Chanchula's Story

Shounaka said

Suta, very fortunate and wise, you know everything. By your favour I have again and again reached my aim. Hearing this history, my mind is greatly delighted. Please tell another account of Shambhu, so that our love for him grows still more. In this world even those who drink amrita are not honoured with liberation, but drinking in the nectar of Shambhu's account gives liberation at once. You are blessed. Shambhu's account is blessed. As soon as a man hears it, he goes to Shiva's world.

Suta replied

Shounaka, listen. I will tell you a great secret, since you know the Vedas and are foremost among Shiva's devotees. In the region near the ocean there was a village called Bashkala. Its people were wicked. They cheated and did not follow the dharma of the Vedas. They were evil and lived in an evil land, insolent, ignoring the gods and living by deceit. Though they farmed, they used force and carried weapons. They indulged in fraud and were greatly given to women. They had neither knowledge nor non-attachment, and knew nothing of true dharma or the welfare of others. They were firm in their addiction to hearing wicked accounts, and their minds were like animals'. Those deceivers turned away from their own dharmas and followed those of other varnas. They always did wicked deeds and were constantly taken up with material objects. All the women were wicked and self-willed, addicted to sin, evil in understanding, practising adultery and lacking all good conduct. Such wicked people lived in the village of Bashkala.

There was a brahmana named Binduga there, a great wretch, evil in his self and a great sinner, who always followed very wicked paths. His wife was Chanchula. But his mind was so overcome by desire that he became the husband of a courtesan. Though his own wife always followed dharma, he abandoned her. Wounded by the arrows of love, the evil man amused himself with the courtesan. A long time passed this way while he kept up his wicked acts. Chanchula, however, still suffered from love, and, afraid of leaving her own dharma, bore the hardship. Her beauty faded and she was no longer in the bloom of youth. Overcome by desire she gave up her own dharma, and in secret, at night, when her husband could not see, she began to take a lover. She deceived him and, straying from virtue, followed a wicked path. Once he saw his wife Chanchula acting so. At night he saw her, overcome by desire, with her lover. Seeing his wife's wickedness, his mind turned to an evil course. While she was with her lover at night, he rushed at them in anger. The deceitful, evil lover saw that Binduga had come home and quickly fled the house. Binduga seized his wife, abused her again and again and struck her with his fists. Beaten by her husband, the deceitful Chanchula grew angry and spoke to her deceitful husband.

Chanchula said

Full of evil understanding, every day you give in to desire and amuse yourself with a courtesan. You abandon your young wife, who is devoted to serving her husband. I am beautiful, I am young, and my mind too is overcome by desire. Tell me, when I am denied pleasure with my husband, what am I to do? I am very beautiful, young and agitated. How will I bear the pangs of desire? Deprived of your company, my mind suffers.

Suta continued

The foolish man, evil in understanding, worst of brahmanas, so addressed, answered her.

Binduga said

What you say is true. Your mind is stirred by desire. Beloved, I will tell you what is good for you; listen. Put this fear aside. Without any fear in your mind, take a new lover every day. Give them pleasure and take whatever riches you can from them. Hand all that wealth over to me. My mind is attached to that courtesan. This will bring great benefit to us both, to you and to me.

Suta continued

His wife Chanchula heard her husband's words and, evil in understanding, agreed. With wicked minds the couple made this agreement. Without fear, evil in understanding, they pursued this wicked course. A long time passed, and foolish in understanding they followed this useless pursuit.

In time Binduga, the evil-minded brahmana who was the husband of a vrishali, died. The deceiver went to hell. Foolish in understanding, he went through many hardships there and then became a terrible pishacha in the Vindhya mountains. When her husband Binduga died, she stayed in her own house, continuing her wicked ways. Very foolish, she spent a long time with her sons, still amusing herself with lovers and finding her pleasures in desire. After some time her youth passed. Once, urged by destiny, an auspicious occasion came and she went with her relatives to the sacred field of Gokarna. She wandered about with her relatives here and there, went to that holy place and bathed. In a temple there was an astrologer reciting Shambhu's sacred account from the Puranas. From his mouth she heard a little of the auspicious account. He said that women attached to lovers go to hell, where Yama's servants push hot iron rods into them. The reciter said this to awaken non-attachment in the listeners. Hearing it, she became anxious and trembled. When the recital ended and the people had gone, the frightened woman went privately to the brahmana and spoke to the one who had spoken of Shiva.

Chanchula said

Brahmana, listen. Not knowing my own dharma, I indulged in wicked conduct. Lord, having heard this, please show me your boundless compassion and save me. Lord, foolish in understanding, I have committed a very grave sin. Blinded by desire, I spent my whole youth in fickle behaviour. Hearing your words about non-attachment, great fear has risen in me, with trembling. Shame on my foolish understanding! Shame on the sin I committed, overcome by desire! I turned away from my own dharma and did the shameful thing of being addicted to material objects. In pursuit of a little happiness I destroyed my own good. I committed a grave and terrible sin and caused hardship without knowing. What calamities am I headed for? Alas, what terrible miseries will this lead to? Who can say? My mind has turned toward very wicked paths. When the time of death comes I will see Yama's fearful messengers. When they strike me and bind nooses round my neck, how will I keep my patience? In hell, when my body is cut in pieces, how will I bear it? The great pains there bring special miseries. By day I will not be able to move my senses. How will I not grieve? At night how will I get the sleep I want? I will be overwhelmed with grief. Alas, I am burned! Alas, my heart is breaking! I have destroyed myself in every way. I have been a sinner in every way. Alas, destiny, you gave me this great sin and great hardship. You deceived me. My own dharma would have given me every kind of happiness, but I was made to leave it. Brahmana, there are miseries when a being is impaled on a stake or thrown from a mountain top, but this misery is ten million times that. A sin like mine is great. In general it cannot be purified by a hundred horse sacrifices or by bathing in the Ganga for a hundred years. What will I do? Where will I go? Whom will I take refuge with? Who in this world will save me? I am sinking into an ocean that is hell. Brahmana, you are my guru, my mother, my father. Save me. Please save one in distress. I take refuge in you.

Suta continued

With non-attachment born in her, she fell at his feet. Full of compassion, the wise brahmana raised her and spoke.