Narration of biographies of magnanimous kings respecting Brahmins.
Narration of biographies of magnanimous kings respecting Brahmins.
Shri Narayan Muni said:-
‘O king, what you have asked me is proper. Since you have respect for Brahmins, I shall tell you the stories of kings who had honoured Brahmins. 1.
There were many kings from the Solar and Lunar dynasties who happened to have appeased Brahmins with grand charities. 2.
Stories of all the kings cannot be told even in a span of hundred years. Hence I shall tell you the history briefly of some of them. 3.
King Marut,
There was a king named Marut, a worshipper of Brahmins, who performed a grand sacrifice where Indra along with celestials and well as sages arrived. Envious, Indra had asked his preceptor not to perform Yajna (sacrifice) for Marut. Heeding the words of Indra, Brhaspati asked Marut to stop the Yajna. Thereafter Marut invited Samvartak, brother of Brhaspati to perform Yajna for him. 4 - 5.
In that great King’s sacrifice were present celestial groups of Vishvedevas (universal gods) and Sadhya gods and Maruts were serving food. 6.
In this sacrifice, Brahmins could not grasp onto their gifts, for they were more than handful to them. The state that was ruled by Marut on the earth was reaping rich even without plowing! 7.
King Suhotra,
Likewise there was another king Suhotra, a devotee of Brahmins, in whose territory, Maghav (Indra) rained gold all through the year. 8.
In his kingdom mother earth aptly called ‘Vasumati’ in the truest sense. In those times rivers were not just rivers of water but a golden flow, wherein lived golden crocodiles, tortoises and other creatures. 9.
The king, having seen rains of gold and the likes of golden crocodiles etc. showered by Indra, he gave everything of that wealth to those Brahmins who sought it. 10.
King Anga,
Similarly there was another king named Ang who gifted away one lakh horses as well as the same number of damsels ornamented with articles of gold in his sacrifice. 11.
He also donated one-lakh cows and one-lakh bulls decked with golden ornaments to the Brahmins and gratified the moon god in the sky with Som juice. 12.
He performed hundreds of sacrifices appeasing Brahmins and the celestials as well. Being humble and without ego, he undertook the biddings of the Brahmins. 13.
The amount of wealth that the king Ang donated in his seven Som sacrifices, no other man in the past had, nor could in the future. 14.
King Shibi,
Once there was another virtuous king Sibi of Ushinar province, who with his mere rumbling of the chariot encompassed the whole earth. 15.
He who with his one triumphal car had won all the quarters and made the entire earth come under one royal umbrella (of his) was magnanimous and learned. 16.
He gifted away all the cows, horses and elephants that were available on earth in his sacrifice. Even Bramha appreciated that no other king could reach his summit (place of honour). 17.
King Bharat,
And there was one more highly gallant king Bharat, son of Dushyant, who by conducting one thousand Ashvamedh yags (Horse sacrifices) as well as one hundred Rajasuya yags rendered even celestials awestruck and he donated unequalled amount of wealth to all the Brahmins in his sacrifices along with innumerable cows. 18 - 19.
He gave one thousand rubies (gems) to sage Kanva. Who would be able to attain success like him, akin to an attempt to encircle the sky by ones arms? 20.
King Bhagirath,
Likewise in the yore was Bhagirath, in whose sacrifice Indra partook Som juice, got exhilarated and won over many demons. 21.
He was the one who gave away scores of well decked maidens in chariots pulled by four horses each, each such chariot followed by a gold decked elephant, and each such elephant followed by one thousand horses and each such horse followed by a thousand cows. The mighty king Bhagirath, who observing acutest of penances, had brought river Bhagirathi (Ganga) down to this earth for his ancestors’ sake, and was thus names after her. 22 - 24.
King Dilip,
In the same manner, there was another king Dilip. In each sacrifice of his the chief priest received one thousand golden elephants as gift. 25.
At his sacrificial altar around the golden post (Yupa), six thousand celestial singers danced and sang his glory that resounded all over the world. 26.
There were three kinds of words (sounds) that never became spent in the abode of Dilipa - the sounds of chanting of the Vedas, the sound of bowstrings and the emphatic urging that prompted ‘give plenty of charities (to the Brahmins)’. 27.
In his grand sacrifice, he gifted away land that was rich with gold. The valorous king made this earth a heaven. 28.
King Mandhata,
In the yore, there was a king named Mandhata, who took birth from his father-king Yavanasva who had by chance drunk a mixture of ghee and curd made potent with Vedic hymns to beget a son. He became pregnant and Mandhata who came out of his right abdomen eventually became the emperor and conquered the three worlds. 29.
In the absence of mother, the Gods enquired among themselves as to who would breast-feed them. Appearing there Indra said ‘Mam Dhata’ meaning it would drink me. The child thus got the name ‘Mandhat’. 30.
Mandhat performed one thousand Asvamedh Yags and one hundred Rajasuya Yags, wherein he gave away golden fishes named ‘Rohit’ to Brahmins. Rohit fishes measured one hundred Yojans in length and one Yojan in height. This king who conquered all other kings, also tormented Ravan and others. 31 - 32.
The entire region of the earth from where the Sun rose to where it set was known to belong to Mandhat the son of Yavanashv. 33.
King Yayati,
Likewise Yayati was another king who performed one thousand sacrifices as well as one hundred Vajapeya Yagas, and conquered all the quarters of the earth including oceans. 34.
He made a strong man to throw a Shami-wood stick as far as he could, and up to that distance he built many altars (with Kush grass spread). The earth was thus covered and ornamented with altars. 35.
He appeased Brahmins with three mountain-size heaps of gold and obliterated demons in battles. Eventually having renounced his kingdom, he took to austere living in a forest. 36.
King Ambarish,
Ambarish was another king who similarly performed a grand sacrifice, wherein he appointed ten thousand kings to host Brahmins who were to perform rites in that sacrifice. 37.
He gave away great vivid gifts to Brahmins at will. By his grace scores of other kings attained salvation. 38.
King Shasbindu,
There was the king Sasabindu who had a lakh wives. His ten-lakh sons (princes) were armed with bows with golden armours. 39.
Each married prince was followed by one hundred girls, and for each girl was given a hundred elephants, for each elephant a hundred chariots, for each chariot a hundred horses and for each horse a hundred cows. He gifted away all this wealth to Brahmins in his sacrifice. 40.
Another king by name Gaya lived on the remnant offerings of the sacrifice for hundred years. By virtue of fire-god’s (Agni) boon, his wealth never diminished. He remained devout and truth speaking. 41.
King Gaya,
He performed sacrifices that are to be done only on newmoon days (Darsha) and full-moon days (Pournamasi) and the sacrifices that are to be performed at the beginning of the three seasons of four months (Chaturmasya) repeatedly. Along with this he performed horse sacrifices for one thousand years. 42.
King Gaya used to give one-lakh cows to Brahmins every day. He satiated the gods with Som juice, the manes with oblations of food, and Brahmins with wealth. 43.
In his Asvamedh sacrifice he gifted land measuring twice the length of the ten Vyams (Vyam = 30 feet approx.) covered with gold, to the Brahmins along with numerous cows, uncountable as the particles of sand in the river Ganga. 44.
In the same ilk, there was king Sagar who happened to be the paramount sovereign, under whose umbrella the entire earth came to be ruled. He had sixty thousand sons, who were also highly valorous. 45.
King Sagar.
He satiated the gamut of gods with the performance of one thousand horse sacrifices. He used to be very eager to fulfill the desires of the Brahmins. 46.
His palace was magnificent with golden pillars and was furnished with household articles made of gold. He partitioned it and gave away to the Brahmins. 47.
He (Sagar) along with his sons, dug about the circumference of the earth forming great ditches that pooled up with water to form seas, from whence seas are called ‘Sagars’. 48.
Narayan Muni’s advice to His devotees and others.
Likewise many other kings like Rantidev with their appeasing of Brahmins became renowned. They prospered to eminence which is impossible to attain. 49.
Many kings such as Nahush and others though destined for heavens after their end, met with peril because of their insulting of Brahmins, and the same has happened to even thousands of celestials as well as demons. 50.
The consequence of insulting Brahmans.
Many such instances are narrated in Mahabharat and in other epics. The moral of all these says that Brahmins are to be adored by kings. 51.
The king who wishes success and glory should appease Brahmins always and be ego-less, else his fortune is sure to be lost. 52.
Those others here should serve and worship meritorious Brahmins in every respect, in particular men who have taken to my shelter. 53.
Suvrat continued:-
Thus the master advised the devoted king and other commoners about rendering service to the Brahmins. 54.
Thus taught, the king and all others, being happy, saluted the Lord, and held His advice by bowing their heads. 55.
Thus having delighted those who were there dedicated to Him, Shri Hari telling them about His leaving on pilgrimage on ensuing full moon day in the month of Chaitr, left that place, O king. 56.
Thereafter He, the exalted Lord, being followed by men of that region and surrounded by many devotees and the sages, left for Siddhapad, a holy place of renown on the earth. 57.
Thus ends the Thirty-ninth chapter entitled ‘Eulogizing of Brahmins in Matsyapur through narration of Marut and other kings’ history’ in the second Prakarana of Satsangijivan, the life story of Lord Narayan, also titled as ‘Dharmashastra’ (the rules of the code of conduct). 39
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