Bhagwat Puran Fourth Skandh: Daksha's Yajna, Dhruva, Prithu and Puranjana

The fourth skandh tells of the lines of Svayambhuva Manu's daughters and sons. It contains the best-loved children's story of devotion, Dhruva, and a profound allegory of life, the story of Puranjana.

Chapters 1 to 7: Daksha's sacrifice

Manu's daughter Prasuti married Prajapati Daksha, and their daughter Sati married Shiva. Insulted when Shiva did not rise to greet him at an assembly, Daksha cursed Shiva and did not invite him to a great sacrifice. Sati went uninvited, was insulted by her father and gave up her body in yogic fire. Virabhadra arose from Shiva's hair and destroyed the sacrifice. At Brahma's prayer Shiva calmed, restored Daksha with a goat's head, and the sacrifice was completed. (The full story is in the Sati Khanda of the Shiv Puran.)

Chapters 8 to 12: Dhruva

Queen Suruchi pulled five-year-old Dhruva from his father Uttanapada's lap, saying he must worship God and be reborn from her womb to sit there. His mother Suniti said: "Son, wish no one ill; take refuge in God." On the way Narada met him and, to test him, said: "Penance is hard at your age; go home." Dhruva was firm. Then Narada taught him to go to Madhuvan and chant "Om Namo Bhagavate Vasudevaya".

Dhruva performed severe penance for six months: in the first month fruit every third day, in the second leaves every sixth day, in the third water every ninth day, in the fourth air every twelfth day, and from the fifth he stood on one foot, holding his breath in meditation. As his breath stopped, the breath of the whole world began to stop. The Lord appeared on Garuda. Dhruva did not know how to praise him; the Lord touched his cheek with His conch, and a beautiful hymn poured from Dhruva's lips.

The Lord gave him Dhruvaloka, which does not perish even at dissolution, and a reign of 36,000 years on earth. Dhruva returned; his father embraced him and gave him the kingdom. Later Dhruva's brother Uttama was killed by yakshas; Dhruva fought them, but his grandfather Manu told him to give up anger, and he stopped. Pleased, Kubera granted him a boon. At the end Dhruva rose bodily in a divine chariot to Dhruvaloka, taking his mother Suniti with him.

Chapters 13 to 23: King Prithu

In Dhruva's line, Vena, son of King Anga, became a tyrant and was killed by the sages. From the churning of his arms came King Prithu, a portion of the Lord, and his queen Archi. The earth had hidden all food; when Prithu raised his bow she fled as a cow, then sought refuge, saying: "Milk me, but you need a calf and a vessel." Using Manu as the calf, Prithu milked grain; the sages, gods, ancestors, asuras and all others milked what they needed with their own calves and vessels.

Prithu wished to perform a hundred horse sacrifices; Indra in jealousy stole the horse. Vishnu appeared and reconciled them. Prithu asked the Lord for ten thousand ears so that he could keep hearing His stories. Prithu taught his people dharma, received knowledge from the Kumaras, and at the end attained the Lord through penance in the forest with his wife.

Chapters 24 to 31: the Prachetas and the story of Puranjana

King Prachinabarhi, in Prithu's line, sacrificed many animals in his rituals. Narada showed him those animals waiting in the sky for revenge, and told him the story of Puranjana:

The allegory of Puranjana: King Puranjana left his unknown friend Avijnata and went in search of a beautiful city. He found a city with nine gates, where a beautiful woman lived with eleven attendants and a five-hooded serpent. Puranjana married her and lived there, laughing, weeping, eating and sleeping as she did. In time the gandharva king Chandavega with 360 gandharvas and 360 gandharvis began attacking the city, then Kalakanya (old age) came, and finally the king of the Yavanas (death) burned the city. Dying, Puranjana thought of his wife, and so was born a woman in his next life. At last his old friend Avijnata came as a Brahmin and reminded him: "You were neither man nor woman; you are my friend, the swan."

Its meaning: Puranjana is the soul; Avijnata is the Supreme, the eternal friend; the city of nine gates is the body (two eyes, two ears, two nostrils, mouth and the two lower openings); the beautiful woman is the intellect; the eleven attendants are the ten senses and the mind; the five-hooded serpent is the five life-breaths; Chandavega is time (360 days and 360 nights, a year); Kalakanya is old age; and the Yavana king is death. The soul, attached to body and intellect, forgets its true friend, God.

Hearing this, Prachinabarhi gave up violence. His ten sons, the Prachetas, practised austerities in the ocean for ten thousand years, received the Rudra Gita from Shiva, saw the Lord, married Marisha, daughter of the trees, and had Daksha as their son.

What this skandh teaches

• Turn insult into resolve, as Dhruva did, and do not waver from your goal.
• By God's grace even what we do not know is spoken; Dhruva's hymn came at the touch of the conch.
• A good ruler cares for nature and gives everyone their share, as Prithu did.
• We are guests in this city of the body; God is our true friend; do not forget Him.