Vidura, Candrasarman, Vedasarman and Vahjula

Kuhjala said:

1-16a. Formerly when Indra was affected by (the sin of) killing a brahmana, he committed a great sin of having an illicit intercourse with Gautama's wife. He was abandoned by gods and brahmanas. Indra, propless and shelterless, practised penance. At the end of his penance all deities, sages, yaksas, kinnaras started a religious bath to honour the lord of gods. O best son, O noble one, having taken the lord of gods to the Malavaka country they gave him a bath with (the water from) the pitchers filled with water. Then he was first taken to VaranasI to give him a bath; then Indra (was taken) to Prayaga and then to Arghatirtha. O best of brahmanas, the noble one was given a bath by the magnanimous Puskara itself; he was also given a bath by all gods like Brahma, by hosts of sages. Hallowed with Vedic hymns destroying all sins by sages, the lord of gods was given a bath by elephants, trees, serpents, snakes along with kinnaras. When that noble Indra was purified, his (sin of) killing a brahmana and (that of) illicit intercourse were gone. On the earth Indra's (sin of) the murder of a brahmar; a along with that terrible sin of illicit intercourse perished. Indra who was well-pleased granted a boon to the Holy Places: " Since, you, who, are pure, freed me from this very terrible sin, therefore, by my favour you will be holy and the lords of sacred places." Giving such a boon to them he gave a boon to (the) Malava (country): " Since today you bore my dirt causing distress, therefore you will be adorned with food, drink, wealth and grains. There is no doubt about it. By my favour you will surely be very holy and free from bad times (like drought etc.)." After Indra, the lord of gods, had given him (i.e. the Malava country) such a boon, all the Holy Places and also the Malavaka country went to their respective places along with Indra. Suta said:

16b-17a. Since then the four, viz. Prayaga, Puskara, Varanasi and Arghatirtha obtained an excellent authority.

Kunjala said:

17b-22. In the Paflcala country there was a ksatriya named Vidura. Due to folly he had formerly killed a brahmana. He, without the lock of hair on the crown of the head and without the sacred thread and without the (saffron-) mark (on his forehead) wandered for begging (saying): " I, the killer of a brahmana, have come. Give alms and food to the killer of a brahmana and a drunkard." Thus he formerly went to (different) houses and begged. Thus he came (to a spot) after having visited all the holy places. Yet, O best brahmana, (the sin of) killing a brahmana did not leave him. That sinful Vidura, full of agony and grief, and with his heart burning, resorted to the shade of a tree.

23-29a. Then, there lived in the Magadha country a brahmana (named) Candrasarman; he was overcome with great delusion. He had killed his preceptor. The wicked one was deserted by his kinsmen and groups of relatives. He came there where Vidura stayed. He was without the lock of hair on the crown of his head and the sacred thread and the characteristic marks of a brahmana. Then he was asked by that wicked Vidura: " Who are you, unfortunate and of a distressed mind, that have come here? Why do you, bereft of the marks of a brahmana, roam over the earth? " Thus addressed by Vidura, that mean brahmana Candrasarman told him everything that he had formerly done and the sin he had committed while staying in his preceptor's house. (He said: ) " I, highly deluded and agitated with anger, formerly killed my preceptor. Therefore I am now tormented."

29b-32. Having told all (his) account, Candrasarman asked (Vidura), " Who are you of an extremely distressed mind, that have resorted to the shade of (this) tree? " Vidura narrated his sin in brief. Then there came a third twice-born, emaciated due to affliction, a heap of many sins, and named Vedasarman. Both (Vidura and Candrasarman) asked him: " Who are you, a distressed figure? Why are you roaming over the earth? Tell (us) your true condition."

33-40. Then Vedasarman told them all that he had done: " I had illicit intercourse; I was despised by all people and also by my kinsmen and relatives. I am polluted by that sin. (Therefore) I am wandering over the earth like this." Then (there came a vaisya named Vanjula, who was a drunkard. He was particularly a killer of cow. As before he was asked by (the other three). He narrated all the sin that he committed before. All the other (three) heard all that he told. Thus the four most sinful ones gathered at one place. None of them shared with one another food or coverings. O noble one, they (however) talked to one another. They did not occupy the same seat, nor did they sleep in the same bed. Thus full of grief they went to many holy places; but their terrible sins did not perish. The holy places do not have the power to destroy major sins. They, Vidura and others, went to Kalanjara mountain.

 

CHAPTER NINETYTWO

The Greatness of Reva

Kunjala said:

1-3. Reaching Kalanjara (the four) very much afflicted, tormented by great sins, lamenting and senseless lived there; and there came a very glorious siddha. He asked them who were afflicted with great grief: " For what reason are you unhappy? " He the very wise one, and proficient in all (branches of) knowledge was told by them (the cause of their grief). The very meritorious one having known their great sin, showed compassion to them. The siddha said:

4-36a. On the occasion of the new moon day falling on Monday, you four, impure with sins, should go to Prayaga, Puskara, Arghatirtha, being the third, and VaranasI, the fourth one. You will be free from sins when you will have bathed in the water of the Ganges. There is no doubt that you will attain purity.

All of them, instructed by him, carefully saluted him, (and) tormented by sins, quickly went from Kalanjara. The best twice-born ones — Vidura, Candrasarman, Vedsarman as the third, the drunkard and wicked-hearted vaisya (named) Vafijulaka, having reached Varanasi, O you best one, then to Prayaga, Puskara, and Arghatirtha, when the new moon day fell on a Monday, went to the great city. When that auspicious day came they bathed in the water of the Ganges. Just by bathing (in the water of the Ganges) they became free from the sins like the murder of a cow. Those Holy Places, polluted with sins like the murder of a brahmaria, of a preceptor, and of drinking liquor, roamed over the earth. O best brahmana, Puskara, Arghatirtha, Prayaga. — the destroyer of sins, and Varanasi as the fourth, were polluted with sins. All became black, and roamed in the form of swans. The best brahmanas bathed at all holy places. Their blackness that had come to them through sin would not leave (them, though), O king, they again and again bathed at very holy places. O best brahmana, whichever holy places they, in the form of swans, visited, all of them, being very much afflicted went with them. Women of the form of sins roamed around them. In the formof swanstheywenttosixtyeightveryholyplaces. O great king, they (i.e. Vidura and others), with their minds full of sins, again came to the Manasa (lake) along with the very Holy Places. O great king, there they bathed, but the major sin did not leave them. The Manasa (lake), with its mind full of the sense of shame, and having taken the form of a swan, became black-bodied — whom you have seen before. Then they went to the northern bank of Reva which destroys sins. O best brahmana, they became free from sins just by (taking) a bath at the confluence of (Reva and Kubja), which was resorted to by gods and siddhas. Having given up that (dark) complexion, they obtained merit. Whichever sacred place the swans had gone to, and had bathed at, women seeing them, laughed (at them); and the sin did not leave them at all, (but) by the fire in the form of the water of Kubja even the greatest sin was reduced to ashes; and those women died. The sins of the murder of a brahmana, of a preceptor, that of drinking liquor and of illicit intercourse were reduced to ashes, destroyed by (the confluence of) Kubja with Reva. Those that died on the bank of the river, were, O noble one, gone. Know that swan to be Manasa (lake) which accompanied the sixtyeight very holy places (moving) in the form of swans. Hear from me the names of the four black swans: Prayaga, Puskara, the excellent Arghatirtha, and VaranasI as the fourth one. All the four destroy sins. These four Holy Places, overcome with (the sin of) the murder of brahmanas, went sadly to holy places, O you highly intelligent one. O son, the terrible sin of them, who were (thus) wandering, did not go away. They were indeed purified at the confluence of Kubja (with Reva), and were freed from their sins. It is said that in front of Indra Prayaga became the king of all the meritorious holy places, (as he was) approved of by them. Let (other) holy places roar as long as the Reva is not seen as destroying sins like the murder of a brahmana. Reva. is greatly meritorious and very blessed at the conjunction with Meghanada and the big confluence; Revais not obtainable everywhere. She is difficult to be reached by men at Omkara, Bhriguksetra, and at her confluence with Narmada and Kubja, and by best gods at Mahismati. She is meritorious at her confluence with Vitanka, at Shrikantha and Mangalesvara. Reva, full of the merit of gods is not obtainable everywhere. A man is happy there, where (Reva) the mother of holy places, the great goddess and the destroyer of heaps of sins (flows) between the two banks. A man obtains the fruit of the horse-sacrifice by just one bath (in Reva).

36b-37. I have told you all this that you asked for, and that removes all sins, that is holy, giving salvation to those who listen to it. Having spoken thus the very intelligent (Kufijala) spoke to his third son.

 

CHAPTER NINETYTHREE

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