8 - The Life of Dharmavyädha

Varäha said:    

1. He who was in the body of king Vasu became a hunter and he lived some four thousand years doing his traditional work (hunting).

2. For his family he killed one beast each day and with it propitiated his servants, guests and the fire (installed in his hut).

3. In Mithilä, O beautiful lady, he used to perform obsequial ceremonies for the manes on every new moon day in accordance with practice.

4. Doing daily worship of fire and uttering truth and sweet and appropriate words he lived a modest life.

5. As he was living thus, a son was born to him by name Arjunaka. He was righteous in mind; performed penance and controlled his passions like a sage.

6. In course of time this intelligent and chaste hunter got a charming daughter also by name Arjunakä.

7. As she came of age, the righteous hunter thought about her marriage: To whom is she to be given in marriage? Who isa suitable man for her?

8. While he was thinking about this, Matañga’s son, Prasanna, came to the hunter’s mind.

9. Having tentatively fixed him (as a bridegroom to his daughter), he asked Matañga: “O great sage! please receive Arjuni, my daughter, whom I am giving on my own accord to the great-souled Prasanna, your son”.

Matañga said:

10. My son Prasanna is well versed in all Šhästras. O great hunter, I shall receive your daughter Arjunakä for him.

11. Then the righteous hunter, performer of great penance, gave his daughter in marriage to the intelligent Prasanna, son of Matañga.

12. After this, the righteous hunter went to his hut. His daughter began to attend on her husband and parents-in-law.

13. As time went on, the auspicious girl’s mother-in-law told her. “You are a hunter’s daughter. That is why you are like this. You don’t know how to perform penance and how to attend on a husband.”

14. The timid lady, scolded by her mother-in-law for such a silly offence, went to her father’s house weeping again and again.

15. The father asked her. “O my daughter, why are you crying like this” The beautiful girl told him in detail all that happened.

 16. ‘‘O my father, my mother-in-law scolded me loosing her temper that I was a hunter’s daughter and my father had killed so many living beings”.

17. Hearing this, the righteous-souled hunter got angry and went to Matañga’s house which was surrounded by a village.

18-19. The victorious Matañga, his relative, welcomed him giving water for washing his feet and provided him with a seat. Then he asked the guest: “Please tell me for what purpose you have come here. What shall I do for you?”

The hunter said:

20. I want some food bereft of life. I came to your house eagerly for this very purpose.

Matanga said:

21. There is a lot of cooked wheat and rice in my house. O best of righteous men and great sage, you can eat these as much as you wish.

The hunter said:

22. May I see the wheat, rice and barley. I have to check whether these are the same as I know them.

Varäha said:

23. When he said this, Matañga showed the righteous hunter a winnowing basket full of wheat, and another full of rice.

24. Seeing the wheat and rice, the righteous hunter stood up from his scat and started to go but Matañga prevented him, saying as follows.

25. “Please tell me, O great soul, why are you going so hastily even without taking food. There is still excellent food here in my house. You may cook it yourself if you like, and eat it. Why not you eat this?” 

The hunter said:

26. “Each day you kill thousands and crores of lives. Which virtuous man can eat food given by such a sinner like you?

27. If there is well-cooked food free from living organisms in your house, then I shall eat it since you are my relative.

28. I kill for my family only one animal each day. And even that, after cooking I offer first to the manes and then only I eat it with my family members.

29. You, on the other hand, kill many living organisms everyday and eat them with your family. I think, therefore, this food is not eatable to me.

30. Brahma, in yore, created all plants and creepers for the purpose of sacrifice. It is sanctioned by the Vedas, that these are eatable to all beings.

31. Long ago, Brahmä created five great sacrifices: Divya (divine), Bhauma (of earth), Paitra (of the manes), Manusha (of man) and Brähma (Of Brahma).

32. These sacrifices are intended for the good of Brahmins and other castes. For other castes they are fruitful if got performed by Brahmins.

33. A man should eat food only after doing this. Only through this, the food becomes purified. Otherwise the rice and the like are considered to be birds and animals for both the guests and hosts. These are called ‘great meat’.

34. I have given you my daughter as your daughter-in-law. Your wife scolded her that she is the daughter of a hunter who kills animals. So I have come here to test you also.

35. Traditional rites, worshipping gods, receiving guests— nothing of these can be seen here.

36. Therefore I wish to go to my own house to perform obsequial rites for the manes. Unless these are done, I do not take my food even in my house.

37. When my daughter was married by your son, she attained some of his eminence as a result, and that is sufficient expiation for her birth in my family.

38. When your son married my daughter, this decency had not come to you. Now, O sage, it is time for doing expiatory rites.”

39-40. With these few words, he rose up and pronounced a curse on women. ‘‘Never shall the mothers-in-law have confidence in their daughters-in-law! And never shall a daughter-in-law wish her mother-in-law live!” Cursing thus, O lady, the hunter went to his hut.

41-42. Then having worshipped gods and manes with devotion, and having entrusted his son Arjunaka with looking after the family, the righteous hunter, performer of great penance, went to the world-famous sacred lake named Purushottama. There, O Earth, he performed penance in accordance with rules with a concentrated mind reciting the following hymn:

43. “Bow to Vishnu, who destroyed the enemies of gods, who has Lakshmi on his broad chest, who rules over the world well, who is a shelter to the virtuous, who placed three steps (in his dwarf incarnation), and who uplifted the mount Mandara (in his tortoise incarnation).

44. Bow to Vishnu, Dämodara (one who had been bound by rope by his foster mother Yašhodä), who has seized the earth with his intellect, who is white with his fame, who is black like a bee, who is the enemy of demons, who is extolled by everyone time and again and who protects his devotees.

45. Bow to Vishnu, Purushottama (best of men) who is seen in three forms, who has a lustrous disc in his hand, who stands on the part of justice, who has excellent qualities, who has the name Beatitude, who is imperishable and who is the preceptor of all.

46. May protect me praying for shelter, who is the great boar, who receives the sacrificial offerings, who destroys the mischievous, who fulfils my wishes, who has four faces, and Who is a mountain for me in crossing the ocean of worldly life.

47. May Vishnu, the Lord of the world, protect me who created the three worlds covered by illusion, and who, like the fire, pervades himself all over the animate and inanimate beings.

48. In each yuga, Vishnu creates Brahma from whom arose this world consisting of animates and in animates and in whom in the form of Rudra all this is dissolved; so He is called Hari and Hara.

49. May the eternal Lord Vishnu, provide me with good whose different forms are the sun, moon, earth, air and water and whose form is unthinkable and indescribable.”

50. When the hunter uttered this, the eternal God appeared himself before him in a wondrous form. The eternal Lord having innumerable feet, bellies, hands and faces asked him to choose a boon.

51. When the Lord told him this, the great hunter said: “This very boon may kindly be given to my sons also. Through righteous duties and spiritual knowledge may my successive generations of descendants also be your devotees.

52. My race may ever be given spiritual knowledge and I may, O eternal God, attain union with the Supreme Soul”

53. Pleased with this request, the God told him: “May it be so. I have given you and your race this boon. You have now been provided with union with the Supreme Soul”.

54. As soon as the God said this, he saw a light rising out of his own body and he was absorbed into it.

55-56. One who utters this excellent hymn and listens to it always worshipping Vishnu and performing fast, especially on the day of Vishnu, would get His world and live there a happy life for seventy Manvantaras.