MEETING OF VASISHTHA AND DÁSÚRA.
Argument. Dásúra’s reception of Vasishtha, their conversation and
Parting.
Vasishtha said:—Hear me, Ráma, that art the delight of Raghu’s race,
and shinest as the moon in the firmament of Raghu’s family; that after
I heard the conversation that was going on between Dásúra and his son:—
2. I alighted from the sky on the top of the Kadamba tree, which was
decorated with its verdant leaves, and beautiful fruits and flowers;
and then with my spiritual body, I sat myself slowly and silently on
the top of the tree, as a light cloud alights on the summit of a
mountain.
3. I beheld Dásúra there, sitting as a giant by subduing the organs of
his body, and shining with the lustre of his devotion, as the fire
blazing with its flame.
4. The lustre issuing from his body, had strewn his seat with purple
gold, and lighted that spot, as the sun-beams emblazon the world.
5. Seeing me presenting myself before him, Dásúra spread a leafy seat
for me to sit down, and then honoured me according to the rules of
ceremonial law.
6. Then I joined with the luminous Dásúra in continuation of his
discourse, which was meant for the edification of his son, and
salvation of mankind from the miseries of life.
7. I then with permission of Dásúra, looked into the hollow of the
tree, and the herds of stags pasturing fearlessly about it, and grazing
and gathering about it.
8. It was as delightful as a bower overhung with creepers, where the
smiling flowers were shedding their light, and breathing their
fragrance to the winds.
9. The choury deer flapped their long hairy and moon-bright tails,
against the herbaceous arbour, as the white flimsy clouds sweep over
the sky.
10. The tree was adorned with fringes of pearly dewdrops, and arrayed
all over with the flowery garb of his blossoms.
11. Smeared with the dust of its flowers, it appeared to be anointed
with sandal paste; while its blowsy bark mantled it in roseate red.
12. Decorated with flowers, the tree seemed to stand in its bridal
attire; and resembled the bridegroom in mutual embrace with the twining
brides.
13. The bowers of shrubberies all around, resembled the leafy huts of
hermits, which with their overtopping blossoms, seemed as a city,
flaring with flying flags (or banners) in festivity.
14. Shaken by the stages in the act of rubbing their bodies, the trees
darted their flowers in abundance upon the ground; and the border-lands
were as shattered, as if they were broken by the horns of fighting
bulls.
15. Peacocks daubed with dust of flowers, and flying on the top of the
adjacent hill, appeared as evening clouds gliding over it.
16. Here the goddess Flora seemed to be sporting in the lawns, with the
roseate flowers in her hands, and smiling sweetly in the blooming
blossoms; she revelled with the nectarine honey of flowers; and shed
her beauty on all sides.
17. The closing buds resembling her eyelids, were lulled to sleep by
the forest breeze, breathing incessantly with the fragrance of the
flowers. The clusters of flowers forming her breasts, were hid under
the bodice of leaves.
18. She sat at the window of her alcove, formed by the twining plants
and creepers, and was dressed in the purple garb of the flying farina
of flowers.
19. She swang in her swinging cradle of bluish blossoms, and was
adorned with various floral ornaments from her head to foot.
20. She moved about the flowers in the garb of the sylvan goddess and
looking with her cerulean eyes of fluttering blue-bees on all sides;
and sang to them in the sweet notes of the black kokila in the arbours.
21. The bees tired with their labour of love, refreshed themselves with
sipping the dew-drops trickling on the tops of the flowers, and then
making their repast on the farinaceous meal, slept together with their
mates, in the cells of the flower cups.
22. The couples of bees dwelling in the cells of flowers, and giddy
with sipping the honey of the flower cups; were humming their love
tunes to one another.
23. The sage remained attentive for a moment to the murmur, proceeding
from the village beyond the forest; and now he listened with pricked up
ears, to the busy buzz of blue-bees and flies at a distance.
24. The sages then beheld with their down cast looks on moon-beams,
which were spread like a sheet of fine linen on the blades of grass
upon the ground below.
25. They beheld the beautiful antelopes, which slept in their leafy
beds on the ground, below the stretching boughs of shady trees, as if
they were the progeny of their native forest.
26. They saw the fearless birds chirping upon the branches, and others
sleeping confident in their nests; and they beheld the ground covered
by living creatures, feasting on the ripe fruits fallen below.
27. They saw the long lines of black-bees, lying mute on the ground
like strings of beads, and blackening it with their sable bodies.
28. The forest was redolent with fragrance, and the sky was overhung by
a cloud of flowers; the dust of Kadamba blossoms tinged the ground with
ambergrees, and the Kadamba fruits covered the face of the land.
29. What need is there of saying more, than that there was no part of
the tree, which was not useful to living beings.
30. Here the deer were sleeping on the fallen leaves and there were
others resting on the barren ground; the birds sat on the banks and
beaches of the rivulets all about that lofty tree.
31. As they were viewing in this manner the beauties of the forest, the
night passed away as soon as a night of festivity.
32. The son of the hermit kept conversing with me on many subjects, and
derived many useful instructions from my teaching.
33. As we had been conversing with one another on different subjects,
the night passed away as soon as that of a conjugal pair.
34. Now it began to dawn, and the blushing flowers commenced to ope
their petals; while the host of the stars on high, disappeared from
their arena of the sky.
35. I then took my departure, and was followed by the hermit and his
son to some distance from their Kadamba tree, where I left them for my
aerial course to the heavenly stream.
36. There having performed my holy ablution, I came down under the
vault of heaven, and then entered the celestial region of the sages,
which is situated in the midway sky.
37. Now I have related to you, Ráma, this story of Dásúra, that you may
learn from his instance the unreality of the apparent world, and as it
is but a shadow of the ideal one (in the Divine mind).
38. It was for this reason, that I have given you the narrations of
Dásúra, by way of explanation of the phenomenal world, as a shadow of
the noumenal.
39. Now therefore know the Spirit like Dásúra, and imitate his example
in the magnanimity of your soul. Forsake the unreal, and pursue the
reality for your permanent delight.
40. Rub out the dirt of desire from your mind, and see the image of
truth in it as in a mirror; you will thus attain to the highest state
of knowledge, and be honoured in all worlds as a perfect being.