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अगस्त्योपाख्यान (agastyopAkhyAna)

 
Mahabharata
English
[Agastyopākhyāna.]
§ 382 (Tīrthay.): In the city of Maṇimatī there lived formerly a Daiteya Ilvala, whose younger brother was Vātāpi (Prāhrādi, v. 8645). Ilvala, inflamed with wrath against all brahmans, because a brahman had refused to grant him a son equal to Indra, used to transform Vātāpi into a ram and offer his flesh to brahmans as food, and then to recall him to life (whomsoever Ilvala summoned with his voice would come back even from the abode of Yama), and Vātāpi, ripping the flanks of the brahmans, would come out laughing. Thus they killed many brahmans. Meanwhile Agastya saw his ancestors hanging in a hole with the heads downwards, and was asked by them to procure offspring to them. As he did not see any wife worthy of himself, he selected the most beautiful parts from various creatures and created an excellent woman, whom he caused to be born as the daughter of the Vidarbha king, who was then undergoing ascetic penances for obtaining offspring. She was named Lopāmudrā, and was very beautiful. When she attained to puberty no one dared to ask for her hand (III, 96). When Agastya asked the Vidarbha king to bestow her upon him, the king and his queen became much afflicted, but at her own request Lopāmudrā was bestowed upon Agastya, who immediately asked her to discard her ornaments and dress herself in rags and barks and deer-skins and partake of his vows, and proceeding to Gaṅgādvāra they practised the severest penances. When at last he summoned her for marital intercourse she made it a condition that he should approach her on a bed like to that which she had in the palace of her father, and that both should be adorned with costly ornaments, and she told him to procure these things without impairing his ascetic merit (III, 97). Agastya then went to King Śrutarvan and asked him for wealth, but seeing that his expenditure was equal to his income, he took nothing, but, together with Śrutarvan, went to King Bradhnaśva, with the same result
then all three went to King Trasadasyu Paurukutsa of the line of Ikshvāku, with the same result. At the suggestion of the three kings they all four went to Ilvala (III, 98). Ilvala went out with his ministers to receive them on the confines of his domain. He prepared the flesh of Vātāpi in order to entertain them, at which the kings became sad, but Agastya ate it all, and when Ilvala summoned Vātāpi there came only air out of Agastya's stomach, Vātāpi having already been digested. Then Ilvala, becoming sad, promised to give them wealth if Agastya could tell him what he intended to give, and Agastya rightly said that he intended to give each of the kings 10, 000 cows and as many gold coins, and to Agastya twice as much, and a car that would be found to be a golden one, with two steeds (Virāva and Surāva). The car brought Agastya and the kings to Agastya's hermitage within the twinkling of an eye. Then the rājarshis went away to their cities. When Agastya proposed to Lopāmudrā to choose between 1000 sons, or 100 each equal to 10, or 10 each equal to 100, or 1 equal to 1000, she chose the last alternative. After she had conceived he retired into the forest. After seven years she gave birth to Drḍhasyu, who came out as if repeating the Vedas with the Upanishads and Aṅgas
and from carrying, while yet a child, loads of sacrificial fuel to the hermitage of his father, he was called Idhmavāha. Agastya was highly pleased, and his ancestors obtained the lokas they desired.--§ 384: In the kṛta age the Dānava tribes named Kālakeyas under Vṛtra pursued the gods under Indra. The gods, on the suggestion of Brahmán, with Nārāyaṇa at their head, proceeded to the hermitage of the ṛshi Dadhīca on the other bank of Sarasvatī, and having prevailed upon him to leave his body, they caused Tvashṭṛ to construct of his bones the six-sided (shaḍaśri) vajra which Tvashṭṛ handed to Indra that he might slay Vṛtra with it (III, 100). In the encounter that ensued between the gods and the Kālakeyas the gods were defeated, until Nārāyaṇa, the gods, and the brahmarshis had transferred their own vigour to Indra. He then hurled the vajra against Vṛtra and slew him so that he fell headlong like the Mandara mountain hurled of yore from Vishṇu's hand
but Indra fled in fear, desiring to take shelter in a lake, thinking that the vajra had not been hurled from his hand and that Vṛtra was still alive, while the gods defeated the Dānavas, who fled to the depths of the sea. Here they conspired for the destruction of the three worlds, and resolved upon destroying all who were possessed of ascetic virtues (tapas), for so the universe would itself be destroyed, as it is supported by asceticism (III, 101). Remaining in the depths of the sea by day, the Kāleyas during the night slew the munis in the hermitages and sacred spots (puṇyeshvāyataneshu)
in the hermitage of Vasishṭha, 197 ascetics
in that of Cyavana, 100
in that of Bharadvāja, 20, without being seen
every morning people saw the dead bodies and mutilated limbs of the munis and the disturbed agnihotras scattered on the ground. Men fled for their lives into all directions or killed themselves from fear. Some brave bowmen searched in vain for the evildoers. The gods with Indra repaired to Nārāyaṇa (c) (III, 102). They did not know by whom the brahmans were being killed during the night. Vishṇu explained the whole affair to them, and told them to apply to Agastya (Maitrāvaruṇi) that he might dry up the sea, as no one else was capable of so doing. They then went to the hermitage of Agastya, and mentioned to him that he had delivered the gods from Nahusha and caused Vindhya to cease to increase in height (in competition with the Sun), the world having been covered with darkness (III, 103).--§ 385: Vindhya (q.v.).--§ 386: At the request of the gods Agastya, accompanied by ṛshis, gods, men, Uragas (snakes), Gandharvas, Yakshas, and Kimpurushas, approached the ocean (III, 104) and drank it up, to the amazement of the gods, who called him Vidhātṛ and the creator of the worlds, while the musical instruments of Gandharvas were playing, and celestial blossoms were showered upon him. The Kāleyas, who had previously been burnt by the tapas of the munis, were now destroyed by the gods, except some few who, rending asunder the goddess Earth, sought refuge in Pātāla. The gods now asked Agastya to fill up the ocean again, but he had already digested the water. The gods with Vishṇu came to Brahmán and spoke to him about replenishing the sea (III, 105). Brahmán dismissed them, saying that only after a long course of time the ocean would be brought to resume its wonted state by the agnates of king Bhagīratha.