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First Skandha · Chapter 19

Chapter 19

Unit 19 of 318First Skandha · Chapter 19First Skandha · Chapter 191 source entries

First Skandha · Chapter 19

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शुक उवाच सन्देहोऽयं महाराज वर्तते हृदये मम । मायामध्ये वर्तमानः स कथं निःस्पृहो भवेत् ॥ १ ॥ शास्त्रज्ञानं च सम्प्राप्य नित्यानित्यविचारणम् । त्यजते न मनो मोहं स कथं मुच्यते नरः ॥ २ ॥ अन्तर्गतं तमश्छेत्तुं शास्त्राद्‌बोधो हि न क्षमः । यथा न नश्यति तमः कृतया दीपवार्तया ॥ ३ ॥ अद्रोहः सर्वभूतेषु कर्तव्यः सर्वदा बुधैः । स कथं राजशार्दूल गृहस्थस्य भवेत्तथा ॥ ४ ॥ वित्तैषणा न ते शान्ता तथा राज्यसुखैषणा । जयैषणा च सङ्ग्रामे जीवन्मुक्तः कथं भवेः ॥ ५ ॥ चौरेषु चौरबुद्धिस्तु साधुबुद्धिस्तु तापसे । स्वपरत्वं तवाप्यस्ति विदेहस्त्वं कथं नृप ॥ ६ ॥ कटुतीक्ष्णुकषायाम्लरसान्वेत्सि शुभाशुभान् । शुभेषु रमते चित्तं नाशुभेषु तथा नृप ॥ ७ ॥ जाग्रत्स्वप्नसुषुप्तिश्च तव राजन् भवन्ति हि । अवस्थास्तु यथाकालं तुरीया तु कथं नृप ॥ ८ ॥ पदात्यश्वरथेभाश्च सर्वे वै वशगा मम । स्वाम्यहं चैव सर्वेषां मन्यसे त्वं न मन्यसे ॥ ९ ॥ मिष्टमत्सि सदा राजन्मुदितो विमनास्तथा । मालायां च तथा सर्पे समदृक् क्व नृपोत्तम ॥ १० ॥ विमुक्तस्तु भवेद्‌राजन् समलोष्टाश्मकाञ्चनः । एकात्मबुद्धिः सर्वत्र हितकृत्सर्वजन्तुषु ॥ ११ ॥ न मेऽद्य रमते चित्तं गृहदारादिषु क्वचित् । एकाकी निःस्पृहोऽत्यर्थं चरेयमिति मे मतिः ॥ १२ ॥ निःसङ्गो निर्ममः शान्तः पत्रमूलफलाशनः । मृगवद्विचरिष्यामि निर्द्वन्द्वो निष्परिग्रहः ॥ १३ ॥ किं मे गृहेण वित्तेन भार्यया च सुरूपया । विरागमनसः कामं गुणातीतस्य पार्थिव ॥ १४ ॥ चिन्त्यसे विविधाकारं नानारागसमाकुलम् । दम्भोऽयं किल ते भाति विमुक्तोऽस्मीति भाषसे ॥ १५ ॥ कदाचिच्छत्रुजा चिन्ता धनजा च कदाचन । कदाचित्सैन्यजा चिन्ता निश्चिन्तोऽसि कदा नृप ॥ १६ ॥ वैखानसा ये मुनयो मिताहारा जितव्रताः । तेऽपि मुह्यन्ति संसारे जानन्तोऽपि ह्यसत्यताम् ॥ १७ ॥ तव वंशसमुत्थानां विदेहा इति भूपते । कुटिलं नाम जानीहि नान्यथेति कदाचन ॥ १८ ॥ विद्याधरो यथा मूर्खो जन्मान्धस्तु दिवाकरः । लक्ष्मीधरो दरिद्रश्च नाम तेषां निरर्थकम् ॥ १९ ॥ तव वंशोद्‌भवा ये ये श्रुताः पूर्वे मया नृपाः । विदेहा इति विख्याता नामतः कर्मतो न ते ॥ २० ॥ निमिनामाभवद्‌राजा पूर्वं तव कुले नृप । यज्ञार्थं स तु राजर्षिर्वसिष्ठं स्वगुरुं मुनिम् ॥ २१ ॥ निमन्त्रयामास तदा तमुवाच नृपं मुनिः । निमन्त्रितोऽस्मि यज्ञार्थं देवेन्द्रेणाधुना किल ॥ २२ ॥ कृत्वा तस्य मखं पूर्णं करिष्यामि तवापि वै । तावत्कुरुष्व राजेन्द्र सम्भारं तु शनैः शनैः ॥ २३ ॥ इत्युक्त्या निर्ययौ सोऽथ महेन्द्रयजने मुनिः । निमिरन्यं गुरुं कृत्वा चकार मखमुत्तमम् ॥ २४ ॥ तच्छ्रुत्वा कुपितोऽत्यर्थं वसिष्ठो नृपतिं पुनः । शशाप च पतत्वद्य देहस्ते गुरुलोपक ॥ २५ ॥ राजापि तं शशापाथ तवापि च पतत्वयम् । अन्योन्यशापात्पतितौ तावेव च मया श्रुतम् ॥ २६ ॥ विदेहेन च राजेन्द्र कथं शप्तो गुरुः स्वयम् । विनोद इव मे चित्ते विभाति नृपसत्तम ॥ २७ ॥ जनक उवाच सत्यमुक्तं त्वया नात्र मिथ्या किञ्चिदिदं मतम् । तथापि शृणु विप्रेन्द्र गुरुर्मम सुपूजितः ॥ २८ ॥ पितुः सङ्गं परित्यज्य त्वं वनं गन्तुमिच्छसि । मृगैः सह सुसम्बन्धो भविता ते न संशयः ॥ २९ ॥ महाभूतानि सर्वत्र निःसङ्गः क्व भविष्यसि । आहारार्थं सदा चिन्ता निश्चिन्तः स्याः कथं मुने ॥ ३० ॥ दण्डाजिनकृता चिन्ता यथा तव वनेऽपि च । तथैव राज्यचिन्ता मे चिन्तयानस्य वा न वा ॥ ३१ ॥ विकल्पोपहतस्त्वं वै दूरदेशमुपागतः । न मे विकल्पसन्देहो निर्विकल्पोऽस्मि सर्वथा ॥ ३२ ॥ सुखं स्वपिमि विप्राहं सुखं भुञ्जामि सर्वथा । न बद्धोऽस्मीति बुद्ध्याहं सर्वदैव सुखी मुने ॥ ३३ ॥ त्वं तु दुःखी सदैवासि बद्धोऽहमिति शङ्कया । इति शङ्कां परित्यज्य सुखी भव समाहितः ॥ ३४ ॥ देहोऽयं मम बन्धोऽयं न ममेति च मुक्तता । तथा धनं गृहं राज्यं न ममेति च निश्चयः ॥ ३५ ॥ सूत उवाच तच्छ्रुत्वा वचनं तस्य शुकः प्रीतमनाभवत् । आपृच्छ्य तं जगामाशु व्यासस्याश्रममुत्तमम् ॥ ३६ ॥ आगच्छन्तं सुतं दृष्ट्वा व्यासोऽपि सुखमाप्तवान् । आलिङ्ग्याघ्राय मूर्धानं पप्रच्छ कुशलं पुनः ॥ ३७ ॥ स्थितस्तत्राश्रमे रम्ये पितुः पार्श्वे समाहितः । वेदाध्ययनसम्पन्नः सर्वशास्त्रविशारदः ॥ ३८ ॥ जनकस्य दशां दृष्ट्वा राज्यस्थस्य महात्मनः । स निर्वृतिं परां प्राप्य पितुराश्रमसंस्थितः ॥ ३९ ॥ पितॄणां सुभगा कन्या पीवरी नाम सुन्दरी । शुकश्चकार पत्‍नीं तां योगमार्गस्थितोऽपि हि ॥ ४० ॥ स तस्यां जनयामास पुत्रांश्चतुर एव हि । कृष्णं गौरप्रभं चैव भूरिं देवश्रुतं तथा ॥ ४१ ॥ कन्यां कीर्तिं समुत्पाद्य व्यासपुत्रः प्रतापवान् । ददौ विभ्राजपुत्राय त्वणुहाय महात्मने ॥ ४२ ॥ अणुहस्य सुतः श्रीमान्ब्रह्मदत्तः प्रतापवान् । ब्रह्मज्ञः पृथिवीपालः शककन्यासमुद्‌भवः ॥ ४३ ॥ कालेन कियता तत्र नारदस्योपदेशतः । ज्ञानं परमकं प्राप्य योगमार्गमनुत्तमम् ॥ ४४ ॥ पुत्रे राज्यं निधायाथ गतो बदरिकाश्रमम् । मायाबीजोपदेशेन तस्य ज्ञानं निरर्गलम् ॥ ४५ ॥ नारदस्य प्रसादेन जातं सद्यो विमुक्तिदम् । कैलासशिखरे रम्ये त्यक्त्वा सङ्गं पितुः शुकः ॥ ४६ ॥ ध्यानमास्थाय विपुलं स्थितः सङ्गपराङ्मुखः । उत्पपात गिरेः शृङ्गात्सिद्धिं च परमां गतः ॥ ४७ ॥ आकाशगो महातेजा विरराज यथा रविः । गिरेः शृङ्गं द्विधा जातं शुकस्योत्पतने तदा ॥ ४८ ॥ उत्पाता बहवो जाताः शुकश्चाकाशगोऽभवत् । अन्तरिक्षे यथा वायुः स्तूयमानः सुरर्षिभिः ॥ ४९ ॥ तेजसातिविराजन्वै द्वितीय इव भास्करः । व्यासस्तु विरहाक्रान्तः क्रन्दन्पुत्रेति चासकृत् ॥ ५० ॥ गिरेः शृङ्गे गतस्तत्र शुको यत्र स्थितोऽभवत् । क्रन्दमानं तदा दीनं व्यासं मत्वा श्रमाकुलम् ॥ ५१ ॥ सर्वभूतगतः साक्षी प्रतिशब्दमदात्तदा । तत्राद्यापि गिरेः शृङ्गे प्रतिशब्दः स्फुटोऽभवत् ॥ ५२ ॥ रुदन्तं तं समालक्ष्य व्यासं शोकसमन्वितम् । पुत्र पुत्रेति भाषन्तं विरहेण परिप्लुतम् ॥ ५३ ॥ शिवस्तत्र समागत्य पाराशर्यमबोधयत् । व्यास शोकं मा कुरु त्वं पुत्रस्ते योगवित्तमः ॥ ५४ ॥ परमां गतिमापन्नो दुर्लभां चाकृतात्मभिः । तस्य शोको न कर्तव्यस्त्वयाशोकं विजानता ॥ ५५ ॥ कीर्तिस्ते विपुला जाता तेन पुत्रेण चानघ । व्यास उवाच न शोको याति देवेश किं करोमि जगत्पते ॥ ५६ ॥ अतृप्ते लोचने मेऽद्य पुत्रदर्शनलालसे । महादेव उवाच छायां द्रक्ष्यसि पुत्रस्य पार्श्वस्थां सुमनोहराम् ॥ ५७ ॥ तां वीक्ष्य मुनिशार्दूल शोकं जहि परन्तप । सूत उवाच तदा ददर्श व्यासस्तु छायां पुत्रस्य सुप्रभाम् ॥ ५८ ॥ दत्त्वा वरं हरस्तस्मै तत्रैवान्तरधीयत । अन्तर्हिते महादेवे व्यासः स्वाश्रममभ्यगात् ॥ ५९ ॥ शुकस्य विरहेणापि तप्तः परमदुःखितः ॥ ६० ॥

śuka uvāca sandeho'yaṃ mahārāja vartate hṛdaye mama | māyāmadhye vartamānaḥ sa kathaṃ niḥspṛho bhavet || 1 || śāstrajñānaṃ ca samprāpya nityānityavicāraṇam | tyajate na mano mohaṃ sa kathaṃ mucyate naraḥ || 2 || antargataṃ tamaśchettuṃ śāstrād‌bodho hi na kṣamaḥ | yathā na naśyati tamaḥ kṛtayā dīpavārtayā || 3 || adrohaḥ sarvabhūteṣu kartavyaḥ sarvadā budhaiḥ | sa kathaṃ rājaśārdūla gṛhasthasya bhavettathā || 4 || vittaiṣaṇā na te śāntā tathā rājyasukhaiṣaṇā | jayaiṣaṇā ca saṅgrāme jīvanmuktaḥ kathaṃ bhaveḥ || 5 || caureṣu caurabuddhistu sādhubuddhistu tāpase | svaparatvaṃ tavāpyasti videhastvaṃ kathaṃ nṛpa || 6 || kaṭutīkṣṇukaṣāyāmlarasānvetsi śubhāśubhān | śubheṣu ramate cittaṃ nāśubheṣu tathā nṛpa || 7 || jāgratsvapnasuṣuptiśca tava rājan bhavanti hi | avasthāstu yathākālaṃ turīyā tu kathaṃ nṛpa || 8 || padātyaśvarathebhāśca sarve vai vaśagā mama | svāmyahaṃ caiva sarveṣāṃ manyase tvaṃ na manyase || 9 || miṣṭamatsi sadā rājanmudito vimanāstathā | mālāyāṃ ca tathā sarpe samadṛk kva nṛpottama || 10 || vimuktastu bhaved‌rājan samaloṣṭāśmakāñcanaḥ | ekātmabuddhiḥ sarvatra hitakṛtsarvajantuṣu || 11 || na me'dya ramate cittaṃ gṛhadārādiṣu kvacit | ekākī niḥspṛho'tyarthaṃ careyamiti me matiḥ || 12 || niḥsaṅgo nirmamaḥ śāntaḥ patramūlaphalāśanaḥ | mṛgavadvicariṣyāmi nirdvandvo niṣparigrahaḥ || 13 || kiṃ me gṛheṇa vittena bhāryayā ca surūpayā | virāgamanasaḥ kāmaṃ guṇātītasya pārthiva || 14 || cintyase vividhākāraṃ nānārāgasamākulam | dambho'yaṃ kila te bhāti vimukto'smīti bhāṣase || 15 || kadācicchatrujā cintā dhanajā ca kadācana | kadācitsainyajā cintā niścinto'si kadā nṛpa || 16 || vaikhānasā ye munayo mitāhārā jitavratāḥ | te'pi muhyanti saṃsāre jānanto'pi hyasatyatām || 17 || tava vaṃśasamutthānāṃ videhā iti bhūpate | kuṭilaṃ nāma jānīhi nānyatheti kadācana || 18 || vidyādharo yathā mūrkho janmāndhastu divākaraḥ | lakṣmīdharo daridraśca nāma teṣāṃ nirarthakam || 19 || tava vaṃśod‌bhavā ye ye śrutāḥ pūrve mayā nṛpāḥ | videhā iti vikhyātā nāmataḥ karmato na te || 20 || nimināmābhavad‌rājā pūrvaṃ tava kule nṛpa | yajñārthaṃ sa tu rājarṣirvasiṣṭhaṃ svaguruṃ munim || 21 || nimantrayāmāsa tadā tamuvāca nṛpaṃ muniḥ | nimantrito'smi yajñārthaṃ devendreṇādhunā kila || 22 || kṛtvā tasya makhaṃ pūrṇaṃ kariṣyāmi tavāpi vai | tāvatkuruṣva rājendra sambhāraṃ tu śanaiḥ śanaiḥ || 23 || ityuktyā niryayau so'tha mahendrayajane muniḥ | nimiranyaṃ guruṃ kṛtvā cakāra makhamuttamam || 24 || tacchrutvā kupito'tyarthaṃ vasiṣṭho nṛpatiṃ punaḥ | śaśāpa ca patatvadya dehaste gurulopaka || 25 || rājāpi taṃ śaśāpātha tavāpi ca patatvayam | anyonyaśāpātpatitau tāveva ca mayā śrutam || 26 || videhena ca rājendra kathaṃ śapto guruḥ svayam | vinoda iva me citte vibhāti nṛpasattama || 27 || janaka uvāca satyamuktaṃ tvayā nātra mithyā kiñcididaṃ matam | tathāpi śṛṇu viprendra gururmama supūjitaḥ || 28 || pituḥ saṅgaṃ parityajya tvaṃ vanaṃ gantumicchasi | mṛgaiḥ saha susambandho bhavitā te na saṃśayaḥ || 29 || mahābhūtāni sarvatra niḥsaṅgaḥ kva bhaviṣyasi | āhārārthaṃ sadā cintā niścintaḥ syāḥ kathaṃ mune || 30 || daṇḍājinakṛtā cintā yathā tava vane'pi ca | tathaiva rājyacintā me cintayānasya vā na vā || 31 || vikalpopahatastvaṃ vai dūradeśamupāgataḥ | na me vikalpasandeho nirvikalpo'smi sarvathā || 32 || sukhaṃ svapimi viprāhaṃ sukhaṃ bhuñjāmi sarvathā | na baddho'smīti buddhyāhaṃ sarvadaiva sukhī mune || 33 || tvaṃ tu duḥkhī sadaivāsi baddho'hamiti śaṅkayā | iti śaṅkāṃ parityajya sukhī bhava samāhitaḥ || 34 || deho'yaṃ mama bandho'yaṃ na mameti ca muktatā | tathā dhanaṃ gṛhaṃ rājyaṃ na mameti ca niścayaḥ || 35 || sūta uvāca tacchrutvā vacanaṃ tasya śukaḥ prītamanābhavat | āpṛcchya taṃ jagāmāśu vyāsasyāśramamuttamam || 36 || āgacchantaṃ sutaṃ dṛṣṭvā vyāso'pi sukhamāptavān | āliṅgyāghrāya mūrdhānaṃ papraccha kuśalaṃ punaḥ || 37 || sthitastatrāśrame ramye pituḥ pārśve samāhitaḥ | vedādhyayanasampannaḥ sarvaśāstraviśāradaḥ || 38 || janakasya daśāṃ dṛṣṭvā rājyasthasya mahātmanaḥ | sa nirvṛtiṃ parāṃ prāpya piturāśramasaṃsthitaḥ || 39 || pitṝṇāṃ subhagā kanyā pīvarī nāma sundarī | śukaścakāra pat‍nīṃ tāṃ yogamārgasthito'pi hi || 40 || sa tasyāṃ janayāmāsa putrāṃścatura eva hi | kṛṣṇaṃ gauraprabhaṃ caiva bhūriṃ devaśrutaṃ tathā || 41 || kanyāṃ kīrtiṃ samutpādya vyāsaputraḥ pratāpavān | dadau vibhrājaputrāya tvaṇuhāya mahātmane || 42 || aṇuhasya sutaḥ śrīmānbrahmadattaḥ pratāpavān | brahmajñaḥ pṛthivīpālaḥ śakakanyāsamud‌bhavaḥ || 43 || kālena kiyatā tatra nāradasyopadeśataḥ | jñānaṃ paramakaṃ prāpya yogamārgamanuttamam || 44 || putre rājyaṃ nidhāyātha gato badarikāśramam | māyābījopadeśena tasya jñānaṃ nirargalam || 45 || nāradasya prasādena jātaṃ sadyo vimuktidam | kailāsaśikhare ramye tyaktvā saṅgaṃ pituḥ śukaḥ || 46 || dhyānamāsthāya vipulaṃ sthitaḥ saṅgaparāṅmukhaḥ | utpapāta gireḥ śṛṅgātsiddhiṃ ca paramāṃ gataḥ || 47 || ākāśago mahātejā virarāja yathā raviḥ | gireḥ śṛṅgaṃ dvidhā jātaṃ śukasyotpatane tadā || 48 || utpātā bahavo jātāḥ śukaścākāśago'bhavat | antarikṣe yathā vāyuḥ stūyamānaḥ surarṣibhiḥ || 49 || tejasātivirājanvai dvitīya iva bhāskaraḥ | vyāsastu virahākrāntaḥ krandanputreti cāsakṛt || 50 || gireḥ śṛṅge gatastatra śuko yatra sthito'bhavat | krandamānaṃ tadā dīnaṃ vyāsaṃ matvā śramākulam || 51 || sarvabhūtagataḥ sākṣī pratiśabdamadāttadā | tatrādyāpi gireḥ śṛṅge pratiśabdaḥ sphuṭo'bhavat || 52 || rudantaṃ taṃ samālakṣya vyāsaṃ śokasamanvitam | putra putreti bhāṣantaṃ viraheṇa pariplutam || 53 || śivastatra samāgatya pārāśaryamabodhayat | vyāsa śokaṃ mā kuru tvaṃ putraste yogavittamaḥ || 54 || paramāṃ gatimāpanno durlabhāṃ cākṛtātmabhiḥ | tasya śoko na kartavyastvayāśokaṃ vijānatā || 55 || kīrtiste vipulā jātā tena putreṇa cānagha | vyāsa uvāca na śoko yāti deveśa kiṃ karomi jagatpate || 56 || atṛpte locane me'dya putradarśanalālase | mahādeva uvāca chāyāṃ drakṣyasi putrasya pārśvasthāṃ sumanoharām || 57 || tāṃ vīkṣya muniśārdūla śokaṃ jahi parantapa | sūta uvāca tadā dadarśa vyāsastu chāyāṃ putrasya suprabhām || 58 || dattvā varaṃ harastasmai tatraivāntaradhīyata | antarhite mahādeve vyāsaḥ svāśramamabhyagāt || 59 || śukasya viraheṇāpi taptaḥ paramaduḥkhitaḥ || 60 ||

English translation

1-4. S’n S’uka said O king! This great doubt arises in my mind how a man can be free from desires and the rewards of their actions, when he lives in the midst of this Samsara, that is all full of Maya? When even by the acquiring of wisdom of the S’astras and the capability to judge which is real and which is unreal, the delusion of the mind is not dispelled until one resorts to the practice of Yoga, how then can freedom from desires and liberation come to a householder? The darkness of a room is not destroyed by the mere mention of lamp, light; so the wisdom acquired by reading the S’astras can never dispel the darkness of delusion that reigns in the inside of a man. O lion of kings! If one wants Moksa, one ought not to commit any act of revenge or injury or killing any being; how can this be possible to a householder?

5-17. Your desires to acquire wealth, to enjoy royal pleasures and to get victory in battle have not yet subsided; how then can you be a Jivan mukta? O king! You consider yet a thief, thief and a saint, saint; you consider a man as your relative or other than that; these ideas have not vanished from you; how then can you be called Videha? O king! You feel the pungent, bitter, astringent, sour tastes and the like; you feel good and bad rasas respectively; you become glad when success comes to you and you feel sorrow when you happen to fail; and you experience the three states, waking, dreaming, and deep sleep as an ordinary man does, how then can you be called to attain the Turiya (fourth) state? May I ask Whether you cherish this idea that all these infantries, cavalries, chariots, and that all these elephants are mine; I am the lord of all the wealth and things? Or whether you do not cherish this idea? O king! I think you eat sweet and good things, and, at times, feel pleasure and, at other times, feel pain! So, O king! How can you look

on the garland of flowers and the snake as one and the same? O king! He who is a Muktapurusa considers a lump of earth, a piece of stone, and gold as of one and the same value; he considers everything to be the same Atman and does good to all the beings. Whatever that may be, I do not find any pleasure at present with houses, wife, etc., or with anything, in fact. What my heart’s desire is that I roam alone always without any desires in my heart. Therefore I like not to have any companion; to be free from any attachment and to be peaceful, and calm; I do not wish to accept anything from anybody; I will forego all pleasures and pains from cold, warmth, etc., and I will sustain my life on roots, fruits, and leaves, obtained without any effort and will roam, as I like, like a deer. When I have not got the least attachment to the household life and when I am beyond all the attributes, what necessity have I then of house, wealth or a suitable wife? And when you think of various things with loving heart, and yet say that you are a Jivan mukta, that is nothing but a mere vanity of yours! O king! When you think and become anxious about your enemies, about your wealth or sometimes about your army, how then can you be said to be free from cares? What more can be said than the fact that many Munis, eating moderately and controlling their senses, and leading an anchorite's life, and knowing the unreality of the world, fall victims to the Maya!

18-27. Then what need there is to talk of you? O king! know that the hereditary title “Videha” to your line of kings indicates downright insincerity; nothing can be other than this as the name “Vidya Dhara” (holder of knowledge) is applied to an illiterate man; as the name “Divakara” (sun) is given to a born-blind man, as the name “Laksmidhara” (holder of wealth) is given to even a poor man, as these names are quite useless to me. I have heard that the kings of your family who were your predecessors were called “Videha” in name only and not in deed. O king! In your family there reigned a king named “Nimi.” Once on a time that royal sage invited his Guru Vas’istha to perform a sacrifice, when Vas'istha said “I am already

invited by Indra, the lord of the Devas, to perform his sacrifice; so O king! let me first finish his work; I will then take up your work. Better go on collecting the sacrificial materials till my that work is complete.” Thus saying, Vas'istha went away to perform Indra's sacrifice; on the other hand, the royal sage Nimi selected another priest and made him his Guru and began his sacrifice. Hearing all this, Maharsi Vas’istha became angry and cursed him thus “O forsaker of your Guru! For the crime of forsaking your Guru, let thy body be destroyed today!” At this, the royal sage, too, cursed Vas'istha in his turn “Let your body fall off also.” Then the bodies of both the persons fell. But, O king! this curiousity came to my mind, how the royal sage, whose body fell before, cursed his own Guru afterwards.

28-35. Janaka said O Lord of Brahmins! what you have said is, in my opinion, all quite true; nothing is false. Still hear. Know what my most worshipful Guru Deva has spoken to me is, in fact, true (and nothing else). You are now intending to quit the company of your father and go to the forest; well and good! but even then you will undoubtedly have the company of deer, etc.; see, also, that when the five elements, earth, water, air, etc., are present, encompassing everywhere, how, then, can you expect to be free from all companions? So, O Muni! when you will have to think always of your food, how, then, can you be said to be free from all cares? Again, even if you go to the forest, you will have to think there also for your staff, deer skin, etc.; so you can take my case, too, of thinking of my kingdom, whether I think or not, as your thinking of staff, deer skin, etc., your heart is tainted with Vikalpa Jhan (knowledge of doubt, duality, etc.); and therefore you have come here from a far-off country. But my heart is free from any such doubt and I am remaining quite cheerful here. O best of Brahmins! I have got no doubt whatsoever on any point, and therefore I take my food and go to sleep with great pleasure. “I am not bound up by this world” this idea gives me constant happiness of the highest degree. But you consider that you are bound and therefore you feel always constant

pain. So leave off your idea that you are bound, and be happy. “This body is mine” this knowledge leads to my bondage; and “This body is not mine” this knowledge leads to freedom so know this verily that all this wealth, kingdom, etc., are not mine.

36-45. Suta said Hearing these words of the royal sage, S’uka Deva became exceedingly glad and pronounced “Sadhu” “Sadhu” (true saint, indeed a true saint, well said) and went away without any delay to the pleasant As’rama of Vyasa. Vyasa, too, seeing his son come back, became very glad and embraced him and took the smell of his head and asked about his welfare again and again. Then S’uka Deva, well conversant with the S’astras and ever ready in studying the Vedas, sat by the side of his father, with an enlightened mind, in his lovely As’rama and thinking of the state of the highsouled Janaka in his kingdom, began to feel the highest peace. Though S’uka adopted the path of Yoga, yet he married the daughter of a Muni, named Pivari, very beautiful, fortunate, enhancing the glory of her father's family. Then were born first the four sons named Krishna, Gauraprabha, Bhuri, and Devas'ruta out of the sperm of S’uka and the ovum of Pivari; and next a daughter was born named Kirti of them. Vyasa's son S’uka, endowed with the fire of asceticism gave the daughter Kirti in marriage in due time with the high-souled Anuha, the son of Vibhraja. As time passed on, a son was born of the womb of Kirti and the sperm of Anuha, a son who became the powerful king Brahmadatta, the knower of Brahma and endowed with wealth and prosperity. Some time elapsed when Anuha, the son-in-law of S’uka Deva, getting from Narada the Mayavija and highest knowledge of Yoga handed over his kingdom to his son and went to the hermitage of Vadarika and became liberated.

The Devarsi Narada gave him the mantra, the vija of Maya; and by the influence of that mantra and by the grace of the Devi, the knowledge of the Supreme Brahma, arose in him without any obstacle and gave him liberation.

46-51. On the other hand S’uka Deva, always averse to any company, left his father and went to the beautiful mountain Kailas'a. He began to meditate on the unmoving Brahma and thus remained there. After some time the highly energetic S’uka Deva attained Siddhi (supernatural powers) Anima, Laghima, etc., rose up high in the air from the top of the mountain and began to roam there, and then he appeared like a second Sun. When S’uka arose from the peak, it severed into two and various ominous signs became visible. When S’uka Deva, appearing like a second Sun by the dazzling brilliancy of his body, suddenly vanished away like air and became diluted in the Paramatman, entering into everything and became invisible, then the Devarsis began to chant hymns to him. On the other hand, Vyasa Deva became very much distressed with the separation from his son and cried out frequently “Oh, my son! Alas! my son Where are you gone?” and went to the summit of the mountain where S’uka did go and wept bitterly. Then S’uka Deva, who was then residing as the Paramatman, the Internal controller of all the beings and with all the beings, knowing Vyasa Deva as very much fatigued, distressed, and crying, spoke out as an echo from the mountains and trees thus “O Father! There is no difference between you and me, considered in the light of Atman; then why are you weeping for me?”

52-59. Even today the above echo is clearly heard (almost daily). Seeing Vyasa Deva grieved very much for the separation from his son and always crying “Oh! my son! Oh! my son!” Bhagavan MahesVara came there and consoled him saying “O Vyasa Deva! your son is the foremost of the Yogis; he has attained the highest state, so very rare to the ordinary persons that are not self controlled. So do not be sorry any more. O Sinless One! when you have realised the Brahma-tattva, then you ought not to express any sorrow for your S’uka who is now stationed in that Brahman. Your fame is now unrivalled, only on account of your having got a son like

him.” Vyasa Deva said “O Lord of the Devas! O Lord of the world! What am I to do now? My grief does not quit my heart anyhow or other. My eyes are as yet satisfied in seeing my son; they like still to see the son.” Hearing these sorrowful words of Vyasa, Bhagavan Mahadeva said “O Muni Sardula! I grant this boon to you that you will see the form of your son abiding in shadow, very beautiful, by the side of you. O Destroyer of enemies! Now abandon your grief by seeing that shadow form of your son.” When Bhagavan MahesVara said so, Vyasa began to see the bright shade form of his son. Granting thus the boon, Bhagavan Mahadeva vanished then and there. When He vanished away, Vyasa became very much distressed with sorrow for the bereavement of his son and returned with heavy heart to his own hermitage.

Thus ends the nineteenth chapter of the first Skandha on the description of the marriage of S’uka in the Mahapurana S'ri Mad Devi Bhagavatam of 18,000 verses.

Complete chapter-aligned witnesses. Sanskrit Wikisource page 24715, revision 364550 (2023-01-07T06:20:29Z). English is Swami Vijñanananda’s complete 1921–23 public-domain translation, controlled against the archival OCR and its chapter page at https://sacred-texts.com/hin/db/bk01ch19.htm. Historic spelling and transliteration are lightly normalized; no verse-by-verse alignment is asserted.