Story of Dharma Shila

Gaya: Story of Dharmavrata and Dharma Shila:

(Vayu Purana - 107 to 108)

• Meditation: I meditate on Lord Adi-Gadadhara abiding in Gaya.

Lord Vishnu

• About Dharmavrata: There was a person called Dharma of great physical prowess and also learned in all the sciences. He has a wife called Vishwarupa who was devoted to her husband. They had a daughter called Dharmavrata who was endowed with beauty and was like Lakshmi in good qualities.

• Dharmavrata performing penance for a husband: When the time for marriage came, Dharma searched for an appropriate bridegroom in all the three worlds. But he did not get a suitable match. Then he told Dharmavrata to perform penance in order to get a suitable husband. Dharmavrata went inside a forest and performed severe penance. She subsisted only on wind. She performed penance for several yugas in Sweta Kalpa.

• Sage Marichi meeting Dharmavrata: During that time, sage Marichi, the mind-born son of Lord Brahma, was roaming on the earth looking for a suitable maiden. He met Dharmavrata and asked about her. Dharmavrata told the reason for her penance. Sage Marichi put forward the proposal of marriage to her. Dharmavrata told the sage to meet her father.

• Sage Marichi marrying Dharmavrata: Sage Marichi met her father Dharma who readily agreed to the marriage. Thus sage Marichi was married to Dharmavrata.

• Dharmavrata and sage Marichi cursing each other: One day sage Marichi returned home tired, and told Dharmavrata to massage his feet. When Dharmavrata was massaging his feet, Lord Brahma appeared there. Dharmavrata was in a dilemma whether to abandon her husband and serve Lord Brahma. Since Lord Brahma was the preceptor of her husband, Dharmavrata attended to him. Dharmavrata extended the appropriate hospitality and finally Lord Brahma went to take rest on a bed. In the meantime sage Marichi woke up and not finding Dharmavrata, cursed her in anger that she would turn into a stone. Dharmavrata also became angry and told him that she had attended to the preceptor of her husband and done the duty of what her husband was supposed to do. Not knowing the reason he had cursed her. Therefore Dharmavrata also cursed him that he will be cursed by Mahadeva. Seeing her husband agitated, she became distressed and went to Lord Brahma, but he was still asleep.

• Dharmavrata and sage Marichi doing severe penance: Then Dharmavrata kindled the Garhapatya fire and performed severe penance standing within the fire. Sage Marichi also performed severe penance.

• Dharmavrata becoming Dharma Shila: By the effect of their penance, the devas became afflicted. They went to Lord Vishnu. In the meantime Lord Brahma woke up and joined the devas. The devas told Dharmavrata to ask for a boon. Dharmavrata asked for the boon to nullify the curse. However, the devas said that since the curse was pronounced by a great sage, it cannot be nullified. They told her to ask for a different boon. Then she asked for the boon that the stone slab will become the holiest thing, holier than any river, lake, Teerthas, devas and others. Let all the Lingas, Teerthas and devas abide in the stone. Whoever performs Sharaddha and Pinda-dana there will go to Brahma Loka and the abode of Gada-dhara. Thus Dharma-vrata became the auspicious Dharma Shila.

• Yama keeping the Shila in his abode: When due to the auspiciousness of the Shila, people were getting liberated and went to the abode of Hari, the abode of Yama became empty. Yamaraja went to Lord Brahma complaining about this. Lord Brahma told Yamaraja to keep the Shila in his abode.

• Shila on the head of Gayasura and Yagna of Lord Brahma: The Shila was kept on the head of Gayasura (when his body was moving during the Yagna of Brahma). Lord Brahma performed the Hayamedha Yagna at the conjunction of the two sacred ones (i.e. Body of Gayasura and the Shila). When the Devas came to accept their share, the Shila requested them to abide on the Shila.

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