Bala Kanda, Sarga 60

Meaning

Coming to know by his yogic power of Vasiṣṭha’s sons having been ruined alongwith Mahodaya by dint of his spiritual power, the exceptionally glorious Viśwāmitra spoke as follows in the midst of the Ṛṣis assembled at his hermitage : (1)

Meaning

“Here is a scion of Ikṣwāku, widely known by the name of Triśaṅku, who is not only exceedingly pious but generous also and has moreover sought me as his refuge with the desire of ascending to the realm of gods in his own present form of a Caṇḍāla. A sacrifice may kindly be set on foot by you collectively alongwith me so that this prince may ascend to the region of gods in his own embodied state.” Hearing the request of Viśwāmitra, all the great Ṛṣis (present in that assembly), who knew what is right, conferred and quickly made to one another the following observation, consistent with righteousness : “This sage, Viśwāmitra (the son of Kuśika), is exceedingly irascible. (2—5)

Meaning

“The proposal that he has put forward must be duly carried out: there is no doubt about it; for the almighty sage, who is bright as fire, will pronounce a curse (upon us) through anger if his desire is not accomplished. (6)

Meaning

“Therefore, let a sacrifice be set on foot so that Triśaṅku, a scion of Ikṣwāku, may bodily ascend to heaven by virtue of Viśwāmitra’s spiritual energy. (7)

Meaning

“Hence let a sacrifice be started and you all take up your respective priestly duties.” Saying so, the great Ṛṣis assembled there, then duly took charge of their respective priestly functions. (8)

Meaning

In that sacrifice the highly glorious Viśwāmitra was the chief priest (Adhwaryu). The other priests too, who were all well-versed in sacred texts, recited at the time of pouring oblations into the sacred fire, did all their allotted duties in their order of sequence according to the procedure as laid down in Kalpa (the branch of knowledge which prescribes rules for ceremonial and sacrificial acts) and with the recitation of relevant Mantras. Then for a long time the great ascetic, Viśwāmitra, invoked the presence in that sacrifice of all the gods (entitled to a share in the offerings made during a sacrifice) to take their allotted shares. But none of the gods appeared on that occasion in the aforesaid sacrifice to take their share. (9—11)

Meaning

Overwhelmed with anger, the eminent sage Viśwāmitra thereupon lifted up the sacrificial ladle (with which ghee is poured into the sacred fire) and, full of anger, addressed Triśaṅku as follows : (12)

Meaning

“Behold the efficacy of the spiritual energy acquired by me with my own effort, O monarch ! I forthwith send you in your embodied state to heaven by virtue of my spiritual energy. (13)

Meaning

“Ascend to heaven, which cannot be easily attained in one’s physical form, O ruler of men ! If any reward of my austerities has been earned by me at all, ascend you bodily to heaven by virtue of its glory, O monarch !” No sooner had the aforesaid sage, Viśwāmitra, finished his utterance, the king, Triśaṅku, bodily rose to heaven, O scion of Kakutstha, while the sages stood looking on. Seeing Triśaṅku arrived in the heavenly region, Indra (the tamer of the demon Pāka) alongwith all the hosts of gods attending on him, spoke as follows : “Triśaṅku, return you to earth since no abode has been earned by you in paradise. (14—17)

Meaning

“Doomed (as you are) by your preceptor’s curse, O fool, fall headlong to the earth !” Commanded thus by the mighty Indra, Triśaṅku fell again crying out to Viśwāmitra, whose only wealth was his asceticism, as follows : “Save me !” Hearing the aforesaid appeal of the crying Triśaṅku, Viśwāmitra, son of Kuśika, grew wildly angry and said, “Stop ! Stop where you are !!” Seated in the midst of Ṛṣis, stupefied with anger, that glorious sage, like another Brahmā (the creator of beings), evolved another group of seven constellations (corresponding to the Great Bear) coursing in the southern quarter, and further created a new galaxy of twenty-seven lunar mansions. (18—21)

Meaning

Nay, having created a new galaxy of lunar mansions in the southern quarter while remaining seated in the midst of Ṛṣis assembled in his hermitage, excited with anger, he set about evolving in indignation a hierarchy of gods as well, saying to himself, “I shall create another Indra or else let my heaven remain without an Indra !” (22-23)

Meaning

Greatly perturbed at that, the gods as well as the demons, including the hosts of Ṛṣis, addressed to the high-souled Viśwāmitra the following submission full of conciliatory expressions : (24)

Meaning

“This monarch, Triśaṅku, O highly blessed soul, who stands divested of his stock of merits by the curse of his preceptor, does not at all deserve to ascend bodily to heaven, O sage rich in asceticism !” (25)

Meaning

Hearing the aforesaid submission of those gods, Viśwāmitra (son of Kuśika), a veritable jewel among hermits, gave the following noble reply to all the gods : (26)

Meaning

“A pledge has been given by me to this monarch, Triśaṅku, to help him ascend bodily to heaven. May prosperity attend on you ! I dare not go back upon it. (27)

Meaning

“Let perpetual heavenly bliss be the lot of this Triśaṅku in his physical body and also let all the lunar mansions created by me be abiding. (28)

Meaning

“Nay, let all these heavenly bodies evolved by me endure as long as these worlds of Brahmā’s creation shall exist. Be pleased you all to grant that.” (29)

Meaning

Requested thus, all the gods replied as follows to Viśwāmitra, a jewel among sages : “Amen ! May all be well with you !! Let all these endure !!! (30)

Meaning

“Let those many lunar mansions endure in the heavens beyond the orbit of the stellar sphere (as defined by standard works on astronomy), O jewel among sages ! And let Triśaṅku, happy as a god, remain suspended with his head downward, shining brightly in the midst of those stars. Nay, these stars will circumambulate Triśaṅku (the noblest among kings), who will be accomplished of purpose and glorious like a denizen of the heavenly regions.” Glorified by all the gods in the midst of the Ṛṣis assembled there, the highly glorious Viśwāmitra too, whose mind is given to piety, merely said to the gods, “All right !” Then, at the end of the sacrifice (which was in the meantime concluded by replacing Triśaṅku by a representative and after the gods had partaken of the offerings), O jewel among men, all the gods as well as the high-souled Ṛṣis, whose only wealth was their asceticism, returned even as they had come. (31—34)