365bet

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 īūٲ󲹲Բ

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 īūٲ󲹲Բ was that son. When īūٲ󲹲Բ 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 īūٲ󲹲Բ 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 īūٲ󲹲Բ spread throughout the three worlds, and all the վ󲹰s 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 īūٲ󲹲Բ. His father īūٲٳ had completed all preparations to meet the enemy. But īūٲ󲹲Բ 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 īūٲ󲹲Բ became close friends. One day īūٲ󲹲Բ 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. īūٲ󲹲Բ 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, īūٲ󲹲Բ spent the night somehow or other and at dawn reached the temple with a hermit boy. While the hermit boy was consoling īūٲ󲹲Բ Ѳⲹī also came there. īūٲ󲹲Բ 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 īūٲ󲹲Բ 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. īūٲ󲹲Բ will become your husband. He will become the emperor of the վ󲹰s also." īūٲ󲹲Բ-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! īūٲ󲹲Բ 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, īūٲ󲹲Բ went to his house. Ѿٰ屹 was there. He revealed the purpose of his coming. īūٲ󲹲Բ, 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 īūٲ󲹲Բ and Ѿٰ屹 went for a walk. They reached a forest on the seashore. Seeing some bones there īūٲ󲹲Բ asked Ѿٰ屹 about them. Ѿٰ屹 said: "In ancient days ū, the mother of (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 īūٲ󲹲Բ 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, īūٲ󲹲Բ 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 Śṅk󲹳ūḍa to give him as food to Ҳḍa. īūٲ󲹲Բ told them that he would take the place of Śṅk󲹳ūḍa that day. The mother and the son reluctantly agreed to his desire. The old woman went away crying and Śṅk󲹳ūḍa went to the temple.

Hearing the sound of Ҳḍa’s wings īūٲ󲹲Բ 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 īūٲ󲹲Բ 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, Śṅk󲹳ūḍa, having done obeisance to 'Gokarṇanātha' (God), came back to the stone where he had left īūٲ󲹲Բ and seeing a pool of fresh blood, became sad and silent. Then determining that he would save īūٲ󲹲Բ at any cost, he went up the mountain following the track of the blood drops.

Ҳḍa took īūٲ󲹲Բ to the peak of the mountain and began to peck at him. īūٲ󲹲Բ grew more and more delightful as the pecking became harder. Ҳḍa looked at him with wonder and thought, "Surely, this is not a . 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 Śṅk󲹳ūḍa 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 īūٲ󲹲Բ, who had given away even the Kalpaka tree for the good of others, Ҳḍa was filled with remorse. Instantly īūٲ󲹲Բ died. The parents and Śṅk󲹳ūḍa cried beating their breasts. Ѳⲹī fell on the ground and cried. Then looking up she called out with tears. "Ha ! Devi ! ! you have told me that my husband would become the emperor of the վ󲹰s. 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 īūٲ󲹲Բ and brought him to life. He sprang up more radiant than before, and was anointed as emperor of the վ󲹰s by ٱī. When ٱī disappeared Ҳḍa who was much pleased, told īūٲ󲹲Բ to ask for any boon.

īūٲ󲹲Բ 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, īūٲ󲹲Բ went with his relatives to the ᾱⲹ as the emperor of վ󲹰s.* (ٳٲ岵, Saśāṅkavatī Lambaka, ղṅg 23).

*) This story is told to the king Trivikramasena by ձ. See under Trivikramasena.

Let's grow together!

I humbly request your help to keep doing what I do best: provide the world with unbiased sources, definitions and images. Your donation direclty influences the quality and quantity of knowledge, wisdom and spiritual insight the world is exposed to.

Let's make the world a better place together!

Like what you read? Help to become even better: