{"collection":"Hinduism","html_url":"https://unchartedknowledge.5gfusion.net/browse/hin/db/bk09ch48.htm","path":"hin/db/bk09ch48.htm","source_url":"https://sacred-texts.com/hin/db/bk09ch48.htm","text":"THE NINTH BOOK\nChapter XLVIII\nOn the anecdote of Manas\u00e2\n1-30. N\u00e2r\u00e2yana said :-- O N\u00e2rada! I will now speak of the Dhy\u00e2nam and the method of worship of S\u2019r\u00ee Dev\u00ee Manas\u00e2, as stated in the S\u00e2ma Veda. Hear. \u201cI meditate on the Dev\u00ee Manas\u00e2, Whose colour is fair like that of the white champaka flower, whose body is decked all over with jewel ornaments, whose clothing is purified by fire, whose sacred thread is the N\u00e2gas (serpent), who is full of wisdom, who is the foremost of great J\u00f1anins, who is the Presiding deity of the Siddhas, Who Herself is a Siddha and who bestows Siddhis to all.\u201d O Muni! Thus meditating on Her, one should present Her, flowers, scents, ornaments, offerings of food and various other articles, pronouncing the principal Seed Mantra. O N\u00e2rada! The twelve lettered Siddha Mantra, to be mentioned below, yields to the Bhaktas their desires like the Kalpa Tree. Now the Radical mantra as stated in the Vedas is \u201cOm Hr\u00eem S\u2019r\u00eem Kl\u00eem Aim Manas\u00e2 Devyai Sv\u00e2h\u00e2.\u201d Repetition of this, five lakhs of times, yields success to one who repeats. He who attains success in this mantra gets unbounded name and fame in this world. Poison becomes nectar to him and he himself becomes famous like Dhanvantari. O N\u00e2rada! If anybody bathes on any Samkr\u00e2nti day (when the sun enters from one sign to another) and going to a private room (hidden room), invokes the Dev\u00ee\nManas\u00e2 \u00ces\u2019\u00e2n\u00e2 and worships Her with devotion, or makes sacrifices of animals before the Dev\u00ee on the fifth day of the fortnight, he becomes certainly wealthy, endowed with sons and name and fame. Thus I have described to you the method of worship of Manas\u00e2 Dev\u00ee. Now hear the anecdote of the Dev\u00ee as I heard from Dharma. In olden days, men became greatly terrified on earth from snakes and took refuge of Kas\u2019yapa, the supreme amongst the Munis. The Maharsi Kas\u2019yapa became very afraid. He then with Brahm\u00e2, and by His command composed a mantra following the principal motto of the Vedas. While composing this mantra, he intensely thought of the Dev\u00ee, the Presiding Deity of that Mantra, through the power of his Tapasy\u00e2 and through the mental power, the Dev\u00ee Manas\u00e2 appeared and was named so, as She was produced from the sheer influence of mind. On being born, the girl went to the abode of S\u2019ankara in Kail\u00e2s\u2019a and began to worship Him and chant hymns to Him with devotion. For one thousand Divine years, the daughter of Kas\u2019yapa served Mah\u00e2deva when He became pleased. He gave her the Great Knowledge, made Her recite the S\u00e2ma Veda and bestowed to her the eight-lettered Krisna mantra which is like the Kalpa Tree. S\u2019r\u00eem Hr\u00eem Kl\u00eem Krisn\u00e2ya Namah was the eight lettered Mantra. She got from Him the Kavacha (amulet) auspicious to the three worlds, the method of worship and all the rules of Purascharana (repetition of the name of a deity attended with burnt offerings, oblations, etc.) and went by His command to perform in Puskara very hard austerities. There she worshipped Krisna for the three Yugas. S\u2019r\u00ee Krisna then appeared before Her. On seeing Krisna, immediately the girl, worn out by austerities, worshipped Him, and she was also worshipped by S\u2019r\u00ee Krisna. Krisna granted her the boon, \u201cLet you be worshipped throughout the world\u201d and departed. O N\u00e2rada! She was thus first worshipped by the Supreme Spirit, the Dev\u00ee Krisna; secondly by S\u2019ankara; thirdly by the Maharsi Kas\u2019yapa and the Devas. Then she was worshipped by the Munis, Manus, N\u00e2gas, and men; and She became widely renowned in the three worlds. Kas\u2019yapa gave Her over to the hands of Jaratk\u00e2ru Muni. At the request of the Br\u00e2hmin Kas\u2019yapa, the Muni Jarat K\u00e2ru married Her. After the marriage, one day, being tired with his long work of Tapasy\u00e2, Jarat K\u00e2ru laid his head on the hip and loins of his married wife and fell fast asleep. Gradually the evening came in. The sun set. Then Manas\u00e2 thought, \u201cIf my husband fails to perform the Sandhy\u00e2, the daily duty of the Br\u00e2hmanas, he would be involved in the sin of Brahmahaty\u00e2. It is definitely stated in the S\u2019\u00e2stras, that if any Br\u00e2hmana does not perform his Sandhy\u00e2 in the morning and in the evening, he becomes wholly impure and the sins\nBrahmahatty\u00e2 and other crimes come down on his head.\u201d Arguing thus, these thoughts in her mind, as commanded by the Vedas, at last she awakened her husband, who then got up from his sleep.\n31-60. The Muni Jarat K\u00e2ru said :-- \u201cO Chaste One! I was sleeping happily. Why have you thus interrupted my sleep? All his vows turn out useless who injures her husband. Her tapas, fastings, gifts, and other meritorious works all come to vain who do things unpleasant to her husband. If she worships her husband, she is said to have worshipped S\u2019r\u00ee Krisna. For the sake of fulfilling the vows of the chaste women, Hari himself becomes their husbands. All sorts of charities, gifts, all sacrifices, fastings, practising all the virtues, keeping to truth, worshipping all the Devas, nothing can turn out equal to even one-sixteenth part of serving one\u2019s husband. She ultimately goes with her husband to the region of Vaikuntha, who serves her husband in this holy land Bh\u00e2rata. She comes certainly of a bad family who does unpleasant acts to her husband or who uses unpleasant words to her husband. She goes to the Kumbh\u00eep\u00e2ka hell as long as the Sun and Moon last and then she becomes born as a Chand\u00e2l\u00ee, without husband and son.\u201d Speaking thus, Jarat K\u00e2ru, the best of the Munis, became angry and his lips began to tremble. Seeing this, the best Manas\u00e2, shivering with fear, addressed her husband :--\nI have broken your sleep and awakened you, fearing you might miss your time of Sandhy\u00e2. I have committed an offence. Punish me as you think. I know that a man goes to the K\u00e2las\u00fbtra hell as long as the Sun and Moon last in this world, who throws an obstacle when any man eats, sleeps or enjoys with the opposite sex. O N\u00e2rada! Thus saying, the Dev\u00ee Manas\u00e2 fell down at the feet of her husband and cried again and again. On the other hand, knowing the Muni angry, and ready to curse her, the Sun came there with Sandhy\u00e2 Dev\u00ee. And He humbly spoke to him with fear :-- \u201cO Bhagav\u00e2n! Seeing Me going to set, and fearing that you may miss Dharma, your chaste wife has awakened you. O Br\u00e2hmin! Now I am also under your refuge; forgive me. O Bhagav\u00e2n! You should not curse Me. The more so, a Br\u00e2hmana\u2019s heart is as tender as the fresh butter. The anger of a Br\u00e2hman lasts only half the twinkling of an eye (Ksan). When a Br\u00e2hmana becomes angry, he can burn all this world and can make a new creation. So who can possess an influence like a Br\u00e2hmana. A Br\u00e2hmin is a part of Brahm\u00e2; he is shining day and night with the Tejas of Brahm\u00e2. A Br\u00e2hmana meditates always on the Eternal Light of Brahm\u00e2.\u201d O N\u00e2rada! Hearing the words of the Sun, the Br\u00e2hmin became satisfied and blessed Him. The Sun also went to His own place, thus blessed daily. To keep his promise, the Br\u00e2hmin Jaratk\u00e2ru quitted\nManas\u00e2. She became very sorry and began to cry aloud with pain and anguish. Being very much distressed by the then danger, she remembered Her \u00cesta Deva, Mah\u00e2deva, Brahm\u00e2, Hari and Her father Maharsi Kas\u2019yapa. On the very instant when Manas\u00e2 remembered S\u2019r\u00ee Krisna, the Lord of the Gopis, Mah\u00e2deva, Brahm\u00e2 and Maharsi Kas\u2019yapa appeared there. Then seeing his own desired Deity S\u2019r\u00ee Krisna, superior to Prakriti, beyond the attributes, Jaratk\u00e2ru began to praise Him and bowed down to Him repeatedly. Then bowing down to Mah\u00e2deva, Brahm\u00e2 and Kas\u2019yapa, he enquired why they had come there. Brahm\u00e2, then, instantly bowed down at the lotus feet of Hris\u00eekes\u2019a and spoke in befitting words at that time if the Br\u00e2hmin Jaratk\u00e2ru leaves at all his legal wife, devoted to her own Dharma, he should first of all have a son born of her to fulfil his Dharma. O Muni! Any man can quit his wife, after he has impregnated her and got a son. But if without having a son, he leaves his wife, then all his merits are lost as all water leaks out of a sieve or a strainer. O N\u00e2rada! Hearing thus the words of Brahm\u00e2, the Muni Jaratk\u00e2ru by his Yogic power recited a Mantra and touching the navel of Manas\u00e2 spoke to her :-- \u201cO Manas\u00e2! A son will be born in your womb self-controlled, religious, and best of the Br\u00e2hmanas.\n61-77. That son will be fiery, energetic, renowned, well-qualified the foremost of the Knowers of the Vedas, a great J\u00f1\u00e2nin and the best of the Yogis. That son is a true son, indeed, who uplifts his family who is religious and devoted to Hari. At his birth all the Pitris dance with great joy. And the wife is a true wife who is devoted to her husband, good-natured and sweet-speaking and she is religious, she is the mother of sons, she is the woman of the family and she is the preserver of the family. He is the true friend, indeed, the giver of one\u2019s desired fruits, who imparts devotion to Hari. That father is a true father who shows the way to devotion to Hari. And She is the True Mother, through whom this entering into wombs ceases for ever, yea, for ever! That sister is the true kind sister from whom the fear of Death vanishes. That Guru is the Guru who gives the Visnu Mantra and the true devotion to Visnu. That Guru is the real bestower of knowledge who gives the J\u00f1\u00e2nam by which S\u2019r\u00ee Krisna is meditated in whom this whole universe, moving and non-moving from the Brahm\u00e2 down to a blade of grass, is appearing and disappearing. There is no doubt in this. What knowledge can be superior to that of S\u2019r\u00ee Krisna. The knowledge derived from the Vedas, or from the sacrifices or from any other source is not superior to the service to S\u2019r\u00ee Krisna. The devotion and knowledge of S\u2019r\u00ee Hari is the Essence of all knowledge; all else is vain and mockery. It is through this Real Knowledge; that this bondage from this world is severed. But the Guru who does not impart this devotion\nand knowledge of S\u2019r\u00ee Hari is not the real Guru; rather he is an enemy that leads one to bondage. Verily he kills his disciple when he does not free him. He can never be called a Guru, father or friend who does not free his disciple from the pains in the various wombs and from the pains of death. Verily he can never be called a friend who does not show the way to the Undecaying S\u2019r\u00ee Krisna, the Source of the Highest Bliss. So, O Chaste One! You better worship that Undecaying Para Brahm\u00e2 S\u2019r\u00ee Krisna, Who is beyond the attributes. O Beloved! I have left you out of a pretence; please excuse me for this. The chaste women are always forgiving; never they become angry because they are born of Sattvagunas. Now I go to Puskara for Tapasy\u00e2; you better go wherever you like. Those who have no desire have their minds always attached to the lotus feet of S\u2019r\u00ee Krisna.\u201d O N\u00e2rada! Hearing the words of Jaratk\u00e2ru, the Dev\u00ee Manas\u00e2 became very much distressed and bewildered with great sorrow. Tears began to flow from her eyes. She then humbly spoke to her dearest husband :-- \u201cO Lord! I have not committed any such offence, as you leave me altogether when I have thus broken your sleep.\n78-115. However kindly show Thyself to me when I will recollect you. The bereavement of one\u2019s friend is painful; more than that is the bereavement of a son. Again one\u2019s husband is dearer than one hundred sons; so the bereavement of one\u2019s husband is the heaviest of all. To women, the husband is the most beloved of all earthly things; hence he is called Priya, i.e., dear. As the heart of one who has only one son is attached to that son, as the heart of a Vaisnava is attached to S\u2019r\u00ee Hari; as the mind of one-eyed man to his one eye, as the mind of the thirsty is attached to water, as the mind of the hungry is attached to food, as the mind of the passionate is attached to lust, as the mind of a thief is attached to the properties of others, as the mind of a lewd man to his prostitute, as the mind of the learned is attached to the S\u2019\u00e2stras, as the mind of a trader is attached to his trade, so the minds of chaste women are attached to their husbands.\u201d Thus saying, Manas\u00e2 fell down at the feet of her husband. Jaratk\u00e2ru, the ocean of mercy, then, took her for a moment on his lap and drenched her body with tears from his eyes. The Dev\u00ee Manas\u00e2, too, distressed at the bereavement of her husband also drenched the lap of the Muni with tears from her eyes. Some time after, the true knowledge arose in them and they both became free from fear. Jaratk\u00e2ru then enlightened his wife and asked her to meditate on the lotus feet of S\u2019r\u00ee Krisna the Supreme Spirit repeatedly; thus saying he went away for his Tapasy\u00e2. Manas\u00e2, distressed with sorrow, went to his \u00cesta Deva Mah\u00e2deva on Kail\u00e2s\u2019a. The auspicious S\u2019iva and P\u00e2rvat\u00ee both consoled her with knowledge and advice. Some days after, on an\nauspicious they and on an auspicious moment she gave birth to a son born in part of N\u00e2r\u00e2yana, and as the Guru of the Yogis and as the Preceptor of the J\u00f1\u00e2nins. When the child was in mother\u2019s womb, he heard the highest knowledge from the mouth of Mah\u00e2deva; therefore he was born as a Yog\u00eendra and the Spiritual Teacher of the J\u00f1\u00e2nins. On his birth, Bhagav\u00e2n S\u2019ankara performed his natal ceremonies and performed various auspicious ceremonies. The Br\u00e2hmanas chanted the Vedas for the welfare of the child; various wealth and jewels and Kir\u00eetas and invaluable gems were distributed by S\u2019ankara to the Br\u00e2hmanas; and P\u00e2rvat\u00ee gave one lakh cows and various jewels to others. After some days, Mah\u00e2deva taught him the four Vedas with their Angas (six limbs) and gave him, at last, the Mrityumjaya Mantra. As in Manas\u00e2\u2019s mind there reigned the devotion to her husband, the devotion to her \u00cesta Deva and Guru, the child\u2019s name was kept \u00c2stika.\n\u00c2stika then got the Mah\u00e2 Mantra from S\u2019ankara and by his command went to Puskara to worship Visnu, the Supreme Spirit. There he practised tapasy\u00e2 for three lakh divine years. And then he returned to Kail\u00e2s\u2019a, to bow down to the great Yogi and the Lord S\u2019ankara, Then, bowing down to S\u2019ankara, he remained there for some time when Manas\u00e2 with her son \u00c2stika went to the hermitage of Kas\u2019yapa, her father. Seeing Manas\u00e2 with son, the Maharsi\u2019s gladness knew no bounds. He fed innumerable Br\u00e2hmanas for the welfare of the child, and distributed lakhs and lakhs of jewels. The joy of Aditi and Diti (the wives of Kas\u2019yapa) knew no bounds; Manas\u00e2 remained there for a long, long time with his son. O Child! Hear now an anecdote on this. One day due to a bad Karma, a Br\u00e2hmana cursed the king Pariksit, the son of Abhimanyu; one Risi\u2019s son named S\u2019ring\u00ee, sipping the water of the river Kaus\u2019ik\u00ee cursed thus :-- \u201cWhen a week expires, the snake Taksaka will bite you, and you will be burnt with the poison of that snake Taksaka.\u201d Hearing this, the King Pariksit, to preserve his life, went to a place, solitary where wind even can have no access and he lived there. When the week was over, Dhanvantari saw, while he was going on the road, the snake Taksaka who was also going to bite the king. A conversation and a great friendship arose between them; Taksaka gave him voluntarily a gem; and Dhanvantari, getting it, became pleased and went back gladly to his house. The king Pariksit was lying on his bed-stead when Taksaka bit the king. The king died soon and went to the next world. The king Janamejaya then performed the funeral obsequies of his father and commenced afterwards the Sarpa Yaj\u00f1\u00e2 (a sacrifice where the snakes are the victims). In that sacrifice, innumerable snakes gave up their lives by the Brahm\u00e2 Teja (the fire of the Br\u00e2hmins). At this, Taksaka became\nterrified and took refuge of Indra. The Br\u00e2hmins, then, in a body, became, ready to burn Taksaka along with Indra, when, Indra and the other Devas went to Manas\u00e2. Mahendra, bewildered with fear, began to chant hymns to Manas\u00e2. Manas\u00e2 called his own son \u00c2stika who then went to the sacrificial assembly of the king Janamejaya and begged that the lives of Indra and Taksaka be spared. The king, then, at the command of the Br\u00e2hmanas, granted their lives. The king, then, completed his sacrifice and gladly gave the Daksin\u00e2s to the Br\u00e2hmins. The Br\u00e2hmanas, Munis, and Devas collected and went to Manas\u00e2 and worshipped Her separately and chanted hymns to Her. Indra went there with the various articles and He worshipped Manas\u00e2 with devotion and with great love and care; and He chanted hymns to Her. Then bowing down before Her, and under the instructions of Brahm\u00e2, Visnu and Mahes\u2019a, offered her sixteen articles, sacrifices and various other good and pleasant things. O N\u00e2rada! Thus worshipping Her, they all went to their respective places. Thus I have told you the anecdote of Manas\u00e2. What more do you want to hear. Say.\nN\u00e2rada said :-- \u201cO Lord! How did Indra praise Her and what was the method of His worshipping Her; I want to hear all this.\u201d\n116-124. N\u00e2r\u00e2yana said :-- Indra first took his bath; and, performing \u00c2chamana and becoming pure, He put on a fresh and clean clothing and placed Manas\u00e2 Dev\u00ee on a jewel throne. Then reciting the Vedic mantras he made Her perform Her bath by the water of the Mand\u00e2kin\u00ee, the celestial river Ganges, poured from a jewel jar and then He made Her put on the beautiful clothing, uninflammable by fire. Then He caused sandalpaste to be applied to Her body all over with devotion and offered water for washing Her feet and Arghya, an offering of grass and flowers and rice, etc., as a token of preliminary worship. First of all the six Devat\u00e2s Ganes\u2019a, Sun, Fire, Visnu, S\u2019iva, and S\u2019iv\u00e2 were worshipped. Then with the ten lettered mantra, \u201cOm Hr\u00eem S\u2019r\u00eem Manas\u00e2 Devyai Sv\u00e2h\u00e2\u201d offered all the offerings to Her. Stimulated by the God Visnu, Indra worshipped with great joy the Dev\u00ee with sixteen articles so very rare to any other person. Drums and instruments were sounded. From the celestial heavens, a shower of flowers was thrown on the head of Manas\u00e2. Then, at the advice of Brahm\u00e2, Visnu and Mahes\u2019a, the Devas and the Br\u00e2hmanas, Indra, with tears in his eyes, began to chant hymns to Manas\u00e2, when his whole body was thrilled with joy and hairs stood on their ends.\n125-145. Indra said :-- \u201cO Dev\u00ee Manase! Thou standest the highest amongst the chaste women. Therefore I want to chant hymns to\nThee. Thou art higher than the highest. Thou art most supreme. What I now praise Thee? Chanting hymns is characterised by the description of one\u2019s nature; so it is said in the Vedas. But, O Prakriti! I am unable to ascertain and describe Thy qualities. Thou art of the nature of S\u2019uddha Sattva (higher than the pure sattva unmixed with any other Gunas); Thou art free from anger and malice. The Muni Jaratk\u00e2ru could not forsake Thee; therefore it was that he prayed for Thy separation before. O Chaste One! I have now worshipped Thee. Thou art an object of worship as my mother Aditi is. Thou art my sister full of mercy; Thou art the mother full of forgiveness. O Sures\u2019var\u00ee! It is through Thee that my wife, sons and my life are saved. I am worshipping Thee. Let Thy love be increased. O World-Mother! Thou art eternal; though Thy worship is extant everywhere in the universe; yet I worship Thee to have it extended further and further. O Mother! Those who worship Thee with devotion on the Sankr\u00e2nti day of the month of \u00c2s\u00fbdha, or on the N\u00e2ga Pa\u00f1cham\u00ee day, or on the Sankr\u00e2nti day of every month or on every day, they get their sons and grandsons, wealth and grains increased and become themselves famous, well gratified, learned and renowned. If anybody does not worship Thee out of ignorance, rather if he censures Thee, he will be bereft of Laksm\u00ee and he will be always afraid of snakes. Thou art the Griha Laksm\u00ee of all the householders and the R\u00e2ja Laksm\u00ee of Vaikuntha. Bhagav\u00e2n Jarat K\u00e2ru, the great Muni, born in part of N\u00e2r\u00e2yana, is Thy husband. Father Kas\u2019yapa has created Thee mentally by his power of Tapas and fire to preserve us; Thou art his mental creation; hence thy name is Manas\u00e2. Thou Thyself hast become Siddha Yogin\u00ee in this world by thy mental power; hence thou art widely known as Manas\u00e2 Dev\u00ee in this world and worshipped by all. The Devas always worship Thee mentally with devotion; hence the Pundits call Thee by the name of Manas\u00e2. O Dev\u00ee! Thou always servest Truth, hence Thou art of the nature of Truth. He certainly gets Thee who always thinks of Thee verily as of the nature of truth.\u201d O N\u00e2rada! Thus praising his sister Manas\u00e2 and receiving from her the desired boon, Indra went back, dressed in his own proper dress, to his own abode. The Dev\u00ee Manas\u00e2, then, honored and worshipped everywhere, and thus worshipped by her brother, long lived in Her father\u2019s house, with Her son.\nOne day Surabhi (the heavenly cow) came from the Goloka and bathed Manas\u00e2 with milk and worshipped Her with great devotion and revealed to Her all the Tattva J\u00f1\u00e2nas, to be kept very secret. (This is now made the current story wherever any Lingam suddenly becomes visible.) O N\u00e2rada! Thus worshipped by the Devas and Surabhi, the Dev\u00ee Manas\u00e2 went to the Heavenly regions. O Muni! One gets no fear from snakes who recites\nthis holy Stotra composed by Indra and worships Manas\u00e2; his family descendants are freed from the fear due to snakes. If anybody becomes Siddha in this Stotra, poison becomes nectar to him. Reciting the stotra five lakhs of times makes a man Siddha in this Stotra. So much so that he can sleep on a bed of snakes and he can ride on snakes.\nHere ends the Forty-eighth Chapter of the Ninth Book on the anecdote of Manas\u00e2 in the Mah\u00e2 Pur\u00e2nam S\u2019r\u00ee Mad Dev\u00ee Bh\u00e2gavatam of 18,000 verses by Maharsi Veda Vy\u00e2sa.","title":"The Devi Bhagavatam: The Ninth Book: Chapter 48","type":"page"}