3. TRISANKU :

That was the time when the famous
king of the Solar dynasty, Trisanku, was
reigning, who was so much in love with
the beauty of his body that he could not
bear the thought of parting with it at death
and desired to ascend to heaven in that
very body.


Vasishtha, his preceptor, whom he
approached for help in realising his wish,
advised him to give up attempting the
impossible. Dissatisfied with Vasishtha's
response, the King approached the sage's
sons and sought their help. They were
wroth at being asked to do something
which their father had pronounced
impossible, ridiculed his vanity and curtly
bade him begone.


King Trisanku would not give up his
aim and told them that, since they and
their father were too poor in merit to help
him, he would find others who were
richer. Vasishtha's sons were provoked
beyond endurance, and said: "Be you a
chandala."


The curse began to act and the next
morning Trisanku woke up a different
person altogether, an untouchable, ugly of
form, attired in dirty clothes.


His ministers and his people could not
recognise him. Driven out of his kingdom
he wandered hungry and weary almost to
death, till his destiny took him to
Viswamitra's ashrama.


The king's appearance moved the heart
of the sage, who enquired: "Aren't you
King Trisanku? What has brought you to
this plight? Whose curse?"


Recounting all that had happened he
fell at the sage's feet and said: "I have
been a good king and never swerved from
the path of dharma. I have committed no
sin and wronged none. My preceptor and
his sons have deserted me and cursed me
and you see me thus before you."


Viswamitra took pity on the King
converted by a curse into a chandala. This
was Viswamitra's great weakness; he was
impulsive and easily over-powered by
emotions like anger, sympathy and love.


In sweet words, he made the king
happy: "O, King, I have heard of your
righteous rule. I offer you refuge; be not
afraid. I will arrange for the sacrifice
which will enable you to enter heaven in
your own body. And in this very chandala
form you shall reach heaven despite your
Guru's curse. Of this you may be sure."


And he made arrangements for a great
and unprecedented yaga.


Viswamitra directed his disciples to
invite all the sages and, their disciples for
the proposed yaga. Afraid of saying "No"
to what was more or less a command, all
the rishis agreed to be present.


But the sons of Vasishtha declined the
invitation and made merry about a yaga at
which the officiating priest was a once
upon-a-time Kshatriya and the yajaman a
stinking chandala.


This reply, duly conveyed, enraged
Viswamitra who exploded into a curse
that Vasishtha's sons do die and be reborn
for seven generations in a tribe given to
eating dog's flesh.


The sage then began the yaga.
Extolling Trisanku's eminent virtues,
Viswamitra sought the help of the other
rishis in effecting the bodily translation of
Trisanku to heaven.


Well aware of the sage's mighty
powers and fulminous temper, the invitees
lent their support, and the yaga went on. It
reached the stage when the gods were
invoked to descend and accept the
offerings. But no god came. It was clear
that Viswamitra's yaga was a failure. And
the rishis, who had attended the
ceremony, laughed within themselves at
Viswamitra's discomfiture.


Wild with rage, Viswamitra held the
ladle of ghee over the flames and said: "O
Trisanku, here behold my power. I now
transfer for your benefit all the merit I
have earned. If my austerities have any
value, they should lift you to heaven in
your physical frame. I care not if the
Devas reject my offerings. King Trisanku!
Ascend!"


A miracle followed. To the
astonishment of those assembled,
Trisanku in his chandala body rose
heavenward. The world saw the power of
Viswamitra's tapas.


Trisanku reached Swarga. But Indra
forthwith pushed him down saying, "Who
are you, entering heaven with a chandala
body? You fool that earned the curse of
your preceptor, go down again."


Trisanku fell from heaven, head down
wards, screaming, "Viswamitra! Save
me!"


Viswamitra, seeing this, was beside
himself with rage. Determined to teach the
gods a lesson, he shouted to Trisanku.
"Stop there! Stop there!" and, to the
amazement of all, Trisanku's earthward
descent came to an abrupt stop and he
stopped in mid air, shining like a star.
Like a second Brahma, Viswamitra
proceeded to create a new starry horizon
to the south as well as a new Indra and
new Devas.


Alarmed at their supremacy, the Devas
now came to terms and humbly entreated
Viswamitra to desist. They said: "Let
Trisanku stay where he is at present. Let
the other stars, of your creation shine
forever, like your own fame and honor.
Control your anger and be friends with
us."


Gratified at this submission, and as
easily appeased as provoked, Viswamitra
baited his creative process. But his
stupendous activities had consumed the
whole of the power that he had thus far
acquired by his austerities, and he found
he had to begin again.


Viswamitra now proceeded westwards
to Pushkara and resumed his austerities.
For years the rigorous tapas continued, but
once again as it was about to bear fruit
something happened to rouse his anger
and he lost his balance and cursed his own
sons. Soon recovering himself, he firmly
resolved never again to yield to anger, and
resumed his tapas


After many years of austerities,
Brahma and the Devas appeared before
him and said: "O Kausika! Your tapas has
borne fruit. You are no longer in the ranks
of kings; you have become a real rishi."
Having thus blessed Viswamitra, Brahma
returned.


This was again a disappointment. He
wanted to become a Brahma Rishi and
Vasishtha's peer and he had only been
acknowedged an ordinary rishi. It was
recognition as futile as the missiles of
power, which Vasishtha's Brahmadanda
had swallowed.


He therefore decided to go on with his
tapas, making it more severe than ever
before.


The Devas did not like this. They sent
the heavenly damsel Menaka to tempt him
with her celestial beauty and allurements.
She went to Pushkara where Viswamitra
was undergoing austerities and played, to
catch his eye with a hundred wiles of
charm and grace. Viswamitra saw her and
was fascinated by her beauty. His vow
was broken and he spent ten years in a
dream of ioy, forgetful of his high resolve.


Awaking at last, he looked at the
trembling Menaka sorrow fully and said
he would not curse her, for it was his own
folly, and not her fault, as in tempting him
she was only carrying out the orders of
her master. And sadly he wended his way
to the Himalayas to resume his broken
tapas.


There, for a thousand years, controlling
his senses, he performed rigorous tapas.
At the request of the Devas, Brahma
appeared before Viswamitra, and spoke to
him thus sweetly: " I welcome you as a
Maharishi, my son. Pleased with your
soulful tapas I confer on you that title and
the sanctity it imports."


Unmoved alike by gratification or
disappointment, Viswamitra folded his
hands in adoration and asked the Father of
the Universe if the boon meant conquest
over the senses.


"By no means", said the Creator, "but
strive to subjugate the senses, tiger among
munis!"


Resolved on the supreme conquest,
Viswamitra entered on another thousand
years of even harder tapas which threw
the Devas into even greater consternation.


Indra called unto him the celestial
damsel Rambha, and enjoined on her as a
vital service to the Devas, to employ all
her art to bring Viswamitra under the spell
of her charm, and divert him from his
purpose. She was sorely afraid, but Indra
assured her that she would not be left
alone, but be accompanied by the God of
Love and the Spirit of Springtime would
be with her for support.


Unwillingly she went and as she
entered the precincts of the hermitage, the
forest blossomed into vernal beauty, and
the south wind blew gently laden with the
scent of flowers, and kokilas burst into
song. Love and Spring were both there to
assist Beauty. Disturbed by stirrings to
which he had long been a stranger,
Viswamitra opened his eyes and saw a
smiling damsel of surpassing beauty, who
seemed the very soul of the spring with its
flowers and fragrance and song.


At this vision of soft voluptuousness a
white heat of anger surged through him as
he recognised in it another temptation
thrown in his way by the envious gods,
and he cursed the temptress: "O Rambha,
for seeking to tempt me who am striving
to conquer anger and desire, be thou
frozen to an image of stone for ten
thousand years."


But this explosion of rage made him
see how far he was from the fulfilment of
his purpose and sadly he quitted the
Himalayan forests, and sought the solitude
of the east.


There, he restrained his breathing, gave
up all thought of the things of the world,
and performed austerities so stern that
smoke and flames issued from his body
and enveloped the universe. Then at the
prayer of the panic-stricken gods, Brahma
again appeared before him, and hailed him
as Brahma Rishi: "All hail, Brahma Rishi,
I am pleased with you. Blessed be your
life." Viswamitra was happy.


But humbly he said: "How can I be
happy unless from Vasishtha's lips I hear
that I am a Brahma Rishi?"


Vasishtha smiled remembering his
fight with Viswamitra, and said to him:
"You have achieved the fruit of your great
austerities. Indeed you are a Brahma
Rishi, my brother." There was joy all
round.


This was the story of the sage that
arrived suddenly at Dasaratha's court.