Sukra

“ If thou also diest, I shall not be able to bear my life." Then Sukra said, "O son of Vrihaspati, thou art, indeed, one already crowned with success, because Devayani regards thee so well. Accept the science that I will today impart to thee, if, indeed, thou be not Indra in the form of Kacha. None can come out of my stomach with life. A Brahmana, however, must not be slain, therefore, accept thou the science I impart to thee. Start thou into life as my son. ”

“ Sukra continued, ‘Know, then, O Devayani, that he that mindeth not the evil speeches of others, conquereth everything! The wise say that he is a true charioteer who without slackening holdeth tightly the reins of his horses. He, therefore, is the true man that subdueth, without indulging in his rising wrath. Know thou, O Devayani, that by him is everything conquered, who calmly subdueth his rising anger. ”

“ Drona said, ‘O lord of the universe, growing in strength and remaining within their bodies, thou causest the food that living creatures eat to be digested. Everything therefore, is established in thee. O Sukra, O thou from whose mouth the Vedas have sprung, it is thou who assumests the form of the sun, and sucking up the waters of the earth and every liquid juice that the earth yields, givest them back in time in the form of rain and causest everything to grow! From thee, O Sukra, are these plants and creepers with green foliage! ”

“ And the gods, in great anxiety of heart and entertaining a fear of the learned Usanas, then went to Kacha, the eldest son of Vrihaspati, and spoke unto him, saying, ‘We pay court to thee, be kind to us and do us a service that we regard as very great. That knowledge which resides in Sukra, that Brahmana of immeasurable prowess, make thy own as soon as thou canst. Thou shalt find the Brahmana in the court of Vrishaparvan. He always protects the Danavas but never us, their opponents. Thou art his junior in age, and, therefore, capable of adoring him with reverence. ”

“ She became attached to the king and married him. Sukra became displeased with the Dânavas for the ill treatment of his daughter by Śarmistha. And to please the preceptor and his daughter, Vrishaparvan had to make over his daughter and her companions to Devayâni as her constant attendants. So they accompanied Devayâni to the place of Yayâti. Sukra warned Yayâti however not to have any intercourse with Śarmistha. But the king did not heed the warning. He had two sons Yadu and Turvasu by Devayâni and three sons, Druhya, Anu and Puru by Śarmistha. ”

“ Vasishtha said:—In the same manner as Sukra was impressed with the thoughts of the world, from the lectures of his father; so did they remain in his mind, as the future peacock resides in the egg.
25. It is also naturally situated in the embryo of the mind, of every species of living being, and is gradually evolved from it, in the manner of the shoots and sprouts, and leaves and flowers of trees, growing out of the seed.
26. Every body sees in his mind, what its heart desires to possess, as it is in the case of our prolonged dreams. ”

“ Both Sukra and Devayani must not leave the Asuras through my fault.’
“Vaisampayana continued, ‘Commanded by her father, then, Sarmishtha, accompanied by a thousand maidens, soon came, in a palanquin, out of her father’s excellent mansion. And approaching Devayani she said, ‘With my thousand maids, I am thy waiting-maid! And I shall follow thee where thy father may give thee away.’ Devayani replied, ‘I am the daughter of one who chanteth the praises of thy father, and who beggeth and accepteth alms; thou, on the other hand, art the daughter of one who is adored. ”

“ It is not through the merits of those sacrifices O Lord of all the deities, that I have attained to this region. On the banks of Sarayu and Vahuda and Ganga as also in the woods of Naimisha, I gave away millions of kine unto the Brahmanas. It is not through the merits of those acts that I have attained to this region. The vow of fast had been known to Indra. He had, however, kept it a secret. Sukra, the descendant of Bhrigu, obtained a knowledge of it by means of spiritual sight acquired through penances. Blazing with energy as he does, it is Usanas who first made it known to the universe. ”

“ Bhrigu being acquainted with the powers of the mind and Death, rose to repair to the spot where the body of Sukra was lying.
Yama said:—Among these various species of living creatures, which resemble the waves of the ocean, and are as numerous as the plants and creepers of spring:—
2. There are some persons among the Yakshas, Gandharvas and Kinnaras, who have overcome the errors of their minds, and have well considered every thing before and after them; that have become perfect in their lives, and passing as the living liberated persons in this world. ”

“ Vasishtha replied:—The reason is, that the body of Sukra issued at first from the will of Brahmá, and was born of the pure family of Bhrigu, without being vitiated by any other birth (either prior to it or of a lower kind) .
3. The purity of mind which follows upon subsidence of desires, is called its coolness, and the same is known as the unsullied state of the soul. (Nirmalátmá) .
4. Whatever the man of a pure and contrite spirit, thinks in his mind, the same comes to take place immediately; as the turning of the sea water turns into the eddy. ”

“ By adoring the deities who have shares in sacrificial offerings, with Richs (he attained to success in after life) . Usanas became Sukra by having gratified the god of gods. Indeed, by hymning the praises of the goddess (Uma) , he sports in the firmament, endued with great splendour. ”

“ That male person, who being solicited by a woman in her season doth not grant her wishes, is called, O Brahmana, by those conversant with the Vedas, a slayer of the embryo. He who, solicited in secret by a woman full of desire and in season, goeth not in unto her, loseth virtue and is called by the learned a killer of the embryo. O son of Bhrigu, for these reasons, and anxious to avoid sin, I went into Sarmishtha." Sukra then replied, "Thou art dependent on me. ”

“ And as Sukra himself hath commanded it, we have nothing to say to it."'
"Vaisampayana continued, 'The son of Nahusha, thus addressed by the contented people, then installed his son, Puru, on the throne. And having bestowed his kingdom on Puru, the monarch performed the initiatory ceremonies for retiring into the woods. And soon after he left his capital, followed by Brahmanas and ascetics.
"'The sons of Yadu are known by the name of the Yadavas: while those of Turvasu have come to be called the Yavanas. And the sons of Drahyu are the Bhojas, while those of Anu, the Mlechchhas. ”

“ Some attaining the acme of their understanding, have retired to solitude, to pass their lives in abstract meditation; and among these are the venerable Bhrigu and Bharadvája, Sukra and Viswámitra (who were not less serviceable to mankind by many of their acts and works) .
28. Many among mankind were rulers of their realms, and held the exalted canopy and chouri and other ensigns of royalty on their heads, and were not less distinguished for the piety and spirituality at the same time. ”

“ Hearing of this, Sukracharya cursed Yayāthi that he should be subject to old age and infirmity. This curse he asked his children to take on themselves, but all refused except his illegitimate child Puru. He accordingly cursed his legitimate sons, that they should only rule over barren land overrun by Kirātas. ”

“ Thou too art mighty; therefore great hero, do thou become our Indra."
"'Sakra said, "O mighty being, do thou make us happy, by becoming our lord. Excellent being, thou art worthy of the honour; therefore shall we anoint thee this very day."
"'Skanda replied, "Do thou continue to rule the three worlds with self-possession, and with thy heart bent on conquest. I shall remain thy humble servant. I covet not thy sovereignty."
"'Sakra replied, "Thy prowess is unrivalled, O hero, do thou therefore vanquish the enemies of the gods. People have been struck with wonder at thy prowess. ”

“ And if thou dost not exterminate him, he will conquer the three worlds with ourselves, and overpowering thee, will himself become the mighty lord of the celestials.’ Perplexed in mind, Sakra replied unto them, ‘This child is endowed with great prowess. He can himself destroy the Creator of the Universe, in battle putting forth his might. I venture not, therefore, to do away with him.’ To this the gods replied, ‘Thou hast no manliness in thee, in that thou talkest in this manner. Let the great Mothers of the Universe repair to-day to Skanda. They can master at will any degree of energy. ”

“ People speak highly of thee, O Rāma, on this earth, describing thee as coming of a high family, gifted with manliness and prowess, ever engaged in the welfare of thy subjects, compassionate, energetic, of firm resolution and knowing time. Punishment, control of passions, forgiveness, piety, firmness, truth, prowess and suppression of the wicked—these all are the royal virtues. And knowing thy high pedigree, and all these thy accomplishments I approached Sugriva with a hostile intention, albeit prevented by Tārā. ”

“ Then Śakra, the prince of the gods, laid the palms of his hands together, and thus prayed to Mahābrahma:—
“O Mahābrahma, art thou not Brahma, Mahābrahma, the ruler, the worker, the bestower, the spell-wielder, the lord, the most high, and, as father of the worlds, the creator of all beings? Lo, a deity belonging to our court, a dweller upon the earth, is in danger of being driven away from a tree-habitation. Be pleased, therefore, to bestow a son upon the respected Brahman Nyagrodha of the city of Nyagrodhika.” ”

“ Footsteps are heard from below, rising higher and higher. Shukra rubs his eyes to make sure that he has really seen something that is not an illusion. He goes forward a few steps. The head of an old man rises into view, Shukra is stupefied; walks backwards until his back touches the Sacred plant. He stands still. The old man at last climbs the last step. He has not noticed Shukra. He looks at the Himalayas in the rear. Then his eyes travel over the monastery walls—Now suddenly they catch sight of Shukra. ”

“ However crowded our Sukka, no matter how weak and shaky, or how difficult the possibilities may be, we must never stop lifting up our glance to heaven. While contemplating the twinkling ever-lasting stars, we must be mindful of the eternal radiant human ideals which they symbolize. ”

“ O supreme spirit! being afflicted by the devout austerities of Dhruva, we have come to thee to seek thy refuge. As the moon increases in his orb day by day, so, O lord, (this boy) by his devotion is approaching incessantly superhuman power. O Janārddana, we have been greatly alarmed by the devout austerities of the son of Uttanpadā and have taken thy refuge: do thou desist him from his devout exercises. We do not know whose position, he aspireth to—whether the throne of Sakra, of the sun, of the lord of wealth or that of Varuna the lord of water. ”

“ Let your mind be constant. If you wish to give me too, give me without hesitation. As soon as, O courageous one, you have attained to that, for the sake of which you give up that which is connected with difficulty, save all beings from revolution.” [269]
When the King of the Gods, Śakra, perceived this marvellous endurance on the part of the Bodisat, and the striving of Madrī, and their deeds very hard to be accomplished, he descended from heaven, surrounded by the company of the thirty-three gods, into the hermitage and lighted it up with great brilliance. ”

“ Then the Sakka Suddhodana went to the place where the Lord was and after respectfully saluting him asked for a boon. 'Lord, when the Blessed One gave up the world, it was great pain to me and so it was when Nanda [340] did the same. Great too was my pain when Râhula did it. The love for a son, Lord, cuts into the skin, the flesh, the bones, and reaches the marrow. Let not the preliminary ordination be conferred on a son without his parents' permission.' The Buddha assented. ”

“ Note:—The whole story of the fiendish Súchí is an allegory of the human mind, and its rapacity. The transformation of the huge to the thin pinnate body, and again its assumption of the big form, are allegorical of the change of the corporeal and spiritual bodies—the Sthúla and Súkshma saríras, in the course of the repeated transmigrations of the soul from its gross to subtle forms by the desire of the mind. Tired of the world the mind forsakes the gross body upon death, and assumes the finer spiritual form, but being soon dissatisfied with it reverts to its former gross form again. ”

“ The two heroic sons of the king of Ayodhyā—Rāma and Lakshmana, incapable of being defeated in a battle and born in the race of Ikshawkus, have repaired unto woods. To accomplish Sugriva's welfare, those two heroes, hard to repress, have come here. He is the main stay of thy brother in the battle; Rāma hath sprung up like unto the fire of dissolution and is the repressor of enemy's prowess. He is the refuge of the saints and the prime shelter of the afflicted. He is the protector of those grinded by their enemies and is the only possessor of fame. ”

“ Whether in the deep ocean or in the region under the earth, I shall bring thy Maithili like unto an Ashyatari.110 It is perfectly proper that Sugriva shall inherit my kingdom on my ascension to heaven. And it is equally improper that I have been viciously killed by thee in the battle. Every one in time meets with death and hence there is nothing to be sorry for me. But do thou think of a proper reply thou shalt give to the people (when asked about the cause of my destruction) . ”