Part - 40

“Śrī Rāma’s coronation will be delightful to all; that is the only course which is conducive to good luck and joy. In what way can the Lord of Raghus be prevailed upon to return to Ayodhyā; ponder this and tell me, so that we may adopt the same device.” Everyone listened with reverence to the sage’s speech, surcharged as it was with prudence and spiritual wisdom and salutary from the worldly point of view as well. But no answer was forthcoming: the people were dumbfounded. Then Bharata bowed his head and with joined palms began as follows: “The solar race has produced many a king each one far greater than the rest. For the birth of all the father and mother are responsible; whereas it is God who dispenses the good or evil fruit of their actions. Your benediction, as all the world knows, wipes out sorrow and confers all blessings. As for yourself, my lord, you thwarted the course of Providence; no one can alter what you have resolved upon.”

• A few instances are quoted below to prove the truth of this statement:

(1) King Daśaratha had no male issue. As a result of Vasiṣṭha’s benediction he was blessed with four sons at the age of 60,000 years.

(2) The seventh Manu, Vaivasvata, had no son. The sage Vasiṣṭha caused a sacrifice to be performed by him. Manu’s consort, Śraddhā, wished to have a daughter and accordingly requested the sacrificial priest (Hotā) to get her a daughter. The priest offered oblations with that motive and as a result of this a daughter, Ilā by name, was born to Śraddhā. Vaivasvata was taken aback to hear of this change and approached the sage with his grievance. Vasiṣṭha, who came to know the cause through meditation, consoled the Manu and assured him that he would fulfil his desire by dint of his penance. He prayed to the Lord and propitiated Him and secured a blessing from Him to the effect that the king’s daughter would be transformed into a son. Ilā was accordingly changed into Sudyumna. One day, Sudyumna, who was now grown up into full manhood and was out for hunting, entered the precincts of a pleasure-grove at the foot of Mount Sumeru, reserved for Bhagavān Śiva and Goddess Pārvatī, and was retransformed into a woman under a standing curse pronounced by Śiva that any male who entered the grove would be changed into a woman. The moon-god’s son, Budha, who had been practising austerity in the vicinity of that grove fell in love with the woman and she too was attracted towards him. The pair accordingly lived together as husband and wife. One day the princess invoked Vasiṣṭha, who appeared before her and was moved with pity to see her plight. He prayed to Lord Śiva and secured from him a boon to the effect that the prince would change his sex every month. He thus lived with Budha as his wife for one month and ruled over his kingdom as Sudyumna during another by rotation.

(3) Vasiṣṭha, who was a mind-born son of Brahmā, was called upon by his father to assume the role of a family priest in relation to the Kings of the solar race. Finding him reluctant to accept this position, which was rather humiliating. Brahmā tried to persuade him by the argument that the Lord Himself would appear in that line in the Tretāyuga and that he would automatically secure the enviable position of the Lord’s own family priest and preceptor and live on most intimate terms with Him. According to the order of sequence originally determined, Dvāpara (literally, the second Yuga) was to follow Satyayuga and Tretā (literally, the third Yuga) was to come next. Vasiṣṭha, however, was too impatient to wait for a couple of Yugas and accordingly changed their order of sequence. It was under His dispensation that Tretā followed Satyayuga and Dvāpara succeeded Tretā.

(4) The sage Viśvāmitra, who originally belonged to the Kṣatriya caste, practised austere penance for thousands of years with a view to attaining Brahmanhood. At last Brahmā recognized his claims to Brahmanhood and called him a Brahmarṣi (a Brāhmaṇa sage). But Viśvāmitra would not be satisfied until Vasiṣṭha accepted him as such In this way he attached a greater weight to Vasiṣṭha’s opinion. Vasiṣṭha however, declined to accept him as a Brahmarṣi till he retained even a tinge of egotism. He addressed him as a Brahmarṣi only when he was satisfied that Viśvāmitra had been purged of the last traces of egotism. Others, however, maintain that Vasiṣṭha did not recognize his claims to Brahmanhood till the last.

(5) During the nuptials of King Dilīpa and Sudakṣiṇā the ends of the garments of the bride and bridegroom were tied together most tightly. When Vasiṣṭha enquired the reason he was told that the pair would die the moment their knot was untied. The sage thereupon altered the course of destiny and averted their death.