Brahma Purana .. part .. 8

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Brahma Purana part… 8

 

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 or

any part of Manusmriti ,Agnipurana, Brahma purana

pls mail to me , I will send again to you.

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.

 

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.

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… 8Pippalada Many years ago, there used to be a sage named Dadhichi. His wife was Lopamudra. Dadhichi’s hermitage was right next to the holy river Ganga. Lopamudra’s sister Gabhastini also used to live in the hermitage. Such was the sage Dadhichi’s powers that daityas and danavas dared not set foot inside the hermitage. The gods once fought with the demons and managed to defeat them. After the war was over, they came to pay their respects to Dadhichi. Dadhichi welcomed his guests and wanted to know

how they were faring. Thanks to your blessings, we are fine, replied the gods. We have just defeated the demons in a war. In fact, we have a slight problem. We no longer need our weapons now that the demons have run away. We don’t know of a safe place where we can store all these weapons. We were wondering if we might keep the weapons in your ashrama. This is one of the safest places that can be found. Dadhichi consented to this proposal. The gods left their weapons in the hermitage and went back to heaven. When Lopamudra heard what Dadhichi had done, she was not at all pleased. You have done something that is most improper, she told her husband. One should never accept responsibility for someone else’s property, especially if one is an ascetic and has no material possessions of one’s own. Moreover, you have agreed to store the weapons of the gods. Does this not mean that those who are the gods’ enemies

will look upon you too as an enemy? And what are you going to do if something should happen to the weapons? Will the gods not blame you then? Your points are well taken, said Dadhichi. But I had not thought of them and I have given the gods my word. I can’t very well go back on my word now. A hundred years passed. The gods did not return to collect their weapons. The weapons began to lose their lustre. Dadhichi did not know how the energy of the weapons might be preserved. He washed them with holy water and the energy of the weapons got dissoved in the water. Dadhichi then drank up the water. As for the weapons themselves, they faded away once their energy was gone. Finally the gods came to claim their weapons. Can we have our weapons back? they asked. Our enemies have become powerful again. We need our weapons. That may be, said Dadhichi. But the weapons are no longer there. I have swallowed up

their energy. Let me tell you what can be done. I will use the powers of meditation (yoga) to give up my life. Then excellent weapons can be made out of my bones. The gods were reluctant, but there was no other solution. Dadhichi died and the gods requested Vishvakarma to make weapons for them out of Dadhichi’s bones. Vishvakrama complied and the weapon name vajra that he made was truly remarkable. Lopamudra was away when this incident took place. She returned and found that her husband had died. She was afflictd with sorrow and wished to immolate herself in a fire. But she happened to be pregnant at the time, so that this could not immediately be done. Once the baby was born, she killed herself, after having handed over the baby to a pippala (fig) tree to rearing. Since the pippala tree brought up the boy, he came to be known as Pippalada. Chandra was the lord over all trees. The trees asked Chandra for some

amrita for Pippalada and Chandra obliged . The amrita gave Pippalada a lot of strength. When Pippalada grew up, he wanted to know who his parents were and the trees told him the story. Pippalada blamed the gods for his parents’ death and decided to seek revenge. The trees brought Pippalada to Chandra. You are still too young, said Chandra. First you must become learned and well-versed in the use of weapons. Go the forest of dandakaranya. The river Goutami Ganga flows through that forest. Pray to Shiva there and I am sure that your wishes will be fulfilled. Pippalada pleased Shiva through his prayers. What boon do you desire? asked Shiva. I want the boon that I may be able to destroy the gods, replied Pippalada. I have a third eye in the middle of my forehead, said Shiva. The day you can see my third eye, your wish will be granted. Try as he might, Pippalada

could not see Shiva’s third eye. Pippalada therefore performed even more difficult tapasya for even more years. Eventually he managed to see Shiva’s third eye. From Shiva’s third eye was born a demon that looked like a mare. What is your desire? asked the demon of Pippalda. Kill my enemies, the gods, was the reply. The demon immediately attacked Pippalada. What are you doing? asked Pippalada. Why are you trying to kill me? I asked you to kill the gods. But your body has been created by the gods. Replied the demon. I will therefore kill you also. Pippalada ran to Shiva for deliverance. Shiva earmarked a region inside the forest for Pippalada. There the demon was not permitted to enter. Pippalada lived there , protected from the ravages of the demon. Meanwhile, the gods requested Shiva to save them as well. Shiva persuaded Pippalada to control his anger. He convinced

Pippalada that nothing was to be gained by killing the gods. That would not bring his parents back. Pippalada agreed. But he wished to see his parents once. Accordingly, a vimana descended from heaven on which Dadhichi and Lopamudra were seated. They blessed Pippalada and asked him to marry and have children. As for the demon, it became a river and merged with the holy Ganga. Nageshvara There was a city named Pratishthana. A king named Shruasena ruled in that city. Shurasena did not have any sons. After a lot of effort, a son was born to him. But the son happened to be a snake. The king and the queen were mortified at this turn of events. But they brought up their son in great secrecy. Not even the king’s ministers and priests knew that the prince was a snake. When the prince grew slightly, he began to talk

like a human, even though he was a snake. King Shurasena arranged for the prince’s education. After the snake had become learned in the knowledge of the Vedas, he told his father, Father it is time for me to get married. If I do not have a son, I am certain to go to naraka. King Shurasena was very surprised to hear this. How is that possible? he asked. Which princess will consent to marry a snake? I don’t know, replied the prince. But I do know that I have to get married. Otherwise, I will commit suicide. There are many forms of marriage that are permissible. Perhaps a princess can be kidnapped and married to me. Shurasena called his ministers and told them, My son Nageshvara has now come of age. He has also been made the heir-apparent to the kingdom. There is no one equal to him in bravery on earth, in heaven or in the underworld. I am getting old. Please arrange for Nageshvara to get married. I shall then

reliquish my kindom and retire to the forest. The king did not of course tell his ministers that Nageshvara was a snake. Shurasena had an aged minister. This minister reported that there was a king named Vijaya who ruled in the eastern part of the country. King Vijaya had eight sons and one daughter. The daughter’s name was Bhogavati and she was very beautiful. She would be the right match for Nageshvara. The aged minister was sent as a messenger to Vijaya and the king agreed to the match. There was a custom amongst kshatriyas that the bride did not always have to be married to the bridegroom in person. She could also be married to the bridegroom’s sword or some other weapon. The minister explained to King Vijaya that there were some private reasons which mad eit impossible for Nageshvara to come in person for the marriage. Bhogavati should be married off to Nageshvara’s sword. Vijaya consented to this and the

marriage ceremony was performed. The entire retinue then returned to the city of Pratishthana. But what was to be done now that the marriage was over? Nageshvara’s mother sent a maid to Bhogavati. The maid was to tell Bhogavati that her husband was actually a snake and the observe her reaction. The maid told Bhogavati, Your husband is a god, but he has the form of snake. That is my good fortune, replied Bhogavati. Normally, women are married to men. I must have performed many good deeds in my earlier life to have been married to a god. Bhogavati was then brought to Nageshvara and at the sight of Bhogavati, Nageshvara remembered his earlier life. He used to be a snake (naga) in his earlier life and was a companion of Shiva’s. His wife in the earlier life was Bhogavati. There had been an occasion when Shiva had laughed at a

joke of Parvati’s and Nageshvara had also laughed. This had annoyed Shiva and he had cursed Nageshvara that he would be born on earth as the son of a human, but in the form of a snake. When he went and bathed in Goutami Ganga, the period of the curse would be over. When Nageshvara recounted these incidents to Bhogavati, she also remembered her earlier life. The two went and bathed in the sacred river and Nageshvara ruled after Shurasena’s death. And when Nageshvara and Bhogavati died, they went back to Kailasa to live with Shiva. On the banks of the Goutami Ganga, Nageshvara and Bhogavati built a temple to Shiva. This a famous tirtha known as nagatirtha. Brahma’s Head Years ago, there was a war between the gods and the demons and the gods came to Brahma for advice and Brahma asked them to pray to Shiva. When Shiva appeared before them, the gods said,

The demons have defeated us. Please kill them and save us. Shiva went to fight with the demons. He drove the demons off from Mount Sumeru and out of heaven. He pursued them to the ends of the earth. All this exertion made Shiva sweat. And wherever the drops of sweat fell down on the ground, terrible ogresses named matris were created. The matris also started to kill the demons and pursued them down to the underworld. While the matris were killing the demons in the underworld, Brahma and the other gods waited on the banks of the river Goutami Ganga. This place came to be known as Pratishthana. When the matris had killed all the demons, they returned to earth and began to live on the banks of the Goutami Ganga. This tirtha has come to be known as matritirtha. Brahma used to have five heads.

The fifth head was in the shape of a donkey’s head. When the demons were running away to the underworld, this donkey’s head addressed the demons and said, Why are you running away? Come back and fight with the gods. I shall aid you in your fight. The gods were alarmed at this paradoxical situation. Brahma was helping them in their fight with the demons and Brahma’s fifth head was trying to help the demons. They went to Vishnu and said, Please cut off Brahma’s fifth head. It is causing too much of confusion. I can do what you want, replied Vishnu, but there is a problem. When the cut-off head falls on earth, it will destroy the earth. I think you should pray to Shiva to find a way out. The gods prayed to Shiva and Shiva agreed to cut off the head. But what was to be done with the severed head? The earth refused to bear it and so did the ocean. Finally it was decided that Shiva himself would bear the

head. The place where Shiva cut off Brahma’s fifth head is known as rudratirtha. Ever since that day, Brahma has had four heads and is known as Chaturmukha (chatur connotes four and mukha connotes face). There is temple to Brahma on the banks of the Goutami Ganges. This is a holy known as brahmatirtha. A killer of brahmanas is pardoned his sin if he visits this temple. The Owl and the Dove A dove used to live on the banks of the Goutami Ganga. The dove’s name was Anuhrada and its wife’s name was Heti. Anuhrada was Yama’s grandson. Not very far away, there lived an owl named Uluka. The owl’s wife was called Uluki. The owls were descended from the god Agni. The doves and the owls were enemies. They fought amongst themselves continually. The doves had received all sorts of weapons from Yama and the owls had received all sorts of weapons

from Agni. These divine weapons threatened to burn up everything. But Yama and Agni intervened . They persuaded the owls and the doves to forget their enmity and live together as friends. The place where the doves lived came to be known as a tirtha named yamyatirtha. And the place where the owls lived came to be known as agnitirtha. The Hunter There was a sage named Veda. He used to pray to Shiva every day. The prayers lasted till the afternoon and after the prayers were over, Veda used to go the nearby villages to beg alms. A hunter named Bhilla used to come to the forest every afternoon to hunt. After the hunt was over, he used to come to Shiva’s linga (image) and offer to Shiva whatever it was that he had hunted. In the process of doing this, he often moved Veda’s offerings out of the way. Strange though it might seem, Shiva was stirred by

Bhilla’s offerings and eagerly used to wait for it every day. Bhilla and Veda never met. But Veda noticed that every day his offerings lay scattered and a little bit of meat lay by the side. Since this always happened when Veda had gone out to beg for alms, Veda did not know who was responsible. But one day, he decided to wait in hiding so as to catch the culprit red-handed. While Veda waited, Bhilla arrived and offered what he had brought to Shiva. Veda was amazed to discover that Shiva himself appeared before Bhilla and asked, Why are you late today? I have been waiting for you. Did you get very tired? Bhilla went away after making his offerings. But Veda came up to Shiva and said, What is all this? This is a cruel and evil hunter, and yet, you appear before him. I have been performing tapasya for so many years and you never appear before me. I am disgusted at this partially. I will break your linga with this

stone. Do it if you must, replied Shiva. But please wait till tomorrow. Next day, when Veda came to present his offerings, he found traces of blood on top of the linga. He carefully washed away the traces of blood and completed his prayers. After some time, Bhilla also came to present his offerings and discovered traces of blood on top of the linga. He thought that he was in some way responsible for this and blamed himself for some unknown transgression. He picked up a sharp arrow and began to pierce his body repeatedly with this arrow as punishment. Shiva appeared before both of them and said, Now you see the difference betwen Veda and Bhilla. Veda has given me his offerings, but Bhilla has given me his whole soul. That is the difference between ritual and true devotion. The place where Bhilla used to pray to Shiva is a famous tirtha known as bhillatirtha.

Will be continue on part 9

with regards

dilip