A page from Ancient Literature

Birth of Vishnu

The saintly woman and spouse of sage Kardama, Devahuti of celestial magic and looks came out exquisitely sanctified and ornamented but observed great self-restraint, and did not in the least care about physique and health. A devoted wife she and genuinely wanted to help the mighty sage engaged in tapa and penance. Young women attendants at that moment as desired redecorated Devahuti and in her newly attired clothes and ornaments, she looked awe-inspiring. Now, an outstanding and marvelous sagely woman devoted spouse looked irresistible in paranormal charm and stood before the sage to gratify and delight a sage of terrible penance and tapa, for she nursed an enormous purpose a modern insight may fail to recognize.

Thereafter, Devahuti and sage Kardama mounted a gorgeous divine aerial mansion. A thousand young women - Vidyadharas - mystic beings, semi-gods of magic powers helped princess Devahuti as she ascended aircraft and cared for her physical comforts. Kardama never lost yogic glow and shine. Therefore, pleasure aircraft provided abundant joys whether earthly or divine to the sage and beloved Devahuti. A journey of pleasure and joys profuse continued for many years in the valley of Mount Meru and the holy couple lived an enriching life. Luxuries to enjoy and cherish beauty and grandeur of heavenly gardens Surasana, Nandana Pushabhadra and various pleasure resorts bestowed unique fulfillment.

They were enamoured to see pleasure grounds of guardians of four quarters, places of joys where gods and the lords of paradise - Indra, Fire-Agni, Punishment-Yama, Niriti, Varuna-Water, Wind-Vayu, Riches-Kubera and Shiva enjoyed with divine beloveds, and then, wandered in the eight directions to which one could turn in search of an auspicious fruit. All places blessed with divine joy were cool, gentle, soft, musical, calming, fragrant, and aromatic breezes blew to stimulate passion and love as tuneful waterfall from a heavenly stream offered soothing experience. Thus, journey was a voyage to exciting pleasures and a pilgrimage to the triple world, and they enjoyed a journey of intense ecstasy as sage Kardama took Devahuti to the terrestrial globe of many wonders.

After the end of journey and realization of a holy purpose, they returned to the hermitage. Now, the sage visualized an elevating time for more pleasure and fulfillment. Devahuti wanted union of bodies and souls and so to satisfy her desires, the sage of splendid divine and yogic powers, divided ‘the self’ into nine forms and assumed different shapes, and thereafter, enjoyed life for years but it appeared just a moment.

He gave Devahuti pleasures of the material opulence, union of bodies and the celestial worlds. They spent many years in the aerial car and shared charismatic moments of pleasure. Devahuti did not know and very soon realized that time had lost meaning. A gratification blessed with yogic powers it was and they continued to live in joy and delight for thousands of years, and forgot everything else. Strangely enough, they were still unconscious. Kardama knew what disturbed the mind of Devahuti, and therefore, felt it was time to fulfill a cherished yearning. Afterward, she gave birth to nine little daughters of virtues of intellect, heart and physique.

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An understanding reached long back, at the time of wedding, proved true, and therefore, Kardama did not retreat. Now, it was time for the sage to go and adopt life of a recluse. Devahuti knew that he would go. She had nursed a secret desire for a long time. She gave birth to nine celestial daughters and was satisfied. Now, she burnt with an ardent desire of a son. It was a difficult moment to reveal inner thoughts and feelings. Therefore, out of shyness with head bent low, she scratched the ground with the thumb of foot and controlled tears but wore a smile on the lips. A feeling of agitation and agony troubled deeply.

After a few moments, in low and soft but captivating voice, she said, “I know O holy sage that you fulfilled all promises. I am a wife, took shelter and so, I entreat. You grant immunity from whatever I say, for words may not appeal. O monk, listen carefully. Daughters will go when they find suitable men, and then, I would live alone and none would be around to lessen sorrows and sufferings born of loneliness. At that time, you will undergo penance in the forest. I tell you O holy man I enjoyed objects of senses adequately and ignored the Supreme Spirit. I was unaware of your transcendent glory and so I loved you truly, and as a devoted wife I was lost in the joys of life… and was attached to objects of senses.”

She did not conceal but tried to convince, and seemed genuinely true. She was under the influence of lord’s deluding powers and potency, and therefore, failed to seek liberation from the bondages of mundane life even after the celestial love of a sage, a fountainhead of divine beatitude and delight.

~*~

Devahuti tended devotedly a desire as an ordinary woman, and therefore, opened up heart and it was not a slip or an offense. A woman gives birth to a child and fulfills a divine mission. Creation is possible if a person enjoys blessings of Brahma. Earlier, Devahuti - the daughter of Manu a virtuous and worthy woman had revealed inner wishes with feelings of insouciance and impassiveness but sincerely to Kardama. At that time, many questions had disturbed him.

Sage Kardama thought deeply, smiled and spread aura of kindness and charity, did not cause delay and asked her to recall words of Vishnu. As she tried to ponder over the words of Vishnu, he spoke gently, “O holy woman, you are immaculate and faultless in conduct. Do not worry. The eternal lord will soon bless because you are a woman of sacred vows. God bless you. Follow tenets of austerity, worship the lord with reverence and devotion, control wayward senses and observe religious teachings contained in holy books and the great lord would sanctify you. Asceticism, tapa and penance will propitiate lord Vishnu. He will take birth through you and spread fame and knowledge I attained, and later, break knots of ignorance. At that time, he will initiate you to the knowledge of Spirit and then, you would identify ‘the self’ with the ‘Supreme Lord.” Revelation astonished. Devahuti was immensely pleased that Vishnu will take birth through her.

Devahuti, a woman of virtues, truth and faith was respectful and when monk spoke of birth of Vishnu through her, immense devotion filled her, and rightly, she experienced ecstatic moments of divine joy. Henceforth, she was devoted to Vishnu. After a long time, lord Vishnu, the slayer of demon Madhu, manifested through the generative fluid of Kardama like fire emerging out of firewood, and thus, the lord descended on earth.

As he landed on earth, obviously various gods, celestial beings and many in guises played on musical instruments as thundering roars of laughter, filled surroundings. Gandharavas –the celestial musicians sang in praise of the lord. The celestial nymphs danced in joy abundant, nature in unusual shapes blessed the place and holy woman as lord Vishnu arrived on earth. Brahma, the self-born, Marichi and many sages arrived at the ashrama of Kardama as river Saraswati surrounded the holy souls. He knew that the lord was none other than Supreme Brahma, who arrived as pure Sattva to spread knowledge of Sankhya - a system of philosophy that determines nature and feature of basic principles.

Supreme Brahma said, “You truly obey and worship me and also respect others. I am happy.”

 The great lord told he rendered correct services to His father. Like a true son, people revered, for it was in truth, a divine function.

He told, “O sage Kardama, your beautiful and chaste daughters, O worthy child, will increase progeny and so, it will multiply manifold through descendents. It is an auspicious occasion and so you give away girls to sages like Marichi in marriage depending upon the quality of fondness, temperament and beauty and if you do it, eminence will spread and glorify.”

The Supreme revealed that the ancient Person had already descended on earth through deluding potency and wonderful creative energy in the person of Kapila. Kardama was calm and beholden to the divine gift.

The Supreme Lord turned to Devahuti, “With golden hair, lotus like eyes, and feet and soles bearing signs of a lotus flower is lord Vishnu, who is born to you O holy Devahuti. He will spread message and principles of knowledge and tear off roots of karma through strength of scriptures. O holy woman, he will cut the knot of ignorance, false images, visions and delusions, wander around the world, teach and extol principles of knowledge. He will be the lord of Siddhas. Teachers of Sankhya philosophy - a system that determines nature of principles governing life, and will revere him and the entire world would know him as sage Kapila, who would glorify you.”

It was an unrivaled amazing gift. The Supreme chose Devahuti, a woman of marvelous spiritual strength as the virtuous path to descend on earth in mortal form to teach Sankhya system of philosophy.

Brahma assured the woman and the holy monk, and the most sanctified couple proudly took care of ‘a great reason’ to live, exist and spread messages of divinity and knowledge because Supreme Brahma chose ashrama as the holy abode and descended. Later, Brahma, the Creator, sage Sanaka and brothers, and the celestial sage Narada mounted on the celestial swan and returned to Brahmaloka -Satyaloka thought as the highest sphere that stretches beyond the three worlds, and left behind sage Marichi and many sages to espouse a divine cause and fulfill the divine wish already defined. Kardama married off nine daughters to grand sages of tapa and penance as ordained even while as per the divine arrangement, sage Kardama was the medium to execute a divine plan.

As Supreme Brahma instructed, Kardama, without wasting time, strictly followed injunctions of scriptures and offered fantastic, righteous and upright daughters Kala, Ansuya, Sradha, Havirbhu, Gati, Kriya, Khayti, Arundhati and Santi to sages namely - Marichi, Atri, Angira, Pulastya, Pulaha, Kratu, Bhrigu, Vasistha and Atharva respectively. The lords of the created beings sages wielded authority on scriptures, yajnas and sacrificial rituals of import. The created beings of the three worlds venerated and worshipped holy men immensely. He solemnized marriages of sages properly and obeyed injunctions of scriptures, and after marriage, religiously propitiated sages with spouses. After marriage, the great sages with spouses took leave of Kardama and Devahuti, and imbued with a spirit of joy and ecstasy went to respective hermitage, for each one was ordained to fulfill a Divine Command.

The elderly holy couple was alone after bidding adieu to the newly married couples. Kardama thought of past, of sin and of guilt he carried for a long time, for pleasure jaunts with Devahuti did not disturb. He learnt of a great secret.

He thought, “Lord Vishnu, an embodiment of three pairs of divine attributes - power and affluence, piety and distinction, wisdom and dispassion took birth as a son.”

He was anxious and so went to the lord when alone, and spoke hesitantly, “O Supreme lord, people suffer because of karmas of sin and guilt but when they act virtuously and dedicate ‘the selves’ to the lord, the gods feel happy and stay in magic delight for a long time and show grace. However, truth striving souls seek it and try to realize truth in lonely places and undergo intense penance. Souls of penance mature after many births and reach the eternal truth of lord, and thereafter, promote cause of devotees while the lord protects and blesses virtuous souls. This time, the great lord appeared in the house of a worldly man not caring for ignominy it would bring. O lord, you alone transcend various forms worthy of you. It is a mystery. I am puzzled.” Lord listened to Kardama quietly with a benevolent meaningful smile but said nothing.

Sage Kapila realized presence of Supreme lord and to him he appeared as Primordial Matter, the Spirit or the Principle of cosmic intelligence, the Time Spirit, the threefold attributes -Sattvic, Rajasic and Tamasic, the attributes of pure and natural
activities -an essence of stimulation and movement. Sattvic qualities spread peace and harmony. Rajasic indicated motion, passion, ambition and energy and similar attributes, whereas Tamasic qualities stood for laziness, volatility, amoral ego, various worlds, and the guardians. He oversees everything and is the Consciousness. Now, he realized the truth and the commandments of Supreme Brahma, who had earlier asked him to get married, and beget children. He was a sage, who reached the highest through Supreme lord and blessed him with the worldly pleasures -the earthly and the spiritual. Now, he felt he did whatever Supreme Creator expected. Therefore, he decided to tread the path of ascetics and concentrate only on Supreme lord, so that in future, he is free from bondages.

At that time, Supreme lord disguised as sage Kapila said, “Whatever I say, is truth. O monk, whatever I speak of the Vedic and the earthly matters whether secular or sacred, is the truth. I told you I would take birth in your house. I proved it and took birth through you and Devahuti as Kapila. My birth will benefit people, who seek release from the burden of subtle bodies through self-realization. I learnt from scholarly sages and men of tapa that path of ‘self-knowledge’ is mysterious and obscure. Only an ardent seeker strives hard to attain the sacred objective, and therefore, I took birth. O great sage, you go wherever you want. Conquer death though it is very difficult. You concentrate and dedicate life to me and attain immortality. Know that I, the supreme self-effulgent Spirit dwell in the hearts of all through you –the intellect, and so you will be free from sorrows, and achieve a fearless state. In due course of time, I shall impart spiritual knowledge to mother Devahuti.  Knowledge and power of virtues unchain a man from bondages of actions and so, she will not fear transmigration and attain supreme joy.”

Afterward, sage Kapila was lost in deep deliberation.

Kardama heard sage Kapila, went around him as a mark of respect and later, straightway left for the forest filled with divine joy and love. A unique definition to a relationship between a son and a father emerges while it does not ignore divine principle of life and birth where Devahuti stands tall to oversee what the father and the son achieve.

Sage Kardama took a vow of non-violence, renounced sacrificial fire and dwelling, and began to roam around the entire globe away from worldly attachment. He concentrated mind on the Supreme Creator and attained union with the lord. Kardama was a sage on earth, who moved to the world of spirits, tapa -penance, deep devotion and meditation, and thus, was a realized soul. Later on, as ordained, he lived as an ordinary man but still, was a man of divine powers and deluding potency that he had attained earlier through intense tapa, and thereafter, enjoyed a life of pleasures, and consequently, gave to the world, a great sage - God personified, an incarnation of god.

Discipline and intense devotion to a cause makes life meaningful. It is not essential that a man always lives an austere life, sits alone and detached. It is a way of life when one lives among men of the world and practices certain principles that work as guidelines to future generations. To that extent, Kardama lived a life of a sage, a man of world as well, and as a man of profound wisdom before whom, even the great lord bowed.

It is possible, sometime in future, very near or possibly very far away in future, a man with virtuous attributes will appear and teach humanity, the men of the world the art of living life, lost in infected attitude of materialistic pursuits of greed, violence and selfishness. A troubled and wise modern man may hope that someone appears, and propounds the principles of life of virtues, truth, honesty, devotion, tapa and worldly pleasures, and then, ultimately leads to the path of salvation even if it is open to a few - a wishful thought but to yearn for the well-being of future is not a sin.