Dvisahasri of Tembesvami (Summary and Study)
by Upadhyay Mihirkumar Sudhirbhai | 2012 | 54,976 words
This page relates 鈥楧ialogue between the married couple and the Holy Master鈥� of the study of the Dvisahasri by Tembesvami:鈥攁 Sanskrit epic poem (mahakavya) narrating the legend and activities of Lord Dattatreya, including details on his divine sports and incarnations. Also known as Datta, he is considered one of the Holy Masters in the Natha cult imparting spiritual knowledge and adequate practice to the aspirant.
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Chapter 17 - Dialogue between the married couple and the Holy Master
[Note: This page represents a summary English translation of the Dvis膩hasr墨 by 峁琫mbesv膩m墨, chapter 17.鈥擭ow in order to destroy the evil actions the collection of 5 chapters (14-18) is being depicted for evoking detachment for those whose minds are impure.鈥擨n the 17th chapter He speaks about the greatness of the 搁耻诲谤腻办峁 beads and the ashes followed by women being unqualified in chanting the Vedic formulas as well as the vow of Monday.]
17/01-03: Siddha spoke: The chaste wife asks who was the monk who gave the 搁耻诲谤腻办峁 -beads and ashes?. Who was he? What is the importance of the 搁耻诲谤腻办峁 -beads? (02-03).
17/04-15: Holy Master spoke: It was a test of her intention. He talks about the 搁耻诲谤腻办峁-beads that they are the ornaments of Lord 艢颈惫补. They bestow immortality and remove the sins. (05-08). One should put on a fixed number of the 搁耻诲谤腻办峁-beads[1] (09). He narrates the story of king Bhadrasena of Kashmir and the son of his minister who used to put on 搁耻诲谤腻办峁-beads since childhood and the reason is given by 笔补谤腻艣补谤补 through the story of a chaste harlot of 狈补苍诲颈驳谤腻尘补 that she had a monkey and a cock decked with the 搁耻诲谤腻办峁-beads (10-12). Lord 艢颈惫补 in the guise of a merchant wearing the jewelled bracelet and 艢颈惫补li峁単a comes to test her (13). She asks them in lieu of being a chaste wife for three days (14). The Lord doubts about her truthfulness (15).
17/16-17: The harlot spoke: She promises to be a chaste wife.
17/18-46: The merchant spoke: He gives her bracelet and 艢颈惫补li峁単a . She serves him, but during that time there is fire and the 艢颈惫补li 峁単a , the monkey and the cock are burnt. The merchant offers himself in the fire and she gets ready to follow him, just then Lord 艢颈惫补 reveals Himself and being pleased offers a boon (19-24). She asks for the liberation (25). The monkey and the cock are also released, because they were devotees in the previous life (26).
Sage 笔补谤腻艣补谤补 continues that the prince would though die, Lord is the saviour (27-28). As per the dialogue between the Creator and the god of Death, Indra and Yama confer the fruit on the pious and the sinful The god of Death throws the sinners in hells. (29-31). The 搁耻诲谤腻诲丑测腻测补 of the Yajurveda is a sin-destroyer hymn (32-33). Yama may punish those who recite it disregarding the procedure (34-35). The king is asked to pray the Brahmins to perform a sacred bath on the 艢颈惫补li峁単a for the longevity of his son. The king does so and his son is relieved from the adversities (36-39). The king pays respects to the Brahmins and to 笔补谤腻艣补谤补 also (40). Even sage 狈腻谤补诲补 arrives there and being asked by the king, reports that the god of Death had come and was defeated by Lord 艢颈惫补鈥檚 servants who inform about Citragupta鈥檚 writing of the life of a short term to be extended upto 10,000 years. Thus the prince is saved by 笔补谤腻艣补谤补 (41-45).
The Holy Master concludes with the remark about the greatness of holy places and the 搁耻诲谤腻办峁 -beads (46).
17/47-48: 厂腻惫颈迟谤墨 spoke: She requests for a sacred formula.
17/49-73: Holy Master spoke: Women are unquaqlified and if instructed it would be harmful to the instructor like 艢耻办谤腻肠腻谤测补 who during the war between the gods and the demons revives the killed demons. Indra reports Br蹋haspati who with a desire to receive the sacred formula, sends his son Kaca to 艢耻办谤腻肠腻谤测补 (50-55). Kaca goes there as a student (56). 艢耻办谤腻肠腻谤测补鈥檚 daughter 顿别惫补测腻苍墨 is infatuated by Kaca (58). Demons realize his fraud and kill him three times, but 顿别惫补测腻苍墨 asks every time her father to revive him (59-62). Lastly the demons burn Kaca, mix his ashes in wine and give to 艢耻办谤腻肠腻谤测补 who drinks it (63). After kowing through the meditation when 艢耻办谤腻肠腻谤测补 shows his inability to revive Kaca any more, she requests him to instruct the formula to her so that she can revive Kaca and then to him (64-66). He does so. Kaca is revived (67). After she recites the formula and survives 艢耻办谤腻肠腻谤测补, the formula becomes powerless (68). Kaca wants to go home (69). 顿别惫补测腻苍墨 requests him to marry but he believes that she is his sister because she has saved him as a sister and a mother (70-71). But she curses him to forget the formula. Kaca also curses her that a Brahmin won鈥檛 marry her (72). 艢耻办谤腻肠腻谤测补 gets dejected. Hence any sacred formula is not to be instructed to a woman (73).
17/74-75: 厂腻惫颈迟谤墨 spoke: She requests to instruct for any vow (for a woman).
17/76-94: The Holy Master: The vow of the Monday is the best. A lady named S墨mantini gets her husband back by the power of the vow of Monday (77-78AB). King 颁颈迟谤补惫补谤尘腻 gets a girl by the grace of Lord 艢颈惫补. One of the astrologers predicts that she will be a widow in childhood. The girl asks 惭补颈迟谤别测墨 who declares the means She says that Lord 艢颈惫补 protects through the vow of Monday, but becomes angry if the vow is broken (81-83). 惭补颈迟谤别测墨 enumerates the rewards offering different materials. The girl practises the vow (84- 86). The king gives her in marriage to 颁补苍诲谤腻 峁単ada (87). The king gives him the necessary things (88). But 颁补苍诲谤腻峁単ada dies while sporting in river Yamuna. She wants to follow her husband. She is not allowed to so, because the body of her dead husband is not found (89-90). She continues the vow (91). On the other side 颁补苍诲谤腻 峁単ada鈥檚 father Indrasena is imprisoned by an enemy king and he loses the kingdom (92). The serpent girls have taken 颁补苍诲谤腻峁単ada to 狈腻驳补-world, king 痴腻蝉耻办颈 asks about him (93-94).
17/95-98: 颁补苍诲谤腻 峁単ada spoke: He tells everything and adds that he is lucky that he has seen him, as their family deity is Lord 艢颈惫补.
17/99-100: 痴腻蝉耻办颈 spoke: He may stay there and enjoy the divine pleasures.
17/101-105: 颁补苍诲谤腻峁単ada spoke: He expresses his worry that his family may consider him dead and may die (102). 痴腻蝉耻办颈 allows him to return (103). When he reaches on the bank of river 驰补尘耻苍腻, he sees a queen without any marital signs and asks her identity. She talks through her friend (104-105).
17/106-118: The female friend: She introduces her as S墨mantini and tells every thing adding that she is observing the vow of the Monday (107-108). S墨mantini is suspicious, but he assures her about the return of her husband within three days (109-110). As soon as 颁补苍诲谤腻 峁単ada conveys his arrival to the enemy king, he frees 颁补苍诲谤腻峁単ada鈥榮 father (111-112). 颁补苍诲谤腻 峁単ada comes to the city, asks permission to go to his father-in-law to remove his wife鈥檚 grief (113-114). All are happy thereafter (115).
The Holy Masters concludes with the greatness of the vow of the Monday. 厂腻惫颈迟谤墨 and her husband practise the vow, visit Holy Master every year and attain worldly pleasures and liberation finally (116- 117). In this manner the Holy Master sanctifies the world with His Divine Sports (118).