Pitru Vatsalya - The story of Bhagirath

By Sri Chiraan 2009/09/30

If the lagna of father is 10th to that of son, son will have extreme devotion towards his father and ancestors. Similarly, pitru pada and lagna pada are in mutual kendras there will be extreme affection between the son and the father. 

Sanatan dharma [Vedic way of life] stresses extreme importance of the kartavya [duties] towards our Pitru [father and ancestors]. Pitru tarpan and solace to ancestors departed is very essential to the happiness and general well being of the family. However it is quality of followers of dharma that they perform duty out of consciousness of Dharma coupled with love towards Pitrus rather than greed of well being. This is known as Pitru vatsalya.

The story of Sagar putra is good example of this vatsalya as how generations together a dynasty struggled to free its ancestors from sin and curse. This is a great lesson to us that we our actions affect our Pitrus and vice versa. So one must be careful with one’s karma as it affects 7 generations prior to us and seven generation following us. A man can suffer himself but cannot bear to see his children and manes suffering owing to him.

Once there lived a very pious King named SAGAR. He had two wives, one son named ASAMANJAS from one wife and 60000 from other. Asmanjas grew to be very cruel, he threw the children of the city into Sarayu river. The subjects complained to the King and King abandoned Asamanjas. Asamanjas had developed 'vairagya' and wanted to take sanyas and leave the world. But as Sagar was intent on making him King, He acted like cruel, once abandoned he made his real intention clear and brought back all the children from Sarayu river.

Many years later Sagar decided to perform Ashwamedha yagnya. The horse of Aswamedhayagnya was stolen by Indra and tied it near Kapila Muni in patala loka. 60000 sons of Sagar went to search the horse. In their attempt to reach Patal they dug the entire earth. This resulted in lowering of the land and samudra [ocean] surrounding jambu dweep entered the earth and thus we could see formation of SAAGAR [sea]. As samudra gave way to smaller sea [this was due to Sagar sons’] and thus named SAAGAR.

Now as they reached Patala loka, they thought Kapila muni himself has stolen the horse, in ignorance like patanga insects attacking fire flame  attacked Kapila. [Kapila is form of VISHNU] Lord Kapila opened his eyes and all the 60000 were reduced to ashes. [Lord who is capable of bringing pralaya and reducing entire creation to ashes, this act is no surprising].

Asamanjas ‘s son Anshuman went looking for the horse, As he came to Patala, he prayed Lord Kapila and asked his forgivance towards his uncles. Lord blessed Anshuman and gave him the horse, also told him that only Ganga if brought down on earth to Patala, when flows over the ashes of the Sagar sons will ensure them a place in swarga.

Anshuman took the horse and Sagar completed the yagnya. To give solace to his pitrus, Anshuman started a penance to bring the Ganga to the earth. Even before achieving the task, he left the world. His son Dileep also went into forest to bring the Ganga, but died before achieving the task in his life time. [Imagine spending a lifetime in penance and giving life in the pursuit to bring solace to Pitrus].

Dileeps son Bhagirath  too went into forest and after a penance of 1000 years to Bramha asked the Ganga to be brought down to the earth. Ganga expressed her force was too heavy and would split the earth if she falls unchecked and hence would require someone to control and check her flow. Bhagirath went into penance for another 1000 years to Lord Shiva and requested him to take it into his jata. But AS GANGA FELL INTO THE JATA , to teach ganga a lesson and relieve her from ego, Shiva tightened his jata that not a single drop flew out of it. Bhagirath again prayed for many years to request Rudra to release ganga. 

Shiva released a strand and with great flow Ganga fell on Himalayas. Bhagirath the noble minded in order to make many places pure and blessed, took Ganga to trace a long track around earth to Patala. On the way, Ganga's flow disturbed Agastya muni and Sage drank entire ganga. Bhagirath again prayed to the sage and sage brought out the River through his ears. [Thus all Bramhins are said to have sannidhi of ganga in the ear].

Bhagirath brought the Jhanhvi [being daughter of King Jahnu, Ganga is also known as Jahnvi] to Patala to flow over his mane’s ashes, Sagar sons went to swarga.

Ganga had come into existence by the touch of foot of Lord Trivikrama [haripada]. So Ganga is HaripadaUdaka, and thus by the touch of sacred pada of the Lord, it can destroy many sins and purify Sagar’s sons and absolve them of the sins. Here there should not be any doubt then that Pada of Hari himself when resorted to can destroy many a sins and purify us.  Thus shravan manan and kirtan [listening to, meditating on lords’ feet] will definitely give Moksha.

Krishnarpanamastu 

5th House - Chiratputra Yoga [Vaman Avatar]

By Sri Chiraan 2009/01/20

• When ascendant lord and fifth lord are in shubha rashi and benefics and Jupier, Venus and Mercury are in fifth, one will have a son after many years of penance [chiratputra prapti].
• When Mars as lagnadhipati is exalted and Saturn, Sun is in eighth is aspected by benefics one will have offspring after many years of austerities.
• Benefics in lagna, malefics in 2nd and 3rd, fifth lord benefic placed in benefic rashi will give son in a old age after many prayers. 

King Bali was the son of Virochan [son of Prahlad], he had defeated Indra and occupied the three worlds. In those days all the yagnya done were accepted by Demons in Swarga, as Indra had fled. Seeing the plight of her son, Indra’s mother ADITI, decided to get him his kingdom back. She started praying to Lord Vishnu, for twelve years she performed PAYOVRATA. After 12 years of penance Lord Vishnu appeared, and gave her a boon that he would be born to her as VAMAN and get her son Indra his kingdom back.

After some time Vaman was born to Aditi and Kashyap, he was accorded jatakarma upanayan  etc. by Bramha himself. Then Lord Vaman proceeded to Bali’s Yagnya. As he kept his feet, entire earth trembled, and fire in the Yagnyashala extinguishes and Ritwij mantras misspelled. Seeing this Bali asked his Guru Shukracharya, what was the reason?

Shukracharya said Vaman is coming to take away your wealth and kingdom to give it back to Devatas, your oblations are hence not being accepted by Agni. Do not promise to give anything to Vaman. Bali says I cannot refuse alms to Lord or for that matter anyone during my yagnya.

Vaman appears before Bali, Bali welcomes Lord with arghya pada etc. He then pleads Hari to let know the purpose of his visit, Vaman asks for three steps Bhumi [land] dana. Bali agrees, So Vamana says if you have agreed then let the water from the kamandalu be poured onto my palm as promise. BALI prepares, but Shukracharya becomes tiny and obstructs the hole [mouth] of Kamandalu to prevent the fall of water. Vaman with a kusha [grass] clears the hole, Shukracharya loses his eye. He comes out and speed away to a distant land for penance. Water falls onto the palms of Hari.

Instantly the dwarf  Vamana takes on a huge form spanning entire universe [this form is known as Trivikram] and with one step spans the entire earth, and with another he reaches and covers the top edge of Bramhanda. There remains no space in the universe for the third step.

This is achintyadbhut shakti of Lord [making impossible possible] changing form from small dwarf Vaman to huge gigantic Trivikram is an impossible task, as change of mass and density in time cannot be instantaneous for material bodies. But Lord exhibits this quality instantly, As his foot reaches the edge of Bramhanda, his toes nail pierces the Bramhanda Kharpar. Outside Bramhanda is a layer of Shudhodaka [the original water "Apa" one of the 24 mool tatvas, not the water on the earth which is panchabhutamaya  "toyam" ]. This water as it touches, adorns [washes is not a right word] Lord’s lotus foot, it acquires the name of Haripadodaka [in temples, teertha is nothing but water that sweeps through God’s idol and collects at the feet, this is very sacred everyone takes it with reverence as it is sanctified by touch of Lord’s feet].

Here this water is touching not the idol but the Lord himself [Hari -> Lord, Pada-> feet, Udaka -> water] thus this is Haripadodaka, and is more important and sacred, shreshtha, it flows like a river into Bramhanda, Chaturmukha Bramha realising the opportunity to accept this, extends his kamandalu and collects the entire water, rest flows into the swarga as GANGA. If ordinary teertha in temples can wash off sins, then Ganga can assuredly can cleanse one of Sins as Ganga is very sacred because it has come from the feet of the Lord. But it was all in swarga [before Bali there was no ganga in universe]. Afterwards it came to earth only when Bhagirath brought it through penance.

So there was no space left for third step, those who fail in fulfilling promise, Varuna captivates them, thus Bali was tied down by Varun Pasha. Bali offers his head as the third step, Lord steps onto his head forcing him to Patala, and gives back the Kingdom to Indra and other devatas, killing all the demons.

Why did Lord not Kill Bali? Usually We hear Rakshasas troubling Devatas and Vishnu appearing and killing the Demon. But in this case Vishnu appeared to ask dana, he did not uses Danda neeti. Why?

Because Bali was Grandson of Prahalad. Prahalad never asked a boon in his life to the Lord. But Lord insisted to ask a Boon. Prahalad after much pursuing by Lord to ask for a boon asked Oh my Lord Narsimha let my offspring's never hurt or insult any Bramhin in their lives, and I ask your devotion to all  my offspring's and my father [whom you have killed now], for Rakshasa as we are, they are bound to commit some mistakes. You [the Lord] forgives all the mistakes of devotee except hurt or insult to a bramhin. [Thus he ensured his offspring's be saved from being killed by Lord]

Having given this Boon to Prahalad, Lord never killed Bali or Banasur etc. Instead personally  protected him in Patala and Promised him the seat of Indra in the next Manvantara.

Krishnarpanamastu