The Origin of Jaleshvara: Narada's Mission to Bana's Tripura

Verse 1 (padma.3.14.1)

नारद उवाच । नर्मदा तु नदीश्रेष्ठा पुण्या पुण्यतमा त्रिषु । मुनिभिस्तु महाभागैर्विभक्ता धर्मकांक्षिभिः

nārada uvāca narmadā tu nadīśreṣṭhā puṇyā puṇyatamā triṣu munibhistu mahābhāgairvibhaktā dharmakāṁkṣibhiḥ

Narada said: The Narmada is indeed the foremost of rivers, most sacred among the three worlds; she has been divided into portions by the great-souled sages who sought after dharma.

Verse 2 (padma.3.14.2)

यज्ञोपवीतमात्राणि प्रविभक्तानि पांडव । तेषु स्नात्वा तु राजेंद्र सर्वपापैः प्रमुच्यते

yajñopavītamātrāṇi pravibhaktāni pāṁḍava teṣu snātvā tu rājeṁdra sarvapāpaiḥ pramucyate

O Pandava, they divided her into portions the mere size of the sacred thread. O lord of kings, bathing in those portions, one is freed from all sins.

Verse 3 (padma.3.14.3)

जलेश्वरं च यत्तीर्थं त्रिषु लोकेषु विश्रुतम् । तस्योत्पत्तिं कथयतः शृणु पांडवनंदन

jaleśvaraṁ ca yattīrthaṁ triṣu lokeṣu viśrutam tasyotpattiṁ kathayataḥ śṛṇu pāṁḍavanaṁdana

O joy of the Pandavas, hear now the account of the origin of the tirtha called Jaleshvara, renowned in the three worlds.

Verse 4 (padma.3.14.4)

पुरा मुनिगणाः सर्वे सेन्द्राश्चैव मरुद्गणाः । स्तुवंति ते महात्मानं देवदेवं महेश्वरम्

purā munigaṇāḥ sarve sendrāścaiva marudgaṇāḥ stuvaṁti te mahātmānaṁ devadevaṁ maheśvaram

Long ago, all the hosts of sages, together with Indra and the troops of Maruts, began to praise the great-souled Maheshvara, God of gods.

Verse 5 (padma.3.14.5)

स्तुवमानास्तु संप्राप्ता यत्र देवो महेश्वरः । विज्ञापयंति देवेशं सेंद्राश्चैव मरुद्गणाः । भयोद्विग्नान्विरूपाक्ष परित्रायस्व नः प्रभो

stuvamānāstu saṁprāptā yatra devo maheśvaraḥ vijñāpayaṁti deveśaṁ seṁdrāścaiva marudgaṇāḥ bhayodvignānvirūpākṣa paritrāyasva naḥ prabho

Praising him, they came to where the god Maheshvara was; together with Indra and the Maruts, they made known to the Lord of gods: 'O three-eyed one, we are agitated by fear — protect us, O Lord.'

Verse 6 (padma.3.14.6)

ईश्वर उवाच । स्वागतं तु मुनिश्रेष्ठाः किमर्थमिह चागताः । किं दुःखं कोऽनुसंतापः कुतो वा भयमागतम्

īśvara uvāca svāgataṁ tu muniśreṣṭhāḥ kimarthamiha cāgatāḥ kiṁ duḥkhaṁ ko'nusaṁtāpaḥ kuto vā bhayamāgatam

Ishvara said: Welcome, O best of sages! For what purpose have you come here? What sorrow, what affliction, or whence has this fear arisen?

Verse 7 (padma.3.14.7)

कथयध्वं महाभागा एतदिच्छामि वेदितुम् । एवमुक्तास्तु रुद्रेणाकथयन्नमितव्रताः

kathayadhvaṁ mahābhāgā etadicchāmi veditum evamuktāstu rudreṇākathayannamitavratāḥ

O greatly fortunate ones, this I wish to know — tell me. Thus questioned by Rudra, those sages of boundless vows spoke.

Verse 8 (padma.3.14.8)

ऋषय ऊचुः । अपि घोरो महावीर्यो दानवो बलदर्पितः । बाणो नामेति विख्यातो यस्य वै त्रिपुरं पुरम्

ṛṣaya ūcuḥ api ghoro mahāvīryo dānavo baladarpitaḥ bāṇo nāmeti vikhyāto yasya vai tripuraṁ puram

The sages said: There is a terrible demon of great valor, puffed up with strength, renowned by the name Bana, whose city is the [flying] city of Tripura,

Verse 9 (padma.3.14.9)

गगने तु वसद्दिव्यं भ्रमते तस्य तेजसा । तस्माद्भीता विरूपाक्ष त्वामेव शरणं गताः

gagane tu vasaddivyaṁ bhramate tasya tejasā tasmādbhītā virūpākṣa tvāmeva śaraṇaṁ gatāḥ

which dwells in the divine sky and wanders about by its own splendor. Frightened of him, O three-eyed one, we have come to you alone for refuge.

Verse 10 (padma.3.14.10)

त्रायस्व महतो दुःखाद्देवत्वं हि परा गतिः । एवं प्रसादं देवेश सर्वेषां कर्तुमर्हसि

trāyasva mahato duḥkhāddevatvaṁ hi parā gatiḥ evaṁ prasādaṁ deveśa sarveṣāṁ kartumarhasi

Save us from this great sorrow — for godhood indeed is the supreme refuge. O Lord of gods, you should show such grace to us all.

Verse 11 (padma.3.14.11)

येन देवाः सुप्रसन्नाः सुखमेधंति शंकर । परां निर्वृतिमायांति तत्प्रभो कर्तुमर्हसि

yena devāḥ suprasannāḥ sukhamedhaṁti śaṁkara parāṁ nirvṛtimāyāṁti tatprabho kartumarhasi

By which, O Shankara, the gods may become fully content, prosper in happiness, and attain supreme peace — that, O Lord, you should accomplish.

Verse 12 (padma.3.14.12)

देव उवाच । एतत्सर्वं करिष्यामि मा विषादं करिष्यथ । अचिरेणैव कालेन कुर्यां युष्मत्सुखावहम्

deva uvāca etatsarvaṁ kariṣyāmi mā viṣādaṁ kariṣyatha acireṇaiva kālena kuryāṁ yuṣmatsukhāvaham

The god said: All this I shall do; do not fall into despair. In a short time indeed I shall bring about your happiness.

Verse 13 (padma.3.14.13)

आश्वासयित्वा तान्सर्वान्नर्मदातटमास्थितः । चिंतयामास सर्वेशस्तद्वधं प्रति पांडव

āśvāsayitvā tānsarvānnarmadātaṭamāsthitaḥ ciṁtayāmāsa sarveśastadvadhaṁ prati pāṁḍava

Having consoled them all, the Lord of all, seated on the bank of the Narmada, O Pandava, began to ponder how to destroy him,

Verse 14 (padma.3.14.14)

कथं केन प्रकारेण हंतव्यस्त्रिपुरो मया । एवं संचिंत्य भगवान्नारदं स्मरते तदा । स्मरणादेव संप्राप्तो नारदः समुपस्थितः

kathaṁ kena prakāreṇa haṁtavyastripuro mayā evaṁ saṁciṁtya bhagavānnāradaṁ smarate tadā smaraṇādeva saṁprāpto nāradaḥ samupasthitaḥ

'How, and by what means, shall Tripura be destroyed by me?' Thus pondering, the Blessed Lord called Narada to mind; by that very act of remembrance, Narada arrived and stood before him.

Verse 15 (padma.3.14.15)

नारद उवाच । आज्ञापय महादेव किमर्थं संस्मृतो ह्यहम् । किं कार्यं तु मया देव कर्तव्यं कथयस्व मे

nārada uvāca ājñāpaya mahādeva kimarthaṁ saṁsmṛto hyaham kiṁ kāryaṁ tu mayā deva kartavyaṁ kathayasva me

Narada said: Command me, Mahadeva! For what purpose have I been called to mind? What task, O god, is to be done by me? Tell me.

Verse 16 (padma.3.14.16)

ईश्वर उवाच । गच्छ नारद तत्रैव यत्र तत्त्रिपुरं पुरम् । बाणस्य दानवेन्द्रस्य शीघ्रं गच्छाथ तत्कुरु

īśvara uvāca gaccha nārada tatraiva yatra tattripuraṁ puram bāṇasya dānavendrasya śīghraṁ gacchātha tatkuru

Ishvara said: Go, Narada, to that very place where the city Tripura of Bana, lord of the Danavas, is; go quickly, and do this:

Verse 17 (padma.3.14.17)

भर्तारो देवताभाश्च स्त्रियश्चाप्सरसोपमाः । तासां वै तेजसा विप्र भ्रमते त्रिपुरं दिवि

bhartāro devatābhāśca striyaścāpsarasopamāḥ tāsāṁ vai tejasā vipra bhramate tripuraṁ divi

the husbands there resemble gods, and the women resemble apsarases; by their very splendor, O brahmin, Tripura wanders about in the sky.

Verse 18 (padma.3.14.18)

तत्र गत्वा तु विप्रेंद्र मंत्रमन्यं प्रचोदय । देवस्य वचनं श्रुत्वा मुनिस्त्वरितविक्रमः

tatra gatvā tu vipreṁdra maṁtramanyaṁ pracodaya devasya vacanaṁ śrutvā munistvaritavikramaḥ

O lord of brahmins, having gone there, sow a different resolve among them. Having heard the god's words, that sage of swift prowess,

Verse 19 (padma.3.14.19)

स्त्रीणां हृदयनाशाय प्रविष्टस्तं पुरं प्रति । शोभते तत्पुरं दिव्यं नानारत्नोपशोभितम्

strīṇāṁ hṛdayanāśāya praviṣṭastaṁ puraṁ prati śobhate tatpuraṁ divyaṁ nānāratnopaśobhitam

went there to unsettle the hearts of the women, and entered that city. That divine city shone, adorned with jewels of every kind,

Verse 20 (padma.3.14.20)

शतयोजनविस्तीर्णं ततो द्विगुणमायतम् । ततः पश्यति तत्रैव बाणं तु बलदर्पितम्

śatayojanavistīrṇaṁ tato dviguṇamāyatam tataḥ paśyati tatraiva bāṇaṁ tu baladarpitam

a hundred yojanas in extent and twice that in length. There he saw Bana, puffed up with the pride of strength,

Verse 21 (padma.3.14.21)

मालाकुंडलकेयूरैर्मुकुटेन विराजितम् । हाररत्नैश्च संछन्नं चंद्रकांतिविभूषितम्

mālākuṁḍalakeyūrairmukuṭena virājitam hāraratnaiśca saṁchannaṁ caṁdrakāṁtivibhūṣitam

resplendent with garlands, earrings, and armlets, and a crown, covered with strings of gem-studded necklaces, adorned with the radiance of the moonstone.

Verse 22 (padma.3.14.22)

ललनास्तस्य रत्नाढ्याः नराः कनकमंडिताः । उत्थितो नारदं दृष्ट्वा दानवेंद्रो महाबलः

lalanāstasya ratnāḍhyāḥ narāḥ kanakamaṁḍitāḥ utthito nāradaṁ dṛṣṭvā dānaveṁdro mahābalaḥ

His women were richly adorned with jewels, and his men decked in gold. Seeing Narada, that mighty lord of the Danavas rose up.

Verse 23 (padma.3.14.23)

बाण उवाच । स देवर्षिः स्वयं प्राप्तो मद्गृहं प्रति संप्रति । अर्घं पाद्यं यथान्यायं क्रियतां द्विजसत्तम

bāṇa uvāca sa devarṣiḥ svayaṁ prāpto madgṛhaṁ prati saṁprati arghaṁ pādyaṁ yathānyāyaṁ kriyatāṁ dvijasattama

Bana said: This divine seer himself has now come to my house; let the guest-water and the offering of feet-water be duly prepared, O best of the twice-born.

Verse 24 (padma.3.14.24)

चिरात्समागतो विप्र स्थीयतामिदमासनम् । एवं संभावयित्वा तु नारदं समुपस्थितम्

cirātsamāgato vipra sthīyatāmidamāsanam evaṁ saṁbhāvayitvā tu nāradaṁ samupasthitam

After a long time you have come, O brahmin; please be seated upon this seat. Having thus honored Narada, now present before him,

Verse 25 (padma.3.14.25)

तस्य भार्या महादेवी अनौपम्या तु नामतः

tasya bhāryā mahādevī anaupamyā tu nāmataḥ

his chief queen, the Great Goddess, named Anaupamya, [came forward] —

Verse 26 (padma.3.14.26)

अनौपम्योवाच । भगवन्मानुषे लोके देवास्तुष्यंति केन वै । व्रतेन नियमेनापि दानेन तपसाथवा

anaupamyovāca bhagavanmānuṣe loke devāstuṣyaṁti kena vai vratena niyamenāpi dānena tapasāthavā

Anaupamya said: O Lord, in the world of men, by what means are the gods pleased — by vow, by discipline, by charity, or by austerity?

Verse 27 (padma.3.14.27)

नारद उवाच । तिलधेनुं च यो दद्याद्ब्राह्मणे वेदपारगे । ससागरा नवद्वीपा दत्ता भवति मेदिनी

nārada uvāca tiladhenuṁ ca yo dadyādbrāhmaṇe vedapārage sasāgarā navadvīpā dattā bhavati medinī

Narada said: Whoever gives a cow made of sesame seeds to a brahmin learned in the Veda, it is as if he has given the whole earth together with its oceans and its nine continents.

Verse 28 (padma.3.14.28)

सूर्यकोटिप्रतीकाशैर्विमानैः सर्वकामिकैः । मोदते चाक्षयं कालं सुचिरं कृतशासनः

sūryakoṭipratīkāśairvimānaiḥ sarvakāmikaiḥ modate cākṣayaṁ kālaṁ suciraṁ kṛtaśāsanaḥ

He rejoices for an imperishable span of time in celestial chariots resembling ten million suns, granting every desire, his position long established.

Verse 29 (padma.3.14.29)

आम्रातककपित्थानि कदलीवनमेव च । कदंब चंपकाशोका अनेक विविधद्रुमाः

āmrātakakapitthāni kadalīvanameva ca kadaṁba caṁpakāśokā aneka vividhadrumāḥ

Mango, wood-apple, and plantain groves, and kadamba, champaka, and ashoka — many various trees besides,

Verse 30 (padma.3.14.30)

अष्टमी च चतुर्थी च द्वादशी च तथा उभे । संक्रांतिर्विषुवं चैव दिनच्छिद्रमुखं तथा

aṣṭamī ca caturthī ca dvādaśī ca tathā ubhe saṁkrāṁtirviṣuvaṁ caiva dinacchidramukhaṁ tathā

the eighth and fourth lunar days, and both the twelfths, the solstice, the equinox, and likewise the junctures of the day —

Verse 31 (padma.3.14.31)

पुण्यान्येतानि सर्वाणि उपवासंति याः स्त्रियः । तासां तु धर्म्मयुक्तानां स्वर्गे वासो न संशयः

puṇyānyetāni sarvāṇi upavāsaṁti yāḥ striyaḥ tāsāṁ tu dharmmayuktānāṁ svarge vāso na saṁśayaḥ

on all these sacred occasions, whichever women observe a fast — for them, being devoted to dharma, dwelling in heaven is beyond doubt.

Verse 32 (padma.3.14.32)

कलिकालात्तु निर्मुक्ताः सर्वपापविवर्जिताः । उपवासरता नार्यो नोपसर्पंति तापसाः

kalikālāttu nirmuktāḥ sarvapāpavivarjitāḥ upavāsaratā nāryo nopasarpaṁti tāpasāḥ

Freed from the taint of the Kali age, cleared of all sin, women devoted to fasting are not approached even by ascetics.

Verse 33 (padma.3.14.33)

एवं श्रुत्वा तु सुश्रोणि यथेष्टं कर्तुमर्हसि । नारदस्य वचः श्रुत्वा राज्ञी वचनमब्रवीत्

evaṁ śrutvā tu suśroṇi yatheṣṭaṁ kartumarhasi nāradasya vacaḥ śrutvā rājñī vacanamabravīt

Having heard this, O fair one, you should do as you wish. Having heard Narada's words, the queen spoke these words —

Verse 34 (padma.3.14.34)

प्रसादं कुरु विप्रेंद्र दानं गृह्ण यथेप्सितम् । सुवर्णमणिरत्नानि वस्त्राण्याभरणानि च

prasādaṁ kuru vipreṁdra dānaṁ gṛhṇa yathepsitam suvarṇamaṇiratnāni vastrāṇyābharaṇāni ca

O lord of brahmins, show us your favor; accept whatever gift you desire — gold, gems and jewels, garments and ornaments,

Verse 35 (padma.3.14.35)

तत्ते दास्याम्यहं विप्र यच्चान्यदपि दुर्ल्लभम् । प्रतिगृह्ण द्विजश्रेष्ठ प्रीयेतां हरिशंकरौ

tatte dāsyāmyahaṁ vipra yaccānyadapi durllabham pratigṛhṇa dvijaśreṣṭha prīyetāṁ hariśaṁkarau

these I shall give you, O brahmin, and whatever else, however rare. Accept them, O best of the twice-born, that Hari and Shankara may be pleased.

Verse 36 (padma.3.14.36)

नारद उवाच । अन्यस्मै दीयतां भद्रे क्षीणवृतिश्च यो द्विजः । वयं तु शीलसंपन्ना भक्तिस्तु क्रियते मया

nārada uvāca anyasmai dīyatāṁ bhadre kṣīṇavṛtiśca yo dvijaḥ vayaṁ tu śīlasaṁpannā bhaktistu kriyate mayā

Narada said: Give it to another, O gentle one — to some brahmin whose livelihood is meager. As for us, we are endowed with good conduct; devotion alone is what I practice.

Verse 37 (padma.3.14.37)

एवं तासां मनो हृत्वा सर्वासामुपदिश्य वा । जगाम भरतश्रेष्ठ स्वकीयं स्थानकं पुनः

evaṁ tāsāṁ mano hṛtvā sarvāsāmupadiśya vā jagāma bharataśreṣṭha svakīyaṁ sthānakaṁ punaḥ

Thus, O best of the Bharatas, having captured the minds of all of them and instructed them, he went once more to his own abode.

Verse 38 (padma.3.14.38)

अत्राकृष्टमनास्तास्तु अन्यत्रगतमानसाः । पुरि छिद्रं समुत्पन्नं बाणस्य तु महात्मनः

atrākṛṣṭamanāstāstu anyatragatamānasāḥ puri chidraṁ samutpannaṁ bāṇasya tu mahātmanaḥ

Their minds thus drawn away, their hearts wandering elsewhere, a breach arose within the city of the great-souled Bana.