srimadbhagavatham the end of skandha6

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Chapter14to19-Story of Chitrakethu and

Maruths

Parikshith asked Suka how Vrthrasura became the

devotee of Vishnu. Suka told him about the previous janma of Vrthra in which he was a king named Chithrakethu. He had no

progeny and obtained a son by the grace of sage Angiras who performed a

yaga and gave the yagasesha to his first

wife and told the king that he would get a son who will give him both joy and

sorrow.

His first wife got a son but he was poisoned by his

other wives out of jealousy. When he and his wife and everyone around was

lamenting the sage Angiras came again with Narada , who made his dead son

manifest before him as a jeeva and asked him whether he would like to come back

to earth since his parents are grief-stricken. The jeeva said that since he had

so many parents in so many births whom should he satisfy? This removed the

ignorance of Chithrakethu and he acquired wisdom and detachment through the

grace of the sages Angiras and Narada.

Narada instructed Vasudeva manthra to Chitrakethu

and he became a staunch devotee of Lord Narayana and chanted the manthra for

seven days drinking only water. As a result he became the king of vidhyadhras

and after some time had the darsan of the Lord on Adhisesha. The Lord blessed

him and he wandered in a celestial chariot given by the Lord wherever he wanted

and went to Kailasa.

There he saw Lord Siva with Parvati on his lap and

ridiculed him. Siva simply smiled at

that but Paravathi got angry and said that it was strange that even the sages

like Narada did not censure Siva and Chithrakethu was able to find fault with

the Lord of the sages and whose feet was sought after by them all. She cursed

him saying that he who did not understand the auspicious ness of Siva did not

deserve the grace of the Lord Narayana and he would get a life as an asura and

be punished in such a manner that he would never speak arrogantly again.

Chithrakethu was neither afraid nor lost his

composure. He said that everything right from the devas down to the lowest order of beings happen

according to their destiny. The Lord Hari creates everything through His maya

and there is no friend or foe to Him. Being His devotee he said that he also

accepted everything with equanimity and asked her forgiveness if he had said

anything wrong and said that he did not even ask for the release from the

curse. Chithrakethu differentiated between Siva and Vishnu and did not have the

insight to see that Siva was only a different aspect of Vishnu and hence

incurred the curse.

Parvathi was surprised at his attitude and Siva

extolled the greatness of Narayanabhakthi and told her that he was also equally

attracted by the qualities of Achyutha like Chithrakethu.

Vrthrasura was Chithrakethu in his previous birth,

said Suka, and since his devotion to the Lord was intact, he surprised Indra by

his vishnubhakthi.

Then Suka said that he would tell Parikshith about

the descendents of Dhithi called dhaithyas, in whose clan the great devotee Prahladha

was born.

Adhithi and Dhithi, both wives of Kasyapa, gave

birth to the devas and asuras respectively. The Lord Himself was born as Vamana

to Adhithi. Dhithi produced the maruths, Hiranyaaksha and Hirnayakasipu, and

Prahladha was born as one of the four sons of Hiranuyakasipu.

Parikshith then

asked Suka about the maruths, who even though born to Adhithi became to

be counted among devas. Suka started telling him the story of maruths.

Dhithi angered at the death of the Hiranyaksha and

Hiranyakasipu, by Vishnu to protect Indra wished to have son who would kill Indra. She

begged Kasyapa for such a son and he told her to follow the vratha of pumsavana

carefully following all austerities prescribed for one year and worship the

Lord Narayana she would get her wish fulfilled but if she swerves from the

correct procedure even a little, her son would become a friend of devas.

He prescribed a lot of rules for the vratha

like, one should not do himsa by word or

deed, should not speak untruth, should observe absolute purity of body, food

and attire and should show reverence to her husband, worship Lakshmi and

married women etc.

Indra wishing to find a way to thwart the vratha of

Dhithi came to her in disguise and served

her. One day Dhithi feeling fatigued by the prolonged austerities, went

to sleep during the evening without washing her hands and feet. Then Indra

entered into her womb and started cutting the embryo into seven with his vajrayudha. When it cried Indra said

`maaroDheeH' and again cut the each one into seven. The forty nine embryos

begged Indra to spare them saying that they are his brothers. Then Indra accepted them and told them not to

fear and they got the name maruths because Indra told them `maaroDheeH' and

were born alive due to the vratha observed by Dhithi to worship the Lord, who

saved them, said Suka similar to the Lord protecting Parikshith while he was in

the womb of his mother.

Then Suka explained the pumsavana vratha to

Parikshuth in detail and said that a man who did that vrata would get all he

wanted and the women would get good husbands and sons and get all auspicious

results. The next skandha deals with the story of Parhladha and

Narasimhavatara.

The end of sixth skandha of Srimadbhagavatha.