CHAPTER – 109
Kroushthi said: – O Reverend Sir, you have related in full, the birth of the children of the Sun, the Prime Deity, his glory and his true form. (1) O foremost of Munis, I wish to hear again fully of the glories of the Prime Deity Bhaskara; do thou delightedly describe them. (2)
Markandeya said: – Hear, I shall recount the glories of the Prime Deity Vivaswan and what he did do in the days of yore when he was adored by people. (3) The illustrious Rajyavarddhana, the son of Dama, became the king; that lord of the earth, governed her well. (4) That kingdom being righteously governed by that high-souled one, it grew, O Vipra, daily in men and riches.
(5) During his administration both the citizens and villagers became hale and hearty and equally rich like the king. (6) There was no impediment, no disease and no fear from dangerous animals; (what more) even there was no fear from the scarcity of water when Dama’s son became the king. (7) He undertook great sacrifices and gave away presents to those who sought for them; and without interfering with real virtue, he engaged in the enjoyment of worldly objects. (8) Thus governing his kingdom and ruling well his subjects, seven thousand years passed away like a day. (9) The respectful daughter of Viduratha, the king of Deccan, by name Manini, became his wife. (10) Once on a time that one, of fair eye¬brows, Manini, while engaged in picking up the grey hairs of the king, began to shed tears in the presence of all the assembled kings. (11) When those drops of tears fell on the body of the king he saw her face bathed in tears and asked her. (12) Beholding her weeping and shedding tears in silence Rajyavarddhana said to Manini “What is this?”. (13) Although thus accosted by her husband that great lady did not say anything; thereat the king asked her again. (14) Thereupon repeatedly asked by the king the youthful (queen) showed to the king a grey hair growing in the midst of the tuft of hairs. (15) (She said) “Behold this, O king; what is this? This is the cause of my grief, unfortunate as I am.” Thereat the king laughed. (16) Smiling he said to his wife in the presence of all the kings and citizens who had assembled there. (17) “O thou of expansive eyes, no more with sorrow; O auspicious dame, do not weep; all creatures are subject to birth, development and decay. (18) O fair damsel, I have studied all the Vedas, I have performed a thousand sacrifices, I have made gifts unto the twice-born and procreated progeny. (19) I have with you enjoyed many objects of enjoyment which are dear to the mortals. I have governed well the earth and fought many fair battles. (20) I have enjoyed much in the forest and elsewhere in the company of chosen friends. What is there, O auspicious dame, which I have not done? Wherefore art thou afraid of my decaying hairs? (21) Let my
hairs grow grey, my skin folded and my body slackened – I achieved all my objects O Manini.
(22) Repairing to the forest I shall treat all those grey hairs which thou hast seen on my head, O auspicious damsel. (23) O fair one, my fore-fathers behaved like infants in their infancy, like boys in their boyhood, like young men in their youth and in the old age they entered into the woods. I shall also act like them. Therefore do I see no reason for thy shedding tears. (23-25) Do not grieve therefore. The grey hair, that thou hast seen, is the instrument of my prosperity; therefore do not weep. (26)
Markandeya said: – Thereupon, O great saint, all the assembled kings and citizens, who had come here, saluting him, said to Rajyavarddhana. (27) ”O king, there is no reason for thy wife, to weep, but ourselves and all the creatures shall have to weep. (28) O lord, hearing thy words of repairing to woods, the minds of us all, O king, who have been maintained by you, have become dejected. (29) Therefore, O king, we shall all go to the forest if you go there. Thyself repairing to the forest, O lord, the works of all the inhabitants of the world shall undoubtedly be stopped. If this leads to the obstruction of virtue do thou give up this idea. (30-31) Thou hast ruled this earth for seven thousand years. Observe therefore, O king, the virtue, that has arisen therefrom. (32) The devout penance, O king, that thou shalt carry on by living in the forest, is not equal to the sixteenth part of thy governing the world. (33)
THE KING said: – I have governed this earth for seven thousand years, – now the time for repairing to woods has arrived. (34) I have begotten children and have seen them begetting such. I have seen all this within a short time. So death shall not see it any longer. (35) The grey hairs you see on my head, O citizens, consider them as the emissary of the non-aryan Death of greatly fierce temper. (36) Therefore, placing my son on the throne and abstaining from all objects of enjoyment I shall repair to woods and shall carry on devout penances so long the soldiers of Yama do not come. (37)
Markandeya said: – Thereupon desirous of repairing to woods that great king enquired of the astrologers about the proper day and time for the installation of his son. (38) Hearing the king’s words their minds were agitated and so they, although conversant with Shastras, could not find out the proper day and hour. (39) The astrologers said to the king in suppressed accents – “O king, hearing your words, all our knowledge has been destroyed”. (40) Thereupon from other cities, dependant states and from that city came many leading Brahmanas and approaching that king, O Muni, who was bent upon repairing to woods and bending low their heads, said: – (41-42) “Be pleased, O king, and govern us all as before. O king, thyself repairing to woods all the worlds will go to ruin. (43) Therefore, O king, do thou so act that the world may not go to ruin. O heroe, O lord, as long as we shall live, we shall not like, even for a moment, to see this throne without you. (44)
Markandeya said: – Although these Brahmanas, other twice-born ones, the citizens, the kings, Servants, councillors, and others said this repeatedly yet he did not give up his resolution of repairing to woods; on the other hand, he said “death will not let me alone”. (45¬46) Thereupon the councillors, the servants, elderly citizens and the twice-born ones, assembling together, began to consult what they should do. (47) They were all attached to the highly victorious king, O Vipra, and therefore after consultation arrived at the conclusion. (48) “Concentrating our minds and controlling ourselves we shall, with penances, worship the divine Sun for a longer lease of life for this king.” (49) When they had all arrived at this determination some, in their own houses, engaged in worshipping the sun by duly offering him Arghya and other articles. (50) Some with the silent recitation of Riks and others with Yayus and Saman pleased the sun. (51) Some Brahmanas, abstaining from food, lying down on the bank of a river and carrying on devout penances, worshipped the sun. (52) Others, engaged in the performance of Agnihotra, recited day and night Ravisukta whereas others remained with their eyes fixed on the sun. (53) Thus resorting to their respective modes, they all, in various ways, made up their minds for worshipping the sun. (54) When they all thus perseveringly carried on the worship of the Sun a Gandharva, by name Sudama, coming, there said: -(55) “O ye Vipras, if ye are determined upon worshipping the sun do ye so act as may please him. (56) On the huge mountain in Kamrupa there is a forest called Vishala resorted to by Siddhas. Do ye all speedily go there. (57) And with controlled minds do ye
worship the sun there where every one gets Siddhi and auspiciousness and attains all his wished for objects. (58)
Markandeya said: – Hearing his words and repairing to that forest the twice-born ones saw the holy and auspicious form of the sun. (59) There abstemious of food and diligent all the Brahmanas and other castes began to worship him with incense, flowers and other presents.
(60) Worshipping him with flowers, sandal pastes, incense, scents and other things, recitations, Homa, food, lamp, etc., the twice-born ones, O Brahmana, with controlled minds, there eulogised the sun. (61)
The Brahmanas said: – We seek refuge with the God Ravi who excels in effulgence the gods, Danavas, Yakshas, planets and luminous bodies. (62) He who is the lord of the gods, who stationed in the sky lights up all the quarters, who fills the sky and earth, with his rays; (63) who is Aditya, Bhaskara, Savita and the maker of the day; who is Pusha, Aryama, Bhanu, Sharvanu and the source of light; (64) who is the fire of dissolution at the end of four yugas, who goes even to the end of dissolution and is hard to look at, who is the lord of yoga, endless, red, yellow, blue, and dark-blue. (65) He is stationed in the Agnihotra of the Rishis in all the sacrifices and in gods and is the great word, mystic and the most excellent door of emancipation. (66) He wanders in the sky on horses in the shape of metres, and always rises and sets after circumambulating the mount Meru. (67) He is ambrosia, truth, all the sacred shrines, the support of the universe and is beyond comprehension; we seek refuge with that sun. (68) He is Brahma, Siva, Vishnu, Prajapati; he is air, ether, water, and the earth, with mountains and oceans. (69) He is planet, star, the moon, and others, is the plant, trees, and creepers, and is the ordainer of virtue and vice in both, what is manifest or not. (70) He has three-fold forms of Brahma, Vishnu and Siva; may that sun be propitiated with us. (71) He is the lord of the universe and is without birth; his limb is this universe and he is the life of the world; may he be propitiated with us. (72) May that sun be propitiated with us whose Bhaskara form, enveloped with rays, is hard to look at and whose form is the gentle moon. (73) May that Divine Sun be propitiated with us with whose these two forms the world has been created and filled with fire. (74)
MARKANDEYA said: – O foremost of the twice-born, having been thus eulogised by them with reverence and worshipped for three months the Divine Sun was pleased. (75) Thereupon although hard to work at, he, assuming the effulgence of the rising sun, came down from his disc and appeared before them. (70) Thereat trembling in joy and bending low with reverence all the people there bowed unto the unborn sun, who came there in his clean form. (77)
(They said): “Salutation unto thee, O thou of thousand rays, thou art the cause of all and the guide. Thou art worthy of being eulogised and worshipped by all. Do thou protect us all. Thou art the refuge of all sacrifices; the Yogins meditate on thee; be thou propitiated with us.” (78)