Canto
4
Chapter 15: King Prithu's Appearance and Coronation
(1) Maitreya said: 'Thus again churned the brahmins, this time, the arms of the king who had no son and from that did a couple take birth. (2) From that couple being born said the sages conversant with the Vedas that they were very happy, knowing that it was an ['âves'a'-]expansion of the Supreme Lord. (3) The sages said: 'This male is an expansion of the Supreme Lord, Vishnu, who maintains the world and this woman is Lakshmî, the goddess of fortune, who is an inseparable, integral part of the Original Person. (4) This male then will be the first among the kings and will spread his reputation under the name of Prithu [the one of the earth], becoming widely renown as the great king. (5) This female child will enhance the beauty of her ornaments with the magnificence of her teeth as a goddess of all good qualities; she will be named Arci and will attract Prithu with her great beauty. (6) He as a partial, direct representative of the Lord is born with the desire to protect the whole world and she took birth as the inseparable goddess, who is certainly very attracted to him.'
(7) Maitreya said: 'All the learned praised him, the singers of heaven chanted, the perfected ones showered flowers and the girls of heaven were dancing. (8) Filling the air vibrating conches, bugles, drums and kettledrums and alike, gathered there all the godly, the sages and the elderly of all sections of society. (9-10) Brahmâ, the master of the universe, accompanied by the godly arriving there together with all the leaders of the enlightened world, saw on the right hand of that son of Vena, the mark of Vishnu carrying the club. His two feet also showed the lotusflower and thus he was certain that he dealt with the part of the Lord that is His invincible disc; by that he would represent the Supreme Interest. (11) The brahmins attached to the rituals arranged for his coronation and thus collected the people, for his sake, from all sides the various means for performing the ceremony. (12) The rivers, seas, mountains, the serpents, the cows, the birds and the animals; the sky, the earth and all living beings, were brought together by their different presentations.(13) He was thus crowned the Mahârâja; exquisitely dressed and fully ornamented he together with his nicely jeweled wife Arci appeared like a fire beyond compare. (14) The keeper of wealth, Kuvera, presented him a royal throne made of gold, o hero, and Varuna gave him an umbrella brilliant as the moon which constantly showered a mist of water droplets. (15) Vâyu also gave him two camâras [whisks] made of hair, Dharma a garland that added to his name and fame, Indra gave a very valuable helmet and Yama gave him a scepter to rule the world. (16) Brahmâ armed him with spiritual knowledge, his wife Bhâratî, the goddess of learning [Sarasvatî] gave a transcendental necklace, the Supreme Personality [Hari, Vishnu] gave him the Sudars'ana disc and His wife Lakshmî gifted him imperishable beauty and opulence. (17) Lord S'iva came with a sword decorated with ten moons and Durgâ gave a likewise shield showing a hundred moons. The moon-god gifted horses of the finest breed and the demigod Vis'vakarmâ donated a very beautiful chariot. (18) Agni gave a bow made of horn, Sûrya arrows brilliant as sunlight, Bhûmi [the goddess of the Earth] gifted slippers that empowered him with mystic union, and the gods above presented him flowers day after day. (19) The art of drama, singing the finest songs, playing musical instruments as well as the ability to make things appear and disappear, were given to him by the gods of the beyond; the great sages blessed him with the infallible and the god of the ocean produced him a conchshell. (20) The seas, mountains and rivers provided him passage for his chariot and professed bards and officials of prayer and praise presented themselves hailing him in verses. (21) Seeing them engaged in their offerings, spoke the greatly powerful son of Vena as follows, smiling with a voice as grave as the thunder of clouds.
(22) King Prithu said: 'O dear bards, men of prayer and men of praise, your words of address are in vain; the way I am now in this world do I not show all these possible qualities. Thus why praise the shelter of me? These words should never be applied to me. (23) Therefore offer those prayers when, in some future time, the qualities of me you spoke about can sufficiently be appreciated o gentle reciters. The honorable ones correctly discussing the qualities of the Supreme One glorified in the scriptures, never offer those prayers to a detestable human being. (24) A man of competence who causes followers to extoll him for talents that are manifest in him but, as mere possibilities, do not really exist as realities, is deluding himself and is a fool not to realize that such a thing belongs to the ways people insult each other. (25) The ones of power surely don't like themselves to be praised. Although very famous they are modest; as magnanimous of great deeds as they are, they are as well abominable. (26) O people led by practices of praise, when we just now are not of any fame in the world or of any praiseworthy action, how then could I engage you in prayers unto me, as if you were children?'
Source texts:
King Prithu's Appearance and Coronation
Maitreya said: 'Thus again churned the brahmins this time the arms of the king who had no son and from that did a couple take birth.The great sage Maitreya continued: My dear Vidura, thus the brâhmanas and the great sages again churned the two arms of King Vena's dead body. As a result a male and female couple came out of his arms. (Vedabase)
From that couple being born said the sages conversant with the Vedas that they were very happy, knowing that it was an ['âves'a'-]expansion of the Supreme Lord.
The great sages were highly learned in Vedic knowledge. When they saw the male and female born of the arms of Vena's body, they were very pleased, for they could understand that the couple was an expansion of a plenary portion of Vishnu, the Supreme Personality of Godhead. (Vedabase)
The sages said: 'This male is an expansion of the Supreme Lord, Vishnu, who maintains the world and this woman is Lakshmî, the goddess of fortune, who is an inseparable, integral part of the original person.
The great sages said: The male is a plenary expansion of the power of Lord Vishnu, who maintains the entire universe, and the female is a plenary expansion of the goddess of fortune, who is never separated from the Lord. (Vedabase)
This male then will be the first among the kings and will spread his reputation under the name of Prithu [the one of the earth], becoming widely renown as the great king.
Of the two, the male will be able to expand his reputation throughout the world. His name will be Prithu. Indeed, he will be the first among kings. (Vedabase)
This female child will enhance the beauty of her ornaments with the magnificence of her teeth as a goddess of all good qualities; she will be named Arci and will attract Prithu with her great beauty.
The female has such beautiful teeth and beautiful qualities that she will actually beautify the ornaments she wears. Her name will be Arci. In the future she will accept King Prithu as her husband. (Vedabase)
He as a partial, direct representative of the Lord is born with the desire to protect the whole world and she took birth as the inseparable goddess, that is very attracted to him.'
In the form of King Prithu, the Supreme Personality of Godhead has appeared through a part of His potency to protect the people of the world. The goddess of fortune is the constant companion of the Lord, and therefore she has incarnated partially as Arci to become King Prithu's queen. (Vedabase)
Maitreya said: 'All the learned praised him, the singers of heaven chanted, the perfected ones showered flowers and the girls of heaven were dancing.
The great sage Maitreya continued: My dear Vidurajî , at that time all the brâhmanas highly praised and glorified King Prithu, and the best singers of Gandharvaloka chanted his glories. The inhabitants of Siddhaloka showered flowers, and the beautiful women in the heavenly planets danced in ecstasy. (Vedabase)
Filling the air vibrating conches, bugles, drums and kettledrums and alike, gathered there all the godly, the sages and the elderly of all sections of society.
Conchshells, bugles, drums and kettledrums vibrated in outer space. Great sages, forefathers and personalities from the heavenly planets all came to earth from various planetary systems. (Vedabase)
Brahmâ, the master of the universe, accompanied by the godly arriving there together with all the leaders of the enlightened world, saw on the right hand of that son of Vena, the mark of Vishnu carrying the club. His two feet also showed the lotusflower and thus he was certain that he dealt with the part of the Lord that is His invincible disc; by that he would represent the Supreme Interest.
Lord Brahma, the master of the entire universe, arrived there accompanied by all the demigods and their chiefs. Seeing the lines of Lord Vishnu's palm on King Prithu's right hand and impressions of lotus flowers on the soles of his feet, Lord Brahmâ could understand that King Prithu was a partial representation of the Supreme Personality of Godhead. One whose palm bears the sign of a disc, as well as other such lines, should be considered a partial representation or incarnation of the Supreme Lord. (Vedabase)
The brahmins attached to the rituals arranged for his coronation and thus collected the people, for his sake, from all sides the various means for performing the ceremony.
The learned brâhmanas, who were very attached to the Vedic ritualistic ceremonies, then arranged for the King's coronation. People from all directions collected all the different paraphernalia for the ceremony. Thus everything was complete. (Vedabase)
The rivers, seas, mountains, the serpents, the cows, the birds and the animals; the sky, the earth and all living beings, were brought together by their different presentations.
All the rivers, seas, hills, mountains, serpents, cows, birds, animals, heavenly planets, the earthly planet and all other living entities collected various presentations, according to their ability, to offer the King. (Vedabase)
He was thus crowned the Mahârâja; exquisitely dressed and fully ornamented he together with his nicely jeweled wife Arci appeared like a fire beyond compare.
Thus the great King Prithu, exquisitely dressed with garments and ornaments, was coronated and placed on the throne. The King and his wife, Arci, who was also exquisitely ornamented, appeared exactly like fire. (Vedabase)
The keeper of wealth, Kuvera, presented him a royal throne made of gold, o hero, and Varuna gave him an umbrella brilliant as the moon which constantly showered a mist of water droplets.
The great sage continued: My dear Vidura, Kuvera presented the great King Prithu with a golden throne. The demigod Varuna presented him with an umbrella that constantly sprayed fine particles of water and was as brilliant as the moon. (Vedabase)
Vâyu also gave him two camâras [whisks] made of hair, Dharma a garland that added to his name and fame, Indra gave a very valuable helmet and Yama gave him a scepter to rule the world.
The demigod of air, Vâyu, presented King Prithu with two whisks [camâras] of hair; the King of religion, Dharma, presented him with a flower garland which would expand his fame; the King of heaven, Indra, presented him with a valuable helmet; and the superintendent of death, Yamarâja, presented him with a sceptor with which to rule the world. (Vedabase)
Brahmâ armed him with spiritual knowledge, his wife Bhâratî, the goddess of learning [Sarasvatî] gave a transcendental necklace, the Supreme Personality [Hari, Vishnu] gave him the Sudars'ana disc and His wife Lakshmî gifted him imperishable beauty and opulence.
Lord Brahmâ presented King Prithu with a protective garment made of spiritual knowledge. Bhâratî [Sarasvatî], the wife of Brahmâ, gave him a transcendental necklace. Lord Vishnu presented him with a Sudars'ana disc, and Lord Vishnu's wife, the goddess of fortune, gave him imperishable opulences. (Vedabase)
Lord S'iva came with a sword decorated with ten moons and Durgâ gave a likewise shield showing a hundred moons. The moon-god gifted horses of the finest breed and the demigod Vis'vakarmâ donated a very beautiful chariot.
Lord S'iva presented him with a sword within a sheath marked with ten moons, and his wife, the goddess Durgâ, presented him with a shield marked with one hundred moons. The moon-demigod presented him with horses made of nectar, and the demigod Vis'vakarmâ presented him with a very beautiful chariot. (Vedabase)
Agni gave a bow made of horn, Sûrya arrows brilliant as sunlight, Bhûmi [the goddess of the Earth] gifted slippers that empowered him with mystic union, and the gods above presented him flowers day after day.
The demigod of fire, Agni, presented him with a bow made of the horns of goats and cows. The sun-god presented him with arrows as brilliant as sunshine. The predominating deity of Bhûrloka presented him with slippers full of mystic power. The demigods from outer space brought him presentations of flowers again and again. (Vedabase)Text 19:
The art of drama, singing the finest songs, playing musical instruments as well as the ability to make things appear and disappear, were given to him by the gods of the beyond; the great sages blessed him with the infallible and the god of the ocean produced him a conchshell.
The demigods who always travel in outer space gave King Prithu the arts to perform dramas, sing songs, play musical instruments and disappear at his will. The great sages also offered him infallible blessings. The ocean offered him a conchshell produced from the ocean. (Vedabase)
The seas, mountains and rivers provided him passage for his chariot and professed bards and officials of prayer and praise presented themselves hailing him in verses.
The seas, mountains and rivers gave him room to drive his chariot without impediments, and a sûta, a mâgadha and a vandî offered prayers and praises. They all presented themselves before him to perform their respective duties. (Vedabase)
Seeing them engaged in their offerings, spoke the greatly powerful son of Vena as follows, smiling with a voice as grave as the thunder of clouds.
Thus when the greatly powerful King Prithu, the son of Vena, saw the professionals before him, to congratulate them he smiled, and with the gravity of the vibrating sounds of clouds he spoke as follows. (Vedabase)
King Prithu said: 'O dear bards, men of prayer and men of praise, your words of address are in vain; the way I am now in this world do I not show all these possible qualities. Thus why praise the shelter of me? These words should never be applied to me.
King Prithu said: O gentle sûta, mâgadha and other devotee offering prayers, the qualities of which you have spoken are not distinct in me. Why then should you praise me for all these qualities when I do not shelter these features? I do not wish for these words meant for me to go in vain, but it is better that they be offered to someone else. (Vedabase)
Therefore offer those prayers when, in some future time, the qualities of me you spoke about can sufficiently be appreciated o gentle reciters. The honorable ones correctly discussing the qualities of the Supreme One glorified in the scriptures, never offer those prayers to a detestable human being.
O gentle reciters, offer such prayers in due course of time, when the qualities of which you have spoken actually manifest themselves in me. The gentle who offer prayers to the Supreme Personality of Godhead do not attribute such qualities to a human being, who does not actually have them. (Vedabase)
A man of competence who causes followers to extoll him for talents that are manifest in him but, as mere possibilities, do not really exist as realities, is deluding himself and is a fool not to realize that such a thing belongs to the ways people insult each other.
How could an intelligent man competent enough to possess such exalted qualities allow his followers to praise him if he did not actually have them? Praising a man by saying that if he were educated he might have become a great scholar or great personality is nothing but a process of cheating. A foolish person who agrees to accept such praise does not know that such words simply insult him. (Vedabase)
The ones of power surely don't like themselves to be praised. Although very famous they are modest; as magnanimous of great deeds as they are, they are as well abominable.
As a person with a sense of honor and magnanimity does not like to hear about his abominable actions, a person who is very famous and powerful does not like to hear himself praised. (Vedabase)
O people led by practices of praise, when we just now are not of any fame in the world or of any praiseworthy action, how then could I engage you in prayers unto me, as if you were children?
King Prithu continued: My dear devotees, headed by the sûta, just now I am not very famous for my personal activities because I have not done anything praiseworthy you could glorify. Therefore how could I engage you in praising my activities exactly like children? (Vedabase)
For
this original translation a one-volume printed copy
has been used with an extensive commentary.
ISBN: o-91277-27-7
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