Glimpses of The Devi Bhagavatam: 27. A SACRIFICE AVOIDED

 

INDIAN MYTHOLOGY

Glimpses of The Devi Bhagavatam:

27. A SACRIFICE AVOIDED

“So, you desire to take my son, do you? But the rules of the Yajna say that even an animal marked for sacrifice should have grown conscious of its existence. You cannot deem a month-old child to be conscious! You should let a few years pass so that we can perform his thread ceremony!” said the king.

Varuna said angrily, “I’m afraid, you are trying to deprive me of whatever is due to me. I hope, you don’t forget that the consequences of your action can be quite grave! I shall return when your son’s thread ceremony has been performed. If you try to play any trick on me then, I’ll throw a terrible curse upon you.”

Varuna went back. The king warned the immates of the palace and all the courtiers and officers that the prince should not come to know about the fate that was hanging round him.

But someone leaked it to the prince. He slipped away from the palace as soon as his thread ceremony was over.

When Varuna came again, the king told him, “I’m helpless. I do not know the whereabouts of the prince.”

“You’ve deceived me!” yelled the angry Varuna. He then uttered a curse that resulted in the king being beset with a disease.

The king was reduced to misery. He was already deep in sorrow on account of his son’s disappearance. Now the disease caused him much physical pain.

The prince, Lohitaksha, was hiding in a cave. From a traveller he heard about the king’s illness. He decided to return to the palace. But Indra, donning a disguise, met him on the way and told him, “Your father cannot be cured without yourself being sacrificed to Varuna. Why do you want to walk into the jaws of death?”

Lohitaksha changed his mind and returned to his cave.

One day, the king asked the royal priest, Vasishtha, “How can my ailment be cured?”

“Since you cannot sacrifice your son, better adopt a child as your son and sacrifice him. Your disease, as you know, is due to a curse. It is only by fulfilling this condition that you can be free from it,” said Vasishtha.

The king asked his minister to find out a boy who must be carrying auspicious marks on his person. The boy’s parents could be given as much compensation as would satisfy them and they should agree to the boy being sacrificed.

The minister roamed about the kingdom and found a Brahmin named Ajigarta. He had three sons, all of them bearing auspicious marks. But the eldest boy was dear to his father and the youngest was dear to his mother. The parents agreed to their second son, Sunahsefa, being taken away for the sacrifice.

Sunahsefa was a noble boy. He realised the dilemma the king was facing. He accompanied the minister willingly. People who saw him were charmed by his innocence and courage.

As soon as the minister returned in the palace along with Sunahsefa, preparations for the Yajna began.

Sunahsefa took a bath, put on new clothes, and was adorned with flowers, and taken to the platform where he was to be sacrificed, and tied to a pillar.

It so happened that sage Viswamitra reached the venue of the Yajna at that time. He took pity on the boy and asked the king to release him.

But the king was in no mood to oblige Viswamitra.

The sage then went near the boy and taught him a hymn meant for pleasing Varuna. The boy chanted the hymn with such devotion and sincerity that everybody present there shed tears. Soon Varuna appeared on the spot. He declared that the boy’s devotion had earned for the king the benefit of a sacrifice. He said it was not necessary to kill the boy.

Sunahsefa was set free and the king was also cured of his malady. All were happy.

However, Viswamitra did not forget the fact that the king had not paid any heed to his request for setting the boy free. One day, while the king was in the forest for hunting, Viswamitra appeared before him disguised as an old Brahmin. The king was persuaded to donate everything to the Brahmin and go and live in the forest.

This revengeful act of Viswamitra annoyed Vasishtha. He confronted Viswamitra and said, “You’re a deceitful person. Your meditation is no better than that of a stork who only waits to kill fish, standing with his eyes shut. Better become a stork!”

Viswamitra too cursed him. “If I am to be a stork, there is no reason why you should not become one, too!”

Consequently both of them became storks. Both lived in lake Manasarovar and often fought with each other. Once Lord Brahma appeared there and freed them from their curses and sent them back to their respective hermitages. Soon thereafter another incident took place:

Nimi, the son of Ikshvaku, was a pious and righteous king. He had founded an ideal colony for Brahmins near the hermitage of sage Gautam.

King Nimi decided to perform a special kind of Yajna. He spent a long time making preparations for it. Then he met Vasishtha, the priest of his dynasty, and requested him to perform the ritual.

“I’ve already promised Indra to conduct a Yajna dedicated to the Supreme Goddess. You’ve to wait till I finish it,” said Vasishtha.

“O sage, you’re my family priest. Isn’t it your duty to give priority to our needs? Indra can wait!” said Nimi