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Introduction
The Vayu Purana itself states that the Puranas were originally recited
by the great god Brahma and that one has to understand the Puranas if
one is to appreciate the Vedas and the Upanishadas. A person who has
learnt the Vedas and the Upanishadas, but has not bothered to study the
Puranas, can never be wise. The knowledge of the Puranas supplements
that of the Vedas and the Upanishadas. As such, the Puranas contain many
stories and history. There is no race on earth that does not have its
own history. But the immense volume of the Puranas is unsurpassed
anywhere else in the world.
Who was this Vedavyasa (alternatively Vyasadeva)? You must first realize
that Vedavyasa is not a proper name. It is a title. When evil begins to
reign on earth, it is necessary that the wisdom of the Vedas be
disseminated amongst people. But the Vedas are abstract and esoteric,
they are difficult for ordinary people to comprehend. To ensure that the
knowledge that is in them is properly disseminated, the Vedas must be
partitioned and divided (vyasa). An individual who does this has the
title of Vedavyasa conferred on him.
In the Vedic conception of time, there are four yugas or eras. These are
known as satya yuga or krita yuga, treta yuga, dvapara yuga and kali
yuga. As one progessively moves down the scale, the power of
righteousness diminishes and evil starts to rear it ugly head.
Accordingly, in each dvapara yuga, a Vedavyasa is born. In the present
cycle, twenty-eight such dvapara yugas have passed and twenty-eight
Vedavyasa have been born. The Vedavyasa who is credited with having
composed the mahapuranas was twenty-eighth in the list. He was the son
of Satyavati and the sage Parashara and his proper name was Krishna
Dvaipayana. The word krishna means dark and he was known as Krishna
because he was dark in complexion. The word dvipa means island and he
was known as Dvaipayana because he was born on an island.
The Puranas themselves indicate that what Vedavyasa composed was an
original text of the Puranas, referred to as the Purana samhita. This he
taught to his disciple, Lomaharshana or Romaharshana. As the stories
were handed down by word of mouth, successive raconteurs added their own
compositions to what they had heard. These later additions are known as
interpolations and the Puranas thus grew in volume. Today it is
impossible to determine what constituted part of the original text and
what was a later interpolation. In this sense, ther is no specific date
to which the composition of the mahapuranas can be ascribed.
The Vayu Purana states that it was recited during the reign of King
Adhisima Krishna. From the Mahabharata , you undoubtely known of the war
that was fought between the Kauravas and the Pandavas. After the
Pandavas triumphed on the battlefield of Kurukshetra, Yudhishthira ruled
as the king. Yudhishthira was succeeded by Parikshit, Arjuna’s grandson.
Parikshit’s son was Janmejaya, Janmejaya’s son was Shatanika,
Shatanika’s son was Ashvamedhadatta and Ashvamedhadatta’s son was
Adhisima Krishna. There are different ways to date the Kurukshetra War.
How long is the Vayu Purana? As Puranas go, it is about average in
length. The shortest mahapurana, the Markandeya Purana, has nine
thousand shlokas. And the longest mahapurana, the Skanda Purana, has
eighty- one thousand shlokas. The Vayu Purana has twenty-four thousand.
These are divided into two parts (bhaga) - a first part (purva bhaga)
and a subsequent part (uttara bhaga). There are one hundred and twelve
chapters (adhyaya).
The long descriptions of the region around the river Narmada iindicate
that the text must have been popular in the geographical region of
Malava.
Finally, why is the Vayu Purana so named? This is because it is believed
to have been recited by the wind-god Vayu.
Lomaharshana and the Other Sages
Before reading the Puranas, we pray to Narayana and to Sarasvati, the
goddess of learning. We also pray to the sage Vedavyasa. We worship the
great Shiva, the lord of the universe. We also worship Brahma, the
creator, and the wind-god Vayu.
King Adhisima Krishna (alternatively, Asima Krishna) ruled the earth
well. During his reign, several sages organized a yajna (sacrifice) on
the banks of the sacred river Drishadvati. The river flowed through the
region that was known as Kurukshetra.
The sacrifice went on for a very long time and the sage Lomaharshana
came to visit the sages who were conducting the ceremony. Lomaharshana
was so named because his recitals thrilled (harshana) the body-hair (loma)
of his listeners. Lomaharshana was the disciple of the great sage
Vedavyasa and had learnt the Puranas from his teacher. He was also
well-versed in the Vedas and in the stories of the Mahabharata.
As soon as Lomaharshana arrived, the other sages greeted him warmly.
Lomaharshana greeted them in return.
The assembled sages told Lomaharshana, "Great Suta, we are gratified
that you have decided to grace our ceremony by your august presence.
This is an auspicious occasion for telling us the stories of the Puranas.
You have learnt them from the great Vedavyasa himself. Please recite the
Puranas and slake our thirst for knowledge."
Lomaharshana belonged to the suta class. A suta was the son of a
kshatriya (the second of the four classes) mother. Looking after horses
and acting as charioteers were occupations that were prescribed for
sutas. In addition, they sung the glories of kings. The accounts of the
Puranas state that sutas were first born when the great king Pirthu
organized a yajna. They accordingly became raconteurs of the great deeds
of Prithu, and thereafter, of all kings. They also recited the stories
of the Puranas. (Although it was stated that Lomaharshana was
well-versed in the Vedas, a suta had no right to the knowledge of the
Vedas.)
"I am a suta," replied Lomaharshana. "It is therefore my duty to recite
the Puranas. You have asked me to do that which is my duty. I shall
gladly accede to your request."
The ancestors (pitri) had a daughter named Vasavi. She was cursed that
she would be born as a fish. (In some other accounts, it was an apsara
(dancer of heaven) named Adrika who was so cursed.) This fish had a
daughter. (The daughter’s name is not given in the Vayu Purana, but this
was Satyavati.)
The great Vedavyasa was born as Satyavati’s son. Vedavyasa learnt the
Vedas from the great sage Jatukarna. He also composed the Mahabharata
and the Puranas.
"I have learnt the Puranas from Vedvyasa," continued Lomaharshana.
"There were several sages who lived in the forest known as
naimisharanya. They requested the wind-god Vayu to tell them the answers
to many questions. Vayu’s replies constitute the Vayu Purana and this is
the text that I shall recite for your benefit. It is the most sacred of
all the Puranas and is full of wisdom."
"What is this business of Vayu reciting the Purana to the sages of
Naimisharanya?" asked the assembled sages. "We are not aware of it.
Please tell us about it first."
Lomaharshana complied.
Naimisharanya forest is on the banks of the river Gomati. (It is now
identified as Sitapur district of modern Uttar Pradesh. This is also the
place where Souti recited the Mahabharata to assembled sages.)
At a time when King Pururava used to rule the earth, many sages
organized a yajna in naimisharanya. The chief priest at this ceremony
was Brihaspati, the preceptor of the gods, and the ceremony went on for
twelve long years. When the ceremony was over,the wind-god Vayu recited
the Vayu Purana to the sages.
In reciting the text, Lomaharashana began with the account of the
creation.
Creation
In the beginning, there was nothing in the universe. The brahman (the
divine essence) alone was everywhere. The brahman had neither colour nor
scent, it could not be felt or touched. It had no origin, no beginning
or no end. The brahman was constant and it was the origin of everything
that was destined to be in the universe and the universe was shrouded in
darkness.
When it was time for creation to begin, the brahman divided itself into
three. The first part became Brahma, the creator of the universe. The
second part was Vishnu, the preserver of the universe. And the third
part was Shiva, the destroyer.
At the time of creation, water appeared in the universe and the water
was everywhere. In the water was created a golden (hiranya) egg (anda)
that floated like a gigantic bubble. Brahma was born inside the egg.
Since garbha means womb, Brahma came to be known as Hiranyagarbha. Since
he effectively created (bhu) himself (svayam), he is also referred to as
Svayambhu.
Brahma had four faces.
Also inside the egg were all the worlds (lokas) that would be created,
in embryonic form. The earth was there, with its land, mountains, oceans
and rivers. The moon, the sun, the stars and the planets were there.
Also present were gods, demons, humans and other living beings who would
be created.
This was the original creation of the universe (sarga).
But at the end of one of Brahma’s days, a minor destruction takes place.
The universe is once again flooded with water during Brahma’s night.
Brahma, Vishnu and Shiva are not however destroyed. Each of Brahma’s
days is known as a kalpa (cycle). Thus, a minor destruction takes place
at the end of every kalpa. When a new day dawns for Brahma, creation
begins afresh. This periodical process of destruction (pralaya) and
re-creation is known as pratisarga.
The present kalpa is known as varaha kalpa.
"Why is the present kalpa known as the varaha kalpa?" asked the sages.
Lomaharashana told them the story of Vishnu’s boar (varaha) incarnation.
Varaha Kalpa
At the end of the last kalpa, there was a destruction and the universe
was flooded with water. Vishnu slept on the water as long as Brahma’s
night lasted. Since nara means water and anyana means resting-place.
Vishnu is accordingly known as Narayana.
When Brahma’s day dawned, he wished to embark on the process of
creration. But where would the created beings live? There was no earth
for them to live on. The earth had been submerged under the water.
Vishnu therefore adopted the form of a huge boar (varaha). The boar’s
body was as large as a mountain and it had gigantic tusks that were
exceedingly sharp. The eyes of the boar blazed like lightning and its
roar thundered like the clouds. As a boar, Vishnu entered the water and
began to search for the earth. He found the submerged earth and raised
it up to its proper place on the tusks of the boar. The earth began to
float on the water like a huge boat.
Vishnu also levelled out parts of the earth. The mountains that had
existed on earth in the earlier kalpa had been burnet down by the fire
that raged at the time of the destruction. Vishnu created new mountains.
Because they did not move (chala), the mountains came to be known as
achala. And since they had layers (parva) or ranges, they came to be
known as parvata. The land masses were also created.
The creation of living beings could now begin. And since the creation of
this kalpa took place after Vishnu’s boar incarnation, the cycle came to
be called varaha kalpa.
Brahma created water, fire, air, the sky, directions, heaven, oceans,
rivers, mountains and trees. He also created time, night and days.
Through his mental powers, he created three sons named Sanandana, Sanaka
and Sanatana. (In most other Puranas, a fourth son named Sanatakumara is
also mentioned.)
In each kalpa, there are fourteen manvantaras (eras). Each manvantara is
ruled over by a Manu. The gods and the seven great sages (saptarshi)
change from one manvantara to another. The title of Indra, king of the
gods, also changes hands. In any one particular manvantara, there are
twenty-eight crores of gods. Therefore, in fourteen manvantaras, there
are three hundred and ninety-two crores of gods.
Yugas
There are roughly seventy-one mahayugas in a manvantara. A mahayuga
lasts for twelve thousand years of the gods and consists of four
different eras or yugas - satya yuga or krita yuga, treta yuga, dvapara
yuga and kali yuga. Satya yuga lasts for four thousand years of the gods
treta yuga, dvapara yuga and kali yuga. Satya -yuga lasts for four
thousand years of the gods; treta yuga for three thousand; dvapara yuga
for two thousand; and kali yuga for one thousand. This adds up to ten
thousand years in a mahayuga. Another two thousand years are to be added
for intervening periods (sandhymasha between two yugas. Hence the total
of twelve thousand years in a mahayuga.
In satya yuga, winter, summer and monsoon were unknown. All individuals
were equally handsome, equally prosperous and equally happy. There was
no concept of dharma (righteousness) or adharma (evil) since people were
naturally righteous. There were no prescribed places where people lived,
there were no cities or villages. People lived freely on the shores of
the oceans and in the mountains. Roots, fruits or flowers did not grow.
People lived on juice that came out of the bowels of the earth. This
juice was so miraculous that old age and disease were unknown. Hatred
and envy did not exit. There was nothing to be envious about, since all
individuals were equal. Moreover, people had the mental power to summon
up whatever object they desired. There were no shortages.
As one moved from satya yuga to treta yuga, these mental powers that
people possessed disappeared. The primary obsession of individuals in
satya yuga was meditation (dhyana); in treta yuga it became knowledge
(jnana). Thick clouds appeared in the sky and it began to rain. This
rain fostered the growth of various trees. People started to live on the
fruits of these trees. The trees also provided barks for clothing and
honey. These trees were so wonderful that they were known as
kalpavrikshas. That is, they provided whatever it was that one desired.
But as treta yuga progressed, people became evil and started to fight
over the possession of these trees. Consequently, the trees began to
wither away.
It was then that habitations started to be built, earlier there had been
no fixed dwelling-places for humans. Such habitations were built on
mountain and near rivers. Villages and cities were constructed. It also
became necessary to have units of measurement.
The smallest unit of measurement was an anguli (a finger). Ten angulis
made one pradesha. This signified the length from the thumb to the
extended index finger. The distance from the thumb to the extended
middle finger was tata; from the thumb to the extended ring gokarna; and
fromt eh thumb to the extended little finger vitasti. Thus, twelve
angulis were equivalent to one vitasti.
Twenty-one angulis made one ratni and twenty-four angulis made one hasta
(hand). Forty-two angulis were called one kishku. Four hastas made one
dhanu (bow-length); two thousand dhanus were one gavyuti; and four
gavyutis constituted one yojana. Thus, one yojana was made up of eight
thousand dhanus. The yojana was the basic unit for measuring the sizes
of human habitations.
The houses that men built were known as shalas. This is because they
were modelled on trees. The branches of a tree (shakha) spread out in
all directions. Since the houses spread out in this fashion, they were
called shalas. The palaces were called prasada, the word signifying that
these dwellings pleased the mind.
The kalpavrikshas having disappeared, people had to look for means of
sustenance. This they found in trees and herbs. In fact, the discovery
of herbs goes back to treta yuga.
But people became evil. They fought over the possessions of rivers, land
, mountains, trees and herbs. Might became right and those who were
strong managed to establish property rights. The weak suffered. The
result of all this fighting was that the trees and the herbs disappeared
and foodgrains grew no longer. The entire earth was swallowed up by
thick forests.
Suffering from hunger and thirst, people went to Brahma in search of a
solution. Brahma milked the earth so that trees, herbs and foodgrains
might grow afresh.
To make sure that people did not fight again, Brahma laid down the
precepts of righteous conduct. This was encapsulated in the principle of
varnashrama dharma - the system of four varnas (classes) and four
ashramas (stages of life). The principle of varnashrama dharma thus
dates back to treta yuga and was enuciated by Brahma himself.
People are divided into four varnas. The first class is that of
brahmanas. The brahmanas are those who are knowledgeable in the true
nature of the brahman. Their primary occupations are performing
sacrifices, studying and receiving alms. The second class consists of
kshatriyas. Their primary duties are to bear arms so that they can
protect the good and punish the evil. They must also rule and fight. The
third class consists of vaishyas. The primary duties of vaishyas are
agriculture, animal husbandry and trade. The fourth and final class is
that of shudras. The shudras are to serve the other three classes and
act as artisans. They are not permitted to study, perform sacrifices or
donate alms. These are only permitted for the first three classes.
A brahmana who performs his duties well gets to live Brahma; such a
kshatriya gets to live with Indra; such a vaishya with the gods, the
maruts; and such a shudra withthe gandharvas (singers of heaven).
Brahma also laid down the system of the four ashramas. The first one is
brahmacharya (celibate studenthood); the second garhasthya (householder
stage); the third vanaprastha (forest-dwelling stage; and the fourth
sannyasa (hermithood). In brahmacharya stage, one has to study and serve
one’s teacher (guru) well. After this period is over, one is married and
enters the householder stage. A householder has to perform sacrifices
and serve his guests. Garhasthya is superior to the other three
ashramas, since it is on the alms provided by householders that
individuals in the other three stages of life subsist. When the
householder stage is over and one has had sons, one enters vanaprastha.
Such a person retires to the forest and lives on fruits and roots. It is
only when the mind is completely detached from material pursuits that
one moves on the the final stage of sannyasa.
(In discussing the yugas, the Puranas invariably catalogue the evils of
kali yuga. The Vayu Purana does not do this here, but reverts to it
subsequently.)
Creation Continued
From his mental powers Brahma created ten sons. Their names were Bhrigu,
Pulastya, Pulaha, Kratu, Angira, Marichi, Daksha, Atri, Vashishtha and
Rudra. The first nine became sages and were known as the original
brahmanas.
To ensure that creation progressed. Brahma divided his own body into two
halves. The male half was known as Svayambhuva Manu and the female half
was known as Shatarupa. These two married and had two sons named
Priyavarata and Uttanapada. They also had two daughters named Akuti and
Prasuti.
Prasuti married Daksha and they had twenty-four daughters. (The Puranas
show some inconsistency about the number of Daksha’s daughters. The
number is sometimes twenty-four, sometimes fifty and sometimes sixty.
Prasuti sometimes occurs in the name of Asikli, as in the Vishnu Purana
or later in the Vayu Purana itself.)
These twenty-four daughters became the mothers of all living beings.
Thirteen of the daughters were married to Dharma. (Dharma’s name has not
figured earlier, but he was also one of Brahma’s sons, created through
mental powers.) Of the remaining eleven daughters, Sati was married to
Shiva (Rudra); Khyati to Bhrigu; Sambhuti to Marichi; Smriti to Angira;
Priti to Pulastya; Kshama to Pulaha; Sannati to Kratu; Anasuya to Atri;
Urjja to Vashishtha; Svaha to Agni; and Svadha to Agni; Svadha to the
ancestors (pitris).
(Nothing has so far been said about the origin of Agni, the fire-god.
According to the Vishnu Purana, Agni was Brahma’s son. According to the
Mahabharata, he was Dharma’s son. Although the Vayu Purana states that
Daksha’s daughters were the mothers of all beings in the universe, the
account is left hanging in the air. According to later account, gods,
demons, humans and other living beings were born from Daksha’s daughters
who married the sage Kashyapa.)
Brahma told Shiva, "Why don’t you create some beings?"
Shiva agreed with alacrity. But all the beings whom Shiva created were
just like him in form. That is, they were immortal.
"What are you doing?" exlaimed Brahma. "Don’t create beings who are
immortal. Create those that are mortal."
"I will not create mortal beings," replied Shiva.
"Then stop creating." responded Brahma. "I will take care of creation
myself."
Shiva ceased to create. But the beings whom he had already created came
to be known as the rudras. They were given rights to offering made at
sacrifices, together with the other gods.
Yoga
Shiva taught the world the technique of yoga. Yoga literally means union
and is a form of meditation that teaches about the union between the
individual human soul (atman) and the divine soul (paramatman). It is
this knowledge that is strived for by those who meditate. And one who
does not appreciate this union suffers from illusions.
Yoga has five components. These are pranayama, dhyana, pratyahara,
dharana and smarana. (Usually, yoga is stated to have eight components.
For example, asana (posture) and samadhi (the final stage of union) are
also included.)
Pranayama signifies control over the breath of life. A lion or an
elephant is a wild animal. But if lions or elephants are caught and
tamed, they can be made to serve man’s purpose. Exactly similarly, when
the breath of life is controlled and mastered, an individual can use it
to serve his own will. Pranayama must always be practised in a proper
posture (asana).
Pratyahara signifies the withdrawal of the senses from material
attachments. The next step is dharana. One chooses the image that one is
contemplating and fixes it in one’s mind. In the process, it is best to
concentrate on the tip of one’s nose or at the centre of one’s brows.
When the image has been thus fixed, one can begin the actual process of
meditation (dhyana). Yoga must however always be practised in a proper
place and at a proper time. It must not be practised in the middle of
the forest, near a fire, or at a place frequented by wild animals and
insects. There must not be any noise to distract the practitioner. Nor
must yoga be practised when one is hungry or thirsty, or in an unhappy
state of mind. If these injuctions are not adhered to, yoga can bring
great harm. It can lead to illness, dumbness, deafness, blindness and
old age before the appointed time. But practised properly, yoga is a
cure for various illnesses. When one is practising yoga, there are
various disturbances and distractions that impede the progress towards
the desired goals. These are known as upasargas. For example, one might
become overly attached to relations, to becoming wealthy or to attaining
heaven. Noises are heard, although there are no real noises at all.
Demons, gods and gandharvas are seen. All of these are illusions and
have to be conquered. When the upasargas are successfully conquered, a
practitioner of yoga attains various powers. These are known as
aishvarya (wealth). There are eight of these powers. The first is known
as anima. This enables the individual to obtain whatever object he
desires from anywhere in the universe instantly. The second is known as
laghima. This enables one to travel through the sky. The third power is
prapti. By means of this, any object in the three worlds can be
attained. The fourth power is called prakamya. This gives the individual
the power to obtain all the wealth of the universe. (The difference
between anima, prapti and prakamya is not very clear). The fifth power
is called mahima. Through this power, one can be connected to any place
or any object in the universe. The sixth power of ishitva gives one the
capability to cause happiness or unhappiness anywhere in the three
worlds. The seventh power is vashitva. This grants the power to control
other living beings and all objects. The final power is known as
kamavasayita. By means of this, the individual can travel freely at
will. A person who attains these powers knows no birth, death, old age,
illnesss, happiness or unhappiness. The senses mean nothing to him. Nor
do material objects. His mind is fixed only on the brahman. Everything
else is unreal.Dreams and Omens Dreams and omens help people to predict
the future. A person who cannot see the Pole Star (Dhruva) or the Milky
Way (Chhayapatha) will die within the space of a year. If the sun seems
to be faded to you, you will not live for more than eleven months. A
person who dreams of vomiting gold or silver is not destined to live for
more than ten months. If one’s footmarks on dust or mud are not
complete, one will die within seven months. If a vulture, a crow, or a
dove, alights on your head, that is a reason for sorrow. That means that
you will die within six months. A person whose reflection is distorted,
or a person who is suddenly surrounded by a cloud of dust, will live for
four or five months at the most. If one sees lightning although there
are no clouds in the sky, or if one sees a rainbow in the water, the
indicated life span is merely of two or three months. If a person sees
that his refection has a severed head, he will live for only one month.
A person who reeks of the smell of dead bodies has but a fortnight to
live. If you find that your feet are dry after taking a bath, that is a
reason for great sorrow. That means that you will die within a space of
ten day. The implications are the same if you find that smoke billows
out of your head. A person whose thirst is never slaked, will die very
soon. Death is also imminent for a dreamer who dreams of travelling
southwards in a chariot drawn by bears or monkeys. The connotation is
the same if one dreams of travelling southwards, accompanied by singing
women dressed in black. Death is nigh if one dreams that one is wearing
black clothes with holes in them. Ten days of life is all that is left
if one dreams of ashes, coal, hair or dried rivers. It is a bad omen if
jackals follow one around at the stroke of dawn. Death will come soon,
as it will if your teeth chatter after having a bath. When a lamp is
extinguished, a burn smell lingers in the air. If you cannot smell this,
you will not live for long. Other bad omens which signal the end of life
are the following; seeing a rainbow at night; failing to see one’s own
reflection in the pupil of another person’s eye; continuous watering
from one eye; a rough and blackened tongue; deafness; and blindness.
There are several other bad omens. It is not the case that these bad
dreams and bad omens cannot be countered. The best way to counteract
their influence is to chant the mantra (incantation) om. Kalpas There
was a sage named Savarni. He told the wind-gold Vayu, "We know that the
present kalpa is called varaha kalpa. But how long is a kalpa? And what
are the various other kalpas? Please tell us the answers to these
questions." Vayu said the following. There are 4,320,000,000 years in a
kalpa. Each kalpa is only one of Brahma’s days and one thousand kalpas
constitute one year for Brahma. Eight thousand such years constitute
Brahma’s yuga and one thousand of these yugas are called a savana. Two
thousand savanas constitute a trivrita and this is the period of time
for which Brahma lives. The kalpas since the original creation were as
follows. (1) Bhava. (2) Bhuva. (3) Tapah. (4) Bhava. (5) Rambha. (6)
Ritu. (7) Kratu. (8) Vahni. (9) Havyavahana. (10) Savitra. (11) Bhuvah.
(12) Oushika. (13) Kushika. (14) Gandharva. (15) Rishabha. (16) Shadaja.
(17) Marjaliya. (18) Madhyama. (19) Vairaja. The great Vairaja Manu was
born in this kalpa and his son was the great sage Dadhichi. (20)
Nishada. The race of nishadas (hunters) were created during this period.
(21) Panchama. (22) Meghavahana. The word megha means cloud and vahana
means to bear. In this kalpa, Vishnu adopted the form of a cloud and
bore Shiva on his back. It is thus that the kalpa received its name.
(23) Chintaka. (24) Akuti. (25) Vijnati. (26) Mana. (27) Bhava. (28)
Vrihat. (29) Shvetalohita. (30) Rakta. (31) Pitavasa. (32) Sita. (33)
Krishna (34) Vishvarupa. The goddess Sarasvati appeared in this kalpa.
(There is some confusion here. The Vayu Purana itself states that the
varaha kalpa was the seventh kalpa and that the preceding kalpa was the
padma kalpa. Yet these names do not occur in the above list. Very few
Puranas give lists of the kalpas. In that sense, the Vayu Purana is an
exception.) As you already know, in each dvapara yuga, a Vedavyasa is
born. The Vayu Purana now lists the names of the twenty-eight Vedavyases
who have been born so far. We will not reproduce this list, as many
other Puranas also give it.Brahma, Vishnu and Shiva At the end of the
last kalpa, there was a minor destruction and the world was flooded with
water. Vishnu alone slept on this water, balanced on the hood of the
great snake, Ananta. (Ananta’s story is given in other Puranas, like the
Kalika Purana and the Vishnu Purana. He is also referred to as Shesha
naga (snake) and was the son of Kadru and the sage Kashyapa. He obtained
from Brahma the boon that he would hold up the earth on his thousand
hoods.) While Vishnu was thus sleeping, a lotus sprouted from his navel.
It was a huge lotus and extended for a hundred yojanas. And it shone
with radiance. Vishnu began to play with the lotus. While Vishnu was
thus playing, Brahma arrived. "Who are you and why are you sleeping on
this water?" asked Brahma. "I am Vishnu and I am the lord of
everything." replied Vishnu. "But who are you and where are you going?"
"How can you be the lord of everything?" asked Brahma. "I am the lord of
everything that is in the universe. Everything that will be there in the
universe is already there inside my stomach. If you don’t believe me,
why don’t you enter my stomach and see for yourself?" Vishnu’s curiosity
was stirred and he entered Brahma’s stomach. Inside the stomach he was
greatly surprised to find all the worlds that would be there in the
universe. The mountains and the oceans were all there. So were all the
living beings who would be created. Visnu spent one thousand years
inside Brahma’s stomach, marvelling at these wonders. But he could find
neither the end nor the beginning of Brahma’s stomach. He finally made
his exit through Brahma’s mouth. Vishnu told Brahma, "I bow down before
you, you re indeed the lord of everything. There are many marvels that I
saw inside your stomach, many are the worlds that are there. But I can
also rival you. Why don’t you enter my stomach? I too can show you many
worlds there." Brahma entered Vishnu’s stomach and saw many worlds
there, as Vishnu had promised. Brahma spent several years inside the
stomach, but could find neither its end nor its beginning. Meanwhile,
Vishnu had closed all the exits from his body and Brahma could find no
way of coming out. He finally made his body very small and came out
through Vishnu’s navel. He clambered up the stalk of the lotus and
seated himself on the lotus. Since a lotus is called padma and yoni
means birth-place, Brahma came to be known as Padmayoni. While all this
was going on, Shiva arrived on the scene. He held a trident in his hand.
Such was the speed of Shiva’s arrival that huge tidal waves were created
in the water. Strong winds started to blow. "What is all this? Why are
you shaking the lotus so and creating tidal waves?" Brahma asked Vishnu.
"Who speaks from my navel?" said Vishnu. "Don’t you remember?" replied
Brahma. "I am Brahama. You had entered my stomach and, thereafter I had
entered your stomach. But you had closed all the exits, so that I had no
way of getting out. In fact, I ought to be downright angry with you for
treating me thus. I had to emerge through your navel and am now seated
on the lotus." "I am sorry," said Vishnu. "I had not meant to insult
you. I had only wished to play with you for a while. Let us now be
friends. And as a token of your friendship, please grant me the boon
that you will henceforth be known as my son." "I agree," replied Brahma.
"At first, I thought that you were shaking the lotus and creating these
tidal waves in the water. But now I see that there is another creature
who is advancing towards us. His visage is terrible. He has ten arms and
he holds a trident. Who is this demon?" Vishnu told Brahma that this was
none other than Shiva, the destroyer, and that the two of them should
pray to Shiva. But Brahma flatly refused to do this. He would not
acknowledge Shiva as a superior. Vishnu’s persuasion however bore fruit
and both Brahma and Vishnu started to pray to Shiva. "What can I do for
you?" asked Shiva. "What boon do you desire?" "I am sorry that I doubted
you," replied Brahma. "Please forgive me. And as a token of your pardon,
please grant me the boon that you will be born as my son." Shiva gladly
granted this boon.Madhu and Kaitabha After Shiva had left, two brothers
named Mahdu and Kaitabha appeared. They were demons. (The Vayu Purana
does not tell us where these two demons came from. According to the
Kalika Purana, they emerged from Vishnu’s ears while he slept. One of
the demons wished to eat honey (madhu) as soon as he was born and thus
came to be known as Madhu. The other demon looked like an insect (kita)
and thus came to be known as Kaitabha.) Madhu and Kaitabha wrought
havoc. They destroyed the petals of the lotus. Next, they tried to eat
up Brahma himself. Vishnu had gone back to sleep again and Brahma wake
him up. "Please rescue me from these demons," Brahma told Vishnu. Vishnu
created two beings from his mouth. These were kown as Vishnu (the two
Vishnus cause some confusion) and Jishnu and Vishnu (the orignial one )
instructed them to destroy the demons. The being Vishnu killed Kaitabha
and Jishnu killed Madhu. But it took a hundred years for the demons to
be killed. The fat (meda) from the dead bodies of the demons formed the
earth. That is the reason why the earth is known as medini.Rudra You
will remember that Shiva had granted Brahma the boon that he would be
born as Brahma’s son. To ensure that this indeed happened Brahma began
to perform very difficult tapasya (meditation). But despite all this
meditation, nothing happened. This failure greatly angered Brahma and he
started to cry. As soon as these teardrops fell on the ground, poisonous
snakes were born from the tears. This saddened Brahma even more, since
unclean creatures had been born as a result of his tapasya. Brahama was
so miserable that he fell down unconscious and died. As soon as Brahma
died, eleven beings emerged from Brahma’s body. They started to cry as
soon as they emerged. The word rud means to cry and these beings came to
be known as the rudras. The rudras revived Brahma. (The more usual
account, such as in the Vishnu Purana or the Padma Purana, is slightly
different. There was no question of Brahma’s dying and only one being
rudra was born. He began to cry as he did not have a name. Brahma
accordingly gave the boy seven different names.) To return to the
account of the Vayu Puranma, Brahma realized that Shiva had been born as
his son in the form of these eleven rudras and was happy. After having
given the above account, the Vayu Purana immediately contradicts itself.
It now recounts the more usual story, as follows. Shiva had promised
Brahman that he would be born as Brahma’s son. To achieve this aim,
Brahma started to meditate. While he was meditating, a son suddenly
apppreared on his lap and began to cry. "Why are you crying?" asked
Brahma. "Because I do not have a name." Replied the boy. "I will give
you a name," said Brahma. "Because you have cried, you will be known as
as Rudra." But the boy continued to cry and it turned out that he wanted
a second name. This went on for seven times. Rudra was according given
the names Bhava, Shiva Pashupati, Isha, Bhima, Urgra and Mahadeva.
(These names differ slightly from the names given in the Vishnu Purana
and th Padma.) "Where will I live?" asked Rudra. Brahma told him that in
his eight different forms, he would live in the sun, the earth, the
water, the fire, the air, the sky, the bodies of brahmanas and the moon.
The Descendants of Bhrigu The sage Bhrigu married Khyati, Daksha’s
daughter. Bhrigu and Khyati had two sons named Dhata and Vidhata. These
two were gods. (Vidhata is also one of Brahma’s names.) Bhrigu and
Kyati’s daughter was Lakshmi, the goddess of wealth and prosperity.
(Thereby hangs a tale, not recounted in the Vayu Purana. Lakshmi was
cursed by the sage Durvasa that she would be immersed in the ocean. She
emerged from the waters when the ocean was churned (samudra manthana).)
Lakshmi was married to Vishnu. The descendants of the sage Bhrigu were
known as the Bhargavas. One of these was the great sage Markandeya. The
Vayu Purana also enumerates the descendants of the other sages.Daksha
You will remember that Daksha’s daughter, Sati, was married to Shiva.
Daksha was thus Shiva’s father-in-law. But, as a son-in-law. Shiva never
showed Daksha adequate respect. Or so Daksha felt. For instance, Shiva
never bowed down before Daksha. On one occasion, Daksha invited all his
daughters to his house. The only one whom he did not invite was Sati,
although Sati happened to be his eldest daughter. The reason behind
Daksha’s not inviting Sati was his hatred of Shiva. Sati however went to
visit her father, although she had not been invited. And once she was
there, Daksha ignored her and paid her no attention. "Father, why are
you treating me thus?" asked Sati. "I am, after all, your eldest
daughter." "That may be," replied Daksha. "But consider your husband. He
is far inferior to my other sons-in-law. All the others are great sages
and show me respect. But your husband is a worthless fellow and is a
perpetual thorn in my side. That is the reason I do not treat you with
respect. Sati was aghast at these words. "My husband and I have not
sinned," she told her father. "Yet you have insulted us both. I owe this
body to you, since you happen to be my father. But I no longer wish to
possess a body that owes its origin to you. I shall therefore give up
this body. When I am born again, I will be remarried to Shiva." Having
said this, Sati started to perform yoga. Such was the power ofher
meditation that a fire emerged and burnt her physical body into ashes.
Shiva learnt this tragic news and was furious. He came to Daksha’s house
and told Daksha, "For this sin, you will be born on earth. That is my
curse on you. As for the sages who are your other sons-in-law, they too
are cursed. "I don’t care about your curses," replied Daksa. "I will
continue to defy you when I am born on earth. And I will instruct the
sages that they are not to give you a share of the offerings that are
made to gods at sacrifices." Sati was reborn as Parvati, the daughter of
Menaka (alternatively Mena) and Himavana (the Himalayas). She was
remarried to Shiva. Bcause of Shiva’s curse, Daksa was born on earth. He
was born as the son of Marisha and the ten Prachetas. (The Prachetas
were brothers who became sages and subsequently married the same woman,
Marisha.) Daksha decided to organize an ashvamedha yajna (horse
sacrifice). But due to his earlier enmity with Shiva, Daksha did not
invite Shiva to this sacrifice. The sacrifice was being held in the
foothills of the Himalayas, on the banks of the holy river Ganga. All
the gods and the sages had been invited to the sacrifice and went to the
ceremony. The only exception was Shiva and his companions. There was a
sage named Dadhicha (alternatively Dadhichi). He protested to Daksha
that a sacrifice should not be held in Shiva’s absence. Such a sanctity.
But Daksha would not listen to Dadhicha. The sage therefore stated that
he would not take any further part in the yajna. Moreover, he assured
Daksha that the sacrifice was doomed to be a failure. Shiva and Parvati
were seated on Mount Kailasa and they noticed all the vimanas (space
vehicles) travelling through the sky, the gods and their wives
resplendently seated. "Where are all these gods going?" asked Parvati.
"Daksha is performing a yajna and they are all going to attend the
sacrifice." replied Shiva. "Why have you not gone?" demanded Parvati.
"It must be that you have not been invited. But how is that possible?
How can there be a sacrifice without you having been invited? You are
superior to all the other gods. Please do something to ensure that you
do get your share of the offerings." Shiva thereupon created a demon
from his mouth. The demon’s name was Virabhadra. He had a thousand
heads, a thousand arms and a thousand feet. Numerous were the weapons
that he held in his hands. His fiery visage blazed like the sun itself
and his form rose way up into the sky. Virabhadra bowed before Shiva and
asked, "What are my orders?" "Go and destroy Daksha’s yajna," was the
reply. Virabhadra left for the sacrifice. He created several other
demons who would aid him in the task of destruction. Parvati also
created a goddess out of her own body to act as Virabhadra’s companion.
This goddess was named Bhadrakali. This army trooped to Daksha’s house
and proceeded to destroy everything there. The mountains shook and
trembled with their roars. The gods and the sages who had come to attend
the sacrifice did not known what could be done. They merely stood there
and were thrashed. The offerings that had been piled up for the
sacrifice were scattered here and there by Virabhadra and his
companions. The scaffoldings that had been erected were smashed. Daksha
tried to run away. But Virabhadra grabbed him and beheaded him with a
slice of his sword. Brahma and the other gods started to pray to
Virabhadra and his companions. "Who are you?’ they asked. "Whoever you
are , please be pacified. Please listen to our prayers and spare us."
"Don’t pray to me," replied Virabhadra. "I am merely an instrument of
the great Shiva. If you must pray, pray to Shiva himself." The gods and
the sages started to pray to Shiva. Pleased by their prayers, Shiva
appeared and set things right. He restored the surroundings to what they
used to be before Virabhadra’s destruction began. Shiva also revived
Daksha and Daksha too started to pray to him. Shiva obtained his due
respect. (The account given above does occur in some other Puranas, but
differes in its essential elements from the more common account. The
more common account is, for example, given in the Bhagavata Purana. As
per the common account, Daksha did not invite Shiva to a yajna that he
was performing while Sati was still alive. Sati went uninvited to the
ceremony and was there insulted by her father. Unable to bear these
insults, she immolated herself. It was the news of Sati’s death that
moved Shiva to destroy the ceremony. The destruction accordingly took
place at the same time as Sati’s death and much before Parvati was
reborn.)Georgraphy Svayambhuva Manu had two sons named Priyavrata and
Uttanapda. Priyavarata had a hundred sons. Ten of these were named
Agnidhra, Vapushmana, Medha, Medhatithi, Vibhu, Jyotishmana, Dyutimana,
Havya, Savana and Sarva. (Most Puranas simply state that Priyavrata had
ten sons. The names of the sons as per the other Puranas do not entirely
agree with those given in the Vayu Purana.) When Priyavrata decided to
retire to the forest, he divided up his kingdom amongst seven of his
sons. Since Priyavrata had ruled over the entire earth, this is how the
earth came to be divided into seven regions (dvipas). Agnidhra inherited
Jambuvipa, Medhatithi Plakshadvipa, Vapushmana Shalmalidvipa,
Jyotishmana Kushadvipa, Dyutimana Krounchadvipa, Havya Shakadvipa and
Savana Pushkaradvipa. (The Vayu Purana does not tell us why Medha, Vibhu
and Sarva did not receive any shares to the original kingdom. According
to the Vishnu Purana, these three sons were not interested in ruling.
They accordingly retired to the forest to meditate.) Agnidhra, the ruler
of Jambudvipa, had nine sons. Their names were Nabhi, Kimpurusha, Hari,
Ilavrita, Ramya, Harinmana, Kuru, Bhadrashva and Ketumala. (The sixth
son is invariably referred to as Hiranmana, rather than Harinmana, in
the other Puranas.) When it became time for Agnidhra to retire to the
forest, he divided Jambudvipa amongst these nine sons. Nabhi inherited
the region that lies to the south of the Himalayas. This is the region
that subsequently came to be known as Bharatavarsha. (The word varsha
signifies region.) Kimpurusha received Hemakutavarsha, Hari
Naishadhvarsha, Ramya Nilavarsha, Harinmana Shvetavarsha, Bhadrashva
Malyavanavarsha and Ketumala Gandhamadanavarsha. Ilvarita inherited the
region around Mount Sumeru and Kuru the region to the north of Mount
Shringavana. (This is a deviation from the names given in the other
Puranas. The Vayu Purana tends to name the regions after the mountains
that are in them. More commonly, the Puranas state the following. The
regions came to be known after the names of the sons who inherited them.
Thus Kimpurusha inherited Kimpurushavarsha, Hari Harivarsha, Ilavrita
Ilavritavarsha, Ramya Ramyakavarsha, Hiranmana Hiranmanavarsha, Kuru
Kuruvarsha, Bhadrashva Bhadrashvavarsha and Ketumala Ketumalavarsha.) To
return to the Vayu Purana, Nabhi had a son named Rishabha and Rishabha’s
son was Bharata. It was after Bharata that the region which Nabhi ruled
over came to be known as Bharatavarsha. Mount Sumeru (Alternatively
Meru) is in Jambudvipa. This has a very high altitude and gold can be
found in abundance there. The eastern slope of the peak is white and is
associated with brahmanas. The northern slope is red and is associated
with kshatriyas. The southern slope is yellow and is associated with
vaishyas. The western slope is greyish and is associated with shudras.
You will remember that Brahma appeared from a lotus flower. Meru was
formed out of the stalk of this flower. It is impossible to describe
Mount Sumeru. The various sages who have attempted to describe it do not
agree in their descriptions. This is because each sage saw, and thus
described, only one part of the peak. The sage Atri described it as
possessing a hundred angles; the sage Bhrigu maintained that it had a
thousand angles; the sage Savarni thought it was octagonal; the sage
Bhaguri’s description suggests that it had the shape of a quadrilatera;
the sage Varshayani maintained that it was as shapeless as the ocean;
the sage Kroushtuki described it as circular; and the sage Gargya said
that it had the shape of a woman’s braided hair. It is only the great
Brahma who can describe Mount Sumeru adequately. But it is known that
there are many beautiful valleys in the region surrounding the peak.
These valleys have ponds with limpid water and lotuses bloom in
thousands in these ponds. There are also many places with bejewelled
pillars and golden gates. There are landing strips where the vimanas
(space vehicles) of the gods can descend. Apart from the places, there
are several hermitages frequented by the sages. But most wonderous of
all is Brahma’s famous assembly-hall, located atop Mount Sumeru. This
assembly-hall is known as Manovati. The Vayu Purana now describes the
mountans, rivers, ponds and valleys belonging to the different varshas.
These we will gloss over and concentrate only on the description of
Bharatavarsha. Bharatavarasha is bounded by the Himalayas to the north
and by the ocean to the south. Bharatavarsha is divided into nine
regions (dvipas). The names of these regions are Indradvipa, Kaserumana,
Tamraparni, Gabhastimana, Nagadvipa, Soumya, Gandharva and Varuna. This
adds up to eight . The ninth region is an island that is surrounded by
the ocean on all sides. It is not very easy to travel from one region of
Bharatavarsha to another. The transportation problems are enormous. The
southern tip of Bharatavarsha is known as Kumarika (Cape Comorin or
Kanyakumari). Beyond the boundaries of Bharatavarsha live the
disbelievers (that is, those who disbelieve in the Vedas). To the east
live the kiratas and to the west live the yavanas. Bharatavarsha proper
is populated by brahmanas, kshatriyas, vaishyas and shudras. There are
seven major mountain ranges in Bharatavarsha. These are known as
Mahendra, Malaya, Sahya, Shaktimana, Riksha, Vindhya and Paripatra.
There are several other minor ranges, amongst which are Mandara and
Raviataka. Rivers abound in the region, owing their sources to the
mountains. The rivers Ganga, Sindhu (Indus), Sarasvati, Shatadru
(Sutlej), Chandrabhaga (Chenab), Yamuna, Sarayu, Iravati (Ravi),
Vitasta, Vipasha (Beas), Devika, Kuhu, Gomati, Dhutapapa, Vahuda,
Drishadvati, Koushiki, Tritiya, Gandaki, Nishchira, Ikshu and Lohita
(Brahmaputra ) originate from the foothills of the Himalyas. The rivers
Vedashruti, Vedavati, Vritraghni, Parnasha, Vandana, Satira, Mahati,
Para, Charmanvati (Chambal), Vidisha, Vetravati, Shipra and Avanti
originate out of the Paripatra range (This identifies the Paripatra as
the Arvalli range.) The rivers Shona, Narmada, Mandakini, Dasharna,
Chitrakuta, Tamasa, Pippala, Shroni, Karatoya, Pishachika, Nilotapa,
Jambula, Valuvahini, Siteraja, Shuktimati, Makruna and Tridiva originate
from the Riksha range. (This range thus seems to be the mountains around
Chota Nagpur.) Tapi (Tapti), Payoshni, Nirvindhya, Bhadra, Nishadha,
Venva, Vaitarani, Shitivahu, Kumudvati, Toya, Mahagouri, Durga and
Antahshila are rives that owe their source in the Vindhya range. From
the Sahya range there originate the rivers Godavari, Bhimarathi,
Krishna, Veni, Vanjula, Tungabhadra, Suproyaga and Kaveri. (The Sahya
range thus corresponds to the Western Ghats.) From the Malaya range
originate the rivers Kritamala, Tamravarni, Pushapajati and Utpalavati.
In the Mahendra range are found the sources of the rivers Trisama,
Kratutulya, Ikshula, Tridiva, Langulini and Vamshadhara. The rivers
Rishika, Sukumari, Mandaga, Mandavahini, Kupa and Palashini originate in
the Shaktimana range.Astronomy The earth is made up of five elements
(bhuta). These are earth, wind sky, water and energy. There are seven
regions in the underworld (patala). These are known as atala, sutala,
vitala, gabhastala, mahatala, shritala and patala. (Patala is thus both
a specific region (loka) of the underworld, as well as a generic name
for the underworld as a whole. The names of the seven regions of the
underworld vary from Purana to Purana. For example, the name rasatala
occurs in many texts.) The ground in atala is dark in colour; in sutala
it is pale; vitala has ground that is red; in gabhastala the ground
becomes yellow; in mahataka it is white; there are numerous stones and
boulders in shritala; but in patala, the ground is laced with gold.
Snakes and demons live in the underworld. Atala is ruled by the demon
Namuchi; sutala by the demon Mahajambha; vitala by the demon Prahlada;
gabhastala by the demon Kalanemi: mahatala by the demon Virochana;
shritala by the demon Kesari; and patala by the demon Vali. The great
snake Vasuki lives in shritala and the great snake Shesha lives in
patala. (Vasuki is a king of the snakes (nagas). He was the son of
Daksha’s daughter Kadru and the sage Kashyapa. Usually, Vasuki and
Shesha are regarded as synonymous, the name Ananta also being used.) The
eyes of the snake Shesha are like red lotuses. His complexion is white
and he wears blue is thousand hoods glow with radiance. Just as ther are
seven lokas which consitiute the neither regions, there are seven lokas
which constitute the upper regions. The universe consists of fourteen
lokas. The seven loka which form the upper regions are named bhuloka,
bhuvarloka, svaroka, maharloka, janaloka, tapaloka and satyaloka. The
smallest unit of time is a nimesha, the time it takes of the eyes to
blink. Fifteen nimeshas constitute a kashtha, thirty kashitas are a
kala, thirty kalas make a muhurta and there are thirty muhurtas in the
space of one night and one day (ahoratra). The thirty muhurtas in a day
are divided into ten units, each unit consisting of three muhurtas. The
unit that corresponds to the time of sunrise is known as prata (dawn).
The next unit is called sangava (forenoon). Forenoon is followed by
madhyahna (noon). Next come aparahna (afternoon) and sayahna (evening).
These five units made up of fifteen muhurtas, form the day. There is an
equal number of muhurtas in the night. This should not be taken to mean
that day and night are always equal. Sometimes the day is longer than
the night and sometimes the night is longer than the day. Day and night
are equal twice a year. These two occasions are the precise midpoints of
early autumn (sharat) and spring (vasanta). Fifteen days make up one
paksha (fornight) and there are two pakshas in every masa (month). Two
masas form a ritu (season) and three ritus are called an ayana. There
are therefore two ayanas in every varha (year). The months Magha,
Falguna, Chaitra, Vaishakha, Jyaishtha and Ashada are referred to as
uttarayana. Correspondiingly, the months Shravana, Bhadra, Ashvina,
Kartika, Agrahayan and Pousha are referred to as dakshinayana. You will
remember that Svayambhuva Manu had two sons named Uttanapada and
Priyavrata. Priyavrata’s descendants have already been mentioned.
Uttanapada had a son named Dhruva. Dhruva pleased Vishnu through his
tapasya and obtained the boon that a place would be reserved for him in
the sky. (The story of Dhruva’s tapasya is recounted in several Puranas,
such as the Vishnu Purana.) Dhruva became the Pole Star. This is in the
constellation of Shishumara (Ursa Minoris or the Little Bear). The moon,
the sun, the planets and the stars, all revolve around Dhruva. The sun’s
chariot is made of gold and is drawn by seven horses. These horses are
named Gayatri, Trishtupa, Anushtupa, Jagati, Pamkti, Vrihati and
Ushnika. There are twelve adityas. In each month, two adityas, two
sages. Two gandharvas, two apsaras and two rakshasa (demons) ride on the
sun’s chariot together with the sun. This is as follows. (i) The months
Chaitra and Vaishakha - the adityas Dhata and Aryama; the sages Pulastya
and Pulaha; the gandharvasTumburu and Narada; the apsaras Kratushthala
and Ppunjikasthala; and the rakshasas Heti and Praheti. (ii) The months
Jyaishtha and Ashada - the adityas Mitra and Varuna; the sages Atri and
Vashishtha; the gandharvas Haha and Huhu; the apsaras Menaka and
Sahajanya; and the rakshasas Pourusheya and Vadha. (iii) The months
Shravana and Bhadra - the adityas Indra and Vivasvana; the sages Angira
and Bhrigu; the gandharvas Vishvavasu and Ugrasena; the apsaras
Promlacha and Nimlocha; and the rakshasa Vyaghra and Shveta. (iv) The
months Ashvina and Kartika - the adityas Parjanaya and Pusha; the sages
Bharadvaja and Goutama, the gandharvas Vishvavasu and Surabhi; the
apsaras Vishvachi and Ghritachi; and the rakshasas Apa and Vata. (v) The
months Agrahayana and Pousha - the adityas Amsha and Bhaga; the sages
Kashyapa and Ritu; the gandharvas Chitrasena and Urnayu; the apsaras
Urvashi and Viprachitti; and the rakshasas Vidyut and Sfurjja. (vi) The
months Magha and Falguna - the adityas Tvashta and Jishnu; the sages
Jamadagni and Vishvamitra; the gandharvas Dhritarashtra and Suryavarcha;
the apsaras Tilottama and Rambha; and the rakshasas Brahmopeta and
Yajnopeta. The moon’s chariot is drawn by ten horses. These horses are
named Yayu, Trimana, Vrisha, Raji, Bala, Vasa, Turanya, Hamsa, Vyomi and
Mriga. Budha’s (Mercy) chariot is drawn by eight horses; Shukra’s
(Venus) by ten; Mangala’s (Mars) by eight; and Brihaspati’s (Jupiter)
and Shani’s (Saturn) also by eight.Shiva’s Blue Throat Many years ago,
in satya yuga, the sage Vashishtha met Kartikeya, the son of Shiva and
Parvati. Having worshipped Kartikeya, the sage said, "Please tell me how
Shiva’s throat came to be blue." "I do know the answer and I will
satisfy your curiosity," replied Kartikeya. "I was once on Mount
Kailasa, sleeping on my mother’s lap. I heard my mother, Parvati, asked
my father how his throat came to blue. And I will relate to you Shiva’s
reply. The gods and the demons once got together and decided to churn
the ocean (samudra manthana). (The details of the samudra manthana story
are not given in the Vayu Purana, but can be found in many Puranas, in
addition tothe Ramayana and the Mahabharata.) The gods and the demons
were desirous of obtaining the amrita (a life-giving drink) that was
expected to emerge as a result of the churning of the ocean. But when
the churning began, some terrible poison came out and the gods and the
demons were despondent at the sight of this poison, since they thought
that it would destroy them all. They therefore fled to Brahma for
protection.
"Why are you so despondent?" asked Brahma. "A terrible poison named
kalakuta has emerged as a result of the churning of the ocean; replied
the gods and the demons. "It is threatening to destroy the entire
universe. It has even turned the great Vishnu’s complexion black." "The
only solution is to pray to Shiva," said Brahma. "He alone can deliver
us from the effects of this terrible poison." Brahma and the other gods
started to pray to Shiva. Shiva was pleased at these prayers and
appeared. He swallowed up the poison. But such was the strength of the
poison that it made Shiva’s throat blue. The word nila means blue and
kantha means throat. Since Shiva became blue of throat, ever since that
day, he has been known as Nilakantha.Vedavyasa The sages requested
Lomaharshana, "Please tell us how the sacred Vedas came to be divided."
Lomaharshana recounted the following story. When dvapara yuga arrived,
Brahma noticed that people were becoming evil and were no longer paying
sufficient attention to the Vedas. They were gradually deviating from
the righteous path. Brahama decided that the Vedas needed to be divided
so that their wisdom might be disseminated amongst people. Brahma
accordingly instructed Krishna Dvaipayana Vedavyasa to divide the Vedas
into four parts. Vedavyasa had five disciples. These were Jaimini,
Sumantu, Vasihampayana, Paila and Lomaharshana. The four parts into
which the Vedas were divided were known as the Rig Veda, the Sama Veda,
the Yajur Veda and the Atharva Veda. Paila was taught the Rig Veda,
Jaimini the Sama Veda, the Yajur Veda and Sumantu the Atharva Veda. "As
for me." continued Lomaharshana, "the great Vedavyasa taught me the
Puranas." Paila passed on what he had learnt to the sages Indrapramti
and Vashkali. They were Paila’s disciples. Indrapramati’s disciple was
Markandeya. From Markandeya the knowledge passed successively to
Satyashrava, Satyashita, Satyarata and Satyashri. Satyashri had three
disciples named Shakalya, Rathitara and Bharadvaja. "Shakalya was so
proud that his vanity led to his destruction at the time of King
Janaka’s horse sacrifice," said Lomaharshana. "We don’t know the story,"
responded the sages. "What is this horse sacrifice that you are talking
about? Please tell us the story." This is the story that Lomaharshana
told. King Janaka organized an ashvamedha yajna (horse sacrifice).
People came from far and near to attend the ceremony and numerous were
the sages who graced the occasion with their presences. King Janaka
began to wonder if there was any way of finding out who was the best
among all the assembled sages. He devised a plan. Janaka decided to
donate a thousand head of cattle, a thousand gold pieces, many villages
and several servants. He then told the sages, "I have gathered all these
rices as a tribute to knowledge. But I am unable to decide who amongst
you is the most learned. Why don’t decide for yourselves? Let the person
who is the most superior among you claim all this wealth for himself."
Hearing this, the sages started to fight and argue. Each wanted the
wealth for himself. Therefore, each sage maintained that he was superior
to all the others. Amongst the sages was the great sage Yajnavalkya and
Yajnavalkya told his disciple, "Take all this wealth to my home. I am
the most learned amongst the sages. I have studied the Vedas really
well. I will debate with anyone who dares to challenge me and establish
my supremacy. The other sages were naturally not at all pleased to hear
these words and they began to debate with Yajnavalkya. Even though all
the sages combined against Yajnavalkya, they were no match for him and
Yajnavalkya easily defeated them. Yajnavalkya then addressed the sage
Shakalya. "What about you, Shakalya?" he asked. "Why have you kept
quiet? I know that you are full of vanity about your learning. What
about debating with me?" "It is you who are proud and vain," retorted
Shakalya. "I will bring you down a peg or two . I am certainly going to
debate with you." The debate started. Shakalya asked Yanavalkya more
than a thousand questions, but Yajnavalkya provided the right answers to
all of these questions. He then told Shakalya, "I will ask you a single
question. If you cannot give me the right answer. I curse you that you
will die. Shakalya did not know the answer to the question that
Yajnavalkya asked. He therefore died. But prior to these events having
taken place , Shakalya had composed five sacred texts known as Samhitas.
And he had taught these to his disciples Mudgala, Goloka, Khaliya,
Matsya and Shaishireya. Lomaharshana coninued with Yajnavalkya’s story.
You will remember that Vedavyasa taught the Yajnavalkya’s story. You
will remember that Vedavyasa taught the Yajur Veda to Vaishampayana.
Vaishampayana composed sixty-six samhitas and taught them to his
disciples. These disciples came to be known as the charakas. (These are
not to be confused with the sage Charaka who is credited with having
composed the charaka samhita, the primary source of all knowledge of
ayurveda (medicine).) "Why did these disciples come to be known as the
charakas?" the sages asked Lomaharshana. Lomaharshana recited the
following story. There was an occasion when an important religious rite
had to be performed. All the sages agreed to meet on Mount Sumeru so
that they might decide on the modus operandi for observing this
religious rite. It was also agreed that any sage who failed to attend
the assembly on Mount Sumeru would be regarded as guilty of having
committed a sin. And the sin would be equivalent in severity to the sin
committed from killing a brahmana. For various reasons, Vaishampyana
could not attend the assembly. For a sin that was equivalent to the sin
committed in killing a brahmana. Vaishampayana had to perform severe
penance. This involved the observance of a difficult religious rite
(vrate). Vaishampayana told all his disciples, "Please help me in the
observance of this difficult vrata." Amongst Vaishampayana’s disciples
was Yajnavalkya. Yajnavalkya said, "Why are you bothering all these
disciples? My powers of tapasya are such that I alone can perform what
is required. Vaishampayana regarded this as unwarranted vanity on his
disciple’s part. He therefore told Yajnavalkya that he no longer wished
to have Yajnavalkya as a disciple. Yajnavalkya should also return
whatever it was that he had learnt from Vaishampayana. Yajnavalkya
therefore vomited out his knowledge of the Yajur Veda. (The Vayu Purana
does not tell us what happened to this knowledge that was vomited out.
According to the Shatapatha Brahmana, the other sages adopted the forms
of birds and swallowed up this knowledge. Since these birds were
tittiras, this branch of knowledge came to be known as the taittiriya
Samhita.) To re-acquire the knowledge of the Vedas, Yajnavalkya started
to meditate. He prayed to the sun-god, Surya. From Surya, Yajnavalkya
came to acquried knowledge of the Yajur Veda.) Yajnavalkya taught this
knowledge of the Yajur Veda. (This is known as the Shuka Yajur Veda.)
Yajnavalkya taught this knowledge to fifteen of his disciples. These
disciples were named Kanva, Vaidheyashali, Madhyandina, Shapeyi,
Vidigdha, Apya, Uddala, Tamrayana, Vatsya, Galava, Shaishiri, Atavi,
Eni, Virani and Saparayana. Why were Vaishampana’s disciples known as
the charakas? The word acharana means act. Since Vaishampayana had
committed an act that was the equivalent of killing a brahmana, his
disciples came to be named Charakas, Lomaharashana also told the sages
that he himself had taught the Puranas to six of his disciple. These
disciples were Sumati, Akritavrana, Bharadvaja, Mitrayu,Savarni amd
Susharma.Manvantaras Lomaharshana next told the sages about the various
manvantara (eras). You will remember that each of Brahma’s days is
referred to as a kalpa (cycle) and that there are fourteen manvantaras
in each kalp. Each manvantara is ruled over by a Manu and lasts for a
duration of 30,67,20,000 years. The gods, the seven great sages and the
individual who holds the title of Indra change from one manvantara to
another. In the present kalpa, six manvantaras have already passed. The
first Manu was Svayambhuva. The second Manu was Svarochisha. The gods
then were the tushitas and the paravatas, and there were twenty-four
such gods. Vaidha ruled as Indra then and the seven great sages were
Urjja, Stambha, Kashyapa, Bhargava, Drona, Rishabha and Angira. The
third Manu was Outtama. The gods then were the sudhamanas, the devas,
the pratardanas, the satyas and the shivas. The fourth Manu wa Tamasa.
The gods of this manvantara were the satyas, the svarupas, the sudhis
and the haris. Shibi held the title of Indra then, and the names of the
seven great sages were Kavya, Harsha, Kashyapa, Prithu, Atreya, Agni and
Jyotirdhama. The fifth Manu was Raivata. The names of gods of this era
were the vipras, the amritias, the supatis and various others. The Indra
of this period was Vibhu and the seven great sages were Poulastya,
Vedavahu, Yajuh, Hiranyaroma, Vedashri, Bhargava and Urddhavahu. The
sixth Manu was Chakshusha. The gods then was the adyas, prasutas, the
bhavyas, the prithukas and the lekhas. Manojava held the title of Indra
and the seven great sages were Havirdhana, Sudhama, Vashishtha,Viraja,
Poulastya, Poulaha and Madhuratreya. The present Manu is known as
Vaivasvata and this is the seventh manvantara of the present kalpa. The
gods of this era are the adityas, the vasus, the rudras, the sadhyas and
the vishvadevas. The title of Indra is held by Purandara and the seven
great sages are Vishvamitra, Jamadagni, Bharadvaja, Sharadvata, Goutama,
Atri, Vasumana and Vatsari. There will be seven more manvantaras in the
future before the universe is destroyed. The eighth Manu will be
Savarni. The seven great sages then will be Galava, Bhargava, Dvaipayna,
Kripa, Diptimana, Rishyashringa and Ashvatthama. The gods will be the
amitabhas, the sutapas and the sukhas, and the title of Indra will be
bestowed on Vali, the son of Virochana. The ninth Manu will be
Merusavarani or Dakshasavarni. Adbhuta will hold the title of Indra
then. The seven great sages will be Skanda, Medhatithi, Vasu,
Jyotishmana, Dyutimana, Havyavahana, Sutapa and Vasita. The tenth Manu
will be Dharmasavarni. The gods then will be the sukhamanas and the
viruddhas. The title of Indra will be held by Shanti and the seven great
sages will be Havishmana, Sukirti. Atri, Apamurti, Pratipa, Nabhaga and
Abhimanyu. The eleventh Manu will be Bhavasavarni (alternatively known
as Rudrasavarnii). The gods then will be the nirmanaratis, the kamajas
and the manojavas. The seven great sages will be Havishmana.
Vapushamana, Varnui, Bhaga, Pushti, Nishchara and Agniteja and Vrisha
will hold the title of Indra. The twelfth Manu will be Ritasavarni. The
gods then will be the haritas, the rohitas, the sumanas, the sukarmas
and the suparas. The title of Indra will vest with Ritadhama and the
seven great sages will be Kriti , Sutapa, Tapomurti, Tapasvi,
Taposhayana, Taporati, and Tapomati. The thirteenth Manu will be
Rouchya. The sutramas, the sudharmas and the sukarmas will be the gods
then. Divaspati will be the ?idra and the seven great sages will be
Dhritimana, Pathyavana, Tattvadarshi, Nirutsaka, Nishprakampa, Nirmoha
and Svarupa. The fourteenth and final Manu will be Bhoutya. (The names
of the fourteen manvantaras are given in other Purana as well. But the
names tend of differ, particularly for the future manvantaras. The names
of the gods, the names of the seven great sages and the individual who
holds the title of Indra, also tend to differ.)Vena and Prithu You will
remember that the sixth Manu was Chakshusha. One of Chakshusha’s
descendants was the great king Pirthu, the son of Vena. Chakshusha had a
son named Uru and Uru had a son named Anga. Agna maried Sunitha, and
they had a son named Vena. Vena was evil and when he became the king, he
started to oppress the world and his subjects. The sages had no option
but to kill Vena. (The other Puranas state that they did this with some
sanctified grass.) The sages then began to knead Vena’s dead body. When
the right arm of the dead body was kneaded, Prithu was born. He emerged
fully grown and with a bow and several arrows held in this hand. He as
also dressed in invincible armour. Such was Prithu’s radiance that he
blazed like the flaming sun. The sages interrupted Lomaharshana. "How
came Vena to be evil?" they asked. "And if Vena was evil, why wasn’t
Prithu evil as well?" they asked. Vena’s mother was Sunitha and Sunitha
was the daughter of Mrityu was really evil. Right from his birth, Vena
tended to associate with this maternal grandfather and thus picked up
evil ways. He stopped believing in the Vedas . In fact, when he become
king, Vena instructed that all yajnas should cease in his kingdom. There
was no need to pray to the gods. The only person who was deserving of
worship was Vena himself. The sages tried to persuade Vena to give up
his evil ways and bring him back to the righteous path, but Vena refused
to listen. It was then that the sages slew Vena. But Vena had no son.
Who would be king in his place? There had to be a king, otherwise the
kingdom would degenerate into anarchy. To obtain a son, the sages
started to knead the dead body. When the left arm was kneaded, a dwarf
was born as a result of the kneading. The dwarf was dark in complexion
and exceedingly ugly. "Sit," the sages told the dwarf,"nishida." (The
word nishida means ‘to sit’). All the evil that was in Vena’s body went
into the body of the dwarf and the dead body was cleansed of all evil.
The dwarf came to acquire the name of nishada from the word nishida. His
descendants were also known by the same name and became a race of
hunters and fishermen. They lived in the Vindhya mountains. Thus, when
the dead body was kneaded again, there was no more evil left and Prithu
came to be righteous. The word prithu means plump. Since Vena’s right
palm was fairly plump and since Vena’s son was born when the right palm
was kneaded, the son acquired the name of Prithu. The sages arranged for
Prithu’s coronation. The waters of all the rivers and all the oceans
were brought for this ceremony. All the gods graced the occasion by
their presence. Thus it was that Prithu came to rule over the entire
earth. He ruled well and his subjects prospered. The earth yielded an
abundant supply or foodgrains. The cows were full of milk.
It was at the time that Brahma organised a yajna. Two classes of people
known as the sutas and the magadhas were born from this yajna. They were
actually cross-breeds. The sutas were, for example, the offspring of
kshatriya fathers and brahmana mothers. The sages asked the sutas and
the magadhas to compose and sing songs in praise of the great king
Prithu. Even since that day, the sutas and the magadhas became
raconteurs who sung songs in praise of kings. The sutas were asked to
live in the region known a Anupa and the magadhas in the region known as
Magadha.
However, Prithu’s subjects still did not possess any specific
occupations. They therefore went to their king and said, "Please tell us
how we may make a living."
To achieve this end, Prithu decided to level out the earth. But the
earth was scared and, adopting the form of a cow, started to flee. This
angered Prithu and he pursued the earth with his bow in his hand.
Wherever in the three worlds the earth fled to. Prithu followed. He was
determined to kill the earth.
Finally, the earth sought refuge with Prithu himself. "Please do not
kill me," she said. "I am a woman and killing a woman is a crime.
Besides, if you kill me, how will your subjects make a living? I have a
better idea. I have adopted the form of cow. Milk me instead and your
objective will be attained."
Prithu did what the earth had asked him to. He milked the earth. As a
result of this milking, seeds of foodgrains emerged and people could
make a living out of these. Prithu also used his bow to level out the
earth. Villages and cities could now be built in the plains. Earlier,
these had been unknown. Agriculture, animal husbandry and trade had also
been unknown earlier.
It was after Prithu that the earth came to be known as prithivi.
This milking of the earth was in addition to the original milking of the
earth that Brahma had performed. In fact, the earth was milked once in
every manvantara.
The Prachetas
Prithu had a son named Antardhana and Antardhana’s son was Havirdhana.
Havirdhana’s son was Prachivarhi.
Prachinavarhi married Savarna, the daughter of the ocean. Prachinavarhi
and Savarna had ten sons known as the Prachetas.
The Prachetas were interested in meditating. They performed tapasya for
thousands of years under the oceans. They were actually supposed to rule
the earth. As long as the Prachetas meditated, they did not rule. The
earth became dense with forests. Trees grew everywhere and so dense was
the growth that the wind could not blow. For the ten thousand years that
the Prachetas meditated, their subjects suffered.
The news of this mishap eventually reached the Prachetas and their anger
was roused. Such was the fury of their anger that flames issued from
their mouths and burnt up all the trees.
Soma was the god of the trees. (In the Vedas, Soma was a distinct god.
But by the time of the Puranas, he had come to be identified with the
moon-god Chandra.)
When Soma saw that all the trees were being burnt up, he tried to pacify
the Prachetas.
"Please restarin your anger," he said. "It is time for you to devote
attention to getting married and having children so that the world might
be populated. I have with me a woman named Marisha, a daughter of the
trees. Please accept her as your wife."
The ten Parchetas married Marisha and a son named Daksha was born. You
already know the story of Daksha.
Daksha’s Descendants
Daksha’s descendants have already been mentioned in the section on
creation. The Vayu Purana now gives an account which is, in certain
respects, contradictory to the earlier account.
Daksha married Asikli, the daughter of Virana, Daksha and Asikli had a
thousand sons named the Haryashva. But the sage Narada persuaded the
Haryashvas that there was nothing to be gained by being interested in
the material world. These sons therefore forsook the world and went away
to meditate . Daksha and Asikli then had another thousand sons known as
the Shavalshvas. But Narada persuaded these sons also to go away and
meditate.
Thereafter, Daksha and Asikli had sixty daughters. Ten of these
daughters were married to Dharma. (Earlier, the Vayu Purana had stated
that thirteen daughters were married to Dharma.)
Twenty-seven daughters were married to the moon-god, Chandra. These were
the twenty-seven nakshatras (stars). Their names were Ashvini, Bharani,
Krittika, Pushya, Ashlesha, Punarvasu, Purvafalguni, Uttarafalguni,
Magha, Hasta, Chitra, Svati, Jyestha, Vishakha, Anuradha, Mula,
Purvashada, Uttarashada, Shravana, Uttarabhadrapada, Revati, Rohini,
Mrigashira and Ardra.
Fourteen of Daksha’s daughters were married to the sage Kashyapa and all
living beings in the universe are descended from Kashyapa. The daughters
who were married to Kashyapa were named Aditi, Diti, Danu, Khasa,
Arishta, Surasa, Surabhi, Vinata, Tamra, Krosdhavasha, Ira, Kadru and
Muni.
Aditi had twelve sons know as the adityas. These were the gods.
Surabhi pleased Shiva with her tapasya and obtained the eleven rudras as
her children. She was also the mother of all horses, cows, buffaloes and
other quadruped animals. (Surabhi as the mother of the rudras is sightly
unusual and does not occur in any other Purana. The account of the birth
of the eleven rudras is, in other Purana, quite different and has
already been recounted.)
Diti’s Children
Diti’s sons were known as the daityas (demons). Diti originally had two
sons named Hiranyakashipu and Hiranyaksha. Hiranyakashipu was the elder.
(The Puranas disagree about this. In some Puranas, Hiranyaksha is
referred to as the elder brother.)
Kashyapa once organized an ashvamedha yajna (horse sacrifice). All the
gods and the sages came to attend this sacrifice. A golden throne had
been prepared for the chief priest. Diti was also present on the
occasion then. She had, at the time, been bearing a baby for ten
thousand years in her womb. When all arrangements had been made for the
sacrifice, the baby was born. The newly born baby ascended the throne
reserved for the chief priest and immediately began to recite the Vedas.
It was this baby who came to be known as Hiranyakashipu.
Hiranyakashipu hung upside down for one lakh years and prayed to Brahma.
Through this period, he fasted. This act of tapasya so pleased Brahma
that he granted Hiranyakashipu a boon whereby the demon became
invincible. Thus fortified, Hiranyakashipu started to oppress the world.
He drove the gods out of heaven. Hiranyakashipu was eventually killed by
Vishnu in his narasimha (half-man half-lion) incarnation.
(Hiranyakashipu’s story is given in greater detail in several other
Puranas.)
Hiranyakashipu had four sons named Prabhlada, Anuhlada, Samhlada and
Hlada. Hlada’s son was Sunda and Sunda’s wife was Tadaka. It was this
Tadaka whom Rama (in the Ramayana) killed. Tadaka’s son was Muka. Muka
was killed by Arjuna (in the Mahabharata).
Prahlada’s son was Virochana and Virochana’s son was Vali. Vali was
defeated by Vishnu in his vamana (dwarf) incarnation. Vali had a son
named Vana.
As for Hiranyakashipu’s brother Hiranyaksha, he had five sons. They were
named Utkara, Shakuni, Kalanabha, Mahanabha and Bhutasantapan. (The more
customary account in the Puranas is that Hiranyaksha did not have any
children and adopted Andhaka as a son.) Hiranyaksha was killed by Vishnu
in his varaha (boar) incarnation.
Hiranyakashipu and Hiranyaksha had a sister named Simhika.
Diti noticed that her sons and their descendants were suffering at the
hands of the gods, often with the connivance of Vishnu. She therefore
did her best to please her husband Kashyapa. Kashyapa was eventually
satisfied and agreed to grant Diti a boon.
"Please grant me the boon that I may have a son who will kill Indra."
said Diti.
This was slightly awkward for Kashyapa. The gods were also his sons,
from his other wife Aditi. He told Diti that she would have to observe
cleanliness for a hundred years. If she succeeded in doing this, she
would indeed give birth to a son who would slay Indra. But if she
failed, the son would become Indra’s friend and companion. This
condition Diti accepted.
Diti started to perform tapasya so that she might have the son she
wanted. But Indra had got to know about what Diti was after. He hung
around the hermitage, helping his aunt by fetching fruits, roots and
wood from the forest. But this attempt at aiding his aunt was merely a
pretext. Indra was the lookout for some unclean act that Diti might
commit.
Ninety of the hundred appointed years passed.
It was then that Diti made her first mistake. She was so tired that she
fell asleep, resting her head on her thighs. In the process, her hair
touched her feet. This was an unclean act.
In a flash, Indra seized his opportunity. Now that Diti had committed an
unclean act, he could freely enter her body. He entered Diti’s womb and
found the baby there. Indra possessed a weapon known as the vajra. (This
is sometimes identified with thunder, sometimes with a club.) With the
vajra, Indra sliced up the baby into seven parts.
The parts began to cry and Indra said, "ma ruda," which means, "don’t
cry."
But the parts continued to cry and Indra carved up each of the parts
into seven more sections. There were thus forty-nine parts in all.
Meanwhile, Diti had woken up and she begged Indra not to kill her sons.
Indra agreed. The sons were born. Because of the words indra had
uttered, they came to be known as the maruts. Thanks to Kashyapa’s boon,
they became friends and constant companions of Indra. They were elevated
tothe status of gods.
Kashyapa’s Other Children
What of Kashyapa’s wife Danu? Her sons came to be known as the danavas
(demons).
Muni gave birth to the gandharvas (singers of heaven) and apsaras
(dancers of heaven).
Vinata had two sons named Aruna and Garuda. Their sisters were the
mothers of all the birds.
Kadru gave birth to the snakes (nagas). Chief among them were Shesha,
Vasuki and Takshaka.
Khasa gave birth to sons. These sons were exceedingly ugly. The yakshas
(demi-gods who were companions of the god Kubera) were descended from
the elder brother and the rakshasas (demons) were descended from the
younger brother.
Surasa’s sons were other rakshasas. Ira was the mother of all trees and
herbs. Krodhavasha gave birth to the ghosts (pishachas). Tamra’s
children were wild animals. (The names of the minor wives vary from
Purana to Purana.)
The Ancestors
"Who are the ancestors?" asked the sages.
Lomaharshana recounted the following story.
When Brahma first started to created, the gods were born. These gods not
only did not worship Brahma, they started to create themselves. Brahma
therefore cursed them that they would become ignorant.
The gods did not relish this idea, they therefore tried to pacify
Brahma.
"You will have to perform penance for your sins." said Brahma. "As for
the means of penance, why don’t you ask the beings whom you have
created? They will instruct you in the ways of wisdom."
The sons accordingly instructed the fathers. A person who instructs is
known as a father (pita). The sons of the gods according became like the
fathers of the gods and are revered as the ancestors (pitris). It is
these pitris who are given offerings at the time of shraddha (funeral)
ceremonies. In general, the pitris also include dead ancestors and the
ten prajapatis who rule over the universe.
The ancestors had a daughter named Mena who was married to Himavana (the
Himalayas). Mena (alternatively Menaka) and Himavana had three daughters
named Aparna, Ekaparna and Ekapatala.
These three daughters meditated for two thousand years. Ekapatala
meditated under a snake-gourd (patala) tree. Each day, she ate only one
(eka) snake-gourd. It was thus that she came to acquire the name of
Ekapatala. The word parna means leaf. Ekaparna ate only one leaf every
day and thus acquired her name. Aparna ate nothing at all. Since she did
not eat even a leaf, she came to be known as Aparna. Aparna was also
known as Uma. And even as Parvati, since she was the daughter of the
mountain (parvata) Himavana.
Parvati was married to Shiva. Their son was Skanda or Kumara.
Skanda got separated from his parents and was brought up by the
Krittikas (goddesses or nakshatras). He therefore obtained the name of
Kartikeya.
The Vayu Purana now has several sections on funeral ceremonies. These we
will skip.
The Solar Line
The sun-god Surya was born as the son of Kashyapa and Aditi.
(The Markandeya Purana states that the demons were oppressing the gods.
Aditi therefore prayed that Surya might be born as her son so as to
vanquish the demons.)
Surya was born as an egg (anda). For days on end, nothing happened to
the egg and the shell did not crack. Vishvakarma was the architect of
the gods. When Vishvakarma found that nothing was happening to the egg,
he cracked it open with a blow. Kashyapa was initially alarmed at this
act, since he thought that the son who was inside the egg might have
died. But he soon discovered that this was not the case and remarked,
"the egg (anda) has not died." From this expression, the son who was
born came to be known as Martanda.
As Martanda, Surya named Samjna, Vishvakarma’s daughter. They had two
sons and a daughter. The sons were named Yama and Vaivasvate (this was
the one who became a Manu). The daughter was Yami (or Yamuna).
But so strong was the sun’s radiance that Samjna could not bear to look
at her husband. She eventually thought of a way out. She created an
image who looked exactly like her. This image was called Chhaya
(shadow).
"I am going off to my father’s house," replied Samjna. "Please stay here
and pretend to be Samjna. Take care of my children and under no
circumstances divulge that you are Chhaya.
"I will do what you ask," said Chhaya. "But there is a condition. I will
not relate the truth as long as I am not cursed or as long as no one
grasps me by the hair. But the moment this condition is violated, I will
reveal all."
Samjna agreed to this condition and left for Vishvakarma’s house.
Initially, Vishvakarma was quite happy to see his daughter. But days
passed and Samjna did not return to her husband. Vishvakarma now
realized that something must be amiss and cajoled his daughter to return
to Surya. A thousand years passed. Finally, Samjna could bear her
father’s scolding no longer. Pretending to return to her husband. She
left Vishvakarma’s house. She adopted the form of a mare and started to
live in the region known as Uttarakuru.
Meanwhile, Surya had not realized that Samjna had been substituted by
Chhaya. Surya and Chhaya had parented two sons and a daughter. The sons
were Savarni (who would become a Manu) and Shani (the planet Saturn) and
the daughter was Tapati.
Chhaya was clearly more attentive towards her own children than towards
Samjna’s.
Vaivasta did not mind this at all. He was the eldest and more collected
and balanced. But Yama resented this apparent partiality. In a fit of
childish petulance, he kicked Chhaya.
"You have dared to kick your father’s wife," said Chhaya. "I therefore
curse you that your feet will decay. It is with these feet that you have
kicked me."
Yama went and complained to Surya. He had sinned, but he was no more
than a child. Might his transgression not have been overlooked on that
account? Besides, whatever the provocation, does a mother ever curse her
own son?
Surya did what he could to mitigate the effects of the curse. But he
also realized that something must be wrong. When he demanded to know the
truth from Chhaya, she revealed nothing. But when Surya threatened to
curse her and grasped her by the hair, the conditions Chhaya had made
were violated. Chhaya now revealed the truth.
Surya went to Vishvakarma’s house to find out where Samjna was. Hearing
what had happened, Vishvakarma offered to slice off some of the sun’s
energy. It was, after all, the sun’s great radiance that had motivated
Samjna to do what she had done. Surya was not averse to this idea and
his appearance was greatly improved by Vishvakarma’s action.
Surya got to know that Samjna was in the Uttarakuru kingdom in the form
of a mare. He adopted the form of a horse and joined his wife there. As
horses, Surya and Samjna had two sons named Nasatya and Dasra. Since the
word ashva means horse and since these two had been born when their
parents had adopted the forms of horse, they were also known as the two
Ashvinis. They became the physicians of the gods.
After the Ashvinis were born, Surya and Samjna returned to their
original forms.
I hope you have not forgotten that Vaivasvata Manu was the eldest son of
Surya and Samjna.
Vaivasvata Manu performed a yajna so that he might have a son. But
instead of a son, a daughter named Ila was born.
Therafter, nine sons were born to Vaivasvata. They were Ikshvaku,
Nahusha, Dhrishta, Sharyati, Narishyanta, Pramshu, Nabhaga, Karusha, and
Prishadhra.
The kings of the solar line (surya vamsha) were descended from Ikshvaku.
In this line was born Rama of the Ramayana fame.
Dhundhu
In the solar line there was a king named Vrihadashva. He had twenty-one
thousand sons . The eldest son was known as Kuvalashva.
When Vrihadashva aged, he decided to retire to the forest with his wife.
As for the kingdom, he resolved that he would hand it over to
Kuvalashva.
But as the coronation ceremony was about to take place, a sage named
Utanka arrived in the capital.
Utanka told Vrihadashva, "King, please do not retire to the forest just
yet. If you do so, we will not be able to to meditate in peace. My
hermitage is on the shores of the ocean and the seashore is frequented
by a terrible demon named Dhundhu. He is so powerful that even the gods
cannot vanquish him. He hides under the sand and meditates. He exhales
his breath once every year and when he does so, all hell breaks loose.
Terrible sandstorms are unleashed and the sun is shrouded in dust. For
an entire week there are earthquakes. You cannot go away without doing
something about Dhundhu."
"Great sage," replied Vrihadashva, "I have given up my weapons. It would
be most improper for me to take them up once again. As for Dhundhu, take
my son Kuvalashva with you. I am sure that he will vanquish the demon."
Kuvalashva and his twenty-one thousand brothers accompanied Utanka. They
came to the shores of the ocean and started to dig up the sand in their
search for Dhundhu. When the demon got to know about this, he unleashed
a terrible storm. Tidal waves raged. Flames licked with tongues of fire.
Dhundhu’s soldiers attacked Kuvalashva and his brothers. All the
brothers except three were killed.
But Dhundhu had not reckoned with Kuvalashva. The storm, the waves and
the fire could do Kuvalashva no harm. He killed the demon and thus
acquired the name of Dhundhumara. The sage Utanka blessed him.
Trishanku
Further down the line, there was a king named Trayaruna. His son was
Satyavrata. Satyavrata was exceedingly strong. But such was his desire
for riches, that he committed many sins. His father Trayaruna therefore
decided to banish him. Trayaruna’s chief priest was Vashishtha and the
sage also supported the king’s decision.
"Go away," Trayaruna told his son. "I do not wish to have a son who is
like you."
"What will I do and where will I live?" asked Satyavrata.
"Go and live with the chandalas (outcasts)," his father replied.
Satyabrata went and started to live with the outcasts. In due course.
Trayaruna retired to the forest and there was no king to rule over the
kingdom. In the absence of a king, anarchy prevailed. For twelve long
years it did not rain and there was a terrible drought. Famine raged.
At the time, the sage Vishvamitra had gone away to the shores of the
great ocean to meditate. The sage’s wife found it difficult to make both
ends meet. There was no food to be had. She had no option but to sell
off one of her sons in exchange for a hundred head of cattle. With this
wealth she proposed to feed herself and her remaining sons. The person
to whom the son was sold, tied a rope around the son’s neck (gala) and
proceeded to drag him away from the market-place. The son thus came to
acquire the name of Galava.
Satyavrata discovered what was happening. He rescued Galava and he also
made arrangements to ensure that Vishvamitra’s wife and sons did not
suffer in the sage’s absence. The entire family was looked after by
Satyavrata. Satyavrata killed deer and other wild animals in the forest.
He brought the meat to Galava’s family. He also tended to his father who
had retired to the forest.
One one particular day, there was no game to be had. The sage Vashishtha
possessed a cow. Satyavrata was not at all enamoured of Vashishtha. The
sage had, after all, recommended that Trayaruna banish his son.
Satyavrata therefore stole Vashishtha’s cow and slew it. He ate the meat
himself and also fed part of it to Vishvamitra’s family.
Vashishtha was furious to learn this. He cursed Satyavrata. "You have
committed three sins (shanku)," he said. "You have stolen that which
belonged to others. That is your first sin. You have caused unhappiness
to yur father. That is your second sin. And you have stolen and killed
my cow. That is your third sin. Since you have committed three (tri)
sins. I curse you that henceforth you will be known as Trishanku."
After the twelve years of drought were over, Vishvamitra returned from
his wanderings and was delighted to learn that Trishanku had taken care
of his family in his absence. Despite Vashishtha’s opposition,
Vishvamitra arranged for Trishanku’s coronation. As a sage, Vishvamitra
had acquired great powers. He used these powers to send Trishanku to
heaven in his mortal body. This was such a wonderful act that everyone
marvelled at it.
(This is described in greater detail in the Harivamsha. The Ramayana
adds a further twist. The gods refused to allow Trishanku entry into
heaven. Vishvamitra thereupon created a second heaven for Trishanku.)
Sagara
From Trishanku was descended a king named Vahu.
Vahu was so addicted to material pursuits that he paid no attention to
ruling his kingdom properly. Vahu’s enemies seized the opportunity to
defeat him and deprive him of his kingdom . Vahu and his wife fled to
the forest. Chief among these enemies were the Haihayas. But they were
aided by the Talajanghas, the Shakas, the Yavanas, the Paradas, the
Kambojas and the Pahlavas.
Vahu was old when this happened. Moreover, he was so grief-stricken at
having lost his kingdom that he had lost all desire to live. He died in
the forest.
King Vahu had two wives. One of these was named Yadavi. The second wife
was jealous of Yadavi and attempted to kill her by administering some
poison. The poison however did Yadavi no harm. When Vahu died, Yadavi
decided to immolate herself on her husband’s funeral pyre. But the sage
Ourva intervened.
"Please do not do that," he requested Yadavi. "You are expecting and the
act of killing the unborn baby would be a crime. Live and let him live.
For, he will rule well and will defeat his father’s enemies."
Persuaded by Ourva, Yadavi did not kill herself. She began to live in
the sage’s hermitage. In due course, she gave birth to a beautiful boy.
When the baby was born, the poison (gara) also emerged. Since the word
sa means together with, the boy was given the name of Sagara.
Ourva took great interest in Sagara’s upbringing and education. He
taught the boy the Vedas and the art of fighting. There was divine
weapon known as agneyastra. Sagara also learnt how to use this wonderful
weapon from Ourva.
When Sagara grew up, he decided to tackle his father’s enemies. The
knowledge of the divine weapon had made him close to invincible. He
defeated the Haihayas, the Shakas, the Yavanas, the Kambojas, the Parada
and the Pahlavas. But when he threatened to kill them all, these enemies
sought refuge with the sage Vashishtha. The sage asked Sagara to spare
them and saved their lives. But they had to be given some sort of
punishment. Sagara decreed that the Shakas would have half of their
heads shaved off. As for the Yavanas and the Kambojas, their heads were
completely shaved off. The Paradas were instructed that they would have
to sport long hair and the Pahlavas were forbidden to shave their
beards.
King Sagara thus conquered this enemies and became the ruler of the
entire world. He decided to perform a horse sacrifice to celebrate his
victory.
Sagara had two wives. They were named Keshini and Sumati. Sagara did not
have any sons and his wives pleases Ourva with their prayers. Ourva
granted them boons that they would have sons. The stipulation however
was that one wife would give birth to a single son who would ensure that
the line went on. But the other wife would have sixty thousand sons who
would perish before having any children of their own.
Keshini desired the single son and accordingly gave birth to Asamanja.
Sumati gave birth to a gourd. The gourd was reserved in a vat of
clarifed butter. After nine months had passed, sixty thousand sons came
out of the gourd.
(The names of the wives are reversed in the Mahabharata. That is, int he
Mahabharata, it is Sumati who gave birth to Asamanja. Keshini had the
sixty thousand sons.)
Sagara’s sons prospered.
When a horse sacrifice is performed, a horse is left free to wander
where it wills. At the time when Sagara organized the horse sacrifice,
he appointed his sons to look after the horse. These sons insulted the
sage Kapila and were burnt into ashes.
(This story is so well known that the Vayu Purana does not go into any
further details. The story can be found in the Ramayana. The Mahabharata
and several of the Puranas, such as the Matsya Purana.)
The Lunar Line
Chandra or Soma was th son of the sage Atri.
Atri was a very powerful sage. He was always busy meditating. For three
thousand years he performed tapasya, with his arms raised up into the
air. He stood there, immobile like a tree-trunk. As a result of this
wonderful tapasya, energy issued out of his body. The goddesses who
preside over the ten directions assimilated this energy and produced
Chandra. It was in this sense that Chandra was the sage Atri’s son.
Brahma gave Chandra a divine chariot to ride on. This chariot was drawn
by one thousand white horses. Chandra ascended the chariot and rode
around the earth twenty-one times. While he was doing so, some energy
from his body fell down on the earth. This was the origin of the herbs.
Brahma appointed Chandra ruler over herbs, seeds, brahmanas and the
water.
Chandra performed a royal sacrifice (rajasuya yajna). The success of
this ceremony however served to turn Chandra’s head. The preceptor of
the gods was Brihaspati and Brihaspati’s wife was named Tara. Although
Chandra had already been married to twenty-seven of Daksha’s daughters,
he abducted Tara. The gods and the sages requested Chandra to return
Tara, but he would not listen. A terrible fight then raged between the
gods and the demons, the gods fighting on Brihaspati’s side and the
demons on Chandra’s. After Tara’s name, this samgrama (war). Finally,
Brahma intervened and sorted the matter out. Chandra returned Tara to
Brihaspati.
But Chandra and Tara had a son named Budha. You will remember Ila,
Vaivasvata Manu’s daughter. Budha married Ila and their son was called
Pururava. Pururava was the originator of the lunar line.
Pururava and Urvashi
Pururava was a good king who performed many yajnas. He ruled the earth
well.
Urvashi was a beautiful apsara. Pururava met Urvashi and fell in love
with her.
"Please marry me," he requested.
"I will," replied Urvashi, "But there is a condition. I love these two
sheep and they will always have to stay by bedside. If I ever lose them,
I will remain your wife no longer and will return to heaven. Moreover, I
shall live only on clarified butter."
Pururava agreed to these rather strange conditions and the two were
married. They lived happily for sixty-four years.
But the gandharvas who were in heaven felt despondent. Heaven seemed to
be a dismal place in Urvashi’s absence. They therefore hatched a
conspiracy to get her back. On an appropriate occasion, a gandharva
named Vishvavasu stole the two sheep. As soon as this happened, Urvashi
vanished and returned to heaven.
Pururava pursued Vishvavasu and managed to retrieve the sheep, but by
then, Urvashi ahd disappeared. The miserable king searched throughout
the world for her. But in vain. Eventually, Pururava came across Urvashi
near a pond in Kurukshetra.
"Why have you forsaken me?" asked Pururava. "You are my wife. Come and
live with me."
"I was your wife," replied Urvashi. "I no longer am, since the condition
was violated. However, I agree to spend a day with you."
When one year had passed, Urvashi returned to Pururava and presented him
with the son she had borne him. She spent a day with him and vanished
again. This happened several times and, in this fashion, Urvashi bore
Pururava six sons. They were named Ayu, Amavasu, Vishvayu, Shatayu,
Gatayu and Dridayu. (In some Puranas, a seventh son named Valayu is
mentioned.)
Yayati
In the lunar line, there was a king named Nahusha. He had six sons and
the youngest was named Yayati. After Nahusha, Yayati became king.
(It is strange that the youngest son should have become the king. The
Mahabharata and the Padma Purana however suggest that Yayati was the
eldest.)
Yayati had two wives. Shukracharya was the preceptor of the gods and
Yayati married Devayani, Shukracharya’s daughter. The king of the
danavas was Vrishaparva and he had a daughter named Sharmishtha. Yayati
also married Sharmishtha. Devayani gave birth to Yadu and Turvasu and
Sharmishtha gave birth to Druhya, Anu and Puru.
Yayati loved Sharmishtha more. Shukracharya therefore cursed Yayati that
he would suffer from the untimely onset of old age. When this happened,
Yayati was miserable. He was still not content with what he had savoured
of the pleasures of life.
He told his son Yadu, "Please take my old age and give me your youth in
return. I will return your youth to you when I have finished pleasuring
the joys of the world.
"That I will not," replied Yadu. "Your old age is due to your own sins.
Why on earth should I accept it? Please ask my brothers instead."
These words angered Yayati and he curses Yadu that Yadu or his
descendants would never be kings. Yayat next asked Turvasu, but again
met with a refusal. A similar curse was therefore imposed on Turvasu and
on Druhya and Anu after him. The only son who readily accepted Yayati’s
requested was Puru.
Yayati blessed Puru and took his youth from him. Armed with this
borrowed youth. Yayati savoured the pleasures of the world and also
performed many yajnas. When a thousand years had thus passed. Yayati got
tired of material pursuits. He returned Puru’s youth and got back his
own old age. Yayati retired to the forest, after having crowned Puru the
king.
As for Yadu, he was given some minor kingdoms that lay to the west. In
similar fashion, Turvasu was given some kingdoms towards the south-east.
Druhya and Anu received kingdoms that lay towards the west, as had Yadu.
The descendants of Yadu were known as the Yadavas. In this line was born
Krishna. Also in this line was born Arjuna. (This is not the same as the
Arjuna of the Mahabharata. This Arjuna is known as Kartavirya Arjuna to
draw a distinction with the other Arjuna.
Kartavirya Arjuna
There used to be a king named Kritavirya and Kritavirya’s son was known
as Kartavirya Arjuna.
Arjuna performed tapasya for thousands and thousands of years. Through
this meditation, he pleased the sage Dattatreya and obtained four
wonderful boons from the sage. The first boon gave Arjuna a thousand
arms. The second boon gave him the power to use his persuasion to bring
back evil people to the righteous path. The third boon was that he would
conquer the entire earth and rule it according to the dictates of
righteousness. The fourth and final boon was that Arjuna would meet his
end at the hands of an individual who was in very way his superior.
Having obtained these boons, Arjuna conquered the whole earth and ruled
it well. He performed ten thousand wonderful yajnas. The gods, the
sages, the gandharvas and the apsaras always attended these ceremonies.
Do you know for how many years Arjuna ruled? He rules for eighty-seven
thousand years. One of Arjuna’s amazing deeds was his defeat and capture
of Ravana, the king of Lanka.
The sun-god, Surya, once came to visit Arjuna in the disguise of a
brahmana. "I am hungry," said Surya. "Please give me some food to eat. I
will reward you well. I am Surya." (If the sun-god proclaimed that he
was Surya, the point of the disguise is not at all clear. The only
conceivable explanation is that Arjuna would not refuse a brahmana’s
request.) "What sort of food will please you?" asked Arjuna. "What will
I bring?" "I want to eat up all the material objects that there are on
earth," replied Surya. "Please burn them up so that I may eat my fill."
"How do you expect me to burn up all these objects?" asked Arjuna. "I am
only a human and have very limited powers." Surya then gave Arjuna many
divine arrows and a wonderful quiver to keep these arrows in. These
arrows had the property that they burst into flames as soon as they were
shot. With these arrows, Arjuna burnt up everything and Surya ate his
fill. Hermitages, villages, cities and forests burned. Varuna was the
god of the oceans and Varuna had a son named Ashvina. This son performed
a lot of tapasya and became a sage named Vashishtha or Apava. (This
Vashishtha is not to be confused with the Vashishtha who was one of the
seven great sages.) Vashishtha performed tapasya under the water for ten
thousand years. When he finished his meditations and returned to his
hermitage, he found that the entire place had been burnt up by Arjuna.
Vashishtha was greatly incensed. "Since you have not spared my
hermitage, I curse you," said Vashishtha. "No one who bears your name
will ever again become a king. There will be a Pandava named Arjuna, the
son of Kunti. But he will not be a king simply because he will bear your
name. I also curse you that you will be killed by Parashurama." Arjuna
was eventually killed by Parashurama. (Parashurama is regarded as
Vishnu’s sixth incarnation. The story of how and why he killed Arjuna is
given in several other Puranas.) The Gods and the Demons The gods and
the demons did not like each other and fought several wars with each
other. There were twelve such terrible wars. On one particular occasion,
the demons were defeated by the gods. Extremely disheartened, they went
to visit their preceptor, Shukracharya. (Shukracharya was the son of the
sage Bhrigu.) The demons told Shukracharya. "We have been defeated by
the gods. We have no option but to go and reside in the underworld."
"Don’t be so disconsolate," replied Shukraacharya. "I will protect you.
I know that Brihaspati, the preceptor of the gods, has obtained
wonderful powers by praying to the fire-god, Agni. The gods thrive on
these powers. I will pray to Shiva and obtain powers that can counteract
these. Till I come back, please be patient. Why don’t you give up arms
and live as hermits till I return?" The demons agreed to this
proposition. They informed the gods that they had given up arms and that
the gods could do as they willed. They had become hermits and would not
fight. Meanwhile, Shukracharya started to pray to Shiva. Shiva appeared
before Shukracharya and discovered what the sage desired. Shiva was
prepared to grant these powers, subject to a condition being met.
Shukracharya would have to meditate for a thousand years. And throughout
this period, he would not be allowed to speak and would have to live on
smoke. Shukracharya began this process of meditation. The gods got to
know what was happening and decided that this was the opportune time to
attack the demons. "What are you doing?" said the demons. "We have given
up arms. Thi is not the time to fight." But the gods would not listen.
The demons therefore fled to Bhrigu’s wife and asked her to protect
them. Through her powers, the saintly woman completely paralysed Indra
so that he could not move. At the sight of what had happened to their
leader, the gods fled in disarray. "Why are you running away?" asked
Vishnu. "As for you, Indra, enter my body. I will take you away from
this place."
Indra entered Vishnu’s body and Vishnu proceeded to take him away. This
angered Bhrigu’s wife and she threatened to burn up both Indra and
Vishnu. But before this could happen, Vishnu sliced off the lady’s head
with his sudarshana chakra ( a bladed-discus).
Bhrigu was aghast at this act. "Killing a woman is a sin," he told
Vishnu. "You have committed a crime. For this crime, I curse you that
you will have to be born several times on earth. As for my wife, through
my powers I will resurrect her."
This is what Bhrigu did and this act terrified Indra. He got extremely
worried that once Shukracharya returned, there would be no way of
controlling the demons. Indra had a daughter named Jayanti. He told her,
"Shukracharya is meditating. Please go and try to distract him. Make
sure that his meditation is not successfully completed."
Jayanti did as her father had asked her to. She started to frequent
Shukracharya’s hermitage and served him faithfully. In due course,
Shukracharya’s meditation was completed and he obtained the desired boon
from Shiva. Once this task was accomplished. Shukracharya noticed
Jayanti.
"Who are you and what are you doing here?" he asked. "Why have you been
serving me thus? In any case, I am pleased with what you have done for
me. Please tell me what boon you desire."
"Be my husband for ten years," answered Jayanti.
Shukracharya agreed. Shukracharya and Janati had a daughter named
Devayani.
Meanwhile, Brihaspati adopted Shukracharya’s form and started to live
with the demons. The demons were naturally glad to have their teacher
back. They did not realize that the person whom they took to be their
teacher was actually Brihaspati. After the ten years were over,
Shukracharya returned and found that the demons were following
Brihaspati.
"Who is this person whom you are following?" he asked. "Give him up. I
am the real Shukracharya."
"Not at all," retorted Brihaspati. "I am the real Shukracharya."
The demons did not know what to make of this. The two looked exactly
alike and there was absolutely no way of telling them apart. Eventually
they concluded that the person with whom they had been associating for
the past ten years must be their real guru (teacher). This choice so
angered Shukracharya that he left in a huff. When the demons realized
their mistake, they sought to pacify Shukracharya and bring him back.
But the harm had already been done. The demons could not exploit the
powers that Shukracharya had gained.
Vishnu’s Incarnations
Because of Bhrigu’s curse, Vishnu had to be born several times on earth.
These are known as avataras (incarnations). The Vayu Purana now
catalogues Vishnu’s ten incarnations. These are as follows.
(1) Matsya or fish.
(2) Narasimha or half-man and half-lion
(3) Vamana or dwarf.
(4) Dattatreya, the sage.
(5) Bhavya.
(6) Parashurama.
(7) Rama.
(8) Vedavyasa.
(9) Krishna.
(10) Kalki.
(It needs to be mentioned that this list is at variance with more usual
lists of the ten incarnations. The more common list and order is the
following:
(i) Matsua; (ii) Kurma or turtle; (iii) Varaha or boar; (iv) Narasimha;
(v) Vamana; (vi) Parashurama; (vi) Rama; (viii) Krishna; (ix) Buddha;
and (x) Kalki.)
Epilogue
Lomaharshana finished his recital of the Vayu Purana and told the
assembled sages, "You are indeed lucky. You have heard that which is
most sacred. This holy act will undoubltedly take you straight to
heaven. A person who listens to a recital of this sacred text is
rewarded with wealth, health and a long life. All the sins that a
listener may have committed are forgiven. Do you know how the knowledge
of this Purana was passed down through the ages? It passed from Vayu to
Ushana, from Ushana to Brihaspati, from Brihaspati to Savita, from
Savita to Mrityu, from Mrityu to Indra, from Indra to Vashishtha, from
Vashishtha to Sarasvata, from Sarasvata to Tridhama, from Tridhama to
Dhananjaya, from Dhananjaya to Kritanjaya, from Kritanjaya to
Trinanjaya, from Trinanjaya to Bharadvaja, from Bharadvaja to Goutama,
from Goutama to Niryantara, from Niryantara to Vajashrava, from
Vajashrava to Somashushma, from Somashushma to Trinavindu, from
Trinavindu to Daksha, from Daksha to Shaktri, from Shaktri to Parashara,
from Parashara to Jatukarna and from Jatukarna to Vedavyasa. I learnt
the Purana from the great Vedavyasa himself. This is a lineage of sages
that is truly sacred."
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Vayu Purana (Original Sanskrit Text)