Mayaram’s query about blemishes of inner foes.
Mayaram’s query about blemishes of inner foes.
Suvrat said:-
‘Mayaram listened to the speech of Swaminarayan but was not fully satisfied. Hence, he bowed down to Him with folded hands and asked: Shri Hari, O Lord, the ocean of mercy, O bestower of happiness to all the living beings! We request you, to look after our well-being, just as a father does his sons. 1 - 2.
You told us about the extensive influence of the five great evils like passion, greed etc. which are dangerous to even the liberated men. 3.
O Lord! We all wish to listen in all detail the stories of Vasisth and others who were defeated by their passion. 4.
Suvrat said:-
Thus requested by great devotee Brahmin Mayaram, the Lord began narrating the stories in His sweet speech, which made his devotees rejoice. 5.
Narayan Muni now shares stories of the evils of greed, namely Vasisth and Kartavirya.
Sri Narayan Muni said:-
‘In the books of history and Puranas, the stories of Vasishta and others are described in detail. But I will relate them in brief. 6.
To begin with, I tell you the story of the great sage Vasisth, who was defeated by his fascination for greed. Once upon a time, there was a great king of the solar dynasty, named Nimi, who wished to perform sacrifices. He appointed Vasisth, his preceptor, as the chief officiating priest. 7 - 8.
Initiating the procedures of the sacrifice, Vasisth told the king, ‘I have been already invited by King Indra for performing sacrifices. Hence, after having done with, O King, I will definitely come here and perform the sacrifice. You wait for me till then.’ 9 - 10.
Having said so, Vasisth departed. Nimi knew very well thatlife was momentary. Hence he performed that great sacrifice by inviting other learned Brahmins. When Vasisth, who had a greatpassion for wealth, returned from heaven after performing the sacrifice for Indra, he noticed that his disciple Nimi had not kepthis word, and he became angry. 11 - 12.
Then he cursed Nimi. ‘You think that you are the learned one.Hence you will have to leave your body now. Nimi also cursed Vasisth.’ You are over-greedy and have ignored the moral of religion. Hence you will also lose your life now!’ And thus, both of them lost their lives cursing each other. 13 - 14.
The Brahmins performing the sacrifice of Nimi saved his life, but sans his body, and gave him a place in the eyes of beings. He can be seen even today as the eyelids of living beings. 15.
Vasisth then was born to a beautiful nymph Urvasi of the gods Mitra Varuna, but due to this greed he was defamed permanently as the ‘son of prostitute’. Thus, Vasisth, even being a great ascetic who was recognized as the royal preceptor of the solar dynasty, was doomed by his own greed. 16 - 17.
Now, I will tell you about the defeat of the emperor Haihaya who was proficient in all the yogic practices and a great disciple of Sri Dattatreya Muni. 18.
King Sahastrarjun defeated by greed.
King Arjun, who hailed from the Lunar dynasty was the son of Krtavirya. He had unequalled valour and power. 19.
Worshipping the great sage Dattatreya, the incarnation of Narayan, he wished for a thousand arms for use in wars and was bestowed with them. 20.
He obtained yogic powers, and as a result possessed valour, strength and prosperity without obstruction. Thus he enjoyed kingship across the continents of the world. 21.
Once when he went hunting through a dense forest, he accidently came to the hermitage of the great ascetic sage Jamadagni. The sage, with the blessings of the divine cow Kamadhenu, welcomed the king with his army and ministers and gave food and appropriate gifts to the king. 22 - 23.
The king surprisingly noticed that the wealth and prosperity of the sage exceeded his own. This was not heard of or seen anywhere hitherto. But when he came to know that it was possible only due to the powers of the divine cow, he took her away along with her howling calf to his capital. 24 - 25.
At that time, Rama (Parashuram) who had been away at a Gurukul returned home. Having heard about the wicked deed of Arjun, he became furious like a provoked snake. 26.
Like the unconquerable god of Death, he took his intimidating axe, went to the capital city Mahishmati and fought with Arjun Haihaya. 27.
He killed the king and his army of seventeen Akshouhini and returned to the hermitage with the divine cow. (One Akshouhini = army consisting of 21870 elephants, 21870 chariots, 65610 horses and 109350 foot soldiers). 28.
On seeing him, Jamadagni the ocean of forgiveness said, ‘My son! Your action is not amenable to the Brahmin caste. We Brahmins are honoured because of our forgiveness. Brahma (Ambujasan) obtained the highest position among the gods because of his virtue of forgiveness. 29 - 30.
Lord Vishnu is pleased only by forgiveness and not by anything else. Hence you have incurred a sin. 31.
O Rama, the assassination of a crowned king is a graver sin than killing a Brahmin. So you should immediately start on a pilgrimage for expiation of you sin. 32.
On hearing the words of his father, Rama conducted the proper rites and went through the pilgrimage which lasted one year, after which he came back to his hermitage. 33.
Once Rama had left for the forest along with his brothers, Arjun’s sons seized the opportunity to barge into the hermitage, and in spite of Renuka’s incessant lamenting, they heedlessly severed the head of the sage (Jamadagni) and taking it with themleft for the capital immediately. 34 - 35.
Hearing the lament of his mother, Rama hastily came to the hermitage, and beholding the excessive wickedness of those insolent Ksatriyas, he became furious. 36.
Going to Mahishmati, killing all the sons of Arjun, he heaped their heads into a mountain which resulted in the flow of a terrible river of their blood. 37.
He brought back the head of his father, and rejoining it to his body brought him back to life. This act accorded the powerful Parashuram a permanent place in the sky in the constellation of seven divine sages. 38.
Then wandering all over the earth with his formidable axe primed like fearful death, he toured the earth twenty one times, each time erasing the Kshatriya clan from the face of the earth. 39.
Thus, due to the intense greed, the emperor, with his thousand sons met with destruction. Not only that, the imprudent king became the cause of the massacre of the Ksatriyas. 40.
Thus, many other liberated men, accomplished yogis, great sages and kings were ruined due to their greed. 41.
O, wise Brahmin! There are so many such stories told in Puranas. I have told you the stories of Vasisth and Haihaya Arjun who could not free themselves from greed. Now I shall tell you the stories of Brahma and others who were overpowered by lust. Listen to them attentively. 42.
Thus ends the eleventh chapter entitled ‘The fall of Vasisth and others due to greed’ in the second Prakarana of Satsangijivan, the life story of Lord Narayan,, also titled as ‘Dharmashastra’ (the rules of the code of conduct). 11
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