Canto LXXVI - The Sixth Manvantara

Cākṣuṣa when an infant was taken by a hag from his parents and changed for the son of king Vikrānta and was brought up as a prince.—On reaching boyhood he revealed the fraud, and abandoning his princely state became an ascetic.—Brahmā made him the sixth Manu.—The deities, ṛṣis and kings of his period are mentioned.

Mārkaṇḍeya spoke:

Thus I have narrated, these five manvantaras to thee.^[1] Hear about this sixth period, that of the Manu Cākṣuṣa.

In another birth he was born from the eye^[2] of the supreme deity, hence in this birth also he retained the condition^[3] of Cākṣuṣa, O brāhman.^[4] His mother repeatedly makes him prattle^[5] as he lies in her lap after his birth, and embraces him lovingly and then again makes him prattle.^[6] Being indeed born with a recollection of his previous existences, he laughed as he lay on his mother’s lap. His mother said to him angrily then—“I am frightened; what is this, my child, that there is laughter in thy mouth? Thou art born with premature intelligence. Perhaps thou seest something-bright!”

The son spoke:

Dost thou not see, a cat in front wishes to devour me? And another, the hag who seizes newly-born children,^[7] has vanished. And since thou, lady, looking on me lovingly in thy affection for thy son, dost keep on making me prattle and dost embrace me much, while thy hair rises up and thine eyes are suffused with tears springing from love, therefore I chanced to laugh. Hear also the reason of it. The cat intent on its own object looks on me who am attached to thee; and the other also, the hag who seizes newly-born children, has vanished. Just as these two, with hearts solicitous for their own self-interest,^[8] were busy over me, even so thou appearest to me to be engaged in thy own self-interest. But the cat and the hag who seizes newly-born children aimed at enjoying me; thou on the other hand de-sirest to obtain good results from me which shall be enjoyed gradually. Thou dost not know me who I am, nor the benefit that I have conferred. Our meeting is for no very long time, a period of five and seven days. Nevertheless thou lovest and embracest me excessively with tears in thine eyes; sincerely thou callest me “dear child” and “lovely darling.”

The mother spoke:

“It is not for the sake of a benefit that I embrace thee lovingly, my darling, nor shall I be deprived of thee, if this shall be for thy pleasure.^[9] I have note relinquished any self-interest which shall accrue to me from thee.”^[10]

So saying she left him and went out of the lying-in house. The hag Jātahāriṇī then seized him when left, his body and external organs of sense being apathetic, his heart and soul pure. Having seized the boy she placed him then as a newborn child on the bed of king Vikrānta’s wife, and took his new-born son and carried him^[11] to another house, and taking a son from that house she, Jātahāriṇī, in regular course devoured this third child. Now carrying children off in succession she devours the third child, totally devoid of pity; but she makes a substitution thus with the other two day after day.

And then king Vikrānta performed the purificatory rites, which appertain to a prince, for that very son; and as father king Vikrānta gave him the name Ānanda according to rule, being himself filled with intense joy. Now when as a youth he had donned the sacred thread, his spiritual guide ordered him—“Approach before thy mother respectfully and salute her!” Hearing that his guru’s speech, he smiled and spoke thus — “Which of my mothers shall I praise, her who gave me birth or her who has nourished me?”

The guru spoke:

Not the latter, indeed! Thy mother who bore thee, noble youth, is Rutha’s daughter, Vikrānta’s chief queen, Haiminī by name.

Ānanda spoke:

She is the mother of Caitra, who dwells in the village Viśāla, as son of the leading brāhman Bodha, and who was born of her. I come from elsewhere.

The guru spoke:

Whence art tbou? tell me, O Ānanda. What C’aitra again dost thou mention? It appears to be a great difficulty. Where wast thou born? What dost thou say of this?

Ānanda spoke:

I was born in a kṣatriya king’s house of his wife Giribhadrā, O brāhman. The hag that steals new-born children took me; she left me here, and taking Haiminī’s son also carried him further to the house of the leading brāhman Bodha, and devoured the brāhman Bodha’s son. Haiminī’s son has been consecrated with the sanctifying rites of a brāhman there. I have been consecrated here by thee as guru, illustrious Sir. I must obey thy command: which mother shall I approach, O guru?

The guru spoke:

Extremely intricate, my child, is this great difficulty that has befallen. I understand it not at all, for my wits are wandering as it were through enchantment.

Ānanda spoke:

What case of enchantment is there here, while the world is thus constituted? Who is whose son, O brāhman ṛṣi ? Or who is not whose kinsman? Beginning from his birth, whatever man enters into connexions, the others who are connected with him are made to pass away by death, O brāhman. Moreover when he is born here, whatever connexion he has with kinsmen, that also ceases with the ending of his body. This is the entire process. Hence I say, “Who is not a kinsman to one who dwells in this worldly existence? Or who is a kinsman for ever?” Is thy mind bewildered? I bave had two fathers indeed in this very birth, and two mothers; is it wonderful that it should he otherwise in the recurring birth of the body? Being such, I will practise austerities. Do thou bring here O'aitra, who is indeed the son of this king, from the village Viśāla.

Mārkaṇḍeya spoke:

Thereupon the king was astonished with his wives and kinsmen; withdrawing his feeling of ownership from that boy, he permitted him to depart to the forest. Fetching his son Caitra he made him worthy of the kingdom, after honouring the brāhman who brought him up in the belief that he was his son.

And he, Ānanda, a mere boy, practised austerities in the great forest, in order to consume away his actions which were adversaries in the path to final emancipation. And to him then as he practised austerities spoke the divine Prajāpati — “Why art thou performing severe austerities my child? tell me that.”

Ānanda spoke:

Desirous of purity of soul I perform austerities, adorable lord! setting my face towards consuming the actions which tend to fetter me.

Brahmā spoke:

He who is lord over consumed actions is fit for final emancipation, not he who engages in action. Hence Sir! thou shalt obtain final emancipation, when thou hast the lordship of goodness. Thou must be the sixth Manu; go; do accordingly! Enough of austerities for thee! When thou hast done that, thou shalt obtain final emancipation.

Mārkaṇḍeya spoke:

Being thus exhorted by Brahmā, he then the high-minded replied, “So be it!” and went directing himself to that pursuit. He ceased indeed from austerities. Turning him away from austerities Brahmā addressed him as Cākṣuṣa; formerly he was known by that name; he became famous as Manu Cākṣuṣa.

He married Vidarbhā, daughter of king Ugra, and begot by her sons celebrated for valour.

Hear, O brāhman, who were the gods of the period, while he reigned over the manvantara; and who were the ṛṣis, and who was the Indra, and who were his sons. The gods therein were named Āryas; they formed one group of eight persons; it was composed of those who had done famous deeds, who partook of the oblations at the sacrifice, O brāhman, of those who were famous for strength and valour, who were hardly to be gazed at because of their halo of splendour. And the second class of gods was called Prasūtas, consisting of eight persons. There was another class of gods also called Bhavyas, consisting of just eight persons; and a fourth class therein was called Yūthagas, which also consisted of eight persons. There were, moreover, other gods called Lekha in a fifth class also in that manvantara, O brāhman; those so named fed indeed on amṛta. And the Indra was Manojava, who offered a hundred sacrifices and became their lord; he was reckoned the eater of a portion of the sacrifices. And Sumedhas, and Virajas, Haviṣmat, Unnata, Madhu, Atināman, and Sahiṣṇu were the seven ṛṣis. Manu Cākṣuṣa’s sons, chief of whom were Urū,^[12] Puru, and Śatadyumna, very great in strength, were the kings of the earth.

Thus I have narrated to thee the sixth manvantara, O brāhman, both the birth and the exploits of high-souled Cākṣuṣa. He who subsists at the present time is named Manu Vaivasvata; hear from me about the gods and other chief personages in his, the seventh, period.

Footnotes and references:

[1]:

For tava read tathā? The Bombay edition reads mayā.

[2]:

Cakṣuṣaḥ.

[3]:

Or “appellation.”

[4]:

The Bombay edition inserts an explanatory verse here—“Bhadrā, wife of the high-souled royal ṛṣi Anamitra, gave birth to a son, who was very wise, pure, who remembered his former lives, a very sovereign.” See verse 27,

[5]:

Ul-lāpya. Ul-lap is not given as a verb in the dictionary; ul-lāpa is given as a noun meaning “calling out in a loud voice; change of voice in grief, sickness, &c. but those meanings seem inadmissible here. See ul-lāpana in canto xxv, verse 10.

[6]:

Ul-lāpayati.

[7]:

Jāta-hārinī; see canto li, verse 102.

[8]:

For snigdha-hṛdaya read snigdha-hṛdaye to agree with ete pra-vṛtte, as the Bombay edition reads.

[9]:

This seems a little involved, but both editions read alike.

[10]:

For tatto read tvatto.

[11]:

For tvam read tam ? but both editions read tvam.

[12]:

For Urū read Ūru.