The Ninth Book. Chapter 16
The Ninth Book
Chapter Xvi
On The Incarnation Of Mah Laksm In The House Of Kusadhvaja
p. 866
1-30. Sr Nryana said :-- O Muni! Dharmadhvaja and Kusadhvaja practised severe tapasys and worshipped Laksm. They then got separately their desired boons. By the boon of Mah Laksm, they
p. 867
became again the rulers of the earth. They acquired great religious merits and they also had their children. The wife of Kusadhvaja was named Mlvat. After a long time, the chaste wife delivered one daughter, born of the parts of Kamal. The daughter, on being born, became full of wisdom. On being born, the baby began to sing clearly the Vedic mantrams from the lying-in-chamber. Therefore She was named Vedavat by the Pundits. She bathed after her birth and became ready to go to the forest to practise severe tapas. Everyone then, tried earnestly to dissuade her, devoted to Nryana, from the enterprise. But she did not listen to anybody. She went to Puskara and practised hard tapasy for one Manvantara. Yet her body did not get lean a bit; rather she grew more plumpy and fatter. By degrees her youth began to show signs in her body; one day she heard an incorporeal voice from the air above, "O Fair One! In your next birth Sr Hari, adored by Brahm and other gods, will be your husband." Hearing this, her joy knew no bounds. She went to the solitary caves in the Gandhamdan mountain to practise tapas again. When a long time passed away in this tapasy, one day the irresistible Rvana came there as guest. No sooner Vedavat saw the guest, then she gave him, out of devotion to the guest, water to wash feet, delicious fruits, and cool water for his drink. The villain accept the hospitality and sitting there, began to ask :-- "O Auspicious One! Who are you?" Seeing the fair smiling lady, with beautiful teeth, her face blooming like the autumnal lotus, of heavy loins, and of full breast, that villain became passionate. He lost entirely all consciousness and became ready to make violence on Her. Seeing this, the chaste Vedavat, became angry and out of her tapas influence, astounded him and made him insensible to move. He remained motionless like an inanimate body. He could not move his hands nor feet nor could he speak. That wicked fellow then mentally recited praises to her. And the praise of the Higher Sakti can never go futile. She became pleased and granted him religious merits in the next world. But she also pronounced this curse :-- "That when you have touch my body out of passion, then you will be ruined with your whole family for my sake. Now see my power." O Nrada! Thus saying to Rvana, Vedavat left her body by her yogic power. Then Rvana took her body and delivered it to the Ganges and he then returned to his own home. But Rvana thought over the matter repeatedly and exclaimed, "What wonder have I seen! Oh! What a miracle this lady has wrought!" Rvana thus lamented. This Vedavat, of pure character, took her birth afterwards as St, the daughter of
p. 868
Janaka. For the sake of this St, Rvana was ruined with his whole family. By the religious merits of her previous birth, the ascetic lady got Bhagavn Hari Sr Rma Chandra, the Fullest of the Full, for her husband and remained for a long time in great enjoyment with the Lord of the world; a thing very difficult to be attained! Though she was a Jtismar (one who knows all about her past lives), she did not feel any pain due to her practising severe austerities in her previous birth; for when the pains end in success, the pains are not then felt at all. St, in Her fresh youth enjoyed various pleasures in the company of her husband, handsome, peaceful, humorous and witty, the chief of the Devas, loved by the female sex, well-qualified, and just what she desired. But the all-powerful Time is irresistible; the truthful Rmachandra, the scion of the Raghus family, had to keep up the promise made by his father and so he had to go to the forest, ordained by Time. He remained with St and Laksmana near the sea. Once the God Fire appeared to Him in the form of a Brhmana. Fire, in a Brhmin-form, saw Rma Chandra morose and became himself mortified. Then the Truthful Fire addressed the truthful Rmachandra :-- "O Bhagavn Rmachandra! I now speak to you how time is now coming to you. Now has come the time when your St will be stolen.
31-48. The course of Destiny is irresistible; none else is more powerful than Time, Fate. So give over your St, the World Mother to me and keep with you this Chhy St (the shadow St; the false St). When the time of Sts ordeal by fire will take place I will give Her back to you. The Devas united have sent me to you. I am not really a Brhmin; but I am Agni Deva (eater of oblations)." Rmachandra heard Fire and gave his assent. But his heart shattered. He did not speak of this to Laksmana. By the yogic power Agni (Fire) created a My St. This My St, O Nrada, was perfectly equal to the real St. Fire, then, handed this My St to the hands of Rmachandra. Htsana (fire) took the real St and said, "Never divulge this to any other body" and went away. What to speak of divulging the secret to any other body, Laksmana even could not know it. By this time Rma saw one deer, made of all gold. To bring that deer carefully to her, St sent Rmachandra with great eagerness. Putting St under Laksmanas care, in that forest, Rma went himself immediately and pierced the deer by one arrow. That My mrga (the deer created by magic powers) on being pierced, cried out "Ha Laksmana!" and seeing Hari before him and remembering the name of Hari, quitted
p. 869
his life. The deer body then vanished; and a divine body made its appearance in its stead. This new body mounting on an aerial car made of jewels, ascended to Vaikuntha. That Myik (magic) deer was in its previous birth, a servant, of the two gate-keepers of Vaikuntha; but, for the sake of some emergency, he had to take up this Rkhsasa birth. He again became the servant of two door-keepers of Vaikuntha. On the other hand St Dev, hearing the cry "Ha Laksmana!" became very distressed and sent Laksmana in search of Rma. No sooner did Laksmana get out of the hermitage, the irresistible Rvana took away St gladly to the city of Lanka (Ceylon). Now Rmachandra, seeing Laksmana on the way in the forest, became merged in the ocean of sorrows and without losing any time came hurriedly to the hermitage where he could not find St. Instantly he fell unconscious, on the ground; and, after a long time, when he regained his consciousness, he lamented and wandered here and there in search of Her. After some days on the banks of the river Godvar, getting the information of St, he built a bridge across the ocean with the help of His monkey armies. Then he entered with his army into Lanka and slew Rvana with arrows with all his friends. When Sts ordeal by fire came, Agni (Fire) handed over the real St to Rmachandra. The Shadow St then humbly addressed Agni and Rma Chandra, "O Lord! What am I to do now? Settle my case."
49-53. Agni and Rmachandra both of them then said to Chhy St :-- "O Dev! Go to Puskara and practise tapasy there; that place is the giver of religious merits and then you will be the Svarga Laksm (Laksm of Heaven)." Hearing this, the Chhy St went and practised tapasy for the three divine lakh years and became Mah Laksm. This Svarga Laksm appeared at one time from the sacrificial Kunda (pit). She was known as the daughter of Drupada and became the wife of the five Pndavas. She was Veda Vat, the daughter of Kusadhvaja in the Satya Yuga; St, the wife of Rma and the daughter of Janaka in Tret Yuga; and Draupad, the daughter of Drupada, in the Dvpara Yuga. As she existed in the Satya, Tret, and Dvpara Yugas, the Three Yugas, hence She is Trihyan.
54. Nrada said :-- "O Chief of Munis! O Remover of doubts! Why had Draupad five husbands? A great doubt has arisen in my mind on this point. Remove my doubt."
55-63. Nryana said :-- O Devarsi! When, in the city of Lanka, the real St came before Rma, then Chhy St, full of youth and beauty, became very anxious. Agni Deva and Rmachandra both told
p. 870
Her to go to Puskara and worship Samkara. While this Chhy St was practising austerities in Puskara, She became very anxious to get a good husband and asked from MahDeva the boon "Grant me a husband" and repeated it five times. Siva, the chief among the humorous, witty persons, hearing this, said, "O Dear! You will get five husbands" and thus granted her the boon. Therefore She became the dearest wife of the five Pndavas. Now hear other facts. When the war at Lanka was over, Sr Rmachandra got his own dear wife St, and installing Vibhsana on the throne of Lanka, returned to Ayodhy. He ruled for eleven thousand years in Bhrata and finally went to Vaikuntha with his all his subjects. Vedavat, the incarnation in part of Laksm dissolved in the body of Kamal. Thus I have described to you the pure anecdote of Vedavat. Hearing this destroys sins and increases virtue. The four Vedas reigned incarnate, in their true forms, on the lips of Vedavat; hence She was named Vedavat. Thus I have told you the anecdote of the daughter of Kusadhvaja. Now hear the story of Tulas, the daughter of Dharmadhvaja.
Here ends the Sixteenth Chapter in the Ninth Book on the incarnation of Mah Laksm in the house of Kusadhvaja in Sr Mad Dev Bhgavatam of 18,000 verses by Mahrsi Veda Vysa.
Chapter Xvi
On The Incarnation Of Mah Laksm In The House Of Kusadhvaja
p. 866
1-30. Sr Nryana said :-- O Muni! Dharmadhvaja and Kusadhvaja practised severe tapasys and worshipped Laksm. They then got separately their desired boons. By the boon of Mah Laksm, they
p. 867
became again the rulers of the earth. They acquired great religious merits and they also had their children. The wife of Kusadhvaja was named Mlvat. After a long time, the chaste wife delivered one daughter, born of the parts of Kamal. The daughter, on being born, became full of wisdom. On being born, the baby began to sing clearly the Vedic mantrams from the lying-in-chamber. Therefore She was named Vedavat by the Pundits. She bathed after her birth and became ready to go to the forest to practise severe tapas. Everyone then, tried earnestly to dissuade her, devoted to Nryana, from the enterprise. But she did not listen to anybody. She went to Puskara and practised hard tapasy for one Manvantara. Yet her body did not get lean a bit; rather she grew more plumpy and fatter. By degrees her youth began to show signs in her body; one day she heard an incorporeal voice from the air above, "O Fair One! In your next birth Sr Hari, adored by Brahm and other gods, will be your husband." Hearing this, her joy knew no bounds. She went to the solitary caves in the Gandhamdan mountain to practise tapas again. When a long time passed away in this tapasy, one day the irresistible Rvana came there as guest. No sooner Vedavat saw the guest, then she gave him, out of devotion to the guest, water to wash feet, delicious fruits, and cool water for his drink. The villain accept the hospitality and sitting there, began to ask :-- "O Auspicious One! Who are you?" Seeing the fair smiling lady, with beautiful teeth, her face blooming like the autumnal lotus, of heavy loins, and of full breast, that villain became passionate. He lost entirely all consciousness and became ready to make violence on Her. Seeing this, the chaste Vedavat, became angry and out of her tapas influence, astounded him and made him insensible to move. He remained motionless like an inanimate body. He could not move his hands nor feet nor could he speak. That wicked fellow then mentally recited praises to her. And the praise of the Higher Sakti can never go futile. She became pleased and granted him religious merits in the next world. But she also pronounced this curse :-- "That when you have touch my body out of passion, then you will be ruined with your whole family for my sake. Now see my power." O Nrada! Thus saying to Rvana, Vedavat left her body by her yogic power. Then Rvana took her body and delivered it to the Ganges and he then returned to his own home. But Rvana thought over the matter repeatedly and exclaimed, "What wonder have I seen! Oh! What a miracle this lady has wrought!" Rvana thus lamented. This Vedavat, of pure character, took her birth afterwards as St, the daughter of
p. 868
Janaka. For the sake of this St, Rvana was ruined with his whole family. By the religious merits of her previous birth, the ascetic lady got Bhagavn Hari Sr Rma Chandra, the Fullest of the Full, for her husband and remained for a long time in great enjoyment with the Lord of the world; a thing very difficult to be attained! Though she was a Jtismar (one who knows all about her past lives), she did not feel any pain due to her practising severe austerities in her previous birth; for when the pains end in success, the pains are not then felt at all. St, in Her fresh youth enjoyed various pleasures in the company of her husband, handsome, peaceful, humorous and witty, the chief of the Devas, loved by the female sex, well-qualified, and just what she desired. But the all-powerful Time is irresistible; the truthful Rmachandra, the scion of the Raghus family, had to keep up the promise made by his father and so he had to go to the forest, ordained by Time. He remained with St and Laksmana near the sea. Once the God Fire appeared to Him in the form of a Brhmana. Fire, in a Brhmin-form, saw Rma Chandra morose and became himself mortified. Then the Truthful Fire addressed the truthful Rmachandra :-- "O Bhagavn Rmachandra! I now speak to you how time is now coming to you. Now has come the time when your St will be stolen.
31-48. The course of Destiny is irresistible; none else is more powerful than Time, Fate. So give over your St, the World Mother to me and keep with you this Chhy St (the shadow St; the false St). When the time of Sts ordeal by fire will take place I will give Her back to you. The Devas united have sent me to you. I am not really a Brhmin; but I am Agni Deva (eater of oblations)." Rmachandra heard Fire and gave his assent. But his heart shattered. He did not speak of this to Laksmana. By the yogic power Agni (Fire) created a My St. This My St, O Nrada, was perfectly equal to the real St. Fire, then, handed this My St to the hands of Rmachandra. Htsana (fire) took the real St and said, "Never divulge this to any other body" and went away. What to speak of divulging the secret to any other body, Laksmana even could not know it. By this time Rma saw one deer, made of all gold. To bring that deer carefully to her, St sent Rmachandra with great eagerness. Putting St under Laksmanas care, in that forest, Rma went himself immediately and pierced the deer by one arrow. That My mrga (the deer created by magic powers) on being pierced, cried out "Ha Laksmana!" and seeing Hari before him and remembering the name of Hari, quitted
p. 869
his life. The deer body then vanished; and a divine body made its appearance in its stead. This new body mounting on an aerial car made of jewels, ascended to Vaikuntha. That Myik (magic) deer was in its previous birth, a servant, of the two gate-keepers of Vaikuntha; but, for the sake of some emergency, he had to take up this Rkhsasa birth. He again became the servant of two door-keepers of Vaikuntha. On the other hand St Dev, hearing the cry "Ha Laksmana!" became very distressed and sent Laksmana in search of Rma. No sooner did Laksmana get out of the hermitage, the irresistible Rvana took away St gladly to the city of Lanka (Ceylon). Now Rmachandra, seeing Laksmana on the way in the forest, became merged in the ocean of sorrows and without losing any time came hurriedly to the hermitage where he could not find St. Instantly he fell unconscious, on the ground; and, after a long time, when he regained his consciousness, he lamented and wandered here and there in search of Her. After some days on the banks of the river Godvar, getting the information of St, he built a bridge across the ocean with the help of His monkey armies. Then he entered with his army into Lanka and slew Rvana with arrows with all his friends. When Sts ordeal by fire came, Agni (Fire) handed over the real St to Rmachandra. The Shadow St then humbly addressed Agni and Rma Chandra, "O Lord! What am I to do now? Settle my case."
49-53. Agni and Rmachandra both of them then said to Chhy St :-- "O Dev! Go to Puskara and practise tapasy there; that place is the giver of religious merits and then you will be the Svarga Laksm (Laksm of Heaven)." Hearing this, the Chhy St went and practised tapasy for the three divine lakh years and became Mah Laksm. This Svarga Laksm appeared at one time from the sacrificial Kunda (pit). She was known as the daughter of Drupada and became the wife of the five Pndavas. She was Veda Vat, the daughter of Kusadhvaja in the Satya Yuga; St, the wife of Rma and the daughter of Janaka in Tret Yuga; and Draupad, the daughter of Drupada, in the Dvpara Yuga. As she existed in the Satya, Tret, and Dvpara Yugas, the Three Yugas, hence She is Trihyan.
54. Nrada said :-- "O Chief of Munis! O Remover of doubts! Why had Draupad five husbands? A great doubt has arisen in my mind on this point. Remove my doubt."
55-63. Nryana said :-- O Devarsi! When, in the city of Lanka, the real St came before Rma, then Chhy St, full of youth and beauty, became very anxious. Agni Deva and Rmachandra both told
p. 870
Her to go to Puskara and worship Samkara. While this Chhy St was practising austerities in Puskara, She became very anxious to get a good husband and asked from MahDeva the boon "Grant me a husband" and repeated it five times. Siva, the chief among the humorous, witty persons, hearing this, said, "O Dear! You will get five husbands" and thus granted her the boon. Therefore She became the dearest wife of the five Pndavas. Now hear other facts. When the war at Lanka was over, Sr Rmachandra got his own dear wife St, and installing Vibhsana on the throne of Lanka, returned to Ayodhy. He ruled for eleven thousand years in Bhrata and finally went to Vaikuntha with his all his subjects. Vedavat, the incarnation in part of Laksm dissolved in the body of Kamal. Thus I have described to you the pure anecdote of Vedavat. Hearing this destroys sins and increases virtue. The four Vedas reigned incarnate, in their true forms, on the lips of Vedavat; hence She was named Vedavat. Thus I have told you the anecdote of the daughter of Kusadhvaja. Now hear the story of Tulas, the daughter of Dharmadhvaja.
Here ends the Sixteenth Chapter in the Ninth Book on the incarnation of Mah Laksm in the house of Kusadhvaja in Sr Mad Dev Bhgavatam of 18,000 verses by Mahrsi Veda Vysa.
