Once upon a time, a noble man of wisdom and eminence Puranjana governed a vast country. He had a friend Avigyata (the unknown). People called him Avigyata because none knew about the destination, activities and nature. King Puranjana went around the world in search of a suitable abode where he could live blissfully and enjoy undisturbed life. However, when he did not find a suitable place, he felt gloomy and low.

One day, he saw a majestic, exciting and grand city with nine gates. He visualised the marks of a splendid city situated on the southern ridges of the Himalayan range in the land of karmas (Bharatvarsha). He was very happy. A defensive wall, groves, watchtowers and moats, eyeholes and arched gateways surrounded the city very well. It was full of wonderful houses having turrets of gold, silver and steel on all sides. Large floors of huge mansion were paved with sapphires, crystals, cat’s eye gems, pearls, emeralds and rubies. The beautiful city appeared radiant with grandeur as if it were a city of nagas (snakes) in the subterranean region. Terrific magnificence of the city with an assembly hall, crossings, roads, highways, gambling houses, bazaars, resting places, terraces of coral stones, banners furling from flagstaffs, charmed.

In the outskirts of the city, a garden of celestial trees and creepers and an amazing lake in the centre, enhanced the grandeur of the great city. Captivating bees’ humming and birds’ chirping appealed to the ears and the senses. The unique scene with the divine aura, offered a soothing resting place. Fresh air and cool breeze freshened up tired hearts and bodies. The virgin beauty of surroundings fascinated and thrilled onlookers. The sweet notes of cuckoos allured. King Puranjana loitered leisurely and noticed the appealing scenario with a keen eye but the unsteady mind kept roving in search of beauty he did not know. He continued wandering because its riveting wonder buried deep in the heart did not oblige.

He walked around the unvisited beautiful and spacious garden and after a while, suddenly noticed the arrival of a charming damsel in the garden. Ten attendants (each one, a spouse of one hundred wives) accompanied the beautiful sixteen years old girl with the ability to assume any form at will. Interestingly, she was in search of a suitable match. A fivehooded serpent strongly guarded as a guardian and so, she felt secure. With charismatic and attractive physique, shapely nose, beautiful teeth, gorgeous cheeks, luminous earrings in the divinely well-shaped ears and fascinating smile, she captivated.

In short, she was a beautiful girl with divine virtues and a body rich in sensuousness. She was the goddess of charm and glory, and moved like an elephant. Her modesty spoke immensely of girl-like virtues while rounded breasts intriguingly covered with a garment spoke of devastating loveliness and youth.

An amazing girl teaches the art of life

Arrows of love, passion and affectionate sidelong glances fatally wounded King Puranjana. Intensity of beauty stung, as he stood aghast and bewitched. Charismatic glances of a genial and shy girl allured and after a thought, he smiled and said, “Who are you, O beautiful girl with lotus-like eyes? Whose daughter you are? O pure girl, from where did you come? O hesitant girl, what do you intend to do in the outskirts of the city? Who are the attendants and warriors? Who are the women? A fivehooded serpent scares. I am curious to know. Please tell…you look mysterious.”

Out of inquisitiveness, love-stricken King Puranjana asked many questions and did not allow her to react. Anonymity surrounding the young damsel raised curiosity. He went near and continued to ask many questions. Questions and the anxiety of a lovelorn king moved from a fantastic portrayal of a mortal girl to the earthly depiction of charm. An astonishing figure of exquisiteness brought many images before the king’s eyes. He imagined her in the images of goddesses Parvati, Vaka (the goddess of speech), Laksmi (the goddess of wealth) but found no answer, and therefore, looked puzzled.

He said, “O young girl, you, a divinely blessed beauty, hypnotise and greatly charm. Blithe eyebrows, conspiring selfconscious and loving smiles overwhelm and drive me to vexing and torturing love and passion. You totally distract mind and heart. O young girl, let me enjoy glimpses of beauty and charm.” He prayed and looked at the vast enthralling beauty.

She appeared to relent on the king’s pushy coercion. Ineffable love for the king also wounded her deeply. She realised that only Puranjana, a great warrior and a king of renown, could become an ideal husband.

Puranjana attracted and she fell in love, and wanted to know the antecedents of the great king. She greeted smilingly, looked apparently shy but said, “O valiant king, I am unaware of the progenitors. We do not know names and particulars of the ancestors. It is necessary we know everything about the relations. We only know that we are present here. I also do not know as to who built up the grand city. These men and women are escorts and guardians, and when I go to sleep, the huge serpent keeps awake, guards and protects the beautiful city. O vanquisher of foes, you arrived here, it is great. God bless you. I know you desire physical pleasures and joys in the transitory world. I shall gratify. All the male and female attendants shall try to offer sensual pleasures of the world.” King Puranjana was patient and serene, and heard mild, loving and warm words of the charming girl.

Clarity of thoughts of the beautiful girl excited the king’s feelings. Now, he looked silent and stupefied.

After a short pause, she said, “O king, live in the city of nine gates for thousands of years. Who else can live in the magnificent city? You are ignorant of the joys of life. You do not look worried about future. Many do not know sensual pleasures, joys and delights on earth. Such people also do not think of the world, and are least anxious about the other world. It is here, in the world, O great man, a man gets realisation. In the life of a householder, one achieves satisfaction and the joys of a married life when one fulfils householder’s duties. One attains religious merit, worldly riches and learns about the purity of karmas. Here, he knows about dharma and deliverance. A householder enjoys love of the offspring, social recognition and prestige, and thereby attains heaven. It is only through the dedicated life of a householder that a man gets salvation. Even a recluse or a sanyasi cannot hope to enjoy such a blissful life.” King Puranjana realised that the beautiful girl knew the ways and wisdom of a worldly life.

Beautiful girl charms Puranjana and afterwards, they decide to enjoy conjugal life

King Puranjana stood mesmerised. Life of a householder was an asylum and afforded protection to the gods, the sages, human beings and living beings as well as those seeking shelter on earth she told. A true householder is able to perform duties based on the principles of dharma and thus, surely enjoyed pleasures as enshrined in the laws of dharma, artha, Kama and moksa. Any woman would accept a celebrated, generous, charming and brave man like him as husband.

At last, she revealed a keen desire to become a wife and said, “O mighty man, any woman would love to stay in the protection of a strong man and enjoy life of security and pleasure. Your strong arms resemble body of a serpent. A noble and strong man wanders in the world, throws sweet and smiling, and compassionate glances, and wipes out anguish of the weak and forlorn creatures. Who else can offer shelter to a woman…I am alone and…?” She uttered emphatic words and looked at him evocatively.

They shared feelings and thoughts on a householder’s life and readily consented to live happily, entered the dreamy city of wonders of pure natural beauty and enjoyed pleasures of conjugal life for one hundred years. King Puranjana loved life of panegyrists and played in the river during hot summers in the company of alluring women. He harboured no worries, for the city had many gates and each gate had an opening to a particular direction. Every gate with a wonderful door and name led to some other country and region and therefore, the king was aware of happenings around, and nursed no worry.

The city of miracles and mysteries attracted and the king knew how to enjoy life. Infatuation, happiness and pleasure filled him when he went with friend Visuchina to the inner parts of the palace and city. He met sons, wives and women. Similar feelings occupied the minds and hearts of relations and the people he met. Unfortunately, he was obsessed with the love of the queen and therefore, she took advantage of deep love and attachment, and often guided and beguiled him. Puranjana did not wish to irritate or offend the beautiful queen.

A deep sense of gratification appeared the objective of life to the enamoured and foolish king. He drank and ate rashly and was always intoxicated as sensuous pleasures besieged, and he straggled around with a glass of wine. He did what she wanted. If she wept, laughed, prattled, ran about, drank, ate, chewed, stood, slept or got up, stupid and deeply infatuated King Puranjana, repeated similar acts as if imitating, and looked extremely idiotic. Disgusting and lethal passion for the woman turned the king into a dunce. He often looked intently at the clever queen, heard her, smelt and touched her inanely without knowing what he did. Blindness, imprudence and deeply passionate love turned him fanatical. He was deeply sorrowful whenever he found her grieving. He was befooled and loved, cajoled and ridiculed but the queen never made intents clear. The vile and beautiful queen betrayed and as years rolled, she reduced the wise king to the antics of a monkey and elicited laughter.

Puranjana, a foolish husband goes to the forest

One day, he was ready to go to the forest for hunting. Armed with a mighty bow and equipped with an inexhaustible quiver, he put on golden armour and set off on a journey to the forest. The eleventh general accompanied Puranjana, and as he mounted a chariot driven by five fit and swift horses, he felt secure on a hunting outing. Regal ornamentations of the chariot appeared fabulous with a pair of shafts, two wheels, three flagstaffs, five cords, a single reign, one charioteer and a seat for the owner. It had two central poles for tying up the yoke, five recesses and sevenfold protection and thus, the chariot was capable of five kinds of movements. One can imagine the grandeur of the royal chariot in consonance with the mental attitude of a flamboyant and pleasure loving king, who exhibited glory as obsession, and so, looked unwise and sickening. However, the king took pride in everything he did, and each word he spoke.

Hunting was a passion and so, he did not care for anything and forgot niceties of a regal life. He turned into a devil, a demon and therefore, cruelty, callousness and brutal instincts drove him to kill wild animals in the forest and he did not care for the principles of dharma and justice. Hunting gave a little pleasure but Puranjana defied the principles of scriptures, became a voracious meat-eater and therefore, violent hunting continued. He turned wild, violent and cruel like beasts. Scriptures do not permit violent acts, and the people, who do not indulge in viciously wild actions, are free from the cycle of birth, death and rebirth. Going to different yonis already determined, appears continuous, for karmas resolve destiny of man. The king loved killing of birds, beasts and different living beings, and created terror. He wounded grievously or killed living beings of the forest and therefore, all animals and beasts lived in fear, agonies and pains, and died but the king never stopped arbitrary shooting of arrows.

He went mad as if, behaved idiotically, and killed hares, pigs, boars, bison, black antelopes and porcupines, and many wild animals until he was exhausted. After sometime, he stopped killing animals and returned to the city, took bath, applied perfumes, sandal paste, fully adorned the body with delightful clothes and ornaments, and looked fresh. During exploits, the queen was not with him and so he realised her absence. When he was fresh after bath, he thought avidly of the queen, as intensity of passions and love seized.

He enquired keenly about the affairs of the state from the women of the palace, attendants, and came to know everything and later, looked out for the lovely queen, for he felt miserable in the queen’s absence. He had not yet found real essence of life, and only carnal joys fascinated. Women told that the queen was unwell and disturbed during the king’s long absence. He went to the queen, found her lying unkempt, sitting and sobbing on the ground. He tried to pacify but she was reluctant to accede to the pleas and after great persuasion, she felt satisfied.

Puranjana offers reasons… while worldly pleasures overwhelm

King Puranjana offered cogent reasons, tried to win back the angry love and said, “O dear queen, be kind and gracious. I know I committed grave offences, incurred displeasure, and you were frustrated and so, look forlorn. I went out to the forest, for hunting passion seized and I did not tell you but I love you. O queen, gratify a man, who is under your sway. Forgive for what I did.”

She knew the weakness of Puranjana. After the king’s ardent pleas, she smiled, forgave and surrendered. Life was full of love, passion, delight and satisfaction and the lovelorn queen was happy. Lost in love, passion and secret amatory counsel, hearty and luxurious food the king lost control over the subtle movement of time and failed sadly in regal functions.

The love of queen conquered, and he lost the wisdom and did not recognise anyone. To live and enjoy life with the queen was the objective and she appeared as salvation incarnate. Despair, gloom and perdition engulfed him and he knew little of the grave fall. Indulgence in sensual joys infinitely proved lethal and the king lost youth and beauty. However, he did not realise that time was obstructive and eating away energies. The lord blessed Puranjana and he became a proud father of many sons and daughters. One can just imagine the king’s disgusting penchant for material joys and women, for very soon the queens gave birth to eleven hundred sons and one hundred and ten daughters.

The progeny of the king was generous, noble and virtuous and had great qualities of head and heart. When he loved to live with the queens, he carried out duties of a householder religiously and got gracious and righteous children. When the princesses grew up, he found suitable boys and married them off. Thus, the king of Panchala had a worthy inheritance of past and future. Nevertheless, he was an obsessed man and the world was a family for him. Lost in earthly pleasures, he did not know that life of pleasures was not the real objective.

He offered prayers to the gods and goddesses but it was a waste. A great truth dawned upon that the lovesick men reach nowhere. A bad fate visits men greatly fond of women. He was badly careless and did not think of the wellbeing of public. Very soon, old age and senility visited the great king.

Chandavega, the king of gandharavas destroys the great city

At that time, Chandavega was the chief of gandharavas. He had powerful folks, an entourage of three hundred and sixty gandharavas, who were musicians and loved to enjoy. The half of gandharavas’ women was of dark complexion. In search of objects of pleasures, they loved to ramble around and so, in the course of journey, they wreaked havoc on the beautiful city of Puranjana. Haphazard roving acts led to a furious battle when gandharavas did not stop the pillage of the city and ruined it for sheer fun and joy.

A five-hooded serpent Pragara strongly defended the city for one hundred years but now, it was different as loot and destruction did not stop. It became difficult for the serpent to protect the city for a long time. Puranjana, a docile king obeyed the queen and adhered to each directive she issued. He did it out of passion, depended upon the retainers without caring for royal reputation, and therefore, knew nothing of imminent threat.

Jara, a daughter of Kala (Time Spirit) in search of a suitable match roamed around the three worlds. She was unable to find an excellent match and so, had remained unmarried. People called unfortunate Jara – Durbhaga (ill fated woman). However, destiny played its role.

Puru accepts Jara as wife, later on marries Prajwara as Yavana suggests and controls the city of Puranjana as sufferings of the king appear endless

Once, a royal sage Puru offered youth to Yayati. He made a choice and accepted Jara as wife. Jara was very happy and conferred the benefit of sovereignty on Puru. The eternal story of Yayati told differently in many sacred texts carries import. Puru, a mighty son sacrificed and gave youth to his father Yayati so that Yayati enjoys worldly pleasures, is the truth of legend. On the other hand, Jara wooed sage Narada, roving around during peregrination. She pleaded earnestly before the celestial sage but he did not agree and therefore, she was incensed and issued a formidable curse that Narada would forever continue to roam around the three worlds without staying anywhere, and probably under the influence of severe curse, Narada lived an unsteady life as the mystic power of Jara proved ruinous. Later on, Jara went to Yavana Bhaya and accepted him as a spouse. If one offers something without asking and the other one accepts without a protest it is auspicious, otherwise a man is condemned.

She told Yavana, “You be graceful and accept me as wife. Compassion to an afflicted is the sacred duty of man.”

However, lord Yavana was eager to fulfil another mission of gods and so, won over Jara to marry Prajwara (the mortal fever) so that in future, they stride over the three worlds with a frightening army unknown and unnoticed. This he could do because he possessed instinctive vision he told. Henceforth, Jara would become his sister.

Yavana secured terrifying support of Prajwara and Jara as agreed and therefore, he rushed to the city of Puranjana with a strong army, executed the mission with shocking cruelty and besieged it. The city was rich in earthly enjoyments as the legendry serpent ably guarded it. Jara possessed great and unique power and could vanquish anyone. Jara took custody of the rich city, reduced the powers of confronting warriors and rendered the enemy desolately impotent.

The entire city was tortured and citizens enjoying beauty and pleasures, suffered atrocities because Jara mounted pressure. The subjugation was grueling and wearing, and therefore, the troubles of Puranjana increased vastly. He loved life, richness, pleasures and relations but unfortunately, became a victim of manifold agonies Jara caused. Divested of power, Puranjana felt wretched. The gandharavas and the yavanas deprived him of the regal splendor and affluence and now, he was susceptible even to a minor assault.

In times of crisis, none came forward to pull him out of the miseries, and even the queen ignored as he had lost everything, and was worthless. Jara, a daughter of Kala, played havoc with riches, health and physique of a mighty king, now a wreck.

On the other hand, the gandharavas and yavanas destroyed the grand city, as Jara stood steadfast to facilitate its destruction. Afterwards Prajwara set the whole city on fire. Enormous miseries, deprivation, violence and wounds badly hit but nobody helped a mauled king and the suffering people. Puranjana felt enfeebled and deprived of the manliness and now, decided reluctantly to quit the lost city, in control of enemy.

However, it was unbearable for the king to leave the city, for he had lived and enjoyed life while thought of ‘I’ and ‘Me’ puzzled and he wanted to understand its real meaning and concept. He found nothing in the world beyond ‘I’ and ‘Me’ and the sensuous pleasures proved a grievous philosophy.

Puranjana’s tragedy was colossal. He never thought of life beyond the four walls of the city and so, mad love for the queen, relatives, pleasures and riches proved disastrous and he lost everything. Even when everything was lost and he was ready to abandon and quit the city, he thought deep and felt despondent as he imagined the possibility of relatives’ living without him. It was a nerve shattering thought. Fixation and attachment to the ephemeral and the transitory physical and material pleasures of life gave troubles. He did not understand the truth of life, and suffered.

The sufferings of a defeated and perished king raised heads. Jara took him into custody when was ready to escape. He was tortured and dragged as a beast but infatuation did not lessen. Worldly pleasures occupied his mind and heart and not for a moment, in ignorance, he lost thoughts of the charismatic queen. He suffered loss of memory, untold physical and mental agonies for years without clemency.

Puranjana’s life changes after death –and takes birth as a princess, King Malayadhwaja abandons pleasures of kingly life and goes to the mountain to undergo austere penance and queen Puranjana goes after him

Too much love and obsession transformed his life after death. A perverted and blind love for the queen penalised him and the providence played a predestined role. After an age, he was born as the most beautiful girl in the house of a ruler of Pandya kingdom. As the princess of Vidarbha, she (Puranjana in earlier life) married the most valorous prince Malayadhwaja, who had defeated many princes in fierce battles. Another life began for Puranjana as a woman. Malayadhwaja begot a lovely daughter with dark eyes and seven sons through queen Puranjana, and later on, the seven princes became the rulers of the Dravida kingdom.

The dynasty of Malayadhwaja increased in a grand way and its descendants ruled over a vast kingdom for many ages, and even extended the borders of the country far beyond. Afterward, sage Malayadhwaja divided the great kingdom among sons and went to the mountain to undergo tapa.

After a few years, the queen abandoned sons, daughters and the pleasures of the palace and went after sage Malayadhwaja as he began a tough life of tapasya and lived on bulbs, seeds, roots and fruits, flowers and leaves, blades of grass and water. The life of austerities emaciated a healthy body. He was immune to everything because of intensity of devotion and so, lost sense of heat and cold, storm and rain, hunger and thirst, the good and the bad, the agreeable and the disagreeable.

He practiced extreme asceticism and worship, did not harbour any desire and eradicated even a faint trace of worldly infatuations and longings. After the control of senses, breathing and mind through the internal and the external religious vows of purity and devotion to the religious studies, he lived a life of rigorous discipline, and concentrated on Brahma. As he fixed ‘the self’ on lord Krishna, he slowly turned unconscious of everything and sat motionless for one hundred years. Austerity and severe tapa ultimately led the sage to the ultimate reality. He realised the delight of Oneness and unity with Brahma, experienced the transcendent and the Supreme spirit nestling inside. Thus, he attained the highest truth and as identity lost meaning, he experienced the lord’s presence within.

Virtuous queen (Vaidarbhi – rebirth of King Puranjana as a daughter of Vidharba) served devotedly. Her physique appeared frail and emaciated but she continued to dedicate time and energies to sage husband for a long time. Devotedly serving husband was of paramount obligation she knew and so, was an object of adoration and devotion. Even when he was dead, she continued to wait upon but was unconscious of the truth that he was dead. When she experienced no warmth in the sage’s body, she was deeply perturbed and distraught, and forgot the world around as miseries assailed.

She realised she was alone and appeared dejected. She cried loudly, tears rolled down incessantly and after a pause, she genuinely pleaded, “O royal sage, please get up. A vast sea surrounds the earth. Many robbers, looters, renegades and kings do not adhere to the path of dharma. Therefore, they spread terror and fear, and are depraved and licentious. Please protect the suffering public.”

Intense wailings and sobs of Vaidarbhi were unbearable. Now, she was a mere skeleton. She prostrated before the dead as tears continued to roll down. She meekly entreated and shed tears profusely for a long time.

Vaidarbhi becomes conscious of the death of sage Malayadhwaja

She controlled a little and realised he was dead. Immediately, she collected dry wood, made a pyre and after she set fire to it, she resolved to pursue him to the other world. She rationalised the situation and thought to commit sati (an old custom among Hindus where a woman plunged into the burning pyre of her husband). At that time, a brahmin friend and a realised soul, appeared and spoke gentle soothing words while she continued to groan.

The noble brahmin said, “O woman, who are you? Whose daughter you are? Why do you grieve? Who is the resting man? You do not know who I am. I am an old friend with whom you wandered about leisurely long back. O dear friend, do you remember that at some time in life, you loved a friend Avigyata? O dear friend, you went in search of an appropriate place where you wished to enjoy the pleasures and luxuries of life and so, left me alone. Earlier as swans, we lived in Manasa (a wonderful lake) and resided for thousands of years without shelter. You left and descended on earth (a mortal world) in search of carnal pleasures and finally, entered an amazing land of beauty and luxuries. A woman of beauty and passion had constructed the grand city long back I told you.” He looked deeply into the eyes of sorrowful Vaidarbhi.

After a short pause, he resumed, “An amazing city had many pleasure gardens, gates, portals, walls and everything you dreamt of so that you live life of physical enjoyment. I must tell you that each and everything in the pleasure garden was symbolic of senses. Fire, water and the earth were its surrounding walls and the merchant families were metaphors for the mind and the five senses. The vast market symbolised five organs of action. Ever fresh elements constituted it. The beauty of the city and woman fascinated you and you forgot the objectives of life. You ignored religious books and virtuous elevating thoughts enshrined in the holy books. Perhaps, you were unaware that the city invariably consumed a man’s intellect and wisdom. In truth, you were a prisoner of charming dame.”

He added, “Intense familiarity and love for the beautiful woman in the garden of pleasures was lethal. You forget life and its objectives and ironically, sensuous pleasures finally drove you to a wretched life.”

He looked at the woman and after a few moments revealed the truth, “O woman, you are not a daughter of the king of Vaidarbha. You are also not a queen of Malayadhwaja, who is dead now. The beautiful woman of the pleasure city where you spent life of intense worldly pleasures was not Puranjani (queen). You were not her man. You thought you were a man in previous life and now, you are a woman of the dead king. It is not true. It is nothing but illusion. It is maya I spread under the illusory influence that made you think that you were a man and now, you think you are an upright woman.”

The revelation amazed and shocked. While she still groped in the dark, he said, “You are neither a man nor a woman. You are a swan. I am also a swan. Therefore, O dear friend, try to recognise ‘the true Self’ and true nature. I am you, and you exist in me. It is Oneness. No division exists if you think. It is an apparition, a delusion. O friend, experience what you are. Think deep. You are not different from me. I am you, and you are I. The wise people do not perceive distinction. A man sees his image in the mirror and then, finds it in the eyes of the onlooker. He finds weak distinction and the difference creates an illusory situation.”

A sad queen sat baffled but unique brilliance appeared in watery eyes as grief and sorrow vanished.

The holy brahmin, in the image of a swan, was the lord, the god, who cautioned and reprimanded the woman

(Puranjana/Viadarbhi on the pyre), a swan of Manasa Lake, who was lost in the material world and had left a friend. Now, the same friend salvaged consciousness and self-realisation, and soon became a liberated and a realised soul. A man hankers after the worldly pleasures, amasses wealth, takes delight in wine, women and delusory pleasures, and is lost but when the great truth dawns he realises how life was wasted.

Therefore, shocking obscenity and unethical conduct in the exposition of religious thoughts appears disgusting and still a man professes he practices religious discipline. Greed, corruption and violence govern the outlook of people whether worldly or the men of religions and so, lack of truth and dharma brings miseries.