Mokshadharma Parva — The story that Vyasa was Narayan's son

The Sankhya System, the Pancharatra Scriptures, and the Aranyaka-Vedas—these different systems of knowledge or religion,-0 twice-born Rishi, are current in the world.

Do all these systems preach the same course of duties, or are the courses of duties preached by them, O ascetic, different from one another? Accosted by me, do you describe to me on Renunciation in due order!

Vaishampayana said I bow to that great Rishi who is the remover of Darkness, and whom Satyavati bore to Parashara in the midst of an island, who is endued with great knowledge and great liberality of soul.

The learned say that he is the origin of the Grandfather Brahman; that he is the sixth form of Narayana; that he is the foremost of Rishis; that he is endued with the power of Yoga; that as the only son of his parents he is an incarnate part of Narayana; and that, born under extraordinary circumstances on an Island, he is the undecaying receptacle of the Vedas.

In the Krita age, Narayana, of great power and might energy, created him as his son. Verily, the great Vyasa is unborn and ancient and is the undecaying receptacle of the Vedas.

Janamejaya said, O best of twice-born ones, it was you who said before this that the Rishi Vashishtha had a son named Shakti and that Shakti had a son named Parashara, and that Parashara begot a son named the Island-born Krishna gifted with great ascetic merit.

You tell me again that Vyasa is the son of Narayana. I ask was it in some former birth that Vyasa of great energy had originated from Narayana? O you of great intelligence, do tell me of that birth of Vyasa from Narayana!

Desirous of understanding the meaning of the Shrutis, my preceptor, that sea of penances, who is greatly devoted to the observance of all scriptural duties and the acquisition of knowledge, lived for sometime in a particular region of the Himavat mountains.

Gifted with great intelligence, he became fatigued with his penances on account of the great strain on his energies made by the composition of the Mahabharata. At that time, Sumanta and Jaimini and Paila of firm vows and myself as the fourth, and Shuka his own son, were his disciples. All of us, O king, seeing the fatigfue of our preceptor, waited dutifully upon him, engaged in doing all that was necessary for removing that fatigue of his.

Surrounded by these disciples of his, Vyasa shone on the breast of the Himavat mountains like the Lord of all the goblins, viz., Mahadeva, in the midst of those ghostly attendants of his.

Having recapitulated the Vedas with all their branches as also the meanings of all the Verses in the Mahabharata, one day, with rapt attention, all of us approached our preceptor who, having mastered his senses, was at time engaged in thought.

Availing ourselves of an interval in the conversation, we asked that foremost of twiceborn ones to explain to us the meanings of the Vedas and of the Verses in the Mahabharata and describe to us the events as well of his own birth from Narayana.

Conversant as he was with all subjects of enquiry, he at first described to us the interpretations of the Shrutis and the Mahabharata, and then began to narrate to us the following events regarding his birth from Narayana.

Vyasa said Listen, ye disciples to this foremost of narratives, to this best of histories that concerns the birth of a Rishi. Belonging to the Krita age, this discourse has become known to me through my penances, ye twice-born ones.

On the occasion of the seventh creation, viz., that which was due to the primeval Lotus, Narayana, gifted, with the austerest penances, getting over both good and evil, and possessed of peerless splendour, at first created Brahman, from his navel. After Brahman had come into being, Narayana addressed him, saying,

You have originated from my navel. Gifted with power of creation, do you begin to create diverse kinds of creatures, rational and irrational.

Thus addressed by his Creator, Brahman, with mind stricken with anxiety, felt the difficulty of his task and became reluctant to do what he was ordered to do. Bowing his head to the boon-giving and illustrious Hari, the Lord of the universe, Brahman said these words to him,

I bow to you, O Lord of the gods, but I ask what power have I to create various creatures? I have no wisdom. Do you ordain what should be ordained in view of this.

Thus addressed by Brahman, the Lord of the universe, viz., Narayana, disappeared there and then from Brahman's view, the foremost of all being gifted with intelligence, viz., the Supreme Lord, then thought of Intelligence.

Possessed of form that resembled immediately appeared before the powerful Hari. Himself above all Yoga, Narayana then, with Yoga, applied the goddess of Intelligence properly.

The illustrious and powerful and immutable Hari, addressed the goddess of Intelligence who was gifted with activity and goodness and all the power of Yoga, said to her these words-

For the accomplishment of the work of creating all the words do you enter into Brahman!-Ordered thus by the Supreme Lord, Intelligence immediately entered Brahman.

When Hari saw that Brahman had become united with Intelligence, He once addressed him, saying,-Do you now create various creatures.

Replying to Narayana by uttering the word— Yes,-Brahman reverently accepted the order of his progenitor. Narayana then disappeared from Brahman's view, and in a more moment repaired to his own place known by the name of Light or Effulgence. Coming back to His own disposition, Hari resolved Himself into His one universal nature.

After the work of Creation, however, had been done by Brahman, another thought arose in the mind of Narayana. Indeed,. He thought thus,-Brahman, otherwise called Parameshthi, has created all these creatures, consisting of Daityas and Danavas and Gandharvas and Rakshasas. The helpless Earth has become loaded with the weight of creatures.

Many among the Daityas and Danavas and Rakshsas on Earth will become gifted with great strength. Possessed of penances, they will at various times succeed in acquiring many excellent boons.

Elated with pride and power on account of those boons they will succeed in acquiring, they will oppress and afflict the gods and the Rishis endued with ascetic power.

It is, therefore, proper that I should now and then lighten the burden of the Earth, by assuming various forms one after another as occasion would require.

I shall perform this task by punishing the wicked and supporting the righteous. The Earth, which is the embodiment of Truth, will succeed in bearing her burden of creatures.

Assuming the form of a powerful snake I myself have to uphold the Earth in empty space. Supported by me thus, she will support the entire universe of creatures mobile and immobile. Incarnated on the Earth, therefore, in different forms, I shall have to save her at such time from danger.

Having thought thus, the illustrious killer of Madhu created various forms in his mind in which to appear from time to time for performing the proposed task.

Assuming the form of a Boar, of a Manlion, of a Dwarf, and of human beings, I shall suppress or kill such enemies of the gods as will become wicked and ungovernable.

After this, the Prime Creator of the universe once more uttered the syllable BHO, causing the atmosphere to resound with it. From this syllable of speech arose a Rishi named Sarasvat.

The son, thus born of the Speech of Narayana, also passed by the name of Apantara-tamas. Endued with great power, he was fully conversant with the past, the present, and the future. Firm in the observance of vows, he was truthful in speech.

To that Rishi who, after birth, had bowed his head to Narayana, the latter, who was the original Creator of all the gods and possessed of immutable nature, said those words-You should bestow your attention on the distribution of the Vedas, O foremost of all persons gifted with intelligence.

Do you, therefore, O ascetic, do what I command you!-In obedience to this command of the Supreme Lord from whose Speech the Rishi Apantaratamas came into being, the latter, in that Kalpa which is named from the Self-born Manu, distributed and arranged the Vedas.

For that act of the Rishi, the illustrious Hari became pleased with him, as also for his wellperformed penances, his and observances, and his control of the senses or passions.

Addressing him, Narayana said,-At each cycle of Manu, O son, you will act thus about the Vedas. You shall on account of this act of yours, be immutable, O twice-born one, and incapable of being excellent by any one.

When the Kali age will set in, certain princes of Bharata's line, named Kauravas, will take their birth from you. They will be celebrated over Earth as great princes ruling over powerful kingdoms.

Born of you, dissension's will break out among them for their destruction at one another's hands during your absence, O foremost of twice-born ones.

In that age also, gifted with austere penances, you will divide the Vedas into various classes. Indeed, in that dark age, your complexion will become dark.

You will made various kinds of duties of flow and various kinds of knowledge also. Although gifted with austere penances, yet you shall never be able to free yourself from desire and attachment to the world.

Your son, however, will be freed from every attachment like the Supreme Soul, through the favour of Mahadeva. It will not be otherwise.

He whom learned Brahmanas call the mindbegotten son of the Grandfather, viz., Vashishtha gifted with great intelligence and like an ocean of penances, and whose splendour excells that of the Sun himself, will be the progenitor of a family in which a great Rishi of the name of Parashara, endued with mighty energy and prowess, will take his birth. That foremost of persons, that ocean of Vedas, that habitation of penances, will become your father. You shall take your birth as the son of a maiden living in the house of her father, through an act of sexual union with the great Rishi Parashara.

You will entertain no doubts about the meanings of things past, present, and future. Gifted with penances and instructed by me, you will see the incidents of a thousands and thousands of ages long past away. You will see through thousands and thousands of ages also in the future.

You shall in that birth, see me, O ascetic,—me who am without birth and death,-incarnated on Earth armed with the discus. All this will happen to you, O ascetic, through the merit that you will acquire for your continued devotion to me. These words of mine will never be otherwise.

You shall be one of the foremost of creatures. Great shall be your fame. The Sun's son Shani (Saturn) will in a future cycle, take birth as the great Manu of that period.

During that period, O son, you shall, as regards merits, be superior to even the Manus of the several periods. Forsooth, you will be so through my favour.

Whatever exists in the world is the result of my exertion. The thoughts of others may not tally with their deeds. As regards myself, however, I always ordain what I think, without the least obstacles.

Having said these words to the Rishi Apantaratamas, otherwise called by the name of Sarasvat, the Supreme Lord sent him away, saying to him,-Go!-I am he that was born as Apantaratamas through the behest of Hari. Once more have I taken birth as the celebrated Krishna-Dvaipayana, a delighter of the race of Vashishtha.

I have thus told, you my dear disciples, the circumstances of my own pristine birth which was due to the favour of Narayana in so much that I was a very part of Narayana himself.

You foremost of intelligent persons, I practised, in days of yore, the austerest penances, with the help of the highest abstraction of the mind.

You sons, actuated by my great love for yourselves who are devoted to me with reverence, I have told you everything about what you wished to know from me. viz., my first birth in days gone by and that other birth subsequent to it.

Vaishampayana said I have thus described to you, O king, the circumstances about the former birth of our revered preceptor, viz., Vyasa of unsullied mind, as asked by you! Listen to me once again!

There are various kinds of religion, O royal sage, who go by various names such as Sankhya, Yoga, the Panch-ratra, Vedas, and Pashupati.

The promulgator of the Sankhya religion is said to be the great Rishi Kapila. The primeval Hiranyagarbha, and none else, is the promulgator of the Yoga system.

The Rishi Apantaratamas is said to be the preceptor of the Vedas, some call that Rishi by the name of Prachina-garbha.

The religion known by the name of Pashupata was promulgated by the Lord of Uma, that lord of all creatures, viz., the cheerful Shiva, otherwise known by the name of Shreekantha, the son of Brahman.

The illustrious Narayana is himself the promulgator of the religion, contained in the Pancharatra Scriptures. In all these religions, O foremost of kings, it is seen that the powerful Narayana is the one sole object of exposition. According to the scriptures of these religions and the extent of knowledge they contain, Narayana is the one sole object of adoration they preach. Those persons whose vision, O king, blinded by darkness, cannot understand that Narayana is the Supreme Soul pervading the entire universe.

Those wise persons who are the authors of the scriptures say that Narayana, who is a Rishi, is the one object of respectful adoration in the universe, I say that there is no other being like Him.

The Supreme God, called by the name of Hari, lives in the hearts of those who have are are succeeded in removing all doubts. Madhava never lives in the hearts of those who are under the sway of doubt and who would dispute away everything with the help of false logic.

They who conversant with the Pancharatra Scriptures, who are duly observant of the duties laid down therein, and who are whole-mindedly devoted to Narayana, succeed in entering into Narayana.

The Sankhya and the Yoga Systems are eternal. All the Vedas, again, O king, are eternal. The Rishis, in all these systems or religion, have said that this universe existing from ancient times is Narayana's self.

You should know that whatever acts, good or bad, laid down in the Vedas and occurring in heaven and Earth, the sky between, and the waters, are all made by that ancient Rishi Narayana.