6 - The origin and activities of Alakshmi

The sage s said:

1-7. O Lomaharshana, the Maya of the intelligent Vishnu, the lord of Devas has been listened to. How did Jyeshtha (deity of Misfortune) originate from Vishnu the lord of Devas. It behoves you to recount it to us factually.

Suta said:

In order to delude the universe, the glorious lord Vshnu who has neither beginning nor end and who is the lord of the universe, created this twofold aspect in the universe. Vishnu created one set consisting of brahmins, Vedas, Vedic virtues and Padma — Shri. The lord of great refulgence made another set consisting of Jyeshtha, Alakshmi, the base men excluded from the Vedic sphere as well as sin. It was after creating Alakshmi at the outset that Vishnu created Padma afterwards. Therefore, Alakshmi is Jyeshtha elder), O excellent brahmins. At the outcome of nectar after the terribly potent poison, the inauspicious Jyeshtha was born. So it is heard. Thereafter Shri — Padma was born who later become Vishnu’s wife.

8-14. A brahminical sage Duhsaha married the inauspicious Jyeshtha after seeing her fully stabilised mentally. Accompanied by her the delighted sage wandered all round the world. O brahmins, wherever there was a loud chanting sound of the names of Vishu and Shiva the great Atman, wherever there was a loud sound of the Vedic mantras, wherever these was the column of smoke rising from sacrifices and wherever there were people with their limbs smeared with Bhasman, the deity of mistortune was extremely frightened. She used to close her ears and run about here and there. On seeing Jyeshtha behaving thus, sage Duhsaha became confused and bewildered. Accompanied by her he went to the forest. In the terrible forest he performed a great penance. Saying “I will not perform the penance’ the girl Jyeshtha roamed about from house to house. The pious sage, the leading yogin, devoted to the practice of yoga and perfect wisdom saw the noble Markandeya coming there. ³⁶ Bowing down to the great sage, Duhsaha said:

36. tatra — mohakale ST. when he was in delusion.

15-18, O saintly lord! this wife of mine will not stand me by any means. O brahminical sage, what shall I do with this wife? Where shall I enter and where shall I not enter?

Markandeya said:

O Duhsaha listen; this inauspicions lady is called every- where thus — Akirti (Ill-repute), Alakshmi (misfortune), Atula (unbalanced, incomparable) and Jyeshtha (the eldest). By no means enter those places where noble souls, devoted to Vishnu, following the Vedic path, as well as the devotees of Rudra who have dusted and smeared their bodies with Bhasman are present always.

19-23. By no means enter the precincts of the parks, cowpens, wealth and abodes of those delighted Brahmins, Kshatriyas, Vaishyas and Shudras who repeat the names and prayers of the lord as follows: — O Narayana, O Hrushikesha, O Pundarikaksha, O Madhava, O Achyuta, O Ananta, O Govinda, O Vasudeva, O Janardana, O Rudra, O Rudra, obeisance, obeisance to Shiva; obeisance for ever to Shankara the extremely auspicious one; O Mahadeva, obeisance to the consort of Uma, to the lord of gold; obeisance to you with golden arms; obeisance to the bull-emblemed lord; O Nrusimha, O Vamana, O incomprehensible one, O Madhava.

24. Vishnu’s discus which is very terrible with clusters of flames and which resembles a thousand suns dispels their inauspiciousness for ever.

25-26. Avoid that house wherein there is Svahakara³⁷ and Vasatkara ³⁸ and go elsewhere. Eschew from a distance the places where there is a loud chanting of the Saman hymns and where people engrossed in repeating the Vedic hymns, devoted to their daily rituals and engaged in worshipping Vasudeva are ever present.

37. svahakara — an exclamation used in offering oblations to the. gods (with dat.); “Indraya svaha, Agnaye svaha.”

38. Vashatkara— an exclamation used in offering oblations to the gods, (with dat. of the deity); Indraya vashat, Agnaye vashay.

27-30. Avoid the houses where the holy rite of Agnihotra is performed, where the Linga is worshipped and where the idols of Vasudeva and Chandika are present. Avoid persons devoid of all sins and move away from them. Avoid persons who worship Maheshvara by means of Nitya ³⁹ (obligatory) and Naimittika ⁴⁰ (conditional) yajnas, O Duhsaha and go else where along with this lady; you must eschew those persons by whom brahmins well-versed in Shrutis, cows, preceptors, guests and the devotees of Rudra are always worshipped.

39-40. nitya-naimittika— obligatory and casual (sacrificial rites).

Duhsaha said:

O excellent sage, mention to me those places where I can enter without fear at your instance.

Markandeya said:

31-37. Devoid of fear and accompanied by your wife you shall enter the house where husband and wife are at logger heads and where brahmins well-versed in the Vedic lore as well as cows, preceptors and guests are never present. Without the least tinge of fear enter that place where Rudra the lord of Devas, Mahadeva the lord of the three worlds is despised. O dear one, accompanied by your wife, enter the houses of the following: — Where there is no devotion to Vasudeva; where Sadashiva is not present; Japa, Homa, etc. are not performed; Bhasman is not kept in the house; where there is no worship of Rudra on ceremonious occasions and particularly on Chaturdashi (fourteenth) and Ashtami (eighth) days of the dark halves; where people are devoid of Bhasman during the Sandhyas (at dawn and dusk); where they do not worship Mahadeva on Chaturdashi (fourteenth) days; where they are devoid of the names of Vishnu; where they associate with wicked men. Accompanied by your wife you shall enter the houses of even those brahmins who are deluded and wicked and who do not repeat thus — “Obeisance to Krishna, to Shiva, to Sharva, to Parameshthin”.

38. Accompanied by your wife you shall enter those places where there is no loud chanting of the Vedic mantras, where there is no worship of preceptors and where the people are devoid of rites relating to their ancestors.

39. Devoid of fear and accompanied by this lady, always enter the house where every night there is mutual quarrel among the inmates.

40. Fearlessly enter that place where there is no worship of Linga, where men do not perform japa and where devotion to Rudra is censured.

41. In the company of your wife enter that house where there is no guest well- versed in the Vedic lore, where there is no preceptor and where there is no Vaishnava nor cows present.

42. With your wife, you delightedly enter that place where people eat foodstuffs without giving anything to children who keep on watching thfc same.

43. Always enter that place where people do not worship Mahadeva or Vasudeva nor perform sacrifices duly.

44. Enter that house or realm where people are engaged in sinful activities, are deluded, have no mutual mercy and remain lethargic.

45. Approach that house where the housewife never keeps secret ⁴¹ and destroys domestic felicity and is never worthy of praise. Always stay there with a delighted mind.

41. prakaragaravidhvamsa — or one who does not preserve the sanctity of the house, i.e, one who wanders at will, a characterless woman.

46-51. Accompanied by your wife enter that place where there are thorny trees, where there is the winding creeper of Nishpava ⁴² and where there is Brahmavrusha. ⁴² If the following trees grow in the houses enter them accompanied by your wife Agastya ⁴⁴ tree, Arka⁴⁵ plant, Bandhujiva,⁴⁶ Karavira⁴⁷ in particular, Nandyavarta⁴⁸, Mallika,⁴⁹ the creeping plant Kanya ^49a rohi⁵⁰ Jati, ⁵¹ the black ⁵² plantain⁵³ trees, Tala,⁵⁴ Tamala,⁵⁵ Bhalata,⁵⁶ Tintidikhanda,⁵⁷ Kadamba,⁵⁸ Khadira,⁵⁹ Nyagrodha,⁶⁰ Ashvattha,⁶¹ Chuta,⁶² Udumbara⁶³ and Panasa.⁶⁴ If there is a Nimba⁶⁵ tree in any park or house housing crows, enter that in the company of your wife. If there is a Dandini⁶⁶ or a Mundini^66a enter that place along with your wife.

42. Nishpava-vallari — known as Pavata ST,

43. Brahma-vruksha — palasha. Butea Frondosa.

44. Agastya — Agasti Grandiflora.

45. Arka— Calotropis Gigantea, the larger leaves are used for sacrificial ceremonies.

46. Bandhujiva — known as putrajiva.

47. Karavira — Oleander, a species of soma.

48. Nandyavarta — known as Tagara.

49. Malliki— Jasminum zambac.

49a. Kanyi — known as Aparajita; Valli known as Ajamoda. ST. takes these as two different herbs.

50. Drohi— a specie of Neema tree.

51. Jati— known as Jatamamsi.

32. Bahula — the Indigo plant.

53. Kadali — the plantain tree.

54. Tala — the palmyra Palm, the mod. Tal. Fans are made from its large fan-like leaves.

55. Tamala — It grows in the mountainous districts in India.

56. Bhallata or Bhallataka — the nut tree. Beng. Bhel. It grows in the mountainous parts of India, with large particles of small greenish yellow flowers.

57. Tintidi — the Tamarind tree.

58. Kadamba— a tree having orange-coloured fragrant blossoms. Nauclea Chadamba.

59. Khadira— Achachia Chatechu, mod. Khair or Khayar.

60. Nyagrodha— the Baniyan Ficus Indica. It belongs to the Kshira-Vrukshas. Its fibres descend from its branches to the earth and there take rool and form new stems.

61.Aivattha — the holy fig tree, Ficus, Religiosa.

6a. Chuta— the mango tree.

63. Udumbara — the tree Ficus Glomerata.

64. Panasa — the jack tree, mod. Kanthal.

65. Nimba— the Neemb tree. Azadirachta Indica (its fruit is very bitter in taste).

66-66a. dandini mundini— this is not dear. It may refer to an image of staff-banded and bald Shiva considered to be inauspidous.

52-56. Accompanied by your wife enter that house where there is a single maid-servant, three cows, five buffaloes, six horses or seven elephants. With your wife enter the house of that person whose household deity is Kali, Dakini, ⁶⁷ of the form of a ghost ⁶⁸ or Kshetrapala (guardian of the holy centre). Freely enter the house wherein there is the idol of a Buddhist mendicant⁶⁹ (a buddhist anchorite)⁷⁰ or the statue of Buddha.⁷¹ That house where the tongues of the inmates do not utter the name of Vishnu when going to bed, or taking up a seat, or moving about in the course of their activities such as taking food etc., is indeed yours. Enter that house along with your wife.

67. dakini— an image of a female imp. attending Kali (feeding on human flesh).

68. pretarupa i.e. shakini- an image of a female attendant on Durga, supposed to be a demoness.

69. bhikshu bimbam— an image of a religious mendicant who subsists entirely on alms.

70. Kshapanakam (bimbam)— an image of a religious mendicant who wears no garment.

71. Bauddham bimb am – an image of Buddha.

57-61. Together with your wife enter that place where there are persons engaged in heretic activities, people excluded from the sacred rites laid down in the Vedas and Smrutis, persons devoid of devotion to Vishnu, persons who censure Mahadeva, atheists and knaves. Accompanied by your wife enter the abode of the persons who do not believe in the superiority of the Pinaka-bearihg lord and who remember him only as an ordinary deity. It is only the wicked who do not say that Brahma, Vishnu and Indra the ruler of Devas are all born by the grace of Rudra. Foolish persons of confounded mind would say that the glow-worm and the sun are on a par. They would say that Brahma, Vishnu and Indra are equal to lord Shiva. Even if their houses are full and flourishing, enter them without fear and enjoy yourself along with this lady.

62-65. Enter the abode of those stupid persons of deluded minds who eat cooked rice by themselves and who are devoid of ablution and other auspicious rites. Enter their houses. Enter the abode of that woman who falls off from the ideal of cleanliness, who is devoid of purificatory rites of the body and who is continuously engaged in eating all kinds of foodstuff. Enter the houses of men who have dirty faces, who wear dirty clothes; whose teeth are full of dirt though they are householders; who do not wash their feet; who lie down and who take their food at dusk.

66b-68. Enter the abodes of men who are engaged in gluttony; who are addicted to too much of drinking; who are foolishly engrossed in gambling and arguing. Enter the houses of those who misappropriate the wealth of brahmins; who perform sacrifices on behalf of undeserving persons; who partake of the cooked rice served by Shudras; who are addicted to drinking; who are sinners and who relish flesh-eating and who are enamoured of other men’s wives.

69b-75. Enter the houses of those who indulge in sexual intercourse by day; who are not engaged in worship on festival days and who enjoy sexual union at dusk. In the company of your wife, enter the houses of those who cohabit through the anus like a dog or other animals or those who indulge in sexual intercourse under water. Enter the houses of those who carnally approach a woman in her menses, or a Chandala woman or a virgin. Enter the houses of those who indulge in sexual intercourse in a cowpen. Of what use is much talk? Enter the houses of those who are excluded from their daily duties or those who are bereft of devotion to Rudra. Along with your wife enter the houses of those who smear their penis with powdered horns,⁷² petty or divine medicinal herbs and then cohabit with women causing the heat of the vaginal passage.

72. shrungaih — krutrima-pumshchihnaih ST, artificial male organs.

Suta said:

After saying this, the glorious brahmin sage resembling Brahma wiped his eyes and vanished there itself. Duhsaha also went to the above-mentioned places.

76. In the company of his wife the leading sage went particularly to the abodes of those engaged in despising Vishnu, the lord of Devas. This is the deity remembered as Jyeshtha.

77-78. Once Duhsaha said to her thus: — ‘‘You stay here in this hermitage on the banks of the lake. I will be entering the Nether worlds. After finding out a spot for our residence I will return to you again.” On being told thus, she said:

79-81. “O blessed one, what shall I eat? Who will give oblation unto me?” On being asked thus the sage said: “Do not enter the houses of those women who worship you with oblations, flowers and incense.”

After saying this, he entered the nether worlds through a crevasse. Even now the sage remains submerged under the watery bed. The deity of inauspiciousness remains outside villages and mountains perpetually.

82. Casually, Vishnu, the lord of the chiefs of Devas, the overlord of the three worlds, was seen by her along with Lakshmi. Alakshmi said to Janardana:

83. “O lord of long brawny arms, my husband has gone unto the crevasse after abandoning me. O lord of the universe, I am devoid of a leader and support. Give unto me the means of sustenance. Obeisance be to thee.”

Sut a said:

84. Lord Vishnu, the lord of Devas, the husband of Lakshmi, the slayer of Madhu, laughed and said to her.

Lord Vishnu said:

85-87. “Yours indeed is the wealth of those persons who censure Rudra the sinless deity, Sharva, Nilalohita, Shankara; Amba the daughter of the Himavan, the mother of all the worlds and my devotees. Even if my devotees censure Mahadeva and worship me they are stupid and unfortunate. Their wealth belongs to you. It is at his behest and due to his grace that Brahma and I exist.

88-92. Those who cause my enmity after despising my devotees are not my devotees even if they worship me. They are arrogant persons who seem to be my devotees. Yours indeed is their wealth, abode, field and meritorious deeds such as worship and digging wells and the like.”

Suta said:

After saying thus, Vishnu left Alakshmi and went away with Lakshmi. Lord Vishnu then performed the Japa of Rudra mantra for the sake of realizing the destruction of Alakshmi.

Hence, O leading sage, perpetual oblation shall definitely be offered to her by the devotees of Vishnu by all means. O brahmins, she should always be worshipped by women by means of oblations of different kinds.

He who reads, listens to or recounts this narrative of Alakshmi to excellent brahmins, will become sinless and fortunate. He is sure to attain salvation.