A Page from Ancient Literature

A man ought to recognize correctly the significance of shradha. It is a sacred duty of children to ensure that they perform rituals regarding pitres religiously during days of shradha. Propitiating pitres –ancestors at the time of shradha bless many believe, and therefore, a man should perform devotedly and religiously rituals, and delight the pitres. Devotion to identified and unknown ancestors bestows on man long and happy life and prosperity, knowledge and comforts. A man engaged in virtuous deeds, one learns is a gateway to inner peace and harmony. Righteous acts -a life of dharma and karma in life bring peace and harmony. To appease the souls of the dead means to get rid of miseries. Performance of shradha not only makes future safe and happy but it glorifies the entire generation, and thus, pitres are happy and bless, many devotees believe.

Religion is about affirmative and constructive principles of life of man and society. Critical psychoanalysis or study is not the objective because it creates doubts at times, about probity and principled values. Thoughts and principles that inspire and guide humankind always enrich life and living. If man learns from Nature and its mysterious apparatus that works in perfect harmony, he can live in absolute peace without creating interruption around.

Sage Kaushik and Pipilika

In ancient times, sage Kaushik with seven religious minded sons lived in Kurukshetra. After the death of sage Kaushik, all his sons became disciples of sage Garga. During the period, a catastrophic rain –anabrishti created fear in the three worlds, and thus, a situation of severe famine brought sufferings. In the meantime, the seven adherents to the teachings and disciples of the sage Garga, with permission of guru were engaged in the service of the holy sage with devotion.

On the other hand, all living beings in the jungle suffered from extreme hunger. When no solution to the problem of hunger and scarcity was in sight, then, the youngest son of sage Kaushik, Pitrivarti suggested that the performance of shradha -–prayer and worship to appease the dead souls, for the peace of ancestors would help get rid of miseries. Only a holy karma could mitigate the sufferings of the living he believed. His elder brothers readily agreed to the opinion the younger brother offered.

Getting a nod from the brothers, Pitrivarti with a concentrated mind and heart began to make arrangement for holding of shradha. He kept the age and seniority of brothers in mind before assigning appropriate duties relating to the religious ceremonies and other rituals.

It was an elaborate religious ceremony so he requested his two brothers to do duties relating to the gods and the deities. He asked the other three brothers to perform duties relating to pitres –manes and ancestors, assigned the duty of a guest to one brother, and told them that he would do the duty of performing shradha, the main duty of ritual. Thereafter, Pitrivarti, like a devoted son, remembered all pitres –ancestors, and after the recitation of mantras in a proper manner, he completed the work of shradha.

~*~

With the passage of time, and as it was destined to happen, and therefore, after death they took birth as hunters in a town Daspur -Mandsaur because they did not fully adhered to the principles of shradha, and thus, suffered from pitradosh - anger of pitres or inadequacies in showing reverence to pitres or ancestors. However, as they tried to perform shradha of sage Kaushik after some time though quite belated, a simple good act blessed all the sons with memory where they remembered everything of the previous birth. They appeared to have committed a grave sin because they had failed perform properly and timely shradha of pitres, and therefore, took birth in the family of a cruel hunter in the next birth but they remained jaatismara –knower of the previous birth. It was because of the grace and goodwill of the virtuous souls, the manes –pitres.

Again, they developed disinterestedness in religious rituals like shradha and holy karmas. Therefore, they went on a fast unto death, and later the relinquished the mortal frames. In later times, they were born on Kalinger Mountain before lord Neelkantha -lord Shiva in the yoni of stags. The influence of pitres continued to remain fresh and so they remembered everything of past life. The virtue of jaatismar did not allow peace of mind and so, they did not live contentedly because of the awareness in the yonis in which they were born.

In the yoni of stags, they carried knowledge of the past and so they lost interest in the life too. Because of the influence of virtuous souls –the ancestors, the seven stags visited various tirthas –holy places while observing fast, and thought to walk on the path of dharma again. They sacrificed lives with a feeling of denial and renunciation. It was an obsessive refutation so they did not live life of censure.

Later on, the seven practitioners of yoga took birth in the yoni of chakravaak –a bird in the category of swan, in Mansarovara with different names. They were all yogis and could understand life but the yoni of a bird gave troubles. Out of the yogis, three were now distracted and as such, lost the path of yoga and began to wander around pointlessly.

~*~

At that time, a king of the dynasty of Panchala known for power and valour and a huge army and countless soldiers, who possessed many vehicles arrived on the scene with many women while playing various games of leisure and pleasure. Observing the great king with a strong entourage, one of the birds of Mansarovara, Pitrivarti –a brahmin, who was devotee of his father and had performed shradha with devotion was devastated as he harboured a burning desire to have the state –kingdom.

In the same manner, the other two also observed the ministers of the king with sufficient army and vehicles like chariots, elephants and horses, and naturally, nursed an earnest desire to become ministers and so became loud in words. Thus, the three were still full of worldly desires. The other four brothers -birds were men, who evinced least interest in worldly accomplishments. They were full of nishkama bhava -a feeling of disinterestedness or objectivity or a state of no worldly wish, despite karmas. In later births, they were born in the family of a great Brahmin.

Out of the three Brahmdutta, a son of king Vibhraja became a great king. The other two were born as sons Kandreek and Subalaka in the house of a minister. After the death of Vibhraja, Brahmdutt became the king. Brahmdutta was mighty and full of courage. He was a learned man of scriptures and a yogi, who could speak in the language of all the created beings. Deval’s daughter Sanati, a woman of truth became a queen. Each word she spoke proved true. With the dynamic support of Sanati, Brahmdutta administered competently the affairs of the state.

~*~

One day, king Brahmdutta went to a garden for a leisure walk with queen Sanati. In the garden, he observed an ant couple mad with passion and lust. A male ant smitten badly with the arrows of passion the lord of love released, made humble pleas before the female ant to accede to his request. It said to beloved ant in extremely passionate words, “O dear, I find no woman as beautiful as you are in the world.” That was the depth of intensity of passion.

Thereafter, male ant began to sing songs of beauty and magic charm and praised his beloved as if she were the only beauty in the three worlds. He was enamoured of her waist, legs, breasts, arms, gaits and softness in voice. He admired her sense of humour and woman-like qualities. She was the most desired woman, who was devoted and loyal to him. She was an ideal wife, male ant told. For a long time, he implored before her but she remained unmoved.

At last, he said, “O dear, please tell me. Why are you angry?”

Filled with anger, she said, “You keep quiet. You just talk nonsense. O fool, you had left me only yesterday and gave sweets to another ant you loved. Now, you flaunt love toward me.”

He said, “O my beloved, she looked like you, and therefore, I could not distinguish. Thinking you in the figure, I gave sweets to her. O dear woman, please forgive me for the sin. O dear, I shall not do any offense in future. I speak on oath …and take a pledge and …I touch your feet. Now, be happy with the humble husband.”

Pleasant and convincing words made the ant happy. On the other hand, the king bestowed with the blessing of lord Vishnu of understanding the language of all beings, heard the conversation of the couple and felt deeply astonished. Feelings of love and passions that trouble or agitate the minds of human beings also disturb other living beings the king thought.

~*~

Thus, the king understood the language of ants, and on the other hand, the four birds –charvaaka took birth in the family of an old brahmin, who lived in the city of king Brahmdutta. Born in the family of a Brahmin, they held the power and knowledge of past. Jaatismar was intact and they could know easily who they were in the previous birth. As sons of a noble Brahmin Sudridra, people knew the four sons namely - Dhutimana, Tatvadarshi, Vidyachund and Tapotsaka. All the four sons of the brahmin were inclined toward a life of tapa and penance.

With folded hands, they requested father Sudridra, “O dear father, we want to attain siddhi –perfection in life.”

The old brahmin, a man of severe tapa, listened to the words of the sons and said, “O sons, what do you say? You wish to go to the forest and leave a poor and old father. What would you attain if you abandon me here? What dharma you want to attain? What would you achieve finally? Where will you go? The way you plan to desert and leave me alone uncared, is a matter of great adharma.”

Old Brahmin, a man of penance refused permission. His sons, however insisted when they said, “O father, we have made arrangements of livelihood. You will not die of hunger and thirst. What else do you need? Please tell. If you go early in the morning to king Brahmdutta and recite a sloka, he will give you sufficient wealth, property and thousands of villages, which will make life happy and prosperous.”

In fact, the sloka elucidated the secret of the previous birth, and naturally, it could impress the king tremendously. On the other hand, the sons of the brahmin after offering suggestion and solution to the old brahmin, left for tapa and penance, and proceeded to the forest. Old brahmin appeared before the king in the royal palace.

~*~

To know past is not easy. Many men of wisdom and tapa are ignorant of it and still everyone wants to know his or her past. Brahmdutta’s past had interesting things to reveal. In ancient times, a king named Anuha, a son of king Vibhraja ruled a large country. He wanted a son, and therefore, with an eager desire to have a son, began tapa and meditation. He began worshipping the lord of gods Sri Hari and meditated under difficult conditions. He continued to do tapa and meditation for a long time. Pleased with the genuine tapa of the king, Sri Hari appeared before the devotee and said, “O king, May you be blessed. Now, ask for a boon you nursed for so long.”

He heard the celestial words of lord Vishnu and begged for the most coveted blessing, and therefore, said, “O lord of gods, bless me with a son, who is great and powerful, valiant and mighty and a learned man of holy scriptures. He should be a man of dharma. He should be the greatest yogi on earth, O lord. He should be wise, learned and comprehend dialects or speeches of created beings on earth and more so, he should be a man of yoga. O lord, bless me with such an aurus, son.”

The soul of the entire universe, the Supreme lord said, “I bless you.” The great lord disappeared while the gods of heaven witnessed the whole scenario.

After years, at the appropriate time as the great Soul determined, Brahmadutta was born as a son of king Anuha. He was compassionate and generous to created beings and was the mightiest man on earth blessed with boundless supremacy and ‘the pelf’. He knew and understood the dialects and languages of all the created beings on earth, and thus, he became the king of the kings, the great emperor in the whole of universe.

The great king had thus, gained the knowledge of various dialects and languages of living beings on earth with the blessings of the great lord. In the meantime, the little insects –an ant and male ant, sat at one place. King Brahmadutta, a great yogi observed the efforts of male ant in passion trying to satisfy hunger and out of curiosity went near the tiny insects in love and split into a mild laughter. Queen Sanati was greatly surprised at the unsolicited laughter and filled with various suspicions about a likely ominous happening, felt compelled to ask a question from the king of kings Brahmadutta.

Queen Sanati asked, “O king, why did you burst out into a laugh? What makes you meaningful as you laugh? You laughed at a time when it was least expected. I fail to understand the mystery.”

To satisfy the curiosity of the queen, the king narrated the entire incident relating to the ant-couple. He said, “O dear queen, it made me laugh when I heard words of love and passion between the two. O virtuous woman, it made me laugh and nothing else ….”

However, the queen was not ready to believe the statement of the king and so she said again, “O king, I feel the statement is absolutely untrue. Just a few moments earlier, you burst into snickers at one of my avowals. Therefore, I shall not love to have another life. How a being of the earth can understand the exchange of words between the insects excepting gods? Please tell. Therefore, O king, you cracked a joke and targeted me. What else is the reason?”

A man of truth and virtues could not say further, when he heard the queen’s words of grievance. He did not know the right answer. He wanted to know the mystery of the strange and phenomenal knowledge, and therefore, kept sitting in meditation before the Supreme lord Sri Hari, followed the principles of religious ceremonies, and thus, was engaged in deep bhakti for seven nights.

At last, Sri Hari appeared in a dream and said, “O king, in the morning, a wandering old Brahmin will arrive in the city and whatever words he speaks, the words will reveal the secret of the knowledge.” The lord said and disappeared. That night was quite difficult for the king, for he wanted to hear the words of the brahmin.

~*~

In the morning, when the king and queen Sanati went around the city with the ministers, at that time, they observed an old brahmin coming from the other direction, who appeared to utter many words even when none asked.

They were attentive and heard an old brahmin, what he said.

Old brahmin unaware of the king, the queen and ministers, said, “I talk of a holy man, who lived as one of the greatest brahmins in Kurukshetra, and then, who took birth in the yoni of a lion in Dashpura -Mandsaur. Later on, he was born in the yoni of a stag on Kalinjar Mountain, he is the same living being, who in later age, took birth in the yoni of a chakravaaka -a bird in the celestial Manasarovara, and now, the man is living as a siddha, in the city.”

The strange words of an old Brahmin immensely astonished the royal couple. The ministers were equally stunned at the revelation. It was quite unexpected. When the king heard the words of an unknown Brahmin, he was acutely distressed and appeared full of sorrow and grief. He felt aggrieved. He thought over and very soon, Brahmdutta, a powerful king fell on the ground with the ministers. Exactly, at that time, the great lord was delighted to bless the great king with the power of a jaatismara –knowledge of previous birth, and therefore, was able to look back and find out what the truth was. The great knowledge also revealed the identities of the wisest ministers.

One of the greatest ministers was Brabhavya Subalak, who was an authority on the philosophy of karma and possessed the knowledge of Holy Scriptures. He was a famous Panchaala. The other wise minister Kundrik was also an equally competent man with a virtuous disposition. He was a man of dharma and a profound interpreter and expounder –pravartaka of the Vedas and other books. They felt deeply aggrieved, and therefore, bowed and prostrated in front of the king. The lord blessed the ministers with knowledge of previous births. With wisdom and knowledge of Jasatismara, they understood the essence of identity and realized the meaning of existence.

At that time, they bemoaned and said, “Alas, we are unfortunate. The lure of karma attracted and so forgot the path of yoga, and thus, became wholly condemned, ill-fated and lost the real path to salvation.”

Apologetic words vividly recalled sins they had committed in earlier lives when they lived a life of karmas without knowing the heavenly fruit a man gets if he leads life of a yogi. They continued to ventilate feelings of deep grief, for they came to know the truth of ignoring the last rituals of the dead ancestors, and they knew it through the power of yoga. They were men of insight and now, a great surprise overwhelmed, and therefore, they talked of the significance of shradha and so said glorifying words about shradha - rituals performed after the death of a relation.

King Brahmdutta felt obliged to the old Brahmin, who was instrumental in helping out everyone realize the truth of birth with glimpses of previous lives. He expressed gratitude and offered many villages and a lot of wealth and property. Thus, he made an old Brahmin quite happy with the gifts of land, wealth and property, and then, after extending greetings and proper respect allowed him to go.

When he said farewell to the Brahmin, he coroneted prince Visvakasena, a son equipped with royal virtues, and offered the kingdom to govern, and later on, took path to the forest.

~*~

After a long time, the great yogis, who were now, without any feelings or thoughts of jealousy or hatred, could not witness sufferings or pains of anyone and became bhakta of father –the great ancestor, met at Manasarovara and this coincidental meeting surprised.

After the queen heard the entire sequence of events, all doubts or amarsha –feelings of intolerance in the mind appeared dispersed, and thereafter, she said to the king, “O king, whatever desires you nurture are the consequence of abandonment of the kingdom and varied allurements… and I am the cause behind.”

The king agreed to what she said, and then extending greetings, he said again, “It is the reward of your blessing and goodwill and so I got a wonderful fruit. I am overwhelmed.” Thereafter, all the citizens of the jungle took shelter in yoga, and later, abandoned the mortal frames and attained moksa. The great and virtuous souls thus, taught human beings that to perform shradha in the memory of ancestors is of utmost significance. One should never ignore. People, who religiously follow sacred karmas, please all departed souls. Thus, pleased with the oblations at the time of shradha, the great grand fathers, grandfathers, fathers and unknown ancestors bless such men with longevity, wealth, vidya, heaven, moksa, comforts, sons and even the generous pitres bless a few men -children with the luxury of kingdoms. One should repose faith to get the heavenly blessing, Brahmdutta’s life appears to exemplify. Otherwise, if looked at from a practical aspect of life, if one does a few noble deeds in life, these grant inner peace and harmony. Noble and virtuous acts…know that a life of dharma and karma bless men with extraordinary powers of mind and heart one learns.