Puranic encyclopaedia
by Vettam Mani | 1975 | 609,556 words | ISBN-10: 0842608222
This page describes the Story of Nahusha 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 ṣa
A famous King of the Lunar dynasty.
Genealogy.
Descended from վṣṇ in the following order:�-Atri-Candra-Budha-ʳܰū-Āܲ-ṣa.
Birth.
Āܲ, the son of ʳܰū, married the princess named Իܳī (Svarbhānukumārī). ṣa was the son born to the couple, thanks to the blessing of the great hermit ٲٳٰⲹ. ṣa married Aśokasundarī, the daughter of Ś.
There is a story about the birth and marriage of ṣa and Aśokasundarī in Padma ʳܰṇa as given below:
Once Ś and ī were engaged in love-making in . ī requested Ś to show her the best garden ever created by . Ś took her to Nandanavana, where she saw the Kalpa tree, which was beautiful all over, and she asked Ś about its special features. Ś replied that anything asked of it would be granted by the Kalpa tree. ī made a request to the Kalpa tree for a girl just for a test. Instantly a very beautiful girl was born from the tree. ī named her Aśokasundarī and brought her up as her daughter. Once ī gave her a boon that she would become the wife of King ṣa of the Lunar family, who would be equal to Indra.
One day, when the beautiful Aśokasundarī was walking with celestial maids in the Nandanavana an asura named ṇḍ the son of Vipracitti, came there. The moment his eyes fell on Aśokasundarī he fell in love with her. The asura spoke to her of his love and requested her to be his wife. Not only did she refuse his request but also told him that according to the boon given by ī she would become the wife of ṣa, the King of the Lunar dynasty.
Hearing this ṇḍ smiled and said: "That righteous man named ṣa is yet to be born in the Lunar dynasty. You will be much older than he. He will not suit you as he will be too young. So don't waste your blooming youth. Come and enjoy life with me." But Aśokasundarī did not concede. ṇḍ was disappointed. So he began to think about ways to get her. He disappeared from there and reappeared in the guise of a beautiful woman and told Aśokasundarī thus:�"Lady, I have taken a fast. ṇḍ has killed my husband. I am doing penance to curse him. You may come to my hermitage on the banks of the Ҳṅg".
Aśokasundarī believed these false words. She went with her. Both of them walked on and at last entered a palace. Then only did she understand that it was the palace of ṇḍ, who assumed his original form and tried to violate her chastity. Aśokasundarī became angry and cursed ṇḍ that he would die at the hands of ṣa, and ran away to .
ṇḍ was sad for two reasons. On the one hand he did not get Aśokasundarī and on the other hand he had incurred the curse that ṣa would be his slayer. Now what was the way to get out of the trouble? He asked his minister Kampana to take Իܳī the wife of Āܲ by stealth and bring her to his palace. They decided to destroy ṣa in the womb of Իܳī, in case it was not possible to carry her away. They waited for an opportunity.
Āܲ was an emperor of righteousness. After the marriage, for a long time he was childless. Once he visited the hermit ٲٳٰⲹ, in his hermitage. ٲٳٰⲹ who was the son of Atri and the most famous and the noblest of all the hermits, was quite senseless and red-eyed because of drinking, and without even the ūٰ, was playing with a young woman, seating her in his lap. His body was besmeared with sandalwood and aloe and adorned with garlands and necklaces of pearl and he was surrounded by many women. The King seeing the divine hermit bowed him with reverence and fear. The moment the hermit saw the King, he sat in deep meditation. This continued for a hundred years, at the end of which period, seeing the devotion of the King, he said, "Oh King! why do you take this trouble. I have left off the customs and manners of Brahmins. I have no ṇy (Brahminism). I am immersed in liquor, meat and women. So you had better go and serve another Brahmin."
Āܲ refuted all that the hermit said and requested him to bless him that he might get a son. Finally the hermit ordered the King to bring meat and liquor in a skull. The King obeyed him. ٲٳٰⲹ was pleased at the devotion and willingness to serve as a disciple and told the King that a son would be born to him; that the son would be a worshipper of ٱ𱹲īٳ (Holy baths), that he would not be defeated by devas, asuras, Kinnaras giants, and ṣaٰⲹ, that he would be the protector of his subjects and that he would be a great scholar in Vedas and Śٰ. Saying this he gave the King a fruit to be given to his wife. The King returned to his palace.
The King gave the fruit to his wife Իܳī. She ate it and became pregnant. One night she gave birth to a son. When the servant-maid went out of the room of confinement ṇḍ entered into her body and went in. When all were asleep he took the child and ran to his palace at ñԲܰ. He gave the child to his wife վܱ and asked her to make a sauce of the child for him. վܱ gave the child to the servant woman to cook it. With the aid of the cook she hid the child and prepared a sauce with some other flesh. The cook took the child to the hermitage of ղṣṭ and placed it at the door of the hermitage, in the night. At dawn ղṣṭ came out of the hermitage and seeing the child took it, named it ṣa and brought him up. The King and his wife Իܳī cried for a long time over the loss of the child. At that time 岹 came there and told them that their son would return soon.
Once ṣa was bringing Samits (butea-fuel) when he heard some devacāraṇas (heavenly singers) saying among themselves the history of ṣa. ṣa heard it. He told ղṣṭ all that he had heard. ղṣṭ told him all the stories from the beginning to his being kidnapped by ṇḍ. ṣa was amazed at what he heard. He wanted to kill ṇḍ instantly. So he bowed before ղṣṭ and taking bow and arrow went away to kill ṇḍ.
Believing that he had eaten ṣa, ṇḍ approached Aśokasundarī again and told her that he had actually eaten ṣa. Aśokasundarī felt very sad when she heard this. At that time a Kinnara named Vidyuddhara and his wife came there. They consoled Aśokasundarī and told her that ṣa was alive. He continued.
"Oh beautiful lady, that great sage will kill Huṇḍāsura and marry you, and live with you as an emperor in this world, as Ś (Indra) in heaven. From ṣa will be born to you a son named ۲پ, who will be righteous, kind and loving towards his subjects and equal to Indra, and a hundred daughters who would be exceedingly beautiful and of very fine character. Then ṣa will go to heaven and become Devendra. At that time your son ۲پ will be the emperor and will rule his subjects with kindness. Four sons, who would possess prowess and valour, who would be second to none in archery will be born to him. They will be known by the names Turvasu, Puru, Kuru and Yadu. Powerful and mighty sons called Bhoja, ī, Andhaka, Kukkura, ṛṣṇi, ŚܳٲԲ, Srutadhāra and 岹ṃṣṭr will be born to Yadu. They will become famous by the name 岹. Several sons will be born to them. Thus the family of ṣa and yourself will increase."
By this time ṣa had arrived at the spot fully armed and ready to fight ṇḍ, who was killed in the terrible battle which ensued. ṣa married Aśokasundarī in the midst of devas and after the marriage the couple reached the palace of ṣa. (Padma ʳܰṇa, fifteen chapters from 102).
ṣa became Indra.
Became a python by the curse of Agastya.
To get remission from the sin of Brahmahatyā, incurred by killing ṛtܰ, Indra hid himself in a cluster lotuses in the Բ lake. The devas who were worried due to the absence of Indra, elected ṣa as Indra temporarily. ṣa wanted to get Իṇ�. Agastya cursed ṣa and changed him to a python. At the sight of the ṇḍ he regained his original form and went back to the world of Indra. (For detailed story see under Agastya).
Other details.
(i) ṣa had six sons Yati, ۲پ, ṃyپ, Āⲹپ, Ayati and Dhruva. (Ѳٲ, Ādi Parva, Chapter 75, Stanza 30).
(ii) ṣa was allowed to enter heaven because he made himself pure by performing the sacrifice ղṣṇ ⲹñ. (Ѳٲ, Vana Parva, Chapter 257, Stanza 5).
(iii) ṣa once came down to the world in the aerial chariot of Indra to see the battle of Arjuna. (Ѳٲ, վṭa Parva, Chapter 56, Stanza 9).
(iv) ṣa got a famous sword from his father Āܲ. (Ѳٲ ŚԳپ Parva, Chapter 266, Stanza 7).
(v) ṣa had once a talk with the hermit Cyavana about the wealth of cows. (Ѳٲ ԳśԲ Parva, Chapter 51).
(vi) On another occasion the hermit Cyavana granted ṣa a boon. (Ѳٲ ԳśԲ Parva, Chapter 51, Stanza 44).
(vii) Once ṣa gave to Brahmins lakhs of cows as alms. (Ѳٲ ԳśԲ Parva, Chapter 81, Stanza 5).
(viii) It is stated in Ѳٲ, Parva, Chapter 8, Stanza 8, that ṣa, after death, stays in the palace of King Yama (God of death).
(ix) Mention is made in the ṻ岹, Ѳṇḍ 1, Anuvāka 7, ūٲ 31, about ṣa’s becoming Indra.
(x) The names ٱ𱹲Ჹ, Devarā� Devendra, Jagatpati, 岵, 岵Ի, Surādhipati, Surapati etc. are used in ٲ as synonyms for ṣa.