VASISHTHA'S VISIT TO BHUSANDA.
Argument.--Description of the scenery on the top of Mount Meru.
Allegory of the arbour of desire, the resort of all living beings.
Description of Birds of the mountainous region, and lastly the
character of _káka bhusanda_.
Vasishtha continued:--I saw the _kalpa_ tree on the top of one of these
peaks, which was girt by its branches on all sides; and covered with
flowers appearing as tufts of hairs on its head.
2. This tree was covered with the dust of its flowers, which shrouded
it as a thick mist or cloud; and its flowers shown as bright as
brilliant gems upon it; its great height reaching to the sky, made it
appear as a steeple or pinnacle standing upon the peak. (Allegorically
the Kalpatree is the tree of Desire, which branches out into the
various objects of our wish. Its flowers are all our sanguine hopes
and expectations, which are hidden under the dark mist of futurity.
The crown dwelling in its dark hollow, is the undwelling obscure soul,
which is hid under the impervious gloom of our ignorant minds and false
egoism. Its nest is in the highest divinity, and it is immortal because
it is a particle of Eternal spirit).
3. Its flowers were twice as much as the number of stars in heaven,
and its leaves redoubled the clouds in their bulk and thickness. Its
filaments were more shining than the flash of lightnings, and the
pollen of the flowers were brighter far than the circumambient beams of
the radiant sun. (The flowers of the tree of Desire being our hopes and
expectations, they are of course more numerous than the countless stars
in the sky, but it is to say, what things are meant under the allegory
of their leaflets farina and pistils).
4. The songs of the sylphs dwelling on the branches of this tree,
resounded to the buzz of the humming bees, and the nimble feet and
waving palms of the Apsaras in their sportive dance on every leaflet,
reduplicated the number of the leaves as much again. (The feet and
palms are always compared with the leaves of trees, so these meeting
on every leaf is the lightsome leaping and skipping of the airy sylphs
over them, increased the number of leaves to more than ever so many).
5. The spirits of the aerial siddhas and gandharvas hovering on this
tree, far out-numbered the number of birds that flocked and fluttered
about it; and the greyish frost which wrapped it as a gemming mantle,
out-shone the glossy rind which served for its raiment of fine linen.
6. The top of this tree touches the lunar sphere, and by deriving its
moisture from that humid planet, yields its fruits of larger size than
the orb of the moon itself. And the clouds gathering about its trunk,
have doubled the size of its joints. (i.e. The fruits of high desire
are fairer and larger and more cooling than even the orb of the moon,
and its sections are as bright as the bodies of clouds).
7. The gods rested on the trunk of this tree, and the Kinnaras reposed
themselves on its leaves, the clouds covered its arbours, and the
Asuras slept on its banks.
8. The Fairies repelled their mates by the sound of their bracelets, as
the bees put the beetles to flight by their busy buzzing, and sucked
the honey from the flowercup to their fill. (It means that females very
often taste the sweets of their desire, while men are driven to labour).
9. The arbour of desire extends on all sides of the sky, and fills the
space of the whole world, by embodying the gods and demigods and men
and all kinds of living beings in it. (It is some desire or other that
tends both the mortals and immortals in the course of their lives.
Desire is the in-being of active life, and its want is either dulness
or death).
10. It was full of its blooming buds and blossoms, and was covered with
its tender leaves and leaflets, it was fraught with its flourishing
flowers, and had graced the forest all around.
11. It flushed with its filaments, and abounded with its gemming
florets; it was replete with its radiant vestures and ornamented
trappings, to afford to the wants of its votaries, and it was ever in a
flurry with sportive dance of the tender plants and creepers all around
it.
12. It was full laden with flowers on all aides, and was abundant with
its fruits on all its branches, and being fraught with the copious
farina of its flowers, which it lavished and scattered on all its
sides, it became charming and attractive of all hearts towards it.
13. I saw flock of the feathered tribe fluttering about the happy
bowers, or resting about the broad boughs and branches of the tree;
some of these were reposing in the coverts of the leafy arbour, and
others pecking the flowers and fruits with their bills.
14. I saw the storks and geese which are the vehicles of Brahmá,
feeding on fragments of lotus-stalks, resembling the digits of the
bright moon in whiteness; and picking the bulbous roots of the _arjuna_
and lotus plants in the lakes.
15. The goslings of the geese of Brahmá, muttered the _omkára_, the
initial syllable of the Veda, as they were addicted in it by their
preceptor the god--Brahmá himself.
16. I saw the parrots with their blue pinions resembling the blue
clouds of heaven, and beheld their red dusk beaks shining as the flash
of lightnings, and uttering their shrill sound in the manner of the
_swáhá_ of the veda. (The parrot is the vehicle of the god of fire,
wherefore it is fit for him to utter the syllable _swáhá_; which is
used in the invocation of fire: as _swáhá agnaye_).
17. I saw also the green parrots of the god of fire, scattered all
about like the green _kusa_ grass lying scattered on the sacrificial
alter of the gods; and I beheld the young peacocks with their crests
glowing as the glistening flames of fire.
18. I saw there the groups of peacocks fostered by the goddess Gaurí
(The peacocks of Juno), as also the big peacocks belonging to the god
Kumára; I beheld likewise the vehicle of skanda, which are versed in
knowledge. (One of these is said to be the expounder of a grammar,
known by the name of Kaumári Kalápa Vyakarana).
19. I saw there many bulky and big bodied birds, that are born to live
and breed and die away in their natal air, and never alight on the
nether ground. These were as white as the clouds of autumn and nestles
with their mates in air, and are commonly known under the name of
Aerial Birds.
20. I saw the goslings of the breed of Brahma's geese, and the
younglings of the brood of Agni's parrots. I beheld the big breed of
the peacocks forming the vehicles of war god; (Skanda, Alexander)?
21. I saw the _Bharadwája_ and I saw there many other kinds of big
birds. (Charui, birds with two mouths and gold finches with their
golden crests). I saw also kalavinca sparrows, the little cranes and
pelicans and cuckoos and vultures likewise and cranes and cocks.
22. I saw likewise a great variety of other birds as the Bhushus,
Chushus and partridges of many kinds, whose numbers are no less than
all the living animals of this earth taken together. (That is to
say, the air and water abound with fowls and fishes of as great a
variety and number as the animals on earth, and all of them dwell in
tree of Desire as mankind and other terrestrial animals. _Nemo sine
desiderium_).
23. I then began to pray from my etherial seat, and through the
thickening leaves of the tree to the nest of the bird; amidst the
hollows of far distant boughs towards the south.
24. After some time I came to descry at a distance a body of ravens,
sitting in rows like leaves of the branches, and resembling the
streaks of sable clouds on either sides of the _Lokáloka_--horizon.
(The _Lokáloka_ mountain is a fictitious name for the horizon, which
has light and darkness ever attendant on its either side. The term
_lokáloka_ or light and shade, is also used to represent vicissitudes
of life).
25. Here I beheld awhile afterwards, a lonely branch with a spacious
hollow in it. It was strewn over with various flowers and redolent with
a variety of perfumes. (The houses of great men are always scented with
odours. ([Sanskrit: subásit harmmatalam manoramam]).)
26. It was as the happy abode of virtuous women in heaven, which are
perfumed with sweet scenting clusters of flowers, and there the crows
were sitting in rows, as they were perfectly freed from all cares and
sorrows.
27. Their great group appeared as the big body of a cloud, separated
from the tumultuous air of the lower atmosphere and resting on the calm
firmament of the upper sky; and the venerable Bhusunda was seen sitting
quietly with his exalted body.
28. He sat there as an entire sapphire shining prominent amongst
fragments of glass, and seemed to be of a stout heart and mind, and of
a dignified mien and graceful appearance.
29. Being heedful of the rule of the restriction of his respiration and
suppression of his voice, he was quite happy with his long longevity,
and was renowned every where as a long lived passe (seer).
30. He witnessed the course of ages and periods, and marked their
advent and exodus in repeated succession; and was thereby known as the
time worn Bhusunda in this world, and a being of stout and unflinching
mind.
31. He was weary with counting the revolutions of the Kalpa cycles, and
with recounting the returns of the preserving divinities of the world;
such as the Sivas, Indras, the gods of the winds and other.
32. He was the chronicler of all antiquity, and the recorder of the
wars of the gods and demons, and the hurling of the high hills in
heaven; and yet he was of a clear countenance and profound mind; he was
complacent to all, and his words are as sweet as honey.
33. This old seer related distinctly all that was unknown and
indistinct to others, he was wanting in his egotism and selfishness,
and was the lord over all his friends and children, and his servants
and their seniors and he was the true narrator of all things at all
times.
34. His speech was clear and graceful, sweet and pleasing, and
his heart was as tender as the cooling lake, and as soft as the
lotus-flower; he was acquainted with all usages and customs and the
depth and profoundness of his knowledge, ever the serenity of his
appearance.