Anushasanika Parva — Religion and profit, which bring on happiness in the next world. The history of Rudra and Uma

Narada said Having said these words, the powerful Mahadeva himself become desirous of hearing, and with that view he questioned his dear wife who was seated by his side and was bent upon doing his will.

Mahadeva said You, O goddess, know what is Supreme and what is not so. You know all duties, O you who love to live in the retreats of ascetics. You are gifted with every virtue, possessed of beautiful eyebrows, and hair ending in the fairest earls, O daughter of Himavat, the king of mountains.

You are skilled in every work. You are gifted with self-control and look impartially towards all creatures. Divested of the senses of mineness, you are devoted to the practice of all the duties. O you of beautiful features, I wish to ask you (about something). I wish that, asked by me, you will describe to me that subject.

Savitri is the chaste wife of Brahman. The caste Shachi is the wife of Indra. Dhumorna is the wife of Markandeya, and Riddhi of (king) Vaishravana.

Varuna has Gouri for his consort, and the Sun God has Suvarchala. Rohini is the chaste wife of Shashin, and Svaha of Vibhavasu.

Kashyapa has Aditi. All these consider their husbands as their gods. You have, O goddess, conversed and associated with all of them every day.

It is, therefore, O you knowing every duty, that I wish to question you about the duties of women, you whose words are always consistent with righteousness. I wish to hear you describe that subject from the beginning.

You practice all the duties of virtue with me. Your conduct is exactly like mine, and the vows you observe are the same that are observed by me. Your power and energy are equal to mine, and you have practised the austerest penances.

The subject, when described by you will become highly meritorious. Indeed, that subject will then become authoritative in the world.

Women, in especial, are the highest refuge of women. O you of beautiful hips, among human beings the course of conduct laid down by you will be followed from generation to generation.

Half of my body is made up of half your body. You are always engaged in doing the work of the celestials, and it is you are the cause of have peopling the Earth.

O auspicious lady, you know all the eternal duties of women. Do you, therefore, tell me in full what the duties are of your sex.

Uma said O holy one, O lord of all created things o source of all that is past, present, and future, it is through your favour that the words I am uttering are originating in my inind.

All these Rivers (that are of my sex), O god of gods, having the waters of all the Tirthas, are approaching your presence for enabling you to perform your ablutions in them.

After consulting them I shall describe the subject in duc order. That person who, though capable, is still free from egotism, is rightly called a Purusha.

As for women, O lord of all beings, she follows persons of her sex. By consulting these foremost of Rivers, they will be honoured by me.

The sacred Sarasvati is the foremost river of all rivers. She goes towards the ocean and is truly the first of all rivers.

Vipasha, also, is here, here, and Vitasta, Chandrabhaga, Iravati, Shatadru, the river Devika, Kaushiki, and Gomati, and this celestial River who has in her all the sacred Tirthas, viz., the goddess Ganga, who having originated from the celestial region has descended on the Earth and is considered as the foremost of all rivers! Having said this, the wife of that god of gods, that foremost of all pious persons, smilingly addressed all those Rivers of her sex.

Indeed, the wife of the great god, devoted to the performance of all duties, questioned those individuals of her sex about the duties of women. Indeed, those foremost of rivers, having Ganga for their first all know the duties of women.

Uma said The illustrious god has asked a question about the duties of women. I wish to answer Shankara after having consulted with you.

I do not find any branch of knowledge on Earth or Heaven that is capable of being mastered by any individual without your hcip. You rivers that run towards the ocean, it is, therefore, that I seek your opinions.

It was in this way that those foremost of Rivers, all of whom were auspicious and highly sacred, were accosted by Shiva's wife. Then the celestial River Ganga, who adored the daughter of the king of mountains in return, was selected for answering the question,

Indeed, she of sweet smiles is held as swelling with various kinds of understanding and well conversant with the duties of women. The sacred goddess capable of removing all fear of sin, gifted with humility in consequence of her intelligence, well acquainted with all duties, and endued with an exceedingly comprehensive intelligence sweetly smiling, uttered these words :

O goddess, you are always given to the due performance of all duties. You have favored me highly by thus questioning me. O sinless one, you are honoured by the entire universe. yet you ask me that am but a River.

That person who, though himself competent yet asks another, or who pays a graceful tribute to another certainly deserves, I think, to be considered as righteoussouled. Indeed, such a person deserves to be called learned and wise.

That person never falls into disgrace who asks such speakers as are gifted with knowledge and science and as are well conversant with premises and inferences.

A proud man, even when gifted with intelligence, by speaking in the midst of an assembly otherwise, finds himself uttering only words of weak meaning.

You are gifted with spiritual insight. You are the foremost of all the celestials. You have taken your rise accompanied by various kinds of excellent merit. You, O goddess are fully competent to describe the duties of women.

In this way, the goddess Uma was adored by Ganga and honoured with the ascription of many high merits. The beautiful goddess, thus praised, then began to discourse upon all the duties of women in full.

Uma said I shall, according to the ordinance, describe the subject of women's duties as far as they are known to me. Do you all listen with rapt attention.

The duties of women begin when created by kinsmen in the rites of wedding. Indeed, woman becomes, in the presence of the nuptial fire, the companion of her husband in the performance of all righteous acts.

Gifted with a good disposition, endued with sweet speech, sweet conduct, and sweet features, and always loO king at the face of her husband and deriving as much joy from it as she does from loO king at the face of her child, that chaste woman who regulates her deeds by observing the prescribed restraints, comes to be considered as truly righteous in her conduct. Listening to the duties of inarried life, and perforining all those sacred duties, that woman who considers virtue as the foremost of all objects of pursuit, who observes the same vows as those which are observed by her husband, who, adorned with chastity, looks upon her husband as a god, who waits upon and serves him as if he is a god, who surrenders her own will completely to that of her husband's, who is chcerful, who observes excellent vows, who is gifted with good features, and whose heart is completely devoted to her husband insomuch that she never thinks even of any other man, is considered as truly righteous in conduct. That wife who, even when addressed harshly and looked upon with angry eyes by her husband, appears cheerful to him, is said to be truly devoted to her husband. She who does not cast her eyes upon the Moon or the Sun or a tree that has a masculine name, who is worshipped by her husband and who is gifted with beautiful features, is considered as truly righteous. That woman who, treats her husband with the affection which one shows towards her child, even when he happens to be poor or diseased or weak or worn out with the toil of travelling, is considered as truly righteous in her conduct.

That woman who is gifted with self-control, who has given birth to children, who serves her husband with devotion, and whose whole heart is devoted to him, is considered as truly righteous in her conduct. That woman who waits upon and serves her husband with a cheerful heart, who is always cheerful of heart, and who is gifted with humility, is considered as truly righteous in her conduct. That woman who always supports his kinsmen and relatives by giving them food, and whose desire for gratifying her wishes or for articles of enjoyment, or for riches or for happiness, falls short of her devotion to her husband, is considered as truly righteous in her conduct.

That woman who always takes a pleasure in rising early in the morning, who is devoted to the satisfaction of all household duties, who always keeps her house clean, who rubs her house daily with cowdung, who always attends to the domestic fire, who never neglects to make offerings of flowers and other articles to the celestials, who with her husband satisfies the deities and guests and all servants and dependants of the family with that share of food which is theirs by the ordinance, and who always takes, according to the ordinance, for herself, what food remains in the house after the needs of gods and guests and servants, have been satisfied, and who pleases all people who come in contact with her family and feeds them to their fill, succeeds in acquiring great merit.

That woman who is gifted with accomplishments, who salutes the feet of her father-in-law and mother-in-law, and who is always devoted to his father and mother, is considered as possessed of ascetic merit.

That woman who supports with food Brahmanas who are weak and helpless, who are distressed or blind or destitute, comes to be considered as entitled to share the merits of her husband.

That woman who always observes, with a light heart, vows which are difficult of observance, whose heart is devoted to her husband, and who always seeks the behoof of her husband, is considered as entitled to share the merits of her husband.

Devotion to her husband is woman's merit; it is her penance; it is her eternal Heaven. Merit, penances and Heaven become hers who considers her husband as her all in all, and who gifted with chastity, seeks to devote herself to her husband in all things.

The husband is the god which women have. The husband is their friend. The husband is their great refuge. Women have no refuge that can compare with their husband, and no god that can compare with him.

A woman considers husband's grace and Heaven as equal; or, if unequal the inequality is very trivial. O Maheshvara 1 do not wish Heaven itself if you are not satisfied with me.

If the husband that is poor, or diseased or distressed, or fallen among enemies, or afflicted by a Brahmana's curse, were to command the wife to accomplish anything that is improper or unrighteous or that may bring on the destruction of life itself, the wife should, without any hesitation, accomplish it, guided by the code whose propriety is sanctioned by the Law of Distress.

I have thus, O god, explained at your command, what the duties of women are. Indeed, that woman who acts thus, becomes entitled to a share of the merits acquired by her husband.

Narada said Thus addressed, the great god highly spoke of the daughter of the king of mountains and then dismissed all persons who had assembled there, together with all his own attendants.

The various tribes of ghostly beings, as also all the embodied Rivers, and the Gandharvas and Apsaras, all bowed their heads to Mahadeva and departed for returning to the places whence they had come. The various tribes of ghostly beings, as also all the embodied Rivers, and the Gandharvas and Apsaras, all bowed their heads to Mahadeva and departed for returning to the places whence they had come.