Chapter
4: Revati
Suta said:
1 Hearing this strange story,
Agastya wanted more and humbly asked God Skanda
Agastya said:
2 O husband of Devasena, I desire to
hear more tales of great Devi Bhagavatham. Deign to tell me, please.
3 O son of Mitravaruna, listen to
this tale too. It reveals to some extent the greatness of the Book.
Note:
Agastya’s origin: Vasista could not
conduct a Yaga for Iksvaku King Nimi, because he had already been “booked” by
Indra. Nimi engaged Gautama. Enraged, Vasista cursed him to be without a body.
Nimi deflected it back to Vasista. Bereft of body, Varuna approached Brahma who
blessed that he would be born of the twin deities Mitra-and-Varuna, who had one
body between them! Mitra-Varuna happened to see Urvasi, and jointly embraced
her. Then their bodies separated, and Urvasi preferred Mitra. Varuna had
involuntary ejaculation that was caught in a pot. Mitra introjected but Urvasi
cast the ejaculate into the same pot. From this were born re-embodied Vasista,
and dwarfish Agastya. Hence, one of the names by which Agastya was known was
Maitravaruna = son of Mitra-varuna.
4 Based on the Gayatri are all
rituals. The Bhagavatam descirbes Gayatri’s greatness.
5 “Bhagavatham” describes the
greatness of Goddess. She is worshipped by Brahma, Visnu and Siva.
6 There was once a famous wise sage,
Rtavāk. A son was born to him during the last part (gandhantam) of asterism Revati.
7 The sage performed the life cycle
rituals duly and in proper sequence.
8 And right from the time of birth
of that baby, the sage began suffering from diseases and sorrows.
9 He became subject to anger and
greed. His wife suffered from various diseases. They had no respite from
diseases and sorrows.
10 The sage wondered why his son should
have brought such misfortunes, and why he became so evil.
11 And that boy abducted the wife of a
certain hermit, without bothering about his parents reactions.
12 Saddened, Rtavak said to himself:
“Far better it is to have no son at all than an evil-minded one!
13 An evil son would push down from
heaven the souls even of departed ancestors. And he will be the source of
endless sorrow to his parents life long.
14 His birth is to bring sorrow to his
parents. His friends will enjoy no good from him, nor will enemies have
anything to fear from him.
15
& 16 Only he is blessed whose son
gives joy, and who helps all in need. An evil son brings disaster to the family.
He will destroy all wealth. He will cause sorrow both in this as well as the
next world, and cast us in hell.
17 An evil son causes destruction of
the family. An evil wife make one’s life meaningless. An evil meal will spoil
one’s day. And an evil friend will put an end to all happiness.
Skanda said:
18 Suffering thus constantly, this sage
one day went to Sage Garga and asked him:
Rtavak said:
19 Master, you are a professor in
Astrology. Tell me: why do one’s sons become evil?
20 I had duly served my Guru and
studied Veda. After observing Brahmacharya, I had married a wife observing all
the prescribed rituals.
21 With her, I observed all the
prescribed duties of a householder. I conducted all the five great penances
duly.
22 Not out of selfishness, but to avoid
hell did I desire a son and impregnate my wife.
23 O Sage, was this my son, who causes
his parents and relatives and everyone else, born evil because of defects in me
or his mother?
24 Thinking deeply over these words,
Garga the expert in Astrology, replied:
Garga said:
25 Sage,
your son was born evil-minded, not due to any fault of yours or your wife’s. It
was because of his birth in the final part (gandantham)
of Revati.
26 His birth in this evil hour has
caused all the misery. There is no other cause.
27 O Brahmin, you will gain relief from
this misery if you devotedly worship the Mother of the Universe, the destroyer
of evil and the granter of welfare.
28 Hearing this, Rtavak angrily cursed
(asterism) Revati: “Fall down from the sky”!
29
& 30 Revati fell down from the sky,
still shining, on the top of Kumuda mountain. From that time, that mountain
became beautiful and famous as “Raivatakam”.
31 Obeying Garga, Rtavak worshipped
Goddess Ambika (Mother) and obtained all welfare and happiness.
Skanda said:
32 From the brightness of the fallen
Revati, there was born a girl whose beauty was beyond compare in; she was like
Goddess Lakshmi herself.
33 Seeing her great brightness, great Sage Pramucha adopted her and named her
“Revati”.
34 That great Sage took her to his
hermitage on that mountain, and brought her up as his own daughter.
35 In due time she grew up into a great
beauty, and the sage wondered who would be a husband fit for her.
36 Though he searched everywhere, he
could not find a suitable bridegroom. He then entered his fire-chamber, and
praised the God Agni.
Note:
agnisala: all householders should maintain a pure building in which the “holy”
fires would be kept burning always.
37-38 Agni told him that a king named Durdaman,
righteous, powerful, heroic, sweet of speech, and undefeatable, would be the
husband of the girl. The sage was happy.
39 Luckily, just then, wise Durdaman,
pretending to be on a hunting expedition, arrived at the hermitage.
40 He was born in the lineage of
Priyavrathan, in the womb of Kalindi, to his father Vikramaseelan.
41 When he entered the hermitage, the
sage was not in. So he addressed Revati as “my dear”, and asked:
The king said:
42 “My dear, where has the sage gone? I
desire to worship at his feet. Please tell me, auspicious one!”
The girl said:
43 “O King, the great sage is in the
fire-chamber”. Hearing this, the king got out at once.
44 The sage saw him, modest, replete
with auspicious signs of kinghood, standing front of the fire-chamber.
45 The king immediately prostrated
before the sage, who called his disciple and said: “Gautama, bring the
offerings due to a guest – a king is indeed entitled to them.
46 And it happens that this guest is my
long-expected son-in-law to be!” So saying, he offered the king the welcome materials.
The king received them, thoughtfully.
47 After welcoming the king thus, and
seating him in honour, the sage commenced to greet him thus:
48 “O King, hope your armies are in
good shape. And your treasury is full. And friends well? And all your
attendants, ministers, and citizens in towns and villages prosperous?
49 Your bride is residing here in good
health. I therefore do not enquire after her. Please tell me about your other
female relatives”.
The King said:
50 Sage, by your blessings, all of them
do well. But O knower of the ultimate truth! You said something strange – that
my bride stays here. Please tell me all about her”.
The sage said:
51 She is named Revati. None on earth is
so beautiful. She is here; how is it that you do not recognize her?
The king said:
52 O Sage, in my house are several
wives of mine like Subhadra and others. Them I know, but not of Revati.
The sage said:
53 King, just now you called her “My
dear”! Have you forgotten her so soon? She is your auspicious wife.
The king said:
54 True that I called her thus. But I
had no such intention in my mind. Please do not be angry, O Sage!
The sage said:
55 You have told the truth, O king! Truly,
you had no such intention when you called her thus. It was the God of Fire that
prompted you to do so.
56 Just today, I had appealed to the
God as who her husband would be. And He replied: A king named Durdaman will
marry her.
57 So, O king, I am bestowing her on
you. Accept her as your wife. Then you will not have to worry about having
called her “My dear” in advance.
58 Confused, the king started thinking.
The sage went ahead with the arrangements for the marriage.
59 Observing the arrangements being made,
the girl said: “Father, my wedding should be conducted on the Revati astericism”.
The sage said:
60 Daughter, there are many auspicious
asterisms for weddings. But how can it be on Revati? Moreover, that asterism is
no longer in the heavens”.
61 The girl replied: “Except on the
Revati asterism, it is not fitting that my wedding is conducted. I beg of you;
please arrange this wedding on Revati asterism”.
The sage said:
62 Of old, on the command of Sage
Rtavak, the Revati asterism fell from the ground. If you insist that your
wedding should be only on that asterism, how can it be arranged?
The girl said:
63 Was Rtavak the only sage who had
performed austerities? Have you not, by mind, and word and work, achieved the
same powers?
64 I know that you have enough powers
to recreate the world. Father, please restore the asterism Revati to her place
in the heavens, and have my wedding conducted.
The sage said:
65 So be it! For you I shall restore
Revati in the way of the Moon, and your wedding will be conducted.
Lord Skanda said:
66 So saying, by the power of his own
austerities, that stage restored Revati to her place.
67 And on the asterism of Revati, the
sage had her wedded to the great Durdama.
68 Then, the sage asked: “O hero, what
do you want me to do for you? Mention it, and it shall be done”.
The king said:
69 “O sage, I have been born in the
lineage of Swayambhuva Manu,. By your blessings, I beseech that I beget a son
who would be the greatest in this age”.
Note:
Svayambhuva was the First Manu and delivered the Manusmrti.
The sage said:
70 If that be your desire, worship the
Goddess. And indeed you will get such a son.
71 The puranam known as Devi Bhagavatam
is said to be the Fifth Veda. If you hear it recited in five days, you will
indeed get a son as you desire.
72 The
son you shall beget in Revati will be known as Raivata and will be the fifth in
the succession of Manu-s. He will be learned in the Veda, and shall master all
the sciences. He will be righteous and will be invincible.
73 Thus blessed, the wise king
prostrated before the sage, and went happily back with his wife to his city.
74 He looked on all his subjects as if
they were his own progeny, and ruled happily over that kingdom that he had
inherited from his forefathers.
75 Once it happened that the great sage
Lomasa happened to visit his kingdom. The king gave him a worshipful welcome
and asked with folded hands:
The king said:
76 If you will bless me, O sage, I wish
to hear you recite the Devi Bhagavatam.
77 Lomasa: “Blessed are you, O king!
Devotion to Mother of the Three Worlds has dawned in your heart!
78 Worshipful to Gods and demons is
Mother, Almighty Jagadambika! Worship her; you will get all desires.
79 O king, I shall recite the Devi
Bhagavatam to you. After that, there will be nothing unobtainable to you”.
80 On an auspicious day, Lomasa
commenced. The king and his wife listened, as ordained, for five days.
81 On the eighth day, that righteous
king duly and happily worshipped the sage.
82 He had fire-oblation (hōmam) conducted with the navāŗņamantram. And sumptuously fed
virgins and Brahmins with their wives, and pleased them with gifts.
83 In due course, his wife, by the
blessings of the Goddess, became pregnant.
84 On an auspicious occasion, stars and
asterisms in favourable positions,
Revati bore him a son.
85 Immediately, the king had the
birthing rituals duly performed, using vessels of gold.
86 He pleased the Brahmins with
appropriate gifts, and in course of time, conducted the upanayanam for his son, after which the boy learnt the Veda, and
associated knowledge.
87 That boy Raivatan became learned in
all subjects, righteous, foremost among archers, firm in teaching and observing
dharma, and valorous and heroic.
88 Great God Brahma crowned him as a
Manu, and he ruled over the whole world righteously and well.
89 So have I related, in brief, the
greatness of Goddess. Who indeed can explain it fully?
90 Agastya too bowed before Skanda, and
returned to his own hermitage.
91 O Brahmins, I have explained to you
the greatness of Devi Bhagavatam. He who with devotion reads it or listens to
it will obtain all enjoyment on earth, and also attain final liberation in due
course.
[Thus
ends the 4th Canto of Sri Devi Bhagavatam, in Manasaskandha of Sri
Skandapuranam].
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