Jis aashram mein Upamanyu rehte the uska netritva unke pita Vyaaghrpaad karte the, aise rishi jo Shiv ke itne bhakt the ki kaha jaata tha ki ling ke samaksh aanand mein nritya karne se unke vyaaghr-paad ho gaye hain. Kintu rishi ki pavitrata ne unke paatra nahin bhare the, aur parivaar van se chune kand-mool aur phalon par jeeta tha. Upamanyu ki maata praayah swayam bhookhi rehtin taaki putr kha sake, aur baalak, yadyapi vah nahin jaanta tha, abhaav ke vidyaalay mein paala ja raha tha jisne itne santon ko avinaashi ka moolya sikhaaya hai.
Upamanyu rishi Vyaaghrpaad ke putr the, aur itne nirdhan aashram mein pale the ki doodh, jo anya baalak pratidin peete the, unke liye kabhi na chakha vilaas tha. Ek din ve apne maama ke ghar gaye aur unhein meethe doodh ka katora peene ko mila, aur uske swaad ne unhein avismaraneeya laalsa se bhar diya. Jab ve ghar aaye to unhone maata se doodh maanga, aur nirdhan naari ne, jiske paas dene ko kuchh nahin tha, chaaval ke aate ko jal mein gholkar shvet lep banaaya aur doodh bataakar de diya. Baalak ne utsukta se piya, kintu aashram ke anya baalak hanse aur satya bataaya: vah doodh nahin tha, keval aata aur jal, aur tumne jeevan mein kabhi asli doodh nahin chakha.
Baalak ka garv aahat hua, kintu maata ne uske duhkh ko gyaan mein badal diya. Doodh ke liye mat roo, unhone kaha; Bhagwan Shiv se praarthna karo, jo samast vastuon ke daata hain, aur yadi tumhaari bhakti sachchi hai to ve tumhein ksheer-saagar bhi de denge. Baalak ne unke shabdon ko baal-sulabh aksharashah shraddha se hriday mein dhaaran kiya. Ve van mein gehre gaye, paashaanon ki chhoti vedi banaayi, aur panchaakshar mantra se Shiv ki aaraadhna aarambh ki, ann-jal tyaagkar, man prabhu par sthir, aisi ekaagrata se ki swarg kaanp utha.
Baarah din baalak ann-nidra tyaagkar khada raha, mantra dohraata hua jab tak uske honth phat nahin gaye aur shareer sarakande jaisa patla nahin ho gaya, kintu uski aatma pratidin adhik damakti rahi. Devta chintit hue, kyonki uski tapasya ki ooshma swarg ko jhulsaane lagi, aur ve Indra ke paas gaye aur baalak ki tapasya lokon ko bhasm kare isse pehle uski pareeksha ki vinati ki. Tabhi Indra ne vriddh braahman ka roop dhara aur van mein aaye.
Devraaj Indra ne baalak ke sankalp ki pareeksha ka nishchay kiya. Vriddh braahman ka vesh dharkar ve Upamanyu ke samaksh prakat hue aur koi bhi vardaan diya: raajya, swarn, divya sukh, kuchh bhi, kintu ek shart par, ki ve Shiv ki pooja chhodkar swayam Indra se maangein. Baalak ne chhadmaveshi dev ko tiraskaar se dekha. Door ho, pralobhak, unhone kaha; main brahmand ke swaami ko tumhaare samast swargon ke badle nahin bechoonga, aur yadi tum mujhe aur sataaoge to main tumhein apni tapasya ki agni se bhasm kar doonga. Itne yuva mein aisi atalta se Indra chakit aur prasann hue, unhone apna satya roop prakat kiya aur baalak ko aashirvaad diya, kintu Upamanyu ne Shiv ke haath ke siva kisi se vardaan sveekaar nahin kiya.
Phir swayam Shiv prakat hue, Parvati sahit tejasvi, aur van prakaash se bhar gaya. Mahaan dev ne baalak ki adig bhakti ki prashansa ki aur unki hriday-kaamna aur adhik diya: unhone unhein ksheer-saagar, samast dugdh-saagar, sada peene ko diya, unhein amar aur apne ganon mein pramukh banaaya, aur divya gyaan ka aashirvaad diya. Upamanyu ne ksheer-saagar se tript hokar piya aur prabhu ke charnon mein nat hue, unki baal-sulabh laalsa swapn se pare poorna hui.
Shiv ne yah bhi diya ki Upamanyu phir kabhi kshudha ya nirdhanta nahin jaanenge, aur jahaan bhi prabhu ki pooja hogi vahaan unka naam smaran kiya jaayega. Baalak ki maata putr ko tejasvi aur dhanya lauta dekh aanand se roin, aur aashram ke baalak jo kabhi uska uphaas karte the ab uske samaksh nat hue, kyonki unmein nirdhantam baalak Ishwar-kripa mein dhanaadhyatam ho gaya tha.
Baad ke varshon mein Upamanyu mahaan rishi bane, aur Mahabharat mein swayam Krishna ko sikhaaya gaya Shiv-stotra aaj bhi bhakt dohraate hain. Yah katha baalakon ko sunaayi jaati hai pramaan ke roop mein ki Ishwar poorna hriday se ki gayi chhoti-se-chhoti praarthna ka bhi sammaan karte hain, aur koi pareeksha aur koi pralobhan us bhakt ko nahin diga sakta jiska prem keval prabhu par sthir hai.
Is katha ke paatra
- Upamanyu
- Shiva
- Indra
