Puranic encyclopaedia
by Vettam Mani | 1975 | 609,556 words | ISBN-10: 0842608222
This page describes the Story of Astika included the Puranic encyclopaedia by Vettam Mani that was translated into English in 1975. The Puranas have for centuries profoundly influenced Indian life and Culture and are defined by their characteristic features (panca-lakshana, literally, ‘the five characteristics of a Purana�).
Story of Āī첹
The son of the Ѳṣi ٰ and his wife, also named ٰ. He stopped King Janamejaya’s Sarpasatra and saved the 岵.
Birth.
There is a story about Āī첹’s birth in the ٱī 岵ٲ. Long ago the people of the world were so much troubled by the serpents, that they sought protection from śⲹ貹 ʰ貹پ. To find a remedy for this, śⲹ貹 discussed the matter with . To put an end to the troubles from the serpents, suggested that a number of mantras and a deity as the basis of those mantras should be created. Accordingly śⲹ貹 created many mantras and Manasā ٱī as the basic deity of those mantras. She is named "Manasādevī" because śⲹ貹 created her by his mental power. Manasādevī has eleven other names also, namely ٰ, Jagatgaurī, Siddhayoginī, ղṣṇī, Nāgabhaginī, Śaivī, Nāgeśvarī, ٰpriyā, Āī첹mātā, Viṣaharā and Mahājñānayutā.
Manasādevī (ٰ) when quite young, went to for doing tapas (penance). There she did tapas to Ś for a thousand years. At last Ś appeared and blessed her with divine wisdom. She returned with great learning and devotion. (ٱī 岵ٲ, Navama Skandha).
At that time, a Muni (sage) named ٰ, when travelling through the forest happened to see his 辱ṛs (souls of forefathers) hanging over a precipice at the end of a blade of grass. They were hanging precariously at the end of a reed grass, head downwards, about to fall into the abyss. ٰ enquired why they were lying in that condition. They explained that they were in that plight because their descendant ٰ had no children. As he is a bachelor there is no hope either, of his having any issue. Since he has no children, we will not get to heaven, they added. To save the Pitṛs from their predicament, ٰ decided to marry. But he wished to marry a woman who had the same name as his. Once ܰ쾱 met ٰ and told him that he had a sister named ٰ and that he would be very happy if ٰ married her. ٰ accepted the offer readily and married ٰ.
After their marriage, while they were living together in a place called ʳṣk īٳ, an unexpected event happened which interrupted the happy course of their life. One evening, the husband was sleeping with his head in the wife’s lap, under a tree. The sun was about to set. As the Ѳṣi did not wake up before sunset, the wife became anxious. It is believed that he who does not wake up before sunrise and he who does not offer prayers at dusk will be guilty of the sin of Brahmahatyā (killing a Brahmin). Nor was it proper to wake him up from a sound sleep. But in the end, she did wake him up. The husband sprang up in great fury. He renounced the wife then and there. Weeping bitterly, she begged for his forgiveness. At last ٰ relented and told her: "You will have a very noble, brilliant, renowned, virtuous, scholarly and devout son who will be a devotee of վṣṇ and a preserver of the family". After this Manasādevī set out to . When she reached there Parama-Ś and ī comforted her.
Manasādevī was pregnant. The precepts and spiritual advice given by ٰ, Parama-Ś and ī were heard by the child in the womb and so even before his birth he became a ñī and a Dzī. In due course Manasādevī gave birth to a son who was a part of ⲹṇa (վṣṇ). Since he was the son of Manasādevī who had deep devotion to the Guru and to the Gods, the boy was named Āī첹.
The Ѳٲ, Ādi Parva, gives another reason for giving this name to the boy. When the sage ٰ abandoned his wife, he had blessed her saying that the child in her womb would be a brilliant and devoted son. That is why this boy came to be called Āī첹.
Boyhood
Āī첹 was taught Veda, Vedāṃgas etc. by Parama-Ś himself. After receiving the blessings of Parama-Ś, Āī첹 went to ʳṣk īٳ and did tapas to վṣṇ for many years. Having received վṣṇ’s blessings also, he returned to . After living there happily with his mother for some time, one day they started to the Āś of śⲹ貹 ʰ貹پ, the father of Manasādevī. śⲹ貹 was very much pleased to see his noble-hearted daughter and her brilliant son. To enhance the fame and accomplishments of the boy śⲹ貹 gave a sumptuous feast to ten crores of Brahmins. (ٱī 岵ٲ, Navama Skandha).
ܰ쾱 was Manasādevī’s brother. Āī첹 grew up there under the care of ܰ쾱. It was Cyavana Muni who taught Sāṃgavedas to Āī첹, at this time. (Ѳٲ, Ādi Parva, Chapter 48, Verse 18).
Āī첹 at the Sarpasatra.
Once King ʲīṣi, the son of Abhimanyu was travelling through the forest for hunting animals. He picked up a dead snake with the tip of his bow and put it on the shoulder of a sage named "Śī첹". Śī첹’s son, Śṛṃgī came to know of this. In his anger, Śṛṃgī pronounced a curse that King ʲīṣi should die within seven days by the bite of ղṣa첹. When ʲīṣi heard of this, he had a palace built on a single pillar in the middle of the ocean, quite inaccessible to ղṣa첹 and took shelter there. The most famous physicians and wizards were engaged to ward off the approach of ղṣa첹 to that place. Six days passed like this. On the seventh day, determined to make a final attempt, ղṣa첹 disguised himself as an old ṇa and set out to the King’s place of shelter. On his way he met Dhanvantari who was proceeding to ʲīṣi to protect him. They became friends and as a result of it, Dhanvantari returned after receiving a large number of rare precious stones given to him by ղṣa첹. Assuming the form of a small worm, ղṣa첹 secretly entered into a fruit which was to be presented to the King. As soon as the King took that fruit in his hand, ղṣa첹 took his own shape and size and bit the King who died immediately. Janamejaya was the son of this King ʲīṣi.
Janamejaya performed all the obsequies of his father. After that, in a spirit of revenge, with the object of annihilating the whole race of serpents, he summoned ṇas to conduct a sarpa satra (snake sacrifice).
In the sacrificial fire specially prepared at that yāga, many serpents were being burnt up. It seemed that the whole race of serpents would shortly be wiped out. But ղṣa첹 alone was not to be seen. The officiating priests were beginning to get angry. Impatient cries of Where is ղṣa첹 rent the air. The frightened ղṣa첹 fled for life to the palace of his friend Indra and there lay down, curling round Indra’s cot. When the priests understood this they decided to use their charms and mantras which would bring Indra, his bed, cot and all, along with ղṣa첹 to the sacrificial fire. At this stage, all the gods rushed to Manasādevī and fell at her feet and begged her to save the situation. The kindhearted ٱī called her son Āī첹 and advised him to persuade Janamejaya to stop the sarpasatra. Āī첹 went to Janamejaya and requested him to give him the lives of ղṣa첹 and Indra as a gift. Janamejaya, after consulting the munis and priests and at their advice, agreed to do so. In this way, the Sarpasatra was stopped and the remaining serpents escaped with their lives. (ٱī 岵ٲ, Navama Skandha, Ѳٲ, Ādi Parva).