Of talent, knowledge and bravery…

Read the previous part here

As soon as Harisvāmin was back, he was approached by a Brahmin youth, who had heard of the beauty of his daughter. ” I would like to marry her”, said the Brahmin.

Illustration by the renowned Karatholuvu Chandrasekaran Shivashankaran

विज्ञानिनो ज्ञानिनो वा शूराद् वा नापरं पतिम् ।
मत्पुत्रीच्छति तत् तेषां मध्यात् कथय को भवान् ॥ १२,१२.१३ ॥

इत्य् उक्तस् तेन भार्यार्थः स हरिस्वामिना द्विजः ।
अहं जानामि विज्ञानम् इति तं प्रत्यभाषत ॥ १२,१२.१४ ॥

तर्हि तद् दर्शयस्वेति पुन उक्तश् च तेन सः ।
विज्ञानी कल्पयामास स्वशक्त्या द्युचरं रथम् ॥ १२,१२.१५ ॥

मायायन्त्ररथे तत्र तं हरिस्वामिनं क्षणात् ।
आरोप्य नीत्वा स्वर्गादीं लोकांस् तस्मा अदर्शयत् ॥ १२,१२.१६ ॥

आनिनाय च तुष्टं तं तत्रैव कटकं पुनः ।
दाक्षिणात्यस्य नृपतेर् यत्रायातः स कार्यतः ॥ १२,१२.१७ ॥

ततः सो ऽस्मै हरिस्वामी प्रतिशुश्राव तां सुताम् ।
विज्ञानिने विवाहं च निश्चिकायाह्नि सप्तमे ॥ १२,१२.१८ ॥

Harisvāmin replied “My daughter has a condition – she only wants to marry a person who is talented, or brave, or knowledgable. Which of these are you?”

The youth replied “Well, I am very talented!”

“Then show me what talent you have”, came the response.

The youth uttered some mantras, and then took a few sticks and in a few hours, made a chariot – one that could fly in the air. He then took Harisvāmin on a trip to the clouds, and after showing him how the earth looked from above, brought him down dropped him off at the kingdom of the Deccan, where Harisvāmin was to reach later in the day.

A visibly-delighted and impressed Harisvāmin promised his daughter’s hand in marriage to the Brahmin youth, and said that it would take place in a week.

तत्कालम् उज्जयिन्याम् अप्य् अन्येनैत्य द्विजन्मना ।
देवस्वामी स तत्पुत्रः स्वसारं ताम् अयाच्यत ॥ १२,१२.१९ ॥

ज्ञानिविज्ञानिशूरेभ्यो नान्यम् इच्छति सा पतिम् ।
इति तेनापि सो ऽप्य् उक्तः शूरम् आत्मानम् अभ्यधात् ॥ १२,१२.२० ॥

ततो दर्शितशस्त्रास्त्रश्रिये तस्मै द्विजो ऽनुजाम् ।
देवस्वामी स शूराय दातुं तां प्रत्यपद्यत ॥ १२,१२.२१ ॥

सप्तमे ऽह्नि च तत्रैव विवाहं गणकोक्तितः ।
तस्यापि सो ऽभ्यधान् मातुः परोक्षं कृतनिश्चयः ॥ १२,१२.२२ ॥

In the meanwhile, another Brahmin youth approached Devasvāmin, the son of Harisvāmin and brother of Somaprabhā, and asked him for his sister’s hand in marriage.

Devasvāmin replied “My sister has a condition – she only wants to marry a person who is talented, or brave, or knowledgable. Which of these are you?”

The youth replied that his bravery and valor was the talk of the town. He then displayed his adeptness in the use of weapons and hand-to-hand combat, impressing Devasvāmin so much that he clapped and said “You are the right suitor for my sister. The astrologers had told me that once I found the potential groom, the marriage should be fixed in a week. And so we will have the marriage solemnized seven days from today.”

तन्मातापि हरिस्वामिभार्या तत्कलम् एव सा ।
केनाप्य् एत्य तृतीयेन सुतां तां याचिता पृथक् ॥ १२,१२.२३ ॥

ज्ञानी शूरो ऽथ विज्ञानी भर्तास्मद् दुहितुर् मतः ।
इत्य् उक्तश् च तया मातर् अहं ज्ञानीति सो ऽभ्यधात् ॥ १२,१२.२४ ॥

पृष्ट्वा भूतं भविष्यच् च तस्मै तां ज्ञानिने सुताम् ।
प्रतिजज्ञे प्रदातुं साप्य् अह्नि तत्रैव सप्तमे ॥ १२,१२.२५ ॥

On the same day, unknown to Devasvāmin, another youth approached his mother, and Harisvāmin’s wife, and asked her for her daughter’s hand in marriage.

The mother replied “My daughter has a condition – she only wants to marry a person who is talented, or brave, or knowledgable. Which of these are you?”

He responded “I am very knowledgable.”

The mother then proceeded to question him on the scriptures, the Vedas, Upanishads, and even matters of the past, and matters of the future, and she received satisfactory responses for all her questions. Impressed by his vast knowledge, she promised her daughter’s hand in marriage to him, and told him that the marriage will be conducted on the seventh day from then.

The next day, Harisvāmin returned. And then…

to be continued…