38 - The Story of Satyatapas

Varaha said:

1. The eminent hunter followed the auspicious path and began to do penance giving up regular food and meditating on the preceptor (sage Aruni). 

2. Formerly, when he was hungry, he used to eat the fallen leaves.

3-4. But once when he was hungry and went to the foot of a tree to eat the leaves shed there, he heard a loud aerial voice prohibiting him from eating them.

5. Leaving that tree he went to another. There also he heard the same thing. The same thing happened when he went to other trees also.

6. So he stopped eating anything and began to do penance fully fasting.

7. When he was doing penance in this way, once sage Durvasas came there and was surprised to find the hunter not only alive (in spite of his fasting) but effulgent like the blazing fire because of the penance.

8-9. The hunter bowed to the great sage and told him: “O sage, I am extremely gratified to see you. By my good fortune you have come here at a time when I have to perform shraddha. I shall propitiate you with the fallen leaves (which alone I take)”.

10. Durvasas, with a view to knowing the spiritual powers of this hermit who had fully subdued his sense organs and become fully purified, told him:

11. “Give me, who have come here with the intention of seeing you, well prepared food of barley, wheat and rice”.

12. Told thus, the hunter began to seriously think as to how he could meet this demand.

13. When he was thus engrossed, a golden vessel with miraculous powers fell into his hand from the sky. 

14. Taking it, he told Durvasas in great reverence, “O great Brahmin, please remain here till I return after begging food and bless me”.

15. The noble hunter then went out to beg alms in the not-too-distant city through forests and hamlets,

16-17. As he was going along, from tree after tree came out nymphs with golden vessels full of food of various varieties and they filled with them his begging bowl.

18. When his aim was thus achieved, he delightfully returned to the sage.

19. He placed the bowl in a tidy place, bowed to him, and said:

20. “O sage, if you are pleased to bless me, kindly take this. seat and wash your feet”.

21. But the sage, with a view to testing how far his penance was powerful, told him: “1 am unable to go to the river, nor have I any vessel with me; how can I wash my feet?”

22. Hearing this, the hunter again began thinking as to what he could do to enable the sage to take food.

23. Meditating on his preceptor, he sought recourse to the river Devika.

The hunter said:

24. “O excellent river, goddess, I am a hunter and thereby a sinner. Still when I pray to you, be pleased to give me help.

25. I know not a deity, I know not a mantra, I know not worship. All that I know is to meditate on the feet of preceptor and derive benefit therefrom.

26. I being such a one, have mercy on me. Please flow to the place where the sage is seated so that he may wash his feet”.

27. Requested thus by the hunter, the holy Devika moved to the place where Durvasas was resting.

28-29. Seeing that wonder, Durvasas was much surprised, and after washing his hands and feet, ate the food reverentially given.

30. He then blessed the emaciated hunter: “Let the Vedas and Vedangas and Upanishads, Pada and Krama recitations of all these (Vedas), Puranas and Brahmavidya dawn on you”.

31. After giving this boon, Durvasas told him that he would become a famous sage by name Satyatapas.

32. When he was thus given the boon, the hunter asked the sage: “O sage, being a hunter how can I learn the Vedas?”

The sage said:

33. As a result of your fasting, your old body has disappeared and the present body you are having is born of penance.

34-35. Your former knowledge has perished, and a pure one has come upon the imperishable body you have now acquired. This is the truth. Therefore, O sage, the Vedas and Shastras will always appear in your mind.