JAN g"

BL/f35 ,FSA3 1864

W

(

JAN

30]S:,j

R KBT

S

THE LATE

HORACE IIAYMAN WILSON,M.A., F.R.S.,MEMBER OF THE ROYALASIATIC SOCIETY, OF

THE ASIATIC SOCIETIES OF

CALCCTTA AND PARIS, AND OF THE ORIENTAL SOCIETY OF GERMANY;FORBtGN MEMBER OF THE NATIONAL INSTITUTE OF FRANCE;

MEMBER OF THE IMPERIAL ACADEMIES OFPH.D. BRESLAU

ST.

PETERSBURGH AND VIENNA,

AND OF THE ROYAL ACADEMIES OP MUNICH AND BERLIN;;

M. D.

MARBURG, ETC.;IN

AND BODEN PROFESSOR OF SANSKRIT

THE UNIVERSITY OF OXFORD.

VOL.

V'll.

LONDON:TRUBNER &CO., 60,

PATERNOSTER ROW.

1865.

.

THE

VISHNU PURANA.A SYSTEMOF

HINDU MYTHOLOGY AND TRADITION.TRANSLATED

FROM THE ORIGINAL SANSKRIT,AND

ILLUSTRATED BY NOTESDERIVED CHIEFLY FROM OTHER PURAnaS,BY THE LATE

H. H.

WILSON,IN

M.A., F.R.S.,THE UNIVEHSITY OF OXFORD,

BODEN PROFESSOR OF SANSKRIT

ETC., ETC.

EDITED BY

FITZEDWARD HALL.VOL.

n.

LONDON:TRUBNER &CO., 60,

PATERNOSTER ROW.

1865.

VISHNU PURANA.BOOKI.

(continued).

CHAPTERlier

XV.

The world overrun with trees: they are destroyed by the PracheSoma pacifies them, and gives them Marisha to wife: tasas.story:

the daughter of the

of Kai'idu.

Marisha's former history.

nymph Pramlocha. Legend Daksha the son of the

Prachetasas: his different characters: his sons: his daughters: theirmarriages and progeny allusion to Prahhida, his descendant.:

Whilst the Prachetasas were thus absorbed in their devotions, the trees spread, and overshadowed the unprotected earth and the people perished. The winds coukl not blow; the sky was shut out by the forests; and mankind was unable to labour for ten thousand years. When the sages, coming forth from the deep,;

they were angry, and, being incensed, wind and flame issued from their mouths. The strong beheldthis,

wind tore up the trees by their roots, and left them sear and dry; and the fierce fire consumed them; and the forests were cleared away. When Soma (the moon),the sovereign of the vegetable world, beheldall

except

a few of the trees destroyed, he went to the patriarchs,

the Prachetasas, and said: "Restrain your indignation,princes, and listen to me.I will

form an

alliance be-

tween you and theII.

trees.

Prescient of futurity, I have1

VISHNU PURANA.nourished, with

my

rays,

this preciousis

maiden, the

and is, She shall be your bride, and the multiplier of the race of Dhruva. From a portion of your lustre and a portion of mine, mighty sages, the patriarch Daksha shall be born of her, who, endowed with a part of me, and composed of your vigour, shall be as resplendent as fire, anddaughter of the woods.

She

called Marisha,

assuredly, the offspring of the trees.

shall multiply the

human

race.

"There was formerly (said Soma) a sage named Kahdu, eminent in holy wisdom, who practised pious austerities on the lovely borders of the Gomati river. The king of the gods sent the nymph Pramlocha todisturb his penance;

and the sweet -smiling damsel

diverted the sage from his devotions.together, in the valley of

They

lived

Mandara, for a hundred and fifty years, during which the mind of the Muni was wholly given up to enjoyment. At the expiration ofthis period, the

requested his permission to return to heaven; but the Muni, still fondly attached to her, prevailed upon her to remain for some time longer; and the graceful damsel continued to residefor another

nymph

hundred years, and delight the great sagesuit

by her fascinations. Then again she preferred her

to be allowed to return to the abodes of the gods; and again the Muni desired her to remain. At the expiration of

more than a century, the nymph once more'Brahman,I

said to him, with a smiling countenance:

depart.' 13ut the Muni, detaining the fine-eyed damsel,

replied: 'Nay, stay yet a

little;

you

will

go hence for

Afraid of incurring an imprecation, the graceful nymph continued with the sage for nearly

a long period.'

BOOK

I.,

CHAP. XV.

two

liLindred years

more, repeatedly asking his per-

mission to go to the region of the king of the gods,

but as often desired, by him, to remain.

be cursed bytion

liim,

and excelUng

in amiable

Dreading to manners,

is inflicted by separafrom an object of affection, she did not quit the Muni, whose mind, wholly subdued by love, became,

well knowing, also, the pain that

every day, more strongly attached to her.

"On one

occasion the sage was going forth from

their cottage in a great hurry.

The nymph asked him where he was going. 'The day\ he replied, 'is drawing fast to a close. I must ]:>erform the Sandhya worship; or a duty will be neglected.'

mirthfully, as she rejoined:sir,

of this day drawing to a

of

many

years,

a

The nymph smiled 'Why do you talk, grave close? Your day is a dayall.

day that must be a marvel to

Explain what

this means.'

The Muni

said: 'Fair damsel,

you came to tlie river-side at dawn. I beheld you then; and you then entered my hermitage. It is now the revolution of evening; and the day is gone. What is Tell me the truth.' the meaning of this lauohter? Pramlocha answered: 'You say rightly, venerable Brahman, that I came hither at morning dawn. Butseveral hundred years have passed since the time of

This is the truth.' The Mimi, on hearing was seized with astonishment, and asked her how long he had enjoyed her society. To which the nymph replied, that they had lived together nine hundred and seven years, six months, and three days. The Muni asked her if she spoke the truth, or if she was in jest; for it appeared to him that they had spent but one day together. To which Pramlocha replied, that shearrival.this,1*

my

VISHNU PUR AN A.should not dare, at any time, totell

the path of piety an untruth, but, particularly,

she had been enjoined, by him, to

him who Hved in when inform him what

had passed.

"When

the Muni, princes, had heard these words,it

and knew that

was the

truth,

himself bitterly, exclaiming: 'Fie,

he began to reproach fie upon me! My

penance has been interrupted; the treasure of thelearned and the pious has been stolen from me;

my

judgment has been blinded. This woman has been created, by some one, to beguile me. Brahma is beyond the reach of those agitated by the waves of infirmity.^ I had subdued my passions, and was about to attain divine knowledge. This was foreseen by him by w^homthis girl has

been sent hither. Fie on the passion that

has obstructed

my

devotions!

All the austerities that

would have led to acquisition of the wisdom of the Vedas have been rendered of no avail by passion thatis

the road to

hell.'

viled himself, turned to thenigh,wilt.

The pious sage, having thus renymph, who was sitting'

and said

to her

:

Go, deceitful

girl,

whither thou

Thou

hast performed the office assigned thee

the

monarch of the gods,

of disturbing my penancebut thou andfault hast

by

by thy fascinations. I will not reduce thee to ashes by the fire of my wrath. Seven paces together is sufficient for the friendship of the virtuous:

I

have dwelt together.* And,^

in truth,

what

thirst,

Or, 'immersed in the six Urmis' (^f^'^^)? explained hunger, sorrow, stupefaction, decay, and death.

BOOKtliou

r.,

CHAP. XV.

5

committed? Why should I be wroth with tliee? is wholly mine; in that I could not suhdue my passions. Yet fie upon thee, who, to gain favour with

The

sin

Indra, hast disturbeddelusion!'

my

devotions,

vile

bundle of

"Thus spoken to by the Muni, Pramlocha stood trembling, whilst big drops of perspiration startedfrom every pore; till he angrily cried to her: 'Depart, begone.' She then, reproached by him, went forth from his dwelling, and, passing through the air, wiped the perspiration from her person with the leaves of the trees. The nymph went from tree to tree, and, as, with the dusky shoots that crowned their summits, she dried her limbs, which were covered with moisture, the child she had conceived by the Rishi came forth from the pores of her skin, in drops of perspiration.and the winds them into one mass. This", said Soma, "I matured by my rays; and gradually it increased in size, till the exhalation that had rested on the tree-tops became the lovely girl named Marisha. The trees will give her to you, Prachetasas. Let your indignation be appeased. She is the progeny of Kandu, the child ofcollected

The

trees received the living dews;

Pramlocha, the nursling of the trees, the daughter of the wind and the moon. The holy Kandu, after theinterruption of his pious exercises, went,princes,* to the region of Vishnu,

excellent

termed Purushottama,

*its

The

v?ord

epithet, "excellent", all the

jective in

by the translator; and, for have seen give ^TtRTI, an adthe singular number, and belonging to Kaiidu."princes"is

here supplied

MSS.

I

:

:

VISHNU PURANA.where, Maitreya/ with his whole mind, he devoted himself to the adoration of Hari; standing fixed,lifted

with np-

arms, and repeating the prayers that comprehend^

the essence of divine truth."

'

There

is

some confusion, here,

in regard to the person ad-

dressed: but the context shows that the insertion of Maitreya's

name2

is

an inadvertence

,

and that the passage

is

a continuation

of Soma's speech to the Prachetasas.

The phrase

is

^^qiT'T^ ^

*"-

WTfi,

I

'made up of

the

furtherthe

boundary of Brahma'; implying

either

'comprehending

'consisting of the furthest limits (Para) or truths of the

Supreme or Brahma, and transcendental wisdom, Para'; or Vedas orthat is,

Brahma'; The hymn

being the essence of the Vedanta philosophy.

that follows is, in fact, a

mantra or mystical prayer,

commencing with thexrrt

reiteration of the

^ f^^T^T^TTinfinite';

word Para and Para;

as:

Para means 'supreme,or, figuratively, the

and Para, 'the further bank orVishnu, then,

limit', the point that is to

be attained by crossing a river or sea,is

world or existence.

Param,

that

which nothing surpasses; and Param, the end or object ofis

existence: he

Aparaparal:', the furthest

bound of

that

which

is

illimitable, or space

and time: he

is

Param parebhyah, abovefinal truth,

or

beyond theheis

highest, being

beyond or superior

to all the elements

Paramartharupi, or identical withis

or knowledgespiritual

of soul: he

Brahmaparah, the object or essence ofis

wisdom. Paraparabhiitabof those objects

said to imply the further limit (Para)

of rudimental matter (Para).

He;

is

Parahhe

,

or chief,is

Paranam,Paraparah,

which are beyond the senses: and hethatis,

or the boundary of boundaries

is

the comprehensive

*

Tho MSS. which

I

have examined exhibit, without exception, Tf^:

BOOK

I.,

CHAP. XV.

7

The

Pi-aclietasas said:

"We

are desirous to hear thereciting

transcendental prayersthe pious

by inaudiblyis

which

Kandu

propitiated Kesava."

On which Soma

repeated as follows: '"Vishnuofisall

things; he

is

the infinite; heis is

beyond the boundary is beyond that whichis

boundless; he

above

all

that

above; he exists

as finite truth; he

the object of the Veda; the limit

of elemental being; unappreciable

by the senses; posthe cause of cause;

sessed of illimitable might.

He

is

the cause of the cause of cause; the

cause of

finite

cause; and, in effects, he, both as every object andagent, preserves the universe.

He

is

Brahma theall

lord;

Brahma

all

beings;

Brahma

the progenitor of

beings;

the imperishable.

He

is

the undecaying, eternal, un-

born Brahma, incapable of increase or diminution. Purushottamais

the everlasting, uncreated, immutable,

Brahma. May the imperfections ofhilated (through his favour).'

my nature be anni-

Reciting this eulogium,

the essence of divine truth, and propitiating Kesava,

Kandu obtained

final

emancipation.*old, I will also relate to

"Whoto you.

Marisha was of

you;

as the recital of her meritorious acts will be beneficial

She was the widow of a prince, and

left child-

less at her husband's death.

She, therefore, zealously

worshipped Vishnu; who, being gratified by her adoration,

appeared to her, and desired her to demand a,

investure of, and exterior tofined;

those limits by wliich soul

is

conpas-

he

is

free

from

all

incumbrance or impediment.

Theto

sage

may be

interpreted in differentis

ways, according

the in-

genuity with which the riddle

read.

Siddhi, in the original.

8

VISHNU rURANA.:

boon on which she revealed to him the wishes of her heart. 'I have been a widow, lord', she exclaimed, 'even from my infancy; and my birth has been in vain. Unfortunate have I been, and of little use, sovereign of the world. Now, therefore, I pray thee, that, in suc-

may have honourable husbands, and May I be possessed of affluence and beauty; may I be pleasing in the sight of all and may I be born out of the ordinary course. Grant these prayers, thou who artceeding births,I

a son equal to a patriarch (amongst men).

;

propitious to the devout.'* Hrishikesa, the god of gods,

the supreme giver of

all

blessings, thus

prayed

to,

raised her from her prostrate attitude, and said: "In

another

prowess, and renowned for glorious

have ten husbands of mighty acts. And you shall have a son, magnanimous and valiant, distinguished by the rank of a patriarch, f from whom the various races of men shall multiply, and by whoselife

you

shall

posterity the universe shall be

filled.

lady, shall be of marvellous birth ;t and

You, virtuous you shall be

hearts of men.'

endowed with grace and loveliness, delighting the Thus having spoken, the deity disapis

peared; and the princess was, accordingly, afterwards

born as Marisha, who'

given to you for a wife."^is

This part of the legend

peculiar to our text;

and the

Marisha was, thus, promised a son "endowed with the attributes of apatriarch."X

Ayonija.

BOOK

I.,

CHAP, XV.

9

Soma havingrisha, as he

concluded, the Prachetasas took Mawife,

had enjoined them, righteously to

relinquishing their indignation against the trees;

and

upon her they begot the eminent patriarch Daksha, who liad (in a former life) been born as the son of Brahma.^whole story of Marisha'sbirthis

nowhereits

else so fully detailed.

The penancein

of the Prachetasas, and

consequences, are related

the

Agni,

Bhagavata, Matsya, Padma, Vayu, and Brahmais

Purcirias;

and allusion

briefly

made

to Marisha's birth.in

Her

oriain fromin the

Kandu and Pramlocha is narrated Brahma Purtina, where the austerities,

a different place

of

necessity for their interruptionthatis

are described.

Kandu, and the The story from,

authority,

was

translated by the late Professor Chezy, and

number of the Journal Asiatique. Daksha, and his share in the peopling similar of the earth, is narrated in most of the Puranas in a manner. It is, perhaps, the original legend; for Daksha seemspublished in the

first

The second

birth of

an irregular adjunct to the Prajapatis or mind-born sons of Brahma (see Vol. I., p. 100, note 2); and the allegorical natureto be

of his posterity in that character (Vol. recent origin.

I.,

p. 109)

intimates a

more

Nor does

that series of descendants apparently

occur in the Mahabharata; although the existence of two Dakshasis

especially

remarked there (Moksha Dharma):

In the Adi Parvan, which seems to be the freest from subsequent improvements, the Daksha noticed is the son of the Prachetasas.

The

incompatibility of the

two accounts

is

reconciled

hy

referring

the two

Manwantaras; the Daksha who proceeded from Brahma as a Prajapati being born in the first, or Swayambhuva, and the son of the Prachetasas, in the Chakshu-

Dakshas

to different

sha,

Manwantara. The

latter,

however, as descended from Uttanaperiod also.It is

pada, should belong to the

first

evident that great

confusion has been made, by the Puranas,

in

Daksha's history.

Mahabharata, Sdnti-parvan, 7573.

10

VISHNU PUKANA.

This great sage, for the furtherance of creation, andthe

Obeying Brahma, he made movable and immovable things," bipeds and quadrupeds, f and, subsequently, by his will, gave birth to females, ten of whom he bestowed on Dharma, thirteen on Kasyapa, and twenty-seven, who regulate the course of time, on

the increase of mankind, created progeny.

command

of

the Moon.^

Of

these, the gods, the Titans, t the snake-

gods, cattle, and birds, the singers and dancers of thecourts of heaven, the spirits of evil, and other beings, were born. From that period forwards, living creatures were engendered by sexual intercourse. Before the time of Daksha, they were variously propagated, by the will, by sight, by touch, and by the influence of religious austerities practised by devout sages and holy

saints.

II

Maitreya. Daksha, as I have formerly heard, was born from the right thumb of Brahma. Tell me, great Muni, how he was regenerate as the son of the Prachetasas.

Considerable perplexity also arises inhe,

my

mind,

who, as the son of Marisha, was the grandson of Soma, could be also his father-in-law. Birth and death are constant in all Paras ARA. creatures. Rishis and sages, possessing divine vision,

how

That

is,

they are the Nakshatras or lunar asterisms.

*

The Sanskrit has avara and vara, "inferior" and "superior"; and

these epithets, not being given in the neuter, but in the masculine, referto

putra, Professor Wilson's "progeny". t See Orujinal Sanskrit Texts, Part I., pp. 26 and 27.+

Daitya.

li

Ddnava.See Original Sanskrit Texts, PartI.,

p. 27.

:

BOOKare

I.,

CHAT. XV.

11

not [)ei'plexed by

this.

Dakslui and the other

enunent Munis are present

in

every age, and,

in

die

interval of destruction, cease to be.^

man'

entertains no doubt.

Of this the wise Amongst them of okl there

'They are removed' (f'T'^"^^), "wliich the commentator ^^ip^cf^"^^ 'are absorbed, as if they were fast in asleep.' But, in every age or Yuga, according to the text, every Manwantara, according to the comment theRishis reappear;explains by|

the circumstancestherefore, asin

of their origin

only being varied.

Daksha,

remarked

in the preceding note, is the

son of Brahma,

one period, the son of the Prachetasas, in another.

So Soma,

in thein the

Swayambhuva Manwantara, was borntext occur in the

as the son of Atri;

Chakshusha, he was produced by churning the ocean.

The

words of ourvariation

Hari

Vaifisa, *

with an unimportant

'Birth and obstruction are constant in all beings. But Rishis, and

those

men who

are wise, are not perplexed by this'

;

that

is,

not,

as rendered above,

by the alternation of

life

and death, but, acUtpatti, 'birth

cording to the commentator on the Hari Vaihsa, by a very difierent matter, the prohibition of unlawful marriages.

of progeny',is

is

the result of their will; Nirodha,

'obstruction',

the

law prohibiting the intermarriage of persons connected byfuneral cake: f?!'^^ f^uvres inipuissantes celui qui ue le counait

pas en ce

monde? "La femme aux nombreuses

formes, c'est Tintelligence de I'esprit, la-

quelle,

comme

la

courtisane,

prend

divers

caracteres:

quel

l)esoin

a

d'ceuvres inipuissantes celui qui u'en a pas yu le terme?

"Semblable au mari d'une epouse coupable,avec I'intelligence, perdla

I'esprit,

par son unionle

souverainete

et

roule

dans

cercle de la

transmigration: quel besoin a d'anivres inipuissantes celui qui ne connait

pas ses voies?

"Le

ileuve, c'est I'lllusion, qui produit a la fois la creation et la deset

truction,

qui

s'agite

au bord de sa rive: quel besoin

a-t-il

d'onivres

inipuissantes

rhommele

enivre qui ne la reconnait pas?

"L'esprit est

merveilleux miroir des vingt-cinq principes: quel besoin

a d'ceuvres impuissautes celui qui en ce

monde ne connait pas

I'Esprit

supreme?

"Quand on

a renonce a la doctrine qui fait obtenir le Seigneur,la science

qui

enseigne la delivrance de tous les liens, et qu'on ignoreles paroles sont pures, quel besoin a-t-on

dont

d'a?uvres inipuissantes?

"Lace

roue qui tourne, c'est celle du Temps, roue tranchante qui enleveI'univers:

tout dans

quel besoin a d'a'uvres inipuissantes celui qui en

monde n'en reconnait pas I'independance? "Le pere, c'est la science: comment I'liomme

qui ne connait pas ses

ordres touchant I'inaction, pourrait-il, avec la confiance qu'il accordequalites,

aux marcher selon ses enseignements ? "Les llaryacvas unanimes dans leurs pensees etant arrives a cette conviction, tournerent autour de Narada avec respect, et entrerent dans la voie d'oii Ton ne revient plus.

"Et

le

solitaire

qui tient sa pensee

indissolublement unie au lotusle

des pieds de Ilfichikc^'aparcourir le monde.

que manifeste

Veda,

se

mit de nouveau

a

"Endonneregrets.

apprenant que Naradaparjourla

etait

la

cause de la perte de sesse

iils

qui

brillaientle

vertu,

Dakcha penetre de douleur

lamenta d'avoir

a des

enfants vertueux qui sont souvent une source de

"Mais console par Adja, Dakcha eut encore dedes uiilliers detils

la fille de

Pautchadjana

nommes

les (^abala9vas.

:

BOOKthat

I.,

CHAP. XV.

17

all these his sons had vanished, was incensed, and denounced an imprecation upon Narada.

varta,

Narada

is

cursed by Brahma, on a similar occasion, to

become

the chief of the Gandharvas;

whence

his musical pro-

" Charges aussi par leur pere d'accoinplir la creation des etres, ces houimes, fermes dans leurs desseins, se rendirent a I'etaug de Narayaiia,oil

leurs freres aines etaieiit parvenus a la perfection.

"Purifies,

par

le

seul contact

de ses eaux, des souillures qu'avaient

contractees leurs

co'urs;

repetant

a voix

basse

le

nom suprememois,et

de

Brahma,

ils

s'y

livrerent a de grandes austerites.

"Ne

se

nourrissantils

que d'eau

pendant

quelques

pendantla

d'autres que d'air,

houorerent Idaspati (Vichnu) en recitant ce Mantrasejour de la pure qualite de la Bonte, qui est le

'"Om!

Adressons notre adoration a Narayaiia, qui est Puruchale

grande ame, qui est

grand Brahma'.

"Narada voyant quelangage enigmatique.

ces

sages pensaient

a reprendre

I'ffiuvre

de la

creation, se rendit aupres d'eux et leur tint,

comme

a leurs freres,

un

"Fils de Dakcha, leursuivez, Yousqui

dit-il,

ecoutez les conseils que je vous donne;ils

avez de Taifection pour vos freres, la voie ou

out

marche."est

Le frere qui connaissant la loi, suit la route que lui ont tracee ses freres, un ami de la vertu qui obtient de jouir du bonheur avec les Maruts. "Ayant ainsi parle, Narada dent le regard est infaillible se retira; etde Dakcha, 6 roi respecte, entrereut dans la voie qu'avaient suivie

les fils

leurs freres.

"Marchant,qui ramenantils

comme leurs aines, Thomme an dedansle

d'une mauiere reguliere dans la voiede lui,le

conduit a I'Etre supreme,les nuits deja ecoulees.

ne revinrent pas plus que ue reviendront

"Enquela

ce

temps-la

Pradjapati voyant deetait,

nombreux prodiges, appritaines,

mort de ses enfantsla perte

commeil

celle de leurs

Tceuvre

de Narada.

"Desole deet la levre

de ses enfants,il

se mit en fureur centre Narada,

tremblante de colere,dit:

parla ainsi au Richi.exterieur qui est celui des gensfils

"Dakcha

Ah! mechant, avec tonfait

de bien, tu m'as

du mal en enseignant a mesavantqu'ils

vertueux

la voie

des ascetes qui mendieiit. " [En leur donnant ce conseil]dettes

eussent acquitte

les trois

[de la vie]

et

qu'ils

eussent accompli des ceuvres,et

tu as detruit

leur bonheur pour ceII.

monde

pour

I'autre.

2

18

VISHNU PURANA.

Then, Maitreya, the wise patriarch,

it

is

handed

pensities.

But the Bliagavata.first,

VI., 7, has

the reverse of this

legend, and makes him,the son ofVaiiisa.

a Gandharva, then a Sudra, thenand, afterit,

Brahma.

The Brahma Furana,have ato

the Hariin-

and the

Vj'iyu Purfina,

different,

and not verv

telligihle, story.

Daksha, being about

pronounce an impreca-

tionit

as

upon Niirada, was appeased by Brahma and the Rishis; and was agreed, between them, tliat Narada should be again born, the son of Kasyapa, by one of Daksha's daughters. Thisto be the gist of the legend:

seems

but

it is

very confusedlythe

told.

The

version of the

Brahma

Purai'ia,

which

is

same

as that of

the Hari

Vamsa,* may be thus rendered: "The smooth-speaking

"Et cependant, homme sansdes enfants,tii

pitie,

toi qui te plais

a troubler I'esprit

te

montres avec impudence an milieu des serviteurs delinetoi

Hari dont tu detruis la gloire.

"Certes

lis

eprouvent

constante sollicitude pour tons lesexcepte,toi reiineuii

etres,

les serviteurs de

Bhagavat,

de la bienveillance,

qui fais du mal a ceux qui ne t'en veulent pas

"Non, quoique tu penses detes conseils, 6 toi qui n'as

la

quietude qui tranche

le lien

de Taffection,

que I'apparence trompeuse du sage, ue concuisaute

duirout jamais les"II ne salt rien,

hommes au detachement. Thomme qui n'a pas eprouve Timpressionfois

des objets; mais

une

qu'il la ressentie,

il

se degoute

Ini-meme du

monde, bien mieux quedesseins.

celui

dont des etres superieurs

rompent

les

"Quoique

tu

nous

aies

fait

uu

mal intolerable, a nous qui sommesuiaitres de

voues aux ceuvres

et qui

vivons en

maison vertueux, nousfait

savons supporter ta mauvaise action.

"Mais parce qu'en interrompanta deux reprises, a cause de cela,

ma

descendance tu m'as

du mal

6 insense, je te

condamne

a errer a

travers les mondes, saus pouvoir t'arreter nulle part."(,'uka dit:

Ainsi

soit-il,

repondit Narada qui est estime des gens deetait si sage, qu' I(;vara

bien;

car le langage de

Dakcha

lui-meme

Teiit

endure,"*

The account

there given

122-129

is,

as edited, iu these words:

BOOK

I.,

CHAP. XV.

19

down

to us, being anxious to people the w^orld, created

Narada addressed the sons of Dakslia for their destruction and his own: for the Muni Kasyapa begot him as a son, who was the son of Brahma, on the daughter of Dakslia, througli fear of He was formerly the son of Paramethe hitter's imprecation. shthin (Brahma): and the excellent sage Kasyapa next begot him,,

as

if he were his father, on Asikni, the daughter of Viraiia. Whilst he was engaged in beguiling the sons of the patriarch, Daksha, of resistless power, determined on his destruction. But he was

by Brahma, in the presence of the great sages; and it was agreed, between them, that Narada, the son of Brahma, should be born of a daughter of Daksha. Consequently, Daksha and, by her, w^as Narada gave his daughter to Paramesht'hinsolicited,;

born."

Now,

several difficulties occur here.

Asikni

is

the wife,

not the daughter, of Daksha.compiler;for, in the parallel

But

this

may be

a blunder of the

passage of the Vayu, no

name

occurs.

In the next place,the progeny ofall

who

is

this

daughter?

For, as we

shall see,in

Daksha's daughters are fully detailed; andis

no authority consultedof them, or as

daughter, not to

Narada mentioned as the son of either the son of Kasyapa. Daksha, too, gives his Kasyapa, but to Parameshthin or Brahma. Thethis

commentator on the Hari Vamsa solves

by saying he gives

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