Glory of Sraddha as spoken by Markandeya - achieving of redemption by the sons of Kausika

Markandeya said: The whole of the universe is established in Sraddha and the yoga too is established with Sraddha. Therefore I am going to bringout before you the excellent reward of Sraddha.

О Bharata, the fruit of performing Sraddha by Brahmadatta, in his seven birhts(as Bhardvaja, Kausika, Vyadha, Mrga, Cakravak, Hamsa and Srotriya) and by listening to the same, the virtuous wisdom is achieved slowly.

О sinless great soul, in the ancient times, some Brahmanas, tortured dharma with the following of evil ways. You better listen to me.

The all-pervading Sanatkumara, who had already been mentioned, I with the use of my divine sight, found the irriligious sons of Visvamitra, performing the Sraddha at Kuruksetra.

They were known by the names of Vagdusta, Krodhana, Hinsra, Pisuna, Kavi, Khasrma, (or those flying in the air) and Pitrvarti. Their deeds resembled their respective names.

О excellent one, О Bharata, the Kausikas were the sons of Visvamitra, when their father became unconcerned, after pronouncing a curse on them, then all of them became the disciples of Gargya started performing the Brahmacarya vrata started and dwelling there.

Once, all of them at the command of the preceptor, took the milching white cow as well as its calf for grazing. That particular cow had been received by the preceptor Gargya, on the way, they having suffered from hunger, thought of killing the cow.

At that point of time Kavi and khasrma tried to dissuade them from so doing by several means, but to no avail.

Then the one of them who was quite virtuous and daily performed the Sraddhas, known by the name of Pitrvarti, spoke to all the brothers in anger.

“In case, we have surely to kill the cow, you may do so for the cause of the manes.

By so doing, the cow too shall attain dharma undoubtedly and when the manes are adored religiously we shall also be abssolved of the sin of killing the cow.

О Bharata, thereafter, all of them, agreeing to the words of Pitrvarti, sprinkled water over the cow and offering it to the manes used its body as they liked it.

Then making use of the cow as per their liking, they carried the tale to the preceptor that it had been killed by a lion. This is the calf which you please accept.

The simple minded Brahmana accepted the calf. In this way all the Brahmanas cheating their preceptor, met with their end in due course of time.

Then because of their cruelty and for misbehaving with the preceptor, all the seven brothers were reborn hunters of violent nature.

At that point of time, they were born as the sons of a strong hunter, who were quite intelligent. They had adored the cow according to dharma sprinkling water over it, for the sake of manes, therefore after getting the second birth, they retained the memory of their birth and the deeds performed by them. All the seven of them were reborn in the Dasarna country as hunters, well versed in dharma.

All of them were detracted from greed and falsehood, and remained devoted to their duties. They took their food simply to maintain their bodies.

Whatever time was saved by them, they devoted themselves for thinking over the deeds of the earlier births. During the present birth they were known by the names of Nirvaira, Nirvrtti, Santa, Nirmanyu, virtuous.

О excellent one, thus all of them living in the Dasarna country, followed dharma while engaged in voilence. They honoured their old mother and also kept their father pleased.

At the death of their parents, they discarded their respective bows, retired to the forest, where they ended their lives by fasting.

Because of the noble deeds performed by them by serving their parents well, they were reborn as stags retaining the memories of their earlier births, because of their earlier torture by voilance to others, they remained upset over the Kalinjar mountain.

The names of the stags were, Unmukha, Nityavitrasta, stabdhakarna, Vilocana, Pandita, Ghasmara and Nadi.

During that birth as well, because of their retaining the memories of the earlier births and having been reminded of the fruits of their earlier deeds, the stags bore the pain with patience. They remained unmindful of the cold and heat and remaining aloof from the female stags, they wandered in the forest.

All of them followed the dharma similarly and engaged themselves in noble deeds, taking refuge in the Yogic practices worked on self realisation, they wandered in the forest.

О Bharata, the stags, consumed light food and meditated without consuming water. Thus performing tapas they met with their end. О king foot prints of the stags who meditated without consuming water can still be seen over the mountain Kalinjara, as they were in original form.

О excellent one, because of their performing such noble deeds, they were relieved of their inauspecious form and were reborn in auspicious form of ruddygoose.

Then all of them were reborn in the auspicious Jaladvipa, as aquatic birds. Here also, they observing the Vrata of celebacy conducted themselves as the Brahmacarl ascitics.

In the birth of a ruddygoose, they were known by the names of Nihsprha, Nirmama, Ksanta, Nirdvandva, Nispa- rigraha, Nirvrtti and Nibhrta.

All the virtuous birds performed tapas, without consuming anything over the bank of a river and met with their end.

Thereafter, all the seven brothers were born as swans roaming about the lake of Manasarovara. During this birth too, they preserved their memories of the earlier birth. Therefore, all of them living together, performing the vrata of celebacy, lived there.

The Brahmana yogis out of illusion had resorted to falsehood with their preceptor as a result of which they had been wandering on earth in degraded yonis.

Inspite of their having overpowered wth selfishness, they had performed the SrMdha for the sake of the manes. Because of the same they could achieve the excellent qualities as well as the knowldge in one after the other births.

In their births as swans, they came to be known by the manes of Sumana, Suciak, Suddha, Pancama, chidradarsana, Sunetra and Svatantra.

Out of the five sons of Kansika like Vagdusta and others, the fifth was known as kavi, he in the seventh birth was born as a minister known as Paiicika. The sixth who was known as KhaShrim, was born as kanddrika while the seventh one was born as Brahmadatta.

For the tapas which they had performed in the seven births, they achieved yogasiddhi and with the preserving of the memory of the ealier birth’s deeds, the carrlid on the study of the Vedas in the Gurukula. Because of the influence of the same, they continued to maintained the noble wisdom, which could not be changed.

All the swans, which flew in the sky, being Brahmacaris and exponents of Brahman, kept on wandering performing the yogic practices.

In this way all the birds were wandering together when the king of the Nipas, belonging to the Paurava dynasty arrived in the forest, possessing immense lustre of his body. He was accompanied with his queens displaying his granduer.

Then the sWan known by the name Svatantra, spotting the king - the lord of riches, aspired to become like him. He thought, that in case he possessed even a little of merit he should become like that king, because he had been fed up with the fasting and tapas.

Here ends Chapter 21, of Harivansa Parva of the khilabhaga of the epic of Mahabharata, relating to the glory of Sraddha as spoken by Markandeya, achieving of redemption by the sons of Kausika. (Vrs, 1-44,P.T.= 1197)

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