MAHATMYAM OF CHAPTER 18 - INDRA BECOMES A RENUNCIATE

Indra, the king of gods, and Indrani, his consort, were sitting on the throne and enjoying the dance and music of the angels of their court. Present among the performers were the celebrated Apsaras, Urvasi, Menaka, Rambha, Tilottama and others who were clapping hilariously to the rhythm of the music and dance. Before the dance could reach its culmination, a person glowing with divine splendour entered the hall. He was escorted by the attendants of Lord Vishnu. As he entered the hall, Indra and Indrani were ejected from theirthrones by a strange force which appeared to have emerged from the new-comer glowing with divine, splendour. The invincible sword of Indra, "Vajra", darted across the hall and landed in the hands of the new-comer.

The angels, Apsaras and others prostrated to the new-corner. He ascended the throne of Indra and sat down on it majestically. The denizens of heavens applauded the new-comer and sounded calls of victory in his honour.

Indrani, who had got up on her feet by that time, walked up and sat on the throne to the left of the new-comer.

"What an atrocity ! Who are you to sit on my throne?", Indra asked the stranger.

The stranger pointed his finger towards Indra and gesticulated: "Get out of here!"
"Who can this be?" Indra wondered.

He approached the attendants of Vishnu who had escorted him. But they just disappeared.

"Urvashi! Menaka! Come here!" called out Indra.

They gesticulated to him by their fingers: "Get out of here!". Indra was humiliated even by his own maidens! With a down-cast face, he came out of the hall.

He scratched his head and tried hard to comprehend the merits that must have been earned by the new-comer.

'He has not performed even one Yaga (Sacrifice). He has ousted me who had attained the status of Indra by performing one hundred Yagas. I am unable to stand the divine splendour of the stranger. I don't get enough strength even to argue with him. He does not seem to have done any meritorious deed to deserve Indra-hood. And yet how did this happen? The attendants of Vishnu escorted him here. Perhaps it might be by the command of Lord Vishnu.

'Alright then. Let me go and see Vishnu'.

Indra reached the world of Vishnu. There he praised the Lord by chanting the Purusha -Sookta.

Vishnu appeared.

Indra narrated all the incidents and wept bitterly.

After hearing Indra patiently, Vishnu said with a smile: "Indra! Please understand that the merits accruing from the performance of Yagas, austerities, charities and other noble deeds are all limited. When your merits got exhausted, you lost your Indra-hood. There is very little merit now left with you. And the moment that too is exhausted, you will descend to the world, of human beings. What is the use of grieving? It is not possible for anyone to ward off the results of one's actions".

"Lord", said Indra with a voice choked with sorrow. "I performed one hundred Yagas and attained the state of Iridra-hood. But the new person has not even performed one Yaga!"

'True. But the merits of your Yagas have been exhausted. There is no other course for you except going back to the world of humans".

"What about the new Indra who has not performed any Yaga at all?"

True, he has not performed any Yaga", said Vishnu. "But during his life-time as a human being, he had regularly chanted the eighteenth chapter of the Geeta. Bhagawad Geeta should be considered as My own form. By the power of Geeta chanting, he attained Indra-hood. And when your stock of merits were exhausted, you were thrown out of your seat, and the new Indra occupied it."

Indra stood there overcome by grief.

"Therefore," the Lord continued, "you too start chanting and studying the eighteenth chapter of Geeta. But beware! Only human beings have access to the Geeta. The Devas do not have access to the Geeta and Bhagawata. So think well as to how you can overcome the problem and act accordingly."

So saying the Lord vanished.

Indra, with the little merit left on his account, came down to the world of humans and assumed the form of a brahmin.

He searched for a fit teacher to teach him the Geeta, and reached the banks of river Godavari .

There, in the village called Kaalika, he found a brahmin who was regularly chanting the eighteenth chapter of the Geeta. Indra became his disciple and studied the Geeta, especially the eighteenth chapter.

But his mind underwent a transformation. The study of Geeta awakened in him true discrimination, and he relinquished his desire to attain Indra-hood again, realising that it was not a permanent state. He relinquished his desires for status and power, glory and acclamation. He became a man of steady wisdom, a man of Self-Realisation, and attained Oneness with Lord Vishnu . Such is the Glory of Geeta .

MAHATMYAM OF CHAPTER 17 - BHAKTHI WITH SHRADDHA

One of the sons of King Khadgabahu of the previous story, was Dussaasana (Du-Saasana = One who miss, administrates or manages badly). Proud and haughty as he was, he took a bet with the mahouts of the royal stable that he could tie down an elephant in musht. He made the bet on the strength that he was the son of the king who was capable of tying down elephants in musht, and that he too could do so. Thus taking a bet, he approached an elephant in musht, but alas he was stamped to death by the animal.

Having died with the remembrance of an elephant uppermost in his mind, he was reborn as an elephant in the island of Simhala. The king of Simhala was a friend of King Khadgabahu of Saurashtra, and this baby elephant was sent by sea route to Saurashtra as a gift to the king who was a lover of elephants.

In the palace of Khadgabahu, the baby elephant grew up under the love and care of the king. Once it happened to listen to the king reciting the Geeta, and suddenly this event awakened in him the remembrance of his past life. It realised that it was in its previous birth the prince of that country.

And the elephant started weeping. It gave up eating. No one enquired deeply into the cause of its despair, or the truth behind it.

The king presented the elephant to a learned man who had come to the palace to participate in a literary competition.

The pundit took the elephant home, but discovered soon enough that it refused to eat anything. Expert veterinary doctors examined the elephant. They could not find anything wrong with the animal.

The pundit offered the elephant as a present to the king of Malva.

An elephant of perfect features!

"Where did you get him from?" asked the king.

"He was born in the island of Simhala. The king of Simhala gifted him to the king of Saurashtra. And he gave it to me", said the pundit.

The king went near the young elephant, stroked it with love and said: "Grow up to be a good boy. You will have all facilities here."

The king gave gifts to the pundit in exchange for the elephant and left it to the care of the chief mahout.

The elephant refused to eat. Tears rolled down from its eyes.

"This animal is suffering from some kind of disease", said the mahouts. "It is not eating because of the disease it is suffering from."

They informed the king. The king became sad.

"Disease in a young elephant of perfect features?"

He summoned veterinary doctors specialised in the treatment of elephants. They tried a number of experiments on the animal. The elephant suffered silently the inflictions of pain and forcible treatment by the experts. At last it was declared that the elephant suffered from no disease.

The king despaired.

Stroking the elephant, the king asked: "Son, what happened to you? Tell me frankly. I am not able to see your tears."

The affectionate talk and behaviour of the king eked out response from the elephant. It produced a sound as if in pain.

The king could not control his distress and he wept.

"O king, I have no disease."

The king was aghast with wonderment. He was dumb- founded.

"O king will you do me a favour?" the elephant asked.

"Tell me I will do whatever who want me to", said the king.

"Please get here a person who recites the seventeenth chapter of the Geeta regularly I will get liberated from this condition when I hear it I have been waiting for art opportunity to hear it."

The king did not bother to enquire into the logic behind the elephant's desire to hear the chanting of the Geeta. He immediately sent scores of people all over the land to find out the person who recited the seventeenth chapter of the Geeta regularly.

Later, when his mind calmed down, the king asked the elephant: "Who are you in reality? What is the meaning of your desire to hear the seventeenth chapter of Geeta?"

"O king, I am the son of King Khadgabahu"

The king of Malwa was shocked.

"Son of Khadgabahu"

The elephant narrated its story from the very beginning, the king was lost in wonder.

The Geeta pundit came.

Hearing the story of the elephant's strange request, people from all parts of the country reached the capital city and crowded round the elephant.

The elephant addressed the crowd: "O citizens of the country, please see for yourself the glory of the seventeenth chapter of the Geeta."

The crowd stood watching in rapt attention.

The pundit sat beside the elephant and started his chanting. As he finished the seventeenth chapter, the elephant which was listening to it attentively, fell down and died.

A celestial vehicle alighted there. Led by the angels of the heavens, the soul of the elephant entered the vehicle and it rose and vanished into the higher worlds.

The king and the citizens who had physically witnessed the glory of the seventeenth chapter, praised the Bhagawad Geeta in one voice.

The king arranged for a state funeral for the elephant.

After having narrated the greatness of the seventeenth chapter, O Siva (of auspicious nature), I shall now narrate the greatness of the eighteenth chapter.

MAHATMYAM OF CHAPTER 16 - CONQUEST OF DEMONICAL NATURE

King Khadgabahu of Saurashtra was a valiant person. He was also god-fearing and true devotee of the Lord. Nature was, therefore, kind to him, and his country prospered well on account of timely rains and bright seasons. The happy and contented king ha an elephant named Arimardana (Ari-mardana= Subduer of opponents). He loved his elephant very much. It was a quiet and obedient animal, except when it was in musht. During the periods of musht, it used to get out of control, and never obeyed the king or the mahauts. Yet the king looked after it with all love and care.

One morning, the citizens woke up hearing a big noisy commotion. Some people were seen standing in groups, some were mad running about.

"What happened?" enquired the inquisitive people.

"Arimardana, the king's elephant, is in musht"

"When did it happen?"

"Last night!"

"Is there any trouble?"

"It is only trouble everywhere."

"Do you know? That fellow has smashed the walls around the palace. It has driven away the mahauts. It is now strolling on the main road leading to the palace, trumpeting fiercely."

"What are the mahauts doing?
"They are following his trail cautiously. He cares a hoot for their intimidations and commands."

"Look ! People are running away from the main road."

"Let us go and see what is happening."

And so, people hastened to the main road cautiously.

The king came out with a contingent of bodyguards to see for elf the happenings and to assess the situation. He was shocked to see the damages caused by the elephant.

It had smashed the windows and ransacked the shops.

It was destroying the houses on the roadside.

It was trumpeting and running madly with its tail held aloft.

The mahauts were trying their best to control the animal by beating and inflicting pain on it through various methods. But all in vain. They were following the elephant cautiously, looking for opportunity to trap it and tie it. The onlookers had taken up vantage positions from where they could run and escape in case of an emergency .

At that time, an old brahmin emerged from the crowd. He pushed aside the mahauts and approached the elephant.

"Oh no! Please don't go near it."

'Come back."

It is a murderous elephant."

Don't go near that mad animal."

The crowd cried out to him in so many ways. But the brahmin did not pay any heed.

"Stop there! No more mischief now," the old brahmin shouted at the elephant.

"What! Is the old fellow going to control a mad elephant?" the onlookers blurted.

"Don't move. Stand still," came the commanding voice of the brahmin.

"O Lord! Will the elephant kill the man now?" mourned the king.

Others also became sad.

"Didn't you hear me? Stop, and stand still." The brahmin had had by now reached the elephant.
Wonders!

The rampaging elephant stood still, with its trunk curled up on its tusks.

The brahmin stroked gently the elephant's forehead and wiped the discharge oozing from the must glands. He massaged the gland area with pressure and comforted the elephant and returned.

People stood watching him with wonderment.

What a surprise!

The king and the citizens crowded round him.

By that time, the elephant had again become restless and started its rampage.

"O brahmin! can you tie up the elephant?" asked the king.

"Is it necessary?" asked the brahmin.

"Yes! Yes!" came the reply from the crowd.

"O brahmin! Please tie up the elephant. I shall reward you for this work" said the king.

By that time, the elephant had again become uncontrollable and destructive. It had started destroying houses.

"Brahmin! Please go and tie up the elephant", the king ordered.

The brahmin took a heavy iron chain from the frightened mahauts and dragged it along and approached the elephant.

The onlookers watched with abated breath. "Stop! Don't move!" ordered the brahmin.

The elephant pricked up its ears and listened.

It trumpeted loudly.

It shook its head and trumpeted again. "Don't move. Let me put the chain."

The elephant stood quietly in its majestic gait.

The mahauts directed the brahmin from a safe distance as to how the chain should be put round the front and rear legs of the elephant. The brahmin chained the animal without difficulty. After the chaining was over, he caught the elephant by the tusk and walked up to the chief mahaut and handed over the animal to him.

"Please behave yourself. And don't be mischievous," said the brahmin to the elephant in a commanding tone.

The mahaut caught hold of the tusk with a trembling hand and led it to the royal stable and tied it up there.

The king summoned the brahmin.

"By what power did you tame the mad elephant? Magic? Sorcery? Witchcraft? I am eager to know it," said the king.

The brahmin smiled.

"O king! I am not a magician. I am a humble devotee of Lord Krishna," he said.

"Tell me the secret of your feat," the king said.

"O king. I have no secret to declare. I read regularly the sixteenth chapter of the Geeta. That enables me to relinquish all feelings of duality under all situations and circumstances: and that non-dual condition of mind imparts to me the courage to approach even the wildest of animals and tame them. It is all the glory of the sixteenth chapter," said the brahmin.

"O brahmin! Please accept me as your disciple and teach me the sixteenth chapter of Geeta", requested the king.

The brahmin accepted the king as his student and taught him the Geeta and especially the sixteenth chapter.

Years later, the king became so perfect in his practice of the sixteenth chapter, that he himself tied up the same elephant when in musht.

Such is the glory of the sixteenth chapter of the Geeta.

Thus the glory of the sixteenth chapter has been narrated by me. I shall now tell you the story of the glory of the seventeenth chapter, which is equally beautiful.

MAHATMYAM OF CHAPTER 15 - HOW TO BECOME A MAN OF PERFECTION

The King of Gauda (Bengal) kingdom, Kripana Narasimha (lion of a man, wielding a sword) was a very powerful King. A large disciplined army, well equipped with chariots, horses and elephants, etc. proclaimed his supremacy over other kings. His commander-in- chief was a brave and dynamic person called Sarabha Bherunda (quick and terrible). He was so powerful that he used to wield his influence even over the king and the ministers.

As months and years passed by, the army chief thought to himself: 'Why not put the king in prison and assume power for myself?'. He did not act immediately on his impulse, but the thought kept smouldering in his mind. Thus some months and years passed by. Unfortunately, as destiny would have it, the army chief contracted the deadly disease of small pox and died.

He took the leaf and found that something was written on it. The letters had almost worn out, and with some difficulty the king read out aloud what seemed like sloka:

"Dwandair-Vimuktah Sukha Dukha Samjnair Gachhanty-Amudha Padamavyayam Tat"

Suddenly the horse fell down and lay still. Within moments was dead.

The king thought that the horse had perhaps fainted. He removed the saddle and stirrups from its body and tried to revive in various ways. Nothing worked.

A celestial vehicle alighted there. The soul of the horse was welcomed into it, and it rose to the heavens. The king was astonished to see the incident.

He murmured to himself: 'This horse might have been a pious soul".

He left the corpse of the horse there and walked away. He called out loudly to his team and soldiers. No response greeted him except the echo from the depths of the forest. The king wandered through the forest, tired and dejected.

While thus wandering, he chanced to reach an Ashram, surrounded by fruit-bearing trees with flocks of birds and animals. He met the Sanyasin of the Ashram and paid his respects to him. After quenching his thirst and hunger, the king told the Sanyasin about his horse and its death. He asked the Sanyasin about the secret of the horse's fortune and its ascent to the higher worlds in the celestial vehicle. The Sanyasin sat in meditation for a while. He saw in his mind the entire life of the horse and its previous births. He told the king: "O King! That horse was the commander of your armed forces in its previous birth. He died of small pox when he was entertaining traitorous thoughts of overthrowing you and assuming power for himself. Because of his evil thoughts, he was born as an animal, a horse. He served you well in his new birth and behaved faithfully till his last moment. When he was nearing his death, you happened to get the piece of palm leaf which came flying in air, and read out aloud a portion of the sloka written on it. That sloka was from the fifteenth chapter of the Geeta. That palm leaf was discarded by my disciple, who had copied the fifteenth chapter on palm leaves and memorised it. By merely listening to a portion of a sloka of the fifteenth chapter, your horse was liberated from the hordes of sins committed by it in its previous births."

"Revered Sir," said the king. "If that is so, I too would like to study the fifteenth chapter of the Geeta. Please teach me the Bhagawad Geeta and especially the fifteenth chapter. May I too get liberated."

'I shall be glad to teach you", said the Sanyasin. "You can contemplate upon and practise the teachings of the Geeta even while you remain in the palace and attend to the affairs of the state."

The Sanyasin imparted the teachings of the Geeta to the king and taught him specially the fifteenth chapter. Thereafter, he led him out of the forest and put him on the road leading to the countryside.

The king chanted the fifteenth chapter of the Geeta regularly and attended to all the affairs of the state efficiently. In due course, he coronated his son Simhabala as the king and retired from active outside work and took to a life of deeper study and contemplation. He became a man of perfection even while living and ultimately cached the higher worlds

On account of the various acts of violence committed and the traitorous thought of overthrowing the king entertained by him, he was born as a horse in the kingdom of Sind.

It was a healthy and energetic horse, always kicking up dust b its hooves and charging forward. It had all the characteristics of good well-bred horse. A trader purchased it and presented before the king of Gauda Kingdom, Kripana Narasimha, who hat grown old by that time.

"Well bred horse!" said the king stroking the animal, "Where did you purchase it from?"

"From Sind, please look at its features. They are perfect" said the trader.

"Fine! On the whole it looks like a good one endowed with perfect features." They all agreed, even recommended strongly that the king should purchase the horse. The horse also seemed to have a particular attachment to the king.

The king was pleased and gave a purse of gold coins to the trader, a price which was more than what he expected for the horse.

The trader bowed low to the king and withdrew.

The horse was entrusted to the chief trainer of the king's army.

Years rolled by.

The horse was deployed in a number of battles. It behaved so well in the battlefields that it became the object of the king's special affection. He took special care of the horse.

One day the king ordered a grand hunting expedition. He rode his faithful horse and entered the forests leading the hunting team.

In the depths of the forest, the king saw a herd of deer faraway in an opening, and galloped towards it through the thick woods. Noticing that the King was getting isolated from the team, the soldiers sounded warning notes and coded calls to others to keep track of the king. But the horse had run so fast that the king had already covered a great distance, and was beyond their sight.

The herd of deer scattered and ran helter-skelter and the king pursued them. Soon he realised that he had been isolated from the team. He stopped the horse and got down. The strain of hunting had left the king and the horse tired and thirsty. The horse was panting for breath. The king went around that place in search of water, but of no avail.

The horse was getting restless due to exhaustion and thirst. It was neighing in a pitiable voice. The king stroked it in a bid to comfort it. He looked around helplessly.

A strong wind started blowing. Dry leaves, twigs and dust flew in the air. Amongst the dry leaves that blew over the king, a piece of palm leaf attracted the king's attention.

MAHATMYAM OF CHAPTER 14

King Shourya was ruling the Kingdom of Kashmir. At that time another powerful king named Vetala ruled the island of Simhala (Sri Lanka). These two kings were fast friends. As a token of friendship, the kings used to send each other rare and precious gifts. The king of Kashmir once sent to his friend a pair of hounds of rare breed. In return, the king of Simhala sent two baby elephants to the king of Kashmir.

The hounds grew up in the island of Simhala under the care of an expert trainer.

One day the king ordered: "Make arrangements for a hunting expedition."

The king and his advisers decided to hunt only the hares. It was declared that no other animal should be killed. Thus the hunt began.

The drums were beaten Conches were blown.

Hilarious shoutings!

The forests were shaken up.

Animals panicked and ran helter skelter.

Seeing their panic the princes laughed aloud.

Groups of hares started showing up. They emerged from their hideouts and started running for their lives.

The king released a hound into the pack of hares. The hares jumped sideways and scattered. One hare ran straight ahead and, the hound followed its trail. When they were almost out of sight, the king raced after them on his horse. Others followed the king.

The hound had almost caught the hare. The soldiers watched: the scene, holding their breath. Suddenly the hare turned round and with one quick stroke notched the eyes of the dog. The dog by that time could just bite the hare once. Bleeding profusely, both the hare and the dog started running again. They ran blindly and fell into a dirty pool of water and slush. Both fought with each other in that pool. The fight however did not last long. Both fell dead.

The kind and the soldiers were watching the fight. sanyasin (ascetic) was also watching the tight on the other side. He uttered aloud to himself: "Even though the lives have changed, the effect of actions continues."

He heaved a deep sigh. The king noticed it.He got down from his horse, went to the Sanyasin, paid his respects to him and looked around.

A little away, he saw an Ashram.In the immediate surroundings of the Ashram he saw strange 1hings happening. A cobra and a mongoose were playing like friends. A leopard and a deer were frolicking about. On the folded-up tail of a peacock a snake had crawled up without fear. Elephants and lions were playing about.

"Which is this place where animals live in perfect peace and fearlessness, forgetting their natural antagonism?" asked the king.

"O king! This is the Ashram of Sage Vatsa (Chest). I am his disciple, Swa Kandhara"said the Sanyasin. (Swa=One's own Kandhara = neck, the which supports the head. Allegorically it means one who bears one's head on one's own neck, i.e. a person of discrimination and independent judgement. He is also a disciple of 'Vatsa'. Vatsa meaning the chest or the heart, i.e. a person. Who is also sensitive to the intuitions of his "heart" that is to say, a person in whom both the qualities of the heart and head have been well developed)

By that time, a celestial vehicle came down there. Welcomed warmly by angels, the souls of the dog and the hare boarded the skycraft, rose high into the sky and disappeared from human vision.

The king and his retinue witnessed the scene with amazement.

"Revered Sir. I am astonished to see the souls of my dog and the wild hare going up in a celestial vehicle to the heavens. I an eager to know how this could happen," said the king.

"O king!" said Swa Kandhara, "did you notice that both of them died in that pool of water? That must be the reason why they got evolved to the higher worlds."

"You mean the water of that dirty pool has so much power and glory?"

"Must have!"

"What ?"

"Power and Glory!"

"How?"

"O king! All I know is that, that pool has been formed by the water which has flowed out and stagnated there, where I wash my feet before entering the Ashram premises. It is a routine for me to wash my feet every time I enter the Ashram."

"Revered Sir, I am asking you because of my ignorance. Ho come that water has acquired so much sanctity and power?"

"O king! I chant and study the fourteenth chapter of the Bhagawad Geeta every day. My Guru also does it. It is on account of the glory of the fourteenth chapter of the Geeta that the anima1 forget their natural enmity towards each other and co-exist here in mutual love. Even the water used for washing my feet has become sacred, as you observed just now. That is why the hare and the dog attained the higher worlds."

"Sir, I heard you remark something about lives and effect actions. Whom did you implicate by these remarks?"

Swa Kandhara smiled.

"Oh that is simple. Listen. A brahmin named Kesu once lived in Maharashtra in the town of Pratyudaka. He was a gambler and a drunkard. His wife was not at all faithful to him, and she led an immoral life. One day Kesu caught her red-handed when she was indulging with another person, and killed her immediately. After some time Kesu also died.

He lived a number of lives in the lower worlds of animals and ultimately he was born as a hare in this birth. Similarly, his wife also went through a number of births and deaths in the realms, and was born as a dog in this birth. Even though they went through a number of births and deaths, yet the instinct of mutual enmity persisted in them. I could not help laughing when I saw their mutual antagonism exhibiting so vigorously even after the lapse of so many births, when they fought so furiously and died in that dirty pool. Indeed, even though the lives have changed, the effect of actions continues to dog them."

The king was astonished. A doubt lingered in his mind, He asked: "How could you know all these things?"

"On account of my study of the fourteenth chapter of the Geeta, am able to know not only my own previous births, but that of others too. So great is the Geeta, and its fourteenth chapter, therefore, why don't you also start studying and practising the fourteenth chapter of the Geeta? Give up these silly pastimes of hunting and killing. Start practising the fourteenth chapter!"

The King accepted the advice of the Sanyasin and started studying the fourteenth chapter of the Geeta. Gradually, he evolved to the higher worlds.

MAHATMYAM OF CHAPTER 13 - REDEMPTION OF A WOMAN OF ILL VIRTUE

There was a village called Hariharapura on the banks of river Tungabhadra. A pious brahmin named Hari Deekshita lived there. He was a beacon light for the villagers, well versed in Vedic lore and renowned for his simple living and high thinking.

But unfortunately his wife was just the opposite. She was haughty and cruel and was surrounded by her paramours. Her youthfulness combined with a licentious mind made her a woman of easy virtues. She used to meet her lovers secretly in the woods and enjoy herself in their company. One day smitten by love, she entered the woods hoping to meet at least one of her paramours. She roamed in the woods for a long time but did not find any one. When she was thus wandering with a dejected mind, she saw someone approaching her stealthily. She thought it would be one of her paramours playing trick on her, and so jumped at the form and caught hold of it.

Good Lord! Leopard! Leopard!!" she screamed.

The leopard had an easy prey. As it started tearing her body with its powerful claws, she screamed in agony. But she mustered enough strength and courage to address it "O Leopard it is indeed very wrong on your part to kill me in my secret hideouts".

"Who! I have come here only for the purpose of killing you!" said the leopard.

"Who are you then?" asked the woman.

"I shall tell you. Listen," said the leopard.

"On the banks of river Malaa-paha (literally means that which destroys dirt, i.e. evil tendencies), there is a town called Muniparna (dried up grass used by ascetics for thatching their huts etc.). I was in my previous birth a brahmin born in that town. Though born in a very pious family I led a life of extreme greed. For the sake of money I used to perform worship for those who were not fit for it. I received shamelessly charities from everybody. I used to drive away those who approached me with genuine requests for money. I borrowed money from almost everybody and never returned it. Thus I grew up and spent all my youthful days to aggrandise wealth by right and wrong means."

"When I became old and eyesight failed and all my teeth fell away, I still continued my earlier life, spreading a grass mat in pilgrimage centres and begging for alms. Once while I was thus begging on the banks of a sacred pond where people used to come for a holy dip, a rabid dog bit me and I died. In this birth, I have now become a leopard. I don't attack Sanyasin (ascetics), pious brahmins or women of chastity. But you are a whore and so you are the right food for me."

"O leopard, I am now certain that you will kill and eat me up. But before doing so, I have to ask you some more questions" said the woman, although she was writhing in pain.

"You who were born in a brahmin family and became a leopard now on account of your bad actions, how did you inherit the remembrance of your previous births?"

"O, that was just a streak of luck. After the dog-bite. when I fell sick on the banks of the sacred pond and was fighting for life, I happened to hear a melodious chant. It was a brahmin reciting the thirteenth chapter of Bhagàwad Geeta. On account of the fact that I died on the banks of a sacred pond listening to the thirteenth chapter of the Geeta, I have been able to retain my memory of the previous births. I am now anxious to avoid any further devolution. Not only that, I am just roaming about with the fond expectation that I would be able to hear again the thirteenth chapter of the Geeta somewhere, sometime."

"So then, what remedy is there, in your opinion, for me to get liberated?" asked the woman.

"If you happen to listen to the thirteenth chapter of the Geeta, you will certainly get liberated."

The leopard was in no mood to prolong the discussions with the woman. It tore her apart and ate her up.

After innumerable births, with great difficulty, she was again born as a human being, but in a family of tribals who used to eat dog's meat.

When she grew up, according to her old instincts, she again became a prostitute. She passed her youth leading an immoral life. In her old age, when she had shed all her teeth, when her eyesight dimmed and her body was rendered weak and frail, she wandered about with a begging bowl in her hands.

At that time, without her realising it, fortune smiled on her. In the course of her wandering, she reached the old town of Hariharapura, and started her life of begging in the precincts of the temple of Goddess Jhrimbhika. (the word 'jhrimbhana' or 'Ujjhrimbhana', meaning: to encourage, to develop. Goddess Jhrimbhika only means that the Universal Mother has been installed the temple as a benevolent deity, who quickens or encourages or develops the evolutionary process of those who come within the sweep of Her grace. And on of this particular Sankalpa with which the Deity is installed, She has been as 'Jhrimbhika'. This is just one of the numberless aspects in which the grace of the mother is invoked and installed, yet another example of the mystic style of stories) There, she chanced to listen to the chanting of a hymn which she instinctively liked very much. She did not understand what it was, but she listened to it with all attention. After sometime, she fell down unconscious and died.

She gave up the human body which she had inherited in the family of dog-eaters and rose to the higher worlds.

The chant she heard was the thirteenth chapter of the Geeta. A pious man named Vasudevan was reciting the chapter in the temple hall of Goddess Jhrimbika.

MAHATMYAM OF CHAPTER 12- BHAKTHI AND MUKTHI

Kolhapur, a famous place of the land was rendered prosperous and glorious by the presence of the Universal Mother, Mahalakshmi, in a beautiful temple there. One day a handsome young prince reached the portals of the temple. He stood facing the idol of the Mother and prayed silently, tears flowing down his cheeks. The compassionate Mother revealed Herself in his mind and said:

"My child! Don't grieve. Tell me what you want."

"O Mother!" said the young man, his voice choked with the joy of having been able to talk to the Mother directly. "I am the son of King Brihadratha. My father had decided to perform an Aswamedha Yaga (horse sacrifice). He had tied the sacrificial horse to a post in the Yagnasala (the Yoopa). The horse has accomplished the feat of going round the various countries and returning victoriously. The preliminary rites of the Yaga had been concluded auspiciously. It was at that time that my father suddenly passed away. In the commotion that followed, someone stole the horse that was tied to the post. Our soldiers searched for it in every nook and corner of the land, but in vain. I have kept the body of my father immersed in medicated oil in a long wooden tub. The priests presiding over the sacrificial rites were disappointed with me and they went away. I am now stamped as an inefficient person, good for nothing. I am really dejected and don't know what to do. Mother, please be gracious enough to bless me!"

"My child!" said the Mother sympathetically. "There is a Sanyasin named Siddha Samadhi at present sitting at the Gopura (entrance) of this temple. He is competent to remove all your distress. Go and meet him. You will be successful."

The young prince prostrated again and again to the Mother, tears and walked towards the Gopura. He met Siddha Samadhi and prostrated to him.

"So you are the prince whom the Mother sent here, eh? Come. Don't be afraid", said Siddha Samadhi, welcoming the young man.

He then sat in meditation for a while, and through his divine vision, he saw that it was lndra, the king of Gods, who had stolen the sacrificial horse.

He took some water in his palm, chanted some mantras and threw it upwards into the sky. Hundreds of Devas came tumbling down from the heavens by the power of his mantras, and they stood in front of him respectfully.

"Indra has stolen the sacrificial horse of King Brihadratha, Please bring it back immediately", commanded Siddha Samadhi.

The Devas vanished and after a few minutes brought the horse and handed it over to the prince. The prince was aghast with, wonderment.

"Young man", said Siddha Samadhi, "restart the Yaga as quickly as possible".

The prince prostrated to the Sanyasin and said with choked with emotion: "Revered Sir, though the sacrificial horse has been regained, it is not possible to restart the Yaga, because as per tradition, no1 auspicious work can be done for one year from the death of my father. Kindly advise how this problem can be overcome", said the prince.

Tell me what you wish me to do," said the Sanyasin.

"May I venture to tell you?" asked the prince and said after pause: "You must bring my father back to life."

The Sanyasin did not speak for some time. He relapsed into serious silence.

Observing the mood of the Sanyasin, the prince said "Revered sir, your silence frightens me!"

The Sanyasin said in a calm and deep tone: "I had already given you refuge. Why are you then afraid?"

"Listen, my boy! Just as we discard old clothes, that Jeeva (the soul of the dead king) must have given up its worn-out body and gone in search of a new one. To call back that Jeeva into the body discarded by it is indeed a torturous job"

"Sir. I have safely kept his body immersed in medicated oil, in a wooden tub. That body has certainly not worn out. Kindly help ne, bless me!"

Siddha Samadhi again relapsed into deep meditative silence. When he woke up from his meditation, he said: "Young man! As per Mothers instructions, I will try my best to bring back your father alive. Come, let us go."

The prince started for the palace along with Siddha Samadhi and the sacrificial horse.

The Sanyasin gently stroked the dead body of the king from head to toe, took a little water in his palm and after chanting some mantras, sprinkled ft on the head of the king.

The king got up rubbing his eyes, as if he had woken up from a long sleep. He stretched his hands and legs and yawned.

At that time the prince was singing a hymn in praise of the Mother.

"Did I sleep for long?" the king asked the prince.

The prince narrated all that had happened. King Brihadratha prostrated at the feet of Siddha Samadhi and asked: "Revered Sir! How did you get the power to bring down the devas, and to bring dead people back to life? What mantra have you mastered?"

The Sanyasin said: "O King ! I chant regularly the twelfth chapter of the Bhagawad Geeta, dealing with Bhakti Yoga. I could accomplish all this by the power and glory of the twelfth chapter of Geeta. Therefore, you too should practise the twelfth chapter of Geeta hereafter. By doing so, you can get liberated even while alive."

So saying, the great Sanyasin, Siddha Samadhi, walked away.

From that day onwards King Brihadratha started practising the
twelfth chapter of the Geeta. The Yaga was restarted and concluded gloriously.

He coronated his son as the king, taught him the twelfth chapter of Geeta, and retired to a lonely place. In due course, he attained liberation.

Those who listen to this story can also attain liberation likewise.

MAHATMYAM OF CHAPTER 11 - GHOST IN THE REST HOUSE

There lived a brahmin, Sanandan, in the town of Meghamkara situated on the banks of river Praneeta. He used to recite the eleventh chapter of Bhagawad Geeta everyday and reflect on its teachings. Thus he became a Bratima-Gyani (knowerof Brahman) and a fearless person. Once he set on a pilgrimage to river Godavari to have a holy dip in it.

During his journey, he joined company with a group of other travellers and reached a place called Vivaha-Mandapa- Puri. Usually, during his journey, he used to get invited by people for food and shelter. That night no one invited him. He wandered from house to house in the village along with his co-travellers in search of shelter, but all in vain. At last he met the village headman and placed his request before him.

"In this place, no one would invite a stranger to his house for food and shelter. But…" said the village headman, "the king has built a spacious rest house in the outskirts of the village for the convenience of travellers. Go straight this way, and you will reach the rest house."

Sanandan was happy. He and his friends walked along the path shown by the headman and reached the rest-house. They spent the night there. The arduous journey had made them weary and they slept well that night.

Next morning Sanandan woke up to find himself lying on the courtyard of the rest house. All his friends, it seemed, had deserted him and gone away. He found none of his friends anywhere around him.

Sanandan got up hurriedly and started searching for his friends, He came upon the village headman and told him:

"I don't find my friends anywhere. Perhaps they must have left earlier. Let me try to catch up with them."

The village headman fell at his feet and said: "Revered Sir, it seems you are a great yogi, having great powers of mantra. You do have the powers to increase your longevity".

Sanandan could not understand what the headman said, and replied: "Please let me go". He moved ahead.

"Oh, please don't, please don't go', pleaded the headman. "You must stay with me as my honoured guest for some time. I shall make all arrangements for your comfortable stay."

When the headman compelled him so earnestly, Sanandan yielded to his request.The headman took best care of his guest.

One morning, the headman fell at the feet of Sanandan weeping bitterly.

"What happened?" asked Sanandan. "Get up, and tell me."

The headman cried loudly.

"Last night the devil ate my son. Who is there now for me?"

"Devil? Which devil? Where is it?" asked Sanandan

"Revered sir! There is a monstrous devil in this area who eats up human beings When his atrocious actions became intolerable, we sought the help of a sorcerer and through him reached an agreement with the devil. The agreement was that he should not cat anyone from the village, but only those who take shelter for the night in the rest house outside the village, and that the village headman would direct the travellers passing through the village to the rest house He agreed to the condition Accordingly, all the were instructed to deny shelter and food for strangers in their own homes but instead to direct them all to the rest house."

The headman paused for a while, and continued:

"Revered sir! You also spent a night in the rest house. Your friends were all eaten up by the devil. Only you had escaped his clutches. Your magical powers are indeed wondrous, Please be kind enough to save my son!"

"How can I do that?" asked Sanandan indifferently.

"You can do it. Last night, a young man came to this village. He was a friend of my son. I did not know it, and so I directed him to the rest house. When my son came back home at night, he realised the mistake committed by me and immediately he rushed to the rest house to bring back his friend. But alas! He was eaten up by the devil along with his friend."

"My dear friend!" said Sanandan. "As you sow, so you reap I You made a number of innocent people food for the devil. And now he made your son his food!"

"Revered sir!", the headman continued. 'When I approached the devil with my unbearable grief and asked him if there was any remedy for my grief, he said thus. Please be kind enough to listen to what he told me."

Sanandan nodded his approval.

The headman started telling the story:

The devil told me: 'Yes, there is a remedy for your grief. If a brahmin who regularly chants the eleventh chapter of Bhagawad Geeta wants to help you, you can get back your dead son, and I too will get released from this state of existence of mine.'

'Is the Geeta so glorious a book?' I asked the devil.

'Yes', he said, 'and the eleventh chapter of the Geeta is specially so.'

"After a pause, the devil continued. 'Once upon a time, a vulture while flying over a lake, happened to drop a piece of bone from its beak into the water below. A wise man who saw the incident, at once remarked that the lake had turned into a sacred one, and he immediately made arrangements to perform rites for his ancestors on the banks of the lake by using its water. People who saw the man doing the rites, laughed at his apparent foolishness of treating the lake as a sacred one, and asked him what made him think so. He said in an unruffled voice: 'This stretch of water has been sanctified. I shall tell you how. A Brahmin called Vittaavan (Rich man. In this context a man rich in his spiritual wealth) was killed by a group of robbers. Vittavaan used to chant the eleventh chapter of the Geeta three times a day—in the early dawn, at noon and at dusk. It was a piece of his bone that the vulture had dropped here in this water. That is why this lake has now become a sacred Teertha'.

"People accepted the statement of the wise man."

'From that day, that lake became a sacred one.'

'I too will get liberated likewise through the glory of the eleventh chapter of the Geeta'.

The devil continued: "O village headman! There is a brahmin now in this village, who is competent to deliver your son and myself from our present state of existence. It so happened that I swallowed him up in the rest house, but because of his being a BrahmaGyani, my throat was burnt by his spiritual strength and I spat him out. If this great person pours a pot of water over my head after duly sanctifying it by touching it and chanting the eleventh chapter of the Geeta seven times, your son will come out alive and I too will be released from the state of devilhood."

"Revered sir', the headman addressed Sanandan, "kindly pour a pot of water sanctified by your chanting and liberate the devil as well as my son!"

Sanandan was in no great hurry to do the job. He was rather more intrigued by the story of the devil, and asked:

"What sin did he commit on account of which he became a devil and started eating the people who took shelter in the rest house?"

The headman said: "I shall tell you that also".

"In this village there was a brahmin who had taken to farming. One day while he was keeping guard over his fields, a huge vulture happened to pounce upon an unwary traveller. An ascetic saw this rushed to the rescue of the traveller but before he could reach the spot the vulture had flown up with the traveller clutched it's powerful claws. It was then that the brahmin keeping guard the fields could see the traveller up in the sky, held by the claws monstrous vulture,

'The ascetic, who saw the brahmin farmer, turned red with anger and cursed him: 'You stood there enjoying the plight of person who had fallen in danger. May you therefore become a Rakshasa (devil)'.

"The brahmin pleaded his innocence and said that he did not, notice the incident as he was completely absorbed in his work."

"He who is not prepared to help those in mortal danger and rendered helpless, will fall into hell, even though he might have earned a lot of merits. Though you did not notice the vicious vulture attacking the traveller, you will have to suffer the curse, as the incident took place within your fields over which you were keeping guard. People cannot be so insensitive to the things happening within their own immediate surroundings."

'Oh please!' implored the brahmin, 'don't keep me existing helplessly in the form of a devil. Please be kind enough to also indicate a way out from this cursed existence'.

'Alright,' said the ascetic. 'if a person, who chants the eleventh chapter of the Shagawad Geeta regularly, happens to pour water, sanctified by his chanting of the eleventh chapter several times over, on your head, you will get liberated from your state of devilhood."

So saying, the ascetic walked away.

"It was that brahmin who had turned into this devil. He can be rescued from his state of existence only by your good self. And through his liberation my son will also be saved".

The village head man concluded his narration and stood silently.

Sanandan's heart melted at the plight of the headman and the devil. He went to the place where the devil was residing. The headman and a crowd of villagers followed him. Sanandan sä down near the devil on a special seat and meditated on the Cosmic Form of the Lord, the subject of the Geeta. He then took a pot of water in his hands and started chanting the eleventh chapter of Geeta. Gradually, his face started glowing with the splendour and Brahma Tejas. People watched him with amazement and reverence. When he finished chanting the eleventh chapter sever times, he got up and poured the water slowly over the head of the devil.

Wonder of wonders!

Transformation!

The body of the devil slowly started transforming into a divine form! Released from the curse, the body of the devil transformed into that of an attendant of Lord Vishnu, with four hands holding lotus, mace, conch and the divine wheel, clad in yellow silks and adorning a multi-coloured flower garland. And by his side there
appeared a large number of similar forms, all with four hands holding the lotus, mace, conch and wheel, with flower garlands and clad in yellow silks. They were the various people whom the devil had swallowed up in the rest house.

"Our prostrations to you, who have delivered me and these persons from our miserable existence and elevated us to the world of Lord Vishnu", said the erstwhile devil and prostrated to Sanandan along with others.

"Where is my son? Where is he?" asked the headman anxiously.

"O headman! Look! There is your son, holding the lotus flower oft and smiling at you!" said the erstwhile devil.

"O my child! Come let us go home" said the headman.

"Me, your son? And you say our home?" the son burst out in laughter. He said: "I was your father twice, in two of my earlier births. This time I became your son. And, in this manner, I had innumerable births and innumerable houses. To which of these shall I come? And who indeed is my father?" The son again burst into laughter.

The strange laughter echoed in the heart of the headman.

"O my son! Are you abandoning me and going away?" asked grief-stricken father.

"O village headman!" said the son sympathetically. "Please behave wisely. No one belongs to any one. All persons, all these you see around, all belong to the Lord only. I have been liberated and am going to the world of Lord Vishnu, Cut asunder bondages of family, wealth, house and relatives and come to the Lord's world. Learn from this revered brahmin, Sanandan, at least the eleventh chapter of the Geeta. Give up all attachments to wealth and worldly pleasure! Elevate yourself with the help of the satsang you have just got, the association with Sanandan. Break the ties of samsaar and rise to the world of the Lord. Come! Come!"

So saying, all the transformed people rose into the sky and disappeared from the human vision.

Sanandari was pleasantly surprised at the strange happenings. He taught the village headman the eleventh chapter of the Geeta, and encouraged him with his companionship for a few months. In due course, both of them attained the world of Lord Vishnu.

Such is the glory of the eleventh chapter of the Geeta.

Thus I have narrated the glory of the eleventh chapter of the, Geeta. Even the act of listening to this story carefully will liberate one from great sins.