Puranic encyclopaedia
by Vettam Mani | 1975 | 609,556 words | ISBN-10: 0842608222
This page describes the Story of Satvika included the Puranic encyclopaedia by Vettam Mani that was translated into English in 1975. The Puranas have for centuries profoundly influenced Indian life and Culture and are defined by their characteristic features (panca-lakshana, literally, ‘the five characteristics of a Purana�).
Story of ٱ첹
A brahmin, who was turned into a ṣa due to a curse after he had entered heaven. His story has been told by sage ŚܲԲ첹 to Bharata, brother of Śrī 峾.
It was Bharata, who led the yājñic horse towards the north in connection with the ś ⲹñ performed by Śrī 峾 after he was crowned King. The horse, which started on its journey from ǻ reached, after six months, ūṭa on the limits of India. As soon as it got into a beautiful garden it was rendered stationary as though paralysed. All attempts to make the horse move failed. ŚٰܲԲ and some soldiers tried to lift the horse by its legs, to no purpose. Ჹū bound its legs with his tail and pulled, again to no purpose, and surprised at this failure of his he spoke to ŚٰܲԲ and others thus. "It was only just now that I pulled out with my tail the ٰṇa mountain so very easily; but this small horse does not stir at all. May be, it is all fate." Following Ჹū’s speech, ŚٰܲԲ asked Sumālī the explanation for this state of the matter, but the latter could not find one for it. Then it was decided to find out a ṣi and ask him for the explanation. The soldiers accompanied by Bharata went in search of a ṣi, reached ŚܲԲ첹’s ś and submitted the case to him.
The ṣi remained in meditation for some time and the condition of the horse became vivid in his mind. Then he spoke as follows:�"There was once a brahmin named ٱ첹 in Ҳḍa(?) land on the banks of river 屹ī. Once he began performing tapas. He spent three days. drinking only water the first day, consuming air the next day and fasting completely the third day. He continued his tapas repeating the above course until one day he entered (expired). He got into a decorated plane sent from Devaloka, went to the peak of mount Meru and thence came to river ū, which flowed from the great ū tree on the mountain. There in ū were many ṣis, who had acquired merit by bathing in the golden water of the river, enjoying all comforts in the company of women. ٱ첹, one day, haughty with the thought that he was the master of the ṣis, did something which quite displeased the latter, and they cursed him. When he prayed for absolution from the curse they told him thus: "When you paralyse the feet of Śrī 峾’s horse, you will happen to hear 峾’s story and then you will be redeemed from curse."
On ŚܲԲ첹 informing them thus that it was the brahmin transformed into a ṣa, who had paralysed the legs of the horse, Bharata returned to the horse and recited the story of 峾 and immediately an effulgent person came there in a plane and said, "Oh. intelligent King! I have now heard the story of 峾 and so have become pure; so, please let me go to heaven." After saying this he returned. Bharata and others were pleased to know that the visitor was ٱ첹 brahmin. The horse became free from its paralysed condition. The party resumed its journey. (Padma Purāṇa, Pātālakhaṇḍa, Chapters 47 and 48).