Nara and Narayana - the battle with Sahasra Kavacha - adi parva 0:6

(There are variations to this story, but the flow of events is similar. This is the most commonly known version. Other versions will be presented in other stories.)



The twin form of Nara-Narayana at the Swaminarayan Temple, Ahmedabad
[From - http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/6/63/NarNarayan-Kalupur.jpg]


Long before the beginning of the earliest events that led to the Mahabharata, actually thousands of years earlier, and just after the events of the Ramayana, there was an asura king, Dambhodbhava. He was Sugreeva, in his earlier birth. Sugreeva had been cursed for being the cause of the death of his brother, Vali, by betrayal and the subversive help of Rama.

Dambhodbhava had his own destiny worked out for him from his previous life as Sugreeva and had to answer for his wrongful and not-so-wrongful actions. In time, his actions as Dambhodbhava also led him to his next life as Karna. He does seem to be the most blessed asura king with continuity as a central figure as Sugreeva in the Ramayana and later, in his battles with Nara and Narayana and subsequently, as Karna in the Mahabharata.

Dambodbhava was a powerful asura king, and was extremely devotional in his prayers to his chosen god, Surya. He immersed himself in meditation and practiced austerities in the region to the north of the high Himalayas near Gangotri. As he continued in his meditation, he became more determined and his efforts became more intensive. In his persistence, Dambhodbhava became totally focused on Surya, the Sun God, and eliminated all other thoughts.

Pleased with his prayers, the Sun God appeared before Dambhodbhava and blessed him and said, "Arise, my son, I am pleased with your determination. You have been totally dedicated in your prayers and austerities. I am happy to grant you a boon as a sign of my blessing. Do ask for what you may want to."

While not entirely grateful, Dambhodbhava was keen to seize the opportunity. He replied to Surya, the Sun God, and said, "My Lord, I am grateful for your blessing. I am completely immersed in my austerities and rituals, in devotion to you, and I would like to continue to do so. You are forever, and the devas, asuras and mortals are going to see you rise in the east, for millions of years in the future. Pray grant me the boon to worship you, every day, for millions of years, as Dambhodbhava, your devotee, as long as you would continue to exist, and as long as the three worlds continue to exist."

Surya replied, "Dambhodbhava, my son, what you are asking for, is immortality. It is against the rules of creation and nature. Even I cannot break that, and similarly, Brahma, Vishnu or Shiva cannot grant immortality. Ask for something else, for I have granted you a boon, and I cannot take it back. Ask me something, other than immortality."

Dambhodbhava smiled, for he was ready with his request and said, "My Lord, I did want to continue to be dedicated to you and worship you forever. So, if I cannot be immortal, grant me this, grant me the protection of Sahasra Kavacha, a thousand armors, that will protect me, one at a time, specially strong armors that can only be broken by someone in combat against me, only if he has performed penance for a thousand years. Even if he succeeds, he should be able to destroy only one armor at a time."

"After destroying one armor, the opponent can continue to battle me for removing the next armor only after meditation for a thousand years. I can only be killed by a mortal, and it can be so, only if a single mortal comes into combat against me, and the same mortal destroys all the thousand armors, one after the other, and commits to meditation of thousand years during the time span between destroying each armor."

"And finally, if he breaks any of the armors, he must die. And I would start again, in living the years of my life in dedication to you, and I would once again have a thousand armors to protect me."

Surya, the Sun God, blessed Dambhodbhava, and said, "So be it. I bless you with agreement to your prayer, my son! With the power of a thousand armors, you will now be known as Sahasra Kavacha."

And thus, did Dambhodbhava come to be recognised as Sahasra Kavacha. And Surya, the Sun God, come to appreciate his devotion to him and accepted him as one of his own sons. This is why in the Ramayana too, is Sugreeva recognised as a son of Surya.

As a result of the boon from the Sun God, Sahasra Kavacha became a powerful asura king. His atrocities kept growing and there was no one to defeat him. He crushed all the kings on earth and began to wage war on the gods. All the asuras united under him, and it was soon obvious that he would defeat Indra and take over the lands of the gods. But there was no answer to defeating Sahasra Kavacha. Indra and Brahma and the gods went up to Vishnu as he was resting on Adi Sesha, the thousand headed snake and his divine companion, along with his consort, Mahalakshmi.

Indra said to Vishnu, thus, "I come to thee, but you know very well why we have come. You are the cause of all actions. You must be aware of the boon granted by Surya to Dambhodbhava, the asura king, now known as Sahasra Kavacha, because of the power given to him by the protection of a thousand armors. The boon given to him says that he can only be defeated by a human combatant, and the time duration between each armor has to be devoted by the warrior in meditation for a thousand years. The armor must not be broken and if there is damage, the warrior combatant would die, and Sahasra Kavacha would once again have a thousand armors."

Brahma, the source of all creation, smiled and said to Vishnu, "It is time for you to fight Sahasra Kavacha, and defeat him as only you can. Since it has to be a mortal combatant, you would need to go into the lands of the asuras and humans and destroy him. It is time, and I can suggest the best couple to be blessed by your birth and presence. Daksha's daughter, Murti, has just been wed to one of my sons, born of my mind and thought, Dharma. It is my son's responsibility to spread righteousness in the three worlds and he will need your support, guidance and strength. You will be born unto Dharma and Murti, and you will be born as a mortal to them."

Vishnu nodded in agreement, and said, "It is time, and it would be correct to be born unto Dharma and Murti. There is one another matter to plan for, in the battle to be fought with Sahasra Kavacha, as a mortal. If the armor were to be broken, the mortal combatant would be dead, and I would be back here, as Vishnu. Sahasra Kavacha would once again begin with a thousand armors. If we need to be able to defeat death as a mortal, we would need to know how to do so. Whom can we ask for help and guidance, if not Rudra himself? Who else would be able to guide a mortal on defeating death?"

Saying thus, Vishnu, Brahma, Indra, Mahalakshmi, Adi Sesha and all the gods assembled, meditated and focused on Shiva and requested him to grant them his blessings with his presence. Recognising their needand their prayers, Mahadeva appeared in front of them and blessed all the assembled gods. Brahma spoke, thus, "O Eswara, O Conqueror of death! We need your help and guidance. You are aware that due to Surya's boon, blessings and love for Dambhodbhava, the asura king, his atrocities in the three worlds are growing with the protection of a thousand armors. As Sahasra Kavacha, he is intent on taking control over the lands of devas and perhaps later, he would wage war against Indra also. He would be strong enough to destroy righteousness in the three worlds."

Shiva smiled and nodded in agreement, and said, "Yes. I am aware of Sahasra Kavacha. The boon does require that he can only be defeated by a mortal, who would die, if even a single armor is broken. You cannot remove an armor without breaking it. So, the boon is quite clever. The mortal should also meditate for a period of thousand years between the battle against each armor. It is not possible for any mortal to stay alive for such a long period, and yet be powerful in a war against one so capable as Sahasra Kavacha. Nothing can prevent the asura king from killing the mortal while in meditation. If Sahasra Kavacha does not abide by Dharma, he would not be bound by ethical rules about battle."

Indra, listening to the discussion, spoke disturbedly, "O Tridevaa! The three of you are supreme! I am sure that you would come to a proper understanding and that you will be able to destroy Sahasra Kavacha. I am however worried about how would you be able to defeat time? It requires a thousand years of meditation between the removal of each armor and that means he is going to be active with his atrocities during the time between each armor, for a thousand armors."

Vishnu smiled at Indra in agreement, and said, "Indra is entirely correct. It is necessary to conquer time in this battle. Maheshwara has the ability to show us the path ahead. He has the power to journey through time without disturbing the events of the universe. Defeating or conquering time is to challenge the aspect of creation. Let us listen to Maheshwara. He will show us the correct solution."

Shiva bowed to Vishnu, and replied, "It is true, that one should not disturb the aspects of creation and time in the universe. If we journey through time back and forth in the past and in the future, correcting wrongs or preventing unrighteousness, then there would be no purpose to creation, and there would be no value to Karma. But, there is a way. Let me recollect, that it is enough to recite the name of Rama, the son of Dasaratha, even once with devotion to equal a thousand recitations of the Sahasranamam.

Raama Raama Rameti, Rame Raame Manorame,
Sahasranaama Tatulyam, Rama Naama Varaanane!

What was done by Rama as a mortal equals a thousand achievements of Vishnu as a deity. This is true only if Rama's name is taken with devotion and in those places where Rama himself had gone to and moved about."

"You have gone to the world of the mortals earlier too, O Vishnu, but this time, your actions have to be a lot more clever. There can be no obvious war, and yet you need to fight. While you meditate for a thousand years, you need to make sure that you can defend yourself and be able to fight. Each time that you remove the armor, it is bound to break, and you are bound to die. So, you need to be ready to die, while you make sure that you do not die. This would indeed be a worthy puzzle, even for you. None other is worthy enough to unravel this."

Brahma, Vishnu and Indra and the other gods assembled were pleased at the puzzle being painted by Shiva to outline the strategy to defeat Sahasra Kavacha. Vishnu queries, "O Maheshwara, it was you who said to Devi Parvati, that it is at Kedara that one must meditate. It was you who said that meditation at Kedara is the most fulfilling, for one day of dhyana in the upper hills of the region is equal to one thousand years of meditation elsewhere. This has been known and accepted for many thousands of years before Surya blessed Dambhodbhava. Thus, we are not cheating Dambhodbhava from the specific time span in his boon. After being born to Dharma and Murti, the meditation would need to be conducted on the upper mountains of the Kedar region."

Brahma nodded in agreement and said, "It is true about the sanctity of the mountains of Kedara. We also need to determine how would you not die even if you would have to. We cannot avoid death, for that would mean that Sahasra Kavacha was fighting an immortal. O Hari! We cannot lose this battle. O Maheshwara! Only you can defeat death. Only you can guide us in the battle against Sahasra Kavacha!"

Shiva replied, "If it is to conquer death, I will bless Vishnu with the secret. But how can Hari use the secret blessing to conquer death if he would be dead as a mortal? He will have to be able to use the secret even if he is dead, and before he would return to the heavens as a god after being killed by Sahasra Kavacha. So, in fact, the person who would fight Sahasra Kavacha, and the person who would be dead, and the person to use the secret to bring him back to life, all these persons, would need to be the same person. How would that be possible?"

Vishnu nodded in agreement, and said, thus, "This would be the best battle yet to be fought in the three worlds. I would need to be born as a mortal, but I would need to also manifest as one another, at the same moment, who would be myself, and yet would not be the same. My other self would need to be as powerful and a tremendous warrior. There can be only one solution. My eternal companion, Adi Sesha, is manifest from me, and is my own self, while existing separately with me. We are one and the same. We will be born together, to Dharma and Murti. We will grow up as sages, together, and as I would be Narayana, so, Adi Sesha would be born as Nara."

All the gods assembled, bowed in respect, and Brahma blessed Vishnu and Adi Sesha and said, "So be it. My son, born of my mind, Dharma, would be twice blessed. Even I, his own father, could not have blessed him in a better manner. Righteousness in the world, in this yuga would benefit and spread all over. Nara and Narayana, Vishnu himself, manifest as two mortals together, would be the best blessing to this world of humans. Let us all leave, and allow Hara to be alone with Hari and Adi Sesha, for them to learn the secret of how to escape death. For Shiva is not ready to allow the secret to be known by all, for now!"

The gods bowed to Hari and Hara, and left Vaikunta. Brahma and Mahalakshmi went into a meditative trance to prevent themselves from listening to Shiva impart the secret of escaping a mortal's death. Adi Sesha also bowed in respect to Shiva. The three of them, Vishnu, Shiva and Adi Sesha sat in meditation, silently, on the celestial ocean waters of Vaikunta. It was the most wonderous sight, and we are blessed, thought Brahma, as he closed his own eyes and went into his trance. Shiva invoked his splendid ability and created an aura that covered the three of them. Within that aura, Shiva conveyed through the power of his thought to Vishnu and Adi Sesha, the power, words and manner of use of the most sacred Maha Mryutyunjaya Mantra. He explained to them on its paraphrasing, the manner of recitation and the manner of meditation on the mantra to develop its strength and to give enormous power to the words.

The three gods came out of their trance, and Shiva removed the shield of aura around them. Brahma and Shiva blessed Vishnu and Adi Sesha and left Vaikunta. With permission of Mahalakshmi, Vishnu and Adi Sesha departed from Vaikunta and manifested themselves in the womb of Murti, Realising that something unique had occurred, Dharma and Murti looked forward to the birth of their child. They declared themselves indeed blessed by the grace of Brahma, when Murti gave birth to twin boys. The gods arrived at their house to witness the celestial birth, and Brahma, Shiva, Indra and the goddesses Saraswati, Parvati and Mahalakshmi accompanied them. Brahma and Shiva blessed the infants with long life while the three goddesses blessed Murti with good health. Indra blessed Dharma with wisdom.

As the years passed, the young Nara and Narayana were taught by Dharma and other celestial sages including Narada, Kashyapa, Bharadwaja and Brahma himself. Gifted as they were, and jnani from birth, while still in their youth, Nara and Narayana were ready to leave the house of Dharma and Murti. They received their permission and blessings and proceeded to Kedara and chose a good location to conduct their meditation and austerities. At first, the young aspirant sages walked in to the upper areas of Kedara and focused on Shiva who appeared before them. They offered their prayers to Shiva and requested him to accept them as his disciples. In agreement, Shiva bade them to sit in front of him while he conveyed the instructions of a teacher to his students.

On completion of the teaching, Shiva proceeded to teach the aspect, power and manner of recitation of the Maha Mryutyunjaya Mantra once again, as he done so, while at Vaikunta. Nara and Narayana were instructed to focus on the mantra, and recite the words constantly while immersing themselves in meditation. Shiva instructed the young disciples to immerse themselves in dhyana by offering the power of the mantra to each other, and make themselves strong enough for the battle that would be coming up with Sahasra Kavacha. Shiva instructed them to be ready to be tested for war before they could challenge Sahasra Kavacha. Blessing them, and declaring that the two young students were now accomplished sages, Shiva walked back into the upper peaks of Kedara.

Thus, HE is known as the Lord of Kedara, for he is Kedara himself, an the hills are thought to be the most favoured meditation places in the Himalayas, and are dear to Shiva and Parvati. It is said so, in the Sri Kedara Mahatmyam, that Shiva declared to Parvati that Kedara is his most favourite of places for dhyana. He said that it is not necessary that all pilgrims reach Kedara, and even if they merely begin with the thought of wanting to come to Kedara, they would be blessed by the grace of Eshwara.

Having been blessed for battle by Shiva and with his guidance, the two young sages began to meditate steadfastly on the aspect of life, death and protecting oneself against all the vagaries that accompany the truth of human life. They practised their austerities rigidly and soon came to be recognised by their brethren in the Badri-Kedara region. The sages belonging to the foremost asramas nearby began to journey into Kedara and seek the blessings of such rigid meditation. Badri and Kedara began to be recognised for the vibrations and energy emanating from Nara and Narayana.

As the years went by, the meditatin and austerities began to unfailingly become more rigid and difficult. The two sages would not come out of their trance for more than a year. With progress in their abilities, Nara and Narayana began to be recognised for not coming out of their ever continuing trance for a number of years. The energy of the mantras that they meditated upon, seemed to resound in its tenor throughout the mountains of the high Badri and Kedara regions. It seemed as though that their dhyana aura was directly in touch with Maheshwara himself.

The vibrations and the tremendous energy began to take over the Badri Kedara region, and as they grew in their intensity, mortals and junior sages began to find it difficult to enter Kedara or seek the blessings of Nara and Narayana. They consoled themselves by settling in at the lower slopes at Gaurikund when they found that they were unable to walk up the slopes of Kedara.

The word spread fast and the foremost sages from all over the lands south of the Ganges began to assemble at Badri and Kedara. Initially, the most senior and most accomplished sages were able to walk up into the higher slopes of Kedara, but as the years went by, the entire regin of Kedara began to get inaccessible. The wiser and most prominent sages determined that they would continue in the lower slopes with their disciples and seek to take blessings and the advantage of the meditation and the austerities of Nara and Narayana.

News about the powerful energy emanating from the meditation of the two unknown sages spread through the devas and the asuras. Indra came along with the devas to witness and experience the energy for themselves. Not knowing their identity, for it had been long since the discussion about Sahasra Kavacha, Indra was curious about the reason for the meditation being undertaken by these very unknown sages. Nobody seemed to know anything about them, including their origins, nativity, their guru, or their affiliation to any asrama. They did not have any disciples and they did not meet anyone. It had been years since they had gone into a trance and none of the sages had the courage to disturb their fearsome austerities.

None of the asuras knew about them. This was the most sanctified grounds of Shiva himself, and for someone unknown to be undisturbed in their meditation would only imply a threat to others. Perhaps they were Daanava sages or Naga sages who were seeking powerful weapons from Shiva. If they would be successful, they could threaten the devas and the asuras. Fearful, Indra decided that this would not do. They should stop the two sages in their meditation. They tried to disturb them with rain, snow, blazing sunlight, fire, wind, lightning and thunderstorms, and attacks by wild animals. None of the attempts were successful. The wild animals charged at the two sages and became docile as they came nearby.

These two unknown sages must have already acquired powerful boons from Shiva, thought Indra. In an united understanding, Indra decided to send a combined army of devas and asuras against the two sages. It would be best to attack them, and if it be so, to kill them before they would gain more power. Deciding thus, he gave the orders to attack. The combined armies of the devas and the asuras rushed to attack the two sages. They had however failed to understand the power and energy of the meditation of these two unknown sages and the protective aura that was around them due to their focus on the mantras endowed to them by Shiva.

The protective aura caused the grass all around the two sages to burn fiercely for great distances. The sages remained undisturbed in their meditation. The severe heat generated by the flames prevented the armies of the devas and the asuras from advancing towards the sages. The armies had to withdraw to the dismay of Indra. This was something very strange indeed, he thought. There was an obviously higher force present and he would not be able to oppose it. But, curious, Indra went to meet Brahma to ask about the identity of the two sages. Brahma smiled at the foolishness of Indra and informed him that he had challenged none other than Nara and Narayana who were intent on gaining the adequate strength and ability through meditation to be ready for battle with Sahasra Kavacha. It was Shiva himself who had given them their blessings for battle.

The news about the failed battle by the devas and the asuras against the two sages began to be known in the three worlds. All the asramas at Badri and Kedara started rejoicing in the power of meditation. The sages of some asramas met various asura and daanava kings and informed them of the inability of an army of devas and asuras to attack the meditating sages. In time, some ascetics and sages informed Sahasra Kavacha of the power and ability of the meditating sages.

Being triumphant in all his battles and unable to accept that there could be an unknown form of battle, Sahasra Kavacha was angry. How could anyone prevent a battle through the energy developed and spread by intensive meditation? He would have to check this out for himself and announce his intention to fight the two sages. Deciding thus, the asura king, resplendent in the glow of his kavacha, armor, arrived at the asramas of the foremost sages at the lower slopes at Kedara, below the Sundamadana mountains.

The sages informed Sahasra Kavacha that it was known from the words of Indra that these two sages were Nara and Narayana. Nobody knew anything else about them and there was no information about their asrama or links to any king or kingdom of the three worlds. On hearing of the manner of defeat of the armies of the devas and the asuras, Sahasra Kavacha was puzzled. How could two unknown sages be able to develop such abilities? Someone would have known, for sure. Yet, the upper mountains of Sundamadana, above the Badri-Kedar regions, were known to be the celestial grounds of Shiva. This would mean that these two sages had the blessings of Shiva and his permission to meditate for so many years in these sacred mountains.

Sahasra Kavacha was keen to know more about the two sages. If they were in Shiva's moutains and were engrossed in their meditation and austerities, it could only mean that they were seeking powerful weapons. Perhaps, at last, he would have worthy opponents. He asked the foremost of the sages at the foothills of Kedara, thus, "O worthy sages! Pray help me with answers. There has been none to defeat me in the three worlds for many hundreds of years. You are aware of my prowess and the blessings of Surya himself. Do you think that these two sages would be opponents who would give me a good battle? It has been long since I have had a strong warrior to fight against me."

The foremost of the sages at the foothills of Kedara replied, "O mighty king! We are aware of your strength and your victories. And yet, here are two sages who have defeated the combined armies of the devas and the asuras without any battle. They were undisturbed in their meditation. The energy of their austerities have created such a powerful aura that they could thwart the mighty armies of the devas and the asuras. How will you fight someone who does not fight? How will you defeat someone who cannot be defeated?"

"We have heard that they are known as Nara and Narayana. Even Indra has acknowledged them as extremely accomplished sages. We are all content to rest here, below the great mountains of Badri and Kedara. Our austerities, prayers and meditations get the benefit of the energy generated by them," said the foremost of their sages, and continued, "We have journeyed from several lands, from the south of the Ganges to arrive here and get strength in our prayers. They seem to be very noble souls without any evil in them, for otherwise, so many of us would not benefit. We do not know who they are! Whether they are Kshatriya or Brahmana, their meditation has taken them beyond every aspect. Go and meet them, O powerful king, but, go with humility, and without any intent on war. For otherwise, you will not be able to go within the force of energy that protects them and surrounds them."

Accepting their advice, Sahasra Kavacha assembled his army and journeyed up the mountains of Kedara and arrived at Sundamadana. He instructed his army to stay on guard while he went about the forested mountains and the grassy valleys to search for the two sages. He did not want to lose his army. For, while he was protected by the boon given by Surya, his warriors could be killed in battle. After a long search, Sahasra Kavacha was able to locate the two sages.

They looked totally unlike any warrior. They were extremely thin, and one could see all the bones of their bodies. They looked totally starved, and their blood vessels could be seen clearly. The chill and snow had covered them and they looked very puny and seemed entirely defenseless. However, remembering the advice of the foremost of the sages in the asrama below Kedara, Sahasra Kavacha drew upon all his humility and approached the meditating sages with respect and reverence. He came up to the two sages, sat below their meditation mound, touched their feet and effected a very humble stance.

Nara and Narayana opened their eyes and looked at Sahasra Kavacha without any anger or malice. Sahasra Kavacha enquired if the sages were comfortable and offered them some fruits, water and juices. The two sages politely declined the food and water but invited Sahasra Kavacha to sit comfortably and requested him, very politely, to state the reason for his visit and for disturbing them in their determined meditation and austerities.

Sahasra Kavacha bowed before the two sages and spoke about himself, introducing them to his victories and the manner of battles that he had fought. He told them that there was none in the three worlds to challenge him or fight a victorious battle against him. He had heard of how the armies of the devas and the asuras had been defeated. That was the reason for disturbing them. He said, very humbly, that he would like to take their permission to challenge them to a battle.

The two sages smiled, and Narayana said to Sahasra Kavacha, thus, "O mighty king! We are pleased with your humility, and we are pleased to bless you with good sense and well being. But, we do not wish to fight you, for we have no intention on waging war on anybody. We are only content with our meditation and austerities in order to strengthen our focus on the mantras taught to us by Maheshwara himself. We are determined in our objective because we want to spread righteousness in the three worlds. If you would go back to your kingdom, and be a righteous king, and ensure a just and proper rule, based on dharma, we would be happy for you. We do not wish to fight you."

This declaration by Narayana angered Sahasra Kavacha further. He was furious. But, retaining control over himself, he said, "O great sage! You may please not indulge in advising me about my kingdom and righteousness. I have come here to battle you. I have heard about the powers and abilities of the both of you. If I do battle you, I will vanquish you in an instant. But, it is unwise and wrong to battle a meditating sage and attack one when the ascetic is not intent on battle. It is for this reason that I request you to leave aside your meditation and enjoin battle with me. Let it not be said by one and all that Sahasra Kavacha, the mightiest warrior of all, killed two defenceless sages while they were deep in meditation."

Narayana smiled at the boast and said, "We are certain that we would not want to fight you. But, if you want to attack us, so be it. You would have to fight us, for we would continue in our meditation. You can only battle one of us at any time, for we would not wish to stop our meditation. Only one of us would battle with you. That would be our condition to indulge you in your whims. Is that OK with you?"

Sahasra Kavacha stepped back, bowed in agreement, brought up his mighty weapon and prepared to attack. Narayana sat calmly, while Nara continued to meditate. Picking up his arrow, reciting the best mantra to arm it, Sahasra Kavacha strung it to his bow. Narayana smiled and said, "O mighty king! You are indeed powerful, and you do have tremendously dangerous weapons. The two of us, we are merely two men intent on our own dhyana, in seeking truth and to spread righteousness in the world! What would you achieve in fighting us? We do not have weapons. We do not have an army. Have you brought your army with you?"

Sahasra Kavacha stood, tall, imposing, fearsome, with his mighty bow pulled back, tensed, and waiting with his arrow strung on the weapon. He replied, "O sage! You are truly gifted and intelligent. I have heard of the earlier battles lost by the devas and the asuras. You did not have any weapons in those battles with them. And yet, you did manage to defeat the devas and the asuras. You have the powers of battle and the powers of weaponry with you. I do not see any weapons with you. But, that is not going to stop me from fight you and attacking you. I know that you can battle me, with your powers, with your knowledge and with your skill and ability."

Nara lost patience at the boasts of Sahasra Kavacha. He reached out and plucked the grass growing nearby, and pointed them at the king, and said, "O king! You are so keen to have a battle, and you are intent on using your weapons. Let it be. We have only these grass shoots to defend us and use as weapons. Come ahead and fight. Have your battle. Why do you lift only one bow and one arrow? To frighten two impoverished sages? Bring all your weapons, all your powerful weapons. Call out for your army! Call out for your supreme warriors! Let us complete this battle as soon as we can, so that we are rid of your nuisance and presence that is disturbing us and keeping us away from our dhyana".

Sahasra Kavacha laughed out loud at Nara's proclamation. He called out to his army, and soon enough, the large horde of warriors came up and arrayed themselves in front of Nara and Narayana. Sahasra Kavacha roared in challenge, "There, my army is also here. The most fearsome of all warriors are in my army. They have been with me in many battles against the devas, asuras, daanavas, rakshasas and all other types of warriors. Without me, any one of my warriors are capable of defeating you. But, I am curious. How did you defeat the asuras and the devas? Oh, yes! I heard the stories of the battle from the sages at Kedara and at the villages below these tall mountains. They were defeated by the very grass that burnt fiercely. You are now threatening us with the same grass. O Sages! The grass are the weapons that you use. I am ready to fight the powers that you have to use the grass as weapons. Let us fight, for I am happy that I am not waging war against two defenceless sages."

Narayana smiled patiently, and said, "Forgive my companion, O great king and warrior, for he is impatient. I would like to stay focused. We are here, intent on our dhyana. So you can fight only one of us, at any time. You defeat one of us, and later, you can fight with the other. Do I have your word on this manner of battle, O great warrior?"

Sahasra Kavacha was puzzled. Why did these two sages not begin their battle? They had vanquished the devas and asuras in a matter of a very brief amount of time. But now, they kept insisting that only one of them would do battle. How could they be so confident? They were only two impoverished sages, but they seemed to think that one of them could battle the mighty army and the most powerful and most successful warrior of all the three worlds. How did they think that they would be victorious?

All these thoughts, as Maharishi Veda Vyasa said thus to Suta Maharishi, his accomplished son, and as Suta Maharishi said thus to the kings and sages at their ashrama, "O Bharata! O Mahamuni! Learn and understand from these doubts that Sahasra Kavacha had, at this moment. He knew that there was something wrong. He knew that it was not logical that two starving sages could defeat the mightiest army of the devas and the asuras. He was cautious and he planned properly. He did not rush into battle. He was curious and puzzled. He was polite, humble and respectful, because he knew that he was facing a very clever and very capable enemy, much unlike all the others that he had vanquished. But, at the moment when battle was to be fought, with his bow strung and the arrow taut, he was denied the fight. The war was being delayed. It was that moment that we should be careful about. He denied himself the consciousness that he could be defeated. He denied himself the opportunity of going away and remaining a successful king forever. But ego, arrogance and anger defeated him. Listen thus, now, to the story of his defeat at the hands of Nara and Narayana."

Nara and Narayana - the burning grass - adi parva 0:5

This is a story about an event that took place before the birth of Urvashi, the most beautiful celestial nymph who was manifest from the thought of Narayana. The two foremost sages, Nara and Narayana, had been in intensive meditation at the Sundamadana mountains in the Badri-Kedar regions of the Himalayas. They had been practising and observing austerities for hundreds of years. The intensity of their meditation and the energy produced had enveloped the three worlds. Several leading sages and their disciples had journeyed to the lower valleys of the Badri-Kedar region and had established their asramas. They desired to be able to seek the benefits of their meditation energies and the sanctified vibrations to help them in their quest for dhyana and samadhi.

This intensity had however not been appreciated by the devas or the asuras. They were suspicious of Vishnu's intentions to conduct these austerities of which none were informed of the reasons or possible results. Who would be more supreme and would come to Nara and Narayana and offer a boon or any blessing? Vishnu had to only think of what he needed and the intention could materialise instantly, or even earlier or later in time, for was HE not the master of time itself?

The devas and asuras suspected that Nara and Narayana were intent on thinking, designing, perfecting or manifesting a new series of powerful weapons that could be extremely destructive. This would not do, thought the devas and the asuras. For if a war were to be fought later, the power of the new weapons could destroy all creation. They came to the conclusion that the only way out for them was to disturb the meditation and austerities of Nara and Narayana.

Who had the individual courage to challenge Vishnu himself? The only solution was to attack them with the armies of the devas and the asuras. Some would be killed, but in order to defend, Nara and Narayana would have to disrupt their meditation.

The armies of the devas and the asuras assembled at Sundamadana and rushed to attack the meditating sages, Nara and Narayana. However, as they advanced in their rush, the protective aura around the sages took over and burnt the grass all around them. This fire was tremendous and continued for many years, possibly more than a hundred years and prevented the armies of the asuras and the devas from attacking or disturbing the meditation of Nara and Narayana. Realising the meditation power and the protective aura around the sages, the asuras and the devas bowed in humility and respect and withdrew their armies. 

Nara and Narayana - On the absence of anger - adi parva 0:4

Kama, the God of Love and his consort, Rati, the angel of Spring had forced the anger of Rudra himself, when he had opened his trinetra, upon being disturbed in his meditation. As a result, Kama had been incinerated by the anger of Shiva. It was only on the pleading of Vishnu, Brahma, Indra and the gods, along with a devastated Rati, that Shiva had agreed to Kama being reborn as a mortal. Later, Rati and Kama were reunited in a later era, after hundreds of years. Thus, when it was time again to disturb one of the trinity, Vishnu, in his parallel manifestation as Nara and Narayana while in intense meditation and austerities, Kama was justly worried and hesitant. He knew of the anger of Vishnu as Narasimha, and later, as Nara and Narayana, when they had attacked Prahlada, their own foremost devotee, at Naimisha, upon being disturbed from meditation.

Indra encouraged Kama to be unafraid and supported him with the three most beautiful celestial nymphs, Rambha, Tilottama and Menaka along with sixteen thousand apsaras. Kama and Rati had taken courage and arrived with the apsaras at the Sundamadana mountains in the Badri-Kedar regions of the Himalayas. Nara and Narayana had stopped their meditation on being disturbed, but surprisingly, Narayana had not become angry. He had been calm, smiling, benevolent and relaxed. He had welcomed the uninvited visitors and had blessed them all.

Nara had been surprised to see that Narayana did not get angry. Kama had also been surprised and had relaxed in the blessings from Narayana. However, the three celestial nymphs, Rambha, Tilottama and Menaka had proceeded to dance and sing, in an increasingly seductive manner, intent on challenging the vows of celibacy of the foremost of all sages, Nara and Narayana. In order to teach them a lesson in humility and to make them aware of the powers of meditation energy, Narayana had slapped his thigh and caused the manifestation of Urvashi, the ultimately most beautiful apsara, and had given her away to Indra and sent back to Alaka, the lands of the gods, with the three celestial nymphs and the sixteen thousand apsaras.

Kama and Rati had stayed back after the apsaras had returned to Alaka with Urvashi, the manifest daughter of Nara and Narayana. They were puzzled. Kama was fully aware that Nara and Narayana had been intent in their meditation and austerities for many hundreds of years. Their intense energy had taken over the three worlds. And yet, when Kama and the apsaras had disturbed them, Narayana had not gotten angry. While even Nara had shown his irritation and had been upset, it was Narayana who had kept smiling and had even blessed everyone. Remembering the anger of Rudra, and the unfortunate results thereafter, Kama was intrigued. How could Narayana have stayed calm and conquered his anger that must indeed have resulted at being disturbed in his meditation?

Nara had also been puzzled, for who else would know the power of Narayana. He could have just wiped out the sixteen thousand apsaras and others, just by the aspect of his thought. For after all, was not creation as a mere result of his thought? So, why did he permit the disturbance when they were so intent on the practice of their austerities to ensure the spread of righteousness across the three worlds? The unwelcome visitors had broken the continuity of meditation and their hundreds of years of effort.

Narayana smiled and spoke, "O Manmatha, thou are truly puzzled. You have suffered before, at the anger of Rudra, and therefore you were hesitant when Indra had instructed you to disturb me. I would have got angry like Shiva if I would indeed have been disturbed over something that I could not control. This was itself the reason for austere meditation and the result that I had sought was to control one's senses and to control one's reactions. It is in our jnana to act and not to misuse it by mere reaction."

"If I were to get angry, if I were to destroy you, Kama, then I would have failed Nara in all his efforts to immerse himself in meditation for these hundreds of years. I would have failed all the sages who have gathered in the lower valleys below Sundamadana and their faith in meditation, dhyana and samadhi."

"I had got upset with the growing ego and arrogance of the celestial nymphs, Rambha, Tilottama and Menaka. They were arrogant about their beauty and that their seductive gestures could challenge the celibacy of sages. Perhaps it could, and some sages may fall for their beauty, for after all, they are celestial nymphs. But, this is not correct. This is ego, and not an innocent presence. This was purposefully done, knowing fully enough that it was wrong. That was why I had to demonstrate to them that the power of meditation was supreme to mortal or celestial beauty."

Narayana looked at Nara and said, thus, "As Narayana, I am the source of all creation and I am the cause of all actions. If I am the cause of the actions of Kama, Rati, Rambha, Tilottama, Menaka, Indra and the sixteen thousand apsaras, how could I get angry with them? It is their intention and inability that needed to be corrected. They were keen to get my blessings, with correct or incorrect actions, and in that they were honest."

"Everyone is responsible for their own actions. Similarly, everyone causes the actions of others that are directed to themselves. Within the self, one is in samadhi, and gets awakened by the actions, good or bad, that come towards them. You can get engulfed or stay unaffected. If one reacts without thought, you are defeated before one has even begun to understand the significance of action and reaction. When you accept that the events occurring towards you are caused by your own actions, your ego would have no place."

"Brother Nara! Our meditation has not been ruined. By not getting angry on Kama and Rati, we have retained the gains that we have achieved during these hundreds of years of meditation. Ages ago, several thousand years ago, we had failed in controlling our anger against the words of Prahlada when he had come to visit us at Naimisha. We had lost all our gains in meditating at Naimisha and we had gotten angry with Prahlada who had unquestioned faith in us. Today, we defeated our anger and in that we have achieved victory over the biggest enemy that we have. This is an enemy who is always within us, and this is the toughest battle that we will ever fight. I am content that Nara, my brother, that you were also calm and peaceful. It is also your victory."

Nara and Narayana - the flower and the birth of Urvashi - adi parva 0:3

There is another story of the relevance and presence of a flower at the birth or manifestation of Urvashi. At the moment when Rambha, Tilottama and Menaka were dancing seductively to disturb the austerities of Nara and Narayana, it was Narayana who spoke thus to Nara, "O Brother Nara! Look how they grow in their arrogance of their beauty. They are aware that such are transient and will not be in their possession later. For that, they are celestial nymphs, they know that they would continue to be beautiful, young and always active. They should regard this as a blessing, but they show their pride to sages and they are intent on disturbing our rituals and austerities even after they have been blessed by me. They assume that they will be victorious in challenging our celibacy."

Saying thus, Narayana picked up one of the flowers that were caused to bloom by Rati, the angel of Spring, while it was winter on the Sundamadana mountain in the upper regions of Badri-Kedar in the Himalayas. He pointed to the flower and said thus to Nara, Kama and Rati, "Look at this flower. See the perfection and beauty of its colours, design, symmetry and inhale its fragrance. It is equally thus when it is on the plant and similarly when we pluck it. The plant works dedicatedly in producing this flower, and is very proud when it is adorned thus. The flower is later of no use to the plant at all, and yet the plant keeps producing flowers, equally beautiful, and never changes them."

Narayana continued, "Let me now demonstrate, similar to that plant, I shall produce a lady, manifest her in exceptional beauty, endow her with the best of skills in dance, music and song, and show these celestial nymphs that as a tree produces a beautiful flower and later has no relationship with the flower once it falls or is plucked, similarly, will I have no relationship with the lady once I manifest her from within me. Let this be a lesson to Indra, and to all the apsaras who take pride in their beauty being able to seduce sages from their celibacy."

Saying thus, Narayana placed the flower on his thigh, and slapped the spot with his hand and manifested a beautiful woman by his power and ability. Being thus born from Narayana's thigh (Uru = thigh, in Sanskrit), the lady was named Urvashi and was far more beautiful than the three apsaras, Rambha, Tilottama and Menaka. In this manner, Narayana was able to demonstrate that beauty was not a possession to be retained forever, and not a virtue to be used as a challenge against those who have no desire to wander into such relationships.

[16.12.2013]

Nara and Narayana - the birth of Urvashi - adi parva 0:2

There is a story of the birth of Urvashi, the celestial nymph, an apsara, born from the divine sages, Nara and Narayana. At Badri, in the upper reaches of the high Himalayas, where mere mortals cannot go, the sages Nara and Narayana were in intense meditation.

The sages Nara and Narayana had taken to intense austerities in their practice of meditation from a very young age. They moved around in the upper regions of Kedar and Badri, and sometimes were known to frequent the upper passes to Gomukh, at the birth of the river Ganga. At this tri-junction of the sacred birth of several holy rivers, Nara and Narayana began to observe their most intense meditation. In entering nirvikalpa samadhi, they began to focus their entire powerful meditation energy upon the aspect of the supreme human, ascribed as 'tath'.

As they progressed in their meditation and austerities, other renowned sages and their disciples began to assemble in the lower valleys of modern day Gangotri, Yamunotri, Kedar and Badri. They were content in absorbing the emanating energies, powerful as they were, from Nara and Narayana. It is said, and it is thus seen, to this day and times, that the most aspiring of monks, sadhus, sages and practitioners journey to Gomukh and Kedar and travel beyond along the higher regions of the glaciers, to immerse themselves in meditation through the most intense winters and absorb the energy and vibrations in these regions.

The sages who had assembled in the lower valleys began to recognise the intensity of their meditation, and acclaimed Nara and Narayana, divine though they may be, as the most accomplished among them all. Being manifestations of Vishnu by themselves, for Sesha too is manifest from HIM alone, Nara and Narayana gained in their abilities to immerse themselves into intense samadhi and dhyana.

The intense energy emanating from Nara and Narayana began to spread beyond the upper reaches of the remote Himalayas and the lower valleys. Soon enough, the energy and vibrations began to be felt and recognised in the lands of the gods at Alaka, in that unseen regions of the uppermost of the mighty Himalayas that cannot be understood or visited by mortals.

The energy, intense as it was, soon engulfed the three worlds and overcome all aspects of known creation. In this unthinkable heat and the spread of energy, Indra, the king of the gods, got worried at Alaka. He knew of their identities, of the manifestation of Vishnu himself, as Nara and Narayana. He knew of their veneration by Shiva. He was worried that in their manifestation, their energy could become a threat to him, as king of the gods. How could he fight Vishnu, for was he not Nara and Narayana?

Indra decided that he would have to intervene and interrupt the austerities of Nara and Narayana. He journeyed out of his place, Amaravathi, at Alaka, and came to Sundamadana, the mountain in the Badri-Kedar region of the Himalayas. Knowing them to be manifestations of Vishnu, he thought of approaching the matter with diplomacy and veneration. He dared not face the wrath of Vishnu, if he would be angered on being disturbed at meditation.

He went up to the sages Nara and Narayana meditating upon the divine aspect of Devi, and saluted  them and said, "O divine sages, O divinities yourselves, as Vishnu himself, I bow to thee. I am but a mere god, and do not compare myself to the both of you. But, since Shiva himself has declared his admiration for you and adores you from afar, it is only Brahma who can satiate you at your intense meditation. He, however, is divine grandfather to thee, and is fully aware of your energy. It is thus, left to me to acclaim your tremendous meditation, and declare my recognition, happy that you are immersed in your dhyana. I am most happy to grant you any boon that you may desire. O venerable sages, please step out of your meditation, and do ask."

Nara and Narayana were engrossed within their nirvikalpa samadhi, and jnanis that they were, immersed in their dhyana, did not even realise that Indra, the king of the gods was standing in their presence and was talking to them. Realising that his attempt at polite diplomacy was an utter failure, Indra decided to adopt other means. Initially, Indra created some paranormal visualisations that could enter the inner mind of meditative ascetics. These were powerless and were unable to penetrate even the outer minds of Nara and Narayana.

Having failed, Indra began to create primeval illusions of real-like external experiences. He created illusory animals that would take on real manifestations and would be dangerous and could create fear in mortals. These animals known for causing harm to humans, were established by Indra as real creatures in the vicinity of Nara and Narayana. The animals charged at the sages, but were thwarted by their divine auras. Being able to realise that Nara and Narayana were divine beings, the animals went away from the area.

The journey of a person, mortal or god, intent on repeatedly challenging his fate, cannot ever be content with reason, logic or dharma. It was thus with Indra also, despite being the king of the gods. He decided to seek the help of Kama, the God of Love, and his consort, Rati, the angel of Spring. He spoke thus, to Kama and Rati, "Go to Sundamadana, the mountain where the divine sages, Nara and Narayana, are immersed in intense austerities. Go with other apsaras. At the region of Kedar and Badri, you will find them, in solitude without any disturbances from anyone. They have withdrawn completely from the world in the valleys below and from the lands of the gods."

Instructing Kama further, Indra said, "You will have to be very clever. They are none other than Vishnu himself, as Nara and Narayana. Your usual arrows will probably be rendered useless. Even Eswara has seen his Pasupatastra become powerless against them. Perhaps love will succeed where weaponry cannot. How can Vishnu himself be against love that is devoid of enmity, anger or malefic intentions? Prepare your most powerful of weapons and use them on Nara and Narayana."

Kama was doubtful about following the instructions of Indra against the most powerful of gods. He thought back to how Shiva had incinerated him with his trinetra (= third eye) and Rati had to plead for his forgiveness. It required for both to be reborn and to redeem themselves to be united once again. He replied to Indra, "O King of the devas! I have to and will follow your orders. But, if you may recollect that on the earlier occasion, in obeying your orders, I had cast my arrows on Eswara himself, as he was engrossed in meditation. It took us, me and Rati, hundreds of years of redemption and rebirths, to be united again and to be together. I agreed on that occasion because the three worlds were threatened by Tripurasura, and it was essential that we protect creation as we knew it."

"But, there is no enemy that threatens the three worlds, or the devas, now," Kama pleaded, "And the two divine sages, Nara and Narayana, are immersed in very intensive austerities to preserve and spread righteousness, dharma, in the three worlds, in fulfillment of their responsibilities to their father. This is good for us, for mortals and for all creation. Why should we disturb them thus? And, if we do, I will have to face their anger and would again be separated from my beloved Rati."

Indra understood his fears and placated Kama, and said, "O Manmatha! O God of Love! You are the supreme archer to be sent out to rescue the three worlds through peace and love! There is none other than you! The three worlds are under threat, and it is from none other than Nara and Narayana themselves. The intensity and duration of their austerities and the spread of their energy from their meditation has spread all over and is beginning to consume the energy of the three worlds. It is much like an unexpected pralaya. They are not aware that their intention to do good by their dhyana has actually begun to threaten those whom they desired to help. It is but necessary for us to get involved and interrupt the meditation of Nara and Narayana."

"I understand your fear, O Kama, but it has to be done," said Indra, "You are the only warrior that we can send to stand up against Nara and Narayana, for you do not fight. This is the only way. You may adopt a different strategy this time. Take the most beautiful of my chosen apsaras with you, take Rambha, Tilottama, Menaka and also sixteen thousand other apsaras. Keep them between you and Nara and Narayana. Let them distract the divine sages when you disrupt their meditation with your arrows of love. O Manmatha, O Kama, it is only you who can save the three worlds now. Do not fail me. Let the apsaras singe in front of Nara and Narayana. Let them seduce them while you release your arrows at the divine sages. Let there be divine musicians who will accompany you and the apsaras. Let there be divine dances."

Thus encouraged, Kama arrived at Sundamadana, the mountain in the Badri-Kedar region of the Himalayas. Accompanied by Rati, also came Rambha, Tilottama and Menaka, the three celestial and eternally beautiful apsaras. Along with them came sixteen thousand apsaras, divine musicians and their accompanying entourage. The apsaras were only keen to obey the orders of Indra and were least concerned about Kama's worries or his knowledge of the prowess of Vishnu.

Rambha, Tilottama and Menaka saw it as an opportunity to challenge the celibacy of the divine sages, Nara and Narayana. When would they be able to get such a blessing again, they felt, for they were about to seduce Vishnu himself. Even if they were to fail, the opportunity itself would be the most tremendous blessing. If this was to be the method, then so be it. If they were to be cursed by the anger of Vishnu, then so be it.

On arrival at Sundamadana, the three celestial nymphs, Rambha, Tilottama and Menaka accompanied by the sixteen thousand apsaras began to sing and dance seductively. Divine music, divine instruments and the divine dances began to engulf  the serene meditative energy at the mountain. Rati, the angel of Spring, contributed her effort, by causing flowers to bloom all around the mountains and their valleys, and soon enough, the intoxicating scents began to take over the slopes and peaks. Kama got five of his most potent arrows ready and waited for his opportunity.

Nara was disturbed. He opened his eyes and looked upon enquiringly, quietly, at all the happenings at Sundamadana. He did not get angry. He was just curious as to the cause of these events. These could not happen without a reason, and was not Narayana himself, the cause of all reasons? He looked at Narayana for guidance, who realising his predicament, came out of his own meditative trance. Narayana looked upon the events with his benevolent happiness, and did not get angry. He was happily calm and sat quietly and smiled, as only Vishnu, the all-knowing can.

Narayana spoke to Nara, thus, "Brother, it is but divine dancing, singing and music by divine apsaras. There, I can see Rambha, Tilottama and Menaka leading them. they have come here on the orders of Indra, and thus, they are not at fault. See, there, with them, are Kama, the god of Love, and Rati, his consort, the angel of Spring. For, how could the winter have been replaced by blossoming flowers and how could the mountains and valleys be covered with spring, in these days?"

Nara was astounded and puzzled. He enquired, unspokenly, for would not Narayana be able to hear the most silent of all prayers? He wondered, "Has the king of the gods become foolish enough to challenge Narayana? Was it not known that as Nara and Narayana, it was Vishnu himself who had undertaken to spread righteousness in the world? How did he get the courage to challenge Nara and Narayana in their austerities? And in so doing, how could Indra think of such a lecherous challenge to the sanctity and celibacy of the most foremost of all sages?"

Narayana smiled, raised his hand in blessing to all the uninvited visitors, and spoke to Nara, "It is not thus, Brother Nara! Indra is the king of the gods, and it is his responsibility to be the custodian of the three worlds. He would have to worry and consider some action even if it would be to interrupt, disturb or seek some solace against or from Brahma, Shiva or me. It is not for us to get angry against him. Let us welcome our visitors, bless them and see as to what is it that the plan is against us."

Saying thus, Narayana gestured with his hands, welcoming everyone with a smile. Kama, Rati, Rambha, Tilottama and Menaka accompanied by the sixteen thousand apsaras approached Nara and Narayana. They bowed in salutation and sought the blessings of Narayana. With happiness in his eyes, smilingly, Narayana blessed them all, and they were content. Realising that they still had their job, a task to be completed, the celestial nymphs began to dance and sing with seductive gestures and words. The beauty of the three nymphs was astounding and they seemed to glow and become more beautiful while dancing in front of Narayana.

All their attempts did not face any success against Nara and Narayana. As their dancing and singing continued, Narayana said thus to Nara, "See, they glow in their beauty, but they also grow in their ego and arrogance. They realise that after I have blessed them, they cannot be cursed by me. That I would not get angry with them. They have begun to show their triumph and take pride in their prowess and beauty. They are now showing their victory to Rati and all the sixteen thousand apsaras here. I will have to bring this to an end."

Kama and Nara heard Narayana speak thus. It was timely, for Kama realised that any sudden challenge could disturb Narayana away from the calmness that seemed to emanate from him. Quietly, Kama sheathed the five arrows of great potency and hid them. He bowed to Narayana in salutation and chose a location behind Nara. Rati saw this and understood the fragility of the moment and walked up to Narayana, bowed in salutation and stood alongside Kama.

Narayana conveyed his thoughts to Nara, unspokenly, for they were one in their soul and mind, "Brother Nara! These apsaras, Rambha, Tilottama and Menaka have begun to take too much pride in their beauty, seductive dancing and in their ability to seek the attraction of men. They do not realise that they are in the presence of sages who are intent on their meditation and austerities. They do not understand that this should not be extended in disturbing the meditation of sages. I will now put an end to this. I will now show them the power of meditation, dhyana and the ability of a sage. Beauty and charms are but transient achievements. They are like treasures that will disappear. They need to realise that the real achievement in life comes from exploring oneself from within. I shall create an apsara that would surpass them in their beauty and be better than the three of them in her abilities."

Saying thus, Narayana slapped his thigh and manifested a beautiful woman by his power and ability. Being born from the thigh (Uru = thigh, in Sanskrit), she was named Urvashi. She was far more beautiful than the three apsaras, Rambha, Tilottama and Menaka. After Urvashi, Narayana created several hundred beautiful women to be companions to her. Seeing Urvashi, all the apsaras stopped their dancing and singing. They were now ashamed that they had come to challenge Nara and Narayana.

They came together, bowed in humility, and asked for Narayana's forgiveness. They said, "Forgive us, O Narayana, for thou art supreme! We were misled by Indra, and in the accompaniment of Manmatha himself, we lost our integrity. We understand and now respect the power of meditation and bow to the intent of your celibacy. We do not wish to disturb your austerities. Please forgive us!"

Narayana blessed them all and declared that Urvashi could go back with Rambha, Tilottama and Menaka in order that Indra may see that he had nothing to fear. The sixteen thousand apsaras who had come with the three celestial nymphs did not wish to return to Alaka, for they had seen Narayana, had spoken to him and received his blessings. They were now deeply in love with Narayana and desired to stay back at Sundamadana and be wed to him.

Narayana smiled and declined, and spoke thus, "O ladies, you who are in love with me, I bless you all. At this moment, at Sundamadana, I am here to be immersed in my dhyana, along with my beloved brother, Nara. We are intent in continuing with our meditation and in practising our austerities. We wish to be accomplished as our father, Dharma, and we would like to stay undisturbed in our intent to spread righteousness in the world. I cannot accept you as you desire, in this period of celibacy."

"Go back to Indra, and do take our daughter, Urvashi, and all her sister companions with you," said Narayana, "Go back and tell Indra, that he has nothing to fear from us. In his fear, he has sent you all to disturb us. I cannot accept you all in marriage in my aspect as Narayana. I shall be born again, as Krishna, in the coming yuga, and so will Nara, be born as Arjuna, and we will be companions together in our battle to fight the forces against righteousness. You will all be born again, in the next yuga, all sixteen thousand apsaras together, and as Krishna, I shall wed you all. I promise you and bless you that we will be together. Take Urvashi and her companions with you and inform Indra about the sanctity of her birth."

[15.12.2013]

in salutation to Nara and Narayana - mahabharatayatra - adi parva 0:1

The first salutation in the Mahabharata of Krishna Dwaipayana Vyasa is to Nara and Narayana. Of course, as is explained later in the great epic, Arjuna is believed to be Nara as a companion to Narayana as Krishna. Maharishi Veda Vyasa offers his first salutation to Nara and Narayana before he embarks on his journey as an epic poet.

Maharishi Veda Vyasa's salutation to Nara and Narayana and Goddess Saraswati
This image is from - 
Notes about this image are given at the end of this blog post.


Nara and Narayana are regarded as the primordial manifestations of Vishnu, and are the incarnations, again and again, on this earth to uphold the aspect of dharma and are the embodiment of rightful living, rightful thought and rightful action. While Nara is the aspect of the human soul, the body is the companion and divine aspect as Narayana.

In the Mahabharata, Nara as Arjuna and Krishna as Narayana represent the aspects of inseparable knowledge and action. While the mortal Arjuna is thoughtful and hesitant, he is unquestioning in following the path of dharma through action, as shown by the divine Krishna. Finally when Arjuna hesitates on the battlefield, after having been instructed through the geetasaara, Krishna willingly shows the infinite vision of himself as Narayana. It is thus, in understanding the great play of the two companions, the divine teacher and his accepting pupil, that Veda Vyasa takes us to accept them as primarily eternal, as singularly divine and to be respected, before beginning to journey through the Mahabharata.

Nara and Narayana
from a sculpture at Deogarh, Uttar Pradesh c. 5th Century
Under Creative Commons Attribution at Wikipedia


Maharishi Veda Vyasa leads us to first bow in salutation, accept the divinity of Krishna and Arjuna, as in the same breath as in worshipful humility to Ganesha and Goddess Saraswati. It is said that the Mahabharata was written at Mana, north of Badrinath in modern Uttarakhand, in the upper reaches of the Himalayas. The divine mortal aspect of Eswara himself, in his being as Adi Sankara is known to have discovered the divine deity and icon of Vishnu, in his manifestation as Narayana and installed thus, the sacred deity at Badri, and thereby accepted and venerated as Badrinath. Both, at Badrinath and neighbouring Kedarnath, the upper Himalayas here, are known to be the sacred home of Nara and Narayana. The twin forms of Nara and Narayana are thought to have led to the incarnation of Swaminarayan at Badrikashram.

There is mention that Nara is known as the 'primeval man or eternal spirit' in this universe, and always associated with Narayana. In various representations, Nara and Narayana are deities, or as at Kedarnath are divine sages, or in epics as mortal incarnations, such as in the Mahabharata, Harivamsa and various puranas. As Vishnu is Narayana, so is Nara considered to be his divine Sesha, the multiple-headed snake and his eternal companion.

Nara and Narayana
from a sculpture at Deogarh, Uttar Pradesh c. 5 Century
Under Creative Commons Attribution at Wikipedia


There are various representations, in being different from each other as Vishnu and Sheshnaag, alike each other as Swaminarayan, as similar mortals with weapons and human lives as Krishna and Arjuna. As the fifth avatar of Lord Vishnu, they are also considered to be the two sons of Dharma, being the son of Brahma and his consort Ahimsa, as Murti, daughter of Daksha.

As divine sages, Nara and Narayana are known to habit the upper reaches of the hidden Himalayas where no normal mortal can reach, above Badri and Kedar. They meditate in these higher regions and conduct their austerities for the preservation of dharma, being born of their father.

There is a rare and little known story of how Nara and Narayana had to unite to fight and defeat a powerful enemy called Sahasrakavacha - he with a thousand armours. Sahasrakavacha is thought to have reincarnated as Karna in the Mahabharata, with divine armour - kavacha - and ear rings - kundala. And once again, Krishna and Arjuna had to unite to defeat Karna and kill him. Krishna is shown to be steadfast in the battle and never allows Arjuna to know that Karna is his elder brother, for if he would have known, the battle would not have been fought. Krishna knew of Karna's promise to Kunti, that he would kill only one Pandava, and she would continue to have five of her sons after the great battle at Kurukshetra.

There is a rarer story of the aspect of their encounter with Maheshwara at Kedar. Shiva knew that the divinity of Nara and Narayana was supreme, and he wanted this to be known to the three worlds. He arrived at the upper reaches of Kedar, and as Nara and Narayana, the divine sages were engrossed in their determined meditation and austerities, Shiva hurled the most dangerous of his astras - the Pashupatastra - at them. The most powerful of all weapons that the gods had ever known, lost all its potency in the face of its conflict with the intense meditation energy of Nara and Narayana. Thus did Shiva recognise them and proclaimed them to the three worlds that these divine sages, Nara and Narayana were jnanis of the highest order - and were declared as jnanis in eternal nirvikalpa samadhi.

[14.12.2013]

Notes about the image of Maharishi Veda Vyasa's salutations to Nara and Narayana and Goddess Saraswati
The image is from - http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/c/ca/Mahabharata01ramauoft_0024_01.jpg
The URL mentions that the author is Shri Ramanarayanadatta Sastri, and the publisher of Volume 1 is Gorakhpur Geeta Press and that possibly the image is not in copyright. The digitising sponsor is the University of Toronto. The book is available as on 17.12.2013 at https://archive.org/details/mahabharata01ramauoft





embarking on the greatest yatra of all times - the yatra of the Mahabharata

Mahabharata - Adi Parva 

Om Namo Narayanaya. Om Gana Ganeshaya Namaha. Sri Saraswati Namostute.

I salute Narayana as Nara and Narayana. I salute Ganesha while I embark on writing the Mahabharata as a yatra, for I would attempt to explore the great epic written by Ganesha, thyself. I salute Goddess Saraswati in allowing me the ability, knowledge, understanding and the panorama of the Mahabharata.


embarking on the greatest yatra of all times - 
the yatra of the Mahabharata
[Mahabharata: Adi Parva 0:0]

vyasam vasisthanaptaram sakteh pautramakalmasam
parasaratmajam vande sukatatam taponidhim

I bow to Vyasa, the treasure of penance, devoid of kalmasa,
father of Suka, son of Parasara, grandson of Sakti and great-grandson of Vasistha

The Mahabharata of Krishna Dwaipayana Vyasa, or as we know him over these many years, Veda Vyasa, or Maharishi Veda Vyasa, originally written as an epic poem in Sanskrit, was truly translated in English in its entirety, accurately and faithfully by very few writers until 1880. One of the earliest complete and tremendously accurate translations was by Pratap Chandra Roy, CIE and Kisari Mohan Ganguli, sometime during 1883 to 1896, published by Oriental Publishing Company at Calcutta, available in twelve volumes and in a single comprehensive volume.

It is difficult not to be swayed by the many authors who have presented their interpretation of the Mahabharata since P. C. Roy and K. M. Ganguli. I hope to be blessed by them, one and all, in my very humble attempt to submit my text of the Mahabharata.

I bow to the greatest poet of all times. I bow to the greatest poet of all times, of all lands and of all aspects. I bow to the greatest author and storyteller of all times. I bow to the greatest analyst and greatest writer of all times. There is none after him who could even singlehandedly or with a team translate all the documents that he has written.

I would fail in my life if I would not even attempt to start. My life would have no meaning if I did not even try to embark on this yatra.

I bow to the great Maharishi Veda Vyasa and seek his permission, blessings and support as I embark on the yatra of the Mahabharata.

[14.12.2013]