Our Puranas, and Itihasas like the Mahabharata and the Ramayana are full of incidents which we as modern generation find it difficult to believe and digest! But we should remember that those were the days of Kruta, Treta and Dwapara Yuga thousands and thousands of years back. Life and civilizations have totally changed since then. We are in the scientific age of technology and expect everything to be tested before we believe in them! We are told that when the ocean was churned deadly poison came out and later a Divine being emerged with a vessel containing life saving ‘amrita’ The Divine Mother Adi Parashakti is described as coming out of a sacrificial fire! In the Mahabharata Draupadi and her brother emerge out of a sacrifice intended to kill Dronacharya! In the Ramayana, King Dasaratha gets ‘payasa’ from the Divine being emerging out of the sacrifice! Many eminent sages have their birth in strange circumstances and from inanimate objects! Sage Agastya is said to have taken birth from a pot! There are many more instances of such nature in the Puranas! Rama’s consort Sita comes out unscathed from burning fire!
In the 'Moksha Dharma parva of Santhi parva’ in the Mahabharata, the grand old man Bhishmapitamaha tells Dharmaraja the manner in which the renowned sage Suka Brahma was born.It was Suka who narrated the entire Bhagavata Purana to King Parikshit within seven days before the King died of the curse by Srungi! Suka was the son of Maharshi Vedavyasa. After obtaining great boons from Lord Siva, sage Vyasa wanted to create fire for his rituals. He was about to make use of the ‘arani’-- a wooden arrangement that produces flames through friction. At that time he happened to see the heavenly damsel Ghritachi! He was struck by her extraordinary beauty even as amorous thoughts assailed him! The heavenly lady too sensed the sage’s emotions. She immediately transformed herself into a female parrot and approached the Sage. The moment he saw the female parrot close to him, sage Vyasa was overwhelmed with pangs of love!
Great as he was, he tried his maximum best to control his violent passion for her. But having lost his heart for her, he couldn't control his urge! As he tried to create fire through 'arani’ his semen fell into it and out of the churning emerged the great sage Suka who became one of the most renowned sages of the period! Even as he was born, Suka was radiant as the fire in the yagna. He shone like the resplendent fire without smoke! He resembled his father Sage Vyasa and appeared to meditate on the eternal atma even as he was born! The Devas were awaiting the arrival of Sage Suka and wanted to honor him with presents. River Ganga came down and bathed him with her crystal clear waters! From the skies came down the ‘ Danda--a stick and deer skin for the use of young sage Suka! Gandharvas sang in melodious voice even as the Divine damsels danced in glee!
Heavenly drums reverberated all over the earth! Sage Narada and others praised Suka. Indra and all the Devas came to welcome sage Suka! Vayu the wind God showered flowers on him! Entire universe was delighted at the birth of the great sage Suka! Lord Siva came with Goddess Parvati and performed Upanayanam to the just born Sage Suka! Indra presented the sage with Divine kamandalu-a vessel to keep water and clothes! Sage Suka stayed there in samadhi! All the four Vedas, Vedangas with their commentaries automatically reached and merged within him! In the same manner all the Upanishads, Puranas and Itihasas entered into him! In a humble manner, like a diligent ‘Vidya Kama’, sage Suka took the Deva guru Brihaspati as his teacher. Afterwards, he offered him the guru dakshina and went out for severe penance!
Thus we find several interesting stories of the birth of legendary characters in our Puranas
and Itihasas! The Indian mind is attuned to belief in the incidents of this type. We can enjoy these stories when we consider them as legendary and far removed from modern scientific proof. But on the other hand, we cannot test them according to modern scientific principles. Scientists and research scholars have found proof for the happenings in the Ramayana recently! Let us, therefore, read these Puranas and Itihasas with an open mind and enjoy the content and take whatever good they offer us!j
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