The Road to Renunciation

FROM MATYSA PURANA, I am going to recount the story of Brahmadatta and the chakravaka birds.

In Kurukshetra, there was a great rishi named Koushika. He possessed dharma in his soul. He had seven sons. They were Svasripa, Krodhana, Himsra, Pishuna, Kavi, Vagdushta and Pitrivarti. They were Garga’s shishyas. After their father died, there was a terrible famine in the land. Following Garga’s instructions, those stores of austerities looked after his milk-yielding cow. “We are suffering greatly from hunger. We will eat this kapila cow.” The youngest among them said, “If we have to kill her, let our sin be light. Let us offer her in the form of a shraddha. If we offer her in a shraddha, we will certainly be saved from the sin.” The others asked Pitrivarti, the youngest, to do so. Accordingly, he prepared for the shraddha.

He engaged two brothers for rites connected with devas and in the due order, three for rites connected with ancestors. One was engaged to attend to atithis and he himself performed the shraddha. Without the cow, they took the calf and reported this to their guru. “The cow has been killed by a tiger. Please accept the calf.” Thus, these seven stores of austerities ate the cow.

After some time had passed, they were born as hunters in Dasapura. Because of their father’s powers, they remembered their past lives. They had performed a cruel deed, though it had been in the form of a shraddha. As a consequence of the cruel deed, they were born as hunters. However, because of their father’s greatness, they were born as those who remembered their past lives. Therefore, they resorted to the yoga of non-attachment and fasted themselves to death. Those seven were born as deer on Mount Kalanjara, in front of Nilakantha’s temple there. Because of their father’s greatness, they were born as those who remembered their past lives. There, too, they possessed the jnana of non-attachment and following dharma, gave up their lives. Those seven yogis were born as chakravakas in Manasa. They were Sumana, Kumuda, Shuddha, Chhidradarshi, Sunetraka, Sunetra, and Amshuman. Those seven were accomplished in yoga. Out of them, three were limited in intelligence and deviated from yoga. In a grove, they saw Vibhraja, the king of the Panchala lineage, surrounded by women. He was immensely strong and valiant and was sporting with them in many kinds of ways. He possessed many soldiers and mounts. One of the aquatic birds developed a desire to obtain a kingdom. This was the youngest Brahmana, Pitrivarti, who had been devoted to his father, and had performed the shraddha. Two others saw two ministers, with large numbers of forces and mounts. They wished to become ministers. Those excellent Brahmanas were born in this mortal world. Among them, those who harboured no desires were born as excellent Brahmanas. One of them was born as Vibhraja’s son and was known as Brahmadatta. Two others, Kandarika and Subalaka, were born as the sons of ministers. After the king’s death, the learned priest instated Brahmadatta as the king. He became the valiant king of Panchala, accomplished in all the sacred texts. He was accomplished in yoga and understood the languages of all beings.

The queen, his wife, was Devala’s auspicious daughter. She was known under the name of Sannati and in earlier times, she had been the kapila cow, employed for the rite to the ancestors. On one occasion, along with her, the king was in a garden. He saw an insect couple, quarrelling about love and the question of sexual intercourse. Full of desire, the male ant followed the female ant and entreated her. His limbs were tormented by the one with the five arrows and his voice choked, as he spoke to her. “In the worlds, there is no woman who is as beautiful as you. Your waist is slender and your hips are broad. Your heavy breasts make you move slowly. You are golden in complexion, with excellent loins. Your voice is gentle and your smile is beautiful. Your eyes possess excellent signs. Your tongue is attached to the taste of molasses and sugar. You are so devoted that you do not eat before me. Like that, you do not bathe before me. You are dejected when I am somewhere else. When I am angry, you tremble in fear. Why does your face show signs of being angry at me?” She replied in rage, “O deceitful one! Why are you prattling in this way? Disregarding me, you gave crumbs of a sweetmeat to someone else. It was only yesterday that you gave it to her and indulged in love with her.” The male ant answered, “O one with the beautiful complexion! She resembled you and mistaking her for you, I gave it to her. O beautiful one! You should pardon this single offence of mine. O one excellent in vows! I will never do something like this again. I touch your feet. In truth, I am prostrating myself before you. Please be placated.” Hearing his words, she became pleased. To charm him, the female ant offered herself to him.”

At the time, the Chakravakas were born in the same city. They were the heirs of an aged Brahmana. As was the case earlier, these Brahmanas remembered their past lives. They were the sons of Sudaridra

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At the time, the chakravakas were born in the same city. They were the heirs of an aged Brahmana. As was the case earlier, these Brahmanas remembered their past lives. Their names, and corresponding deeds, were Dhritiman, Tattvadarshi, Vidyachanda, and Tapotsuka. They were the sons of Sudaridra. These Brahmanas made up their minds to perform austerities. These excellent Brahmanas said, “We will leave, so as to achieve ultimate siddhi.” Sudaridra, the great ascetic, heard their words. He answered in dejected words, “O sons! What is the reason for this? Acting in this way will be adharma towards your father. Abandoning your aged father, Daridra, you will dwell in the forest. If you abandon me here in this way, what dharma and destination will you achieve?” They replied, “O father! We have arranged a means of subsistence for you. In the morning, if you go before the king and read this chant in front of him, he will give you all the wealth, the riches, and thousands of villages.” “They were the foremost Brahmanas in Kurujangala. They were born as dasas in Dasapura. They were born as deer in Kalanjara. They were then born as seven chakravakas in Manasa. Among those, we are the ones who have attained siddhi.” Addressing their father, they left for the forest, to perform austerities again. The aged one went to the king’s residence.

In earlier times, Vibhraja was the lord of Panchala and his son was named Anagha. This lord desired a son. He observed a fierce vow and worshipped the divinity Lord Hari Narayana, the lord of the devas. After a long period of time, Janardana was pleased with him and said, “O king! O fortunate one! Ask for the boon your heart desires.” Thus addressed by the divinity, he asked for an excellent boon. “O lord of devas! Please grant me a son. Let him be immensely strong and valiant. Let him be accomplished in all the sacred texts. Let him be devoted to dharma and let him be a supreme yogi. Grant me a yogi as a son and let him be such that he understands the language of all creatures.” Parameshvara, the one whose atman is in the universe, agreed to this. Thus, his son became the powerful Brahmadatta. He was compassionate towards all beings. He understood the language of all creatures.

He happened to go to the place where the ant couple was intent on sexual intercourse and he understood what transpired between the two ants. He laughed. Sannati saw him laugh and was extremely surprised. She asked her lord about the reason. “O king! Why have you suddenly laughed loudly? What is the reason? I do not know the reason why you are laughing at this time.” The prince told her what the ant had said. “Those words of love led to my laughter. There is no other reason behind the laughter. O queen! These words aren’t ordinary, but are full of riddles.” She replied, “You laughed at me. Therefore, I do not wish to remain alive now. With the exception of the gods, which mortal can understand a conversation between ants? Therefore, you must have laughed at me. What other reason can there possibly be?” The king remained silent.

Hrishikesha spoke to him in his sleep. “In the morning, when you roam around the city, the words of an aged Brahmana will reveal everything that you wish to know.” In the morning, along with his ministers and wife, the king ventured outside the city and saw the aged Brahmana advance towards him and say, “They were the foremost Brahmanas in Kurujangala. They were dasas in Dasapura. They were deer in Kalanjara. They were the seven chakravakas in Manasa. We are the ones who have attained siddhi.” Hearing these words, the king and the two excellent ministers regained memories of their past lives. They fell down, grieving. Having remembered their past lives, these two grieved and fell down on the ground in front of him. They released the aged Brahmana, who was delighted with the wealth. The king instated his son Vishvaksena as king over the kingdom. Resorting to yoga, all of them became residents of the forest.

About The Author

Bibek Debroy

Bibek Debroy has translated the Mahabharata and the Valmiki Ramayana into English. He is the Chairman of the Economic Advisory Council to the Prime Minister

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