53 - The Story of Pashupäla

Many verses in this chapter are Obscure.

Bhadrãshva said:

1. O sage, you have narrated this story in reply to my question. But how did it arise and by whom was it made?

Agastya said:

2. This curious story is there and it relates to every object in the world. Its implication is the same in your body, my body, and every other being’s.

3-4. Desiring to originate it and thinking of the means for it, he who arose from Pašhupäla with four feet and four faces is its originator as well as propagator.

5. His son named Svara is considered as an embodiment of truth. He expounded the significance of the four Vedas to four persons and thus became venerable.

6. The first of these four was Chatühšhruñga (four-horned) and the second Vrusha (bull), the third followed their path and the fourth followed them with devotion.

7. They all heard the story of Satyamürti (Svara). The second (Vrusha) then resorted to Brahmacharya.

8. As a result of Vrusha’s dominance there arose in men the capacity to govern servants, riding on bulls and living in the forest.

9. When he was speaking, there arose his sons suddenly fourfold, single fold and twofold.

10. The four faced seeing the permanent and transient objects, thought of the means of seeing his father.

11. “The great virtues which were there in my father, I am not able to see in any of the sons of Svara.

12. The Veda proclaims that the grandson with the grandfather’s name (will be like him), and this cannot be different in the case of Svara’s sons.

13. I should see those virtues in some one here. But what shall I do?” He was thinking in this way.

14. While he was thinking thus, a weapon from his father appeared there and with that Svara was churned.

15. When the churning was in progress, the fourfaced saw the head appearing like a cocoanut fruit covered in a tenfold way. 

16. The four-footed then cut it off like a Sesamum plant.

17. Then he cut off what had become rootless.

18. At that part arose ten¹ and afterwards the five. ²

1. The ten indicates the indriyas, five jñãnendriyas for perception and five karmendriyas for action.

2. The five represents the five elements, Earth, Water, Fire, Air and Ether.

19. He cut them again and they were all flaming.

20. When that was cut off, a small object, one tenth of the original size, appeared.

21. That too was cut off, but then arose another small like that and white and calm.

22-23. And he saw in that his own father small like a molecule and indistinct. He then became happy and so too the father Svara.

24. Such was the man Svara, his trunk was Pravrutti (action) and head Vivrutti (inaction).

25. Thus arose the story and it has been narrated to you.

26. This is the earliest of all stories. He who understands its significance, performs true action.