A Study of the Bhagavata Purana or Esoteric Hinduism Part 18

IV. THE ALLEGORY OF PURANJANA.

*SKANDHA IV. CHAP. 25-29.*

There was a king called Puranjana. He had a friend, but the king knew not his name nor his doings. Puranjana went in search of a place to live in. He went about on all sides, but found no suitable abode. At last while roaming south of the Himalayas, he found one Puri (town) in Bharata Varsha (India), The marks were all favourable. There were nine gateways. In one of the gardens he found a most beautiful young lady.

She had ten attendants. Each of them had hundreds of wives. One five-headed serpent was the warder of the town and he constantly guarded his mistress. The lady was on the look out for one to be her lord.

Puranjana broke forth into words of love, and asked who she was. "O thou greatest of men!" exclaimed the lady, "I know not who I am or who thou art. Nor do I know who made us both. This only I know, that I now exist.

I do not know even who made this town for me. These are my companions male and female. This serpent guards the town, even when we are all asleep. Luckily hast thou come here. I shall try with all my companions to bring to thee all objects of desire. Be thou the lord of this Puri for one hundred years. And accept all enjoyments brought by me."

Puranjana entered the Puri and lived in enjoyment there for one hundred years.

Of the nine gateways, seven were upper and two lower - five on the east (Purva, which also means front), one on the south (Dakshina), one on the north (Uttara) and two on the west (Paschima). Two of them Khadyota and avirmukhi were close to each other and Puranjana used them whenever he would go out to see Vibhrajita in the company of Dyumat.

Nalini and Nalini were also two pa.s.sages built together. Puranjana used them with the help of Avadhuta in order to repair to Saurabha.

The Mukhya pa.s.sage was used for Apana and Bahudana. Through the southern pa.s.sage Pitrihu, Puranjana went with Srutadhara to Dakshina Panchala and through the northern pa.s.sage Devahu, to Uttara Panchala.

Through the western pa.s.sage called asuri, Puranjana went with Durmada to Gramaka. The other western pa.s.sage was called Nir-riti, Through that pa.s.sage Puranjana went with Lubdhaka to Vais-asa.

There were two blind gates _i.e._ without opening, viz: - Nirvak and Pesaskrita. Puranjana used them for motion and action. He went inside the town with Vishuchina. There he experienced Moha (delusion), Prasada (contentment) and Harsha (joy), caused by his wife and daughters.

Puranjana became thus attached to Karma. He slavishly followed whatever the Queen did. If she heard, the King heard. If she smelt, the King smelt. If she rejoiced, the King rejoiced. If she wept, the King wept.

Puranjana merged his self entirely in that of his wife.

Once upon a time, the King went out hunting into the forest Panchaprastha, His chariot had five swift going horses, two poles, two wheels, two axles, three flags, five chains, one bridle, one charioteer, one seat for the charioteer, two yoke ends, seven fenders, and five courses. He had a golden armour and an endless supply of arrows.

Brihadbala was the commander of his forces. The King forgot his wife for the time being in the chase of deer. But he got tired and returned home.

The Queen would not speak to him in feigned anger. The King appeased her with gentle and flattering words of love.

So pa.s.sed the days in utter delusion. The King had 1100 sons and 110 daughters. He gave them in marriage to duly qualified persons.

Puranjana's sons had 100 sons each. The kingdom of Panchala became filled with the progeny of Puranjana. The King performed sacrifices for the welfare of his children and killed animals for the purpose.

Chandavega, a Gandharva king, had a strong force of 360 white Gandharvas. Each of them had one black wife. By turns these Gandharvas robbed the town of Puranjana. The serpent-warder could not fight long against such odds, it lost strength day by day. The King and all the citizens became extremely anxious.

There was a daughter of Kala who went about the world for a husband. But no one received her for a wife. She went to Narada and on the refusal of the sage cursed him to become a wanderer for ever. She was referred however by Narada to Fear, the King of Yavanas. King Fear would not accept her for his wife. But he addressed her as his sister and a.s.sured her that she would enjoy all beings on earth, if only she attacked them unnoticed. His Yavana troops would always accompany her as well as his brother Prajvara.

The Yavana troops of King Fear under Prajvara and the daughter of Kala attacked the Puri of Puranjana. The old serpent gave way. The Puri was burnt up by Prajvara. There was wailing all round. The Serpent left the Puri. Puranjana was dragged out of it. The sufferings he had caused to others in sacrifices or otherwise reacted upon him. Long he suffered forgetting even his old friends. His mind had been tainted by the constant company of women and he had thought of his wife till the last moment. So he became a female in the next birth. She was born as the daughter of the Vidarbha king. Malayadhvaja, King of Pandya, defeated other princes in the fight for her hand and the princess became his wife. She bore to the King one black-eyed daughter and seven sons. The sons became kings of Dravida and each of them had millions of sons, Agastya married the daughter of the King, and had by her a son called Dridhachyta. His son was Idhmavaha. King Malayadhvaja divided the kingdom amongst his sons; and ascended the hills for devotional meditation. His wife accompanied him. One day the princess found the body of her husband cold in death. With loud lamentations, she prepared the funeral pyre, placed the King's body upon it and put fire thereon.

She then resolved to burn herself on the same pyre.

The former friend now appeared. Addressing the Queen he said: -

"Who art thou? Who is he lying on the funeral pyre that thou mournest aloud? Dost thou know me, thy friend, thy former companion? Dost thou remember even so much that thou hadst a friend, whom thou canst not recognise? Thou didst leave me in search of some earthly abode and enjoyment. We were two Hansas (swans) on the Manasa Loka and we lived together for one thousand years. Desirous of worldly enjoyments thou didst leave me for the earth and there didst find a town with a woman as its mistress. The company of that woman spoiled thy vision and effaced thy memory. Hence thou hast attained this state. Thou art not the daughter of the Vidarbha King, nor is this King thy husband. Nor wast thou the husband of Puranjana. By my _maya_ thou misconceivest thyself as a man or a woman. But in reality both myself and thyself are Hansas.

Wise men find no difference between us. If there is any difference between a man and his image, that is the difference between me and thyself."

The other Hansa now regained his lost consciousness and was reawakened to his former state.

This is the story of Puranjana. Now its explanation by Narada: -

Puranjana is Purusha - he who illumines the Pura with consciousness.

The unknown friend is ishvara.

The Pura or Puri or town is the human body.

"The marks were all favourable" - there were no deformities in the body.

"The nine gateways" are the nine openings of the body.

The young lady Puranjani is Buddhi.

She is the mistress of the body.

The ten male attendants are the five _jnanendriyas_ or organs of perception and the five _karmendriyas_ or organs of action.

The wives of the attendants are the functions of the Indriyas.

The five-headed serpent is Prana. The five heads are its five sub-divisions.

"One hundred years" is the full term of man's life.

"Khadyota," literally glow-worm, is the left eye, for, it has not the illumining capacity of the right eye.

"avirmukhi" or the great illuminator is the right eye.

"Vibhrajita" is Rupa or object of sight.

"Dyumat" is the perceiving eye.

"Nalini" and "Nalini" are the left and right nostrils respectively.

"Avadhuta" is Vayu. In the story, it means the perceiving nose.

"Saurabha" is Gandha or smell.

"Mukhya" is mouth.

"Apana" is speech.

"Bahudana" is eating.

"Panchala" is Pancha (five) + ala (capable) that which is capable of bringing to light such of the five objects of the senses, as cannot be otherwise cognised; Sastra or spiritual teachings.

The right ear is stronger than the left ear. Therefore it is more prominent and useful in _hearing_ the Sastras, of which the first to be heard is Karma Kanda.

A man by the observance of Karma Kanda is called to the Pitris, _i.e._ he reaches, after death, the path called Pitriyana.

"Pitrihu" is therefore the right ear. "Devahu" is the left ear corresponding to Devayana.

"Uttara Panchala" is Pravritti Sastra or teachings of worldliness.

"Dakshina Panchal" is Nivritti Sastra or teachings of renunciation.