El Devi Bhagavatam

her best to bring back her husband. O King! Then, after coming to this conclusion, Brihaspati and other Devas went with Indrânî to the king Nahusa. Seeing them come, especially looking at Indrânî the artificial king Nahusa became very glad and said to Indrânî :-- “O Beloved! Today I am become the real Indra. O beautiful-eyed One! Worship me as your husband; see the Devas now have made me to be worshipped by all the gods.” When Nahusa spoke thus, the Devî S'achî became filled with great shame; she began to tremble and said to the king :-- “O Lord of the Devas! I desire to ask a boon from you. Better wait till I ascertain whether Indra is dead or alive, there is this doubt in my heart whether he lives or whether he is dead. O King of kings! Let me, first of all, clear my doubts. Kindly excuse me and wait till then. I tell this truly that after I ascertain the fact, I will worship you. I do not know anything whether Indra is dead or whether he has gone any where else.” When S'achî Devî spoke thus, Nahusa became very glad and saying “let it be so” dismissed her.

32-47. Thus having received permission from the King to depart, S'achî hurriedly went to the Devas and spoke to them to try their best to bring Indra back as soon as possible. O King! Hearing these sweet and holy words of Indrânî the Devas intently consulted with each other how they could get back Indra. They then went to Vaikuntha and began to praise with hymns the original Deva, the God Visnu, the Lord of the Universe, kind to those that seek His refuge. The Devas, skilled in speaking, spoke to Visnu with a very troubled heart :-- “O Lord! Indra, the Lord of the Devas, is very much troubled with his sin Brahmahattyâ. Where is he staying now, invisible to all the beings? O Lord! He is now overcome with the sin Brahmahattyâ by killing Vritra, the best of the Brâhmins. We ask your skilful and intelligent advice. O Lord! You are the sole refuge of him as well as of us. We are now involved in a great difficulty. Kindly show us the way how we, as well as Indra, can get out of this difficult crisis.” Hearing the pitiful words of the Devas, Visnu said :-- Let Indra perform the As'vamedha sacrifice (Horse sacrifice) for the purification of his sins. By this Yajña, that can destroy all sins, Indra will be purified and he will regain his Indraship; there is no doubt in this. The more so because the Devî, the Universal Mother, will be pleased with his Horse sacrifice and will destroy all his sins, Brahmahattyâ and others. Lo! Merely remembering Her destroys heaps of sins; and, if by this Horse sacrifice, She be pleased, what wonder is there that sins of a more grave nature would be destroyed! And let Indrânî worship Bhagavatî daily; happiness will undoubtedly be gained by worshipping that most Auspicious One! By this the King Nahusa will be particularly deluded by the World

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Mother and will then be quickly destroyed by the sin committed by himself. And Indra, purified by As'vamedha, will soon regain his position and all his wealth. O king! Thus hearing the sweet beneficial words of Visnu of indomitable prowess, the Devas went to the spot, where resided Indra. Brihaspati and the other Devas consoled the distressed Indra and made him celebrate duly in right order, the Horse sacrifice the greatest of all sacrifices. Indra then distributed his sin Brahmahattyâ amongst the trees, rivers, mountains, women, and the earth.

48-51. Thus casting aside his sin on all the above things, Indra became again free from his sin, and, getting rid of his fever and uneasiness, abided by the time and remained there invisible in the tubular stem of the lotus. Doing that wonderful act, the Devas started from there and reached their own abodes. The daughter of Pulomâ, suffering from her bereavements from Indra, spoke then to Brihaspati with great sorrow :-- “O Lord! Why is my husband still invisible to me, when he has performed the As'vamedha sacrifice? Kindly show me the way how I can get a sight of him.”

52-62. Brihaspati said :-- “O Devî! Worship the most Auspicious Bhagavatî; surely She will make your husband sinless and you will see him. The Devî Ambikâ, the Upholdress of the Universe, will desist the King Nahusa from doing the wrongful act and it is She that will delude him by Her Mâyâ and get his downfall from the Heavens. O King! When Brihaspati spoke thus, S'achî Devî got initiated by him in the Devî Mantram, capable to secure success in any undertaking. Thus getting the Mantram from her Guru, She began to worship the Devî Bhuvane'svarî duly with flowers, sacrificial victims and other necessary articles for worship. Thus Indrânî, with a view to see her husband, performed the worship of the Devî; she quitted all the articles of enjoyment and luxury and assumed the garb of an ascetic; thus some time passed away, when the Devî was pleased and appeared before her on the back of a Swan, in Her peaceful form, ready to grant boons to Indrânî. She looked, then, fiery like thousands of Moons; Her lovely beauty appeared in rays like thousands and thousands of fixed lightnings. The four Vedas personified began to praise Her in hymns from the four sides. Her two hands were adorned with a noose and a goad, and Her two other hands made signs to grant boons and to discard all fear. The Vaijayantî garland of clear crystal-like gems suspended from Her neck up to Her feet. Her face was adorned with smiles and signs as if she would grant favours. She had three eyes and was the ocean of mercy and the Mother of all the Jîvas from a worm up to Brahmâ. Her two heavy breasts were filled with

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unbounded ocean of nectar-like juice of Peace and Mukti. She was the Goddess of innumerable worlds, the Goddess of all and the Highest, endowed with all the knowledges and the Incarnate of the Undecaying and Immoveable Brahmâ. The Devî, then, began to address S'achî, the wife of Indra, in pleasant words and in voice deep like a rolling thunder.

63-69. The Devî said :-- O Darling to Indra! Better now ask your desired boon. I am much pleased with your worship. O Beautiful One! I have come here to grant you boon. To see Me is not an easy task; by the collected merits, acquired in thousands and thousands of births one is able to See Me. Hearing the words of the Devî, S'achî Devî, the wife of Indra, fell prostrate before Her feet and began to speak to the Highest Goddess, the Bhagavatî, Who seemed graciously pleased :-- “O Mother! I now desire from Thee, that I may see my husband whom I attained after great difficulty, that I be freed from the fear arising out of King Nahusa and I want that Indra be reinstated as Indra as he was before.” The Devî said :-- “O Lady of the Devas! Better go with this My messenger (Dûtî) to Mânasarovara; there is installed My fixed form, named Vis'vakâmâ. You will see your Indra staying there very sorrowful and overwhelmed with terror. I will delude the King Nahusa within a very short period. O large-eyed One! Be calm and quiet; I will fulfil your desires; soon I will delude that king and deprive him of the seat of Indra.”

70-71. Vyâsa said :-- The wife of Indra accompanied the messenger of the Devî and quickly reached the presence of her husband Indra. She was very pleased to see her long-wished for husband, in the state disguise.

Here ends the Eighth Chapter of the Sixth Book on the praising of the Bhagavatî by the wife of Indra and on getting the sight of Indra in the Mahâpurânam, S'rî Mad Devî Bhâgavatam of 18,000 verses by Maharsi Veda Vyâsa.

The Devi Bhagavatam: The Sixth Book: Chapter 9

THE SIXTH BOOK

Chapter IX

On Indra’s getting the fruits of Brahmahattyâ and on the downfall of king Nahusa

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1-2. Vyâsa said :-- Indra was quite surprised to see in this state of solitude his dear wife S'achî, large-eyed and overwhelmed with much sorrow and spoke thus :-- “O Beloved! I am remaining here alone this desolate place unnoticed by all the Jîvas; O Auspicious faced One! How have you come to know this! And how is it that you have come here!”

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3-5. S'achî said :-- O Lord of the Devas! I have been able to know this place where you are staying by the grace of Bhagavatî's Feet and I will get you back by Her grace. The Devas and Munis all united have installed the King Nahusa in your throne. That fellow says “O fair One! I am now made the King Indra; therefore you worship me as your husband.” And thus oppresses me always. O Destroyer of other's strength! That vicious one speaks to me thus; I am weak; What can I do to him?

6. Indra said :-- “O Beautiful One! I am now here waiting for the proper opportunity; O auspicious One! You should also make your mind calm and remain there, and wait for the proper time.”

7-12. Vyâsa said : -- O King! After Indra had spoken thus, S'achî Devî became sorrowful, drew a deep sigh and, trembling, said :-- “O Fortunate One! How can I stay there? That vicious man, puffed up with vanity and proud of his position will forcibly bring me under his control. The Devas and Munis say this to me out of his fear :-- O Beautiful One! The Lord of the Devas is now very much distressed with the arrows of the Cupid; therefore go and worship him. O Tormentor of foes! How can the Brâhmin Brihaspatî protect me, being himself powerless and under the control of the Devas. O Lord! This is now my grave anxiety; I am a weak woman, having none to protect me and therefore always under the guidance of a man. Fate is now against me; how can I keep myself religious? I am a chaste woman, devoted to my husband; I have got no shelter there; who will protect me when I fall into misery!

13-21. Indra said :-- “O Beautiful One! I will now tell you one means which, if you adopt, will no doubt preserve your character in times of crisis. Women cannot preserve their chastity when they are protected by others by thousand and one means; for lust penetrates into their restless minds and carries them to impure ways. It is the good and pure character that preserves a woman from a vicious course; therefore O Smiling One! You adopt this good conduct and character and remain steady in your place. In case that deceitful wicked King Nahusa shows his violence upon you, then take time and secretly cheat him, O Madâlase! Go to him when there will be no other body present and say :--“O Lord of the world! Please come to me on a conveyance carried by the Risis (great ascetics), I will then be very delighted and gladly yield myself to you; this is certainly my vow.” O Beautiful One! When you will say thus, that King, blinded by passion, will engage the Munis for the carriers of his conveyance. The ascetics, then, will be angry and curse him; the

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Munis will certainly burn him by the fire of their wrath; and the Divine Mother will no doubt help you. He who remembers the lotus-feet of the Ambikâ Devî never meets with any difficulties; and if there arises any difficulty, know certainly that it is for his immeasurable benefit. Therefore worship, with your whole heart, the Mother of the Universe, Who resides in the jewelled island (Mani Dvîpa) according to the words of the Guru Brihaspatî.

22-25. Vyâsa said :-- O King! Hearing thus the Indra's words, S'achî Devî said “Let it be so” and went to Nahusa, filled with confidence and inspiration to carry on the future work. Nahusa was very glad to see S'achî Devî and spoke thus :-- “O Sweet-speaking One! Are you all right? I am now completely yours; you have fulfilled my word; therefore I say truly that I am your servant. O Gentle-speaking One! When you have come to me, know that I am very glad. O Smiling One! Do not feel any shame before me. I am now your devotee; worship me. O large eyed One! Speak out what is that dear thing that I can do for you? I will carry that out at once.”

26-27. S'achî said :-- “O Lord Vâsava! You have done all the works; now I have got one desire to ask from you, kindly fulfil this and then I will be yours. O One full of auspiciousness! Now fulfil my desire; I am speaking this to you.”

28. Nahusa said :-- “O Thou, having a face sweet like the Moon! Speak out your desire; I will carry it out. O Beautiful One with nice eye-brows! Even if that be unattainable, I will give that to you.”

29-31. S'achî said :-- “O King of Kings! I cannot trust you; Swear on oath that you will fulfill my desire. O King! A truthful King very rare on this earth; I will speak out my desire when I will be convinced that you are bound by truth. O King! When you will fulfil my desire, I will always remain under your control; this I speak truly to you.”

32. Nahusa said :-- “O Beautiful One! On all the sacrifices and gifts that I have ever made, I swear, on all my merits, that I will certainly carry out your word.”

33-37. S'achî said :-- “Indra has got for his vehicles the horse Uchchais'ravâ, the Airâvata elephant and the chariot; Vâsudeva has got vehicle Garuda; Yama has got his buffalo; S'ankara his Bull; Brahmâ his Swan; Kartika has got his peacock and Ganes'a has got his mouse. But now, O Lord of the Devas! I want to see your vehicle, never witnessed before: I want to see the Munis and the great ascetics, observing vows, to be your vehicle; this is not Visnu's, Rudra's nor of the Devas, and Râks'asas. O King! Let the Munis carry your conveyance, this is my ever burning desire. O King of this earth! I know you the highest of all Devas; let your glory and splendour increase ever and ever; this is the intense desire reigning in my heart.”

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38-56. Vyasa said :-- O King! Hearing S'achî's words, Nahusa, weak in intellect, laughed and beguiled by the Mâyâ of Bhagavatî began to praise her and said at once :-- “O Beautiful One! Truly you have made a nice suggestion of my vehicle. O One having luxuriant hairs! I will soon carry out your words. O Sweet-smiling One! Whoever is effeminate and of weak virility, he is never able to engage the Munis as his carriers; no doubt, my unbounded strength will be rendered manifest when I come to you on a vehicle carried by the Munis. What wonder is there that the seven Risis (the seven stars of the constellation Great Bear) and all the Devarsis would carry me, knowing me as the most capable and superior in all the three worlds by virtue of my sheer asceticism?” Vyâsa said :-- O King! The King Nahusa became very pleased and dismissed S'achî Devî. He, then, with a heart flamed with passion, called the Munis and said: --“O Munis! I am now become Indra and endowed with all powers thereof; therefore you all do my work without being at all surprised. I have got the seat of Indra but Indrânî is not coming to me. I called her to my presence and when I informed her of my desire, She had spoken to me with affection the following words:-- O Indra of the Devas! O Giver of one's honour! Better come to me on a vehicle carried by the Munis and do thus the one thing for me that I like. O Maharsis! To carry out this task is, indeed, difficult for me; therefore do you all unite and, out of mercy, do this for me in all its completeness. My heart is being always burnt, as I am very much attached to the wife of Indra; so I take refuge unto you to do this wonderful work for me.” Though this request was very indecent and greatly humiliating yet the Munis agreed to it, out of pity, and also impelled, as it were, by the great Fate. When the Great Seers, the Munis consented to this proposal, the King, whose heart was very much attached to the daughter of Pulomâ, became very glad and getting on the beautiful vehicle carried by the Munis, told them, move on quickly (Sarpa, Sarpa). Then the King Nahusa, getting very much impassioned, touched with his feet the heads of the Munis, and, being as it were smitten by the arrows of cupid, began to whip frequently the Risi Agastya, the best of the ascetics, who devoured the Râksasa Vâtâpi, who was the husband of Lopâmudrâ and who drank out the ocean, saying move on, move on (Sarpa, Sarpa another meaning of which is Snake). The Muni, then, became very angry, on being thus whipped, and cursed him saying :-- “'O Wicked One! As you are whipping me, saying Sarpa, Sarpa, so go and remain in the dense forest as a huge snake. When many years will elapse and when you will crawl on your own limb and suffer intense troubles, after that you will again come to heaven. You will be free from the curse when you will see the King Yudhisthira and hear from him the answers to several questions.”

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57-67. Vyâsa said :-- O King! Thus cursed, the King Nahusa began to chant hymns to that best of the Munis, and, while praising, fell from the Heavens and instantly turned into a snake. Brihaspatî, then, quickly went to the Mânasarovara Lake and informed Indra everything in detail. Indra became very glad on hearing in detail of the downfall of the King Nahusa from Heaven and remained there gladly. When the Devas and Munis saw this downfall into the earth of Nahusa, they all went to the Lake Mânasarovara where Indra was staying. They then all encouraged Indra and honoured him by bringing him back to the Heavens. All the Devas and Risis installed Indra on the throne and then performed the Inauguration ceremony of the all auspicious Devî. On getting back his own throne. Indra, too, began to sport in the beautiful Nandana Garden with his dear consort S'achî, in the home of the Devas. Vyâsa said :-- O King! Indra had to suffer such severe hardships on account of his slaying the Maharsi Vis'varûpa, the Lord of the Asuras. Subsequently through the grace of the Devî, he got back his own seat. O King! Thus I have narrated before you  to my best, this excellent story of the killing of Vritrâsura and thus have answered your question. O Ornament of the Kuru family! The fruits will be exactly according to the Karma done. The effects of the Karma done must be borne whether they be auspicious or inauspicious. (So Indra had to suffer for his Karma, the killing of a Brâhmana.)

Here ends the Ninth Chapter of the Sixth Book on Indra's getting the fruits of his killing a Brâhmana and on the downfall of the King Nahusa from the Heavens in the Mahâpurânam S'rî Mad Devî Bhâgavatam of 18,000 verses by Maharsi Veda Vyâsa.

The Devi Bhagavatam: The Sixth Book: Chapter 10

THE SIXTH BOOK

Chapter X

On the phase of Karma

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1-5. Janamejaya said :-- “O Brâhmana! You have described in detail the wonderful character of Indra, his displacement from his Heavens, and his suffering many hardships and at the same time, you have described very widely the greatness of the Highest Goddess of the world. But one doubt has arisen in my mind that Indra was very powerful and when he got the lordship over the Devas, which means in other words that no trouble would pain him, how was it that he had to feel pain and agony? He got the Lordship of the Devas and his highest position by performing one hundred Horse Sacrifices; how was it, then that he was again displaced from that position? O Ocean of mercy! Kindly explain to me the causes of all these. You know everything; you are the best of the Munis and the maker of the Purânas; I am your devoted disciple; therefore nothing there can be that cannot be mentioned to me. So, O highly fortunate One! Kindly remove my doubts.” Sûta said :-- Thus asked by Janamejaya, Vyâsa the son of Satyavatî gladly spoke, in due order, the following words :--

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6-29. Vyâsa said :-- O King! Hear, then the causes that are certainly very wonderful. The seers say that Karma is of three kinds :-- Sañchita (accumulated), Vartamâna (present) and Prârabdha (commenced). Each of these is again subdivided into three, Sâttvik, Râjasik, and Tâmasik. The accumulated effects of Karmas done in many past lives is called Sañchita, O King! The effects of this Sânchita Karma, be it auspicious or inauspicious, be it for a long or for a short time, must have to be enjoyed by the beings whether they be good or bad. This Sañchita Karma done by the embodied beings in several previous births, can never be totally exhausted even in hundred Koti Kalpas without their being enjoyed. The Karma that is being done by a Jîva and that has not as yet been completed, that is called Vartamâna Karma. The Jîvas do this Vartamâna Karma, auspicious or inauspicious, in their present embodiments. At the time of birth, a part of the Sañchita Karma, the soul takes up for fructification. This part of Sañchita Karma is called Prârabdha Karma. This exhausts only when its effects have been fully borne out by the embodied soul. The beings cannot but bear the effects of this Prârabdha Karma. O King! Know this for certain that the effects of merits or demerits done previously must be borne by anybody, be he a Deva, or a man, or an Asura, or a Yaksa or a Gandharba. The acts done previously go to form the new births of all beings. When the Karma gets exhausted, then no more birth takes place. There is no doubt in this. Brahmâ, Visnu, Rudra, Indra and the other Devas, the Dânavas, Yaksas, Gandharbas, all are under the control of this Karma. O King! Were it not so, how could they get bodies that are the causes of the enjoyments of pains and pleasures of all the beings. Therefore, O King! Out of the Sañchita Karmas done in many previous births, some Karmas get ripe in due time and they manifest themselves; those manifested Sañchita Karmas are called Prârabdha Karmas (those that are being enjoyed by an individual in the present birth). Impelled by this Prârabdha Karma, the Devas and the human beings, all do meritorious acts as well as sinful acts. Thus Indra out of his past meritorious acts attained his Indraship, and, out of his past sinful acts, committed the sin Brahmahattyâ and so he was dislodged from his Indraship. What doubt can exist here? O King! So Nara and Nârâyana, the sons of Dharma, had to take births out of their previous Karmas; again Arjuna and Krisna were born out of their Karmic effects as part incarnations of this Nara and Nârâyana. The Munis describe this Karma as the basis of the Purânas. Know that he is born of a Deva who is very wealthy and prosperous; he who is not born of the part of a Muni, never writes any spiritual treatise on Jñana or Knowledge; he who is not born of Rudra, never worships Rudra; who is not born of a Deva never distributes rice in charity; he who is not born

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of S'rî Visnu, never becomes the king and lord of the earth. O King! The embodied souls derive their bodies certainly from Indra, Agni, Yama, Visnu, and Kuvera. Indra presides over lordship, Agni presides over energy, Yama presides over anger, and Visnu presides over strength. He who is powerful, fortunate, enjoying many enjoyments, learned, charitable, is said to be born of a Devâms'a. O Lord of the earth! Similarly the Pândavas and Vâsudeva who was as glorious as Nârâyana were born of Devâms'as. O King! Know this as quite certain that the bodies of the Jîvas are the receptacles of pains and pleasures; and the embodied souls (Jîvas) experience alternately pleasure and pain. No Jîva is independent; he is always under the Great Fate. He experiences birth, death, pleasure and pain, not out of his self will, but compelled and guided, as it were, by the unseen Fate.

30-41. O King! How very strong is that Fate can easily be judged by the following. The Pândavas were born in forest; then they went their own homes. They performed the Great Râjasûya Sacrifice by virtue of their own strength. After this they had to suffer their exiles in forest a much greater and more terrible hardship indeed! Next Arjuna performed a very hard asceticism when the Devas, not self-controlled, became pleased and granted him an auspicious boon. Still he could not extricate himself from the hands of the terrible hardship; nowhere could be found the fruits of the merits acquired in the past when he was afterwards remaining in exile in his human body in the forest! The severe tapasyâ that he did in the Vadarikâsrama in his past incarnation as Nara, the son of Dharma, did not bear any fruit in his Arjuna birth. Mysterious and inexplicable are the ways and means of Karma with which the bodies of the several beings are concerned. How could men get an idea of it when the Devas themselves are at a loss to solve it. Bhagavân Vâsudeva had to take birth in the prison, a very critical and dangerous place; he was then carried by Vasudeva to the milkman Nanda's abode at Gokula; he remained there eleven years and thence came back to Mathurâ where he killed by force Kamsa, the son of Ûgrasena. Then he released his sorrowful father and mother from the bonds of prison and made Ûgrasena, the King of Mathurâ. Afterwards he went to Dvârkâ city, out of the fear of Kâla Yavana, the King of the Mlechchas; thus Janârdana Krisna performed many great and heroic deeds, being impelled by Fate. Then he left his mortal coil at Prabhâsa, a place of pilgrimage, along with his relatives and acquaintances and then ascended to his Vaikuntha abode. All the Yâdavas, sons, grandsons, friends, brothers, sisters and ladies of the houses all died under the curse of a Brâhmin. O King! I have thus described to you the inexplicable ways of Karma.

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What more shall I say than the fact that Vâsudeva was killed by the arrows of a hunter!

Here ends the Tenth Chapter of the Sixth Book on the phase of Karma in the Mahapurânam S'rî Mad Devî Bhâgavatam of 18,000 verses by Maharsi Veda Vyâsa.

The Devi Bhagavatam: The Sixth Book: Chapter 11

THE SIXTH BOOK

Chapter XI

On the ascertainment of Dharma

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1-10. Janamejaya said :-- “O King of the Brâhmanas! You said that Râma and Krisna took their incarnations to relieve the burden of earth. One great doubt arises in my mind on this point. At the end of the Dvâpara Yuga, the Earth, burdened and oppressed very much, assumed, in anguish, the form of a cow and took refuge under Brahmâ. Brahmâ, then, went with the Earth to Visnu, the Lord of Laksmî, and thus prayed, “O Bibhu! Let You, with all the other gods, incarnate soon on earth at the house of Vâsudeva to relieve the Earth of Her load, as well as to protect the righteous.” When Brahmâ thus prayed, the Bhagavân Visnu incarnated as the son of Devakî, along with Balarâma to lessen the burden of the Earth. And, in fact, he relieved, to a certain extent, the Earth by killing many vicious persons and many wicked and irreligious Kings. But, along with that, Bhîsma, Drona, Virâta, Drupada, Somâdatta, and Karna, the son of the Sun were killed. But, See! that those who plundered afterwards His riches, and stole away the wives of Hari, those crores of Âbhîras, S’akas, Mlechchas, and Nisâdas and other vicious people remained alive; and how could it, then, be said that the Earth was relieved when Krisna did not kill those people! O Fortunate One! When I see all the people in this Kâlî Yuga addicted to sinful acts, this great doubt is not going out of my mind (how the Earth had been relieved of Her load).

11-14. Vyâsa said :-- O King! As the Yuga changes, so the people changes in course of time. Nothing can alter its course, for this is caused by the Yuga Dharma (the Dharma peculiar to each Yuga). Therefore if all the subjects that are considered wicked and vicious according to the law of the Yuga Dharma, then this creation would be destroyed; hence Krisna killed only those Dânavas and vicious Ksattriyas that were really the burden of Earth. O King! The persons that are devoted to religion take their births in the Satya Yuga; those that are fond of religion and wealth they become manifest in the Tretâ Yuga; those that like Dharma (religion), Artha (wealth) and

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Kama (desires), they are born in the Dvâpara Yuga, and those that dote on wealth and lust, they are seen in the Kâlî Yuga. O King! Know this as certain that these characteristics, peculiar to each Yuga, never vary; and know this too, that Time, the Lord of Dharma and Adharma, is always present.

15-18. The King said :-- “O Intelligent One! Where are those pious persons now that were born as high-souled religious persons in the Satya Yuga; where are those Munis now who were devoted to charity in the Tretâ or Dvâpara Yuga? Again where will go these shameless and merciless persons, that are being seen now in this Kâlî Yuga, these vicious creatures that revile their own Gurus? O Highly Intelligent One! I am very eager to know how these religious matters are brought to a decision and settlement; kindly describe to me in detail all these secret truths.”

19-30. Vyâsa said :-- O King! Persons, born in the Satya Yuga, that perform acts of merit, go to the Deva Loka. O King! The Brâhmins, Ksattriyas, Vais’yas and S’ûdras, if they remain in their own spheres and if they be devoted to religious acts, go to their respective spheres, earned by their meritorious deeds. By virtue of truth, mercy, charity, going to one’s own wives, not injuring animals, and having no jealousy and showing mercy equally towards all, by practising these universal forms of religion, even the lowest castes, e.g., washermen and others all go to the Paradise. So in the Tretâ and Dvâpara Yugas men go to Heaven by virtue of their merits, earned in practising their own Dharma; but in this Kâlî Yuga persons addicted to vicious acts go to terrible hells and remain there till the end of the Kâlî Yuga when they will be again born in this earth. O King! When the Satya Yuga begins and the Kâlî Yuga ends, at this junction time, the virtuous highsouled persons descend from Heaven and are born on this earth; and when the Kâlî begins and the Dvâpara ends, the vicious souls come on the earth again from their hells. O King! Know this as the course of Time; it never becomes otherwise. See, then, that the Kâlî Yuga tends to do vicious things and the people, therefore, become vicious. At times, the birth of beings takes place otherwise than the laws of Yugas, out of the strange combinations of Fate (i.e., good persons are seen in the Kâlî and vicious persons are seen in the Satya). For this reason those that do meritorious acts in the Kâlî Yuga are born as men in the Dvâpara; so the Dvâpara good persons take their births as men in the Tretâ; and the Tretâ good persons are born as men in the Satya Yuga. Again those who are vicious in the Satya Yuga become persons of the Kâlî Yuga. The Jîvas suffer miseries on account of their own bad Karmas; they again suffer more miseries

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by doing over and over again those bad Karmas by virtue of the Yuga Dharma.

31. Janamejaya said :-- “O Bhagavân! Describe particularly the details of the Yuga Dharma. I am now very desirous to hear which Dharma is for which Yuga?”

32-54. Vyâsa said :-- O King! I will now show to you by example the influence of the religion peculiar to each Yuga; hear it attentively. O King! The hearts even of saints are quite disturbed by the Yuga Dharma. See! Your father was a religious and high-souled monarch; still the wicked Kâlî defiled his mind and prompted him to do an act very insulting to a Brâhmana. Otherwise why would he, being a renowned prince amongst the Ksattriyas and a descendant of Yayâti, thus go and encircle a snake round the throat of an ascetic Brâhmin? Therefore, O King! All actions are being influenced by the Yuga Dharma. The Pundits, also recognise this. If you try your best to perform any religious act, even then the Yuga Dharma would prevail, yet you would be able to perform to a certain extent, a part of your intention. O King! In the Satya Yuga, the Brâhmins were versed in the Vedas, always devoted to worship the Highest Force, with an ardent desire to see the Devî; they were devoted to Gâyatrî with Pranava, devoted to the meditation of Gâyatrî, always reciting silently Gâyatrî, and the Mâyâvîja Mantram, the chief mantram. In every village, the Brâhmins were very eager to erect temples of the Devî Mahâ Mâyâ Ambikâ and were truthful, merciful and pure and devoted to their own respective works. The Ksattriyas, skilled in the science of the highest knowledge, were ever engaged in doing things ordained by the Vedas and were always intent in protecting well their subjects. The Vais’yas did their cultivation and trade and the S’ûdras always served the other three castes. Thus, in the Satya Yuga, all the Varnas (castes) were devoted to the worship of the Devî Ambikâ, the Highest S’akti; but in the Tretâ Yuga, the observance of the religion declined a little and in the Dvâpara, it declined very much. O Ornament of Indra! Those who were Râksasas before, they become the Brâhmins of the Kâlî Yuga; they are the flowers of atheists, deceptors of men, untruthful, without any Vedas, devoid of the Vedic practices, arrogant, cunning, egoistic, and capable only to serve the S’ûdras. Some of them try to find fault with the Sanâtan Dharma and are the promulgators of various other creeds, wicked, fallen from their religion and given to much talking. O King! As Kâlî gets stronger, so the true religion declines and ultimately dies; and, in that proportion, the Ksattriyas, Vais’yas and S’ûdras are also devoid of their religion. When Kâlî will be in full swing, the Ksattriyas, Vais’yas and S’ûdras will all be untruthful, vicious; the Brâhmins will act like S’ûdras and will accept other’s gifts. O King! The women in the

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Kâlî Yuga would be very passionate, avaricious and ignorant. They would be very powerful and insolent, wilful, vicious and untruthful and so would be a source of pain to the society. They would think themselves vainly religious and learned and would be always ready to impart religious instructions and deceive their own husbands and be exceedingly vicious. O King! Our minds are purified by the food that we take; when our minds are pure, the Light of Dharma shines clearly. The customs and practices of Varna and Âs’rama Dharmas get intermixed with each other and so arises the fault of Dharma S’amkara (i.e., mixture of the several parts of religion with each other). When the Dharma S’amkara creeps in, the Varna S’ankara is seen (i.e., purity in blood and other matters of birth are lost). Thus, in the Kâlî Yuga, all the Dharmas will gradually die out and ultimately nothing will be heard about one’s own religion. O King! In this Yuga even the religious high-souled persons will be found to do irreligious acts! The nature of Kâlî is so; nobody will be able to quit it. O King! Thus, in this age, men naturally commit vicious things; with ordinary means, therefore, no one becomes able to extricate from the worst vicious habits.

55-56. Janamejaya said :-- “O Bhagavân! You know all and you are versed in all the S’âstras; what will be the fate of so many persons in this Kâlî Yuga? If there be any path, kindly describe it to me.”

57-65. Vyâsa said :-- O King! There is only one path and none other which can save a man from the sin of this Kâlî; and that is this :-- The Jîvas must meditate on the lotus-feet of the Highest Devî for the purification of all their faults and sins. O King! There is so much strength in Her sin-destroying Name, that the amount of sin in this world falls much less in proportion to that. Where, then, is the cause of fear? Her Name, uttered at random, even in an unconscious state, bestows so much unspeakable results that even Hari, Hara and others have not the capacity to know that. O King! The mere remembrance of the name of S’rî Devî is an atonement for a multitude of sins; then it behoves that every man, afraid of the Kâlî Yuga, residing in a place of pilgrimage, ought to remember incessantly the Name of the Highest Deity. Even if anybody cuts, pierces, and kills all the beings in this whole world, he won’t be touched with the sins, if he bows down, with devotion, before the Devî. O King! I have narrated to you all the secret truths of all the S’âstras. Consider all these fully and always worship the lotus-feet of the Devî. All men are reciting silently the Japam called the Ajapâ Gâyatrî; still they do not know the glory of it; such is the powerful influence of Mâyâ. All the Brâhmanas are reciting in the depth of their hearts the Gâyatrî Mantram, yet they do not know the glory of it (otherwise they would have

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been liberated); such is the great influence of Mâyâ. O King! I have described to you all that you asked me about the Yuga Dharmas; what more do you want to hear?

Here ends the Eleventh Chapter of the Sixth Book on the ascertainment of Dharma in the Mahâ Purânam, S’rî Mad Devî Bhâgavatam, of 18,000 verses by Maharsi Veda Vyâsa.

The Devi Bhagavatam: The Sixth Book: Chapter 12

THE SIXTH BOOK

Chapter XII

On the cause of the war between Âdi and Baka

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1-2. The King said :-- “O Best of Munis! Tell me the names of the holy places of pilgrimage on the surface of this earth, the holy Ksetras and the holy rivers; what are the fruits acquired in bathing there and in making charitable gifts as well; also what are the rules of the journeys and acts there are to be conducted?”

3-34. Vyâsa said :-- Hear; I am describing to you various Tîrthas or places of pilgrimage as well as those that are highly extolled as the best places favourite to the Devî. Amongst the rivers the following are reckoned as chief and holy :-- The Ganges, Jumnâ, Sarasvatî, Narmaddâ, Gandakî, Sindhu, Gomatî, Tamasâ, Cavery, Chandrahâgâ, Vetravatî, Charmanvatî, Saraju, Tâpî, and Sâvramatî. Besides these, there are hundreds of rivers on the surface of this earth; of them, those that fall into the ocean, they are holier and those that have not reached the ocean are less holy. Of those rivers that fall into the ocean, those that always flow with great current, they are comparatively holier; but in the two months S’râvan and Bhâdra (15th July - 15th September) all the rivers are considered as if they are during their menstruation periods; at this time also some rivers carry water of the rains just sufficient to supply the villagers with water. O King! The following are the famous places of pilgrimages calculated to bestow merits:-- Puskara, Kuruksettra, the holy Dharmâranya, Pravâsa, Prayâga, Naimisâranya, and Arbudâranya. O King! Of the mountains, the following are considered as sacred :-- S’rîs’aila, Sumeru, Gandhamâdana; of the lakes, the following are very holy and very famous :-- Mânasarovara, Vindusarovara and Aksoda; these are the chief lakes. To those Munis that meditate on their Âtman, all the hermitages are sacred; still the hermitage of Badri is always considered very sacred and the most celebrated; here Nara and Nârâyana, the two famous Munis, practised their asceticism. The Vâmanâs’rama and S’atayûpâs’rama are also well known; thus every hermitage is named after the Muni that practised asceticism there. Thus innumerable holy places on the surface of the earth are mentioned by the Munis as tending

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