Book 1/Chapter 10/Verse 1-37
On S’iva’s granting boons
1-37. The
Risis said :-- “O Sûta! You told before, that Vyâsa Deva, unrivalled spirit, composed
all the Purânas and taught them to his own S’uka Deva; but how did Vyâsadeva,
who was incessantly engaged in tapasyâ, procreate S’uka? Describe to us in detail what you heard direct
from Krisna Dvaipâyana Vyâsa”.
Sûta said :-- “O Risis! Hear how S’uka Deva, the best of the Munis and the foremost of the Yogis, was
born of Vyâsa Deva, the Satyavati's son.
On the very beautiful summit of Mount
Meru, Vyâsa, the son of Satyavati, firmly determined, practised very severe
austerities for the attainment of a son.
Having heard from Nârada, he, the great ascetic, repeated the one
syllabled mantra of Vâk and worshipped the Highest Mahâmayâ with the object of
getting a son. He asked, Let a son be
born to me as pure and as spirited and powerful as fire, air, earth, and Âkâs’a.
He thought over in his mind that the man
possessed of S’akti is worshipped in this world and the man devoid of S’akti is
censured here, and thus came to the conclusion that S’akti is therefore
worshipped everywhere; and, therefore,worshipped Bhagavân Mahes'vara coupled
with the auspicious Âdyâ S’akti and spent away one hundred years without any
food. He began his tapasyâ on that
mountain summit which was ornamented with the garden of Karnikâr, where all the
Devas play, and where live the Munis highly ascetic, the Âdityas, Vasus,
Rudras, Marut, the two As'vîns, and the other mindful Risis, the knowers of
Brahmâ and where the Kinnaras always resound the air with their songs of music,
etc.; such a place Vyâsa Deva preferred for his tapasyâ.”
The whole universe was pervaded with the
spirit of asceticism of the intelligent Parâsara's son Vyâsa Deva; and the
hairs of his head were clotted and looked tawny, of the colour of flames. Seeing the fire of his asceticism, Indra, the
lord of S’achi became exceedingly terrified.
Bhagavân Rudra, seeing Indra thus afraid, fatigued and morose, asked him :-- “O Indra, why do you look so
fear-stricken to-day? O Lord of the
Devas! What is the cause of your grief? Never show your jealousy and anger to the
ascetics; for the mindful ascetics always practise severe asceticism with a
noble object and worship Me, knowing Me to be possessed of the all powerful S’akti;
they never want ill of any body”.
When Bhagavân Rudra said this, Indra asked
him :-- “What is his object?” At this S’ankara said :-- For the attainment
of a son, Prasâra's son is practising so severe austerities; now one-hundred
years is being completed; I will go to him, and give him today the auspicious
boon of a son.
Thus speaking to Indra,
Bhagavân Rudra, the Guru of the world, went to Vyâsa Deva and, with merciful
eyes, said :-- “O sinless Vâsavi's son! Get up; I grant to you the boon, that you will
get a son very fiery, luminous and spirited like the five elements fire, air,
earth, water and Âkâs'a, the supreme Jñânî, the store of all auspicious
qualities, of great renown, beloved to all, ornamented with all Sattvik
qualities, truthful and valorous.
Hearing these sweet words of Bhagavân S’ûlapâni
Maharsi Krisna Dvaipâyana bowed down to Him and went back to his own hermitage. Tired with the labour of penance for many
years, he wanted to kindle fire by rubbing two fuels (Aranî) with each other.
While doing this the high souled man
suddenly began to think strongly in his mind about procreating a son. He thought :-- “Will it be that my son will
be born as this fire is produced by the friction of the two churning sticks? I have
not got the wife, which the Pundits designate a “Putrârani”, the youthful wife
endowed with beauty, born of a noble family, the chaste one I have not got with
me. But the wife, though chaste and fit to
beget a son, is undoubtedly a chain to both the legs so how can I get such a
one for my wife? This is known to all
that a chaste wife, though clever in doing all household duties, beautiful and
giving happiness to one's desires, is yet always a sort of bondage.
What more than this, that the ever
Bhagavân Mahes'vara is always under the bondage of woman. How, then, knowing and hearing all these I
can accept this difficult householder's life? While he was thinking thus, the
extraordinarily beautiful Apsarâ Ghritâchi fell to his sight close to him in
the celestial air.
Though Vyâsa Deva was a Brahmâchâri
(holding in control the secret power of generation) of a very high order, yet
seeing suddenly the agile Apsarâ (a celestial nymph) coming close to him and
looking askance at him, he became soon smitten with the arrows of cupid and
feeling himself distressed, began to think what shall I do in this critical
moment.
Unbearable amorous feelings now have come
over me; now if I take this celestial nymph, knowing that Dharma is everywhere
looking, and woman has come to take away my precious fire of spirit acquired by
my tapasyâ, then I will be laughed at by the high souled ascetic Munis who will
think that I have lost my senses altogether. Alas! Why I who have practised
for one hundred years the most terrible ascetism, have become so powerless by
the mere sight of this Apsarâ!
The
Pundits declare the household life as the source of getting
son, one's heart’s desire and the source of all happiness; so much so that it
leads all the virtuous souls to the pleasures of Heaven, and ordains Moksa
(liberation) to those who are Jñânins; and if I get such unrivalled happiness
from this householder's life, I can have this Deva Kanyâ (the celestial nymph)
though blameable. But again that
happiness will not occur to me through her; there is no doubt in this. So how can I take her. I heard from Nârada how, in ancient days, a
king name Pururavâ fell under the clutches of Urvas'î and ultimately felt great
pain, being defeated by her.
Thus ends the tenth chapter on S’iva's granting boon in the Mahapurâna S’rîmad
Devî Bhâgavatam of 18,000 verses by Maharsi Veda Vyâs.
Source: Translation of The Srimad Devi Bhagvatam by Swami Vijnanananda
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