Story of Sātvika

A brahmin, who was turned into a Rākṣasa due to a curse after he had entered heaven. His story has been told by sage Śaunaka to Bharata, brother of Śrī Rāma.

It was Bharata, who led the yājñic horse towards the north in connection with the Aśvamedha yajña performed by Śrī Rāma after he was crowned King. The horse, which started on its journey from Ayodhyā reached, after six months, Hemakūṭa on the limits of India. As soon as it got into a beautiful garden it was rendered stationary as though paralysed. All attempts to make the horse move failed. Śatrughna and some soldiers tried to lift the horse by its legs, to no purpose. Hanūmān bound its legs with his tail and pulled, again to no purpose, and surprised at this failure of his he spoke to Śatrughna and others thus. "It was only just now that I pulled out with my tail the Droṇa mountain so very easily; but this small horse does not stir at all. May be, it is all fate." Following Hanūmān’s speech, Śatrughna asked Sumālī the explanation for this state of the matter, but the latter could not find one for it. Then it was decided to find out a maharṣi and ask him for the explanation. The soldiers accompanied by Bharata went in search of a maharṣi, reached Śaunaka’s āśrama and submitted the case to him.

The maharṣi remained in meditation for some time and the condition of the horse became vivid in his mind. Then he spoke as follows:—"There was once a brahmin named Sātvika in Gauḍa(?) land on the banks of river Kāverī. Once he began performing tapas. He spent three days. drinking only water the first day, consuming air the next day and fasting completely the third day. He continued his tapas repeating the above course until one day he entered samādhi (expired). He got into a decorated plane sent from Devaloka, went to the peak of mount Meru and thence came to river Jambū, which flowed from the great Jambū tree on the mountain. There in Jambū were many maharṣis, who had acquired merit by bathing in the golden water of the river, enjoying all comforts in the company of apsarā women. Sātvika, one day, haughty with the thought that he was the master of the maharṣis, did something which quite displeased the latter, and they cursed him. When he prayed for absolution from the curse they told him thus: "When you paralyse the feet of Śrī Rāma’s horse, you will happen to hear Rāma’s story and then you will be redeemed from curse."

On Śaunaka informing them thus that it was the brahmin transformed into a Rākṣasa, who had paralysed the legs of the horse, Bharata returned to the horse and recited the story of Rāma and immediately an effulgent person came there in a plane and said, "Oh. intelligent King! I have now heard the story of Rāma and so have become pure; so, please let me go to heaven." After saying this he returned. Bharata and others were pleased to know that the visitor was Sātvika brahmin. The horse became free from its paralysed condition. The party resumed its journey. (Padma Purāṇa, Pātālakhaṇḍa, Chapters 47 and 48).