Indian Antiquary Vol 35

Author(s): Richard Carnac Temple
Publisher: Swati Publications

Page 54

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THE INDIAN ANTIQUARY.
[FEBRUARY, 1906.
TALES OF THE TELUGU VAISHNAVAS. Translated by N. Kuruthalvar.
Prefatory Notes
By Mrs. I. J. Pitt.
MANY pleasant hours were spent by me in India with some Hindu friends, who related for my benefit stories peculiarly characteristic of their modes of thought and sentiments. Of these I have selected some which seem to bring out most clearly the essentially Hindu ideas.
With the exception of the one story of the "Hunter and the Doves," which was told me by Mr. T. Sivasankaram, all the others were translated, as they were read from the Telugu, chiefly the Bhagavata Purana, by Mr. N. Kuruthalvar, a Brahman school-master, and, with the exception of a word here and there, they are reproduced exactly as he read them out to me.
I.
The Elephant and Vishnu.
From the Bhagavata Purana.
There once lived a king in the Tamil country named Indradyumna, who was a devotee of Vishnu and used to worship on the summit of a great hill. One day, while he was there in meditation, the Rishi Agastya came to that place. Indra, being wholly absorbed, did not notice Agastya nor salute him, whereupon Agastya became very angry and cursed Indra that he and all his retinue should take the forms of elephants. The curse thus falling upon them, the king-elephant Indra and all his retinue went to the mountain Trigurta. Here there were beautiful waterfalls, where Gandharvas lived and spent their days bathing, dancing and singing, decked and perfumed with sweet unguents. Groves of trees, full of sweet-scented flowers and fruits, mangoes, areca-nut, limes and many others, and various kinds of palms and banyan trees were there.
Enshrouded by these was a calm lake, full of yellow, red, and blue lilies, and on its borders grew many kinds of flowers and creepers. Water-birds swam upon the surface and the forests resounded with glad songs. Here wandered herds of elephants, deer, rhinoceros, boar and many other animals. When the hot season approached, the King one day feeling thirsty, and scenting the water, and seeing the bees humming round the flowers, the yellow dust from which was sprinkled over the surface, took with him a hundred female elephants and young ones, and entered in the water, bathed in it, quenched his thirst, poured streams of it upon his back, and afterwards, in the same manner, bathed the young ones, as a father does. While he was doing this, an alligator, being disturbed, in great fury seized hold of the two front legs of the King, who struggled unsuccessfully to free himself. His wives and children in terror and dismay tried to help him, but without avail. In this way the two continued to struggle for one thousand years, and gradually the King's strength was failing him, and his enemy overpowering him. At last, realising his helplessness and weakness, he thought to himself, " There are none now to help me, and I must take refuge in the Highest Being. He is able to save me from fear of death." Then remembering one of the holiest prayers, with which he had been acquainted in his former birth, he cried as follows:- "Om! I prostrate myself before thee, Bhagavân, from whom and in whom and to whom is the whole of this existence. Thou art the Primordial Force, the First Seed. The greatest Lord, the All-wise, the whole universe is thy manifestation. There is none beyond thee, I hold fast to such a being. Thou art Self-created, the whole world appears and disappears by thy mysterious divine power, throwing out manifestations as Mâyâ. Thou art the root of all existence. I pray thee to save me!