Stories from Upanishads and Purans retold by Urghiya
Goswami. My dear friends and listeners,
in today's episode I'll narrate Part 1 of the story of enmity
and battle between two birds, a sea or bank, MENA and Bakka or
Indian crane from Markande Puran which led to almost destruction
of the world. Please note that today's episode
concentrates only on the prelude part of the story and the real
interconnected web of reasons which led to this battle.
Therefore, I will narrate accounts from our other
scriptures such as Rigved, Ramayan and Mahabharata to
establish the facts as described in those scriptures.
The birds of wisdom asked Rishi Jaimini if he was eager to hear
the account of a great battle between two birds and how it
became the cause for destruction during Sage Vishwamitra's
Rajaswa Yogya. Rishi nodded in agreement, and
the birds continued their narration.
After Raja Harishchandra went to heaven, Suryavanshi Guru, the
great sage Vashishta arose from inside the river Ganga after 12
years. As soon as he emerged from the
river, he came to know everything about Raja
Harishchandra. He came to know about how Sage
Vishwamitra tricked and tested the king in the name of Dharma,
truth and promise and made him suffer like no one else.
He came to know how the most righteous king was put into a
terrible test, making him lose everything, even himself.
As he learned more and more about Sage Vishwamitra's
involvement in the atrocious fate of Raja Harishchandra, he
grew angrier and angrier at his counterpart.
He couldn't bear the event when Harishchandra was forced to sell
off his wife, son and himself and lead a life of a Chandal
just to pay off his debt and keep his promise.
Friends, the beauty of our scriptures in Sonathan is that
these stories are layered and continuously evolved through
time and age as these can be referenced through multiple
scriptures and documents. All these stories and accounts
are linked up with each other thus presenting a huge bouquet
of scriptures which must be read thoroughly to understand the end
to end account. Reason behind this is the
concept of the Shrutis and the Smritis.
The thinkers, sages and writers of these great scriptures and
texts had added in their thoughts and writings through
various ages and errors, adding on their bit to make it more and
more relevant to that period. Let me try to explain why Sage
Vashishta went underwater into a deep meditation for 12 years.
As told earlier in my episode on Raja Harishchandra, the test on
the king was a divine plan by the gods.
Sage Vishwamitra was selected to carry out that test.
Understanding the divine plan, Sage Vashishta chose to remain
underwater for 12 years. During that period, he wanted to
respect the divine strategy and wanted to avoid direct
confrontation and interference in Sage Vishwamitra's intense
spiritual challenge. It was a gesture of respect for
the Divine plan and the way to maintain the cosmic balance.
Sage Vasishta, being deeply wise and spiritually advanced,
understood that his presence might disrupt the karmic
unfolding of Harishchandra's trials and Vishwamitra's
spiritual journey. This episode highlights the
depths of spiritual discipline and mutual respect amongst Sage
even admits rivalry. It also underscores the
importance of allowing Dharma to unfold without obstruction.
However, Sage Vishwamitra and Sage Vashista were two most
powerful sages in Hindu mythology.
Known for their long standing rivalry, Sage Vashista couldn't
see Sage Vishwamitra eye to eye, although both being Brahma
Rishis. Another point to be clarified
here. When I take the name Vashta or
Vishwa Mitra, it may not mean the same individual sage.
What it means is that an individual or a sage carrying
the same Gotra of Vashta or Vishwa Mitra or they may be
direct descendants of these sages.
In this way, Vasishta or Vishwamitra became not just a
person but a post and there were many famous lineages of
Vasishtas and Vishwamitras who used to exist in different eras.
I'll create a separate content on this topic as I believe this
topic will deviate me from the current story.
On researching further on the topic of rivalry between these
two sedges, I could find 3 distinctive accounts from
Ramayan, Mahabharat and Rigved which throws in some light on
this subject. The first, king Kaushika Gadhi's
attempt to abduct Kaam Dhinu or Nandini from sage Vasishta.
Second, the curse of king Kamalashpada.
Third association of King Sudas with Sage Vasishta instead of
Sage Vishwamitra. Let's understand each of this
account in detail. The count of King Kaushika
Gadhi's attempt to steal Nandini or Kamdhenu from the ashram of
Sage Vashista is mentioned in Bal Thunder chapters 51 to 56 of
Valmiki Ramayan. The account says like this, one
day King Kaushika Gadhi of Gadhipura or Kanyakuja belonging
to Kushika dynasty went hunting in the forest near Mount Meru.
After a long hunting exercise, he was exhausted and tired.
At that time he happened to reach the divine ashram of Sage
Vashishta the second or Devraj Vashishta.
Friends, remember I set a contest earlier about the
lineages of these great sages. I have tried to align the time
period of these sages to come to a competitive timeline of when
they existed on the face of this earth.
Continuing with the account, Sage Vashta was well known for
his powers and spiritual wisdom. Seeing the exhausted king and
his large army, the sage welcomed them into his ashram
and after a bit of resting, the sage offered the king and his
army to have some food. When the king agreed, the sage
arranged A lavish feast allowing each member and soldier to eat
to their hearts content. While eating such magnanimous
and well spread feast, the king thought, how did the sage
managed to arrange such huge amount of delicious food for the
entire army? Unable to control his curious
mind, the king with folded hands asked the sage.
Oh great sage, how have you managed to conjure such lavish,
well spread feast in such a secluded forest?
Is there some divine or solutional power bestowed upon
you? Said smiled and calmly replied,
O King Kaushik, let me tell you there isn't any divine or
celestial power bestowed upon me.
All this magnificent food spread is arranged by Nandini, my calm
Dhenu cow which was gifted to my ancestor by gods during Samudra
Manthan. Nandini can produce all kinds of
riches and sustains at my command.
Hearing this, the king thought if this cow can feed an entire
army, then it would be really helpful if this cow is kept with
me. Then with folded hands conveyed
the idea to the sage. He said, Oh great sage, I would
be grateful if you give me this cow.
In exchange, I will give you 10,000 herds of cattle or even
my entire Kingdom. I'll use it to feed my soldiers
and citizens. The sage calmly denied.
Then again the king demanded this cow from the sage.
The sage refused and said, This sacred cow is essential for my
sacrifices and for sustenance of my Hermitage.
She is not for sale even for all the wealth in the world.
The king was unhappy with Sages answer.
Suddenly he got up and ordered a few of his men to drag Nandini
with them. The men tied a rope around the
neck of the cow and started to drag her out of the ashram.
During his struggle, Nandini spoke out to the sage or
everyone. Why do you allow me to be taken
away? Have I failed to serve you?
The sage replied to the cow. Oh pious one, if you do not wish
to be taken away from me, use your divine powers to stop the
men from taking you away. With Pashtas permission,
Kamdhenu created a huge army of celestial warriors.
Her tail produced the Pallavas, her pudders, the draviders and
Shakas, her womb the Yavanas, her froth and dung brought forth
ponders, Kiratas and countries. On witnessing the unexpected
advance of a formidable celestial army, King Kaushika
Gadhi commanded his own forces to engage in a battle.
The ensuing conflict was intense and ultimately resulted in
defeat of Kings Troop. Confronted with laws and
humiliation, King Kaushik Gadhi recognized the predominance of
spiritual strength over the royal might.
The ascendancy of Brahma Tejas Returning to his Kingdom, the
king resolved to pursue the path of a Rishi in search of
spiritual power. His determination to attain
aesthetic wisdom signified the transformation from a monarch to
a Rishi or a sage king. Kaushik Gari became sage vishwa
Mitra. To achieve his goal, he
renounced his throne and devoted himself to rigorous penance or
tapasya. After years of austerity, he was
blessed by Lord Shiva who imparted to him the knowledge of
celestial weaponry. Equipped with new found
spiritual prowess and divine armaments, Sage Vishwamitra
subsequently confronted Sage Vashista once more in an effort
to obtain Nandini. However, Sage Vashista counter
attack using Brahmadunda thereby neutralizing Sage Vishwamitra
celestial arsenal. After repeated failed attempts
to defeat Sage Vashta, Vishwamitra recognized that
mastering ego, anger and desire was the key to spiritual growth.
Intensifying his penance, he progressed from a Rishi to a Raj
Rishi, then to a Maharshi and finally elevated to the position
of Brahmarshi. This was the first account where
we found how antipathy between the both great sages started.
Next clash was documented in Adi Parva and Vana Parva of
Mahabharata, the counties of how King Kamlashpada of Ishqbaku
dynasty was cursed by Sage Vashtas eldest son Shakti Vashta
and how cleverly Vishwamitra used that curse to make
Kamlashpada his disciple driver. Note that Vishnu Puran,
Shivpuran, Bhagwat Puran, Agni Puran, Vayu Puran and Padma
Puran all have the same story mentioned, but each with some
differences in details of the curse and its consequences.
I'll narrate this account from the Mahabharat.
Sage Vishwamitra always wanted to make King Sauda Sir Kamlesh
Padar his disciple. However, historically Vasisthas
were always gurus of Ishqvaku kings.
King Sardar Sakam Rishabhata was a powerful and virtuous king and
was known for justice and strength.
However, one fateful day, his life was about to take a very
tragic turn. One day, while hunting in a
dense forest, he was walking through a very narrow forest
path. As he was in the middle of the
narrow forest path, he saw a young Rishi coming from the
opposite direction. The narrow forest path would
only allow one of them to pass through.
When King Kamalashpada came face to face with the young Rishi, he
came to know that he was Rishi Shakti Vashishtar, the eldest of
the hundred sons of Sage Srishta Bhaja Vashishtar.
However, blinded by his obsession of royalty and
strength, the king demanded that the young Rishi move aside and
must make way for him. The king, beholding the young
Rishi, shouted, Stand out of our way.
The Rishi calmly told the king, This is my practice.
It follows the timeless moral principles found in the text on
Duty and religion that the king should ever make way from a
Brahman. They discussed their mutual
rites of passage in a measured manner.
Each requested other to stand aside.
The sage, confident in his rightful claim, refused to
yield, while the king, motivated by pride and anger, also
declined to give the way. This was leading to an
unnecessary altercations and argument between the king and
the young Rishi. In the feet of Rage, like a
demon, the king hit the young Rishi with a whip.
This was the pinnacle of an unnecessary fight as the Rishi
in the feet of rage cursed the king.
O worst of kings, you have hit an aesthetic like a demon, so
from now on you shall become a raxious or cannibalistic demon
who will only survive eating human flesh.
At that very moment, Sage Vishwamitra was also passing by
the forest and heard them fighting and arguing for the
right of way. He saw an opportunity to make
King Kamalashpada his disciple and morally defeat the
Vasisthas. Fearing that this minor
difference would get resolved soon, he summoned the fierce
demon by the name of Kinkara and commanded him to enter the body
of the king in obedience to Shakti curse.
Once the demon possessed the kings body, Vishwamitra quickly
left the place leaving Shakti and the possessed king.
Shakti who was very hungry asked the king for a food with the
meat. The king promised to provide it
after returning and told Rishi to wait for a while.
Later, remembering his promise at midnight, Kamlesh for the
instructed his cook to find the Rishi in the forest and give him
a meal with meat. The cook, unable to find meat,
reported to the king whom being possessed by Rakshas, ordered
him to serve the Rishi a meal with human flesh.
The cook complied, but when Shakti Vasishta sensed that the
food was unholy and unworthy of eating, he cursed the king again
to crave for human flesh and wander in this earth, troubling
others. The repeated curse caused the
king to lose his senses under the Rakshas influence, deprived
of all his senses by the Raksha within him.
The king upon saying Shakti who had cursed him, declared,
Because of you have pronounced this remarkable curse on me, I
shall commence my life as a cannibal by consuming you first.
He then immediately slew Shakti and devoured him much like a
tiger praying on his chosen victim.
Witnessing Shaktis demise, Vishwamitra persistently incited
the Rakshasa, inhibiting the king against the remaining sons
of sage Vasishta. Consequently, the Rakshas soon
consumed all other sons of Vasishta.
Upon learning that all his sons had perished at the instigation
of Vishwamitra, Vasishta endured his sorrow with patience.
Akin to a state first mountain bearing the weight of the earth,
the. Wise sage, resolute in ending
his life rather than harming Rishwamitra, leapt from Mt Meru
but survived as if it were cushioned.
He tried walking into the blazing fire and drowning in the
deep sea. Yet.
All these attempts failed to end his suffering.
Unable to die, he returned trouble to his Hermitage later
on the grief. Stricken Sage Vashishta.
Bereft of his children wandered all over.
His daughter-in-law Adrishanti, carrying Shakti's child,
followed him near the banks of Bipasha and Satudri.
Rivers, her unborn child. Recited the Vedas which relieved
Vashishta of sorrow and grief. He refrained from self.
Destruction and. Returned to his ashram with
Adrishanti. There they met the cursed.
King. Kangalashpada, the king was in a
horrible state, grieved, ashamed of his heinous.
Deeds and wanted. To get rid of this Rakshasha
within him, the sage sprinkled sanctified water and chanted
holy mantras and relieved him from the curse and drove the
Rakshasha away from the kings body.
Grateful, the king pledged. Never too often, Rishis.
Again and. Requested for a son to continue
Ishq Waku lineage, Vashishta agreed and after returning to
Ayodhya, the Queen Madayanti conceived.
Through sages blessings, however.
The gestation period was 12. Long years in frustration.
The Queen lost. All her patience and cut open
her womb. With a stone resulting in the
birth of a smucker, the heir of the Ishwaku dynasty.
That was the second account from the Mahabharat when both the
sages clashed against each other.
The third account is from the old books of Rig Wade and its
about the king Sudas of Titsu Bharata clan.
According to Bharat genealogy, King Ajamidas lines split into
3. Neela Kanwa and Raksha Neelas
descendants settled in North Panchal and were ancestors of
King Dhrupad possibly forming Titsu Bharata tribe.
Rakshas descendant emperor Kuru established the Kuru Bharatas 4.
Bearers. Of Pandavas and Korovas in the
battle of Mahabharat, King Sudas of trips to Bharatas was a
young, ambitious leader who ruled.
Central Sapta Sindhu and Ganga Yamuna Dwab an.
Area with thriving cities and diverse population.
Speaking to expand his domain, he aimed to conquer territories
beyond the river Parusini, then under Anuz or Anava rule to gain
control over the powerful waters of Sapta.
Sindhu Mandala 7th of Rigved composed by Vashishta Maitra
Varuni aided Sudhas in defeating the coalition of over 10 kings
during the Battle of 10 Kings. Vishwamitra Gathin, author of
Mandala Third of Rigved was also briefly associated with Sudhas
in his campaigns beyond Sindhu river.
Both served Sudhas has praised at different times for separate
conquest. An interesting point to note is
that famous linguistic historian Mr. Srikanth Talegeri has
pointed out that Mandalas 3rd, 6th and 7th are early family
mandalas primarily written in praise of various Bharat rulers
such as Divodasa and Sudas. Mandala third was composed by
Vishwa Mitra Gathin and it houses notable hymn such as
Gayatri Mantra. So Sage Vishwa Mitra Gathin is
considered to be the composer of Gayatri Mantra.
Mandala 6th is considered to be the oldest Rig Vedic book.
This mandala was composed by the family of sage Bharadwaja
Bhaiyaspatiya and predominantly praises King Devodasa.
Mandala 7th was composed by Vashishta Maitra Varuni.
The point to note that these hymns were composed by different
priests at different times, hence we do not know which hymn
predates which. And as to mandalas fall under
the oldest of the core books of Rig Veda.
Merely going by the Mandala chronology and the hymn numbers,
the hymn composed by Vishwamitra Gathin in Mandala third might
have been written earlier than the hymns composed by Vashishta
Maitravaruni in Mandala 7th. So in that context, King Sudas
might have started his conquest towards the area near the rivers
Vipas and Suturi and then he might have ventured into
capturing lands beyond Sindhu. After being crowned as a king of
Tutsu Bharata lineage, King Sudhas wanted to consolidate his
territory which originally started near Saraswati
Rishtavati rivers to control the geographical landmasses, rivers,
cattle and thriving economy of Sapta, Sindhu and Ganga Yamuna
Dwab region. He may have extended his
territories towards West near the rivers Ripas and Sutudri and
later further to the northwest in and around river Sindhu and
then turned east towards Kikatas or Magadha.
These conquest were achieved under the priesthood of Vishwa
Mitra Gathin. Later, when Vasishta
Maitravaruni took over the mantle of priesthood, King Sudha
started expanding his control first towards the east near the
river Yamuna and then towards the West near river Parushani.
These expeditions LED into a deadly war called the Saragya
Yudh. As mentioned in Rigveda, the
Dasaraghya was just not a war or a battle which might have taken
place one fine day. Rather it was built upon a
series of interconnected events that finally led to this war.
This change of events took place throughout Sudars reign.
The initial conquest under the priesthood of Vishwa Mitra
Gathin may be precursor to main Dasaraghya war later when king
fought Dasaraghya youth under the priesthood of Vasishta
Mitravaruni. The chain of events tied to each
other changed the dynamics of the land and interrelationships
between the various clans and tribes which led to this Great
War. Perhaps it was the forgotten
epic that was never told and never immortalized as our other
popular Itihasas like Ramayan or Mahabharat.
Early on his career as a ruler of Tritsubharatha clan, King
Sudhas started his conquest under priesthood of Vishwa Mitra
Gathin. The sage helped him to conquer
lands beyond rivers Sutudri and Vipassa and later Sindhu.
Sudhas had also briefed strife with Kakatas.
All these events are recorded in Mandala Third of Rigveda.
The evidential proof of this can be deduced from the fact that
Vishwamitra Gathin is credited as the chief composer of Mandala
Third Suktas. As per Mandala 3rd Hymn 33 Slok
11, sage Vishwamitra Gathin crossed the river Sindhu along
with his clan of Kusikas and compose these hymns in praise of
rivers Vipas and Sutodhri to allow passage for his people,
the Bharatas. Later in Mandala 3rd hymn 53
Slok 11 and 12, once again Vishwamitra Gathin becomes the
royal priest of Titsubharatta king Sudhas.
He emboldens the king to perform an Ashwameda Yagya and challenge
the kings nearby to accept him as their emperor and pay their
homage to him. However, Sudhas ambition
heightened and manifold. He wanted to control beyond the
river. Sindhu must have ruffled the
feathers of the neighboring kingdoms and clans.
Sudhas had gained a lot of territories near Vipas and
Sutudhri rivers. However, Rigved does not provide
much details on these conquests. Although we don't find any
reference to Sudhas conquest in Vipas and Sutudhri in Foranikas,
we can speculate that while returning from the conquest on
the banks of Vipas and Sutudhri, Sudhas and his army have faced
Kikatas and their king named Pramagandha in the eastern
theatre. Many scholars think that
Pramagandha is the name of the king who was connected to
ancient Bihar which was called Magadha which was also known as
Kikatas. As 2 words have been synonyms in
the letter text. The important take away is that
this conflict although not very elaborated in Rig VED but can be
thought as one of the precursors to Dasaragya war under
priesthood of Vishwamitra Gathin.
Sudhas's hunger to conquer lands in all directions might have
originated from this conflict. After his conquest with Kikatas,
he might have moved back to his capital Achichatra along with
his army. Perhaps this was the time when
he and his army recuperated from the long wars and their
travelled through the demanding topographies.
After reaching his capital, he might have replenished his
weapons, armor and facilities. This school of period might have
lasted for several years. During this period, perhaps
Sudhas thought of appointing Vashishta Maitra Varuni as the
head priest instead of Vishwamitra Gathin.
Rick Bed does not tell us the real reason for his change of
priest. Reasons remain unknown and open
to various speculations. Vashishta Maitra Varoni has been
credited with composing hymns in Mandala 7th.
These hymns in Mandala 7 beautifully described the
Dasaraghya war. Although the sage has praised
Indra and thanked him for aiding Sudas in the war, The hymns
described the confederation of more than 10 kings against whom
the Tutsu Bharata king Sudas waged the war.
As the name states, the Saraghya youth literally means war of 10
kings. These hymns can be considered to
the level of an epic. Perhaps this was the Great War
sandwiched between 2 greatest etihasas of India, the period of
Ramayan when Ram Chandra Dasharathi battled the great
Asura emperor Dasagriva Ravana and the Great War of Mahabharat
in which Pandavas for their cousins, Koravas for the throne
of Hastinapur. Perhaps this was an epic in
making a story of ambition, grit and determination, a story of
struggle and determined war against a huge army, a story of
living one's dream, a story that shaped Bharat Varsha.
Perhaps we can tell Dasaragya as the second epic after the great
Ramayan. This was Dasaragya Yudh or the
War of 10 Kings for hymns. It seems that king Sudhas fought
the the Saragya youth in two different theaters with two
different set of opponents. First war was smaller in
magnitude on the banks of river Yamuna and then followed by the
main war of the Saragya which was fought on the banks of river
Parusuni. Thus, this evidence recorded in
Rig Veda also confirmed that somehow for unknown reasons, the
priesthood of Bharatha clan was handed over to Vashta Maitra
Varuni from Vishwamitra Gathin by King Sudas.
That's it. My friends, these three accounts
confirmed the long history of antipathy between Vashtas and
Vishwamitras over the ages and errors.
In my next episode, I will narrate the story of Asian
Bucker which could not be understood without understanding
the bases of enmity between these two lineages of sages.
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