7 - The statement of Brahma

Yama submitted:

1-2a. Dear grand-sire, in bowing down at the feet of the Veda, the benefit has been achieved by me. O Lord of the Universe, I shall not go again and join my duties while the king called Rukmangada is ruling over the world.

2b-3. O excellent one among the deities, if when the day of Hari arrives, you are able to shake him from his courageous resolve, I shall be your servant. O Lord, he is my great foe. My cloth (account of merits and sins) has been rubbed (and erased) by him.

4.By making him take his food 0n the day of Krishna (i.e. Ekadashi), I shall feel as if I have accomplished all my objects like a person who has offered balls of rice to the manes at Gaya.

5. From today onwards, those persons cannot be restrained by me-those persons by whom Hari, the Lord of the Devas, is remembered or eulogised or by whom the fast is under­ taken on his day.

6. Those   men who burst into ejaculation, even fraudulently, with the word ‘Hari’, are liberated from the path leading to the mother’s      womb. They arc clever people. They   do not enter the sphere of writing on my cloth (of virtue      and sins). They   are   worthy    of being bowed down to by the excellent groups of heaven-walkers (i.e. gods).

Sauti said:

7. In connection with the affair (problem) of the son of Vivasvan (i.e. Yama), the Kusha-emblemed god Brahma had a desire to do something in his honour. He therefore pondered thus.

8-9. The Lord, adorned by the Bhutas (living beings} pondered for a moment. The omnipresent Lord thereafter assumed a form that would terrify all living beings. He, there-after, procreated therein a young woman who fascinated the worlds. That gentle lady, mentally created by him, the most excellent of all beautiful women, appeared splendid.

10-11. Fully bedecked in all ornaments, she stood in front of him. On seeing her fully endowed with the wealth of beauty, he (Brahma) spoke to his own people who being deluded by lust for her, were ogling at her. Brahma closed his eyes for fear of committing a sinful offence.

12-13. He who looks with lustful eyes or thinks about with lascivious mind, at one’s own mother, or daughter, daughter-in-law or brother’s wife, preceptor’s wife or the king’s wife   falls into the terrible hell; by thinking about a Chandala woman also, the man falls into a hell.

14. The man who becomes perturbed on seeing these young women, loses all his merits acquired in the course of various births. His merits thus bccon1e futile but not otherwise.

15. If he indulges in sexual intercourse with them, ten thousand merits of his are wasted away. As the merit goes on diminishing he becomes more and more sinful and eventually he is born as a rock-rat.

16-1 7. Hence no intelligent man should think about them or see them with lustful eyes. Once the sons have attained their twelfth year, they must not stroke the feet of even their mother. The mother should not get herself applied with oil over her body by sons who have reached the age of youth then. A clever son may engage his mother whose age is more than sixty, in anointing his body with oil.

18. Whether an old man or a young man, no one shall ask his daughter-in-law to massage his feet. It is proclaimed that both of them will fall into the Raurava hell full of burning coal.

19-20. O king, the daughter-in-law who shows her uncovered limbs to her father-in-law shall be knocked and kicked and will be eaten by worms therein in the hell. The same goal awaits that sinful man who gets his feet cleaned by the hands of his daughter-in-law or makes her bathe him or smear oil over him. In the hel1, he shall be eaten by worms with needle like snouts and black faces, for a period of one full Kalpa.

21.Hence no man shall glance at other’s women, or one’s own daughter or daughter-in-law with lustful eyes and thoughts. Immediately the man falls or incurs sins.

22-23. It was because he thought over like this that he looked at her, with a subtle, penetrating view-point. It is nothing but a mere skeleton (lit. cage) of bones covered with flesh and skin that appears a face, lofty, circular and splendid. The shining eyes seen present in women comprise suet and flesh.

24. The extremely protruding mass of flesh has been piled up over the breasts. The three folds of skin on the upper part of the belly (which are regarded as a mask of beauty) show lesser (distribution of) flesh.

25. In the buttocks again, more flesh has been stacked. This is the pas age for urine. It is a private part, of which the three worlds are enamoured.

26. It is joined with the Apana wind (i.e. this wind functions there). It is always vile (with bad odour) and contemptible always. More flesh is heaped up than the swollen bellows in the part of the buttocks.

27. Just as a log of wood is sawn into two (half way through), so also is the region of shanks (thighs?). It (the body) is filled with semen, flesh, bone, fat and marrow. How can it be beautiful?

28. What is there by way of essence, in the body of men wherein the main constituents are flesh, fat and marrow? Tell me which man will be enamoured of the body, nourished and grown plump by means of faeces, urine and other dirts.

29. Virinchi (God Brahma) pondered thus, after seeing everything with his vision of knowledge. He took courage and spoke to that lady whose gait was like that of a female elephant.

30. “O fair-complexioned lady, since you have been created by me mentally you have become a lady of beautiful limbs, competent to madden the minds of men.”

31-33a. Then she bowed to the four faced God and said: “O Lord, see the entire universe consisting of the mobile and immobile beings deluded and falling unto senselessness. It includes even the Yogins who are totally sinless.  O lotus-born deity, keeping you in the beginning (inclusive of you), there is  no man in the three worlds who does not get agitated  and perturbed on seeing me.

33b-34. Boasting about oneself should not be indulged in by one who wishes for one’s own auspicious welfare. Even an extremely pure man falls into hell due to self-praise. Still, O Brahma, the glorification or self-praise must be stated         to achieve some special end.

35. O Brahma, indeed, it must be to make someone excited and perturbed that I have been created by you. O Lord of the Universe, command me.  Mention who he is. I shall definitely make him excited.

36-37. O Lord, on seeing me even a mountain becomes infatuated. What then of an ordinary man endowed with consciousness who inhales and exhales? The description of the powerful impact of a woman’s glance is described in the Purnas. It causes madness in men and is destructive of all holy vows and rites difficult to be observed.

38. Till then the man treads the path of the good, till then the man has perfect control over his sense organs, till then he retains his humility and sense of shame, till the shaft-like glances of dalliance-minded damsels pierce hi heart and destroy his fortitude. The shafts that are discharged f1om the well-drawn bow of the eye-brow, the eyes having blue lashes, reach up to the ears.¹

1.Just as an archer bends his bow stretching the bow-string up to his ear and discharges the arrow which pierces the heart of the enemy, the shaft-like glances are discharged from the bow-like bent eye-brows of women with blue eye-lashes-eyes which arc long up to the ears. Such longish eyes. were traditionally regarded beautiful.

39. Fie upon the poetry of that stupid   ill-informed poet   who equates   the   face of a lady to the moon. Is there any of      these in the moon-viz. the knitting of the eyebrow, the side­ glances expressing the wounding look, fury, pleasure and laughter?

40. O Lord, only when it is drunk does the spirituous liquor cause delusion in the mind of a clever man. But a youthful maiden excites delusion even when she is seen or remembered by a man. So she is more powerful than the spirituous liquor.

41. O great grand sire of the world I have been created by you for fascinating men. Command me. Who is it? I shall enchant even the three worlds.

Brahma said:

42. O Lady with thighs like the trunk of an elephant, O fortunate one with the gait like that of an elephant in rut, the truth has   been expressed by you. There is nothing that cannot be achieved by you in the three worlds.

43. O fair-complexioned lady, you are defiling even my mind also although I control and steady it by means of the goad of perfect knowledge.

44. Such being your charm how then will you not captivate the minds of people? O large-eyed lady, truly your beauty of form is seductive.

45. I find that the entire Universe including the immortal being, is motionless. O excellent-faced lady, achieve that for which you have been created.

46. O auspicious lady, on the earth, in the city of Vidhisha.¹ there is a king named Rukmangada whose wife Sandhyavali is comparable to you in beauty.²

1.A few yean back (under the British) it was called Bhilsa. Now its old name Vidisha has been adopted. In the NP. here and in the Devi Purana (Ch. 76) it is called Vidisha.

2. VV. 46-73 contain instructions and guidance given by god Brahma to Mohini how to make king Rukmangada break his Ekadashi Vrata and thereby make people go to the region of Yama. This plot in a nutshell is developed in details in subsequent chapters. The denouement is very interesting.

47. His son Dharmangada was born of her. The son surpasses the father. He is endowed with the strength of a hundred elephants. He is like the sun in exploits.

48-52. In forbearance he is equal to the Earth; in pro­fundity he is comparable to the ocean; like the fire, he shines with his brilliance, he is comparable to Vaivasvata Yama, God of Death in fury; he is like Bali in munificence; he is comparable to the wind god in mobility; in gentleness he is equal to the moon; he is as handsome as Manmatha the god of love; the prince is equal to Jiva (Bruhaspati) and Bhargava (Shukra) (preceptors of Devas and Daityas) in statesmanship. O fair-faced lady, the entire Jambudvipa alone is enjoyed by his father (Rukmangada). But     the   other Dvipas (continents) are conquered by Dharmangada. He has not yet known the thrill of a contact with a youthful maiden due to his bashfulness. Thousands of women come to him of their own accord but         they are avoided by him. He does not move astray from his pledged word.

53. O fortunate lady with sweet smiles, in his father’s house three hundred mothers look upon him equally without any difference in their affection,0 lady with gold-like complexion!

54. O woman of beautiful limbs! On the excellent mount Mandara, approach the King to whom Dharma is of prominent importance and who is adorned with the jewel of a son.

55. The king carried away to that place by his horse will stay there enamoured of your song, O woman of beautiful limbs, even leaving off his horse.

56-57. Climbing on to the top of the mountain he will come into contact with you. On meeting the king there, O gentle lady, you must say thus: - O king, undoubtedly, I will become your wife. But O lord, whatever I say must be definitely carried out by you.

58-62. Enamoured of your beauty the king will promise it to you. Thereupon, after a few days have elapsed you shall hold him by the right hand with imprecations. O woman of lovely eyebrows and charming limbs, when the king appears to be rapturously eager for cohabitation with you, you shall laughingly remind the      king of      his    earlier words: “O King, you have sworn that you will abide by  my word. Hence, O king, keep your promise. I think the time has now come for the same.” When this is said by you, the king will certainly say thus on account of the high value and importance of the promise. “There is no doubt about it, I shall keep it. Tell me what shall I give you?” When he replies thus, O auspicious fair-faced lady, Rukmangada, the king and father  of Dharmangada must be addressed thus by you.

 63-68a. “Never should the fast be   observed on the Ekadashi day of Hari. 0  my darling, your fast is hindrance to my sexual intercourse with you. He who does not attend to his own wife who is charming and who is endowed with youthful virility, he who expects another opportunity (i.e. he who postpones) is a man of wicked actions. Certainly, he goes to hell. Due to your fasting, I am abandoned by you for three nights. But actually I am incapable of staying even a moment without you. When the time of Shraddha has come and the Brahmanas sit and wait (for the performance), if the wife solicits the husband for cohabitation, she must be enjoyed at the very same time.

O woman of sweet limbs, even after being urged thus, if the king does not carry out your request, you shall say thus thereafter:

68b-69. “O King if you do not abandon your fa t on the day of Hari, cut off the head of your own son Dharmangada with an excellent sword, and place it on my lap.

70. O king if you do not carry out this loving wish of mine, you shall become deficient in virtue, merits and you will undoubtedly fall into hell.”

71-72. O excellent lady, if, on hearing your words, he does not injure his son who is like his own vital breath unto him, he shall pay heed to the advice of the Brahmanas and shall take food on the day of Ekadashi. Thereupon, the people will go near Yama as before after being tied with ropes by the attendants. Taking the writing (of Chitragupta) as authority, there will be persons occupying hell. Thus what you do will be splendid.

73. Or if the glorious king, abiding by the promise, really kills his son he will go to the region of Padmanabha, that is worthy of being worshipped by the immortal beings wholly.