|| Om Namo Bhagavathe Vasudevaya||

Chapter – 11– The legend of Lord Krishna -  11 – Mahathmayi – The legend of Athmadeva

Sanathkumara describes the legend of Athmadeva to Rishis and assembled along with Devi Bhakti, Gnana and Vairagya.  There was a twice-born Athmadeva lived on the riverbank of Tungabhadra.   He was pious, honest and performs various Dharmic rites, his wife Dhundhuli was a beautiful woman but wicked natured, this couple had no offspring for a long time.  Thus, several years have passed Athmadeva besieged with extreme distress due to a lack of offspring to perform ancestral rites. He left home and arrived in the woods, decided to commit suicide.  He saw a pond, got on his knees and quenches his thirst. Soon, there arrived a saintly man, Athmadeva rushed to him and prostrated before him; the saintly person enquired the reason for his grief.  Athmadeva replied “ Oh! Sage, my life is futile without an offspring; a house lacks children cannot be addressed as home, what’s the meaning of wealth without a child? What’s the existence of the clan? I have nurtured a cow, that also not giving birth to a calf if I nurture plantain, that will not yield flowers or fruits if I nurture rooted vegetables, that will not bear flowers or vegetables.  Oh! Mahatma, my life has become monotonous without a child; therefore kindly bless me to have a child.”

Yathi spoke “Oh! Vipra, listen to me carefully, I could read your destiny and predict that for another seven births you will not have a child.” Athmadeva became inconsolable, Yathi advised him “Oh! Vipra, haven’t heard the legend of King Chithrakethu who grieved over a child? Therefore, contemplate upon the supreme Lord and elevate your soul, eventually, you will get rid of sorrows.” Athmadeva was adamant, not willing to leave the Yathi, announced his death before him, which would bring Bhramahathya sin to Yathi.  Yathi intervened and put a halt to his deed, decided to fulfill the desire of Athmadeva, underwent meditation and handed a fruit to him and instructed to give it to his wife.  Athmadeva was extremely happy, Yathi advised him to instruct his wife to follow extreme austerities during the period of pregnancy, take limited meals, not engage in unwanted talks, meditate upon supreme Lord, and  follow Sathyam/truth, Shaucham/austerities, Dhaya/kindness, Dhanam/charities, Bhakti/devotion, and serve meals to the devotee of Lord and perform all those righteous deeds to have a virtuous son.

Athmadeva returned home happily and handed the fruit to his wife Dhundhuli, and advised her to follow strict austerities to attain a virtuous son.  Dhundhuli who is extremely wicked and deceitful, mentally prepared to discard the fruit at once, she had a talk with her attendant about it, the fruit would bring the child in her womb, she could not eat meals comfortably as she wants, the limited meals and austerities would cause extreme tiredness and spoil her attractiveness.  She expressed her fear of not able to move around with the big stomach, she remembered the story of Shukha who lived twelve years in mothers’ womb that created intense trepidation. Dhundhuli had no faith in the Yathi, do not want to risk her image and appearance.  She expressed her impious opinion to her companion that the most fortunate ones in the world are the widow and childless women.  Finally, she decided to discard the fruit; luckily she had her sister who was pregnant with a child for the sixth time appeared before her.  Dhundhuli discussed her problem with her sister who was already having the trouble of five children at home and they mutually agreed to shift the child born to her to Dhundhuli.  Thus, Dhundhuli agreed to adopt her sister’s child without the knowledge of her husband Athmadeva, in return Dhundhuli would offer some money for the child to her sister.  The sisters decided to feed the fruit to the cow, thus Dhundhuli put the finest drama before her husband and fooled him.  In due course of time, the child born to her sister was transferred to Dhundhuli, thus she announced the birth of the child, Athmadeva was extremely happy.  He invited several twice-born in the village and fed them with a sumptuous meal and offered an abundance of contributions.  The child was named Dhundhukari, in the meantime, the cow that ate the fruit became pregnant and gave birth to a male child with the ear of the cow named ‘Gokarna’.