DEVI BHAGAVATHAM VII (7) Skandha Ch.14.

Chapter XIV

On the going to Heavens of Tris’anku and the commencement of Haris’chandra’s narrative.

1-8. Vyâsa said :-- O King! Settling in his mind what to do, the great ascetic Vis’vâmitra collected all the materials necessary for the sacrifice and invited all the Munis. Thus invited by Vis’vâmitra, the Munis became informed all about the Sacrifice; but, owing to the fact that the Muni Vas’istha prevented them, none of them went to the sacrifice. When Vis’vâmitra, the son of Gâdhi, came to know this, he became very anxious and very sad and came to the King Tris’anku and sat. The Maharsi Kaus’ika then became angry and said :-- “O King! Vas’istha preventing the Brâhmins have all refused to come to the sacrifice. But, O King! See my power of tapasyâ; I will immediately fulfil your desires; I will instantly send you to the Heavens, the abode of the Gods.” Thus saying, that Muni took water in his hand and repeated the Gâyatrî Mantram. He gave to the King all the Punyams (merits) that he collected for himself up to then. Giving him thus all the Punyams, he spoke to the King :-- “O King! Throw away all idleness and go to the abode of the Gods you wanted to go. O King of Kings! Gladly go to the Heavens by the power of all the merits collected by me for a long time and let you fare well there.”

DEVI BHAGAVATHAM VII (7) Skandha Ch.13.

Chapter XIII

On the coming of Vis’vâmitra to Tris’anku

1-3. Janamejaya said :-- “O Muni! I see that at the command of the King, the ministersinstalled Haris’chandra on the royal throne; but how Tris’anku got rid of his Chândâla body, kindly say. Was it that he bathed in the holy waters of the Ganges and lived in the forest and when he died he was freed of the curse; or was it that the Guru Vas’istha favoured him by his grace and freed him of the curse? O best of Risis! I am extremely eager to hear the life of the King; therefore kindly describe to me in detail his wonderful career.”

DEVI BHAGAVATHAM VII (7) Skandha Ch.12.

Chapter XII 

On the description of Vas’istha’s curse on Tris’anku  

1-6. Vyâsa said :-- O King! Thus giving the advice to his son, the King Tris’anku was excited with feelings of love and, in a choked voice, said to his father that he would fulfil what he had been ordered. The King then called the Brâhmins, versed in the Vedas and Mantrams, and had all the materials for installation collected quickly. He brought the waters from all the sacred places of prigrimages; he then called together with great respect all the kings. On a sacred day, the father installed his son on the throne and gave him, in accordance with due rites and ceremonies, the royal throne. The King then adopted with his wife the third Vânaprastha stage of life and practised a severe tapasyâ on the banks of the Ganges. Then in due course of time the King went to the Heavens. There he began to shine like a second Sun by the side of Indra, respected by all the gods.

DEVI BHAGAVATHAM VII (7) Skandha Ch.11.

Chapter XI

On the story of Tris’anku 

1. Janamejaya said :-- “O Intelligent One! Did the prince Tris’anku free himself afterwards of the curse inflicted on him by the Muni Vas’istha.” 

2-8. Vyâsa said :-- O King! Satyavrata, cursed by Vas’istha, was transformed into a demoniacal state (Pis’âchatva); but he became a great devotee of the Devî and passed away his time in that Âs’rama. One day he repeating slowly the nine-lettered Mantram of the Bhagavatî, wished to perform the Puras’charana ceremony (repeating the name of a deity attended with burnt offerings, oblations, etc.) of the said Mantra, came to the Brâhmins, bowed down to them with great devotion and purity and said :-- “O venerable gods of the earth! Kindly hear me; I with my head bowed down pray to you, that you all be my priests (Ritt-vigs). You are all versed in the Vedas; so kindly do for me duly the Homa ceremony equal to one-tenth part of Japam, for my success. O Brâhmanas! My name is Satyavrata; I am a prince; you ought to do this work for me for my welfare.” Thus hearing the prince’s words the Brâhmanas said :-- “O Prince! You are cursed by your Guru and you are now turned into a demoniacal state. You have now no right to the Vedas; especially you are now in the Pis’âcha state; it is blamed by all the persons; so now you are not fit to be initiated into the ceremony.” 

DEVI BHAGAVATHAM VII (7) Skandha Ch.10.

Chapter X

On the story of Satyavrata

1-11. Vyasa said :-- O King! That King Mândhâtâ, true to his promise, conquered one after another the whole world and became the paramount sovereign of all the other emperors and got the title “Sârvabhauma” (Sovereign of all the earth). O King! What more to speak of Mândhâtâ's influence at that time than this that all the robbers, struck with his terror, all fled to the mountain caves. For this reason, Indra gave him the title “Trasadasyu.” He married Bindumatî, the daughter of S'as'avindu. Her limbs were proportioned and perfect and so she was very beautiful. Mândhâtâ had by that wife two sons :-- (1) the famous Purukutstha and (2) Muchukunda. Purukutstha had his son Anaranya; this prince was celebrated by the name of Brihadas'va. He was very religious and deeply devoted to his father. His son was Haryas'va; he was religious and knew the Highest Reality. His son was Tridhanvâ; his son was Aruna. Aruna's son was Satyavrata; he was very avaricious, lustful, wicked and wilful. Once on an occasion that vicious prince, overpowered by lust, stole away the wife of one Brâhmin and so created an hindrance in his marriage. O King! The Brâhmins, united in a body, came to the King Aruna, bewailing and lamenting and uttered repeatedly :-- Alas! We are ruined! The King addressed to the grieved subjects, the Brâhmins :-- “O Brâhmins! What harm has been done to you by my son.” Hearing thus the good words of the King, the Dvijas, versed in the Vedas, repeatedly blessed him and said :-- O King! You are the foremost of the powerful. So your son is like you. Today he has forcibly stolen away during the marriage ceremony a Brâhmin daughter already given over in marriage.

DEVI BHAGAVATHAM VII (7) Skandha Ch.9.

Chapter IX

On the story of Kâkutstha and the origin of Mândhâtâ

1-11. Vyâsa said :-- O King! Once on a time, the time for Astaka S'râddha (the funeral ceremony in honour of the departed) arrived. Seeing this, the King Iksâku ordered his son Vikuksi :-- “O Child! Go immediately to the forest and bring carefully pure sanctified meat for the S'râddha purposes; see, that there be no neglect of duty.” Thus ordered, Vikuksi instantly went to the forest equipped with arms. He hunted in the forest lots of boars, pigs, deer, and hare. But he was so very tired with his journey in the forest and got so hungry that he forgot everything about the Astaka S'râddha and ate one hare there in the forest. The remaining excellent meat he brought and handed over to his father. When that meat was brought to be sprinkled for purification, the family priest Vas'istha, on seeing it, at once came to know that some portion had already been eaten and it was the remaining part. The leavings of food are not fit for the sprinkling purposes; this is the S'âstric rule. 

DEVI BHAGAVATHAM VII (7) Skandha Ch.8.

Chapter VIII

Story of the King Revata and the spread of the Solar dynasty

1-5. Janamejaya said :-- “O Brâhmanâ! The King was a Ksattriya; how could he go himself with his daughter Revatî to the Brahmâloka (the abode of Brahmâ)? I entertain a great doubt on this point. I heard of yore while conversing about matters connected with the Brâhmins, that the Brâhmin only who was self-restrained and the knower of Brahmân could alone go to the Brahmâloka. The Satyaloka is very hard for the worldly people to go; so I doubt how the king could have gone with Revatî from the Bhûrloka to the Satyaloka. Man, when he discards his body, can go to the Heavens. So is recited in all the S'âstras. How then, people, while, in their human bodies can go to the Brahmâloka. So cut asunder my doubts how the King Revata could go to the Brahmâloka to ask the Prajâpati on certain matters.”

DEVI BHAGAVATHAM VII (7) Skandha Ch.7.

Chapter VII

On the twin As’vins drinking the Soma Cup

1-2. Vyâsa said :-- O King! When the vessel filled with the Soma juice was given to the two As'vins, Indra became very angry and showing his strength, spoke thus to the Muni Chyavana. O Brâhmana! Never will you be able to endow him with such a high honour. When you have shewn towards me your enmity, I will kill you, no doubt, exactly like Vis'varûpa.

3-4. Chyavana said :-- “O Indra! Do not insult the two highsouled As'vins. They have given me beauty, youth and lustre and made me look like a second Deva. O Lord of the Devas! Just as the other Devas can take the vessel of Soma excluding you, so the two powerful As'vins can do the same towards you.”

5. Indra said :-- “They are the physicians; so they cannot in any way have the right to accept the Soma cup. I will just now sever your head.”