Chapter CXV.
Then
king Brahmadatta said to those celestial swans, “How did Muktáphalaketu kill
that Vidyuddhvaja? And how did he pass through the state of humanity inflicted
on him by a curse, and regain Padmávatí? Tell me this first, and afterwards you
shall carry out your intentions.” When those birds heard this, they began to
relate the story of Muktáphalaketu as follows.
Story of Muktáphalaketu and Padmávatí.
Once
on a time there was a king of the Daityas named Vidyutprabhá, hard for gods to
conquer. He, desiring a son, went to the bank of the Ganges, and with his wife
performed asceticism for a hundred years to propitiate Brahmá. And by the
favour of Brahmá, who was pleased with his asceticism, that enemy of the gods
obtained a son named Vidyuddhvaja, who was invulnerable at their hands.
That
son of the king of the Daityas, even when a child, was of great valour; and one
day seeing that their town was guarded on all sides by troops, he said to one
of his companions, “Tell me, my friend, what have we to be afraid of, that this
town is thus guarded on all sides by troops?” Then his companion said to him,
“We have an adversary in Indra the king of the gods; and it is on his account
that this system of guarding the town is kept up. Ten hundred thousand
elephants, and fourteen hundred thousand chariots, and thirty hundred thousand
horsemen, and a hundred millions of footmen guard the city in turn for one
watch of the night, and the turn of guarding comes round for every division in
seven years.”
When
Vidyuddhvaja heard this, he said, “Out on such a throne, that is guarded by the
arms of others, and not by its own might! However, I will perform such severe
asceticism, as will enable me to conquer my enemy with my own arm, and put an
end to all this insolence of his.” When Vidyuddhvaja had said this, he put
aside that companion of his, who tried to prevent him, and without telling his
parents, went to the forest to perform penance.
But
his parents heard of it, and in their affection for their child, they followed
him, and said to him, “Do not act rashly, son; severe asceticism ill befits a
child like you. Our throne has been victorious over its enemies; is there one
more powerful in the whole world? What do you desire to get by withering
yourself in vain? Why do you afflict us?” When Vidyuddhvaja’s parents said this
to him, he answered them, “I will acquire, even in my childhood, heavenly arms
by the force of asceticism; as for our empire over the world being unopposed by
enemies, do I not know so much from the fact that our city is guarded by troops
ever ready in their harness?”
When
the Asura Vidyuddhvaja, firm in his resolution, had said so much to his
parents, and had sent them away, he performed asceticism to win over Brahmá. He
continued for a period of three hundred years living on fruits only, and
successively for similar periods living on water, air, and nothing at all. Then
Brahmá, seeing that his asceticism was becoming capable of upsetting the system
of the world, came to him, and at his request gave him the weapons of Brahmá.
He said, “This weapon of Brahmá cannot be repelled by any weapon except the
weapon of Paśupati Rudra, which is unattainable by me. So, if you desire
victory, you must not employ it unseasonably.” When Brahmá had said this, he
went away, and that Daitya went home.
Then
Vidyuddhvaja marched out to conquer his enemies with his father, and with all
his forces, who came together to that great feast of war. Indra, the ruler of
the gods’ world, heard of his coming, and kept guard in heaven, and when he
drew near, marched out to meet him, eager for battle, accompanied by his friend
Chandraketu, the king of the Vidyádharas, and by the supreme lord of the
Gandharvas, named Padmaśekhara. Then Vidyuddhvaja appeared, hiding the heaven
with his forces, and Rudra and others came there to behold that battle. Then
there took place between those two armies a battle, which was involved in
darkness by the sun’s being eclipsed with the clashing together of missiles; and
the sea of war swelled high, lashed by the wind of wrath, with hundreds of
chariots for inflowing streams, and rolling horses and elephants for marine
monsters.
Then
single combats took place between the gods and Asuras, and Vidyutprabhá, the
father of Vidyuddhvaja, rushed in wrath upon Indra. Indra found himself being
gradually worsted by the Daitya in the interchange of missiles; so he flung his
thunderbolt at him. And then that Daitya, smitten by the thunderbolt, fell
dead. And that enraged Vidyuddhvaja so that he attacked Indra. And, though his
life was not in danger, he began by discharging at him the weapon of Brahmá;
and other great Asuras struck at him with other weapons. Then Indra called to
mind the weapon of Paśupati, presided over by Śiva himself, which immediately
presented itself in front of him; he worshipped it, and discharged it among his
foes. That weapon, which was of the nature of a destroying fire, consumed the
army of the Asuras; but Vidyuddhvaja, being a child, only fell senseless when
smitten by it; for that weapon does not harm children, old men, or fugitives.
Then all the gods returned home victorious.
And
Vidyuddhvaja, for his part, who had fallen senseless, recovered his senses
after a very long time, and fled weeping, and then said to the rest of his
soldiers, who had assembled; “In spite of my having acquired the weapon of
Brahmá, we were not victorious to-day, though victory was in our grasp; on the
contrary we were defeated. So I will go and attack Indra, and lose my life in
battle. Now that my father is slain, I shall not be able to return to my own
city.” When he said this, an old minister of his father’s said to him, “The
weapon of Brahmá, discharged unseasonably, is too languid to contend with other
weapons discharged, for that great weapon was to-day overcome by the weapon of
Śiva, which will not brook the presence of others. So you ought not
unseasonably to challenge your victorious enemy, for in this way you will
strengthen him and destroy yourself. The calm and resolute man preserves his own
life, and in due time regains might, and takes revenge on his enemy, and so
wins a reputation esteemed by the whole world.”
When
that old minister said this to Vidyuddhvaja, he said to him, “Then go you and
take care of my kingdom, but I will go and propitiate that supreme lord Śiva.”
When
he had said this, he dismissed his followers, though they were loth to leave
him, and he went with five young Daityas, companions of equal age, and
performed asceticism on the bank of the Ganges, at the foot of mount Kailása.
During the summer he stood in the midst of five fires, and during the winter in
the water, meditating on Śiva; and for a thousand years he lived on fruits
only. For a second thousand years he ate only roots, for a third he subsisted
on water, for a fourth on air, and during the fifth he took no food at all.
Brahmá
once more came to grant him a boon, but he did not shew him any respect: on the
contrary he said, “Depart, I have tested the efficiency of thy boon.” And he
remained fasting for another period of equal duration, and then a great volume
of smoke rose up from his head; and Śiva manifested himself to him, and said to
him, “Choose a boon.” When thus addressed, that Daitya said to him, “May I,
Lord, by thy favour slay Indra in fight!” The god answered, “Rise up! There is
no distinction between the slain and the conquered; so thou shalt conquer Indra
and dwell in his heaven.”
When
the god had said this, he disappeared, and Vidyuddhvaja, considering that the
wish of his heart was attained, broke his fast, and went to his city. There he
was welcomed by the citizens, and met by that minister of his father’s, who had
endured suffering for his sake, and who now made great rejoicing. He then
summoned the armies of the Asuras, and made preparation for battle, and sent an
ambassador to Indra to warn him to hold himself in readiness for fight. And he
marched out, hiding with his banners the sky, which he clove with the
thunderous roar of his host, and so he seemed to be fulfilling the wish of the
inhabitants of heaven. And Indra, for his part, knowing that he had returned
from winning a boon, was troubled, but after taking counsel with the adviser of
the gods, he summoned his forces.
Then
Vidyuddhvaja arrived, and there took place between those two armies a great
battle, in which it was difficult to distinguish between friend and foe. Those
Daityas, who were headed by Subáhu, fought with the wind-gods, and Pingáksha
and his followers with the gods of wealth, and Mahámáya and his forces with the
gods of fire, and Ayaḥkáya and his hosts
with the sun-gods, and Akampana and his warriors with the Siddhas; some other
Daityas fought with the Vidyádharas, and the rest with the Gandharvas and their
allies. So a great battle continued between them for twenty days, and on the twenty-first
day the gods were routed in fight by the Asuras.
And
when routed, they fled, and entered heaven: and then Indra himself issued,
mounted on Airávaṇa. And the forces of
the gods rallied round him, and marched out again, with the leaders of the Vidyádharas,
headed by Chandraketu. Then a desperate fight took place, and Asuras and gods
were being slain in great numbers, when Vidyuddhvaja attacked Indra, to revenge
the slaughter of his father. The king of the gods cleft over and over again the
bow of that chief of the Asuras, who kept repelling his shafts with answering
shafts. Then Vidyuddhvaja, elated with the boon of Śiva, seized his mace, and
rushed furiously on Indra. He leapt up, planting his feet on the tusks of
Airávaṇa,
and climbed up on his forehead, and killed his driver. And he gave the king of
the gods a blow with his mace, and he quickly returned it with a similar
weapon. But when Vidyuddhvaja struck him a second time with his mace, Indra
fell senseless on to the chariot of the Wind-god. And the Wind-god carried him
away in his chariot out of the fight with the speed of thought; and
Vidyuddhvaja, who sprang after him, fell on the ground.
At
that moment a voice came from the air, “This is an evil day, so carry Indra
quickly out of the fight.” Then the Wind-god carried off Indra at the utmost
speed of his chariot, and Vidyuddhvaja pursued them, mounted on his; and in the
meanwhile Airávaṇah, infuriated and
unrestrained by the driver’s hook, ran after Indra, trampling and scattering
the forces. And the army of the gods left the field of battle and followed
Indra; and Bṛihaspati carried off his wife
Śachí, who was much alarmed, to the heaven of Brahmá. Then Vidyuddhvaja, having
gained the victory, and having found Amarávatí empty, entered it, accompanied
by his shouting troops.
And
Indra, having recovered consciousness, and seeing that it was an evil time,
entered that heaven of Brahmá with all the gods. And Brahmá comforted him,
saying, “Do not grieve; at present this boon of Śiva is predominant; but you
will recover your position.” And he gave him, to dwell in, a place of his own,
furnished with all delights, named Samádhisthala, situated in a region of the
world of Brahmá. There the king of the gods dwelt, accompanied by Śachí and
Airávaṇa:
and by his orders the Vidyádhara kings went to the heaven of the Wind-god. And
the lords of the Gandharvas went to the inviolable world of the moon; and
others went to other worlds, abandoning severally their own dwellings. And
Vidyuddhvaja, having taken possession of the territory of the gods with beat of
drum, enjoyed sway over heaven, as an unlimited monarch.
At
this point of the story, Chandraketu the Vidyádhara king, having remained long
in the world of the Wind-god, said to himself, “How long am I to remain here,
fallen from my high rank? The asceticism of my enemy Vidyuddhvaja has not even
now spent its force; but I have heard that my friend Padmaśekhara, the king of
the Gandharvas, has gone from the world of the Moon to the city of Śiva to
perform asceticism. I do not know as yet, whether Śiva has bestowed a boon on
him, or not; when I have discovered that, I shall know what I myself ought to
do.”
While
he was going through these reflections, his friend, the king of the Gandharvas,
came towards him, having obtained a boon. That king of the Gandharvas, having
been welcomed with an embrace by Chandraketu, and questioned, told him his
story, “I went to the city of Śiva and propitiated Śiva with asceticism; and he
said to me, ‘Go, thou shalt have a noble son; and thou shalt recover thy
kingdom, and obtain a daughter of transcendent beauty, whose husband shall be
the heroic slayer of Vidyuddhvaja.’ Having received this promise from Śiva, I
have come here to tell you.”
When
Chandraketu had heard this from the king of the Gandharvas he said, “I too must
go and propitiate Śiva in order to put an end to this sorrow; without
propitiating him we cannot obtain the fulfilment of our desires. “When
Chandraketu had formed this resolution, he went with his wife Muktávalí to the
heavenly abode of Śiva, to perform asceticism.
And
Padmaśekbara told the story of his boon to Indra, and having conceived a hope
of the destruction of his enemy, went to the world of the moon. Then that king
of the gods in Samádhisthala, having also conceived a hope of the destruction
of his enemy, called to mind the counsellor of the immortals. And he appeared
as soon as he was thought upon, and the god, bowing before him, and honouring
him, said to him, “Śiva, pleased with the asceticism of Padmaśekhara, has
promised that he shall have a son-in-law who shall slay Vidyuddhvaja. So we
shall eventually see an end put to his crimes; in the meanwhile I am
despondent, dwelling here in misery on account of my having fallen from my high
position. So devise, holy sir, some expedient that will operate quickly.” When
the adviser of the gods heard this speech of Indra’s, he said to him; “It is
true that that enemy of ours has nearly exhausted his asceticism by his crimes;
so now we have an opportunity of exerting ourselves against him. Come, then;
let us tell Brahmá; he will point out to us an expedient.”
When
Bṛihaspati
had said this to Indra, he went with him to Brahmá, and after worshipping him,
he told him what was in his mind. Then Brahmá said, “Am I not also anxious to
bring about the same end? But Śiva alone can remove the calamity that he has
caused. And that god requires a long propitiation: so let us go to Vishṇu,
who is like-minded with him; he will devise an expedient.”
When
Brahmá and Indra and Bṛihaspati had
deliberated together to this effect, they ascended a chariot of swans, and went
to Śvetadvípa; where all the inhabitants carried the conch, discus, lotus, and
club, and had four arms, being assimilated to Vishṇu
in appearance as they were devoted to him in heart. There they saw the god in a
palace composed of splendid jewels, reposing on the serpent Śesha, having his
feet adored by Lakshmí. After bowing before him, and having been duly welcomed
by him, and venerated by the divine sages, they took the seats befitting them.
When the holy one asked the gods how they prospered, they humbly said to him,
“What prosperity can be ours, O god, as long as Vidyuddhvaja is alive? For you
know all that he has done to us, and it is on his account that we have come
here now: it now rests with you to determine what further is to be done in this
matter.”
When
the gods said this to Vishṇu, he
answered them, “Why, do I not know that my regulations are broken by that
Asura? But what the great lord, the slayer of Tripura has done, he alone can
undo: I cannot. And from him must proceed the overthrow of that wicked Daitya.
You must make haste, provided I tell you an expedient; and I will tell you one;
listen! There is a heavenly abode of Śiva, named Siddhíśvara. There the god
Śiva is found ever manifest. And long ago that very god manifested to me and
Prajápati his form as the flame-linga, and told me this secret. So come, let us
go there and entreat him with asceticism: he will put an end to this affliction
of the worlds.” When the god Vishṇu
had uttered this behest, they all went to Siddhíśvara by means of two
conveyances, the bird Garuḍa and the
chariot of swans. That place is untouched by the calamities of old age, death,
and sickness, and it is the home of unalloyed happiness, and in it beasts,
birds, and trees are all of gold. There they worshipped the linga of Śiva, that
exhibits in succession all his forms, and is in succession of various jewels;
and then Vishṇu, Brahmá, Indra, and Bṛihaspati,
all four, with their minds devoted to Śiva, proceeded to perform a severe
course of asceticism in order to propitiate him.
And
in the meanwhile Śiva, propitiated by the severe asceticism of Chandraketu,
bestowed a boon on that prince of the Vidyádharas, “Rise up, king, a son shall
be born to thee, who shall be a great hero, and shall slay in fight thy enemy
Vidyuddhvaja; he shall become incarnate among the human race by a curse, and
shall render a service to the gods, and shall recover his position by virtue of
the asceticism of Padmávatí, the daughter of the king of the Gandharvas: and
with her for a wife he shall be emperor over all the Vidyádharas for ten
kalpas.” When the god had granted this boon, he disappeared, and Chandraketu
went back to the world of the Wind-god with his wife.
In
the meanwhile Śiva was pleased with the severe asceticism of Vishṇu
and his companions in Siddhíśvara, and he appeared to them in the linga and
delighted them by the following speech, “Rise up, afflict yourselves no longer;
I have been fully propitiated with self-torture by your partizan Chandraketu,
the prince of the Vidyádharas. And he shall have a heroic son, sprung from a
part of me, who shall soon slay in fight that Daitya Vidyuddhvaja. Then, in
order that he may perform another service to the gods, he shall fall by a curse
into the world of men, and the daughter of the Gandharva Padmaśekhara shall
deliver him from that condition. And he shall rule the Vidyádharas with that
lady, who shall be an incarnation of a portion of Gaurí, and shall be named
Padmávatí, for his consort, and at last he shall come to me. So bear up for a
little: this desire of yours is already as good as accomplished.” “When Śiva
had said this to Vishṇu and his
companions, he disappeared; then Vishṇu,
Brahmá, Indra and Bṛihaspati went, in
high delight, back to the places from which they came.
Then
Muktávalí the wife of that king of the Vidyádharas, named Chandraketu, became
pregnant, and in time she brought forth a son, illuminating the four quarters
with his irresistible splendour, like the infant sun arisen to remove the
oppression under which those ascetics were groaning. And as soon as he was born
this voice was heard from heaven, “Chandraketu, this son of thine shall slay
the Asura Vidyuddhvaja, and know that he is to be by name Muktáphalaketu, the
terror of his foes.”
When
the voice had said so much to the delighted Chandraketu, it ceased; and a rain
of flowers fell; and Padmaśekhara, and Indra, hearing what had taken place,
came there, and the other gods, who were lurking concealed. Conversing to one
another of the story of the boon of Śiva, and having rejoiced thereat, they
went to their own abodes. And Muktáphalaketu had all the sacraments performed
for him, and gradually grew up; and as he grew, the joy of the gods increased.
Then,
some time after the birth of his son, a daughter was born to Padmaśekhara, the
supreme lord of the Gandharvas. And when she was born, a voice came from the
air, “Prince of the Gandharvas, this daughter of thine Padmávatí shall be the
wife of that king of the Vidyádharas who shall be the foe of Vidyuddhvaja.”
Then that maiden Padmávatí gradually grew up, adorned with an overflowing
effulgence of beauty, as if with billowy nectar acquired by her being born in
the world of the moon.
And
that Muktáphalaketu, even when a child, was high-minded, and being always
devoted to Śiva, he performed asceticism, in the form of vows, fasts, and other
penances. And once on a time, when he had fasted twelve days, and was absorbed
in meditation, the adorable Śiva appeared to him, and said, “I am pleased with
this devotion of thine, so by my special favour the weapons, the sciences, and
all the accomplishments shall manifest themselves to thee. And receive from me
this sword named Invincible, by means of which thou shalt hold sovereign sway,
unconquered by thy enemies.” When the god had said this, he gave him the sword
and disappeared, and that prince at once became possessed of powerful weapons
and great strength and courage.
Now,
one day, about this time, that great Asura Vidyuddhvaja, being established in
heaven, was disporting himself in the water of the heavenly Ganges. He saw the
water of that stream flowing along brown with the pollen of flowers, and
remarked that it was pervaded by the smell of the ichor of elephants, and
troubled with waves. Then, puffed up with pride of his mighty arm, he said to
his attendants, “Go and see who is disporting himself in the water above me.”
When the Asuras heard that, they went up the stream, and saw the bull of Śiva
sporting in the water with the elephant of Indra. And they came back and said
to that prince of the Daityas, “King, the bull of Śiva has gone higher up the
stream, and is amusing himself in the water with Airávaṇa:
so this water is full of his garlands and of the ichor of Airávaṇa.”
When that Asura heard this, he was wroth, in his arrogance making light of
Rudra, and infatuated by the full ripening of his own evil deeds he said to his
followers, “Go and bring that bull and Airávaṇa
here bound.” Those Asuras went there, and tried to capture them, and thereupon
the bull and elephant ran upon them in wrath and slew most of them. And those
who escaped from the slaughter went and told Vidyuddhvaja; and he was angry,
and sent a very great force of Asuras against those two animals. And those two
trampled to death that army, upon which destruction came as the result of
matured crime, and then the bull returned to Śiva, and the elephant to Indra.
Then
Indra heard about that proceeding of the Daitya’s from the guards, who followed
Airávaṇa
to take care of him, and he concluded that the time of his enemy’s destruction
had arrived, as he had treated with disrespect even the adorable Śiva. He told
that to Brahmá, and then he united himself with the assembled forces of the
gods, and the Vidyádharas, and his other allies; and then he mounted the chief
elephant of the gods, and set out to slay that enemy of his; and on his
departure Śachí performed for him the usual ceremony to ensure good fortune.
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