Rama then went to the ashrama of Agastya. Agastya gave gifts to Rama, but Rama said as a kshatriya, he could accept gifts from a brahmana. It was the duty of a kshatriya to look after the subjects and give gifts.
Agastya said Rama, You are Vishnu, born on this planet and I have the right to give gifts to that God.
Saying this, Agastya gave many gems and jewels to Rama.
Rama asked the sage where he got these.
Agastya said In the Satya Yuga, I used to pray in the forests on the banks of a lake. One day, when the sun was up, I got up to go and have a bath in the lake. I was surprised to see a dead body lying on the bank. The body had not decayed and looked fresh. When I was there, I saw a celestial being descend there, on a chariot, from the skies. There were many apsaras with that being. They all had a bath in the lake and then they devoured the dead body and started to leave.
I asked them why they had come from the heaven to eat a dead body.
The being said I am Daitya, the son of a king called Swarga. When my father died, I became the king. I gave the kingdom to my younger brother and retired to the forest to meditate. I attained heaven but I was very hungry and thirty. I saw Brahma why this was happening.
Brahma said You did not feed the hungry and give water to the thirsty. From now you will be eating your own body and drinking your own blood. The body will not decay and will come whole again when you are gone.
I asked Brahma when I will be relieved of this.
Brahma said Agastya, the sage will meet you. When you give him gifts, you will be relieved.
Today I am glad to see you. I am free now.
Please accepts gifts from me, that will be my salvation.
Saying this, the celestial being gave me all the valuables that he had on his body.
When he did that, the dead body decayed and vanished.
Rama, these are those jewels. Please accept these.
Rama said Do tell me more.
Agastya said Rama, You are Vishnu, born on this planet and I have the right to give gifts to that God.
Saying this, Agastya gave many gems and jewels to Rama.
Rama asked the sage where he got these.
Agastya said In the Satya Yuga, I used to pray in the forests on the banks of a lake. One day, when the sun was up, I got up to go and have a bath in the lake. I was surprised to see a dead body lying on the bank. The body had not decayed and looked fresh. When I was there, I saw a celestial being descend there, on a chariot, from the skies. There were many apsaras with that being. They all had a bath in the lake and then they devoured the dead body and started to leave.
I asked them why they had come from the heaven to eat a dead body.
The being said I am Daitya, the son of a king called Swarga. When my father died, I became the king. I gave the kingdom to my younger brother and retired to the forest to meditate. I attained heaven but I was very hungry and thirty. I saw Brahma why this was happening.
Brahma said You did not feed the hungry and give water to the thirsty. From now you will be eating your own body and drinking your own blood. The body will not decay and will come whole again when you are gone.
I asked Brahma when I will be relieved of this.
Brahma said Agastya, the sage will meet you. When you give him gifts, you will be relieved.
Today I am glad to see you. I am free now.
Please accepts gifts from me, that will be my salvation.
Saying this, the celestial being gave me all the valuables that he had on his body.
When he did that, the dead body decayed and vanished.
Rama, these are those jewels. Please accept these.
Rama said Do tell me more.
No comments:
Post a Comment