Pushkar and Agastya Muni

Bheeshm Jee asked - "How do the people visit Pushkar and what Punya they get out of its visit?" Pulastya Jee said to Bheeshm Jee - "First, who has full control on his Indriyaan, who is learned, and who is disciplined, only he gets the Punya of Teerth. Who doesn't take any donation from anybody, who is not proud, who speaks truth only, he gets the Punya of Teerth. Its area is 2 and 1/2 Yojan (approximately 20 miles) long and 2 Yojan (approximately 16 miles) wide. In Jyeshth Pushkar, where Saraswatee appeared, Brahmaa etc Devtaa come there on Chaitra Shukla Chaturdashee (14th day). Therefore one should take bath there and worship Devtaa and Pitar. Approximately 100 Trillion (one Kharab) Teerth are present there at the time of three Sandhyaa (morning, noon and evening); and Aaditya, Vasu, Apsaraa etc come there daily. Who feeds even one Braahman there, he gets the fruit of feeding 10 million Braahman.

Now I tell you about the Aashram in this Teerth. Maharshi Agastya lives here. Several Manu have also built their Aashram here. I tell you now about Agastya Muni. In Sat Yug, there lived Kaalakeya named Daanav. They always desired for fighting. So at one time they along with Vritraasur invaded Devtaa. Devtaa went to Brahmaa Jee for help. Brahmaa Jee said - "You should go to Dadheechi named Maharshi and ask him a Var. He is very kind, he will surely fulfill your desire. You just say to him "Please give us your bones for the welfare of the world." Then you make a Vajra out of those bones which will kill Vritraasur."

All Devtaa went to Maharshi Dadheechi. Dadheechi welcomed them and asked the reason to come there. Devtaa expressed their reason. Dadheechi said - "I will surely do that whatever is good for you." Dadheechi soon left his body and Devtaa took his bones and gave them to Vishwakarmaa and asked him to build the Vajra weapon.

Vishwakarmaa built the weapon and gave it to Indra. Indra went in the battle field. Vritraasur was standing there in his huge form and Kaalakeya Daitya were there to protect him. The fight started, Vritraasur had got stronger, so Vishnu and Brahmarshi added their powers to Indra. And Indra killed him with his Vajra.

As Vritraasur was killed, Devtaa started killing other Daanav also. They started running away and hid inside the sea. There they started planning about destroying Tri-Lok. They came out in night and ate Muni in Aashram and temples. Thus they ate 8,008 Braahman and other Tapaswee also. They killed 20 Brahmchaaree in Bharadwaaj's Aashram. All got very troubled with this. So Devtaa went to Naaraayan for help.

Vishnu said - "I know that Kaalakeya Daanav are very terrible Daanav. Until they will be hiding in sea it is impossible to kill them so think of the way to dry the sea." Hearing this they went to Mitraavarun's son Agastya Muni and said - "Hey Maharshi, In earlier times when people were troubled by king Nahush, you brought him down from Indra's status. When Vindhyaachal got higher than the Sun then you helped him to bend down. Now you fulfill our wish also."

Bheeshm asked - "Why Vindhyaachal became higher than the Sun? Please tell me this story." Pulastya Jee said - "Soorya used to circumambulate the golden mountain Meru Parvat daily at the time of rising and setting. One day Vindhyaachal said to Soorya - "As you circumambulate the Meru Parvat, you circumambulate me also." Soorya said - "I do not do this with my own wish, whoever has created this Universe, He has decided this path for me." Hearing this Vindhyaachal got angry and he grew himself to hinder the path of Soorya and Chandra. The whole system got disturbed. Devtaa tried their best but could not bring Vindhyaachal down.

Then they went to Agastya Muni. Agastya Muni went to Vindhyaachal and said to him - "I am going to South, give me the way; and until I come back remain lower for me." Vindhyaachal got lower in his respect and Muni crossed him. But he has not returned from there till today.

That is why Devtaa went to Agastya Jee and told their plight. Agastya Muni went to the seashore along with other Rishi. There he said - "I am drinking this whole sea to do good to you, so do soon whatever you wish to do." And he drank the whole sea in front of everybody. Everybody was very surprised to see this. Seeing this Devtaa prayed him and attacked Kaalkeya Daanav and killed most of them. Whoever survived, went to Paataal Lok. Devtaa thanked Muni by prayers and requested him to return that water to sea.

Agastya Muni said - "I have already digested that water, now you make some other arrangement to fill this sea." Devtaa went to Brahmaa Jee, he said - "Don't worry, after a long time Bhageerath will bring Gangaa on Prithvi, she will fill the sea with her water." (see Questions-1)

Story of Saptarshi

Pulastya Jee said - "Now I will tell you about the Aashram of Saptarshi. Many Rishi have come here and and lived in Saptarshi Aashram. Once Saptarshi were wandering in Teerth with the desire to win Brahm Lok through Samaadhi. In the meantime there happened to be a great famine. All were going hungry. So the king's people asked them to take milk, cows, honey etc from them, but Rishi said - "Taking things from somebody is a terrible habit. This is like poison, in spite of knowing all this, why are you asking this to us? Whoever Braahman accepts king's things he falls in terrible Narak (Hell). Give this donation to somebody else." After saying this to them Saptarshi went away. Hearing this, the king's servants scattered Goolar fruits filled with gold.

Saptarshi came to that place where king's servant scattered the Goolar fruits looking for some eatables and found some fruits lying there. They picked them and found heavy. They knew that those fruits are never so heavy, so Vashishth Jee said - "Collection of Tap is better than collecting wealth, that is why this collection is not good for us." Kashyap Jee said - "Wealth develops Moh and Moh takes one to Narak, that is why who wishes for his good, he should leave wealth. If one desires to collect wealth even for Dharm, it is better not to have that kind of wish. Whatever Dharm is done with the help of wealth, that Dharm is destructible." Bharadwaaj Muni said - "Trishnaa (desire to have more and more) has no end, it is the root of many A-Dharm, and it carries hundreds of faults, therefore abandoning Trishnaa is good."

Maharshi Gautam said - "When Indriyaan are greedy, all people get into trouble. Whose heart is contented, he has wealth all around him; who has shoes in his feet, the whole earth is covered with skin for him. There is no greater sorrow than discontentment and there is no greater happiness greater than contentment, that is why one should be contented." Maharshi Vishwaamitra Jee said - "If one's one desire is fulfilled, another one rises in his heart, thus there is no end of enjoying pleasures. That is why one should always be away from pleasures." Maharshi Jamadagni said - "Who is worthy to take Daan, still he doesn't take it, he attains those Lok which are assigned to those who give donations. Whoever Braahman takes money from king, Maharshi are sorry for him. Braahman lose their Brahm power by accepting money like this." Arundhatee (Vashishth's wife) said - "There is no beginning and end of Trishnaa, that is why it is good to abandon Trishnaa." Pashusakh said - "One should follow the conduct of learned people."

Thus all Maharshi left those fruits there only and went away from there. Wandering around they came to Pushkar and met Shunahsakh. They all went to another forest where they saw a pond full of lotus flowers. They all sat on its shore. Shunahsakh asked them that what kind of pain they felt when they were hungry. Rishi said - "Its pain is more intense than the pain of arrow, Gadaa (mace), or any other weapon. It is more intense than the pain by any disease. As Sun draws all water from Prithvi, in the same way the fire of stomach dries up all the nerves of the body. A hungry man can't see anything and his all body parts start burning. Hunger can make a man lame, terrible and out of mind. All kinds of faults start appearing in him, that is why nothing has been greater than grains or food, nor there will be. That is why who donates grains (food) he gets eternal satisfaction.

Dam (control on Indriyaan), Daan (donation), and Yam (control on mind) - these three are the Dharm told by learned people. Among them Dam is especially is of Braahman's Dharm. Dam inspires Yagya and Dam inspires Daan. Who has not controlled his Indriyaan, what is the use of living in forest for him; and who has controlled his Indriyaan, he doesn't need to go to forest. People are always afraid of them who eat meat and who have no control on their Indriyaan, that is why Brahmaa Jee has devised punishment code for such people. Punishment keeps everybody under control. Dam is the greatest Vrat among all Vrat. It stops sinners to commit any sin. Dharm, Moksh, and Swarg - all are under Dam. Who do not know to control their Indriyaan, they study Shaastra uselessly, because only Dam is Sanaatan (eternal) Dharm. Who has no Dam, even Ved and its six parts cannot cleanse him."

Pulastya Jee said - "Thus they all told Shunahsakh Dharm and proceeded to another forest where there was another pond full of lotus flowers. They plucked some flowers from the pond and started doing Sandhyaa. After doing Sandhyaa, they found that their all flowers were gone. Rishi said - "We are here very hungry, who has stolen those flowers in such condition?" When they could not find any clue, then first of all Kashyap Jee said - "Whoever has stolen our flowers, he should be sinner of stealing everything, being greedy of somebody else's wealth and witnessing for wrong things. He should be sinner of selling girl for money, lying, and living on interest of money." Vashishth Jee said - "He should be a sinner of sleeping in daytime, living in a village which has only one well, being a Braahman keeping relationship with a Shoodra woman." Bharadwaaj Jee said - "He should be a sinner of being cruel to everybody, proud of being wealthy, being jealous with everybody, seller of juices."

Gautam Jee said - "He should be a sinner of always eating Shoodra's food, enjoying other women, and eating sweets alone without giving to anybody else in the house." Vishwaamitra Jee said - "He should be a sinner of always being lusty, always committing sins, and enjoying other women." Jamadagni Jee said - "That sick person should be a sinner of insulting his parents, living on his daughter's money, eating always in another man's house and selling cows." Paraashar Jee said - "He should be the slave of others, an angry man for several lives, and not do any Dharm Karm." Shunahsakh said - "Whoever has stolen the flowers, he should study Ved, love his Atithi, always speak truth, do Agnihotra methodically, do Yagya daily, and go to Brahm Lok in the end."

Hearing this all Rishi said - "Whatever you have said, that is worthy for a Dwi-Jaati only, therefore only you have stolen our flowers." Shunahsakh said - "I wanted to hear Dharm from you that is why I stole the flowers. Know me as Indra. You have won greed so you have won eternal Lok. Let us go to Swarg, please embark on this Vimaan (airplane)." Maharshi said - "Hey Dev Raaj, Whoever comes here, takes bath in Madhyam Pushkar, and lives here for three nights keeping fast, he gets eternal fruits, and he lives in Brahm Lok for one Kalp (Brahmaa's one day)."