Sri Vasista

1. -4. O noble-minded Rāma, once I was going incognito to Kailasa to bathe in the river Ganga.  I got out of the region of the Seven Rishis in the sky and descended on to the top of the tree (where Dāsura as living).  From the inside of the dense canopy of the tree, I heard these following words in tones resembling the hum of a bee.  ‘Listen my son.  I shall tell you about a universe similar to ours.  It will be interesting and surprising.

5. There was once a mighty king, called Khotya, famous in all the three worlds and had the ability to conquer the world’.

6. His orders were followed by all, including many leaders and rulers of the Universe, with respect.  For them it was like wearing a jewel in their heads.

7. He was a brave man with romantic and aesthetic inclinations and tastes.  His conduct and behavior was surprising and peculiar causing wonder.  Even great souls in three worlds could not draw him into their grip and control.

8. -10.  Many of his actions were cause of both grief and joy.  He was like a disturbed sea.  He was so powerful that no weapon or a magic chant could vanquish him.  His actions were so strange and constructively structured that even Indra and such gods could not mimic or follow them.

11. O mighty son of mine, his three bodies – the best, the middle and the lowly could overwhelm the whole of the three worlds.

12.  He established himself in the space like a bird and was indulging in all kinds of heinous crimes, violating all prescribed laws and ‘dharmas’.

13. -15. In that vast space, he created a great Universe of a city with very wide passages and roads, guided by three Vedas. He created parks and huge mountains and lamps and lights beating the effulgence of Sun and moon.

16. -19. In that vast city he created both gods and humans.  Some of them were allocated to the upper part of the city, some to the middle and some to the lower part  Some were to die quickly.  Some were to live for a long time.  They had dark hair.  With nine openings, they were breathing ceaselessly.   They had five knowledge senses and skeleton comprising of bones, middle portion and a skin covering the skeleton.

20. -21. He created a bunch of ‘yaksas’ who were constantly in fear of him.  After they were activated, he used to engage himself in all kinds of dalliances with them.

22. He was indulging with them in all the three of his bodies and after satiation left them like a bird for another place.

23. -25. Some times his wavering mind would like to move into a world of the future.  Then his mind was like a possessed one.  It flew into a city-in-the sky dreamt/ conceived by him.

26. -28. Again his mind rose up like a tide and engages in vast variety of activities.  When the mind got disgraced in some of its movements, it felt aggrieved and said to itself.  ‘What can I do.  I am unintelligent.  I am sorry’. Another time his mind remembered and recollected past joys and delights, it felt miserable and tormented like a river in floods moving in torrential flows and at great speeds.

29. With all his great powers and prowess, the king was like a sea stirred by high velocity winds.