The Virtuous and the Wicked

I STARTED THE STORY about Goutama and Trayambakeshvara, being narrated by Suta to the sages.

Suta said, “O Brahmanas! On one occasion, Goutama sent his own disciples to fetch water. They faithfully went there, with their water pots. There were many wives of the rishis who had gone there for water. When the disciples went and reached the water, they saw them and restrained them. “We are wives of the rishis. We will take if first. Go far away. You can take the water later.” They reprimanded them in this way. They returned and reported this to the rishi’s wife, Ahalya. The ascetic lady comforted them. She took them with her and went there. Taking the water herself, she gave it to Goutama. Using this water, the supreme rishi performed the rites every day. The angry wives of the rishis reprimanded her. Crooked in their minds, they returned to their own cottages. In front of their husbands, they reported the opposite of what had happened. Those wicked wives reported this accordingly. Under the control of their own karma, hearing their words, the supreme rishis became angry with Goutama. Angry and wicked in intelligence, they worshipped Ganesha with many kinds of offerings, desiring to create impediments for Goutama. Ganeshvara was pleased and appeared before them. Subservient to devotees and desiring to grant them fruits, he addressed them in these words. Ganesha said, “I am pleased with you. Ask for a boon. What will I do?” Hearing his words, the rishis spoke to him. The rishis said, “If a boon is to be given by you, let Goutama be expelled out of the hermitage. Please arrange it so that the rishis censure him.” When they asked for this, the one with the head of an elephant laughed. The destination of the virtuous spoke to them cheerfully, so as to make them understand. Ganesha said, “O rishis! All of you listen. It is not right to do this now. Anger when no offence has been committed leads to harm. It is not good to cause misery to those who have done a good turn in the past. If such misery is inflicted, it leads to destruction. One strives for austerities to obtain excellent fruits. Discarding those auspicious fruits, one should not, on one’s own, strive for what is injurious.” The intelligence of those excellent sages was deluded. Therefore, hearing those words, they spoke the following. The rishis said, “This is what you must do, nothing else.” Thus addressed, the deva Ganesha spoke the following words. Ganesha said, “A wicked person never becomes virtuous. A virtuous person never becomes wicked. Earlier, as a result of loss of food, you confronted hardships. It is maharshi Goutama who gave you this happiness. You now wish to inflict miseries on him. In this world, this is not right and must be reflected on, in every possible way. Deluded by the power of your wives, you are not acting in accordance with my words. There is no doubt that all this will lead to his welfare. The supreme rishi will again grant you happiness. Crossing him is not right. Please ask for another boon.” Hearing the words of the great-souled Ganesha, the rishis did not pay any heed to what he said. Under the control of his devotees, Shiva’s son spoke, indifferent towards those rishis, who desired something wicked. Ganesha said, “I will indeed do what you have asked for. What is going to happen, will certainly happen thereafter.” Saying this, he vanished.

Goutama did not know about the wickedness of the sages. With a happy mind, along with his wife, he performed the nitya karma. Hear about what happened as a result of the powers of the wicked rishis and their being given the boon. There was vrihi [paddy] and barley in Goutama’s field. Ganesha assumed the form of a feeble cow and went there. As a result of the boon, he went there, with his body trembling, and started to eat the vrihi and barley. As a result of destiny, Goutama arrived there at the time. The compassionate one tried to restrain the cow with a blade of grass. Touched by the blade of grass, the cow fell down on the ground and died instantly, while the rishi looked on. The rishis and the inauspicious wives of the rishis were hiding themselves there. All of them shrieked, “What has Goutama done?” Goutama was amazed and distressed in his mind. He summoned Ahalya and spoke to her miserably. Goutama said, “O lady! What is this and how has it happened? Maheshvara must be angry. What is to be done? Where will one go? The sin of slaughter has presented itself.” Meanwhile, the Brahmanas reprimanded Goutama. The wives of the Brahmanas caused sorrow to Ahalya with their harsh words. The evil-minded disciples and sons also reprimanded Goutama, uttering words of “Shame!” The rishis said, “Your face cannot be seen. Go. Leave this place. If one sees the face of a person who has killed a cow, one must immediately bathe. As long as you are in the middle of the hermitage, the fire and the ancestors will not accept anything that we offer. Therefore, along with your family, go somewhere else. Do not delay. You have committed the sin of killing a cow.” Saying this, all of them threw stones at him. They caused him pain and addressed Ahalya in harsh words. Struck and reprimanded by those evil ones, Goutama spoke the following words. “O sages! I will leave this place and go and reside somewhere else.” Saying this, Goutama left that spot. He took their permission and went and made his hermitage at a place that was one krosha away. “You cannot perform any rite as long as this curse is on you. You do not have any rights to any rites from the Vedas, meant for devas and ancestors.” Goutama, the noble sage, was extremely miserable. After spending a month there, he requested the sages. Goutama said, “You should have compassion towards me. Please tell me what I should do. Please tell me how my sin can go away.” Thus addressed, those Brahmanas did not say anything. Thus asked, all of them got together and remaining in one place, spoke to each other. Goutama remained some distance away, his head humbly bowed down. Full of humility, he asked those excellent rishis, “What will I do now?” The rishis replied, “Until you are freed from the sin, you will never be purified. Therefore, to purify your body, you must perform prayashchitta.

Anger when no offence has been committed leads to harm. It is not good to cause misery to those who have done a good turn in the past. If such misery is inflicted, it leads to destruction

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Circumambulate the earth thrice, proclaiming your sin out aloud. After that, return here and observe a vrata for a month. It is also ordained that if you go around Brahmagiri one hundred and one times, you will be purified. Or, go to Ganga and bathe there. Create one crore parthiva lingams of the divinity and worship them. When you bathe in Ganga thereafter, you will be purified. You can also go around this mountain eleven times and bathe a parthiva lingam with water from one hundred pots. That way, too, you will be purified.” When the rishis addressed him in these words, he agreed. “I will go around the mountain and worship a parthiva lingam. O illustrious ones! Please grant me permission.” Saying this, the noble rishi circumambulated the mountain. The supreme sage then constructed a parthiva lingam and worshipped it. The virtuous Ahalya also did all this, while the disciples and the disciples of the disciples served both of them.”

“Along with his wife, the rishi worshipped Shiva. Shiva was pleased and manifested himself, along with his ganas. Shiva, the ocean of compassion, was pleased and said, “O great sage! I am pleased with your excellent devotion. Ask for a boon. He saw the great-souled Shambhu’s beautiful form. Delighted, he prostrated himself before Shankara and praised him. He prostrated himself and uttered words of praise several times. He then joined his hands in salutation and stood there. Goutama said, “O divinity! Please cleanse me of sin.” Hearing the words of the great-souled Goutama, Shiva was pleased even more and addressed him in these words. Shiva said, “O sage! You are blessed. You have accomplished your objective. You have always been cleansed of sin. All those evil-souled ones have deceived you. When people see you, they become cleansed of sin. Since you are constantly devoted to me, how can you be a sinner? O sage! Those evil-souled ones have harassed you. They are sinners and wicked in conduct. They are like killers. On seeing them, others are also becoming sinners. Those who are ungrateful can never be saved.” Saying this, the lord Shankara, who bestows happiness on the virtuous and punishes the wicked, told him in detail about their wicked conduct. Hearing Sharva’s words, the rishi’s mind was amazed. He devoutly prostrated himself before Shiva, joined his hands in salutation and spoke again. Goutama said, “O Mahesha! Those rishis have done me an immense good turn. Had they not done that, how would I have been able to see you? Blessed are those rishis. They have done something even more auspicious for me. As a result of their wicked conduct, my great selfish objective has been achieved.””

(The Tryambakeshvara story will continue in the next column.)

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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