14-Vritraasur's Previous Life

Pareekshit asked - "Vritraasur was Rajo and Tamo Gunee. He troubled Devtaa too then how did he become such a great devotee of Naaraayan? He was really great who satisfied Indra also in battlefield." Shuk Dev Jee said - "Listen to this story Pareekshit. I have heard this story from my father Vyaas Jee, Devarshi Naarad and Maharshi Deval. In olden times, a Chakravartee Raajaa Chitraketu was ruling in Shoorsen Desh. He had 10 million queens but he did not have any child. He himself was all right but all his wives were barren. He was very sad about this. One day Angiraa Rishi came to his palace. Raajaa worshipped him properly with great devotion. Angiraa noticed that this King is worshipping me with a great devotion, so he said to Rajaa - "Raajan, Are you all right with your fort, funds, army etc? Do you have control on your queens, public, ministers, servants, traders etc? But what I feel that you don't look satisfied. Are you yourself the reason of this dissatisfaction or somebody else is?"

Although Maharshi knew that why Raajaa was sad, Raajaa had the desire of a child, still he asked several questions about his welfare. Chitraketu wanted a child so he said - "Bhagavan, The Yogee whose sins are washed away from their Tap etc they know everything. I have everything but I have no child. My Pitar will also be sad because they will not get Pind Daan. Take me out of this Narak." At this Angiraa Jee prepared a Charu for Twashtaa Devtaa and did a Yagya from that Charu and gave remaining Yagya Prasaad to his eldest wife Kritdyuti and said to Raajaa - "You will have a son who will give you both pleasure and sorrow." And Rishi Angiraa went away. Chitraketu's wife got pregnant.

When the time came she gave birth to a beautiful son. Raajaa got very happy. He took bath, got himself cleaned, performed the Jaat Karm Sanskaar of the child, gave alms to Braahman - gold, silver, clothes jewelry, villages, horses, elephants and six Arbud (Arbud = 100 million or 10 Crore) cows. As the son started growing so was Chitraketu's love towards him and eventually to his eldest queen too. His other wives were very jealous with Kritdyuti. Raajaa was also indifferent towards them. The jealousy grew so much so that his other wives gave poison to the child. Kritdyuti thought the child was sleeping, but when he did not wake up for a long time she asked her maid-servant to bring him in. When she went to bring him in, she found him dead. Hearing this Raanee got fainted. Raajaa also got extremely sad and started crying. Seeing crying both of them the whole city became sad. Angiraa and Naarad saw that nobody was there even to console them.

15-Naarad and Angiraa Console Chitraketu

Shuk Dev Jee said - "Chitraketu was lying near his son like a dead person. Maharshi Angiraa and Devarshi Naarad came in disguise and started consoling him - "For whom you are sad? What was he in your previous lives and this life? And how he will be related to you in your next life? As with the flow of water dust particles come close and go far away, in the same way with the flow of Kaal we also come close and go far away. We were not before this life and we will not be after this life. This proves that they are not even present now. Because truth is always there, and that is only Bhagavaan, and nobody else." Then Chitraketu got a little consoled. He asked - "You both look very knowledgeable then why have you come in disguise. I know that many people who know Brahm roam around in disguise, such as Sanat Kumaar, Naarad, Ribhu, Angiraa, Vyaas, Maarkandeya, Shukdev, Romas, Chyavan, Dattaatreya, Aasuri, Patanjali, Vedshiraa, Panchshiraa, Hiranyanaabh, Shrutdev, Ritdhwaj, Deval etc. I am in the darkness of A-Gyaan, give me some Gyaan so that I can see the things properly."

Maharshi Angiraa said - "When you had an intense desire of a son, then I gave you the son. So I am Angiraa and he is Brahmaa's loving son Naarad Jee. When we saw you crying for your son then we came here to console you. Who is the devotee of Braahman and Bhagavaan should not be sad. When I came to your house the first time, I wanted to deliver you the Gyaan, but I found that you wanted a son, so I gave you a son. Now you yourself are asking for Gyaan. Since now you yourself are experiencing the sorrow of a person who is only a child, but the same thing is true for woman, house, wealth, pleasures, Prithvi, Kingdom, treasure, servants etc also. Because all of them are perishable."

Naarad Jee said - "Raajan, You should listen to Mantropanishad (Eesh Upanishad). It will give you the Darshan of Sankarshan Bhagavaan in seven nights. In olden times Shankar Jee went in the service of Sankarshan Bhagavaan and that is how he left the Dwait Vaad. You will also attain the same Parampad."

16-Chitraketu's Vairaagya and Darshan of Sankarshan Dev

Shuk Dev Jee said - "Then Naarad Jee called the soul of the dead prince and said - "See, your father and mother are crying for you, therefore you come into your body and enjoy your remaining age with your relatives." The soul said - "I don't know in how many Yoni I have taken birth, so I don't know of which life these my parents are? In many different lives there are many parents, brothers, friends etc. Long-lived things are also not imperishable. Jeev has no beginning, and no end. It is Eeshwar Roop that is why it manifests itself through Maayaa's Gun. It has no dear ones, no enemy, no friend."  After saying this the Jeev went away.

His all relations got very surprised to hear all this from him. Their affection got disappeared and now they were not so grieved about his death. Raajaa had also understood. They did the last rites of the child. Queens who gave the poison to the prince, became sinner. Chitraketu got the light of Gyaan. He also completed the last rites of his son. Then Naarad Jee imparted him the knowledge of Mantropanishad. [see Mantra 18-25] Then he went to Brahm Lok with Maharshi Angiraa. Raajaa did the Anushthaan of this Updisht Vidyaa for seven days living on water only. After some time he came to close to Bhagavaan Shesh Jee. He saw that Shesh Jee's body was of fair complexion, like lotus stem. As he did Darshan of Shesh Jee, his all Paap were destroyed. He became speechless. His eyes filled with tears of joy. After a few moments when he came to his senses, he started praying him. [there are 15 Shlok, 34-48, of prayer to Sankarshan Bhagavaan].

Pleased with his prayer Shaesh Jee said - "Naarad and Angiraa have told you whatever Vidyaa, you have become Siddh from that Vidyaa. Only I take care of everybody. I am the soul, both Shabd-Brahm (Ved) and Par-Brahm are my Roop. I am the Brahm and the same is your soul. When Jeev forgets my Swaroop and considers himself separate from me then only he enters the cycle of birth and death. This human Yoni is the root of all Gyaan and if a person does not know Paramaatmaa in this Yoni, then he cannot get peace in any Yoni. Raajan, whatever efforts you do to enjoy worldly pleasures, in those efforts you work hard, but you get sorrows. For whichever pleasure they are done you get its opposite - sadness and sorrows. Considering this, the knowledgeable person should not intend to do any kind of Karm or attach to its results."  Shuk Dev Jee said - "Shree Hari disappeared after counseling Chitraketu thus."

17-Paarvatee Jee's Shaap to Chitraketu

Shukdev Jee said - "After greeting Bhagavaan Sankarshan, Chitraketu started roaming around through skyway. He roamed around in the valleys of Sumeru Paravat for millions of years. His strength of body and power of senses was like before. the women of Vidyaadhar used to sing Bhagavaan's praise and His qualities in his presence. One day he was riding his Vimaan (airplane given by Bhagavaan) that he saw Bhagavaan Shankar sitting amidst Rishi, Muni, Siddh etc and Paarvatee Jee was sitting in his lap and he had one arm around her. Seeing this he went to him and sitting in the Vimaan started laughing and said addressing Paarvatee Jee - "See, These are all the religious teachers of the world. They are the highest among human beings. He is sitting with his wife clinging to her body in the midst of so many people. He is a great Tapaswee and knows Brahm very well, still he is sitting putting his wife in his lap shamelessly. Even normal people sit with their wives like this when they are alone only, but he is sitting in the midst of so many people?"

Shuk Dev Jee said - "Pareekshit, Shiv Jee's wisdom is immensely great. Hearing this he just smiled, did not speak anything. Chitraketu did not know his powers, that is why he was saying something irrelevant to him. He was proud that he had controlled his Indriyaan. But Paarvatee Jee did not keep silent, She said in anger - "Is he the only person to rule over us? It seems that Brahmaa Jee, Bhrigu, Naarad etc his sons, Kapil Dev and Manu like great people do not know Dharm, that is why they do not stop Bhagavaan Shiv to ignore Dharm. Whose feet Brahmaa Jee etc all great Devtaa meditate, he has insulted that Bhagavaan? That is why he is to be punished. Go to Asur Yoni, O Son, then you will not be able to commit such a crime again against great people."

When Paarvatee Jee gave Shaap, then Chitraketu climbed down from his Vimaan and tried to please her by bowing to her. He said - "I accept your Shaap happily, because whatever Devtaa say that is pre-information of coming events of one's fate. Hey Maa,  Nobody else gives joy or sorrow to anybody, neither one's own soul nor any other one, only A-Gyaanee (ignorant) people consider themselves or others as the giver of joy and sorrow. This world is the natural flow of Sat, Raj, and Tam Gun, so in this world neither Shaap, nor Var, nor favor, nor Swarg, nor Narak, nor joy, nor sorrow means anything. I am not praying you to please you to free me from your Shaap. I just want to say that if you have disliked my anything, please forgive me for that."

After saying this pleasing Paarvatee, Chitraketu climbed up his Vimaan and went away from there. People got very surprised at this. Then Shankar Jee said to Paarvatee Jee thus in front of Devtaa, Rishi, Daitya, Siddh and Paarshad - "O Beautiful, You have seen the glory of devotees of Bhagavaan. Who are the real devotee of Bhagavaan they don't fear from anybody because they see Swarg, or Moksh, or Narak alike. Nobody, even Brahmaa Jee, Sanakaadi, Naarad, Bhrigu etc knows the secret of Bhagavaan's Leelaa, then how can His minute Ansh who thinks themselves as Eeshwar, can know His Swaroop? Nobody is dear to Him and nobody is enemy of Bhagavaan. Neither He has anybody of His own, nor anybody is the other for Him. This Chitraketu is His dear devotee and peaceful and I am also Shree Hari's dear devotee. Therefore you should not be surprised about Bhagavaan's devotees and Mahaatmaa people."

Hearing this Paarvatee Jee got calm down and her anger disappeared. Bhagavaan's great devotee Chitraketu could also give Shaap to Paarvatee Jee but he did not do so, rather he accepted it happily. This is the characteristic of a Saadhu Purush (saint). So the same Chitraketu was born in Twashtaa's Dakshinaagni as Daitya. There his name was Vritraasur and he still had Bhagavaan's full knowledge and devotion. Chitraketu's history is very holy and is of importance among all Vishnu's devotees. Whosoever hears this, he gets free from all kinds of bondages and whosoever reads this story silently in the morning remembering Bhagavaan gets His Parampad."

Home  | Bhaagvat

Previous | Next