Puranic encyclopaedia
by Vettam Mani | 1975 | 609,556 words | ISBN-10: 0842608222
This page describes the Story of Hamsa 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 Ჹṃs
General.
A minister of Ի. Ჹṃs and Ḍiṃbhaka were the sons of Brahmadatta, the chief of , and they were adepts in archery. ʲśܰ峾 was their preceptor. (Ჹṃśa 3, 103). The Ѳٲ calls Ჹṃs’s brother Ḍi첹.
Education.
Vicakra and 岹Բ were intimate friends of Ჹṃs from their very infancy, of whom 岹Բ was the son of Mitrasaha, a friend of Brahmadatta. Ჹṃs, Ḍi첹 and 岹Բ had their education together and their marriages also were conducted at the same time. After some time Ś presented them many weapons like Rudrāstra, Ѳśٰ and Brahmaśirāstra, and also two attendants for self-protection. (Ჹṃśa 3, 105).
Curse of ٳܰ.
Swollen-headed and haughty on account of Ś’s boon, Ჹṃs and Ḍiṃbhaka turned out to be a nightmare to the world, and they once tried to give trouble to ٳܰ, who cursed them to be killed by Ѳ屹ṣṇ. Sometime later the sage himself informed Śrī ṛṣṇa about this curse of his.
Death.
The Ჹṃs brothers began an ś (Horse Sacrifice) and deputed 岹Բ to collect the tax thereof. Śrī ṛṣṇa alone refused to pay the tax with the result that Ჹṃs clashed with ṛṣṇa who killed Ḍi첹 and kicked Ჹṃs down to . He died there, in of snake-bite. (Ჹṃśa 3, 128).
Grief of Ի.
Ჹṃs’s death caused much grief to Ի, and for many years after it, he shed tears over the death of his friend. Even at the time when īԲ, during his triumphal tour of the east, attacked Ի he remembered the dead Ჹṃs and Ḍi첹. ( Parva, 13, 37).