Devrishi Narada

Devrishi Narada  is the fountainhead of all the saints and mahatmas. He himself has said about his state of devotion that “when I start singing in the praise of my Most Pious and Kind Lord, He immediately enters my heart as an invitee.”

Devrishi Narada always keeps on wandering; it is his job to always keep on moving and playing his vina (a large musical instrument of the type of lute) singing in the praise of his Lord. He is one of the twelve main acharyas (Masters) of the Bhagvatdharma (follower of Lord Vishnu) and the supreme devotional singer. He is also the composer of Bhaktisutra (the Compendium of various aspects of Devotion). He is considered to be the master of all the nine forms of devotion. He is an eternal councilor of the Divine Council. His nature is to create situations of conflict so as to protect the interest of righteous and destroy the evil. Scriptures are laid with numerous such instances. His main objective, however, is to encourage devotion to God. Both the gods and devils trust his capabilities to give them protection. Brahma, the lord of creation, first created Marichi, Atri, Sanak, Sanandan, Santkumar and Narada  and thus Narada  is the manas-putra (a son born of mind) of Brahma.

It relates to ancient time. Narada ’s eternal relationship with God was a result of his deeds in a previous birth. In his previous birth he was a Gandharva (a heavenly minstrel or musician) by the name ‘Upbarhan’. He was well built, handsome and deeply interested in music. Once many of the great Gandharvas, and Kinnars etc. assembled before Brahma to sing in the praise of God. Narada was one of them. He, however, had taken some women with him. While singing, his attention got diverted towards them and, therefore, he could not discharge his duties whole-heartedly. Brahma, therefore, cursed him to be borne as a shudra (a member of the fourth and the lowest division of early Indo-Aryan society) but this curse turned into a boon for him. He took birth through a shudra mother, who was engaged in the service of noble and religious Brahmans (the priest class). By the grace of Brahma, he was blessed with all the good qualities and his mother was very affectionate to him. The life of austerity and self-restrain of his mother had a deep impact on Narada . In the company of his mother he also started to spend his time in the service of sages and saints.

Once some saints observed Chaturmasya-vrit (a resolution to follow strict religious discipline during the four months of rainy season). On his mother’s advice Narada started serving them. Narada was only about five years then. Those saints were very kind to him. He used to listen to various stories related to God from them, as a result of which his mind had become pure. At the end of the Chaturmasya-vrit they asked Narada to meditate upon the God and told him the method of Japa (remembrance of God). After the saints left, Narada  started to devote his time accordingly. In the mean time his mother died of a serpent’s-bite. Her death gave Narada  the complete freedom from all obligations and he now started to devote the entire time in Tapa (penance).

He sat under a Pipal tree (holy fig-tree) and started meditation, as instructed by those saints. As the time was passing, his desperation to seek the God was increasing. Suddenly he had a glimpse of the Divine-light in his heart, which disappeared immediately. He could not have the glimpse of that Divine-light again in spite of making repeated efforts. He then got an inspiration that this Divine-light could be seen by only those, who had acquired complete purity of mind. After this incidence, he completely devoted himself in the contemplation of the Divine and after his death, on the start of a new Kalpa (a day of Brahma) he was born as a manas-putra of Brahma, as mentioned above. As a Divine councilor he keeps on wandering, playing his vina (a musical instrument) and singing in the praise of God. 

Veda Vyasa

Vyasa is the legendary author of the Mahabharata, Vedas and Puranas, some of the most important works in the Hindu tradition. He is also called Veda Vyāsa, (“the one who classified the Vedas”) or Krishna Dvaipāyana (referring to his dark complexion and birthplace).

The festival of Guru Purnima is dedicated to him. It is also known as Vyasa Purnima, the day believed to be both of his birth and when he divided the Vedas. Vyasa is considered one of the seven Chiranjivis (long-lived, or immortals), who are still in existence according to Hindu tradition.

His Birth

Vyasa appears for the first time as the compiler of, and an important character in, the Mahabharata. It is said that he was the expansion of the God Vishnu, who came in Dwaparayuga to make all the Vedic knowledge from oral tradition available in written form.

According to the Mahabharata, the sage Vyasa was the son of Satyavati and Sage Parashara. During her youth, Satyavati was a fisherwoman who used to drive a boat. One day, sage Parashara was in a hurry to attend a Yajna. Satyavati helped him cross the river borders. Parashara was enchanted by the beauty of Satyavati and wanted his heir from her. Initially she did not agree to his demand telling that other saints would see them, and her purity would be questioned. So Parashara created a secret place with bushes and Satyavati agreed. Satyavati later gave birth to Vyasa. Parashara took away Vyasa with him when he was born. She kept this incident a secret, not telling even King Shantanu whom she was married to later.

He was born on an island in the river Yamuna. The place is named after him as Vedvyas, possibly the modern-day town of Kalpi in the Jalaun district of Uttar Pradesh. He was dark-complexioned and hence may be called by the name Krishna (black), and also the name Dwaipayana, meaning 'island-born'.

According to legend, in a previous life Vyasa was the Sage Apantaratamas, who was born when Lord Vishnu uttered the syllable “Bhu”. He was a devotee of Lord Vishnu. Since birth, he already possessed the knowledge of the Vedas, the Dharmashastras and the Upanishads. At Vishnu’s behest, he was reborn as Vyasa.

Vyasa acquired his knowledge from the four Kumaras, Narada and Lord Brahma himself.

Vyasa is believed to have lived on the banks of Ganga in modern-day Uttarakhand. The site was also the ritual home of the sage Vashishta, along with the Pandavas, the five brothers of the Mahabharata.

Role In Mahabharata

After many years, Shantanu and Satyavati had two sons, named Chitrangada and Vichitravirya. Chitrangada was killed by Gandharvas in a battle, while Vichitravirya was weak and ill all the time. Satyavati then asked Bhisma to fetch queens for Vichitravirya. Bhishma attended the swayamvara conducted by the king of Kashi (present-day Varanasi), and defeated all the kings. Amba openly rebuted the swayamvara as she was in love with the prince of shalva, which was against the rule of swayamvara. Later bhishma came to know that King of Kashi did not know about the love of his elder daughter, so Bhishma released Amba and allowed her to go to Shalva kingdom and marry the prince who later rejected her. She came back to Bhishma and asked him to marry her, which he could not due to his vow of life long celibacy. She shuttled between Bhishma and Shalva with no success. Due to this she vowed to kill Bhishma. During the wedding ceremony, Vichitravirya collapsed and died. Satyavati was clueless on how to save the clan from perishing. She asked Bhishma to marry both the queens, who refused citing his vow and the promise that he made to her and his father, never to marry. He, therefore, could not father an heir to the kingdom. Later, Satyavati revealed to Bhishma, secrets from her past life and requested him to bring Vyasa to Hastinapur.

Sage Vyasa had a fierce personality and a bright, glowing spiritual aura around him. Hence upon seeing him, Ambika who was rather scared shut her eyes, resulting in their child, Dhritarashtra, being born blind. The other queen, Ambalika, turned pale upon meeting Vyasa, which resulted in their child, Pandu, being born pale. Alarmed, Satyavati requested that Vyasa meet Ambika again and grant her another son. Ambika instead sent her maid to meet Vyasa. The duty-bound maid was calm and composed; she had a healthy child who was later named Vidura.

While these are Vyasa’s sons, another son Shuka, born of his wife Pinjalā (Vatikā), daughter of the sage Jābāli was his true spiritual heir. Shuka appears occasionally in the story as a spiritual guide to the young Kuru princes.

His Importance

Hindus traditionally hold that Vyasa categorised the primordial single Veda into three canonical collections and that the fourth one, known as Atharvaveda, was recognized as Veda only very much later. Hence he was called Veda Vyasa, or “Splitter of the Vedas,” the splitting being a feat that allowed people to understand the divine knowledge of the Veda. The word vyasa means split, differentiate or describe.

The Vishnu Purana has a theory about Vyasa. The Hindu view of the universe is that of a cyclic phenomenon that comes into existence and dissolves repeatedly. Each cycle is presided over by a number of Manus, one for each Manvantara, that has four ages, Yugas of declining virtues. The Dvapara Yuga is the third Yuga. The Vishnu Purana (Book 3, Ch 3) says:

In every third world age (Dvapara), Vishnu, in the person of Vyasa, in order to promote the good of mankind, divides the Veda, which is properly but one, into many portions. Observing the limited perseverance, energy and application of mortals, he makes the Veda fourfold, to adapt it to their capacities; and the bodily form which he assumes, in order to effect that classification, is known by the name of Veda-vyasa. Of the different Vyasas in the present Manvantara and the branches which they have taught, you shall have an account. Twenty-eight times have the Vedas been arranged by the great Rishis in the Vaivasvata Manvantara… and consequently eight and twenty Vyasas have passed away; by whom, in the respective periods, the Veda has been divided into four. The first… distribution was made by Svayambhu (Brahma) himself; in the second, the arranger of the Veda (Vyasa) was Prajapati… (and so on up to twenty-eight).

As per Vishnu Purana, Guru Drona’s son rishi Aswatthama will become the next sage (Vyasa) and will divide the Veda in 29th Mahayuga of 7th Manvantara.

Works

Vyasa is traditionally known as the chronicler of this epic and also features as an important character in Mahābhārata, Vyasa asks Ganesha to assist him in writing the text. Ganesha imposes a precondition that he would do so only if Vyasa would narrate the story without a pause. Vyasa set a counter-condition that Ganesha understand the verses first before transcribing them. Thus Vyasa narrated the entire Mahābhārata and all the Upanishads and the 18 Puranas, while Lord Ganesha wrote.

Vyasa’s Jaya (literally, “victory”), the core of the Mahabharata, is a dialogue between Dhritarashtra (the Kuru king and the father of the Kauravas, who opposed the Pāndavas in the Kurukshetra War) and Sanjaya, his adviser and charioteer. Sanjaya narrates the particulars of the Kurukshetra War, fought in eighteen days, chronologically. Dhritarashtra at times asks questions and expresses doubts, sometimes lamenting, fearing the destruction the war would bring on his family, friends and kin.

Sanjaya, in the beginning, gives a description of the various continents of the Earth and numerous planets, and focuses on the Indian subcontinent.[citation needed] Large and elaborate lists are given, describing hundreds of kingdoms, tribes, provinces, cities, towns, villages, rivers, mountains, forests, etc. of the (ancient) Indian subcontinent (Bhārata Varsha). Additionally, he gives descriptions of the military formations adopted by each side on each day, the death of individual heroes and the details of the war-races. Eighteen chapters of Vyasa’s Jaya constitute the Bhagavad Gita, a sacred text in Hinduism. Thus, the Jaya deals with diverse subjects, such as geography, history, warfare, religion and morality.

The final version of Vyasa’s work is the Mahābhārata. It is structured as a narration by Ugrasrava Sauti, a professional storyteller, to an assembly of rishis who, in the forest of Naimisha, had just attended the 12 year sacrifice known as Saunaka, also known as Kulapati.

Mahrishi Ashtavakra

Mahrishi Ashtavakra was born to Rishi Kahola and Sujata. Kahola was the best student of Mahrishi Uddalaka, who ran a school teaching the Vedas. Kahola was one of his best disciples. Uddalaka was so pleased that he had his daughter Sujata married to him. When Sujata got pregnant, she had the desire to beget such a son, who would be spiritual and genius. She started sitting in the classes with Kahola.

One day, when Kahola was reciting some verses and Sujata was sitting near him a strange thing happened. The child in Sujata’s womb heard the recitation of Kahola and pointed out the mistake to his father. This happened eight times. Kahola was annoyed at the arrogance of his would be son. He cursed the foetus that he would be born with eight deformities in his body.

Around this time King Janak was preparing for a Yagya. Sujata asked her husband Kahola to go to the king in the hope that the ceremony will bring money to the family. When Kahoda approached Janak, the king received him respectfully but said with regret that he was unable to perform the Yagya , as Sage, Vandin who arrived from nowhere had asked him to start the Yagya only after he is defeated in a the sages participating in the Yagya. His further included a condition that the defeated sages will be drowned. Janak told him that so far he had killed many learned sages." Kahola, however, agreed to enter into a debate with Vandin. He was defeated and drowned in the nearby river. The widowed Sujata heard the news and repented. A few months later she gave birth to a boy who was deformed at eight joints-the two feet, the two knees, the two hands, the chest and the head. He was named Ashtavakra, which means "one having eight bends".

He got his education from his grandfather Uddalaka. Ashtavakra was extremely intelligent and his grandfather loved him and was very proud of him. When Ashtavakra was only twelve, he finished all that he needed to know from his grandfather. He also heard the fate of his father and the Yagya of king Janak which still remained unfinished as no one could defeat Vandin.

One night Ashtavakra ran away from the hermitage and came to king Janak. Looking to his deformed body, the guards were amused. Ashtavakra retorted, "Do not judge a person by his appearance and age, judge him by what he knows. Inform your king that there is a person ready to challenge Vandin." The king came and was surprised to see a small deformed boy. He asked a few questions and was greatly impressed by his knowledge. King Janak soon arranged for the debate with Vandin. When Ashtavakra entered the King’s court, the courtesans laughed at him. Ashtavakra too laughed at them, which made the king ask him as to why was he laughing. Ashtavakra replied that he had thought that the king’s court would comprise of wise men but he sees cobblers over there, as those, who judge a man by his skin are no better than cobblers. King Janak realized that the young man was not an ordinary person.

In the debate to everyone's surprise Ashtavakra defeated Vandin in no time. They alternately composed six extempore verses on the numbers one to twelve. Vandin was the first to start. Ashtavakra matched him on all counts.Then while Vandin could compose only the first half of a verse on the number thirteen, Ashtavakra completed the verse by composing the second half and thus won the debate. This debate was full of enigmas and latent meanings, which were hidden under the simple counts of the numbers one to thirteen.

Ashtavakra then requested the king to drown his father's killer. Vandin then disclosed his identity. He said, "I am the son of Varuna, the god of water. I came to earth on the request of my father to get the best sages from here to perform his twelve years of Yagya. The only way I could get them to my father was to challenge them in a debate and drown them into water. Now that my father has completed the Yagya, let us go to the river bank and watch the sages walk out of the river."

People rushed to the river bank and watched the sages come out of the river. Kahoda was one of them. He embraced his learned son Ashtavakra. Vandin then asked Ashtavakra to take a dip in the river. With the blessings of his father, Varuna, Ashtavakra came out of the river as a handsome young man. Janak rewarded Ashtavakra and Kahoda. They went back to their hermitage to be united with the family. Uddalaka, was so happy to see his worthy grandson surpassing all the great sages of his time in knowledge.

Maharishi Ashtavakra and King Janak

There is another story related to Mahrishi Ashtavakra. King Janak was considered to be one of the renowned Knowers of his time, who had risen above the materialistic desires. He, however, felt that he had traces of his will still left in him, which could be overcome only by taking shelter under a competent Guru (Master). He, therefore, made up his mind and announced that one who can lead him to realization within the duration, in which he mounts the horse, shall be his Master, and if he fails he will be awarded death.

On the destined day King Janak was ready with a well-decorated horse to mount on and many wise people from all around had gathered to witness the scene. No one, however, dared to come forward. The time was passing and every one was wondering what was going to happen, as the vow taken by King Janak was very difficult to be fulfilled.

When no one came forward, a little before the Sunset, Mahrishi Ashtavakra’s mother told him to go to King Janak, fulfill his desire and to rescue all those present from this difficult situation. As desired by his mother Mahrishi Ashtavakra reached the Court of King Janak. His brilliance shadowed every one including King Janak. He asked King Janak to mount the horse. King Janak, although deeply impressed by him, told him very politely about his vow and that he would not like to subject a child, woman, an old or disabled person to be subjected to death penalty as announced by him.

Mahrishi Ashtavakra on listening to this warning of King Janak challenged him saying, ‘O Janak, you are surely falling from your position. You are unnecessarily wasting time of every one by showing your cowardice and incapability, besides incurring the risk of not fulfilling your vow. I had heard that King Janak is a learned person but today in this Court full of wise people you are backing out from your vow. If in the meantime the Sun sets you would not be able to fulfill your vow.’ King Janak was astonished and bewildered. He proceeded to mount the horse but as he was about to put his foot in the stirrup, Mahrishi Ashtavakra told him, ‘O Janak, you have taken such a harsh vow which has put the lives of saints at risk, but you have not announced the Gurudakshina (a reward presented to the Master as a mark of respect). You should, therefore, first commit the Gurudakshina, which should be matching your vow and also meet with the aspirations of the Master.’ King Janak felt embarrassed and said, “Kindly tell me what you desire as Gurudakshina. I shall here and now fulfill it.” Mahrishi Ashtavakra replied, “Whatever you claim is yours, you can promise as Gurudakshina. I do not want anything else.”

King Janak accepted this and immediately offered his kingdom, all belongings and even his family members at the feet of Mahrishi Ashtavakra. Mahrishi Ashtavakra laughed at it and said, “O Janak, you are perhaps joking with me. Do really all these things belong to you. The kingdom, property and wealth, which you claim to be yours, did not these belong to somebody else before you and would not these pass to someone else after you. Your family members, whom you consider to be related to you, are they not related to others. Is it proper for you to deny others of their rights as a result of succumbing to your ego. Do you want to deceive your Master.”

King Janak was stunned. He started gazing at the feet of Mahrishi Ashtavakra and it looked as if he was pondering over something very deeply. Mahrishi Ashtavakra looking at the condition of King Janak took pity at him and asked him, ‘Why are you feeling so helpless over this trifle matter. Do not get perturbed. Tell me how and what makes you think that all these things belong to you.’ King Janak felt something igniting inside by the grace of the Master. He said, “It is the mind of this humble servant of yours through which it accepts and thinks anything belonging to it. O Master if this mind belongs to your humble servant, it offers it at your pious feet.”

Mahrishi Ashtavakra said, “Although this mind also does not fully belong to you, but I accept it. Now it is my order that you should not do anything through this mind which is now mine, without or against my order.’ King Janak although was a great person and had traveled far on the path of spirituality, his mind was not completely free from Sankalp and Vikalp (resolution and negation). It took some time for him to completely empty out his mind. During this period Mahrishi Ashtavakra kept a watch on his mind and reminded him, if he strayed. The moment King Janak reached the state of perfection, he forgot about himself, his vow and that he was about to mount the horse. King Janak was about to fall that Mahrishi Ashtavakra supported him. In a moment his heart was filled with the Divine Light. His vow had been fulfilled. Mahrishi Ashtavakra then told him to ask whatever he wanted to know. King Janak put his head at the pious feet of his Master Mahrishi Ashtavakra and said, “O my lord, I had taken this difficult vow only to acquire this knowledge. Now there is nothing more to know.” Mahrishi Ashtavakra then told King Janak that it is only when the disciple completely surrenders his mind to the Master, shedding his own-will, that he is able to acquire the divine knowledge.

Mahrishi Ashtavakra has composed ‘Ashtavakra Gita’, which is a treatise on philosophy.

Mahatma Jadbharat

Jadbharat was a great Mahatma, who was solely engrossed in the Self. In his previous birth, he was Rajrishi Bharat after whom this country is named ‘Bharat’. Rajrishi Bharat was a great devotee of the Lord, who after ruling for many years had taken Sanyas (renounced the world) and started living in the Ashram of sage Pulah located at the bank of river Gandaki.

One day when he was engaged in his daily Pooja (worship), he saw a hind drinking water from the river. She was separated from herd and was being chased by a lion. Suddenly on listening the roar of the lion, she tried to jump across the river and in that effort she miscarried and aborted the child in her womb. The child fell in the water and the hind died in a cave. Rajrishi Bharat saw all this and was greatly moved seeing the plight of that new born child, whose mother had died just after giving him birth and he was left all alone. Rajrishi Bharat picked up the child-deer in his lap and with great care started to look after him. His attachment to that child-deer grew so much that day and night he started thinking about that child’s comfort only. One day that child-deer disappeared in the forest. Rajrishi Bharat, however, had his mind occupied with the thought of that child-deer, as a result of which he was born as a deer in the next life. He remembered his last birth and the cause of his present birth as a deer and, therefore, the feeling of detachment was profound in his mind. He moved to Shalgram area and when the time of death arrived, he took bath in the river Gandaki and died.

In the next birth he was born in the house of a pious Brahman as Jadbharat. He was born in Angirasa Gotra. His father had great affection for him but Jadbharat was a born recluse, who did not interact with anyone. He had the memory of his past life and, therefore, he used to keep himself away from everyone and used to pretend as frenzied, stupid and mad. He considered it to be the path leading to his salvation.

Jadbharat’s father was a staunch Brahman, who was greatly attached to his son. He thought of performing the Yagyopavit ceremony (thread ceremony) for his son, which was duly completed but Jadbharat was absorbed in the Self and, therefore, intentionally started behaving otherwise. His father thought of giving him the knowledge of Vedas but Jadbharat for quite some time did not even recite the Gayatri Mantra properly. After some days his father died and later his mother also died leaving Jadbharat and his sister in the hands of their step mother. 

This gave him an opportunity to completely devote himself in his pursuit of the Self. He was freed of all ties. The mortal and transitory nature of world could not attract him. He chose to remain silent and if someone asked him about something, he would answer like an illiterate. Intentionally he used to put on cheap, torn and dirty clothes, which distracted people away from him. Jadbharat considered this as a boon for his cause. He used to feed himself on whatever he got like wild fruits or vegetables. After the death of his parents, his brothers and other relatives started deploying him as a labor in the fields. He used to work with full strength and eat whatever rotten or leftover was given by them. He worked like a bull and the only reward was that meager food. People used to ask him to do their work, which he readily agreed. He was always absorbed in the Self and would not indulge in criticizing or in condemning or in praising anyone. He had no attachment or hatred towards anything. He used to sleep on ground and used to bath once in a while.

Once a dacoit chief thought of sacrificing a human being to beget a child. The person who was caught for this purpose ran away. The dacoits were in the search of that man when they saw Jadbharat looking after the fields in the dark of the night. He was healthy and strong and suitable by all means for sacrifice. They asked him to ‘come on’ and Jadbharat also repeated ‘come on’. The dacoits happily took him with them. He was taken to the place chosen for the sacrifice, where he was given a bath and decorated with flowers and garlands etc. and then singing and beating drums they made him sit before the goddess ‘Bhadrakali’. The priest was about to severe his head with a naked sword that a miracle happened. They saw a divine glow on Jadbharat’s face, who forcefully dragged the sword from the hands of the priest and killed all of them. Jadbharat’s life was saved but it appeared to him as if nothing had happened. He kept on attending to his job the same way.

Once Rahugan, the king of Sindhu Sauvir was going to the Ashram of the great sage Kapila for acquiring the knowledge of the Self. He was a very liberal and quiet person. He was being carried in a palanquin. They were about to reach the banks of the river Ikshumati that they felt the need of engaging one more Kahar (a carrier of palanquins). Avdhut (an ascetic, who is usually absorbed in the Self and, therefore, not aware of the surroundings) Jadbharat per chance arrived over there. Finding him healthy and strong, the other Kahars asked him to join them. Jadbharat thought that it was for undergoing the outcome of some deed done in the previous birth that he was asked to carry the palanquin. Happily he started carrying the palanquin on his shoulder.

Caring for the small insects, ants etc. that might get crushed under his feet, Mahatma Jadbharat was moving slowly looking for them on the way. The other carriers were moving fast, which resulted in an imbalance of the palanquin. On being asked the reason for the same by the king, they pointed out towards Jadbharat. The king asked him that he was healthy and strong yet he was moving slow, which was inexplicable. Jadbharat very quietly answered that neither he was healthy and strong, nor was he carrying the palanquin, nor was he tired and that it was someone else, who was carrying the palanquin. King Rahugan was looking for the real knowledge of the Self; he was surprised at his answer. The king told Jadbharat that it was clearly visible that he was carrying the palanquin on his shoulder. Jadbharat replied: ‘Down below there is the earth, on the earth there are two feet, which are supporting the body, on the shoulders of which the palanquin is rested. In such a situation, there is no weight on me. In the palanquin your body is situated and in your body there is the soul, which is pure, indestructible, peaceful, attribute-less and beyond the Prakriti (nature). It is the soul that pervades all living-beings and has no fatness or thinness’.

The king got down from the palanquin. He was a true seeker. He held the feet of Mahatma Jadbharat and asked him whether he was sage Kapila himself, who had come to give him the knowledge of the Self. Mahatma Jadbharat replied that it could not be described as to who he was; the soul was beyond all descriptions which has no relation with the name and forms such as the king, the carrier or palanquin etcetera. The king then said that he was going to visit sage Kapila to seek the true knowledge of the Self and that it was his fortune that he has met him (Mahatma Jadbharat) and that sage Kapila has appeared for his (king Rahugan) benefit in his (Mahatma Jadbharat) form. The king requested Mahatma Jadbharat to give him the knowledge of the Self. Mahatma Jadbharat then told king Rahugan that those, who are after worldly things, the worldly things like son and kingdom are important and auspicious for them but the one who is a true seeker, for him to realize the Truth alone is the real objective. He should ponder over God alone and become one with Him. The soul is all-pervading, pure, attribute-less and beyond nature. It does not suffer from birth and death and It is full of the true knowledge. It is the same soul that resides in the body of various creatures. This knowledge of the Self is the most auspicious knowledge.

In the history of the knowledge of Self, Mahatma Jadbharat’s name is immortal; he was the first one to reveal this knowledge.

Sage Vriddhagoutama

The sage Goutama had a son named Vriddhagoutama. Vriddhagoutama was also a sage. But he was very ugly. Besides, he had no nose; had never had one since he had been born. He was so ashamed of this deformity that he could not bear to join the other children of the sages in studying the Vedas and Shastras under a teacher. But Vriddhagoutama knew some incantations (mantras) which he always chanted. He also worshipped the god Agni.

When he grew a bit older, Vriddhagoutama went out to tour the world. He traveled to many places and met many people. Since he was deformed, he never got married. Who would want to marry a person so ugly as he?

In the course of his travels, Vriddhagoutama arrived at a mountain named Shitagiri. He discovered a beautiful cave in the mountain and thought that this might be a good place to live in. So he entered the cave and was very surprised to find an old woman inside. The old woman had obviously been living inside the cave for many years. Her body was thin and wasted from due to severe tapasya.

Vriddhagoutama was about to touch the feet of such a venerable old woman, but the woman restrained him. "Please don't touch my feet," said the woman. "You are my guru. Does a guru ever bow before his disciple?"

Vriddagoutama was surprised at these words. This was the first time in his life that he had met the old woman. "How can I be your guru?” he asked. "You are much older than me. Besides, I have never learnt anything and you are clearly a respected ascetic. Your words are a complete mystery to me."

"Let me tell you my story," said the old woman. "Otherwise, you will not understand."

There used to be a handsome and brave prince named Ritadhvaja. He was the son of King Arshtishena. Ritadhvaja went on a hunt to the forest and arrived at that very cave. There he happened to meet an apsara named Sushyama. The two fell in love with each other and got married. But eventually, Ritadhvaja had to return home and Sushyama gave birth to a daughter there. Sushyama left her daughter in the cave itself with the instruction that she was not to leave the cave. The first man to enter the cave would become her husband. It was this daughter who had now become the old woman. Ritadhvaja had reigned for eighty thousand years. After that, ritadhvaja's son had reigned for ten thousand years. All this while, Sushyama's daughter had lived in the cave, that is, for ninety thousand years all together.

"Now you see that you are to be my husband," said the old woman. "Is a husband not a guru?"

"What you say is quite impossible," replied Vriddhagoutama. "You are much older than me. I am only a thousand years old and you more than ninety thousand. How can we marry? I am like a child next to you."

"If you do not marry me, I will kill myself," said the old woman.

"But I am ugly," protested Vriddhagoutama. "I will promise you this much. If I ever become handsome and learned, I will indeed marry you."

"I have pleased the goddess Sarasvati, who presides over all learning, through my tapasya," said the old woman. "She will make you learned. I have also pleased the god Varuna and he will make you handsome."

Vriddhagoutama became handsome and learned and married the old woman. They lived happily in the cave.

One day, various sages came to visit the couple. Amongst them there were sages like Vashishtha and Vamadeva. But there were also young sages who were not all that sensible. The younger sages started to laugh at the sight of the young and handsome Vriddhagoutama and his aged wife.

"Who is this man?" they asked the old woman. "Is he your son or your grandson?"

The sages went away, but the couple felt ashamed. They asked the sage Agastya what they might do. Agastya told them to go and bathe in the river Goutami Ganga. The river is so sacred that all one's heart's desires are thereby granted. The couple did this and prayed to Vishnu and Shiva. Wonder of wonders, the old woman became young and pretty. The place on the banks of the river where these wonderful things happened is a tirtha named Vriddhasangama.

Sage Dadhichi and Pippalada

Many years ago, there used to be a sage named Dadhichi. His wife was Lopamudra. Dadhichi's hermitage was right next to the holy river Ganga. Lopamudra's sister Gabhastini also used to live in the hermitage. Such was the sage Dadhichi's powers that daityas and danavas dared not set foot inside the hermitage.

The gods once fought with the demons and managed to defeat them. After the war was over, they came to pay their respects to Dadhichi. Dadhichi welcomed his guests and wanted to know how they were faring.

"Thanks to your blessings, we are fine," replied the gods. "We have just defeated the demons in a war. In fact, we have a slight problem. We no longer need our weapons now that the demons have run away. We don't know of a safe place where we can store all these weapons. We were wondering if we might keep the weapons in your ashrama. This is one of the safest places that can be found."

Dadhichi consented to this proposal. The gods left their weapons in the hermitage and went back to heaven.

When Lopamudra heard what Dadhichi had done, she was not at all pleased. "You have done something that is mot improper," she told her husband. "One should never accept responsibility for someone else's property, especially if one is an ascetic and has not material possessions of one's own. Moreover, you have agreed to store the weapons of the gods. Dose this not mean that those who are the god's enemies will look upon you too as an enemy? And what are you going to do if something should happen to the weapons? Will the gods not blame you then?"

"Your points are well taken," said Dadhichi. "But I had not thought of them and I have given the gods my word. I can't very well go back on my word now."

A hundred years passed. The gods did not return to collect their weapons. The weapons began to lose their luster, Dadhichi did not know how the energy of the weapons might be preserved. He washed them with holy water and the energy of the weapons got dissolve in the water. Dadhichi then drank up the water. As for the weapons themselves, they faded away once their energy was gone.

Finally the gods came to claim their weapons. "Can we have our weapons back? They asked.

"Our enemies have become powerful again. We need our weapons."

"That may be," said Dadhichi. "But the weapons are no longer there. I have swallowed up their energy. Let me tell you what can be done. I will use the powers of meditation (yoga) to give up my life. Then excellent weapons can be made out of my bones.

The gods were reluctant, but there was no other solution. Dadhichi died and the gods requested Vishvakarma to make weapons for them out of Dadhichi's bones. Vishvakarma complied and the weapon name vajra that he made was truly remarkable.

Lopamudra was away when this incident took place. She returned and found that her husband had died. She was afflicted with sorrow and wished to immolate herself in a fire. But she happened to be pregnant at the time, so that this could not immediately be done. Once the baby was born, she killed herself after having handed over the baby to a pippala (fig) tree for rearing.

Since the pippala tree brought up the boy, he came to be known as Pippalada. Chandra was the lord over all trees. The trees asked Chandra for some amrita for Pippalada and Chandra obliged. The amrita gave Pippalada a lot of strength.

When Pippalada grew up, he wanted to know who his parents were and the trees told him the story. Pippalada blamed the gods for his parent’s death and decided to seek revenge. The trees brought Pippalada to Chandra.

"You are still too young," said Chandra. "First you must become learned and well-versed in the use of weapons. Go to the forest of dandakaranya. The river Goutami Ganga flows through that forest. Pray to Shiva there and I am sure that your wishes will be fulfilled."

Pippalada pleased Shiva through his prayers.

"What boon do you desire?" asked Shiva.

I want the boon that I may be able to destroy the gods," replied Pippalada.

"I have a third eye in the middle of my forehead," said Shiva. "The day you can see my third eye, your wish will be granted."

Try as he might, Pippalada could not see Shiva's third eye. Pippalada therefore performed even more difficult tapasya for even more years. Eventually he managed to see Shiva's third eye. From Shiva's third eye was born a demon that looked like a mare.

"What is your desire?" asked the demon of Pippalada.

"Kill my enemies, the gods," was the reply.

The demon immediately attacked Pippalada.

"What are you doing?" asked Pippalada. "Why are you trying to kill me? I asked you to kill the gods."

"But your body has been created by the gods," replied the demon. "I will therefore kill you also."

Pippalada ran to Shiva for deliverance. Shiva earmarked a region inside the forest for Pippalada. There the demon was not permitted to enter. Pippalada lived there, protected from the ravages of the demon. Meanwhile, the gods requested Shiva to save them as well. Shiva persuaded Pippalada to control his anger. He convinced Pippalada that nothing was to be gained by killing the gods. That would not bring his parents back.

Pippalada agreed. But he wished to see his parents once. Accordingly, Vimana descended from heaven on which Dadhichi and Lopamudra were seated. They blessed Pippalada and asked him to marry and have children.

As for the demon, it became a river and merged with the holy Ganga.

Sage Vashistha and King Nimi

A new yuga was started by Manu who was the son of Lord Surya, the Sun God. Nimi was the grandson of Manu. Nimi was a great and virtuous king. Once Nimi wanted to perform a particularly difficult fire sacrifice – a yagna which could go on for many years. The yagna if successful would benefit Nimi's people enormously.

However as Nimi continued with the preparations for the yagna, he realized that he had a serious problem. The yagna was not an ordinary fire sacrifice and he needed an exceptionally powerful sage as the presiding priest for it. Nimi searched everywhere and finally settled on Sage Vashistha to be the presiding sage.

King Nimi said: "O "Great Sage. I am performing a yagna for the benefit of my people. Kindly preside over it."

Vashistha frowned. "When are you going to start the yagna?"

"As soon as possible sir." said King Nimi.

Vasishta's face drooped. "I am afraid I cannot come now. You see, Indra, the King of the Gods is performing a yagna now. I have promised him that I would preside over his yagna. I cannot break my word to him."

Nimi was silent as he studied the sage. The sage could complete Indra's yagna and then come to perform his Yagna. But Indra's yagna could go on for a very long time. Nimi’s yagna was meant for the welfare of his people. Could he afford to wait for the sage?

Sage Vashistha was also thinking. The King has come to me first and he has come to me with all humility, love and respect. I cannot turn him back empty handed. I will go to his yagna immediately after I finish Indra's yagna.

Neither said anything and both walked their ways. Indra's yagna went on for a long time.

Finally, Sage Vashistha was happy because he had completed the laborious and tedious yagna of Lord Indra. As soon as Indra's yagna was over, the first thought which occurred to Sage Vasishta was King Nimi's request. Vashistha immediately set out to perform the yagna there.

On reaching Nimi's kingdom, however, Sage Vashistha was in for a shock. King Nimi had already started the yagna with Sage Gautama as the presiding priest.

Sage Vashistha was fuming when he saw this. He felt that the King had deliberately insulted him by starting the yagna without him. In anger the sage cursed King Nimi. "You do not even have the courtesy to wait for the sage whom you came to first. Such a man like you does not need a body. I curse you, King Nimi – you will be without a body."

King Nimi was sleeping when Sage Vashistha had come to the palace and he knew nothing of the angry sage and the curse. However that did not prevent the curse from coming true.

King Nimi's soul left the sleeping body. King Nimi woke up with a start when he realized that something was different. He looked down and saw his own lifeless body and he saw that his loving subjects had surrounded the body and they were weeping. Confused he closed his eyes and meditated.

The power of the king was considerable and he was able to divine what had gone wrong. He angrily realized that sage Vashistha had been unreasonable. Nimi was a king and was duty bound to do everything in his power for the benefit of his people. If he had waited for the sage, his people had to wait longer and as a king he could not allow that.

I had acted correctly and the sage had cursed me for it. Unable to control himself, the angry Nimi cursed Sage Vashistha back. "You are unreasonable. I had to perform the yagna for the well being of my people. You were wrong in expecting me to wait for you. Sage Vashistha, I curse you that you would also be without a body."

The king had been a just and firm king and he had considerable spiritual prowess. His words also came true and Sage Vashistha's soul left the body. However Sage Vashistha was again reborn and regained use of his body, many years later.

Nimi roamed around in the form of a spirit and immersed himself in the Brahman (the Force which runs within us all) And now that he was not bound by his body or his responsibilities, he found the true joy of being one with the Brahman. The king became more and more strong spiritually, as he meditated continuously.

However King Nimi's people were very unhappy. They could not believe that the king who had looked after them like a father was no more. They preserved the body of the King with oils and scents and continued the yagna with more vigour.

Once the yagna was completed, the Gods came in for their offering. At that time the people presented their plea before the Gods.

"Our King was the greatest king in the world. He performed this yagna for our benefit. It was because of the yagna that his lifeless body lies there. Please help us."

"What do you want?" The Gods asked them.

"Let the King's spirit be reunited with the body. We want our king back."

Pleased with the love of the people, the Gods agreed to the request. Using their powers they summoned the King's soul and were about to put it back in the preserved body when the king yelled.

"PLEASE NO! YOU CANNOT DO THAT!" said Nimi.

The Gods were surprised when the king looked at them with a forlorn expression. "I am now free. I do not wish to have any more bondage. Please do not put me back in that body. I wish to continue to be free and become part of the Brahman."

"Your people wish that you have to be with them. That is the reason we are doing this."

Nimi looked at his people and memories of his subjects came to him as if from another life. But he realized that these people genuinely loved him.

He turned to the Gods and smiled at them. "If these people want me to be with them, I will. But not in the way they wish."

The Gods were surprised.

"I have lived like a spirit for too long and I cannot be attached to a body. However, I wish to be a part of my people. I wish to be in a spirit form with them always."

The Devas granted this boon and even now Nimi is said to stay on the eyelids of people. (It is said that people open and close their eyelids because Nimi stays there. In fact the time it takes to open and close the eyelids is called "Nimisha" in Sanskrit.)

Though Nimi's people realized that their beloved king would always be with them, they needed a real king. Without a king they could not fight the thieves and the bandits who repeatedly threatened to loot the kingdom. So they approached the sages for another remedy.

The sages looked at the King's body and decided that the body itself could be used for creating another king. Using the powers of the mind, they churned the body of the dead king and from it a glowing person emerged.

The glowing man was named Kushadhwaja and was crowned as the king of the kingdom. Kushadhwaja was just and firm and he kept his people very happy and prosperous. However Kushadhwaja was not known by this name.

Because he was born from a dead body, Kushadhwaja was known as Vaideha which in Sanskrit means son of the man without a body. And because Kushadhwaja was born without an actual father or mother he was called Janaka (The man without a progenitor). Kushadhwaja was also born from the churning of the mind and hence was called Miti.

It was in the line of Kushadhwaja that there was born another great king with complete spiritual awareness. Though his actual name was Siradhwaja, this king was better known by the name of his ancestor - Vaideha, Janaka from Mithila – the father of Sita – the protagonist of the epic of Ramayana.

Tulsidas

Tulsidas was a Hindu poet-saint, reformer and philosopher renowned for his devotion to the God Rama. A composer of several popular works, he is best known as the author of the epic Ramcharitmanas, a retelling of the Sanskrit Ramayana. Tulsidas was acclaimed in his lifetime to be a reincarnation of Valmiki, the composer of the original Ramayana in Sanskrit.

Tulsidas was born in the year 1554 a village named Rajapur {present day Chitrakoot district, Uttar Pradesh, India}. His father Atmaram Dubey was a well-known Saryuparin Brahmin. His mother’s name was Hulsi. Tulsidas was born after staying in the mother’s womb for 12 months. He had 32 teeth at the time of birth. Like other children he did not cry at birth but said the word “Rama”. Thus he was named ‘Rambola’. At birth, he looked like a 5 year old child. The nakshatra under which the child was born was considered to be inauspicious. Father Atmaram feared that the child might be a bad omen.

Mother Hulsi wanted to protect her child and so she asked her maid ‘Chunia’ to take away the new born child with her to her marital home. The next day mother Hulsi passed away. Chunia began to mother him as her own child and took good care of him. The child was brought up with great love and care by maid Chunia. Such was the child’s fate that Chunia too passed away when Rambola was five and a half years old.

Rambola roamed about on the streets for food like an orphan child, seeking mercy from door to door. Goddess Parvati’s saw the child’s condition and her heart bled for the poor orphan. The kind hearted Goddess Parvati disguised as a Brahmin lady and fed Rambola with food daily with her own hands.

On Ramshaila mount lived Narharianand, the disciple of Anantanand, a spiritualist. He was a Lord Rama devotee. One night Lord Shiva appeared to him in his dream. Lord Shiva told him about an orphan boy Rambola and urged him to educate the boy and make him study the religious scriptures.

With God’s inspiration Swami Narhari found the boy and took him to Ayodhya. Swami Narhari initiated the boy with the holy name of Lord ‘Rama’. Rambola studied the Holy Scriptures under the guidance of his Guru. His mind was very sharp and receptive. He could remember every word taught by his Guru. Rambola with his Guru ‘Swami Narhari’ came to a place named Soro, where Swami Narhari recited to him the story of Lord Rama. Lord Rama became the central figure of his life. Rambola became Lord Rama acentric.

From there Swami Narhari and Rambola went to Kashi. For 15 years he dedicated his life in studying all the scriptures and holy books of Hindu religion, under the guidance of Swami Shesh Sanaatanji. Rambola was now known as Tulsidas.

Young Tulsidas got bitten by the bug of the worldly pleasures. After taking permission from Swami Shesh Sanaatanji, he went back to his birth place. There he found that his family had perished.  He stayed there for some time and recited Ramayana to the people. A Brahmin of a nearby village used to come to hear his recitation of the story of Rama. Later in the year 1583, Tulsidas got married to the Brahmin’s daughter named Ratnawali. Tulsidas was deeply attached to his wife and could not live without her even for some time.

Once, Ratnawali went away to her mother’s house without letting Tulsidas know about it. When Tulsidas came back home he found the house empty. He was highly disappointed. He immediately went to meet his wife at night. Ratnawali was shocked to see her husband’s madness. She rebuked her husband and said- “The amount of obsession that you have towards my physical body, if you develop even half of that craze for Lord Rama, then you can easily achieve the divine glory”.

These words pierced his heart and hurt him deeply. Without a second thought he walked out of the house. Tulsidas went to the holy city of Prayag where he adopted a sadhu guise. From there he went to visit the holy places. He reached Kashi. On reaching Mansarovar he met the holy bird Kaagbhushundi (a crow) sitting on a tree branch. Then he came back to Kashi where he narrated the story of Lord Rama.

Tulsidas met Hanumana and prayed to him for the sight (darshan) of Lord Rama. Hanumana asked him to go to Chitrakoot for Rama darshan. Tulsidas reached Chitrakoot. Lord Rama and Lakshman, two incredibly handsome young men in princely attire gave darshan to Tulsidas but he could not recognise the Lord. But for the second time, with the help of Hanumana he recognised Lord Rama and was mesmerised by Lord Rama’s darshan. By Hanumana’s advice he went to Ayodhya where the Ramayana recitation was going on. He dutifully heard the story. From there he went to Kashi where he stayed at a Brahmin’s house near Prahladh ghat.

Tulsidas was now in a devotional frenzy. He got inspired to write Ramcharitra in Sanskrit in the verse format of couplets and quartets. But whatever he wrote in the morning disappeared in the evening. One night, Lord Shiva appeared in his dreams and ordered him to write Ramayana verses in the common man’s language (in Hindi). Lord Shiva and Goddess Parvati asked Tulsidas to stay in Ayodhya. Tulsidas obeyed the Lord.

In the starting of the year 1631, on the auspicious day of Ram Navmi which happened to be Rama’s birthday, early in the morning Tulsidas started writing the famous epic, ShriRamcharitra manas. It took 2 years, 7 months and 26 days for the completion of the epic. In 1633, 7 sections of Ramcharitra manas had been completed on the day of Rama Sita marriage.

Then Tulsidas went to Kashi with the manuscript of Ramcharitra manas. He went to Baba Vishwanath temple and put his manuscript at the feet of Lord Shiva and Goddess Parvati’s idols. Next morning when the temple doors were opened, to everyone’s amazement it was found that on the cover of the manuscript, a divine slogan “Satyam Shivam Sundaram” was written with Lord Shiva’s symbol at the bottom.

Tulsidas scribing the Ramayana ,the pundits (priests) became jealous of his work and tried to destroy the book. Two thieves were sent to steal the manuscript and to destroy it. The thieves were surprised to find two ancient warriors guarding the house door with bows and arrows. They were mesmerised upon seeing the warriors and their heart got purified. They left stealing and started singing the Lord’s name. When Tulsidas came to know that God himself had to come and guard the book, he kept the book with his friend Todarmal. New copies of the book were being prepared.

The jealous pundits decided to test the authenticity of the book. They plotted to put the book through another test. They kept the manuscript at the bottom of all the Vedas, Shastras and Purans, in the temple of Lord Shankar. To everyone’s surprise, in the morning the book was found to be on the top of all the holy books. The pundits were ashamed and fell at the feet of Tulsidas. They begged for forgiveness from him.

After the temple incident Tulsidas began to live at Asighat. One night, after finishing the recitation, Kaliyuga came and began to torment Tulsidas. Hanumana came to his rescue and asked Tulsi to write more verses in the praise of Lord Rama. Tulsi obeyed Hanumana’s advice and wrote prayers to Lord Rama known as Vinay Patrika.

In 1680, Tulsidas left his physical body chanting the holy name of the Lord “Rama Rama”.

What a beautiful journey of life of Tulsidas, which began with and ended with the Lord’s holy name “Rama”.

Narsi Mehta and the Raga ‘Kedar’

Saint Narsi (Narsinh Mehta) was ardent devotee of Lord Krishna, always engrossed in singing bhajans in His praise. Saint Narsi was particularly fond of the ‘Kedar’ raga. The raga Kedar when sung by him, brought him communion with Shri Krishna. Shri Krishna also would be pleased and mesmerized when Narsi sang bhajans in ‘Kedar’.

Once a Brahmin came to Narsi’s home. He was worried about the expenses in his daughter’s marriage. He knew Narsi was a supreme devotee and would surely help him. Narsi asked him how much money he wanted. Hesitatingly Brahmin replied that he needed 500 rupees. Narsi went to a money lender. The money lender asked Narsi for something as security against the loan. The shrewd money lender had heard about his famous raga Kedar and hence suggested that Narsi could keep ‘Kedar’ as mortgage. Narsi agreed, as it was the only valuable asset he possessed. The thought that, he would be unable to sing in ‘Kedar’ and hence the happiness of communion with Shri Krishna would be lost, did not even come in selfless Narsi’s mind. Narsi said,”I will keep my Kedar raga as mortgage but please give the Brahmin the money he wants”. The money lender imposed a condition that Narsi shouldn’t sing in ‘Kedar’ till all the money was paid with interest. The Brahmin’s daughter’s wedding took place without further incident.

Although Narsi continued with other bhajans, without ‘Kedar’ he couldn’t find peace. He was unable to bear separation from Shri Krishna. Days went by but the Brahmin didn’t repay the loan. Narsi wanted to release ‘Kedar’ from money lender as soon as possible. However, his mind couldn’t find peace till the raga ‘Kedar’ was released from the money lender. At the same time, some envious people raised questions on Narsi’s devotion and went to the king.

King called for Narsi and it was decided that Narsi should undergo a test to prove his devotion. An idol of Shri Krishna, with a garland in hand was placed in the central hall. The test was that Narsi should sing his bhajan in front of that idol and it should become alive and put the garland around his neck. If this did not take place within the allotted time the accusations against him would be considered true. Narsi was stable and said, “Whatever is Shri Krishna’s wish will happen’. Narsi sat before the idol and started singing bhajans.

Neither was it impossible for Shri Krishna to come for his devotee nor was Narsi’s bhakti so superficial that Shri Krishna would not appear without listening to ‘Kedar’. The minutes turned to hours. The moment of decision was near and the enemies were hopeful of Narsi’s defeat.

At the same time, a miracle happened in the city. There was a knock at money lender’s door. He heard Narsi’s voice requesting to open the door. The money lender welcomed Narsi. Narsi paid the principal amount and interest. He apologized for returning the money late and asked the money lender to immediately give him the receipt that now raga ‘Kedar’ is free. Money lender took the money and gave Narsi the receipt.

Here in the palace Narsi opened his eyes and saw Shri Krishna’s idol. To his surprise the receipt of loan payment fell in his lap. His happiness knew no bounds. Kedar raga was freed. Narsi began to sing in ‘Kedar’.

The atmosphere was filled with divinity and a beam of light surrounded Shri Krishna’s idol. The enemies were shocked. Tears started flowing from Narsi’s eyes. The idol turned alive and moved ahead to place the garland around Narsi’s neck. Pleased with the melodious ‘Kedar‘ and the sincere devotion Shri Krishna came to his rescue and vanished soon after putting the garland in his neck. Thus, Narsi was able to establish himself as a true devotee.

Sage Markandeya winning over death!

Sage Mrikandu was leading an ascetic life in a forest. His wife was Marudhvathi. They were childless for a long time. Mrikandu performed intense tapas for several years in order to please Lord Shiva to have childrens.

Lord Shiva in all his splendour appeared before him.

He said, “I am pleased by your devotion. Ask from me any boon you desire.” Mrikandu was overjoyed. He prayed to Lord Shiva thus: “O Lord! I am childless. Grant me a son.”

The Lord said in reply, “Do you desire to have a virtuous, wise and pious son who will live up to sixteen years or a dull- witted, evil-natured son who will live long?”

The sage Mrikandu did not hesitate over the choice. He did not want a worthless son. He begged only for the short-lived son of whom he could be proud. Lord Shiva granted the request of his devotee and departed.

After some time Marudhvathi conceived and gave birth to a son.

The parents were extremely happy about the new arrival whom they named ” Markandeya”.

When Markandeya was – five, Mrikandu arranged for his studies. Even in boyhood Markandeya mastered all the Vedas and Shastras. His pleasing ways endeared him to his teachers. The boy was liked by one and all.

When he reached the age of twelve, his parents arranged his Upanayana. He was initiated into the chanting of the mystic Gayatri Mantra. The boy was very regular in performing the Sandhya Vandana which pleased his parents and other elders. He was thus spending his days very happily, delighting everyone by his charming looks and pleasant behaviour.

But the parents were sad at heart and whenever they looked at their son a gloom spread over their face. They did not tell Markandeya that he was not destined to live long.

The sixteenth year was fast approaching. One day, unable to control their grief, they wept before him. Markandeya was surprised. He asked them gently the reason for their grief. Mrikandu, with tears running down his cheeks, said, “O my son! According to Lord Shiva’s boon you are destined to live only for sixteen years. How can we withstand this? We are helpless and do not know what to do.”

Markandeya consoled his parents saying that death was not a thing which wise people should dread. It is as natural as birth.

The next day the boy came to them and said, “Dear father and mother, do not worry for me. I am confident of winning over death. Pray bless me that I may succeed in my endeavor. Permit me to perform severe penance to please the Lord.” The parents blessed him heartily and sent him for penance.

Markandeya was to complete the sixteenth year on a certain day. Yama knew that Markandeya’s life was to come to an end. As usual Yama’s servants came to take his life. But they could not approach him for the radiation from him was too intense for them.

So, Yama, the God of Death, himself came on his wonted black buffalo. He had in his hand the well- known rope with a noose for taking out the young lad’s soul from his body and carrying it away. Yama saw the young devotee engaged in the worship of Lord Shiva. Yama could not let the worship be completed if his duty as the God of Death was to be properly performed.

Markandeya could not be allowed to live a minute longer after the completion of the sixteenth year. Normally invisible to human eyes, this time Yama had been forced to show himself to the young boy by virtue of the latter’s intense piety and devotion to God. Yama threw his rope with the loop and it went and encircled Markandeya’s neck and also the Shiva Linga.

The Shiva Linga at once split into two and out came Shiva, trident in hand. He pushed Yama aside and killed him to save the child. From that day onwards, Markandeya got the names Mrityunjaya and Kalakala.

After that at the request of other gods, Shiva restored life to Yama. Then, turning to the young devotee, with whose piety he was highly pleased, Lord Shiva blessed him with deathlessness. He said to Markandeya, “Every desire of yours will be fulfilled. You will never be old or grey – haired. You will live virtuous and famous till the end of the world. Omniscience will be an asset in you.”

To this day, the Hindus reckon Markandeya as one of their immortals. It is said that Markandeya is a great Chiranjivi, one who lives with the body forever and whose body always appears young, beautiful and saintly on account of his yogic powers. Markandeya has become proverbial for long life. The blessing of the elders even today is, “May you live like Markandeya, forever youthful and beautiful.” People believe that even now he is living somewhere in the Himalayas ill deep meditation for the good of the world.