|| Srimad Bhagavath Mahapuran||

|| Om Namo Bhagavathe Vasudevaya||

Chapter – 20 – The legend of Athmadeva

Sutha Pauranika describes the legend of Athmadeva,  a pious Brahmin who lived with his wife Dhundhuli on the river banks of Thungabadhra.  Athmadeva and Dhundhuli had no children after several years of marriage; he was distressed to think of the end of his clan and absence of offspring to perform ancestral rites.  He witnessed even the trees and shrubs in his home are not giving fruits or flowers, his cow was not given calves.   His wife Dhunduli was not a pleasing woman, she had no belief in religious rites, and she was wicked and greedy.  One day Athmadeva set his travel to the woods, where he met a Yogi and revealed his pathetic state.  The saintly person advised Athmadeva to remain contented with his present life.  But Athmadeva was yearning for a child, so the Yogi gave a divine fruit and advised him to give to his wife so that she could conceive with a child.  Athmadeva prostrated before the Yogi and returned home extremely happy.  He handed the fruit to his wife Dhunduli who was not happy with the idea of conceiving a child which could spoil her physical attractiveness.  She had no faith in the divine fruit, so she handed the fruit to his sister who was already pregnant with a child, eventually, her sister fed the cow with the fruit in their home.  The two sisters had an agreement; Dhundhuli would keep the child born to her sister and share all her wealth with the child born to her.  Her sister was immensely pleased with the idea and offered her help to look after the child. 

The two sisters returned to their maternal home for delivery.  In due course of time, Dhundhuli’s sister gave birth to a child; in the meantime, the cow in the house of Athmadeva also given birth to a human child who had ear resembles the ear of a cow.  Dhundhuli returned home after the delivery with the child of her sister was named Dhundhukari.  The child born to the cow was named Gokarna who has the ear resembles a cow.  The two children grew up together in different ways, Gokarna was pious like his father Athmadeva, Dhundhukari has grown wicked and selfish like his mother Dhundhuli.  Athmadeva who was leaving home was stopped by Gokarnna and said " Oh! Father, where are you leaving? why are you leaving? "  Athmadeva said " Son, I am leaving this material world, I am fed of this life.  I was not willing to listen to the Yogi who advised me to be content with what I have.  I  was asked for boon and brought Dhundhukari in this world, and others are going through the atrocities of him. "  Gokarna who had supreme wisdom advised his father " Oh! Father, contemplate upon supreme Lord, we are guests in this material world.  We have to leave this world anytime.  The soul is different from the body, it has to leave once the Karma is over, therefore do not feel desperate.  We are travellers in the world of Samsara conducts journey together and once the Karma is over, we have to return to our destination, therefore do not keep attachments with your co-travellers like wife, children and relatives, live with peace and generosity while living in this world, do not keep any attachments.  Therefore contemplate upon the supreme Lord who resides as a soul in the living beings."   Thus, the atrocities of Dhundhukari forced Athmadeva to return to the woods; he undertook extreme austerities and Tapasya and attained Moksha.  Dhundhuli had to undergo mental and physical tortures of her son and she also left her mortal coil.  Gokarna left for spiritual tour.  Dhundukari got into the association of morally wrong people; he committed various sins, put himself into danger and had accidental death.   After death, Dhundhukari attained the form of a spirit and wandered all over.

Gokarna who was leading a righteous life in the village came to know about the unexpected death of his brother Dhundukari and performed his final rites in Gaya.  One night, he could hear somebody forcefully knocking at his door.  He went to check and found no one at the door, all he could witness was fog like a form before him; it was his brother Dhundukari who had attained the form of a spirit.  Dhundhukari desperately asked for help from Gokarna to get released from the body of the spirit.   Gokarna felt pity on his brother and promised that he would do something to get relief for him.  The next day, while performing the sun worship, Gokarna appealed to Lord Surya to advise him to resolve his brother’s problem, Lord Surya advised reciting Srimad Bhagavatha Mahapuran.  A grand recital program of Srimad Bhagavatham was organized, Dhundhukari was invoked in a bamboo shoot with seven holes, and at the end of the everyday recitation, one of the eyes of bamboo shoot thirst opened as a sign that Dhundhukari getting relief from his state of spirit.  At the end of the seventh day of recitation, Dhundhukari attained liberation.