 

Only a fool disowns something which is meant for pleasure, in the absence of the lord. The one who disowns the pleasure which can be achieved without any obstruction would be treated as an animal. There is no doubt about it. Therefore, О damsel, you come to my house and reaching there, adorn my beautiful bed which is quite charming, is placed in seclusion and is the best for the performance of the love-sport,

O passionate damsel, you be firm in your mind and take a decision. О beautiful faced one, you enjoy pleasure with me in the best of the palaces. 

I shall beg for the garment of gems which adorn the breasts of goddess Lakshmi and offer the same to you.

O beautiful one, the precious gem which illumines the hood of lord Ananta, can be snatched away by me which is difficult to get in the three worlds and shall be brought by me and presented to you. I shall snatch away the kaustubha gem adorning the chest of Narayana and give it to you. I shall get for you the crescent adorning the head of Shiva which destroys old age, death and ailments, besides being quite competent, quite playful and inaccessible in the universe. I shall surely get it for you after performing tapas. О dear one, I shall get the precious gems from Surya after adoring him with devotion which is difficult to get in the three worlds and bestows gold eight times a day and is beyond old age, death and makes one enjoy the best of love-sport.

The vase of gem of the god of love which always remains filled with honey and represents the precious gems, shall surely be brought and presented to you.

О beautiful one, I shall get you the invaluable gem-studded lotus seat of Lakshmi which illumines like the sun rays and which is painted variously and was built at the command of the lord, is spotless, circular, inlaid with lines of diamonds, is spread over an area of a lakh of hands, square in shape and is best of all, loved by Lakshmi, the most difficult to get. The same will be presented by me to you.

Thus speaking, Nahusa stood there obstructing the forward movement of Sachi and started falling on her feet again and again. 

Listening to the words of Nahusa, the throat, lips and palate of Sachi dried up but remembering in her mind the lord and the teacher, she said to him.

Sachi thought in her mind- This foolish fellow getting passionate has lost his senses and has become unmindful of good and bad deeds. For how long shall I have to listen to further?

The one who is intoxicated with honey or drinks, getting infatuated with passion, unconscious and the one who is over-powered with voluptuous ideas, does not care for his death.

Thus, thinking in her mind, she spoke to the king, "O intoxicated one, I am like your mother and am in period, therefore you leave me. О king this is the first day of my menses and as such a woman in such a condition is treated as a Chandala. On the second day she is treated like a mleccha woman and on the third day like a washer woman and only with fourth day she becomes fit for her husband and not for the performing of the adoration of gods or the manes. But even on that day she remains like an unclean Shudra woman. 

Therefore, the person who cohabits with a woman in period on the first day, he earns one fourth sin of Brahmahatya. There is no doubt about it.

Such a person becomes unfit for performing the adoration of the gods and the manes and becomes entitled to the denouncement and earns a bad name. On the second day of the menses of a woman, who enjoys her company he surely earns the sin of Gohatya, he becomes unfit for adoring the Brahmana, the manes and the gods for the whole life. He earns bad name and in human indignities, this has been ordained by Bruhaspati. 

The one who enjoys the company of a damsel on the third day of the menstruation he earns the sin of killing foetus; there is no doubt about it.

Having so fallen like the earlier cases he also becomes unfit to performing the auspicious deeds. The intelligent person should not cohabit with a woman who is considered to be an untouchable even on the fourth day of menstruation. О foolish one, even if you intend to enjoy my company who is like your mother, then you can do so only after the period of menstruation. On hearing the words of chaste Sachi Nahusa laughed and with peaceful and sweet words he spoke to her. The wife of a god is always pure but for a human being it is not so. 

At time of sleeping as well as taking food, for a human being the wife of god can never be impure. О beautiful one, the sin you have highlighted about cohabiting with a woman in menstruation is applicable only into the sacred land of Bharata and not to heaven. The results of the good or bad deeds performed in the auspicious land of Bharata getting illumined with the lustre of Brahma are not applicable to the Vaishnavas because as the blade of grass is reduced to ashes in the flaming fire, so all sins are reduced to ashes, with a Vaishnava. This is because the Vaishnavas are more illustrious as compared to Agni, Surya and the Brahmanas.

They are quite independent, because they are protected by the Sudarshana-chakra of Vishnu as was done in the case of the intoxicated elephant. The Vaishnavas do not have to reap the reward of their actions nor do they have to think of any actions.

All these things are enshrined in the kauthumi-shakha of Samaveda. You can consult your teacher Bruhaspati in this regard. We are the Vaishnavas of the lunar race and are well-known the world over. 

The kshatriyas of the lunar race except the lord do not adore any other gods and goddesses. Having been born in the high Brahmana or Kshatriyas race, the people having been deprived of the illusion of Vishnu, do not receive Vishnu mantra. But for me there is neither any mantra nor a god. Even Yama cannot exercise his control on me.

I myself alone, except Brahma, Vishnu and Shiva can govern the universe. Therefore, reaching your home, you adorn the bed. I shall reach there in no time. 

"О beautiful one, I shall earn the sin of cohabiting with a woman in period. You don’t have to lose anything. Therefore, you go home." Thus, speaking and with a delightful mind king Nahusa mounted on a gem-studded vehicle, proceeded to Nandana-vana and Sachi instead of. going to her place, went to her teacher. 

Reaching there she found Bruhaspati seated on the seat of kusha-grass and Tara was serving at his lotus-like feet. He was illumining with the divine lustre. Tara holding a rosary in her hand was reciting the name of lord Krishna who is the supreme lord, all blissful, the soul of all, the great lord, without qualities, unattached, beyond Prakruti, moves at will, eternal Parabrahma, bestower of grace on his devotees and takes to human form for their sake. 

She then looked at her teacher whose eyes were filled with blissful tears. Sachi found the teacher getting drowned in the ocean of devotion. She bowed before him placing her head on the ground. Sachi was drowning in the ocean of grief and feeling painful at heart, getting terrified, she started praising, the teacher who was all merciful and was engrossed in the adoration of Brahman. 

Sachi said- О virtuous one, you are free from fear, you save your slave who is terrified and drowned in the ocean of grief and has arrived to take refuse with you, you save her. You are an all competent one. 

You are competent to control the lord or the demon, the valorous or the weak, you are competent enough to control the wife and the sons of your pupils. 

Your pupil Indra has been deprived of his kingdom because of the sin committed by him; therefore, you be merciful now. 

O ocean of mercy, I am helpless and an orphan, you take care of the city of Amaravati which is devoid of the gods, the riches, besides my abode. 

I am presently being terrified by the robbers. You kindly protect me and bring back Indra who happens to be your slave and grace him with the dust of your feet and pronounce your blessings on him.

Of all the teachers, the father happens to be the greatest of teachers, but the mother is hundred times more adorable as a teacher than the father who is all glorious, the teacher who bestows knowledge on someone is hundred times greater than the mother, the bestower of the mantras, the knowledge and the devotion of the gods, is more adorable than anyone else. The teacher with the reciting of the mantras makes them enter into the ears of the pupil which earns him the title of Guru. The other gurus are also adorable, while some of the teachers are only imaginary.

I adore the teacher who has removed the darkness of ignorance from the eyes of his pupil, who has applied the collyrium of his knowledge in the eyes of his pupils. I bow in reverence to the greatness of such a teacher. The one who has not received Diksha there does not seem to be any rescue for him. He is unfit for all the deeds; such an animal only falls into hell.

The father who gives birth, the giver of food and the teacher of other kinds do not help in crossing the ocean of the universe on the teacher who bestows knowledge, mantra or education, can help one in crossing the ocean of the universe. The pupils are surely redeemed by them. He is like the lord and the lord is even greater than him. 

Similarly, Vishnu is the teacher, Brahma is the teacher, Maheshvara is the teacher, Dharma is the teacher, Sesha is the teacher and the form of all the teacher, is without qualities. He is the refuge of all the holy places, the refuge of all the gods and is the form of all the Vedas, therefore they like the lord himself. 

When the family god is annoyed, it is only the teacher who can save one from his wrath, but when the teacher is annoys the family gods cannot protect the person. The one who annoys all the planets, the gods and the Brahmanas, the teacher also gets annoyed on them. And the teacher himself is a god.

No one is dearer on earth as compared to guru, neither the son, nor the riches or the wife.

Dharma is also not dearer than the teacher, neither tapas nor Satya and there is no other merit greater than the teacher.

There is no better ruler than the teacher, no better well-wisher than the teacher. For the teacher is always the god, the king and the ruler. The one who gives away food enjoys himself till such time as he provides the food, but a teacher rules on his people during many births.

Like the husband, the mantra and knowledge, the teacher also is achieved by the performing of the good deeds of earlier births. Having been bound with the fetters of the Karma the teachers are placed in the highest position in every birth. 

The father gives birth during this birth only and he is adored in the same births as a teacher also, the mothers as the teacher is also be considered like that but the teacher is adorable in all the births. 

O Brahman, you are the best of the Brahmanas, the most illustrious one among the ascetics, the one completely devoted to Brahma, possessing knowledge of Brahma, the best of all the religious people. 

Therefore, О best of the sages, you be pleased with me and Indra presently because if you are pleased with me all the gods will be pleased.

О Brahman, thus speaking Sachi again started crying aloud. On finding her crying Tara too followed her. 

Thereafter, Tara falling at the feet of the teacher started crying and said, "You kindly forgive the sin". Thereafter the teacher was pleased and said to them. 

The teacher said- О Tara you get up, Sachi will surely meet with welfare. With my blessing she would surely achieve Indra. 

О Narada, thus speaking the teacher kept quiet but Tara again fell on his feet and started crying. Thereafter, Tara embracing Sachi, imparted her various types of divine knowledge. The one who recites the Guru-stotra composed by Sachi regularly at the time of adoration, all his teachers get pleased with him in every birth. 

The planets, the gods and Brahmanas always remain pleased with him. He always pleases his relatives and kings. He surely achieves the devotion of the teacher and Vishnu obtaining all success; he is always delightful and is deprived of grief.

The one desirous of getting a son, gets a son; the one desirous of getting a wife, gets a beautiful, virtuous, chaste wife who bears his sons. The one suffering from ailment is relieved of the same and the person in fetters is freed from them. The person having no glory becomes glorious and a foolish person becomes an intellectual.

He never has to suffer from the separation of his relatives, this is certain. There is always an increase of dharma and he always enjoys spotless glory. He achieves all the fortunes including sons and grandsons, enjoying all the pleasures in this world; he ultimately achieves the place of the lord. 

Achieving the slave hood of lord Hari there, he is never reborn and he is always influenced by the devotion of lord Hari. He always consumes the nectar of the devotion of the lord Vishnu getting peaceful and becoming free from birth, death, old age, ailment, grief and mental agony.