श्वैत्य की कथा

Sanjaya said Having heard of the origin of Death and her strange deeds, the very virtuous king Yudhishthira, once more humbly addressing

Yudhishthira said In many blessed countries there were many many monarchs, of virtuous deeds and of prowess equal to that of Shakra (Indra) himself. O Brahman, they were royal sages, sinless and lovers of truthful speech.

Once again, do you address me in words of grave signification and comfort me with the story of the feats of those royal sages of ancient days.

What was the amount of the sacrificial gifts made by them? Who were those royal sages of high soul and virtuous practices that made them? Tell me all this, O almighty Rishi!

There lived in days gone by, a king known by the name of Srinjaya. He had a son who was named Shaivya; the sages Parvata and Narada were his friends.

Once on a time desirous of an interview with him, the Rishis entered his palace. Being duly adored by him, they continued to live there happily.

One day when Srinjaya was seated with the sages at his ease, his very beautiful daughter of pure smiles came to him.

Then saluted by that daughter of his, he greeted her with benedictions after her own desire, when she was standing beside him.

Beholding that girl, Parvata smilingly said these words to Srinjaya-"Whose daughter is this girl of restless glances and auspicious marks?

Is she the effulgence of the solar orb or the blazing flame of Fire? Or is she Sri or Hari or Kirti or Dhriti or Pushti or Siddhi or the splendour of the moon?"

Thereupon king Srinjaya replied to the celestial sage who spoke those words, thus-"O almighty Rishis, this damsel is my daughter and she solicits my blessings."

Thereafter Narada addressed the king saying-"O monarch, if you desire to secure great good, give me this your daughter in marriage.”

Filled with delight (at the Rishi's proposal) Srinjaya said to Narada-"I shall give her in marriage to you." Thercat the other sage Parvata excited with wrath, said these words to Narada.

"You have accepted this girl for your wife, whom before you I had chosen in my heart to be my wife; and because you have done this, you shall not, O Brahmana, go to heaven at your will."

Thus spoken to, Narada said to him these words in reply "The husband's heart, his speech, the giver's consent, the speeches of both of them, the actual gift made with the sprinkling of water. The mantras specified for holding the bride's hands, these have been said to be the indications by which one becomes know as the husband of a damsel. But these Ceremonials are not sufficient, the essential one being the walk for seven paces after the marriage.

"Without any provocation whatever, you have pronounced a curse on me. Therefore you also shall not go to heaven save in my company."

Thus having cursed each other those two sages continued to live there. Meanwhile Srinjaya, desirous of obtaining a son and purifying himself, began to gratify the Vipras to the best of his resources, with drinks, garments and foods. After a while, those Brahmanas devoted to the study of the Vedas and acquainted with the contents of the scriptures and their various auxiliaries, being gratified with the king, who desired to have a son, came in a body to Narada and said to him-"Give this king a son of the sort he desires."

Thus spoken to by the regenerate sages, Narada said Let it be so': and then he addressed Srinjaya saying-'0) royal sage, the Brahmanas have been gratified with you and they desire to bestow a son on you.

Good betide you. Ask for the boon about the kind of the son wish to have.' Thus addressed, the king with folded palms, solicited the boon of getting a son endued with all qualities, famous, possessed of glory, highly energetic and subduer of all foes, whose urine, excreta, secretions and perspiration would be gold.”

The king then obtained a son in due time who came to be called Suvarnasthivi on earth and through the virtue of that boon the child began to increase the wealth of his father beyond all limit.

King Srinjaya then caused all objects of his desire to be made of gold; and his houses and walls and fortresses and the residencies of the Brahınanas, his beds, conveyances, plates and all kinds of cups, saucers and the mansion he possessed and all implements and utensils, domestic and otherwise. Were caused to be made of gold. In the course of time his treasure went on increasing

Then certain robbers hearing of the prince and seeing him to be such banded together and endeavoured to do mischief to the king.

Some of them said. "We shall seize the son of the king. He is the mine of gold of his father. Let us therefore try to seize him."

Thereafter those robbers, led by covetousness, entered the king's palace; and forcibly look away the young prince Suvarnasthivi.

Seizing him and carrying him to the woods, lose idiots not knowing what to do with him. (Out of avarice slew him and cut him to pieces. But they found not any gold inside his frame. When that child was deprived of his life, all the gold consequent the sages boon, disappeared.

The robbers then, ignorant and idiotic as they were, slew one another; for having slain that wonderful prince, they also met with their destruction.

These robbers of wicked deed were plunged to an awful and unimaginable hell. Then on beholding his son obtained through a boon slain, that one of great asceticism, viz.,

King Srinjaya began to lament plaintively being afflicted with terrible grief. Hearing the king afflicted with grief caused by his son's death thus lament.

The celestial Rishi Narada revealed himself before the king. And he spoke these words to the bewailing and woc-stricken and senseless.

King Srinjaya. O Yudhishthira listen on 10 those words. Narada said : You shall have to die, O Srinjaya, with many of your desirc', unfulfiled.

Although we the reciters of the sacre. Veda live under your roof. O Srinjaya, we had ) hear of the death of even Avikshita's son Marutta.

Piqued with Brihaspati, he had compelled even Samvarta himself to be a office-bearer in one of his greal sacrifices. To that royal sage, the illustrious divinity (Mahadeva) had given wealth in the shape of a golden plateau of Himavat. There with Marutta had accomplished numerous sacrifices. After the accomplishment of his sacrifices, various tribes of celestials, the creators of the world, accompanied by Indra and headed by Brihaspati, used to come to him. All the carpets and furniture's of his sacrificial compound were made of gold.

At his sacrifices the twice-born sects desirous of food all ate as it pleased them-food that was purified and suited to their tastes. At all his sacrifices, milk and curds and clarified butter and honey and other kinds of drinks and edibles, all of the finest sort and garments and ornaments precious and desirable, used to be given to Brahmanas thoroughly acquainted with the scriptures. The very gods became the distributors of food in Marutta's palace.

The Visvadevas were the courtiers of that royal sage the son of Avikshita. By him were propitiated the dwellers of heaven with oblations of clarified butter; gratified therewith, the gods, in their turn, increased that sovereign's wealth of corn by profuse showers of rain. He always contributed to the pleasure of the Rishis, the ancestral manes and the celestials and thereby made them propitious, as also by practising Brahmacharya, by the study of the Vedas, by observance of obsequial rites and by offering all kinds of gifts. His beds and carpets and conveyances and his vast treasures of gold difficult to be given away, in reality, all that vast among of wealth of his, were voluntarily distributed among the Brahmanas. Indra himself wished him well. His subjects were made happy by him. Performing all acts through piety, he finally attained to the eternal regions of bliss acquired by his religious merit.

With his children, counsellors wives, descendants, relatives, king Marutta, in the days of his youth, ruled his dominions for a thousand years.

When even such a monarch, O Srinjaya, superior to you in respect of the four cardinal virtues and who, superior to you, was much more superior to your son, had to suffer death, do not lament for your son, saying Shvaitya,' who performed no sacrifice and made no sacrificial presents.