Atma deva story

Once there was a beautiful settlement on the bank of the Tungabhadra. The people of that city were truthful,religious,and dedicated to executing their prescribed duties. In that city lived a brahmana named Atma Deva,who was expert in studying de Vedas and performing karma-kanda activities. He was brilliant like the sun,and although rich, he lived by begging. He had a beautiful wife named Dhundhuli,who came from a good family, but was very obstinate. By nature she was very cruel, talkative and took great pleasure in gossiping with others. Although expert in household duties, she was miserly and quarrelsome.2 This brahmana and his wife lived together lovingly, owning ample wealth and objects for sense enjoyment. Though their house was very beautiful, they were not happy because they had no son.3 As old age crept up on Atma Deva, he engaged in various pious activities for getting a son. He distributed charity to the poor and donated cows, land, gold, cloth and so on. In this way he spent half of his wealth on religious activities. Still he could not get a child and thus he was filled with anxiety. One day feeling very disheartened, he left home and went to the forest. As the sun reached its zenith he was thirsty and approached a pond. Owing to lack of progeny he was depressed, weak en tired,4 and after drinking he sat down to rest5. By and by a sannyasi came there to drink. The brahmana approached him and fell at his feet breathing heavily. The sannyasi asked, “O Maharaja, I am suffering from sins committed in my past life. Even my forefathers are in such anxiety that when I offer oblations of water, they accept, but remain full of worry. The demigods and brahmanas do not happily accept my offerings of food. I am so miserable for want of children that my life appears wasted. I have come here to give up my useless life, as I have no son. A house without children is like a forest,and wealth loses all value. Indeed a family without children is very inauspicious. O Maharaja, even the cows I acquire become barren ! When I plant a tree, it yields no fruits or flowers. And when I bring fruit to my home, it spoils very quickly. I am most unfortunate because I have no son, and therefore my life has no purpose.” Saying this, the brahmana began crying piteously and the saint’s heart became filled with compassion.6 He was a perfected yogi and by seeing the lines on the brahmana’s forehead, he could understand everything about his life. The sannyasi said “O brahmana, give up your attachment and desire for children, for Fate is very powerful. Take shelter of discrimination and give up attachment to this world. O brahmana, I can understand your fate and am certain that you will have no son for the next seven lives. Previously, King Sagara and King Anga had to suffer, repeated miseries because of not having a son. Therefore, brahmana, give up all hope for success in family life. Happiness is only in the life of renunciation. “The brahmana said, “O Swamiji, what is the value of such discrimination? There is simply no spice in sannyasa life. Somehow or another give me a son, otherwise, I will plunge into lamentation and give up my life. One who does not experience the happiness of wife and children lives in a desert. Happiness exists only when the house is filled with wife, sons, and grandsons.7 Seeing Atma Deva’s great attachment, the saint said, “O brahmana, King Citraketu had to suffer excessively because he wanted to undo his fate.8 Providence is very powerful, hence none of your endeavors will be successful. For this reason you will not get the happiness of a son, but I see that you are very obstinate, and since you have approached me desiring a son, what can I say in these circumstances?” Understanding the brahmana’s determination,the saint offered him a fruit and said, “Your wife will surely get pregnant and bear you a son upon her eating this fruit. She should follow a vow of truthfulness, cleanliness, mercy, and charity, and eat only one meal a day for one year. By doing so, she will have a son who will be pious and righteous.” After saying this the sannyasi disappeared and the brahmana joyfully returned to his house. He gave the fruit to his wife and left for another place. His wife, whose nature was crooked, began crying and spoke to her associate; “My dear friend, I am in great anxiety! My husband has brought a fruit which has the potency to give me a son. If I eat, I will become pregnant, my womb will grow, and not being able to eat properly I will become weak and unable to perform my household duties. If by ill fortune dacoits attack, I will not be able to run in my pregnant condition. And if during the time of delivery, the child gets stuck in the birth canal, I will lose my life. Or if he remains in my womb for an extended period, like Sukadeva how much I will have to suffer. I am very tender bu nature, how will I be able to tolerate all this? During the pregnancy I will be weak, then my sister-in-law is sure to come and pilfer all my welth. Moreover, I will have to follow so many rules and regulations which will create difficulty. Child-bearing is very painful, and upbringing more painful still.9 I think only barren women and widows live happily.” Thinking in this way she did not eat the fruit. Yet when her husband asked her, she deceitfully said, “Yes, I have eaten it.”10 One day her sister visited and Dhundhuli confided the whole story to her, revealing her distress. Dhundhulli said, “O dear sister, owing to anxiety, day by day I am becoming weaker. Please tell me what I should do?” Her sister replied; “I am now pregnant so when I deliver this child, I will secretly give him to you. Meanwhile you pose yourself as pregnant and offer some wealth to my husband, thus he will not mind giving his child to you. Somehow or another we will arrange for everyone to think that I suffered a miscarriage after six months. Later I will arrange to nourish the baby at your house.11 Now to test this fruit, let us give it to this cow.” Dhundhuli fed the fruit to a cow and in due course her sister gave birth to a son. The child’s father quietly delivered it to Dhundhuli who informed Atma Deva that she had delivered a son. Hearing this Atma Deva became very jubilant. He performed the birth ceremony along with various other auspicious activities, gave charity to the brahmana’s and arranged musicians to celebrate the birth of his son. Dhundhuli said to her husband, “Tere is no milk in my breast and I think it is not possible to feed cow’s milk to the child yet. What shall I do? My sister’s child was still-born so if you call her, she can breast-feed my son.’ Atma Deva took her suggestion, and Dhundhuli named the boy Dhundhukari. After three months the cow that ate the fruit also delivered a beautiful human child. He was peaceful and divine looking and his face was very brilliant. Seeing this, the brahmana became very ecstatic.12 He performed all the appropriate ceremonies for this new baby. Hearing this, all the people were astonished and all came to see the baby born of the cow. They started talking among themselves, “Just see how fortunate Atma Deva has become. Even his cow has borne him a son!” By the will of the Divine no one could understand the secret behind the intrigue.Atma Deva named the cow’s son Gokarna because his ears resembled those of a cow. In time both boys grew up. Gokarna was intelligent and scholarly,while Dhundhukari was a rogue. He would not perform any brahminical duties or follow the rules of cleanliness. He used no discrimination when eating and was irate. He would accumulate useless articles and would even eat food touched by a dead body. He was expert in stealing and envious of others. Sometimes he would quietly go and set fire to another’s house, or he would abduct a baby an throw it in a well. He took pleasure in violent activities and always carries weapons. He happily troubled blind and handicapped people and ask special friendships with candalas. He also kept a pack of dogs and would often go hunting. He was attached to prostitutes and thus he wasted all his father’s wealth. One day he severely beat his parents,took all the pots and utensils in the house,and sold them. In this way, all of Atma Deva’s property was lost. He began lamenting, “Alas! Alas! I was better off when my wife was barren! Oh! To have a rascal son is worse than having no son at all. Where shall I go? What sall I do? Who will help me in this unfavorable situation? O misery! I am being tormented by my own son and I’m prepared to give up my life!13 While he lamented in this ways, Gokarna arrived and began instructing him;14 “O father, this world is full of delusion and misery, and is useless. You schould deliberate upon who is the real owner of sons and wealth. Those who are attached to material things burn day and night like a ghee lamp. Neither Lord Indra nor the emperor of the whole universe can find happiness. Only those who are renounced and live in a solitary place have peace. Therefore give up this ignorance, thinking that this is your wife, this is your son, and so on. Owing to such delusion one goes to hell. This body will one day be lost, therefore, go and live in the forest.” Hearing this words of Gokarna, Atma Deva decided to go to the forest. He asked, “My dear son, please explain what I should I do in the forest. I am very foolish and very much attached to karma-kanda activities. Now I have lost everything and am bound in this well of household life. You are very merciful-please deliver me.” Gokarna said, “O father, this body is nothing but a combination of bones, fat, blood, and flesh. Therefore, do not consider that you are this body and that this wife and children are yours. Day and night meditate on the ephemeral nature of this material world and thus do not become attached to anything. Become renounced and perform devotional service unto the Personality of Godhead. Devotion is the greatest religion, therefore take shelter of it, and give up all other material religious principles. Render service to saintly people and give up all toughest of sense gratification and greed and wealth. Do not meditate on the defects of others, fully engage in the service of he Lord, and always drink the nectar of His holy partimes.” Influenced by the preaching of his son, Atma Deva left home and though he was sixty years old, went to the forest with great determination. Day and night he remained engaged in the service of he Lord.15 He regularly recited the tenth canto of Srimad Bhagavatam until finally he attained the lotus feet of Lord Krsna. Chapter five Dhundhukari gets a ghost body and is delivered by Gokarna. Suta Gosvami said, “O Saunaka, one day, after Atma Deva went to the forest, Dhundhukari beat his mother severely, demanded her wealth, and treated to burn her. Being overly troubled and afraid of her son, one night Dhundhuli stole out of the house, threw herself into a well and drowned. The saintly Gokarna, who was not troubled by happiness or distress and did not consider anyone his friend or enemy, left to go on pelgrimage. Dhundhikari remained living in their house with five prostitutes and constantly worried how to accumulate wealth for sense gratification.1 Owing to this he lost all his intelligence and thus engaged in cruel and heinous activities.2 One day the prostitutes requested that he give them various ornaments. Dhundhikari, completely blinded by lust and forgetful of death, left to fulfill their desire by hook or crook. In this attempt to please them, he stole some wealth and used it to buy beautiful clothes and ornaments. After receiving the stolen goods, one night the prostitutes began to consider, Dhundhikari is always plundering others and in time surely get caught by the king, who will confiscate his wealth and hang him. We might as well kill him ourselves, take his wealth and move to a distant place.” Thinking in this way, one night while Dhundhikari was sleeping, they tied him with ropes, put a noose around his neck and tried to strangle him. He would not die easily and this worried the prostitutes.3 They then brought burning wood, shoved it into his mouth. The wood burned him to death and they buried his dead body. Indeed women are very courageous and it is difficult to understand their mind. No one could understand what happened to Dhundhikari. When asked, the prostitutes said that he had gone far away to collect some wealth and would return after a year. An intelligent person should never believe an unchaste woman. Any foolish man who puts faith in such women will suffer like Dhundhukari. The voice of an unchaste women appears as sweet as nectar to a lusty man. Actually her heart is as sharp as a razor. Unchaste women have no love for anyone-they only value wealth. The prostitutes who had experienced many lovers, thus took all Dhundhukari’s wealth and disappeared. Owing to his misdeeds Dhundhukari attained a ghost body,4 and remaining within a whirlwind, wandered here and there suffering from hunger and thirst, and lamenting his misfortune. He could find no shelter anywhere. After some time the news on Dhundhukari’s death reached Gokarna, so he went to Gaya to perform sraddha, considering his brother destitute. Later, while traveling to the holy places, Gokarna reached his home town and hiding from everyone, went to his former house to pass the night. Dhundhukari’s ghost observed Gokarna return so he assumed very fierce forms and appeared before him. Sometimes he took the form of a dreadful sheep, then a elephant, or a buffalo, or like Indra and sometimes like fire.5 Finally he appeared as a human being. Seeing this, Gokarna realized that a ghost must be making this display. With courage and patience he spoke, “Who are you? Why are you exhibiting all these fearsome forms? How did you fall into this condition? Tell me clearly are you a ghost, goblin, or a demon?” Suta Gosvami said, “When Gokarna questioned him, the ghost started crying loudly. He did not have the power to speak, so ge gestured with his hands. Gokarna sprinkled some water on the ghost. This relieved him of enough sinful reactions that he was be able to speak. “I am your brother Dhundhukari,”the ghost said. “Because of my misdeeds I have fallen from my respectable birth as a brahmana. Owing to complete ignorance I killed many people. It is not possible to count my sins. I was addicted to five prostitutes who finally killed me, and as a result I am suffering the reactions for my ill activities and have thus gotten this ghost body. Somehow, by the will of the Lord, I am now surviving only on air. My dear brother, you are an ocean of mercy. Please somehow deliver me from this ghostly form.” Gokarna replied, “Dear brother, I am very suprised. I duly performed oblations for you in Gaya and it is a wonder that you still have not been relieved from this ghostly form. If you cannot be delivered by performing sacrifice in Gaya then I do not know what to do. Tell me what is the solution?” The ghost said, “I cannot be relieved of this condition even by the performance of hundreds of sraddhas at Gaya. You must think of some more powerful practice.” Gokarna, astonished to hear this, said, “If you cannot be delivered by hundreds of sraddhas in Gaya, then your liberation is practically impossible. Anyway, do not fear. Stay here and I will think of some procedure to deliver you.” The ghost left and Gokarna passed the night in deep thought but did not discover a solution. The next morning many people including scholars, savants, knowers of the Vedas, and yogis came to see him and he explained the incident which had occurred the previous night. They all consulted their particular scriptures but could not suggest a suitable means to deliver Dhundhukari. They finally decided to follow whatever Surya-narayana, the sun-god, would order. By the power of his accumulated penance, Gokarna checked the movements of the sun-god and prayed, “O Lord, you are the witness of the whole universe, I offer my obeisance’s unto you. Please be merciful and tell me the process to deliver Dhundhukari.” The sun-god replied, “Only one thing can be done to deliver him—recitation of Srimad bhagavatam for one week.” The assembly heard this statement of the sun-god and agreed that this simple process should be executed. Thus the news spread that Gokarna would perform the Saptaha Yajna. From the nearby villages many people came who were lame, blind, aged, and less intelligent, all had the desire to become free from their sins. Such a crowd assembled that even the demigods were surprised.6 Gokarna took his seat on the vyasasana and began reciting the pastimes of Lord Krsna as described in the Bhagavatam. All the time the ghost also came and searched for a place to sit. Because he had an airy body he could not sit outside, so he entered a bamboo rod wich had seven knots and thus began hearing Srimad Bhagavatam. After Gokarna appointed one Vaisnava brahmana as the chief of the assembly, in a clear, sweet, voice he started reciting Srimad Bhagavatam from the first canto. That evening during a pause in the katha, a wonderful incident occurred. The people in the assembly noticed that one of the knots in the bamboo cracked and burst. In this way, at the end of each day, a knot would burst and on the seventh day, when the recitation was complete, all the knots were cracked. Dhundhukari was delivered from his ghostly form.7 He attained a divine body, which was blackish like rain clouds. He was clad in yellow garments, a Tulasi garland around his neck, a crown adorning his head and beautiful earrings dangling from his ears. He immediately offered obeisance’s to Gokarna and said, “My dear brother, by your mercy I have been released from the ghostly body. This ceremony of Saptaha is so glorious that it can destroy ghostly forms and elevate one to the abode of Lord Krsna. When a person starts hearing the Saptaha, sins tremble in fear anticipating that the bhagavatam-katha will burn them to ashes. In the same way that fire burns a twig or a tree so, this Saptaha burns all big or small sins, performed with the body, mind, and speech. Scholars in the assembly of demigods have said that the lives of those Indians who do not hear Srimad Bhagavatam, then there is no gain from this so-called beautiful body? This body is supported by bones, which are like pillars, and tied together with the ropes of nerves and veins. It is covered with skin and is filled with flesh and every part reeks being nothing more than a pot of stool and urine. In old age it is the cause of lamentation and misery. Indeed it is a residence for aliments and to maintain it is a great burden. It is continuously troubled by desires that can never be satisfied. Every pore is full of defects and it can be destroyed within a moment. When buried, it is eaten by worms; if thrown out, it is eaten by vultures and transformed into stool; and if burned, it turns into ashes. Indeed these are the only destinations of this body. Who is that sane person who will not utilize this temporary body to gain permanent benefit? Food which is cooked in the morning is putrid by evening, so how can this body be considered eternal, since it is nourished by elements that decompose? In this material world people can very quickly attain the lotus feet of the Lord by hearing Bhagavata Saptaha. This is the only means to get rid of he defects of human birth. Those people who do not hear bhagavata-katha are just like bubbles in water, or like mosquitoes, who take birth only to die uselessly. If this, bhagavata-katha can burst the knots of bamboo, then why can it not burst those in the heart? By hearing Srimad Bhagavatam, one’s doubts are removed, the karma is slackened and one becomes relieved of the knots in the heart. Bhagavata-katha is like a tirtha that cleanses one from all impurities. Scholars say that when the Bhagavatam becomes fixed in the heart, one’s liberation is definite.” When Dhundhukari was speaking in this way, the sky became effulgent and a Vaikuntha airplane appeared carrying associates of he Lord.8 In front of the whole assembly Dhundhukari boarded the airplane. Gokarna posed a question, “O dear associates of the Lord, in this assembly there are many pure hearted people and all of them heard the Bhagavata Saptaha. Why is it that this airplane has come exclusively for Dhundhukari? Why are the others not getting the same result? The servants of the Lord spoke, “O Gokarna, the difference lies in the quality of their hearing. Although it is true that everyone heard the katha, everyone did not meditate on it equally. For this reason the results of performing bhajana or devotional service are different.9 This ghost fasted for seven days and heard Bhagavatam with a completely fixed and attentive mind. That knowledge which is not stable is useless. In tha same way, if one does not hear attentively or if one harbors doubts or lets his mind wander here and there,then he will not get the benefit of chanting his mantra. Land devoid of Vaisnavas, Sraddha offered to unqualified persons, charity given to ill behaved brahmanas who do not know the Vedas, are all useless. Faith in the words of the spiritual master, humility, control of the mind’s defects, and attentive hearing of bhagavata-katha all grant the full result. If one hears the Bhagavatam attentively he certainly attains Vaikuntha. O Gokarna, as far as you are concerned, the Lord Himself will come to take you to Goloka.”Thereafter the associates of the Lord, performing hari-kirtana,,ascended to the Vaikuntha. In the month of Sravana Gokarna again performed the Saptaha Yajna of Srimad Bhagavatam and those people again listened to it.O Narada, please listen what happened at the end of that Saptaha. The Lord appeared in a plane filled with devotees. From all quarters could be heard. “All glories! All glories!”and people were paying obeisance’s. The Lord blew His conch shell named Pancajanya and embraced Gokarna. In a moment He granted everyone who listened to the Srimad Bhagavatam a body just like His own. They all acquired a blackish body and wore yellow garments, helmets, and earrings. By the mercy of Gokarna all the living entities in that village, including dogs and even the dog-eaters, ascended in that airship. They were carried to the place where only devotees go-the abode of the Lord. In this way, Lord Krsna being very pleased by His katha took Gokarna with Him to Goloka Dhama, which is most dear to the cowherd people. In the past Lord Ramacandra took all the residents of Ayoddhya to His abode, Saketa.10 In the same way, Lord Krsna took everyone to Goloka Dhama which is not attained even by great yogis, the Sun God, Moon God, or even perfected beings, but is attained only by hearing Srimad Bhagavatam. O Narada, what can we say about he wonderful result which one attains by hearing Bhagavat-Saptaha? Even those who have heard a fraction of the history of Gokarna do not take birth again. That destination which can not be attained by those live on air, water, or dry leaves, executing extended penance, or the practice yoga, is easily attained by hearing Bhagavata-Saptaha. The great sage Sandilya, who is always absorbed in transcendental bliss, engages in reciting this pious history at Citrakuta.11 This history is so purifying that anyone who hears it even once, becomes free from all sin. If it is recited during the Sraddha ceremony, the forefathers are very pleased. Anyone who recites Srimad Bhagavatam daily attains liberation.