Brahma Purana - Part ..6

February 2, 2009

Namaste

Yesterday with Brahma purana Part 5

I post one mail named Gods eye,

I just only Forward that mail, I apologize

for the comment regarding forward it to 7 persons.

Comment written below.

This photo is a very rare one, taken by NASA.

This kind of event occurs once in 3000 years. This photo has done miracles in many lives. Make a wish ... you have looked at the eye of God.

Surely you will see the changes in your life within a day. ! Whether you believe it or not , don't keep this mail with you.

Pass this at least to 7 persons. This is a picture NASA took with the Hubbell telescope. Called 'The Eye of God.'

This is my mistake happen because I just read and look at

the picture, and I am not thinking of any wish , or some type

of mails which recieving with a warning that if not forwarded

you will die , I didnt believe like that fate, my fate is already written

by god, not by somebodies mail. Once again I apologize to miss lead you..

Brahma Purana part… 6 Namaste

Let us Continue Reading Puranas. Puranas are also a Treasure to Sanathana Dharma. Agni Purana, Brahma Purana, Garuda Purana, Markandeya Purana, Varaha Purana, Matsya Purana Vishnu Purana, Linga Purana, Narada Purana, Padma Purana, Shiva Purana, Skanda Purana, Vamana Purana Let us start read one by one . We Finish reading AGNIPURANA , Now we will Continue reading BRAHMA Purana .same like

before I will post Brahma Purana as part by part.

I Know while reading Manusmriti to read

Other puranas may be difficult , but as you know atleast to taste our great values in Sananthana Dharma One Human life is not enough, so I try my level best to spread this values to my respected friends.

If anyone miss to read or interest to read my

previous postings Chanakya Neetisastra,

Kautiliya Arthasastra , Vidura niti or

Tiruvallurs Tirukkural,and Uddhavagita , Agnipurana

Or any part of Manusmriti , Brahma purana pls mail to me , I will send again to you.

Here we Continue the translation of the text of the BRAHMA PURAN in Short at the currently available form :

I am not a scholar to modify any of this laws or puranas or its languages suitable for modern life .I Humbly request you to read it and think in a modern scientific way. Like in Bhagavadgita Chapter 18 text 63 it is said by lord Krishna Thus I have explained to you knowledge still more confidential. Deliberate on this fully, and then do what you wish to do.

I humbly request you to forward this values to your family, friends and to your groups. Allow all people from different religion to understand the value of our Sanathana Dharma. At least let them learn and then let them criticize

As my Guru told me

One need not worry too much about the source of certain knowledge. Just adopt in our life if they are good. If needed refine the knowledge by way of addition, deletion, modification and correction. Also try to understand the meaning of Different Castes , it is not by birth it is by his performance.

Brahma Purana part… 6King Shveta In satya yuga there used to be a king named Shveta. He was such a good king that during his reign people lived for ten thousand years. No one died as a child. Longevity was high and there was no infant mortality. But there was a sage named Kapalagoutama. Unfortunately, the sage’s son died as an infant. The sage brought the dead body to Shveta and the king resolved that if he could not bring the sage’s son back to life within a week, he would immolate himself in a fire. Having thus taken an oath. King Shveta worshipped Shiva with one thousand and one hundred blue lotus flowers. Shiva

appreared before the king and granted the boon that the infant son might be brought back to life. King Shveta ruled for a thousand years. He also built a temple to Vishnu in Purushottama kshetra. The temple that had been built by Indradyumna was known as the temple of Jagannatha . Shveta’s temple was not very far from this and known as the temple of Shvetamadhava . The image in this temple was as white as the moon. Bali There was a king of the daitya named Bali . He was powerful and invincible. He was also righteous and truthful. The gods could not bear to see Bali’s prosperity and began to plot how Bali might be foiled. So well did Bali rule that disease, drought and evil disappeared throughout the three worlds.

In desperation, the gods approached Vishnu. Please do something about Bali , they requested. You always help us out when we are in trouble. There is no difference between Bali and the gods so far as I am concerned, replied Vishnu Bali is devoted to me. I cannot therefore fight with him. But I will think of a way so that his kingdom might be taken away from him and given to you. Vishnu decided to be born as Aditi’s son. The son was a dwarf. This was the vamana avatara (dwarf incarnation) of Vishnu. Bali proposed to organize a horse sacrifice. Many sages came to the sacrifice and Shukracharya was the chief priest. The dwarf also arrived to wintess the yajna. Shukracharya realized that the dwarf was none other than Vishnu. He told Bali . I suspect that this dwarf is Vishnu in disguise. He must have come here to ask you for

something. Please do not grant him anything without first consulting me, Certainly not, replied Bali . It is good fortune indeed that the great Vishnu has come to my house. What is there to consult about? I shall grant Vishnu whatever he wants. Bali went to the dwarf to ascertain what the dwarf wanted. Vishnu expressed the wish that he might be given as much of land as might be covered in three of the dwarf’s steps. This boon Bali readily granted. But no sooner than the boon had been granted, the dwarf adopted a gigantic form. He place one foot on Bali ’s yajna and the second on Brahmaloka. Where will I place my third step? demanded Vishnu. There is no more space left in the entire universe. Find a place for my third step. Bali smiled and said, Place it on my Head. Vishnu was charmed at Bali ’s generosity. He granted Bali the boon that Bali would hold the title of Indra in a furture

manvantara. He then appointed Bali king of the underwold. But Indra’s kingdom of heaven, which Bali had conquered, was returned to Indra. Brahma had all this while been in Brahmaloka. When Vishnu placed his second foot on Brahmaloka, Brahma felt that he should welcome and worship the foot. He used holy water from his water-pot (kamandalu) to wash the foot. The water spilled over from the foot and fell on the mountains. There the water divided into four. Vishnu accepted the flow that went northwards. The flow that went westwards returned to Brahma’s kamandalu. The flow that went eastwards was gathered up by the gods and the sages. But the flow that went southwards got entangled in Shiva’s matted hair. This water was the river Ganga . Goutama Part of the water of the Ganga that got stuck in Shiva’s hair was brought down to earth by Bhagiratha. The remaining part

was brought down by the sage Goutama. Parvati was married to Shiva, but Shiva seemed to be fonder of Ganga than of Parvati. Parvati resolved that a way had to be found to remove Ganga from Shiva’s hair. She tried persuasion, but Shiva refused to listen. At the time, there was a terrible drought on earth which went on for fourteen years. The only place that was not affected by the drought was the sage Goutama’s hermitage. Other people also gathered in the hermitage to save themselves from the drought and Goutama welcomed them all. Ganesha thought that he might be able to devise a way to free his mother of the Ganga problem. He went and began to live in Goutama’s hermitage.

Ganesha cultivated the acquaintance of the other sages and became quite friendly with them. One of Parvati’s companions were Jaya. Ganesha told Jaya that she was to adopt the form of a cow and up the grain in Goutama’s fields. And the moment she was struck, she was to lie down on the ground and pretend to be dead. Goutama notieced that a cow eating up his grain. He tried to drive away the cow by striking with a blade of grass. As soon as he did this, the cow uttered a shrill bellow and fell down on the ground. Ganesh and the other sages came running to see what had happened. They discovered that, to all intents and purposes, a cow had been struck down dead by sage Goutama. They therefore refused to stay in an ashrama where such a sin had been committed. Goutama tried to restrain them. Please do not go away and forsake me, he said.

Tell me how I may perform penance. You will have to bring down Ganga from Shiva’s hair, replied Ganesha. When that water touches the dead body of the cow, your sin will be forgiven. Ganesha was so friendly with the other sages that they all accepted his solution. Goutama also agreed to do the needful. Accordingly, Goutama went to Mount Kailasa and began to pray to Shiva. Shiva was pleased at Goutama’s tapasya and offered to grant a boon. Goutama naturally wanted the boon that Ganga might be brought down to earth. Shiva agreed. It was thus that Ganga was brought down to earth by the sage Goutama. Ganga has four tributaries in heaven, seven on earth and four in the underworld. Since it was Goutama who brought Ganga down to earth, the river is also known as Goutami Ganga. The Doves In the mountain known as Brahmagiri there used to live a

hunter who was very cruel. He not only killed birds and animals, but brahmanas and sages as well. The hunter once went on a hunt. He killed many animals and birds and some he put in his cages. He had penetrated so far inside the forest that he was far from home. It became night and also started to rain. Hungry and thirsty, the hunter lost his way. He climbed up a tree and decided to spend the night there. But his mind kept going back to his wife and children at home. For many years a dove and its family had lived happily on that tree. Both the male and the female had gone out to look for food. But although the male dove had returned to the nest, the female dove had not. In fact, the female had been captured by the hunter and was now inside a cage. The male did not know this. He mourned for his wife. These words of mourning were heard by the female dove inside the cage and she made her presence felt. The male dove

came down and discovered his wife inside the cage. The hunter is sleeping now, he said. Now is the time for me to free you. No, replied the female dove. You know how it is with living beings. One living being lives on another. I can find no fault with the hunter, he is merely collecting his food. He is like a guest to us. And it is our duty to offer up our bodies for the sake of a guest. You are quite right, said the male dove. I lost my sense of propriety. We have to serve our guest. But how do we serve our guest? We have nothing that we can call our own. At the moment the hunter is suffering most from the cold, replied the female dove. We have to light a fire to warm him up. Go and find a fire and bring plenty of dead leaves and branches so that the fire may burn. The male dove found a flaming branch. He also brought many dry leaves and branches so that the fire could burn. The rain had stopped and

the fire warmed the hunter. Now , said the female dove, Free me so that I may immolate myself in the fire. My roasted flesh will serve as food for the hunter. Never, replied the male dove. It is my right to serve the guest first. Saying this, the male dove hurled himself into the fire. The hunter had heard the entire conversation and marvelled that two doves could be so altruistic. The female dove now requested the hunter to free her from the cage . And as soon as he did this, the female dove also hurled herself into the fire. This selfless deed of the two doves was so wonderful that a space vehicle (vimana) came down to take the two doves straight to heaven. The cruel hunter was also impressed and repented his past misdeeds. He told the doves, You are indeed blessed. Before you go to heaven, please tell me how I may perform penance for my sins. Go to Goutami Ganga and bathe there for

fifteen days, replied the doves. Your sins will also be forgiven. The hunter did as he had been asked to. The place where the doves immolated themselves became a holy tirtha known as kapotatirtha, since the word kapota means dove. Garuda and Maninaga You have already been told about the great snake (naga) Ananta. Anata had a son named Maninaga. Garuda was the enemy of the snakes and the snakes were all afraid of Garuda. Maninaga began to pray to Shiva. Having pleased Shiva, he obtained the boon that Garuda would be able to do him no harm. Armed with this boon. Maninaga started to wander around freely and did not run away even when faced with Garuda. Garuda found this to be exceedinly strange. Although he could not kill Maninaga, he captured him and kept him imprisoned in his own house. Shiva had a compassion named Nandi. Nandi told Shiva,

Lord, what has happened to Maninaga? We have not seen him for some time. I hope that Garuda has not done him some harm. Shiva of course knew what had happened. He advised Nandi to pray to Vishnu. Nandi was to please Vishnu and then ask for the boon that Maninaga might be freed from Garuda’s imprisonment. Nandi did this and Vishnu asked Garuda to release Maninaga. Lord, Garuda told Vishnu, this is very unfair. Other masters treat their servants very well. They give their servants gifts. See how Shiva has sent Nandi himself to rescue Shiva’s devotee Maninaga. You never give me any gifts. Moreover, when I obtain something on my own, you ask me to relinquish it. Is this proper on your part? It is on me that you ride when you go out to fight the demons. They get defeated because of my prowess. And yet it tickles your ego no end to think that you have defeated them yourself. Vishnu smiled and replied, Garuda, you are

quite right. You have become thin and lean from bearing my weight. It is quite true that I can defeat the demons only because of your prowess. You have a lot of strength. Why don’t you bear the weight of my little finger and demonstrate your strength? Vishnu placed his little finger on Garuda’s head. So heavy was the finger that Garuda was crushed against the ground. Please forgive me, said Garuda. I have been very stupid. I am an ignorant ass and you are the lord of everything. I have been completely flattened by the weight of your little finger. Please tell me how I may regain my old self. Vishnu asked Nandi to take Garuda to Shiva. Shiva would find a way of restoring Garuda’s old appearance. Maninaga was released and Nandi took Garuda to Shiva. Shiva asked Garuda to bathe in Goutami Ganga. This would make his appearance normal again. Garuda did this. Not only was his old appearance restored,

he became stronger and swifter than he used to be. The place where Garuda bathed is a tirtha known as Garudatirtha. Will be continue on part 7

with regards

dilip