17 - The Story of Mahätapas

Earth said:

1. Those great men who were born of the gem were given a boon indeed by the God in Tretäyuga.

2. How was the birth of those kings to be? What were their deeds? Tell me this for each.

Varäha said:

3. O Earth, listen to the origin of the great king Suprabha who rose from the gem.

4. In Krutayuga there lived a powerful and noble king named Šhrutakïrti.

5. Suprabha was born as his son, and was named Prajäpäla.

6. One day he went to the forest infested with wild beasts, and saw there the great hermitage of a sage.

7. In it an exceedingly virtuous sage by name Mahätapas was performing penance giving up food and meditating on the Supreme Soul.

8. King Prajäpäla felt desirous of entering the hermitage, and he quickly went into it.

9. In the grand hermitage, there were pleasant bowers beautiful like the moon with attractive creepers surrounded by hovering bees. The very pathway was fine with big trees on the sides.

10. *The ponds with full-blown red lotuses looked like celestial women with rosy feet, who had left Indraloka and come there.

* The stanza is very corrupt.

11. In the protruding branches of trees which looked very symmetrical, were blossoms of flowers with-honeyfed blackbees and a variety of birds reposing as if fully satiated.

12. There were many kinds of trees like Kadamba, Nipa Arjuna and Säla, nourished by the householders and served by sweet-voiced birds.

13. The hermitage was surrounded by Brahmins with families and by sacred smokes coming up from the sacrificial fire. The elephant of vice there was killed by the lions of virtue.

14. Seeing there different Objects like these, the king entered the hermitage. In it he saw the great sage Mahätapas, the champion of duty and seeker of Brahman, sitting on a seat of kušha-grass, and resplendent like the sun.

15. Seeing the sage, the king forgot his hunt. The sight of the sage diverted his good mind to righteous action.

16. The sage received Prajäpala with words of welcome and offered him a seat.

17. Then the king prostrated before the great sage and sat on his seat. O Earth, then he asked him:

18. “Tell me, O Great sage, what should be done by those plunged into woes of worldly life, but wish to overcome it.”

Mahätapas said:

19. Those men who are plunged into the ocean of worldly life have to obtain a firm raft to cross it. They have to make the lord of all the three worlds this raft with proper worship, homas, gifts and prescribed sacrifices and meditations and fixed to the liberated souls by the strong strings of their vital airs.

20. One who bows to Näräyãna, the destroyer of hell and the Lord of gods in devotion, attains the imperishable abode of Vishnu, free from all sorrows.

Prajãpäla asked:

21. O sage, the knower of all that is righteous, tell me precisely how the eternal Vishnu is worshipped by those men who wish to get final emancipation.

Mahätapas replied:

22. Hear from me, O intelligent king, how Vishnu, the lord of all the yogins, is pleased at men and women.

23. The Vedas say that Brahma and all other gods and the manes all of whom were in the cosmic egg were born from Vishnu.

24-25. Agni, Ašhvins, Gaurï, Ganapati, Nägas, Kärttikeya, Ädityas, Mätrus, Durgä, Diks, Kubera, Vishnu, Yama, Rudra, Chandra, Pitris—all these were born of the lord of the worlds, according to their importance.

26. All these beings were in   body. But each became highly egoistic.

27. Their loud claims, ‘I am competent’, ‘I have to be propitiated by sacrifices’, were heard in the assembly of the gods like the roar of agitated ocean.

28-29. Among them, O king, Agni (fire) stood up and said: “Sacrifice for me; meditate on me. This body created by Brahma will perish without me. Hence I am great”.

30. So saying Fire left the body; but even when he disappeared, the body did not perish.

31. Then Ašhvins, the personified forms of Prána and Apäna airs said: “We are important and so we have to be pleased with sacrifices”.

32. Saying this they stood apart leaving the body. The body was a bit emaciated, but it did not perish.

33. Then Gauri, the speech, said: “Importance is in me”. So saying she also left the body.

34. Even without her, the body remained, though without speech. Then Ganapati, the space, said:

35-36. “Without me no body stands for long in course of time.” so saying he also left the body. Without him too, the body did not perish.

37. Finding the body devoid of holes, all the dhätus of the body said thus:

38. In our absence the body cannot bear itself”- saying this, all of them left the body.

39. Even without them the body was looked after by Purusha (the Supreme Soul). Seeing that, Skanda who is the embodiment of Ahamkära (ego) said:

40. “Without me the body cannot exist”. So saying he left the body and stood away.

41. Without him too, the body stood intact and as if emancipated. Seeing this, Sun, the Äditya, got angry.

42. “How can this body stand without me even for a moment Uttering thus, he left the body. Even then the body was not destroyed.

43. Then the group of passion and the like called as Mothers said: “The body cannot bear itself if we leave this.” They left the body. Then also the body was unaffected.

44. Then Durgä well known as Mäyä (illusion) said angrily: “without me there is no life (Bhüti)”. Saying this Durgä disappeared from the body. Even then the body was not destroyed.

45. Then the quarters stood up and said, “No doubt, without us, nothing could be done”

46-47. Within a moment they went away. Then Kubera, the air occurring in the middle of the body, also left the body and went upwards.

48. Then Vishnu, the mind, said: “Without me this body cannot stand even for a moment. Saying this, he also disappeared.

49. After this Yama said: “I protect all this, When I leave this body nothing should be there.”

Saying this, Yama went away. Even then the body was not affected.

50. Then said Mahädeva, the subtle cause of beings: “I am great and without me the body will not be there.”

51. Saying this Shiva (Mahat) left the body. Then also it was not destroyed.

52. Seeing this the Pitris (sense organs) said: “As long as we along with other life-airs live in this, this body stands; otherwise it will be destroyed.” So saying they left the body and disappcared.

53-54. Saying this, Agni, Präna, Apäna, Äkäšha Dhätus, Ahamkära, Sun, desire, Mäyä quarters, Vayu, Vishnu, Dharma, Shambhu and the sense-organs left the body.

55. Still the body stood as if liberated, being protected by Purusha in the form of Soma, the moon.

56. When the imperishable Soma consisting of sixteen digits stood thus, the body with its qualities stood up and began its work as before.

57. Seeing the body protected by Sarvajña (Purusha) as before, all those deities of the body got ashamed and extolled that great god.

58. O king, all those entered into the body and took their own positions and extolled Him: “You are the Fire, you are Präna, Apäna and Sarasvatï (word).

59. You are Äkäšha, Kubera and Dhätus of the body. You are Ahamkära; you are the Sun, and the Mätrugana.

60. You are the Mäyä and the earth, you are Durgá, quarters and Indra; you are Vishnu and Dharma. You are the victor and the vanquished.

61. You are called Paramešhvara (Supreme lord) in its liberal sense. Otherwise how could this happen (the body remaining unaffected) when we left it.

62. When we gave up the body, O God, there was none else but you. So please protect us,

63. O Creator, having created yourself in our forms, don’t change positions.”

Thus extolled by them, the God was pleased very much.

64. He told them: “I have created you for my sport. I have only one purpose to be gained by you.

65. If you don’t like your form, then you divide it into two and stand formless in the beings on earth and with form in the world of gods. In due course attain dissolution (in the Supreme soul) yourselves.

66. Do not be egoistic any more with regard to yourselves in the body. I shall assign you your names now.

67. Agni will be Vaišhvänara; Präna and Apäna, Ašhvins; Gauri-Himavat’s daughter.

68. The qualities like those of the earth will be Ganapati. These various other beings are the dhätus (the essential elements) of the body.

69. Skanda Kärttikeya will be the ego. At the end Durgä will be the last of the causes for the body and will be Mäyä (the power of illusion).

70. These ten virgins will be ten quarters. Kubera will be the air.

71. This mind will be called Vishnu, no doubt; so also Dharma (righteousness) will be Yama.

72. The ‘great principle’ (Mahattattva) will be Mahädeva. The sense organs will be the manes, no doubt.

73. This moon will be always in the Jämitra, no doubt. ¹

Thus I have described the (Vedäntic Man) in the form of Näräyana.” All the gods sat on their respective seats. And the God thus finished the account.

74. I have told you, O king, about God Vishnu who is of such prowess and who can be known only through the Vedas. What else do you want to know?

1. Jämitra is the seventh house in horoseopy. This is taken as the house concerned with matrimony. The passage indicates that moon will govern marital relations.