మధుకైటభవధ

MeaningMarkandeya said: Savarni, son of Surya, is called the eighth Manu. Hear from me in detail the story of his birth —

Meaninghow, by the power of Mahamaya, that blessed Savarni, son of the Sun, became the lord of a Manvantara.

MeaningIn former times, in the Svarocisha Manvantara, there was a king named Suratha, born of the Chaitra dynasty, ruling over the whole earth.

MeaningWhile he was duly protecting his subjects like his own begotten children, there arose as his foes the kings called Kolavidhvamsins (destroyers of the Kolas).

MeaningThat king of mighty force had a battle with them; though they were fewer in number, he was defeated in the fight by those Kolavidhvamsins.

MeaningThen he returned to his own city and ruled over his own land; but there too that illustrious king was attacked by those powerful enemies.

MeaningEven in his own city the now-weakened king had his treasury and army seized by his own powerful, wicked and evil-minded ministers.

MeaningThereupon, on the pretext of hunting, the king — robbed of his sovereignty — mounted his horse and went away alone into a dense forest.

MeaningThere he beheld the hermitage of Medhas, the best of the twice-born — peaceful, filled with tame wild beasts, and graced by the sage's disciples.

MeaningHonoured by that sage, he stayed there for some time, wandering here and there within that great sage's hermitage.

MeaningThen, his mind drawn by attachment, he thought: 'That city, formerly guarded by my ancestors and now lost by me —

Meaningis it being governed righteously or not by those unworthy servants of mine? I do not know how fares my chief elephant, the valiant one, ever in rut,

Meaningwho has now fallen into my enemies' power — what comforts will he obtain? Those who always followed me, sharing my favour, wealth and food —

Meaningthey surely now render service to other kings. By those servants of wasteful habits, ever making reckless expenditure,

Meaningthe treasury gathered with such great hardship will be ruined.' Thus and on other matters the king brooded constantly.

MeaningThere, near the sage's hermitage, he saw a merchant, and asked him: 'Who are you, sir? And what is the reason for your coming here?

MeaningWhy do you appear as if grief-stricken, as if dejected in mind?' Hearing these affectionate words of the king,

Meaningthe merchant, bowing low with humility, replied to the king:

MeaningThe merchant said: I am a vaishya named Samadhi, born into a family of wealthy people.

MeaningI have been cast out by my wicked wife and sons out of greed for wealth — deprived of riches, wife and sons, my own kin having taken away my wealth.

MeaningDriven to the forest in grief, abandoned by my trusted kinsmen, and dwelling here, I do not know whether things go well or ill with my sons.

MeaningDwelling here, I have no news of my kinsmen and wife. Is it well or ill with them at home at present?

MeaningHow are they? Are my sons living rightly, or have they turned to evil ways?

MeaningThe king said: Those greedy ones by whom you were cast out — your sons, wife and the rest, for the sake of wealth —

Meaningwhy does your mind still bind itself in affection to them?

MeaningThe merchant said: It is just as you say — these words of yours are true of me.

MeaningWhat can I do? My mind will not turn hard. By those greedy ones who, casting off a father's love, drove me out,

Meaningforsaking the affection due to husband and kinsman — my heart still goes out to them. Though I know this, O great-minded one, I cannot understand it:

Meaningthat my heart is full of love even for these kinsmen devoid of virtue. For their sake I heave sighs and fall into dejection.

MeaningWhat can I do, since my mind does not grow hard towards those unloving ones?

MeaningMarkandeya said: Then, O Brahmin, the two together — the merchant and the king — approached the sage.

MeaningThat merchant named Samadhi and the king, best of monarchs, having duly and fittingly observed the courtesies with the sage,

Meaningsat down; and the merchant and the king held some conversations together.

MeaningThe king said: O revered one, I wish to ask you one thing; pray tell me that.

MeaningIt concerns what so grieves my mind, beyond my own control — this clinging of 'mine-ness' to all the members of my kingdom, even though the kingdom is lost,

Meaninglike that of one without knowledge, even though I do know better. What is this, O best of sages? And this merchant too has been spurned by sons, wife and servants, and forsaken;

Meaningabandoned by his own people, yet he bears deep affection towards them. Thus both he and I are exceedingly miserable,

Meaningour minds drawn by attachment to objects whose faults we plainly see. O most fortunate one, how is it that this delusion clouds even the wise?

MeaningThis folly besets both me and him, blind as we are to discrimination.

MeaningThe sage said: Every being has knowledge of the objects perceptible to its senses.

MeaningAnd, O most fortunate one, objects are reached in various ways. Some creatures are blind by day, others blind by night,

Meaningand some have sight equal by both day and night. Human beings are indeed endowed with knowledge — yet they are not the only ones so endowed;

Meaningfor beasts, birds, animals and the rest are all endowed with knowledge too. The knowledge that men have, those beasts and birds also have;

Meaningand what they have, men have as well; the rest (eating, sleeping, fear, mating) is common to both. Look at these birds — though possessed of knowledge,

Meaningwho, though themselves tormented by hunger, drop grains out of delusion into their young ones' open beaks. O tiger among men, human beings likewise are full of longing for their children,

Meaningexpecting some return from them out of greed. Do you not see this? Yet they are flung into the whirlpool of attachment, the pit of delusion,

Meaningby the power of Mahamaya, who makes possible the very existence of the world. At this no wonder need be felt: this Mahamaya is the Yoganidra of the Lord of the world,

Meaningshe is the Mahamaya of Hari, by whom this world is deluded. Indeed it is she, the Goddess Bhagavati, who forcibly draws away

Meaningeven the minds of the wise and casts them into delusion. By her this whole universe, moving and unmoving, is sent forth.

MeaningWhen gracious, she becomes the bestower of boons to men, for their liberation. She is the supreme Knowledge, the cause of release, eternal,

Meaningand she too is the cause of the bondage of samsara; she is the Sovereign of all sovereigns.

MeaningThe king said: O revered sir, who is that Goddess whom you call Mahamaya?

MeaningHow was she born, and what is her work, O Brahmin? What is her power, what her nature, and whence did she arise?

MeaningAll that I wish to hear from you, O best among the knowers of Brahman.

MeaningThe sage said: She is eternal, embodied as the world; by her all this is pervaded.

MeaningYet her manifestation comes about in manifold ways; hear it from me. When she manifests to accomplish the purposes of the gods,

Meaningthen she is said to be 'born' in the world, although she is eternal. When Vishnu, at the end of a kalpa, the world become a single ocean, entered the yogic sleep,

Meaningand the Lord lay reposing upon (Ananta) Shesha — then two terrible asuras, the well-known Madhu and Kaitabha,

Meaningsprung from the wax of Vishnu's ears, rose up to slay Brahma. Brahma, lord of beings, seated on the lotus from Vishnu's navel,

Meaningseeing those two fierce asuras and Janardana asleep, with single-pointed heart extolled Yoganidra to awaken him, standing steadfast —

Meaningpraising her who dwells in Hari's eyes, to rouse Hari — the Mistress of the universe, Upholder of the world, worker of its preservation and dissolution,

Meaningthe incomparable Bhagavati Nidra (Sleep) — thus did Brahma, lord of creative power, extol her.

MeaningBrahma said: You are Svaha, you are Svadha; you are indeed the Vashatkara, the very soul of sound.

MeaningYou are the nectar Sudha, O eternal, imperishable One. You abide as the three matras (of Om) and as the half-matra besides,

Meaningthe eternal half-matra that cannot be separately uttered. You yourself are the Sandhya, the Savitri, the supreme Mother of the gods, O Goddess.

MeaningBy you this universe is borne, by you this world is created; by you it is sustained, O Goddess, and you ever devour it at the end.

MeaningAt creation you take the form of creation, in protection the form of sustenance, at the world's end the form of dissolution, O you who are the world itself. You are the Mahavidya, Mahamaya, Mahamedha, Mahasmriti,

Meaningthe Mahamoha, the Mahadevi, the Maheshwari. You are the Prakriti of all, evolving the three gunas.

MeaningYou are Kalaratri, Maharatri and the dread Moharatri (the night of delusion). You are Shri, you are Ishwari, you are Hri, you are the intellect marked by inner awakening,

Meaningyou are modesty, nourishment and contentment; you are tranquillity and forbearance. You wield the sword and the spear, you are the terrible one, bearer of the club and the discus,

Meaningbearer of the conch and the bow, armed with arrows, sling and iron mace. You are gentle, gentler than all the gentle, and yet exceedingly beautiful.

MeaningYou are the supreme of the high and the low; you alone are the Supreme Sovereign. And whatever thing exists anywhere, real or unreal, O soul of all,

Meaningof all that, you are the Power; how then can I praise you (fully)? When you have put to sleep the very One who creates, sustains and devours the world,

Meaningwho here is able to praise you? Since you have made Vishnu, myself and Ishana (Shiva) assume our bodies,

Meaningwho then could be capable of praising you? May you, thus extolled by your own exalted, generous powers, O Goddess,

Meaningdelude these two unassailable asuras, Madhu and Kaitabha; and let the Lord of the world, the unfallen Vishnu, be quickly brought to waking,

Meaningand rouse his awareness to slay these two great asuras.

MeaningThe sage said: Thus extolled there by the Creator, the Goddess of tamas (tamasi), to awaken Vishnu and to slay Madhu and Kaitabha,

Meaningissued forth from his eyes, mouth, nostrils, arms, heart and breast,

Meaningand appeared in the sight of Brahma of unmanifest birth. Released by her, Janardana, Lord of the world, rose up

Meaningfrom his couch upon (Ananta) in the single ocean; and then he saw those two — Madhu and Kaitabha, the evil-souled, of surpassing might and valour,

Meaningtheir eyes red with rage, bent on devouring Brahma. Rising up, the Lord Hari then fought with the two,

Meaningand for five thousand years the all-pervading Lord fought, his arms his only weapons. And those two, frenzied with overwhelming might and deluded by Mahamaya,

Meaningsaid to Keshava (Vishnu): 'Ask a boon of us!'

MeaningThe Lord said: If you are both now pleased with me, then let both of you be slain by me.

MeaningWhat need of any other boon here? This much alone is what I choose.

MeaningThe sage said: Thus duped, and seeing the whole world turned to water,

Meaningthe two said to the lotus-eyed Lord: 'Slay us only where the earth is not flooded with water.'

MeaningThe sage said: Saying 'So be it', the Lord, bearer of conch, discus and mace, took them upon his thighs and severed both their heads with his discus.

MeaningThus did the Goddess herself arise, extolled by Brahma. Now hear once more the glory of this Goddess; I shall tell it to you.