SECTION CCCXXXIV
"Bhishma said, 'Having spoken in this way (unto all things), the
regenerate Rishi of austere penances, viz., Suka, stayed on his success
casting off the four kinds of faults. Casting off also the eight kinds of
Tamas, he dismissed the five kinds of Rajas. Endued with great
intelligence, he then cast off the attribute of Sattwa. All this seemed
exceedingly wonderful. He then dwelt in that eternal station that is
destitute of attributes, freed from every indication, that is, in Brahma,
blazing like a smokeless fire. Meteors began to shoot. The points of the
compass seemed to be ablaze. The Earth trembled. All those phenomena
seemed exceedingly wonderful. The trees began to cast off their branches
and the mountains their summits. Loud-reports (as of thunder) were heard
that seemed to rive the Himavat mountains. The sun seemed at that moment
to be shorn of splendour. Fire refused to blaze forth. The lakes and
rivers and seas were all agitated. Vasava poured showers of rain of
excellent taste and fragrance. A pure breeze began to blow, bearing
excellent perfumes. Suka as he proceeded through the welkin, beheld two
beautiful summits, one belonging to Himavat and another to Meru. These
were in close contact with each other. One of them was made of gold and
was, therefore yellow; the other was white, being made of silver. Each of
them, O Bharata, was a hundred yojanas in height and of the same measure
in breadth. Indeed, as Suka journeyed towards the north, he saw those two
beautiful summits. With a fearless heart he dashed against those two
summits that were united with each other. Unable to bear the force, the
summits were suddenly rent in twain. The sight they thereupon presented,
O monarch, was exceedingly wonderful to behold. Suka pierced through
those summits, for they were unable to stop his onward course. At this a
loud noise arose in heaven, made by the denizens thereof. The Gandharvas
and the Rishis also and others that dwelt in that mountain being rent in
twain and Suka passing through it. Indeed, O Bharata, a loud noise was
heard everywhere at that moment, consisting of the words--Excellent,
Excellent!--He was adored by the Gandharvas and the Rishis, by crowds of
Yakshas and Rakshasas, and all tribes of the Vidyadharas. The entire
firmament became strewn with celestial flowers showered from heaven at
that moment when Suka thus pierced through that impenetrable barrier, O
monarch! The righteous-souled Suka then beheld from a high region the
celestial stream Mandakini of great beauty, running below through a
region adorned by many flowering groves and woods. In these waters many
beautiful Apsaras were sporting. Beholding Suka who was bodiless, those
unclad aerial beings felt shame. Learning that Suka had undertaken his
great journey, his sire Vyasa, filled with affection, followed him behind
along the same aerial path. Meanwhile Suka, proceeding through that
region of the firmament that is above the region of the wind displayed
his Yoga-prowess and identified himself with Brahma.[1788] Adopting the
subtile path of high Yoga, Vyasa of austere penances, reached within the
twinkling of the eye that spot whence Suka first undertook his journey.
Proceeding along the same way, Vyasa beheld the mountain summit rent in
twain and through which Suka has passed. Encountering the Island-born
ascetic, the Rishis began to represent to him the achievements of his
son. Vyasa, however, began to indulge in lamentations, loudly calling
upon his son by name and causing the three worlds to resound with the
noise he made. Meanwhile, the righteous-souled Suka, who had entered the
elements, had become their soul and acquired omnipresence, answered his
sire by uttering the monosyllable Bho in the form of an echo. At this,
the entire universe of mobile and immobile creatures, uttering the
monosyllable Bho, echoed the answer of Suka. From that time to this, when
sounds are uttered in mountain-caves or on mountain-breasts, the latter,
as if in answer to Suka still echo them (with the monosyllable Bho).
Having cast off all the attributes of sound, etc., and showing his
Yoga-prowess in the manner of his disappearance, Suka in this way
attained to the highest station. Beholding that glory and puissance of
his son of immeasurable energy, Vyasa sat down on the breast of the
mountain and began to think of his son with grief. The Apsaras were
sporting on the banks of the celestial stream Mandakini, seeing the Rishi
seated there, became all agitated with grave shame and lost heart. Some
of them, to hide their nudity, plunged into the stream, and some entered
the groves hard by, and some quickly took up their clothes, at beholding
the Rishi. (None of them had betrayed any signs of agitation at sight of
his son). The Rishi, beholding these movements, understood that his son
had been emancipated from all attachments, but that he himself was not
freed therefrom. At this he became filled with both joy and shame. As
Vyasa was seated there, the auspicious god Siva, armed with Pinaka,
surrounded on all sides by many deities and Gandharvas and adored by all
the great Rishis came thither. Consoling the Island-born Rishi who was
burning with grief on account of his son, Mahadeva said these words unto
him.--Thou hadst formerly solicited from me a son possessed of the energy
of Fire, of Water, of Wind, and of Space; Procreated by thy penances, the
son that was born unto thee was of that very kind. Proceeding from my
grace, he was pure and full of Brahma-energy. He has attained to the
highest end--an end which none can win that has not completely subjugated
his senses, nor can be won by even any of the deities. Why then, O
regenerate Rishi, dost thou grieve for that son? As long as the hills
will last, as long as the ocean will last, so long will the fame of thy
son endure undiminished! Through my grace, O great Rishi thou shalt
behold in this world a shadowy form resembling thy son, moving by the
side and never deserting thee for a single moment!--Thus favoured by the
illustrious Rudra himself, O Bharata, the Rishi beheld a shadow of his
son by his side. He returned from that place, filled with joy at this. I
have now told thee, O chief of Bharata's race, everything regarding the
birth and life of Suka about which thou hadst asked me. The celestial
Rishi Narada and the great Yogin Vyasa had repeatedly told all this to me
in days of yore when the subject was suggested to him in course of
conversation. That person devoted to tranquillity hears this sacred
history directly connected with the topic of Emancipation is certain to
attain to the highest end."[1789]
