Glimpses of The Devi Bhagavatam: 23. A FLEETING VISION OF GODDESS

 

INDIAN MYTHOLOGY

Glimpses of The Devi Bhagavatam:

23. A FLEETING VISION OF GODDESS

Lord Brahma and Lord Vishnu took up the challenge. Vishnu entered the nether-world to locate the platform on which Shiva stood. Brahma went up into the sky to determine his height.

Neither Vishnu nor Brahma, however deep down or however high they went up respectively, could see the beginning or the end of Shiva.

Brahma found a flower falling down. Presuming that it fell from Shiva’s head, Brahma took hold of it.

“See, I could measure Shiva’s height. This flower is the proof,” Brahma told Vishnu.

“Is this true?” Vishnu asked the flower.

“True,” replied the flower.

Vishnu did not believe the flower. “I’ll ask Shiva,” he thought. Shiva, who was by then disappearing, said, “It’s not true. The flower was coming down when Brahma caught it. He had not been able to reach my height.”

Thereafter Shiva disqualified that flower from being offered to Gods. Then Shiva laughed and Brahma and Vishnu woke up from the spell of ignorance and joined in the laughter.

The sage, after narrating this episode, said, “Now you know that even the great Gods had become victims of ignorance. There is only one way to rise above ignorance and all the sufferings that come from ignorance.”

“Which is that way? Please tell us about it,” King Surath appealed to the sage.

The sage taught them the discipline by which they should be able to invoke the Grace of the Divine Mother. At their request, he also taught them the hymns and prayers to the Divine Mother.

The king and the merchant then took leave of the sage. They chose a secluded spot on a river and devoted themselves to the worship of the Divine Mother.

They remained pure in their thoughts and actions and followed every law given to them by the sage. After two years, they had only a fleeting glimpse of the Divine Mother.

They were sad that the vision did not last; they could not offer their prayers before her. They meditated for yet another year. When they saw no result forthcoming, they prepared a fire wishing to sacrifice their lives.

But out of the fire emerged the luminous Goddess and offered to grant them the boons they desired.

King Surath wanted his kingdom back and security for his family. The boon was granted. In a few days he was found out by his subjects who threw out the usurper and restored his throne to him. He ruled happily for a long time.

The merchant had in the meanwhile lost all interest in his wealth and family. He prayed for true knowledge. His prayer, too, was granted. True knowledge flashed in his heart. He lived as a sage, in the unfailing love of the Divine Mother.

In the remote past, one of the gods to be worshipped was Twastu Prajapati. Once, out of his supernatural power, he created a luminous being called Viswarup.

Viswarup had three heads. As he grew up, he was found to be endowed with many virtues.

With one of his mouths he continuously recited hymns from the Vedas. He used his second mouth for eating and drinking. With the eyes on his third head, he could see, if he so wished, the things that were to happen.

He forgot everything when he sat in meditation. Neither a burning sun nor a heavy shower could disturb him. He remained engrossed in meditation for years at a stretch.

Indra, the King of Gods, feared that Viswarup might topple him and occupy his throne. He summoned the most charming nymphs like Urvasi and Rambha and said, “Please do whatever you can to put an end to Viswarup’s tapasya. If he is allowed to carry on with his meditation, he is sure to dethrone me.”

“O King, you need not be afraid of any ambitious mortal as long as our services are available to you. There is nobody who can resist our charm. In no time we can reduce Viswarup to a passionate man who will forget his meditation,” the proud nymphs assured Lord Indra.

They went down to the hill on which Viswarup was meditating. They sang and danced for a long time. Viswarup, who stood on one leg, lost in a particular way of penance, did not even open his eyes. After taking some rest, the nymphs danced and sang again, but to no avail.

Disappointed, they went back to Indra and said, “Viswarup is a person of great character and unusual strength. We are unable to disturb him. It is our good luck that he did not curse us.”

This only added to Indra’s anxiety. What if a person, who had such a commendable character, aspired to his position?

Indra decided to do the needful himself. He rode his elephant, Airavata, and went to Viswarup’s abode. Without giving him a chance to defend himself, Indra threw his thunderbolt at him and killed him.

Seers and hermits, who came to know of this, condemned Indra’s action in one voice. “How can Indra escape the consequences of his gruesome action?” they asked one another.

Indra returned to heaven, but he could not be in peace. What if Viswarup came back to life? Did not Viswarup’s body look unusually alive? How to make sure that his body had been totally drained of life? These questions disturbed him.