Dvisahasri of Tembesvami (Summary and Study)
by Upadhyay Mihirkumar Sudhirbhai | 2012 | 54,976 words
This page relates ‘Description of Shripada’s glory� of the study of the Dvisahasri by Tembesvami:—a Sanskrit epic poem (mahakavya) narrating the legend and activities of Lord Dattatreya, including details on his divine sports and incarnations. Also known as Datta, he is considered one of the Holy Masters in the Natha cult imparting spiritual knowledge and adequate practice to the aspirant.
Go directly to: Footnotes.
Chapter 7 - Description of Śī岹’s glory
[Note: This page represents a summary English translation of the Dvisāhasrī by Ṭembesvāmī, chapter 7.—In the 7th chapter after removing the misery of a Brahmin lady, He gave life to the dead twice-born and killed thieves, though He had already disappeared in the Kurupura (i.e. Kuravapura).]
07/01-02: Nāmadhāraka spoke: He asks why He disappeared.
07/03-12: Siddha spoke: Though beyond the reach of senses He becomes visible and He had disappeared in order to incarnate (04).
A Vedic Brahmin lives with his wife in Kuravapura. She gives birth to a son who is fool, stupid, less-intelligent and stubborn. Though he is initiated with the sacred thread he is unable to chant even the ⲹٰī formula. The father beats the son and the mother stops and says not to beat him, otherwise she would give up her life (05-07). He promises not to beat him. The Brahmin then dies soon (08). The mother and the son pass their life on begging. After some time other Brahmins censure them (09). They ask him to leave the place or to die. He goes to river Kṛṣnā for dying (10). The mother follows him. Śī岹śrīvallabha sees them, stops them and says compassionately that suicide is very difficult to bear (11-12).
07/13-14: Brahmin lady spoke: The people hate and neglect them. Hence what to do?
07/15-16: Śī岹 spoke: The sin of suicide would taint them in the next births. She should bear the misery. She would definitely get a scholar son in the next birth by propitiating Lord Ś.
07/17-18: Brahmin lady spoke: He shuld tell who propitiated Lord Ś formerly.
07/19-26: Śī岹 spoke: In ancient time king Candrasena’s friend Ѳṇi living in Ujjain has propitiated Lord Ś and has achieved 侱Գ峾Ż (wish-fulfilling jewel). Other kings wish to get it by payment, but Ѳṇi does not give, they attack. He knows that, yet he continues to propitiate Lord Ś on ʰṣa[1] (20-21). The young cowherds see Ѳṇi doing so. They worship Lord Ś (22). When the mothers call them in the evening, others leave the place, but one of them stays there (23). His mother forces the boy who becomes disappointed and wants to give up his life (24). Lord Ś, reveals, consoles him and offers a boon. The boy asks to forgive his mother for the disruption in the worship (25-26).
07/27-29AB: Lord Ś: He is the recipient of the liberation, while his mother has no offence. On the contrary she will be the mother of Lord վṣṇ’s incarnation (28). Lord Ś disappears and the stone becomes Lord Ś’s Ѳ Phallus (at Ujjain) (29AB).
07/29CD-33AB: The kings accept that king Candrasena is pious and leave the idea to fight with him. Candrasena and the kings go to the cowherds. They are pleased and give wealth as well as the chieftainship of cowherds (29CD-32). The cowherdess is born as Yasodā (Śīṛṣṇa’s foster mother) (33AB).
07/33CD: The Brahmin lady would attain the same by worshipping Lord Ś.
07/34-35: Brahmin lady spoke: Lord Ś may release her in next birth, but how to spend life with this (i.e. dull son). She asks the boon for the blessedness of this motherhood.
07/36-41: Śī岹 is pleased and places His hand on his head. The boy becomes a scholar. Śī岹 asks her to spend her life in worship-ping Lord Ś. She will obtain a son like Him (in the next birth) (36-38). She returns to her village and worships Lord Ś (39). The Lord thinks to become her son. Though he is invisible, He fulfills the desires of the devotees (40-41).
07/42-43: Nāmadhāraka spoke: He wants to know how can He decide, though His task is not over, how can He remain in his place and can become the other one (Nṛsiṃhasarasvatī) and how can He fulfill the desire of the devotees, though invisible.
07/44-60: Siddha spoke: Though He is visible, He is invisible to those blinded by the impurities of the Kali Era (45). (He narrates a story that) A dull Brahmin merchant is Lord Śī岹’s devotee and prays for the profit in order to feed the Brahmins for the appeasement of Śī岹 (46-47). He earns a plenty of money and while on the way to accomplish his decision, the thieves make friendship with him and kill him. Śī岹 appears there and kills them with his trident (48- 50). One of them prays for His shelter and the Lord asks him to save the Brahmin merchant (51-52). Śī岹 revives the Brahmin and disappears (53). The Brahmin gets up, sees the killed thieves, comes to know the thing from the protected thief and becomes unhappy, because He has become visible to thieves but not to him (54-55). The Brahmin goes to Kuravapura and feeds the Brahmins. By His grace he attains the rewords of worldly pleasures and liberation (56- 57AB).
Though invisible He has becomes visible to righteous ones but not to the impure-minded ones. Though He incarnates in another place, He works there (57CD-58). The residents of this holy place obtain the desired fruits (59). Any one remembering Śī岹 achieves all the desired object (60).
Footnotes and references:
[1]:
The word ʰṣa means an evening, but in Lord Ś’s devotional worship, it means the evening of the 12th or 13th day of every month. The ʰṣa on Monday is effectively fruitful.