Puranic encyclopaedia
by Vettam Mani | 1975 | 609,556 words | ISBN-10: 0842608222
This page describes the Story of Galava 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
A celebrated sage.
Birth.
He was a son of վś峾ٰ. He was a brahmavādī. (Śǰ첹 52, Chapter 4, ԳśԲ Parva.
How he got his name.
There is no record of his original name in any of the ʳܰṇa. He got his name later. There is a story about this both in ٱī岵ٲ and Ჹṃśa. It is as follows:
There was once a King called ṇa in the family of Ի. ṇa got a son and he was named Satyavrata. (It was this Satyavrata who later became the well famed հśṅk). When Satyavrata was a youngster he once went inside the marriage hall of a brahmin and kidnapped the bride. Furious at this evil deed of his son the king sent him out from his palace and Satyavrata roamed about aimlessly.
Nature protested against this deed of the King abandoning his heir and there was no rain in the country for twelve years. The people were all put to great trouble. Among those who suffered were the wife and children of վś峾ٰ. վś峾ٰ had at that time gone to the shores of the river śī, for doing penance. The family of վś峾ٰ was in great distress living without any means for food. The sight of the children crying for food to appease their hunger pained their mother much. So she decided to sell one child and feed the others by what she got from the sale. It was better to be without one child than all the children dying out of hunger.
She made a rope out of darbha leaves and tying it round the neck of one child took it to the market for sale. Both the mother and child were weeping profusely on their way. Satyavrata saw them and took pity on them. When Satyavrata heard their sad story and knew that the woman was the wife of վś峾ٰ he told her thus: "Oh, Venerable Lady, you need not sell this boy. Untie the rope round his neck and throw it away. I will look after your family till the return of your husband. I will daily bring food for you all and hang it on a tree near your ś."
The mother was extremely happy to hear this and she at once untied the rope round the neck of the boy and the boy from thence became known as . (For details see under հśṅk).
Guru岹ṣiṇ� of .
continued his education under his father. At that time Dharmadeva to test վś峾ٰ came to him disguised as ղṣṭ. վś峾ٰ came out with rice to receive the guest but by that time the guest had disappeared. But վś峾ٰ remained there with the rice for hundred years till Dharmadeva returned. All these years looked after վś峾ٰ’s comforts. վś峾ٰ was immensely pleased with and allowed him to go away free without any ܻܰ岹ṣiṇ� when his education was over. wanted to give some 岹ṣiṇ� but վś峾ٰ refused to accept it. insisted on giving and then վś峾ٰ asked him to give whatever he liked but wanted the Dakṣiṇ� to be named. Disgusted with this stubbornness վś峾ٰ said "Go and get me eight hundred horses each with one of its ears black". was shocked to hear the demand and greatly worried roamed about in search of horses of the type specified. Ҳḍa taking pity on his sad plight took him to the palace of ۲پ. Hearing the story of ۲پ sent his daughter ī with saying that if she was given in marriage to any king he would give him the eight hundred horses of the type he required.
took ī to Ჹⲹś, a King of the ṣv line of Kings. Ჹⲹś was doing penance at that time to obtain a child. said that Ჹⲹś would get a son of ī and he should, therefore, accept ī and give him in return eight hundred horses each with one ear black. Ჹⲹś was amenable to the terms but the only difficulty was that he had only two hundred horses of the type specified. Finding this difficulty ī said "Oh, please do not worry on that account. I have a boon from a brahmavādī sage that I would remain a maiden even after delivery. So give me in marriage to this King and get two hundred horses. After giving birth to a son to this King take me to another King and get two hundred horses from him and then to another and thus by giving me to four Kings you can get the eight hundred horses you require."
liked this plan and so when ī gave birth to a son he took her to پǻ, of śī. When a son was born to him took her to śīԲ, King of Bhoja. thus got six hundred horses but there was nobody else to give him the remaining two hundred. When was contemplating as to what he should do next Ҳḍa came to his rescue. He advised to give six hundred horses and ī in lieu of the remaining two hundred horses to վś峾ٰ. gave վś峾ٰ the horses and ī and pleased with the ܻܰ岹ṣiṇ� վś峾ٰ blessed . վś峾ٰ got a son named ṣṭ첹 of Madhavī. (See under ṣṭ첹).
and Citrasena.
was once having his evening prayers in the river when the spittings from the mouth of Citrasena who was travelling by air above fell on the ū materials of . went and complained to Śrī ṛṣṇa of this and ṛṣṇa in haste promised to bring before the head of Citrasena before the sun set. 岹 who heard this went and informed Citrasena of ṛṣṇa’s vow. Citrasena was frightened to death. But 岹 asked him not to lose hope and advised Ի and ղī, wives of Citrasena, to approach ܲ, sister of ṛṣṇa, for protection. Both of them went to ܲ and made a grand fire-pit in front of her palace. Citrasena decided to end his life by jumping into the fire and as he was circling the pit his wives wept loudly. Since her husband Arjuna was away from the palace ܲ herself ran to the place from where she heard the cries. When they saw ܲ they begged for 'Maṅgalyabhikṣ�' (a boon to live with one’s husband). ܲ agreed to give them that. Then she heard their story in full and only then did she realise that she had undertaken to do the impossible. Yet, to help ܲ, Arjuna agreed to protect Citrasena. When Śrī ṛṣṇa attacked Citrasena Arjuna defended. The fight then ensued between Arjuna and ṛṣṇa. Both had very powerful and divine weapons and the world stood on the verge of a collapse by their fight. Then ܲ did a brave thing. She stood between the two and requested for a cease-fire. Then Śrī ṛṣṇa asked Citrasena to bow down and touch the feet of . pardoned him. (Padma Purāṇa).
ղǻԲ.
once gave ۲پ one eighth portion of the goodness accrued to him by his long penance. (See ۲پ for details).
gets a horse.
Pātālaketu, a demon, used to give trouble to daily while he used to do penance. Once this demon sent a deep hot breath to the sky and then a horse fell from the sky. Soon an unknown voice from air said, "This is a very strong horse and it would travel many a yojana in an hour." took that horse and gave it to ṚtᲹ. (Vāmana Purāṇa, Chapter 59).
Other details regarding .
(i) He was an intimate friend of King ʰī貹. (Śǰ첹 13, Chapter 20, Ჹṃśa).
(ii) He was a shining member of the court of ۳ܻṣṭ. (Śǰ첹 15, Chapter 4, Parva).
(iii) He shone in the court of Indra. (Śǰ첹 10, Chapter 7, Parva).
(iv) He conducted a discussion with 岹 on the true nature of real prosperity. (Śǰ첹 5, Chapter 287, ŚԳپ Parva).
(v) On another occasion he spoke to Dharmaputra on the glory of the universe. (Śǰ첹 52, Chapter 18, ԳśԲ Parva).
(vi) He swore before God to prove his innocence in the lotus-theft involving Agastya. (Śǰ첹 37, Chapter 94, ԳśԲ Parva).
(vii) Śṛṅ who married Vṛddhakanyā was a son of . (Śǰ첹 14, Chapter 52, Śⲹ Parva). For details see under վś첹.