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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. Malayad- hvaja, 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 daugh- ter 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 hus- band 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 com- panion? 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. De- Purnendu Narayana Sinha, M. A., B. L. 101 sirous 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 conscious- ness. 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 Ripa or object of sight. "Dyumat" is the perceiving eye. "Nalini" and "Nalini" are the left and right nostrils respectively. "Avadhiita" is Vayu. In the story, it means the perceiving nose. "Saurabha" is Gandha or smell. "Mukhya" is mouth. "Apana" is speech. 102 A Study of the Bhagavata Purana "Bahtidana" 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, ie. he reaches, after death, the path called Pitriyana. "Pitriht" is therefore the right ear. "Devahti" is the left ear corre- sponding to Devayana. "Uttara Panchala" is Pravritti Sastra or teachings of worldliness. "Dakshina Panchal" is Nivritti Sastra or teachings of renunciation. "Nirriti" is death. The anus is called death, because ordinarily the Linga Sarira goes out through that passage after death. "Lubdhak" is Payu. "Vaisasa" is excrement. "Nirvak" is foot. "Pesaskrita" is hand. Of the Indriyas, hand and foot are blind, as there are no openings in them. "Vishichina" is mind. Moha is the result of Tamas, Prasada of Satva and Harsha of Rajas. The aforesaid names indicate enjoyment in the Jagrat or waking state. The hunting represents enjoyment in the Svapna or dream state. The "Chariot" is the body in dream consciousness. The five horses are the five organs of perception. The two poles are "I-ness" and "Mine-ness." The two wheels are merit and demerit. The axle is Pradhana. The three flags are the three Gunas. The five chains are the five Pranas. The bridle is Manas the seat of desires. The charioteer is Buddhi. The yoke-ends are sorrow and delusion. Purnendu Narayana Sinha, M. A., B. L. 103 The seven fenders are the seven Dhatus or essential ingredients of the body. The five courses are the five organs of action. The gold color of the armour is due to Rajas. Brihadbala is the even perceiving mind. The sons are the transformations of perception. The daughters are the concepts following such transformations. "Chandavega", the Gandharva king, is the year, every year of hu- man life. The Gandharvas are days. Their wives are nights. The 360 Gandharvas are the 360 days of the year. With their wives or nights they form the number 720. The daughter of Kala is Jara or decrepitude. The Yavanas are diseases or infirmities. Fear is the King of all diseases and infirmities viz., Death. Prajvara is destructive fever. As long as Purusha does not know his real self, but identifies himself with the Gunas of Prakriti, he becomes subject to births and deaths. The only remedy for this malady is pure devotion to Guru and to Bhagavan. By such devotion, dispassion and wisdom are both acquired. "Darbha" is Kusa grass, symbolical of Yajna. "Vidarbha" is pure land. "Malaya" or the Deccan is famous for Vishnu worship. "Malayadhvaja" is therefore a Vaishnava king. [It appears that Vaishnavism had its rise and growth in the South of India before it overspread Northern India. This would be natural considering the hold of Vedic Brahmanism in Northern India. ] The daughter of Malayadhvaja is Devotion. The seven sons are the seven divisions of Bhakti, viz.— 1) Sravana or hearing the glory of Vishnu, 2) Kirtana or reciting the glory of Vishnu, 3) Smarana or constant remembrance of Vishnu, 4) Padasevana or shewing respect to Vishnu, 104 A Study of the Bhagavata Purana 5) Archana or worship of Vishnu, 6) Bandana or adoration of Vishnu, 7) Dasya or consecration of one self to the service of Vishnu. The other two divisions, Saukhya or companionship with Vishnu and Atmé nivedana or complete resignation are not mentioned in this connection as they relate to a highly advanced spiritual state. These modes of Bhakti worship are prevalent in Dravida. The millions of sons are sub-divisions of Sravana, &c. "Agastya" is mind. "Dridhachyuta" is one confirmed in dispassion. "Idhmavaha" is one who goes to Guru, fuel in hand, for instruc- tions. Isvara, the unknown friend, called Himself and the Purusha two Kansas of the Manasa Lake. Hansa is one absolutely pure. Manasa Lake is the Heart. "For one thousand years"—Both Jiva and Isvara remained together as friends, the same in essence and in form, during the one thousand years of Maha Pralaya, at the end of a Kaipa. During Manvantaric Manifestation, the Jiva parts from his Friend Isvara and launches into a wild course of enjoyments, of joys and sorrows. The touch of that fascinating lady Buddhi destroys all previous remembrances and the Jiva plays several characters in the drama of life, in dream and delu- sion. Narada concluded his explanation of the allegory with this elo- quent exhortation:— "Know thou, O King, the deer, skipping in the flower-garden, in company with its sweet-heart, deeply attached to the sweets of that garden, devouring with eager ears the humming music of bhrama- ras, little caring for the wolves on its way or for the arrows of the huntsman that pierce its back. "The flowers are but women who bloom only to droop. The fra- grance and honey, the sweets of the garden, are the enjoyments brought on by the karma of another birth." Purnendu Narayana Sinha, M. A., B. L. 105 "The music of bhramaras is the pleasing conversation of women and others. The wolves are the days and nights. The huntsman who stealthily flings arrows at the deer is Death. The deer is thy own self." "Consider Well the efforts of the deer. Concentrate chitta into the heart and all perceptions into chitta. Give up the company of woman. Turn a deaf ear to all idle talks. Be devoted to that one true Friend of Jivas—Iévara. Retire, retire from all others." King Prachina Barhis wondered why such beautiful teachings were with held by his teachers. Or forsooth, they knew not them- selves. He requested Narada however to remove two doubts that were still lurking in his mind.—Purusha acquires karma in one body, but he reaps the fruits of that karma in another body. One body is the doer while another is the enjoyer and sufferer. To one body, the fruits of its own work are lost. To another body, there is an acqui- sition of fruits it did not sow. How can this be? This was the first doubt. What is done is done. Nothing apparently remains of our karma. How can then the sequences be accounted for? This was the second doubt.