Mokshadharma Parva — The birth of Brihaspati; the description of the White Island

Bhishma said Then, upon the expiration of the great cycle, when the celestial priest Brihaspati was born in the family of Angiras, all the gods became very happy.

The words Vrihat, Brahma, and Mahat all carry the same significance. The celestial priest, O king, came to be called Brihaspati because he was gifted with all these accomplishments.

King Uparichara, otherwise called Vasu, became a disciple of Brihaspati and soon became the greatest of his disciples. Admitted as such, he began of study from his preceptor that science which was composed by the seven Rishis who were known by the name of Chitrashikhandins.

With soul purified by sacrifices and other religious rites, he governed the Earth like Indra ruling the Heaven.

The illustrious king celebrated a great Horse-sacrifice in which his preceptor Brihaspati became the priest offering libation.

The sons of Prajapati themselves, viz., Ekata, Dvita, and Trita became the priests watching the proceedings. There were others also who became Sadasyas in that sacrifice, viz., Dhanusha, Rajvya, Arvavasu, Paravasu, the Rishi Medhatithi, the great Rishi Tandya, the blessed Rishi Shanti, Vedashiras the foremost of Rishis, viz., Kapila, who was the father of Shalihotra, the first Kalpa, Tittiri the elder brother of Vaishampayana, Kanwa, and Devahotra, forming in all sixteen,

In that great sacrifice, O king, all the necessary articles were collected. No animals were killed in it. The king had ordained it so.

He was full of mercy. Of pure and liberal mind, he had renounced all desire, and was well-conversant with all rites. The necessary articles of that sacrifice were the productions of the forest.

The ancient God of gods (viz., Hari), became highly pleased with the king on account of that sacrifice. Incapable of being seen by any one else, the great God appeared before his worshipper.

Accepting by taking its scent, the share offered to him he himself took up the Purodasha (clarified butter with cakes of powdered barley). The great God took up the offerings without being seen by any one.

At this, Brihaspati became angry. Taking up the ladle he hurled it violently at the sky, and began to shed tears in anger.

Addressing king Uparichara he said,-Here, I place this as Narayana's share of the sacrificial offerings! Forsooth, he shall take it before my eyes.

Yudhishthira said In the great sacrifice of Uparichara, all the gods appeared in their respective forms for partaking of the sacrificial offerings and were seen by all. Why is it that the powerful Hari only acted otherwise by invisibly taking his share?

Bhishma said When Brihaspati yielded to anger, the great king Vasu and all his Sadasyas sought to pacify the great Rishi.

With cool heads, all of them said to Brihaspati,-You should not yield to anger. In this golden age, this anger to which you have yielded should not be the characteristic of any one.

The great god for whom the share of the sacrificial offerings was designed by you, is himself free from anger! He is incapable of being seen either by ourselves or by you, O Brihaspati.

Only he can see Him to whom He becomes gracious!—Then the Rishis Ekata, Dvita, and Trita, who were all conversant with the science of morality and duties compiled by the seven Rishis, addressed that assembly and began the following narration.

We are the sons of Brahman, begotten by his will. Once on a time we went to the north for the acquisition of our highest good.

Having practised penances for thousands of years and acquired a great ascetic merit, we again stood on only one foot like fixed rods of wood.

The country where we practised these austerest of penances, lies to the north of the mountains of Meru and on the shores of the ocean of milk.

The object we had in mind was how to see the divine Narayana in his own form. Upon the termination of our penances and after we had performed the final ablutions, we heard an incorporeal voice, O powerful Brihaspati, deep like that of the clouds and exceedingly melodious and filling the heart with joy.

The voice said You Brahmanas, you have performed well these penances with cheerful souls! Devoted to Narayana, you try to know how you may succeed in seeing that god of great power.

On the northern shores of the ocean of milk there is an island called White Island. The men that dwell in that island have complexions as white as the rays of the Moon and that are devoted to Narayana.

Worshippers of that foremost of all Beings, they are devoted to Him with their whole minds. They all enter that eternal and illustrious god of a thousand rays.

They are shorn of senses. They do not live on any sort of food. Their eyes are winkless. Their bodies always emit a sweet smell. Indeed, the inhabitants of White Island believe and adore only one God. Go there, ye ascetics, for there I have revealed myself.

All of us, hearing these invisible words, proceeded by the way said to the country described.

Eagerly desirous of seeing Him and our hearts full of Him, we reached that large island called White Island. Arrived there, we could see nothing. Indeed our vision was blinded by the energy of the great god and accordingly we could not see Him.

At this, the idea, due to the grace of the great God Himself, sprung in our minds that one who had not practised sufficient penances could not soon see Narayana.

Under the influence of this idea we once more began to practise some severe austerities, suited to the time and place, for a hundred years. Upon the termination of our vows, we saw a number of men of auspicious marks.

All of them were white and looked like the Moon and were erdued with every sort of blessedness. Their hands were always joined in prayer. The faces of some were turned towards the North and of some to East. They were engaged in silently meditating on Brahma.

The recitation performed by those great persons was a mental Yapa. On account of their hearts, having been entirely fixed upon Him, Hari became highly gratified with them.

The effulgence that came out of the persons of those men resembled, O foremost of ascetics, the splendours which the sun assumed when the time comes for the dissolution of the universe.

Indeed, we thought that that Island was the seat of all Energy. All the denizens were perfectly equal in energy. There was no superiority or inferiority there among them.

We then suddenly saw once more a light arise that seemed to be the concentrated effulgence of a thousand Sons, O Brihaspati.

The denizens in a body, ran towards that light, with hands joined in reverential attitude, full of joy, and uttering the one word Salutation.

We then heard a very loud noise uttered by all of them together. It appeared that those men were engaged in offering a sacrifice to the great God.

As regards ourselves, we were suddenly deprived of our senses by his Energy. Shorn of vision and strength and all the senses, we could not behold or feel anything.

We only heard a loud sound uttered by the collected denizens. It said,-Victory to you, O you have eyes like lotus petals! Salutation to you, O Creator of the universe.

Salutation to you, O Hrishikesha, O foremost of Beings, O First-born! This was the sound we heard, uttered distinctly and in accordance with the rules of orthoepy.

Meanwhile, a fragrant and pure breeze blew, carrying perfumes of celestial flowers, and of certain herbs and plants that were necessary on the occasion.

Those men, gifted with great devotion, having hearts full of reverence, conversant with the ordinances laid down in the Pancharatra, were then adoring the great god with mind, word, and deed.

Forsooth, Hari appeared in that place whence the sound we heard originated. As regards ourselves, stupefied by His illusion, we could not behold Him.

After the breeze has ceased and the sacrifice had been over, our hearts became stricken with anxiety, O foremost one of Angiras's race.

As we stood among those thousands of men all of whom were of pure birth, no one honoured us with a glance or a nod.

Those ascetics, all of whom were cheerful and filled with devotion and who were all are practising the Brahma-frame of mind, showed no feeling for us.

We had been greatly tired. Our penances had einaciated us. At that time, a bodiless Being addressed us from the sky and said to us

These white men, who are divested of all external senses, competent to see (Narayana). Only those foremost of twice-born persons whom these white men honoured with their looks, can see the great God.

Go hence, ye Munis, to the place from where you have come! That great Deity is incapable of being ever seen by one who has no devotion.

Incapable of being seen on account of his dazzling effulgence, that illustrious Deity can be seen only by those person who succeed, in course of long time, in devoting themselves wholly and solely to Him. O foremost of twiceborn ones, you have a great duty to perform.

After the expiration of this the golden age, when the Treta age comes in course of the Vivasvat cycle, a great calamity will befall the world. You Munis, you shall then have to help the gods.

no Having heard this wonderful words that were sweet as nectar, we soon returned to the place we desired, through the favour of that great Deity.

When with the help of even such austere penances of offerings devoutly given in sacrifices, we could not see the great Deity, how, indeed, can you except to see Him so easily?

Narayana is a Great Being. he is the Creator of the universe. He is worshipped in sacrifices with offerings of clarified butter and other food dedicated with the help of Vedic Mantras. He has no beginning and end. He is Unmanifest. Both the gods and the Danavas adore Him.

Induced by these words spoken by Ekata and approved by his companions, viz., Dvita and Trita, and solicited also by the other Sadasyas, the great Brihaspati terminated that sacrifice after duly offering the accustomed adorations to the gods.

Having completed his great sacrifice, king Uparichara, also, began to rule his subjects piously. At last, renouncing his body, he ascended to heaven. After sometime, through the curse of the Brahmanas, he dropped down from those happy regions and sank deep into the bowels of the Earth.

King Vasu, O foremost of kings, was always devoted to the true religion. Although sunk deep into the bowels of the Earth, his devotion to virtue did not decrease.

Ever devoted to Narayana, and ever reciting sacred Mantras having Narayana for their god, he once more ascended to heaven through Narayana's favour.

Getting up from the bowels of the Earth, king Vasu, on account of the very highest end that he attained, proceeded to a spot which is even higher than the region of Brahman himself.”