17 - Forms of Bharati in different births

Garuda said:

1-2. You have said, O lord, that Bharati, Shachi, etc., had the self-same bodies in all their four births. O cherisher of good vows, please tell me the reason thereof. Asked by Garuda thus, lord Krishna, the destroyer of asura Madhu, answered him thus.

Lord Krishna said: 

3. O lord of birds, O noble one, I shall tell you the reason thereof. Please listen. 

4-5. O lord of birds, in the Kruta age, formerly, Parvati the mistress of Rudra, Shachi, the mistress of Indra, Shyamala, the mistress of Yama, Usha, the mistress of Ashvins, went to the region of Brahma. 

6. In the presence of Brahma, they displayed their amorous feelings. O best of birds, on seeing that they were excited by love, Brahma cursed all the four. 

7. “Since you are excited by love, you will be born as mortals and will marry the mortals." 

8-9. After they were cursed by Brahma they came to the mountain Meru¹ where they saw Brahma again. They practised deception on Brahma while the latter stood silent. They deceived him thrice.

1. Meru--a mountain round which all the planets are said to revolve; it is also said to consist of gold and gems. The Sun and Moon go round this mountain, every day.

10-11. When lord Brahma had been deceived again, he cursed the ladies in the following way. 

Since you have practised deception on me four times, you will have four births in human form. 

In the first birth, you will be born as normal human beings. 

12. In the second birth, you will be born as human beings but turn unchaste. In the third birth you will be born as human beings and married to men with whom you will remain for life.

13. In the fourth birth, as in the first, you will not turn unchaste and you will not be separated from your husbands. 

14. Thus cursed by Brahma, the four ladies discussed the matter among themselves on the peak of Meru. They said: 

15. "The curse of Brahma cannot be nullified, though we make hundreds of attempts. Association of the divine with the human is not commendable. It brings misfortune. 

16-17. Association with the noble brings wealth and prosperity. Of all the gods, Vayu is the best. We can associate with him in human form without degrading ourselves. 

With this unanimous decision they began to worship Bharati. 

Pleased with their worship, at the end of one thousand years, Bharati said. 

18. “O ladies of good vow, wherefore do you worship me?" Being devoted to her, they expressed their woes thus. 

19-20. “O madam, Brahma has, in fury, cursed us thus “In the first birth, you will be born as human beings, in the second too as such, but will turn unchaste. In the third, you will marry and live with your mates for life. In the fourth, as in the first, you will not turn unchaste.” 

21. Now, that we shall be united with human beings we shall not incur the sin of unchastity if we unite ourselves with Vayu. O Bharati, we desire to be identical with you in these births. 

22. Thus urged by the ladies, O best of birds, Bharati agreed to their request and descended to the earth together with those ladies. 

23. She was born to a Brahmin named Shiva. She practised penance for the fulfilment of her object. 

24-25. The great lord Vishnu named Shiva was pleased with her penance and conferred a boon to all those women. O ladies, you will enjoy in the company of a suitable person in the form of Krishna even without having an intercourse. 

26. Since urged by Parvati you have displayed amours to lord Brahma, Parvati will be considered to be the best amongst you all. 

27. Even though she remains in the company of lord Krishna, she will not be sexually united with him. 

In the second birth, you will be stained with a scandal for having illicit intercourse with a person other than your husband. 

28. Thus, lord Hari, stationed in the heart of Rudra, conferred boon to the ladies and disappeared. 

29. When the lord had left for his celestial abode, the ladies gave up their physical bodies and were born as daughters to king Nala and were named Indrasena and others. 

30. They went to forest (for living an ascetic's life) but fell in love with Sage Mudgala at first sight. 

31. At the same time, Vayu intervened and overpowered Mudgala. Vayu copulated with Bharati and her companions. 

32. When Bharati left her present body she was born as Draupadi. She was so called as she was the daughter of Drupada. 

33. Since she was born of sacrifice she was known as one not born of a womb. As she was dark-complexioned she was known as Krishna. 

34. While she lived as Krishna she had the recollection that she was in fact Bharati. Shachi and others too recollected their original Self but only sometimes. 

35. Bharati alone had the memory of her previous life during the intercourse, not others. 

36. When Parvati indulged in intercourse with her husband she had no such idea. She thought she was indulging in love-sport in a dream. 

37-38. When Draupadi copulated with Arjuna, she felt she was Bharati. Shachi, Uma and Shyamala thought they were sporting in dream. 

39-40. In fact, Vayu had entered into the bodies of Arjuna, Yudhishthira, Nakula and Sahadeva. When the latter were copulating with Bharati, Syamala, Usha and Draupadi, it was Vayu who in fact had the intercourse. 

41-42. In the form of Draupadi, Shachi and the rest had their intercourse with Vayu in the body of Arjuna and others, hence, their union with Arjuna and others was not illegal. 

43. Similarly, Bharati had no intercourse with Yudhishthira, Arjuna and others, since they could not copulate with a mortal.

44-46. As they have realized Self, even if they transgress norms they cannot invite scandal. 

O lord of birds, once upon a time, Dharma and Vayu copulated with Krishna jointly. Even then Krishna cannot be accused of unchastity. 

47. The gods know some peculiar ways of copulation, of which the mortals are quite ignorant. 

48. It is the swan alone who can distinguish water from the milk. 

49. When Bharati, etc. in the form of Draupadi are copulating, their male partners are divine beings, not human ones. Hence, their copulation with human beings such as Arjuna is not untenable.