Puttugam2

The professional singers began,

“Nālaṁ vayaṁ te mahimānuvarṇane yo deva-varyo ’vatatāra māyayā

Venāṅga-jātasya ca pauruṣāṇi te vācas-patīnām api babhramur dhiyaḥ

You are the most supreme among Devatas. You have incarnated together with Arci, who is none other than Your illusionary power. Even great Gods such as Brahma and others fall into delusion when they try to understand You. As such, we are incompetent to describe Your supreme glories, O Lord.

Nevertheless we greatly enjoy Your divine pastimes. Hence, without transgressing the limits laid down by the Maharishis and at the same time abiding by their orders we will attempt to narrate Your glories in detail.

Eṣa dharma-bhṛtāṁ śreṣṭho lokaṁ dharme ’nuvartayan

Goptā ca dharma-setūnāṁ śāstā tat-paripanthinām

Emperor Prithu is the best amongst those who diligently abide by dharma. He will ensure that the citizens walk on the dharmic path. He will protect the tenets of dharma. He will punish those who disregard dharma.

For completion of kingly duties, the king will, in his own body, manifest as the various Guardian-deities and execute their tasks in accordance to the time and situation. Through this he will cause the well-being of both this world and the next. Through ensuring timely rainfall he will cause the welfare of this world. Through the performance of Yagnas he will cause the well-being of the heavenly planets.

The Sun illumines every direction while distributing light and energy equally to all living beings. Through the process of evaporation, it absorbs water and thereafter it distributes the same in the form of rain. The ever-competent King Prithu, who illumines like the Sun, will at appropriate times collect taxes from the people.  Thereafter based on the needs of the countrymen, he will utilize the funds for the benefit of the citizens.

At all times, he will treat all living beings equally without any forms of differentiation. In patience, the King will be comparable to Earth. The Earth patiently bears the weight of those who arrogantly trample upon her. Likewise, King Prithu will show extreme patience towards the poor, who trample him with their troubles. He will always come to the aid of those who are suffering from dire poverty.

Like Lord Indra this king, who is none other than Srihari, will protect people who are afflicted by drought caused due to inadequate rainfall.

His beautiful face with its affectionate gaze and charming smile resembles the Moon, the lord of nectar. Seeing his face citizens will be filled with happiness.

It is impossible to know the depth of the ocean which stores many precious stones and has unending fame. Prithu will be deep and profound like the ocean. The citizens will be unaware of his welfare activities as he carries them out secretively. Unless and until his activities begin to yield fruit, people will be totally unaware of his involvement in it.

He will be zealous in protecting the treasury and will ensure that it grows. The power of Prithu, who is an incarnation of Ananta, will be limitless. He is the repository of every noble trait. It is impossible to know his thought process merely by reading his facial expressions. In other words, it is impossible to understand his inner feelings and thoughts based on his body language.

Like the fire which emerges from Araṇi wood, Prithu was born from the dead body of Vena. Enemies cannot approach him as he is invincible. His prowess is unmatched. Although he is in the vicinity, enemies will fear to attack him.

Antar bahiś ca bhūtānāṁ paśyan karmāṇi cāraṇaiḥ

Udāsīna ivādhyakṣo vāyur ātmeva dehinām

Although the all-pervading wind exists within the person in the form of life-force, it does not attach itself to any of his actions but remains neutral like a witness. Likewise, this king, who sits on this elevated throne, will obtain information of the external and internal (secretive) actions of the people through the spies. He will neither get carried away by the praises nor be dejected by the abuses. Remaining neutral he will continue his administrative duties.

Like Lord Yama, he will be diligent in adherence to dharma and will be absolutely impartial. He will never punish a non-offender even if the person happens to be his enemy’s son. At that same time, he will not hesitate to punish the offender even if it is his own son.

Through its rays, the Sun travels up to the Mountain Mānasa and illumines the entire world. Likewise King Prithu’s rule will be enforced in all places right up to the Manasa Mountain. His fame will spread in all directions”.

Vedic scholars extolled Prithu. Gandharvas such as Tumbura and others sang in his praise. Siddhas rained flowers. Apsarās danced. Celestial drums, trumpets and kettledrums were beaten. Conches were blown. Devatas, fore-fathers, and Maharishis thronged in large numbers to the city.

The creator Lord Brahma arrived there accompanied by Devatas and Guardian-deities of the worlds. On Prithus’s hand he saw the imprint of discus and on His feet, the imprint of the lotus. The person whose hand contains the symbol of the discus and other related symbols is a partial incarnation of the Supreme Lord.

Upon knowing that Srihari had incarnated together with Goddess Lakshmi, the Vedic scholars eagerly got ready to crown him as the king. From all direction citizens brought auspicious materials for the coronation ceremony. Rivers, oceans, mountains, snakes, wild animals, birds, inhabitants of heaven, earth and all other living beings arrived for this auspicious occasion with gifts.

Wearing clean, pure clothes and decked in beautiful ornaments, Prithu was glowing radiantly. He was crowned the king. His wife Arci also decked herself in beautiful ornaments and clothing. With her by His side, Prithu glowed like a huge fire.

Kubera gifted Emperor Prithu with a splendid golden throne. Varuna, the Lord of water, gifted a white umbrella that shone like the Full-moon which sprinkles water droplets. Vayu, the Lord of wind, gifted him the royal Vinjāmara fans, Dharma gave him a garland that would enhance his repute, Indra gave him an expensive crown and Yama gave him a stick which would keep his enemies under his sway.

Brahma gave him an armor (kavaca) which was an embodiment of Vedas. Goddess Saraswati gifted him with a precious pearl chain. Lord Srihari gave him a Sudarshana chakra (discus) and Goddess Lakshmi blessed him with unending wealth.

Rudra gave him a sword. Its sheath had markings that resembled ten moons. Chandra gifted him with deathless, strong horses which would never get tired. Tvastha gave him a marvelous chariot. Agni presented him with a bow made of goat’s and cow’s horns.

Sun gave him sharp powerful arrows that moved as rapidly as its rays. Mother earth gifted him with slippers which could transport him anywhere at lightening speeds. Other Devatas from heaven presented garlands having divine fragrance.

Celestials such as Gandharvas showered Emperor Prithu with proficiency in singing, dance and in playing musical instruments. They also blessed Prithu with the mystical ability of becoming invisible. Maharishis showered plentiful blessings upon him. The Lord of the ocean gifted him with a conch. The oceans, rivers, mountains said that Emperor Prithus’ chariot could move across them without any obstacle.

Thereafter Suta who was proficient in historical stories, Māgadha who was well-versed about the king’s lineage and Vandi who knew the art of speaking eloquently, began to sing the glories of King Prithu. Vena’s son Prithu noticed that they were about to begin their rendition. Immediately with a cheerful smile he addressed them and in a powerful voice that sounded like clouds, he said,

“O Suta, Māgadha and Vandi, my qualities have not yet been showcased to the world. Under such situation, what is it that you can glorify about me now? On what basis will you praise me? Hence please stop. By falsely praising me your words will become untruthful. Your words are sweet. In future, in my absence you can glorify my qualities.

Saty uttamaśloka-guṇānuvāde jugupsitaṁ na stavayanti sabhyāḥ

When it is possible to glorify Srihari, who has a pure reputation, noble persons will not glorify ordinary humans. Hence please stop glorifying me and instead please glorify Srihari.

It is possible that a person has in him the capability of imbibing noble, worthy qualities. Even then, how can he hear praises about those qualities of his, which he has not yet cultivated or exhibited? How can he ask others to praise him, when he does not have those qualities? The public, who listens to these praises, will condemn the person being praised falsely. ‘If only he had put in a little effort, he could have really acquired those qualities’ they would comment. They will ridicule him. The foolish man who loves to listen to false praises will never realize that the public actually ridicules him.

A person filled with humility, self-respect and generosity never likes to hear about any of his mistakes. Likewise famous persons never like to hear their praises, even though they are most deserving and competent.

O Suta! As of now I have not performed any action and established my name in this world. I have not yet earned reputation. Like an ignorant child, how then can I allow you to praise me?”- asked Prithu.

With this the fifteenth chapter of the fourth canto comes to an end.

Fourth Canto Chapter Sixteen

In this chapter, professional singers known as Vandi-māgadha, praise emperor Prithu.

Maitraya Maharishi said to Vidura, “Hearing the melodious words of Emperor Prithu the professional singers were filled with joy. Then, upon being encouraged by Maharishis, these singers sang in praise of the king”.

Aniruddhaya namah

Vena continued, “O exponents of Veda, henceforth worship me as I am the Supreme Lord. Apart from me in this creation there is none who is entitled to accept Yagna offerings.”

Vena was a sinner whose mind was polluted. His intellect was completely clouded by illusion. Due to treading the wrong path the merit in him was totally eroded. For this reason, despite repeated requests from the Maharishis, he did not fulfill their desire. To be truthful he paid a deaf ear to their advice. Considering himself to be a learned scholar, he boasted and insulted them.

With this the Maharishis were exceedingly incensed. They thought- “He is the worst sinner. Inherently he is wicked. He deserves to be killed. If he is allowed to live he will shortly burn down the entire empire. This wicked man is not eligible to sit on the throne. Shamelessly he condemns the Supreme Lord Srihari, who is the lord for all beings and who is the embodiment of Yagna. This sinner condemns Srihari due to whose grace he is today seated upon this throne and enjoying this power. None apart from Vena can behave in this sinful manner.”

They collectively decided that he should die. For the sin of having condemned Srihari, Vena was as good as dead. Their anger, which until then was suppressed, now broke all barricades and rushed forth in full force. Hence merely hearing the ‘humkara’ sounds made by the Maharishis, Vena died.

Maharishis then returned to their respective hermitages. Mother Suneetha however was deeply saddened at the death of her son. Through the power of mantras and through other measures she safeguarded his body from decay.

Sometime passed. One day the Maharishis bathed in the waters of River Saraswati and completed their fire rituals. Sitting by the banks of the river they were narrating the glories of the Supreme Lord. All of a sudden, many evil omens that caused fear to the world were visible.

Noticing this, the sages were greatly alarmed. They pondered whether some inauspicious disturbances had erupted in the kingdom that was devoid of a king. While they were thus discussing they saw a huge dust storm. This was created by the hundreds of dacoits who were looting and plundering the houses in all directions. The dust storm was so powerful that it enveloped everything.

With Vena’s death, the dacoits, who until then were living in anonymity, began to thrive. Chaotic conditions prevailed throughout the empire. People began to despise and torture one another. Despondency was visible in everyone. Anarchy had spread throughout the kingdom. Citizens had become weak-willed. Afraid that someone could harm them or that some calamity would befall them, they were always apprehensive.

Maharishis observed this. Although they were capable of rectifying this situation they were reluctant as it would be sinful to do so. Hence they did not kill the dacoits who were plundering. They did not directly help the citizens.

Instead they resolved, “If a peace-loving saint, who sees the Lord as pervading everywhere, keeps quiet instead of alleviating the suffering of the helpless, his penance will drain away totally just like the milk kept in a pot that has a hole. Hence it is imperative for us to solve this problem.

The lineage of saintly King Anga should not come to an end. All the kings in this lineage were heroes who had totally surrendered to Lord Srihari. Their prowess was unsurpassed. Therefore, let us re-instate this lineage”.

Having decided this, the Maharishi came to the capital city and vigorously churned the thighs of the dead Vena. A short dwarf boy emerged from the thighs. In complexion he was like a dark crow. His limbs were very short. Jaws were very wide. His eyes were red and he had a flat nose. His hair was in copper colour.

This boy humbly bowed his head and enquired, “O Maharishis, what is my duty?” Maharishis replied, “Niṣīda”, which means ‘please sit down’. For this reason he was named Niṣāda. From him came the entire lineage of hunters known as Naiṣādās who wander in forests and hills. Soon upon birth Niṣāda took over all the sins of Vena.

With this the fourteenth chapter of the fourth canto comes to an end.

Fourth Canto Chapter Fifteen

In this chapter, Prithu emerging from the arms of Vena as they are churned by the Maharishis and he being crowned the king are explained.

Maitreya Maharishi said to Vidura, “Due to absence of a king there was anarchy in the kingdom. In order to restore law and order, the Maharishis collectively churned the arms of the dead Vena. A couple emerged from these arms. Recognizing that this couple was the partial incarnation of Lord Srihari, the Maharishis were pleased.

Eṣa viṣṇor bhagavataḥ kalā bhuvana-pālinī

Iyaṁ ca lakṣmyāḥ sambhūtiḥ puruṣasyānapāyinī

This man has incarnated with the aspect of Srihari for the purpose of ruling this world. Goddess Lakshmi never leaves the side of Lord Srihari, the Supreme Lord. She had incarnated as this woman. This is undoubtedly true.

This man will be the foremost amongst kings. He will be famous throughout as Prithu. This lady, with her beautiful teeth and noble qualities, will actually add beauty to the ornaments she wears. She will be famous as Arci. She will marry Prithu.

Eṣa sākṣād dharer aṁśo jāto loka-rirakṣayā

Iyaṁ ca tat-parā hi śrīr anujajñe ’napāyinī

Aniruddhāya namah

The Maharishis thought, “We appointed Vena as the king. Instead of protecting the citizens he is harming them. But still, let us give him another chance. We will go and advise him. By doing so, we will at least be untouched by the sins being committed by him. Although we were aware that he was wicked, we appointed him the king. He is treading the path of unrighteousness. Let us try to advise him and get him onto the right track”.

Suppose we come to know that an acquaintance of ours is involved in a sinful/ wrong deed. If we do not correct him fearing rebuke or if we allow him to tread the wrong path so as to fulfill our own selfish desires we are committing a mistake. By doing so, a share from his sins get transferred to the persons who did not try to reform him.  Instead if they muster courage and advise him, or setting aside their selfish desires they try to reform him, then his sins do not get transferred to them. This is a dharma Shastra.

Here the sages felt the same. They agreed that by merely watching him go ahead with his atrocious deeds their sins increased. Hence, they decided to advise him and be absolved of these sins.

“As people have deserted him, he is as good as dead” they thought. “Hence if he pays a deaf ear to our advice, we shall use our radiance and reduce him to ashes” they concluded.

In great sages, their anger is always hidden. Having come to a conclusion, they collectively approached Vena. Without revealing their anger, they at first pleased him with delightful words. Thereafter they said,

“O Emperor! We are here to make a small request. If you abide by our advice, your longevity, fame, strength and prosperity shall multiply. Hence please listen attentively.

Dharma ācaritaḥ puṁsāṁ vāṅ-manaḥ-kāya-buddhibhiḥ

Lokān viśokān vitaraty athānantyam asaṅginām

Using his intelligence, the person should decisively understand the principles of righteousness (dharma). With total purity of mind, body and speech he should diligently abide by them. The person who strictly follows this will not face any grief either in this world or in the next. In addition, dharma takes persons who are unattached to materialistic comforts and who adopt a selfless attitude towards liberation!

O valiant king! The satisfaction and security enjoyed by the citizens is a proof of the degree of righteousness being adhered to by the king. May such dharma never get depleted in you! The king who does not abide by this dharma will lose all his power and wealth and will fall down.

While protecting the citizens from dacoits and from evil-minded ministers, the king should righteously recover taxes from them. The king who follows this principle will enjoy comforts not only in this world but also in the next.

The King should ensure that not only in the capital city but also in other towns and cities, the citizens abide by their own applicable dharma (swadharma), that they diligently complete their allocated duties and that they engage in worshipping Lord Srihari who is the embodiment of Yagna. The king who successfully accomplishes this would have followed the orders of the Lord.

Srihari, the ruler of all living beings, resides as the Self in every heart. Lord Srihari will be supremely pleased with the king who has dutifully abided by His orders. Srihari is the Lord for all the worlds. He is also the Lord for the Guardian-deities of all these worlds. When such Supreme Lord Srihari is pleased, there is nothing that the devotee cannot achieve. This is because all living beings, including the Guardian-deities, devotionally offer worship to this Lord Srihari. For this reason, when He is happy anything and everything can be achieved.

O King! Srihari who is the embodiment of Vedas and who is extensively extolled in the Vedas, regulates all the worlds, the Guardian-deities of the worlds and the Yagna activities which bestow fruits upon the performer. This Lord exists in the form of all Yagna ingredients. Penance too is His form!

O king, you were born only because people worshipped Lord Srihari, through innumerable Yagnas. He is the cause for your prosperity. Therefore, like your countrymen you too should adore that Lord. O king, please ensure that His Yagnas are widely conducted throughout your empire. It will bless you with auspiciousness.

O valiant one! In your empire, Brahmins who are well-versed in Vedas are, through the process of Yagna diligently worshipping the Devatas who are none other than incarnations of the Supreme Lord Srihari. Satisfied with their prayers, the Devatas are fulfilling your desires. Hence it is wrong on your part to despise Srihari or the Devatas” said the saints.

Vena then replied, “How strange! You consider unrighteousness to be righteous. Undoubtedly all of you are foolish. I organize your livelihoods. I fill your stomachs. Discarded me, you are now praising another ruler. Like the woman who deserts her husband who has been looking after her needs and searches for a paramour, discarding me you are serving another leader.  All I can say is that you are foolish.

You have rejected me, your Lord, who is seated before you as the king. As such you will never obtain any auspiciousness, either in this world or in the next. You will never be happy. Who is this Lord, the embodiment of Yagna, that you speak about?

Brahma, Vishnu, Shiva, Indra, Vāyu, Sun, Clouds, Moon, Kubera, earth, fire, water and other Gods are capable of showering boons or hurling curses. Do you realize that these Gods reside within the body of a king? For this reason, the king is the embodiment of all deities. King is Parabrahma. O Vedic scholars, having understood this, set aside your jealousy and from now on worship me through all your actions. I am Srihari. I am the Lord of everything.”

Thus Vena, who was unintelligent, insulted not only the saints but also the Supreme Lord who exists in the form of Yagna.

Aniruddhāya namah

Pradyumnāya namah

Maitreya Maharishi continued, “Suneetha, wife of Anga, drank the pāyasam (sweet pudding) given by her husband. Shortly thereafter she conceived. In due course of time she gave birth to a boy, who was named Vena.

Suneetha was the daughter of Mrtyu. Right from childhood Vena closely followed the footsteps of his maternal grandfather who belonged to the lineage of unrighteousness (adharma). As a result, he became a lover of unrighteous behaviour.

When hunting he would use his arrows to kill innocent harmless animals like a wicked hunter. Upon seeing him people would tremble and scream, ‘he is Vena, the tormentor’. Wicked Vena was absolutely devoid of any compassion. He would abduct his playmates, thrash them mercilessly and kill them as if they were animals.

When Anga realized that his son was evil, he struggled hard to reform him through various punishments but to no avail. With this he was totally depressed. He thought, “How lucky are those childless couples! They would have pleased the Lord through their worship and hence were blessed with childlessness. It is better to be childless than to be tormented by the atrocious deeds of wicked sons.

Bad progeny only results in bad name, enmity, unrighteousness and mental agony. Such a house is a repository for grief. Such children are children only for namesake and tie the parents into illusory bondages. How can an intelligent father accept such worthless son? How can he pamper and love a wicked son?

From a different perspective, perhaps having a worthless son is better than having a worthy son. A parent would be aggrieved to be separated from a worthy son.  Due to worthless progeny at least there is a scope to distance from the household where spiritual ignorance and other afflictions reside”.

The aggrieved king who was fed up with this son could not sleep. Around midnight he left his beautiful wife, who was in deep sleep and also his huge palatial house, which was replete with untold riches, and secretively left the city.

In utter shock the ministers, priests, friends and citizens heard the news of the king’s departure. They were dejected and saddened. Forming search parties they looked for him everywhere. Just as pretentious saints cannot see the Lord who resides within their heart, they could not locate the king who was residing within that city itself.

Having failed in their mission they returned to the city. With tears that were freely flowing from their eyes, they informed the priests of their inability to locate the king”.

With this the thirteenth chapter of the fourth canto comes to an end.

Fourth Canto Chapter Fourteen

In this chapter, the priests appointing Vena as the king, his evil deeds and his death are explained.

Maharishi Maitreya said to Vidura, “When it was obvious that Emperor Anga would not be found, eminent saints such as Bhrigu began to ponder about the safety of the country and its citizens. They decided that in the absence of a king, citizens would loot each other like animals. They approached Vena’s mother Suneetha and informed her of their thought process.

Even though the ministers, priests and others elders were unhappy, the Maharishis who were keen to protect the well-being of the citizens crowned Vena, the tormentor of the citizens, as the king.

The moment the news of his coronation reached the ears of the dacoits, all of them went into anonymity. Such was their fear!

Vena became haughty and conceited the moment he was crowned. He imposed harsh and ruthless punishments. There was none to oppose him from any of the eight directions. He was filled with feelings of superiority. At all times, he would boast. In his arrogance he began to ruthlessly insult noble persons and Mahatmas. Intoxicated due to wealth he behaved without care, respect and fear of elders.

Like an intoxicated elephant does not fear its mahout, King Vena fearlessly mounted his chariot and travelled everywhere as he pleased. Both the earth and the skies trembled violently as he thus travelled.

He issued a proclamation prohibiting priests and Brahmins from conducting Yāgas, Yagnas and homas. Charities and other noble deeds were banned. He opposed performance of every righteous deed.

Maharishis who noticed these wicked deeds of Vena were now concerned about the sufferings of the citizens. These compassionate Maharishis assembled and thought, “How strange! On the one hand, the citizens fear dacoits and on the other they fear the king. Their grief is comparable to the suffering undergone by insects, when firewood is lit on both ends.

In the absence of a king, the kingdom becomes unruly. Although Vena was undeserving, we appointed him the king. It was a grave mistake” lamented the Maharishis. They now pondered upon the ways to rescue the citizens from this tormenting situation.

Aher iva payaḥ-poṣaḥ poṣakasyāpy anartha-bhṛt

Venaḥ prakṛtyaiva khalaḥ sunīthā-garbha-sambhavaḥ

It is but natural for a snake which is nourished with milk to bite the person who has thus nurtured it. Vena who is born from Suneetha’s womb and who is inherently wicked is exactly like that poisonous snake’- though the Maharishis.

Aniruddhāya namah