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Markandeya Purana

Once Jaimini, a disciple of sage Vedavyasa expressed his curiosity before Markandeya- 'O Lord !n the great epic Mahabharat, "hich "as created by Vedavyasa, description of #harma, $rth, %ama and Moksha appears to be intert"ined at times and at other times, it appears to be separate from one another& Vedavyasa had described the norms, the stages and the means to perform the duties in all the four stages& 'his epic contains cryptic kno"ledge of Vedas& (ence O great sage ! have approached you in order to grasp the full kno"ledge contained in Mahabharat "ith your help& )hy did Lord take human incarnation even though (e is the cause of the origin, perpetuation and destruction of the universe* (o" did #raupadi become the "ife of five +andavas* (o" did ,alaram expiate for the sin of killing a ,rahmin* (o" did #raupadi's sons give up their lives* %indly narrate all these things in detail& ' Markandeya says- 'O Muni +resently ! am engaged in evening "orship& (ence ! do not have time to narrate these things in detail& ,ut ! am telling you about the birds "hich "ill narrate you the entire content of Mahabharat& 'hose birds "ill also remove all your doubts& -ons of the great bird #rona- +ingaksha, Vibodha, -uputra, -umuk etc& stay in the caves among the hills of Vindhyachal& 'hey are proficient in Vedas& .o and ask them, they "ill remove all your doubts&' Markandeya's "ords surprised Jaimini& 'o confirm, he asked again- '!t is surprising that the birds could narrate the content of Mahabharat /ust like human beings& !t is even more surprising that they are proficient in Vedas kno"ledge, "hich is even rare to find among humans& %indly tell me ho" did they come to ac0uire such profound kno"ledge despite having being born in the form of birds& )hy do you call them as the sons of #rona*' Markandeya says- 'Long ago, a strange event took place in 1andanvan involving !ndra, #evrishi 1arad and some of the elves& One day, !ndra "as en/oying his time in the 1andanvan forest along "ith his elves& $t the same time 1arad also arrived there& !ndra "elcomed and offered him a seat& 'he elves also greeted 1arad& !ndra then said- 'Munivar 'ell me "hat you desire no"* !f you desire to listen to a song, should ! order the .andharvas or if you "ish to "atch the dance, should ! order one of my elves, Menka, 2ambha, Mishrakeshi or 3rvashi* $ny of these four can perform a seducing dance before you&' 1arad expressed his desire to "atch the dance of an elf, "ho "as superior in beauty to the other elves& 'his led to a ro" among the elves& 4ach one of them "as proud of her beauty and talent& 1arad then advised them to test their beauty by breaking sage #urvaasa's penance "ho "as at that time staying on a hilltop& $ll the elves expressed their inability to perform this task successfully& Only an elf named Vapu, driven by her haughtiness accepted to break the penance of sage #urvaasa& $ccordingly she reached the hill "here #urvaasa "as staying and began to sing

an infatuating song in her s"eet voice& Very soon, the song began to sho" its effect on #urvaasa& $ttracted by the s"eet voice, #urvaasa "ent in search of the origin of the voice and found Vapu singing at a distance& #urvaasa understood that the elf had come to break his penance& $ngrily, he cursed the elf that she "ould take birth in the lineage of the birds for sixteen years, she "ould not bear a child and ultimately "ould be killed by a "eapon to regain her heavenly abode& $fter saying this, sage #urvaasa migrated to $kashganga& ,!2'( O5 5O32 ,!2#Markandeya says - '!n the lineage of the avian %ing .arud, there "ere t"o brothers- %ank and %andhar& One day, %ank visited %ailash +arbat "here a demon Vidrayudrup, "ho "as a slave of %uber, "as en/oying privacy "ith his "ife and drinking "ine& -eeing %ank, the demon sho"ed his displeasure at his arrival at an improper time& ,ut %ank boldly asserted his right on the mountain as according to him, it belonged to all& 'he infuriated demon decapitated %ank "ith his s"ord& (earing the ne"s of his brother's killing, %andhar resolved to kill the demon& $fter performing the last rites of his brother, he also arrived on the mountain "here the demon Vidrayudrup "as still drinking "ine "ith his "ife& 'he demon lost his temper again& %andhar then challenged the demon to have a fight "ith him& $ fierce battle ensued bet"een them& 3ltimately, %andhar killed the demon& 'he demon's "ife- Madanika finding herself in a helpless situation accepted %andhar as her husband& 'hus, %andhar returned to his palace "ith a ne"ly found "ife& Madanika "as in fact the daughter of Menka, the elf and could change her guise at "ill& $fter marrying %andhar, she took the guise of the bird& 'he bird Madanika "as born as elf - Vapu in her next birth due to the curse of sage #urvaasa& %andhar named her 'aarkshi& $ ,rahmin named Mandapal had four sons& #rona "as the youngest among them and proficient in scriptures, Vedas etc& %andhar married his daughter, 'aarkshi to #rona& $fter their marriage, #rona and 'aarkshi "ere spending their time happily& 'aarkshi conceived during the same time "hen the battle of Mahabharat "as going on& $s destiny "ould have it, 'aarkshi fle" over the battlefield "here she sa" $r/una and ,hagdatt, the king of +rag/yotishpur, fighting valiantly against each other& $ccidentally an arro" aimed at ,hagdatt "ent in the direction of 'aarkshi and struck her in the abdomen and tore it apart& $s a result of this, four eggs fell on the ground& $t the same time, a huge bell fell from -upratik's neck, the elephant of ,hagdatt, and covered the eggs safely& $fter the battle of Mahabharat "as over, a sage -hami visited the battlefield& 'here he happened to spot the bell and heard faint chirping coming from underneath the bell& 'he sage removed the bell and discovered four "ingless chicks beneath it& -urprisingly he said to his disciples- 'Look 5alling of these eggs and getting safely covered by the bell simultaneously sho"s that these chicks are no ordinary birds&' 'hen he instructed his disciples to carry the eggs to the hermitage and keep it securely at a place safe from predators& 'he disciples did as told&

,!2#- M!.2$'4 'O V!1#(6$7($L -age -hami thereafter began to foster the chicks in his hermitage& )ith time, the chicks gre" feathers and began to fly here and there& ,ut every time the birds "ent out, they returned to the hermitage by evening& 'he birds also gained Vedic kno"ledge by hearing the discourses, "hich sage -hami used to give daily to his disciples& One day, "hen sage -hami "as preaching his disciples, the birds arrived there and said- 'O great sage 6ou are like our father because you have protected us& 6ou are our teacher also because "e have gained kno"ledge from you& 1o" "e have gro"n up, kindly tell us "hat should "e do*'& 'he birds speaking like learned people ama8ed the sage as "ell as his disciple& (e asked the birds- ''ell us, ho" did you speak so clearly and is there any curse behind your present condition*'& 'he birds replied- 'O sage Long ago, there used to live a sage, Vipulasvan& (e had t"o sons- -ukrish and 'umbaru& !n our previous birth, "e "ere the sons of -ukrish& )hen our father and uncle performed 6agya, "e brought them all the re0uired materials& One day, !ndra arrived at our hermitage disguised as an aged bird& 'he aged bird "as starving, hence "e re0uested our father to provide him "ith some food& 3pon en0uiring by our father, the bird expressed his desire to eat human flesh& Our father tried to dissuade the bird but it did not give up its insistence& 'hen our father called us and said that he had promised the bird to feed it "ith human flesh& -o, "e "ere asked to donate our body in order to satisfy the bird's hunger& ,ut being frightened, "e expressed our inability to meet the demand of the starving bird& 'his infuriated our father for "e "ere violating his promise that he had made to the bird& (e then cursed us to take birth as birds in our next life and himself got ready to donate his body& $s our father "as breathing his last, !ndra resumed his real self and said- 'O great sage ! took this guise only to test your character& %indly forgive me and tell me "hat you desire no"*' !ndra blessed our father to have divine kno"ledge and penance free from all obstacles& 'hereafter "e also fell at our father's feet and begged for his pardon& )e re0uested him to take back his "ords but he said that his "ords "ould not go futile& ,ut still he blessed us to have supreme kno"ledge even in the form of birds&' 7oncluding their talk, the birds said- 'O lord 'hus controlled by destiny, our father cursed us& $fter sometime, "e took birth in bird form in the battlefield "here you found us and fostered us in your hermitage& 1o" "e are strong enough to fly long distances& -o kindly free us from your obligation&' (earing the "ords of the birds, sage -hami said to his disciples- 'Look ! had already told you that these birds "ere no ordinary creatures& 'hey even survived the battle of Mahabharat& !t sho"s their greatness&' 'hen sage -hami granted them permission to migrate to the Vindhyachal& 'he birds decided to pass their time by studying the Vedas and doing penance as long as they stayed there& #!V!14 +L$6- O5 .O#

-age Jaimini reached Vindhyachal and arrived before the birds as per Markandeya's instructions& (e said- 'O birds ! am Jaimini, the disciple of Vedavyasa& ! have come here "ith a desire to have your glimpse&' 'he birds "elcomed him saying- '!t is our great fortune that you have arrived here& 6our arrival has made us feel as if .od himself has arrived&' Jaimini said- 'O learned birds %indly listen to the purpose of my visit& -age Markandeya instructed me to come here and see you& 6ou kindly ans"er my 0uestions that ! have in the context of Mahabharat&' 'he birds assured him of every possible explanation as per their kno"ledge& -age Jaimini proceeded- ')hy did Lord take human incarnation even though (e is the cause of the origin, perpetuation and destruction of the universe* (o" did #raupadi come to be the 0ueen of five +andavas* (o" did ,alaram expiate for the sin of killing a ,rahmin* (o" "ere #raupadi's sons attain martyrdom* %indly narrate all these things in detail&' 'he birds say- ''he omnipotent, omniscient and the omnipresent $lmighty .od is "orshipped even by the deities& )e salute that Lord Vishnu "ho is the originator of this universe and "ho pervades every"here& )e salute ,rahma from "hose four mouths, the Vedas appeared and sanctified all the three "orlds& )e bo" do"n at the feet of Mahadev& 'hose sages "ho have metaphysical kno"ledge assert that 1arayan exists in four forms, "hich are both tangible and intangible& (is first form is Vasudev, appearance of "ho is more imaginative in nature& 'his form exists every"here and in every ages& 'he second form of 1arayan is the one that bears the earth on his head& 'his form of god is kno"n as -hesh& ,eing 'aamasi in nature, this form has taken a serpent incarnation& 'he third form of .od exhibits his divine po"er and plays& !t fosters all the creatures, protects religion, and is kno"n as +radyumna& 6et another form of .od kno"n as $niruddh rests on the serpent's bed in the abysmal depth of "ater& !t carries out the task of creation& 'he third form of .od destroys the irreligious demons& !n the past, this same form rescued the earth from the abyss in the incarnation of a boar 9Varaha avatar: and killed the demon %ing (iranyakashipu in the form of 1arsimha 9lion face "ith human body:& 'his same form of .od has appeared no" in Lord %rishna's incarnation& #2$3+$#!'- 5!V4 (3-,$1#'he birds say- '5rightened by the severe penance of 'rishira, !ndra killed him to protect his authority and po"er& ,ut the sin of killing a ,rahmin took a"ay !ndra's radiance& 'rishira "as the son of '"ashta& '"ashta became furious at his son's death& (e plucked one strand of hair from his hair-lock and offered it in the sacrificial fire& 'his resulted into the creation of a formidable and strong demon named Vritrasur& 'his demon "as created "ith the ob/ective of killing !ndra& Learning about the birth of Vritrasur, !ndra sent -aptarishis as emissaries to "ork out a pact "ith the demon& 'he -aptarishis effected a friendship bet"een

!ndra and Vritrasur& ,ut !ndra had other ideas& (e took Vritrasur by surprise and killed him& 'his deceitful action of !ndra further enraged the clans of the demons& -oon the atrocities of the demons increased to unbearable limits& 4ven +rithvi felt unable to bear the burden of their atrocities& -he approached the deities and re0uested them to get her rid of the burden& 'hus, to relieve +rithvi of her burden, the deities began to take incarnation on earth& #harma and Vayu implanted !ndra's radiance in the "omb of %unti& 'his resulted in the birth of 6udhishthir and ,heema& 'hen !ndra himself produced $r/una from %unti& 1akul and -ahadev "ere born because of !ndra's radiance implanted by $sh"ini kumars in the "omb of Madri& 'hus all the five +andavas originated from the same source even though they appeared as distinct entities, "hereas #raupadi "as none other than -huchi, the "ife of !ndra, produced from the altar in #rupad's palace& !n human incarnation, #raupadi got five +andavas as her husband& 4;+!$'!O1 O5 ,$L$2$M -hri %rishna's brother ,alaram had remained impartial in the battle of Mahabharat& !nstead of championing the cause either for the +andavas or for the %auravas, he had preferred to go on a pilgrimage& (is "ife 2evati also accompanied him on this pilgrimage& Once "hile travelling, ,alaram drank toddy and entered a beautiful garden kno"n as 2aivat& 'aking a stroll, ,alaram and 2evati then reached a hut& !n the hut, many ,rahmins "ere sitting and listening to -uta/i's oration& )hen the ,rahmins sa" ,alaram, they stood up and felicitated him& Only -uta/i did not stand up& ,alaram felt insulted and at once killed him& )hen ,alaram regained his composure after the intoxication receded, he felt guilty for his deed& (is belief that killing of -uta "ould enable him to attain a place in ,rahma loka proved to be based on false notion as the ,rahmins had shunned him for his deed& $fter ,alaram realised his folly, he began to curse himself and resolved to observe a t"elve-year long fast in order to expiate for his sin& 'hereafter, ,alaram migrated to a place of pilgrimage kno"n as +ratiloma -aras"ati to carry out his expiation& %!LL!1. O5 #2$3+$#!'- -O1!n 'reta 6ug, there "as a king named (arishchandra& Once he "as hunting in the Mahabaahu forest "hen suddenly, he heard loud cries of a "oman- '-ave me -ave me ' !t "as follo"ed by the cries of many "omen& (earing those cries, %ing (arishchandra shouted loudly- '#on't be afraid' and dashed in the direction of the cries& 'he cries ho"ever "ere an illusion created by Vighnara/, the lord of the obstacles& $t that time "hen %ing (arishchandra heard those cries, sage Vish"amitra "as observing severe penance in the forest& !n order to test (arishchandra's virtuosity, Vighnara/ entered his body& $s soon as Vighnara/ entered (arishchandra's body, (arishchandra lost his temper and began to abuse Vish"amitra, "hich enraged him& (is anger destroyed all the

kno"ledge, he had ac0uired due to his severe penance& -eeing the angry Vish"amitra, %ing (arishchandra began to shiver& )ith folded hands, he begged Vish"amitra's pardon& (e said- 'O great sage !t is my duty to protect the sub/ects& %indly forgive me& 6our "rath could greatly affect the performance of my duties as a king& Vish"amitra said- 'O king !f you are a true follo"er of religion, tell me, "ho should be given a donation* )ho should be protected and "ho should be fought "ith*' (arishchandra ans"ered- 'O great penancer #onations should be made only to such a ,rahmin "ho indulges in fast and religious actions& +rotection should be extended to those "ho are afraid and battle should be fought "ith enemies&' Vish"amitra said- '!f you are a religious king, give me #akshina 9donation: as ! am a ,rahmin seeking salvation&' (arishchandra said- ''ell me your desire& ! am ready to grant it& Vish"amitra said- 'O king Just presume that ! have received "hatever you "ould donate me& 1o", give me #akshina for the 2a/suya 6agya&' (arishchandra said- '$sk me "hatever you "ish to have as the #akshina of 2a/suya 6agya&' Vish"amitra said- 'O king .ive me all you have except your o"n body, your "ife and child&' 5eeling pleased, %ing (arishchandra granted "hat Vish"amitra desired& Vish"amitra said- 'O king 'ell me, "ho is the lord of your kingdom*' (arishchandra said- '-ince the moment ! have presented this kingdom to you, you are its master&' Vish"amitra said- '!f ! am the master of this kingdom, "hat are you doing here* Leave at once ,ut before leaving, remove all your clothes, ornaments and other royal insignia and go out "earing tree's bark only&' 'hus after losing his kingdom, %ing (arishchandra got ready to leave "ith his "ife -haivya and son 2ohit& Vish"amitra then intercepted him and said')here are you going "ithout paying a #akshina for 2a/suya 6agya& (arishchandra said- 'O lord ! have donated my "hole kingdom& 1o" only our bodies remain "ith us& )hat can ! give you no"*' Vish"amitra said- '6ou cannot leave "ithout paying a #akshina because you have promised me&' (arishchandra said- '#on't be angry, O ,rahmin ! have nothing at present in my position but ! "ill definitely pay you your #akshina in due time&' Vish"amitra said angrily- '-pecify the time period "ithin "hich you "ill give me my #akshina or else be ready to get cursed by me&' (arishchandra said- '! "ill pay the #akshina "ithin a month&' 'hereafter, (arishchandra started to live in seclusion "ith his "ife and children& -eeing the king's pitiable condition, his entire sub/ects began to follo" him& -eeing their condition, (arishchandra halted and took a look on his sub/ects& $t the same time, sage Vish"amitra also arrived there and began to curse (arishchandra for having attachment to"ards his sub/ects& (earing the harsh "ords of Vish"amitra, (arishchandra left the kingdom "ith his "ife -haivya and son 2ohit& 'o drive the king a"ay as soon as possible, Vish"amitra began to beat the 0ueen's back "ith a stick& Vish"amitra's abhorrent action enraged the five guardian deities of the directions and they condemned him& 4nraged Vish"amitra cursed them- 'O sinners .o and take birth as human beings&' 'his curse of Vish"amitra frightened the deities& 'hey begged his pardon& +leased by their prayers,

Vish"amitra said- 'My "ords cannot be undone& ,ut despite having incarnation of human beings, you "ill remain bachelors throughout your life& 6ou "ill never feel attachment and allurement for anybody&' 'hus due to Vish"amitra's curse, those five guardian deities took birth as the five sons of #raupadi& #ronacharya's son, $sh"atthama, ultimately killed them& %!1. ($2!-(7($1#2$ $fter being thro"n out from his kingdom by Vish"amitra, (arishchandra reached the holy to"n of Varanasi, "hich "as an abode of Lord Mahadev& 'here (arishchandra sa" Vish"amitra standing before him& Vish"amitra said'$ month has been completed no"& 1o", give me my #akshina&' (arishchandra said- ''here is still half an hour in the completion of this month& +lease "ait& ! "ill give your #akshina&' Vish"amitra said- '! "ill come after half an hour&' -aying this, Vish"amitra departed& )hen Vish"amitra left, (arishchandra started to "orry as to "hat "ould happen to him in his next birth if he did not keep his promise made to a ,rahmin& -eeing him perplexed, 0ueen -haivya tried to console him& -he said'Man re0uires a "ife only to produce a child& 1o" "e already have a child2ohit& (ence ! am no longer useful for you& 6ou sell me and pay the ac0uired "ealth as #akshina to the ,rahmin&' (arishchandra fainted after hearing his "ife's "ords& 'he 0ueen began to "ail at her husband's condition& 'hus "ailing, the 0ueen also fell unconscious& 'he little 2ohit also felt perplexed by his parent's condition& (e began to cry- 'O father O mother ! am hungry& .ive me food&' $t the same time, Vish"amitra arrived there in the guise of %aal& $fter sprinkling "ater on (arishchandra's face, he made him conscious and said- 'O king .et up and pay my #akshina& 6our sorro"s "ill increase if you do not fulfil your promise&' (arishchandra "as regaining his consciousness slo"ly but seeing Vish"amitra he fainted once again& 'his further enraged Vish"amitra& (e said- 'O king !f you have even slightest of respect for #harma, give my #akshina at once& ! "ill "ait till evening and curse you if you fail to pay my #akshina&' -aying this Vish"amitra departed& 'he fear of the curse began to terrorise (arishchandra& Mean"hile the 0ueen also regained consciousness& -he once again insisted to sell her in order to pay the #akshina& 'his time, (arishchandra accepted her proposal and took the 0ueen to the to"nship& 'here addressing the cro"d, he said- 'O dear citi8ens, kindly listen to me& ! am selling my "ife "ho is dearer to me than my o"n life& $nybody interested in buying her, please do so before evening&' $n old ,rahmin stepped for"ard from the cro"d and said- '! "ill buy her&' (earing his "ords, (arishchandra became extremely sad that he could not even utter a "ord& 'he ,rahmin then stuffed the money in the bark clothes of (arishchandra and began to drag the 0ueen by her hair& 'he boy 2ohit began to cry holding the hem of her mother& -eeing the condition of her son, the 0ueen re0uested the ,rahmin- 'O $rya %indly let me see the face of my child for once&' 'hen the 0ueen turned to"ards 2ohit and said- 'O son 6our mother is no longer free no"& -he has become a slave& #o not touch me because ! have become an untouchable&' 'hen the old ,rahmin began to forcibly drag the 0ueen "ith him& 2ohit also

follo"ed them crying loudly for his mother& 'he old ,rahmin angrily kicked him& ,ut still the boy did not give up follo"ing them& $t last, the 0ueen re0uested the ,rahmin- 'O lord ! "ill not be able to serve you "ithout my son& -o kindly buy him also&' (earing the "ords of the 0ueen, the ,rahmin once again stuffed some more money in the clothes of (arishchandra and tied the boy "ith the 0ueen and began to drag both of them& Mean"hile Vish"amitra also appeared there and demanded the #akshina& (arishchandra gave him all the money he had got from selling his "ife and son& -eeing that amount of money, Vish"amitra boiled "ith anger and said- 'O "retched among the %shatriyas 6ou call this small amount of money as #akshina 1o" look at the po"ers of my penance&' (arishchandra trembled "ith fear and said- 'O lord +lease "ait a little more&' Vish"amitra said- '1o" only, a 0uarter of the day remains& ! "ill "ait only for this period and not more&' -aying this, Vish"amitra "ent a"ay& )ith stooped face, (arishchandra once again said addressing the cro"d- '1o" ! am available for sale& )hoever "ishes to buy me, please come for"ard before sunset&' #harma in the guise of a 7handaal stepped for"ard from the cro"d& (e had a huge stinking body& (e said- '! "ill buy you&' (arishchandra asked- ')ho are you*' 'he 7handaal said- '! am a 7handaal& My name is +raveer and ! am the resident of this very to"n&' (arishchandra thought- '!t is better to accept the curse than accepting the slavery of a 7handaal&' $t the same time, Vish"amitra also arrived there and said angrily''his 7handaal is ready to pay you a lot of money& )hy don't you then pay my #akshina*' (arishchandra said- 'O lord ! am born in -uryavansh& $ccepting the slavery of a 7handaal causes great pain for me& ! have no money no"& -ince no" on"ards, ! "ill be your slave and do "hatever you "ill ask me to do&' Vish"amitra said- '!f you are my slave and ready to obey me, then ! sell you to this 7handaal for <=== gold coins& .o and become his slave&' 'he 7handaal then presented many villages that "ere spread over an area of <== 6o/ans to Vish"amitra and tying (arishchandra "ith a rope dragged him to his to"n& !n the 7handaal's house, (arishchandra contemplated- ''he 0ueen must be thinking that ! "ould soon get her freed from the slavery of the old ,rahmin after paying his dues& ,ut she does not kno" that ! myself have become the slave of a 7handaal&' $fter a fe" days, the 7handaal appointed (arishchandra as the supervisor of the cremation place and instructed him to be there present all the time and to cremate each dead body only after thorough investigation& (e also instructed him to collect the toll for cremating every dead body and divide it in such a "ay that one sixth part of the toll goes to the king and from the remaining five parts, three parts should be reserved for him he should take only the remaining t"o parts as his remuneration& -ince that day, (arishchandra began to live in the cremation ground& (e al"ays remembered the glorious days of his kingdom, his 0ueen and his son& (e had great regret that /ust because of the anger of Vish"amitra, he lost everything& Very soon, his ne" found occupation began to sho" on his appearance& (is hair gre" long and "as unkempt, his body dry and stinking& !n this guise, he began to roam in the cremation ground al"ays carrying a stick in his hand& (is "hole day passed in the assessment of the cremation toll and its division among the various claimants& (e had lost his mental stature as he even forgot the count of the days and could not distinguish bet"een the day and night&

One day, a snake bit 2ohit as a result of "hich, he died& -haivya brought 2ohit, crying and "ailing to the cremation ground& 4ven in the unkempt guise, she recognised (arishchandra& (earing her "ailing, (arishchandra "ent near her expecting to get the clothes of the deceased& 'here he sa" a "oman carrying a dead boy "rapped in a black cloth& (e could not recognise 0ueen -haivya but the royal appearance of the boy forced him to think- ''o "hich royal family did this unfortunate boy belong to* (o" pitiable, the cruel %aal did not even spare this boy& My son 2ohit "ould have attained the same age by no"&' (is silence further hurt the 0ueen "ho said- 'O lord O king (o" come, you have been living here "ithout caring for your "ife and son* )e have already lost our kingdom& 1o", "e have lost our son also& O destiny #id you not destroy everything of (arishchandra*' (arishchandra began to think "ho that "oman could be and "ho that dead boy "as* '!sn't she my "ife*' 'hus recognising his "ife and dead son, (arishchandra began to cry loudly and fainted& 'he 0ueen after seeing her husband's condition fainted too& $fter sometime both of them regained their consciousness& 'hen the king took the dead boy in his lap and once again fainted& >ueen -haivya began to "onder "hy (arishchandra "as staying in the cremation ground& 5or a moment, she forgot her sorro" and began to look at her fainted husband& 'hen she noticed the stick in (arishchandra's hand& 3sually 7handaals used to carry that kind of stick& -he became de/ected "ith the thought that she had become the "ife of a 7handaal& -he then began to curse the destiny and began to "ail embracing %ing (arishchandra and said- 'O king ! don't kno" "hether ! am dreaming or it is a reality& ! have lost the po"er of thinking&' (earing the "ords of the 0ueen, the king opened his eyes and narrated the "hole events that led to his becoming a 7handaal& 'hen the 0ueen narrated her experiences and ho" their son 2ohit died because of snakebite& (arishchandra fell on the ground and began to hug his dead son& (e "as "ailing- '(o" unfortunate ! am that even my "ishes are not under my control& )ithout the permission of the 7handaal, ! cannot even commit self-immolation& ,ut no", ! "ill not differentiate bet"een the sin and virtuosity& ! "ill destroy my body in the pyre of my son&' 'he 0ueen said- 'O king ! am also unable to bear the burden of sorro"s& ! "ill also commit immolation "ith you& 'hen all three of us "ill stay unitedly in the heaven& !t "on't matter to us even if "e suffer the tortures of hell&' 'hen the king arranged a huge pyre and put his dead son on it& )ith the 0ueen, he began to pray to .od& Just then all the deities arrived there led by #harma& -age Vish"amitra also accompanied them& 'hey praised (arishchandra& 'hen #harma, !ndra and Vish"amitra came closer to the king& #harma said- 'O king 6ou have satisfied me "ith your merits like patience, endurance, truthfulness etc&' !ndra said- '(arishchandra, you are very fortunate& 6ou have "on our hearts along "ith your "ife and son& 6ou have even "on the heaven "ith your action& ! invite you to stay in heaven along "ith your "ife and son&' 'hen !ndra sprinkled ambrosia on the dead 2ohit& 2ohit got up and sat up in no time& (arishchandra, his "ife and son 2ohit "ere clad in divine clothes and garlands& !ndra invited them to stay in the heaven forever but (arishchandra said- 'O king of the deities )ithout the permission of this 7handaal, ! cannot go any"here&

' #harma said- 'O king ! had learnt in advance about the miseries you "ould suffer in future& 'hat's "hy ! took the guise of a 7handaal and sho"ed you all the grotes0ue action&' !ndra once again invited them to heaven but once again, (arishchandra refused saying that in %oshal, people must have been living mournfully in his absence& '! cannot leave them in that pitiable condition to en/oy the comforts of the heaven', said (arishchandra& 'hen, !ndra, #harma and Vish"amitra led (arishchandra to $yodhya, the capital of %oshal& 'here they carried out the coronation of 2ohit& 'hereafter, they took (arishchandra and his 0ueen -haivya to the heaven& '(4 -'O2% $1# '(4 +$2'2!#.4 'he birds say- O great sage Jaimini )hen, %ing (arishchandra attained his heavenly abode, their family priest, sage Vashishta re-emerged from "ater& (e came to kno" about the entire development& (e "as angry at Vish"amitra's stubbornness& (e at once cursed Vish"amitra to become a stork& On the other hand Vish"amitra cursed Vashishta to become a partridge& 'hus both of them turned into birds and began to fight& 'heir fight caused great panic all around& $t last accompanied by the deities, ,rahma himself arrived at the scene and dissuaded the birds from fighting& ,ut ,rahma could not convince them and they continued to fight& ,rahma then destroyed their avian appearances and both the sages regained their original form& 'heir enemity too ended at the same time& ,rahma explained to them that Vish"amitra had not done any harm to (arishchandra& !n fact he had felicitated (arishchandra's ascend to the heaven& ,oth the sages felt ashamed and they embraced each other before leaving for their respective hermitages& ,!2'( O5 L!V!1. 724$'324Jaimini says- O great birds, ho" does a living being take birth* (o" does it gro" in the "omb bearing all the pain* (o" does it gro" after taking birth* )hat happens to the soul after death* (o" does it experience the fruits of his %armas* 'he greatest surprise is ho" does a little foetus survive in the "omb& %indly clear all these doubts& ,irds say- Once upon a time, a ,rahmin lived along "ith his son- -umati& One day, the ,rahmin instructed -umati to study Vedas under the tutelage of a teacher and himself "ent to the forest to attain ,rahmagyan- the kno"ledge "hich frees the soul from transmigration& ,ut due to his la8iness, -umati did not pay heed to his father& )hen his father repeated his instruction, he simply laughed and said- 'O father ! kno" everything& ! have studied all the Vedas in my various births& ! have experienced the darkness of mother's belly for many times& ! have suffered thousand kinds of diseases in my previous lives& ! have experienced the authority as "ell as slavery in my previous births& ! had killed as "ell as got killed by others& (ence, ! feel, ! have all the kno"ledge and ! am sure that ! "ill definitely attain ,rahmapad&' -umati's father "as pleased at his son's claims and asked him ho" he attained such virtuosity&

-umati said- 'O father ! "as a ,rahmin in my previous birth& ! had attained the designation of $charya& $fter sometime, ! became a recluse& ! "as blessed "ith an extraordinary memory, "hich ! retained even after my death& 'his is the reason "hy ! remember the self kno"ledge attained in my previous birth& )ith the support of this kno"ledge and religious virtues, ! "ill attempt to attain salvation& 'ell me "hat you expect from me& ! "ill try to fulfil your expectations&' 'he ,rahmin then asked many 0uestions related to life and death& -umati explained those 0ueries thus? 'hose "ho never tell a lie, "ho have faith and devotion, only such people die peacefully& )hoever's mind is free from the evils like %ama, %rodh, Moha, #"esh etc& 9lust, anger, affection, /ealousy etc&: and "ho are altruistic in nature and make donations liberally die in peace& 'hose "ho lack these virtues suffer great pain at the time of death& $s soon as such people sight 6amadoot they begin to cry and call their relatives& ,ut their relatives do not understand their calls& 'hen the dying person turns a"ay his eyes and grasps for breath& (e feels great pain "hen his soul leaves his body& 4ven after death, sufferings of such people do not end& 'hey have to undergo scores of tortures in hell& 'hose "ho donate umbrella, shoes, clothes and cereals attain heaven& 'he sinners on the other hand pass through different hells and take birth as inferior creature in their next lives& $fter continuous transmigration through lo"er life forms, these sinners once again take birth as human beings but are imperfect& 'hey remain d"arf, hunched or have any other deformity& 'hen they pass through all the four castes- -hudra, Vaishya, %shatriya and ,rahmin classes& $s their action improves, they might even attain the position of !ndra&'

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