Vāsudevaya namah

“When Rohita’s milk teeth fell down, Lord Varuna appeared before King Hariśchandra and reminded him to offer his son in the Yagna(sacrifice) as promised. King Hariśchandra replied, “O Lord, only after the permanent teeth grow this boy obtains the eligibility to be offered in sacrifice.” Agreeing to this Lord Varuna departed.

The permanent teeth grew. Lord Varuna appeared and asked for Rohita. Hariśchandra replied, “O Lord, this boy is a prince. Only after he wears the armour he will obtain the eligibility to be offered as a sacrificial animal”.

Hariśchandra’s love towards his son had transformed into attachment. As he was totally trapped in the noose called attachment, he was delaying the Yagna giving many excuses. Each time Lord Varuna was graciously excusing Harischandra.

Lord Varuna was eagerly waiting for the moment when the king would perform the Yagna. Meanwhile Prince Rohita learnt of this promise made by his father to Lord Varuna. Deciding to protect his life, he took up his bow and escaped into the forests. When Lord Varuna heard this, he immediately appeared before the king. He cursed that Hariśchandra, who had failed to live up to his promise, should be afflicted with severe cirrhosis disease. As a result of this curse the king’s abdomen enlarged due to excessive fluid retention. When Rohita came to know that his father was afflicted with cirrhosis he decided to return home. At that moment Lord Indra appeared before him and forbade him from returning. Indra said,

**bhūmeḥ paryaṭanaṁ puṇyaṁtīrtha-kṣetra-niṣevaṇaiḥ **-O Prince Rohita! Travel through earth and visit all sacred pilgrim centres, due to which you will accumulate sufficient virtue.

Abiding by this command, Rohita remained in the forests for a period of one year. At the end of the period when he wanted to return home, Lord Indra again appeared before Rohita in the guise of an aged Brahmin and forbade him from returning to his capital. This continued year after year. Rohita thus remained in the forests for 2, then 3, 4 and 5 years.

Thereafter at the end of sixth year Rohita set out for his home. Midway he purchased from a poor Brahmin called Ajīgarta, his second son Śunahśepha for use as a sacrificial animal. Rohita then offered Śunahśepha to father Hariśchandra stating that he could be used as a sacrificial animal in the Yagna and offered obeisance to his father.

Thereafter Hariśchandra performed a great Yagna called Puruśa-medha invoking Varuna, Agni and other Devatas. After the Yagna he was freed from cirrhosis. With this his renown and his story became well-known.

Maharishi Viśwamitra was the chief priest in the Yagna performed by Hariśchandra. Maharishi Jamadagni, who was matchless in mind-control, was the Adhvaryu priest for this Yagna. Maharishi Vasiṣṭha occupied the position of Brahma priest and Maharishi Ayāsa, who chanted the hymns from Sāma veda, was the Udghata priest.

Lord Indra was deeply pleased with Hariśchandra. He presented the king with a golden chariot. O Emperor Parikshit, I shall narrate the glories of Śunahśepha, who was used as a sacrificial animal, later on.

Maharishi Viśwamitra was delighted when he observed that Hariśchandra and his wife strictly abided by the vow of truthfulness. Truthfulness was their way of life! Pleased with them, he blessed them with Self-knowledge which paves the way to liberation.

Thereafter King Hariśchandra merged his mind into the earth element. He then merged the earth element into water; water element into the fire element; fire element into the wind; wind into space element. He then merged the space element into the composite egoism (samishti ahamkara) which is the cause for the existence of all the five basic elements. He then dissolved the composite egoism into the Mahat tattva (cosmic intelligence). In this cosmic intelligence he meditated upon the Self-knowledge. With this he was able to dissolve the spiritual ignorance completely. Hariśchandra, who realized that Supreme Knowledge is the knowledge of one’s Self, was totally freed from all bondages that arise due to spiritual ignorance.

Hariśchandra merged into the eternal Absolute Truth which is beyond the perception of the mind and which is beyond the limitations of speech. He obtained the form of the Supreme Lord”.

With this the seventh chapter of the ninth canto comes to an end.

Ninth Canto Chapter Eight

#\ In this chapter the wonderful story of Emperor Sagara is narrated.

Maharishi Śuka continued, “Harita was the son of Rohita. Harita’s son was Campa who constructed a city called Campāpuri. Sudeva was the son of Campa. Sudeva’s son was Vijaya. Vijaya’s son was Bharuka. Bharuka’s son was Vṛka. Vṛka’s son was Bāhuka.

When enemies attacked his kingdom, Bāhuka together with his wives retired into the forests. When Bāhuka died due to old age, his wife also wanted to leave her body. As she was pregnant at that time, Maharishi Aurva prevented her from giving up her body.

Nevertheless the other wives of Bāhuka were overcome with jealousy upon learning that she was pregnant. They poisoned her food. Surprisingly the poison could not cause her any harm. Instead a son was born to her along with the poison. For having been born along with poison he was renowned as Sagara. Later on Sagara became the emperor of the land. His sons dug up the ocean.

On the orders of Guru Aurva, Emperor Sagara defeated the Tālajhangas, Haihaiyas, Yavanas and Arbharas in battle. Abiding by the orders of his Guru he did not kill them. Instead he made them appear ugly and misshapen. He had the heads shaven in some of them. Some had to shave their beards; others had to cut off their long hair; some were half-shaven; some were allowed to wear the upper garments while some had to wander without the garment.

Emperor Sagara, though the medium of the Ashwamedha yāgas, worshipped the Supreme Lord Srihari who exists within all living entities in the form of the Self, who is the embodiment of all the Devatas and who is a personification of Vedas. He strictly performed all the Yāgas as directed by Maharishi Aurva. In those Yāgas, Lord Vishnu manifested together with all the Devatas”.

Krishnāya namah