Puranic encyclopaedia
by Vettam Mani | 1975 | 609,556 words | ISBN-10: 0842608222
This page describes the Story of Jimutavahana 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 īūٲԲ
A վ. (demi-god). He was the son of īūٲٳ, who was the ruler of a city named ñԲܰ in a valley of the ᾱⲹ. Being childless he had been sad for a long time. At last he approached the divine tree Kalpaka (a heavenly tree that yields every wish) that stood in his garden and requested it to bless him with a child. Thus a son was born to him. The famous īūٲԲ was that son. When īūٲԲ came to know of the divine powers of the Kalpaka tree, from the ministers, with the permission of his father he went to the Kalpaka tree, bowed before it and said to it, "Oh noble tree! You have granted all the wishes of my forefathers. But I have one wish. No body should be miserable in the world. So I wish to give you to the world with that purpose in view". Instantly an ethereal voice said from the tree. "If you are forsaking me I am going away. But I will fulfil your wish." Thus according to the wish of īūٲԲ the Kalpaka tree shed gold everywhere in the world and then went to heaven and disappeared. The earth became wealthy and prosperous. The fame of īūٲԲ spread throughout the three worlds, and all the վs grew jealous of him. As the heavenly tree Kalpaka, which yielded all the wishes, had returned to heaven, they thought it the most propitious time and arrayed their army against īūٲԲ. His father īūٲٳ had completed all preparations to meet the enemy. But īūٲԲ approached his father and said, "Father ! I am perfectly sure that no body could defeat you in battle. But see how mean it is to destroy so many lives and win the country merely for the pleasures of this fragile body. So let us go away from here. Leave the kingdom to them."
īūٲٳ, who was pleased at this generous nature of his son, respected his wish and went with his family to the Malaya mountain and lived there. Ѿٰ屹, the son of վś屹, the King of the Siddhas and īūٲԲ became close friends. One day īūٲԲ was wandering about in the forest when he saw in the middle of a garden a temple dedicated to ٱī and a young woman of exquisite beauty, surrounded by her maids, singing hymns and worshipping ٱī. īūٲԲ was attracted by her extra-ordinary beauty. Love budded in her heart also. On enquiry it was understood that she was Ѳⲹī, the sister of Ѿٰ屹. After that both of them engaged in a little talk of love-making. Hearing her mother calling, Ѳⲹī instantly went home. Being fallen head-long in love, īūٲԲ spent the night somehow or other and at dawn reached the temple with a hermit boy. While the hermit boy was consoling īūٲԲ Ѳⲹī also came there. īūٲԲ and his friend hid behind a tree. She was alone, and since she could not bear separation from her lover she decided to commit suicide and standing at the steps, she said "Devi ! If it is impossible to get that īūٲԲ as my husband in this birth, let it be so. But bless me that I may have my wish granted in the next birth at least". Saying this she tied one end of her upper garment on the tree and tried to commit suicide. Instantly there was an ethereal voice which said, "Daughter, don't do such rash things. īūٲԲ will become your husband. He will become the emperor of the վs also." īūٲԲ-came and untied the knot of the upper garment with his own hands and saved her from death. Her maid appeared and said with delight. "Friend! you are very lucky. Today I heard what prince Ѿٰ屹 said to his father վś屹. Thus he said 'Father! īūٲԲ who gave away his own Kalpaka tree for the welfare of others has come to this place. It will bring prosperity to us, if we show our hospitality to this noble guest by giving our Ѳⲹī to him. It is very difficult to get such a noble man for my sister anywhere else." The father consented. The prince instantly went to the abode of this gentleman. I think the marriage will take place today. So come, let us go home."
With his heart overflowing with joy, īūٲԲ went to his house. Ѿٰ屹 was there. He revealed the purpose of his coming. īūٲԲ, who had the remembrance of his previous births told Ѿٰ屹 that in the previous birth also they had been friends and that Ѳⲹī had been his wife. Thus their marriage took place. Delightful days of the married life passed one by one. One day īūٲԲ and Ѿٰ屹 went for a walk. They reached a forest on the seashore. Seeing some bones there īūٲԲ asked Ѿٰ屹 about them. Ѿٰ屹 said: "In ancient days ū, the mother of 岵 (serpents) made վԲ, the mother of Ҳḍa, her slave by some trick. Ҳḍa liberated his mother from slavery. But the hatred increased day by day and Ҳḍa began to eat serpents, the children of ū. Seeing this, ܰ쾱 the King of 岵 entered into a contract with Ҳḍa, so as to prevent the 岵s from being destroyed altogether. The arrangement was that ܰ쾱 would send a serpent everyday to Ҳḍa. Ҳḍa ate all those serpents sent by ܰ쾱 in this place. These are the bones of those poor snakes."
When īūٲԲ heard this story his heart was filled with pity. He decided to save the life of at least one serpent by giving his body instead. But the presence of Ѿٰ屹 was an obstacle to carry out his wish. At that particular moment a minister of վś屹 appeared there and took away Ѿٰ屹 saying that he was wanted by his father. Left alone, īūٲԲ stood there when he saw a young man coming with an old woman who was crying bitterly. On enquiry Jtmūtavāhana learned that in accordance with the agreement with Ҳḍa, the old woman was bringing her only son Śṅkūḍa to give him as food to Ҳḍa. īūٲԲ told them that he would take the place of Śṅkūḍa that day. The mother and the son reluctantly agreed to his desire. The old woman went away crying and Śṅkūḍa went to the temple.
Hearing the sound of Ҳḍa’s wings īūٲԲ laid himself on a stone and Ҳḍa taking him in his beaks flew to the top of the Malaya Mountain. On the way the jewel of īūٲԲ known as 'Cūḍāratna', which was soaked in blood fell down, in front of Ѳⲹī. Knowing that it was the jewel of her husband, with a terrible cry she ran to her father. Because of his knowledge of arts and sciences, īūٲٳ also knew everything and with his wife and daughter he went to the top of the Malaya mountain.
In the meanwhile, Śṅkūḍa, having done obeisance to 'Gokarṇanātha' (God), came back to the stone where he had left īūٲԲ and seeing a pool of fresh blood, became sad and silent. Then determining that he would save īūٲԲ at any cost, he went up the mountain following the track of the blood drops.
Ҳḍa took īūٲԲ to the peak of the mountain and began to peck at him. īūٲԲ grew more and more delightful as the pecking became harder. Ҳḍa looked at him with wonder and thought, "Surely, this is not a 岵. It must be a Gandharva or somebody else." Not knowing what to do he sat looking at his prey, who invited him to finish off his meal. By this time Śṅkūḍa had reached the spot. Soon īūٲٳ with his wife and Ѳⲹī also arrived. They all cried aloud. Ҳḍa was in great confusion. When he knew that he was about to eat the famous īūٲԲ, who had given away even the Kalpaka tree for the good of others, Ҳḍa was filled with remorse. Instantly īūٲԲ died. The parents and Śṅkūḍa cried beating their breasts. Ѳⲹī fell on the ground and cried. Then looking up she called out with tears. "Ha ! Devi ! 岹 ! you have told me that my husband would become the emperor of the վs. Has your boon become futile because of my misfortune?" ٱī appeared and said "Daughter ! My words will not become futile." Then ٱī sprinkled ṛt (ambrosia) on īūٲԲ and brought him to life. He sprang up more radiant than before, and was anointed as emperor of the վs by ٱī. When ٱī disappeared Ҳḍa who was much pleased, told īūٲԲ to ask for any boon.
īūٲԲ requested for the boon that Ҳḍa should stop eating the 岵 and that all the serpents who had been reduced to bones should be brought to life again. Ҳḍa granted him that boon. All the serpents which had been killed by Ҳḍa came to life again. All the gods and hermits came there with joy. After all had gone, īūٲԲ went with his relatives to the ᾱⲹ as the emperor of վs.* (ٳٲ岵, Saśāṅkavatī Lambaka, ղṅg 23).
*) This story is told to the king Trivikramasena by ձ. See under Trivikramasena.