81 - The Abduction of Tara

Sri Krishna said- In the meantime Shukra witnessed Devasena (army of gods) who was moving through the sky, wearing a coat of arms. 

In the army there were three crores of flags, hundred crores of great chariots, hundred crores of elephants and four times more chariots, four times the terrific horses and six times more of the number of horses were the foot soldiers. 

There were five lakhs of trumpets besides other musical instruments, three lakhs of drums and two lakhs of small drums. 

Mahendra mounted on the Airavata, Dharma on the white horse. Kubera, Varuna, Agni and the wind god mounted on chariots. The god of death mounted on a buffalo, Surya mounted on a chariot, Shiva mounted on a bull and Ananta mounted on a serpent. The Adityas, Vasus, Rudras, Siddhas, Gandharvas, Kinnaras and the sages having the lustre of the sun were also moving.

О lord of Vraja, looking at the army of gods, Shukra remained unmoved and assuring the moon, he summoned double the army. The army of the demons was lodged on the shore of the ocean of milk, the banks of Ratnamala river and the ashrama of Agnipriya. 

In the meantime, Shukra the spotted Shiva who had arrived there with the army of gods, camping near the bank of the pool under the eternal banyan tree. He mounted on a bull, bestowed welfare and was holding the trident and pattisa as weapons. He was clad in tiger skin, possessed great lustre and had taken to human form to grace his devotees. He was bestower of all the riches, all knowledgeable, the cause of all, the lord of all adorable by all, the eternal one, always anxious to help the grief-stricken people who come to take refuge with him, wearing a serene smile on the face and was illumining with the eternal lustre. Shukra became upset, got up at once, went to him and bowed at his feet.

Getting extremely pleased lord Shiva who is beyond everything pronounced a blessing on him. Thereafter, Shukra made him sit on the gem studded lion throne. О Brahmana, in the meantime Shukra spotted Brahma also who was peaceful, the creator of the universe and was mounted on a beautiful chariot of gems, clad in divine garments sanctified by fire, adorned with the rosary of crystal beads, having a delightful face, wearing a smile on the face. He was the supreme lord of the spotless universe, granter of boons, tapas for the ascetics, the creator of the Vedas, the source of the Vedas and was quite charming to look at. 

In the meantime, Shukra who was panic-stricken offered his salutation to him with folded hands and offered him a gem-studded lion throne as a seat with great devotion. Shukra adored both the gods, devoting the mind at the lotus-like feet. Being the form of welfare, he did not think it proper to enquire about their welfare. Thereafter Brahma, the creator of the universe, with the permission of Shiva spoke to Shukracharya the words which were quite appropriate.

Brahma said- О son Shukra, listen to me, I am going to tell you the misdeed of the moon which is disgraceful in all the three worlds and is against the Vedas. Chaste Tara, the wife of his teacher, was about to go back to her home when the moon forcibly took her and has now taken refuge with you. О son, you look here the army of the gods which has arrived here for the same purpose. Myself and Shiva have arrived here before you for the same purpose. 

Shiva said- О Brahmana, is case you are desirous of your welfare, you produce the moon here. I shall remove the head of that sinful person with the striking of this trident, otherwise in a moment I shall reduce the entire demon race to ashes. Because, О Brahmana, if I am enraged who can protect the demons, by using the Pashupata weapon and the weapon of wind, I shall playfully destroy all the enemies of gods. The sage Angira is born in my race and is the teacher of Durvasa. Because of the eternal relationship Bruhaspati happens to be the son of my teacher. The illustrious teacher can reduce the moon to ashes but since he happens to be quite a dear pupil of the teacher, the compassionate teacher has not done so. In the earlier times Bruhaspati had raped the wife of his elder brother Utathya getting infatuated with passion. Because of the curse of his brother his beloved also has been abducted. 

You hand over to the son of my teacher, his wife Tara and the one who has abducted her who is none else than the moon himself.

If a competent person does not protect the person who comes to take refuge with him then he has to fall in the hell for a period of the life of the fourteen Indras. Here, since the sinful person comes to take refuge with you, I don't have to think of anything else because if a sinner takes refuge with someone, the person who protects him also becomes a sinner. There is no doubt about it. 

O Brahmana, you take out the chaste Tara and the sinful moon who has cohabited with his own mother and hand over both of them to us. 

Shukra said- You are the lord of the gods, the demons and the entire universe and you rule over the same. Who else can rule over the gods and the demons? Therefore, by helping the gods why should you destroy the demons. You are the destroyer of the universe; then why should you display your prowess over the demons alone. 

You are the form of flames, with qualities, without qualities and the eternal Brahma. Because of the difference in gunas, you appear as Brahma, Vishnu and Shiva in three separate forms. О Lord, it is you alone who remain present at the gate of the king Bali, holding a gada in your hand. Both Indras and Bali have been bestowed with Rajalakshmi by you.

О lord, О Shiva, О Tara, you shed away the anger; what type of glory are you going to achieve by killing a Brahmana? I cannot hand over the moon to you till I am alive since he had taken refuge with me, becoming grief-stricken, shameful, down-trodden and sinful. Therefore, О Shiva, I take refuge under your lotus-like feet. О virtuous one, you now do whatever you think best. Not only I myself but the entire universe is ruled by you. On hearing the words of Shukra, Shiva felt delighted and said, "Bring the moon, the lord of night here at once". On his arrival here, he would meet with welfare. 

O lord of Vraja, in the meantime, the lord Brahma made the poet Shukra to understand the reality. He brought Tara and the moon there and presented them at the lotus-like feet of Shiva. Shiva embraced lovingly the moon.

Then dropping the dust of his feet over the moon, he purified him completely. Thereafter the compassionate Shiva placed his hand on the head of the moon and freed him from danger. Thereafter, both Shiva and Brahma made the moon to have a bath in the ocean of milk, in repentance and made him sinless and pure. Thereafter Shiva the lord of the yogis, divided the moon into two parts. One part of the moon was placed by Shiva on his head. Therefore, since that time Shiva is known also by the name of Chandrashekhara and the part having the sign of the deer earned the blemish and started feeling shameful among the gods. 

Thereafter by yogic practices he ended his body which was thrown away by Brahma in the ocean of milk. Finding this, the sage Atri feeling compassionate started crying at the shore of the ocean of milk. О lord of Vraja, as soon as the tears of the sage Atri were dropped into the ocean of milk, the moon was relieved of all the sins. 

Thereafter both Shiva and Brahma crowned the moon and in the assembly of gods, lord Shiva spoke to the moon. 

Mahadeva said- О son, you go back to your home and enjoy all the worldly pleasures. Thereafter because of the curse of Tara you will have to suffer from the disease of consumption.

Who is competent enough to neutralise the curse of a chaste woman on earth? But because of my blessing the disease of consumption will also be removed. You have caused harm to the wife of your teacher on the fourth day of a Bhadrapada, therefore, with each yoga your sight would earn sin to the viewers. 

Because an evil deed cannot be destroyed even after the lapses of crores of kalpas without facing the reward for it. Therefore, the result of the good or evil deeds performed by anyone has to be faced. О son, even after the death, the deeds never vanish but after performing repentance, they surely get destroyed.

О son, because of the abduction of Tara by the moon, the blemish in the form of the deer would always remain present in the body of the moon. О chaste lady, you come here and listen to me. You tell me plainly by whom have you conceived. О dear one, get yourself relieved of it and purify yourself. In case an unwilling and chaste lady is forcibly raped by someone she never gets impure but in case she enjoys the company of others willingly, she has to fall in the hell and remain there till the life of the sun end the moon. 

Thereafter, Tara smilingly spoke to Brahma, I have conceived from the moon. On hearing this the gods, Shiva and sages started laughing.

О lord of Vraja, Bruhaspati was filled with shame and Brahma handed over Tara to him. The sage Bruhaspati took the chaste lady with him and went to his abode. Tara gave birth to a son at that very place who was quite beautiful, having the lustre of gold and quite illustrious. The moon owned him. Thereafter bowing in reverence to Shiva and Brahma, both of them went back to their respective places. Shukra also was delighted with ail the demons and went back to his abode. О Nanda, thus I have narrated to you this auspicious and pleasant story, which is quite graceful, bestows glory, increases age, bestowing all the riches, removes grief, increases pleasures and bestows all the welfare. Therefore, О lord of Vraja, disown all the grief and go back to your house and narrate all this that I have told you, to my mother Yashoda and all other cowherdesses. In spite of that you try to console all the cowherdesses who are plunged in grief and extend to them the divine knowledge which has been imparted by me to you.