Vena Asks to Hear More about Kunjala

Vishnu said:

 1-8a. (Vijvala's) father (Kunjala) lived on a bunyan tree on the beautiful bank of Narmada. Vijvala too came there, and the very intelligent, religious-minded one narrated to his father the greatness of the hymn called Vasudeva(-hymn). With a very much pleased mind he told him as to how Vishnu came there and gave him (i.e., Suba.hu) an auspicious boon. Kunjala also, having heard the account of that king, was full of great joy, and having embraced his son said: " O child, by narrating the very auspicious (hymn) of Vasudeva (to the king) you have done a meritorious deed and an obligation to the noble king." Having thus spoken to his godlike son, having congratulated him with blessings, and having repeatedly praised him, he remained on the beautiful bank of the river, while Chyavana was beholding. O great king, I have told you all this account of those devotees of Vishnu. What else should I tell you? Vena said:

8b-12a. You have given me, through the vessel of a conch, nectar to drink. Therefore, which mortal on the earth will not have a strong desire to drink it? The knowledge about Vishnu is always the best drink here (i.e. on the earth). I am not satisfied when it is thus being narrated by you. O lord of gods, my strong desire to hear it increases. Through grace (i.e. be graceful and) tell me about the activities of Kunjala. What did the noble one say to his fourth son? Please tell that to me in great detail. The lord said:

12b-14. Listen, I shall tell you Kunjala's account, so also Chyavana's account full of great religious merit. O best of men, this meritorious account destroys sins. The man who devoutly listens to it, would get the fruit of (having performed) a thousand sacrifices.

 

CHAPTER ONE HUNDRED ONE

Kapinjala's Narration

Suta said:

1-2. Vishnu, the god of gods, told the best king, the son of Anga, the very meritorious account that destroys sins. Listen, I shall narrate to you the meritorious account, and also the account of the noble Kunjala. Vishnu said:

3-4a. And the pious Kunjala with joy called his fourth son Kapinjala, and said to him: " O son, tell me what wonder you saw. O best son, to which (forest) did you go for your food from here? Tell me, O blessed one, what very meritorious (event) you have seen. Kapinjala said:

4b-24. O father, I shall narrate to you the wonder about which you have asked, which no one has seen or heard (before) and which I have not heard from any one. I shall tell it just now. O father, listen to it now. May all (my) brothers listen to it. O mother, you (too) listen to it now. The mountain Kailasa is the best one. It is white like the moon. It is full of many minerals, and is adorned with various trees. O father, it is washed all round with the auspicious, pleasing water of the Ganges. O father, from which (i.e. from that mountain) thousands of divine rivers of various kinds have arisen. So also various kinds (of streams of) water (have arisen from it). On the great mountain there are thousands of lakes containing water. On the best mountain there are large rivers which are resorted to by swans and cranes, which give religious merit and which destroy sins. There are various thickets of trees full of flowers and fruits, and also full of various trees, green and auspicious. (The mountain) is full of the groups of kinnaras, and is crowded with the celestial nymphs. It is welladorned with gandharvas, siddhas, bards and hosts of gods. It is possessed of the thickets of divine trees; is full of divine objects; it is very rich with the loveliness of divine fragrances. It is very beautiful on account of the white slabs of crystal. O king, it is full of the sun's rays and possesses brilliance. Everywhere it is adorned with trees full of flowers like sandal trees of agreeable fragrance, bukula trees with blue flowers. It is pleasant due to the good (i.e. sweet) notes of divine birds. It is pleasant due to the humming of bees and multitudes of trees. That mountain, along with the forest, looks splendid by the notes of cuckoos. There is a Shiva-temple, crowded with crores of Shiva's attendants; with rays (the mountain) was white and was auspicious; it was having auspicious slabs of a heap of virtue. It was on all sides resounding with roaring lions, with buffaloes and elephants; so also with the loud trumpets of the quarter-elephants. It was crowded with various (kinds of) deer and with monkeys. In the caves it was resounding (i.e. its caves were resounding) with the loud notes of peacocks. It was adorned with caves, plasterings and ridges and summits. It was full of many streams. It shone with herbs. It was divine, of a divine merit, and full of auspicious sites. The great mountain, the heap of merit was resorted to by pulindas, bhillas and kolas. The lord of mountains shone with frightful peaks and with huts; pure, auspicious and meritorious pleasures and a great sound of the streams of the water of the Ganges spread about.

25-26a. There (i.e. on the mountain) is the abode of Shankara. To (that) Kailasa I had gone. There I saw a wonder which was never seen or heard of (before). O father, listen to all that will be said by me.

26b-30. From the auspicious, highly rising peak of the lord of mountains (like that of Meru), a snov/y, milky and golden stream flows (down) on the ground; and O glorious one, this stream of the Ganges adorned with (i.e. flowing with) a thundering sound has speedily reached the peak of Kailasa and has expanded there. There is a great pool of water (in the stream) of the Ganges of the measure of ten yojanas. It shines with much auspicious and pure water. It has received auspiciousness from all sides and greatly shines with large swans. (It is auspicious because of) auspicious, divine, sweet utterance of the samans. The swans coo there, and by that (cooing) the lake looks splendid.

31-46. O you very intelligent one, on its bank on a slab of stone was seated Himalaya's daughter (i.e. Parvati) with her hair let loose, and endowed with the wealth of beauty. She, wellendowed with a divine form, virtuous, of divine characteristics, and adorned with divine ornaments shone on its bank. I do not know whether she was the daughter of the lord of mountains (i.e. Parvati) or the daughter of the great ocean (i.e. Lakshmi) or was Brahma's wife (viz. Sarasvati) or was Svaha (the wife of Agni) or she was the illustrious Indrani (i.e. the wife of Indra) or RohinI (the spouse of the Moon). O father, by all means such wealth of beauty is not observed (in the case) of other very divine young females. Such marks of beauty, qualities and eharacter (that) were noticed in her, so also her body deluding the universe which I saw were not to be seen (even) in the celestial nymphs. That young girl, seated on a slab and full of grief, and (being) without many kinsmen, wept very melodiously. She shed many pearllike tears. The pure tears fell into the lake, O very intelligent ones. The drops (i.e. the tears), resembling pearls, fell into that great (mass of) water. From them arose lotuses which were charming and fragrant. O highly intelligent one, from the tears (that fell) from her eyes, lotuses were produced. Those innumerable (lotuses) floated in the water of the Ganges. The very pleasant ones speedily fell into the stream of the Ganges, well-resorted to by multitudes of swans. The stream of the Ganges has flowed out from that place. Reaching the top of Kailasa, called Ratna and havirg pleasant caves, it is full of water and has extended over a couple of yojanas. It was crowded with groups of swans and full of aquatic birds. There are lotuses of many special colours in the pure stream resorted to by groups of sages. The lotuses which were produced from the tears in the morning were large and fragrant and floated in the pure stream of the Ganges full of water, which time and again resounded with the (notes of) beautiful swans and aquatic birds. Siita said:

47-53. O father, the great lord (Shiva called Ratnesvara), very venerable to gods and demons, always remains ou that mountain called Ratna. O father, there I saw a sage full of religious merit, covered with a mass of matted hair, without any clothes and holding a staff. He was without any support, (lived) without food, was very weak due to penance, emaciated, (just) a bundle of bones, and covered with skin only. The limbs of the noble one were powdered with ashes only. He, of a great penance, with an improper support and seated in devotion to Shiva would eat dry and withered leaves fallen (there). Bringing those fragrant lotuses from the water of the Ganges, he, the noble one, skilled in singing and dancing, would worship the god of gods, Ratnesvara (with them). The religious-minded one, coming to the temple and remaining at the door of the enemy of Tripura, sang and danced, and also wept melodiously.

54-57. O father, O best of speakers, this is the wonder that I saw. Through favour (i.e. being favourable to me) tell me the reason if you know it. O noble one, who is that girl? Why would (i.e. does) that man worship the great god (i.e. Shiva)? Tell me all that in detail, which is the cause of (my) doubt." The very intelligent Kunjala, who was thus addressed by his son KapiSjala, spoke to him, while the sage was listening.

 

CHAPTER ONE HUNDRED TWO

Asokasundarl Is Born

Kunjala said:

1-3. O child, now I shall explain to you all that you said: as to what their splendour originated from, O you best twice-born. Once the great goddess Parvati, the best among women, while sporting, said (these) words to the lord: " O great god, in my mind a great longing has sprung up. To me (please) show a grove that is best among groves." Shri Mahadeva said:

4. Let it be so, O great goddess. I shall show you the Nandana, crowded with gods and resorted to by brahmanas and siddhas.

5-11a. Having thus spoken to that goddess, he, Mahadeva, was eager to go to Nandanavana itself with her and the attendants. He, surrounded by crores of attendants, mounted his bull (i.e. Nandi) who was beautiful in all limbs, whose back was divine, who was endowed with ornaments, who was furnished with bells and garlands, who wore multitudes of small bells, who was well-decorated with chowries, silken threads and pearl-necklaces, who resembled a swan and the moon and who had pleasing characteristics. Nandi, Bhrngi, Mahakala, Skanda, Canda, Manohara, Virabhadra, Ganesha, Puspadanta, Manisvara, Atibala, Subala, Meghanada, Ghatavaha, Ghantakarna, Kalinda, Pulinda, Virabahuka, Kesarikinkara, Candahasa, Prajapati — these and others like Sanaka, whose power was penance, (accompanied him).

11b-12. That Shiva was (thus) surrounded by attendants numbering crores. Mahadeva, accompanied by the attendants and the goddess entered Nandanavana only which was resorted to by gods and kinnaras.

13-36a. The lord of gods showed Parvati that beautiful Nandanavana which was rich with various trees, full of many flowers, which was charming, which was crowded with plantaintrees, and with campaka trees with flowers, with jasmine-creepers having abundant flowers, and full of a number of malati creepers, which always shone with branches full of flowers, and with excellent groves of patala-trees, and with great sandal trees of pleasant fragrance. It was full of groves of devadaru trees, and crowded with tall trees, with sarala trees, coconut trees, also with betelnut trees, with divine date-trees, bread-fruit trees, bent down with the loads of fruits, with trees exuding fragrance — thus it was full of big trees. It was well-adorned with saptaparna trees, resembling the lustre of fire. It was full of great rose-apple trees, nimba trees, and citron trees, with orange trees, sindhuvara trees, priyala trees, sala trees and tinduka trees, udumbara trees, wood-apple trees, and was adorned with rose-apple trees. It was full of trees like mango, the king of fruits, Indian fig-trees resembling clouds, divine groves of dark-blue, also with groves of trees with unblown flowers. It was resorted to by (i.e. it contained) large tamala trees resembling the sun. It was beautified by other trees all resembling dark-blue groves; it was adorned with very auspicious desire-yielding trees full of all desired fruits and giving auspicious fruits. It was full of sweet notes and cries of various birds. It resounded with the auspicious cooings of cuckoos and with bees. It resounded with the notes of birds longing for honey. It was crowded with trees of many kinds and was full of many herds of deer. O son, that (piece of) land shines with various fragrant flowers fallen from trees it is; as it were worshipped with fragrant flowers. O son, there are very auspicious wells, pure with the fragrance of lotuses. They are full of water and are resorted to by swans and ducks. The great Nandana shines everywhere with lakes resembling seas and endowed with the fragrance of water, and with hosts of celestial nymphs. The lordly Nandana grove shines everywhere with halls, white pitchers, beautiful golden staffs, whitewashed palaces and with large hosts of kinnaras. That auspicious appearing Nandana shone everywhere with gandharvas, beautiful celestial nymphs, amusements of deities and with groups of sages and good meditating saints. Magnanimous Bhava (i.e. Shiva) of a great prowess along with that great goddess (Parvati) saw that glorious, auspicious Nandana, the abode of the meritorious, the mine of happiness and endowed with the quality of tranquility. In the Nandana grove also the beautiful desire-yielding tree endowed with desired flowers and fruits shone along with rays like masses of lustre of the sun. Seeing such lordly tree the goddess said to Shiva: " O lord, tell (me) the auspicious name of this all-meritorious tree". That Shiva, the great sun among all the luminaries around, said to the goddess: Shiva said:

36b-39. The great position of this is known as auspicious; and Madhusudana (i.e.Vishnu) is the chief among gods. The divine river (i.e. the Ganges) is the chief among rivers. As the beautiful moon is the chief among those that are pleasant, as the earth is the chief among the elements, as the lord of elephants (i.e. Airavata) is chief among elephants, as the ocean is the chief among reservoirs, as, O respectable lady, corn is the chief among herbs, as the Himalaya is the chief among the mountains, as metaphysical knowledge is the chief among lores, as the lord of men (i.e. a king) is the chief among all people, in the same way this lord of trees a welcome guest of all, is dear to the lord of gods.

Shri Pavati said:

40-42. O Sambhu, tell me the auspicious and pure quality of this lord of trees. Hearing the words of the goddess he told her everything about that good tree. (He said: ) " This best tree called'Kalpadruma' gives to the very meritorious gods, those that resemble gods, and best gods, whatever they resolve. All auspicious objects are produced from this (tree). The very important gods, superior due to their penance, having obtained here only the very divine (object) full of gems, superior to life (even) which is difficult to get, enjoy it."

43-49. The goddess heard the wonderful words of Shiva. With his consent she mentally conceived a very virtuous and beautiful gem of a body. The Daughter of the Mountain obtained from that great tree a woman who was (so) lovely in. all limbs, virtuous and beautiful that she, helping Cupid, had come to delude the universe. She was the treasure of sport; she was of the form of the accomplishment of happiness; she was endowed with everything; she was having large and lotus-like eyes; her face was lotuslike; her hands resembled lotuses; she was beautiful Lakshmi; she was like a good figure of gold; like that her hair was clean and very bright in splendour, pleasantly bright, very curly and long, was very delicately tied and was covered with fragrant flowers. That young lady, with her hair tied, looked splendid with the firm knots of hair and excellent form. As on the boundary-line of the trees the line of the mukta-flowers shines, similarly on the parting line of her hair, a chaplet of pearls shone. At the root of the parting of hair of the very respectable lady there was a mark, like the bright preceptor of the demons (i.e. Venus) that had risen. On the brows were two lotuses. The lotus-like navel like that of a deer shone with its mass of lustre. The brilliance of the mark at the root of parting of hair displayed the wealth of her beauty in the good world; so also the pearls on her hair and forehead always spread out beauty.

50-52a. As the beautiful moon shines with lustre, so she of charming movements, shone. As the full moon, the mass of cool rays, shines with the canopy of the moonlight, in the same way her face causing charm and celebrated in the universe, shone. Even the moon is having the spot, and losing the digits everyday, wanes; but her face, always joyful and spotless, is always full.

52b-54a. The lotus, having looked with disapproval at its own fragrance (and thinking) — 'This lady with a lotus-like face and endowed with all virtues is fashioned with my properties' — did not then feel happy on seeing its own exuding fragrance. The wind (moving in) the world blew from her mouth. Being suddenly ashamed, it always remained in water after resorting to it.

54b-55. Some very intelligent people with their judgement restrained by theirmind (i.e. after proper thought) said: 'O good Cupid, as the treasure of a king is full of the bits (i.e. gems) of the sea, in the same way, her mouth, looking charming with the bimba-like lower lip and with the charming smile, is looking charming with gem-like excellent teeth.'

56-64a. She had good eyebrows, her nose fine, her ears were adorned with jewels. Her cheeks having golden complexion, were possessed of brightness. The three lines existing on the neck shone very much. Here (i.e. on the neck) there were three lines with (i.e. respresenting) her good fortune, good character and love. Her breasts were hard, plump and resembled a round figure. They were pitchers of Cupid intended for sprinkling (water from). Her even shoulders looked very beautiful, and were in company of the heart. Her arms were good; they were round, soft, of a good complexion and possessed good marks. Her lotus-like hands were very even, had the colour of lotuses and were very cool. They were endowed with divine characteristics and possessed the marks of a lotus and swastika on them. Her fingers were straight, held lotuses and had nails. The nails were very sharp and were like drops of water. The complexion of her body resembled the interior of a lotus. Her (body) odour was like that of a lotus. The beautiful young lady looked splendid like Laksml. The daughter of the tree was endowed with all good characteristics and was very beautiful. Her feet resembled red lotuses, were very soft, and very beautiful. The nails growing from the toes had the shape of the flashes (shooting) from gems.

64b-66. (Everything) as is laid down in the scientific works I (about beauty) was seen in her limbs. Her body looked beautiful due to all ornaments. She had put on a necklace, bracelets and anklets. She shone with the belt and girdle and with the sound of the (tinkling bells) of the girdle. The auspicious one attained great beauty by means of blue silken garment. She, endowed with qualities, (looked very beautiful) due to a divine and a very red bodice.

67. From the idea conceived by her, Parvati obtained an excellence — a great production. She obtained joy from the desireyielding tree. She said (these) words to Shankara:

68. " O god, I saw the tree as you had described it. As an object is conceived, so it is seen." Siita said:

69. Then that lady beautiful in all limbs came near their side (i.e. approached them) and with devotion saluted their lotus-like feet.

70. Then she spoke affectionate, pleasant and attractive words: " O lord, O mother, tell me the reason for which I was produced." Shri Devi (i.e. Parvati) said:

71-74. Through curiosity about the truth about the tree I conceived you. O good lady, the fruit, i.e. you, the wealth of beauty is instantly obtained. You are undoubtedly my daughter endowed with all good fortune. You will be known in the world as Asokasundari. Nahusa, lord of kings, well known in the lunar family, like god Indra, will be your husband. The mountain's Daughter (viz. Parvati), thus gave her a boon and went with great joy, accompanied by Shankara, to the Kailasa mountain.

 

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