Riddle — Who is speaking in the following stanza ? Who is the VipRa the Speaker is referring to ? Who is being addressed here?
यथा भर्तृसमं नान्यमहं पश्यामि दैवतम् ।
तेन सत्येन विप्रोऽयं पुनर्जीवत्वनामयः ॥
MARkaNDEya PurANam 16|83
मार्कण्डेयपुराणम्| १६.८३॥
“I do not see a God higher than a duly wed husband. By the power of that Truth, may this VipRa (KauSika) never die (regain life) and live a long time in good health!”
MahaRshi VasishTTha’s saha-dhaRmiNi R^shiNi anasooya is the speaker. The VipRa mentioned is KauSika. And the lady being addressed is SANDili.
Here is the fully story —
SANDilee-KauSika Kathaa
KauSika, a brahmans had become a leper through his own evil actions in a past birth. His wife SANDili was extremely devoted to him despite his deplorable physical condition. He was not doing well mentally either. One day, the husband told SANDili: I have heard that a new courtesan has settled in the town. I would like to visit her and listen her sing and see her dance.
As Kausika could not walk, SANDili carried him on her shoulders and started to go towards the courtesan’s house. It was a dark night. On the way, the couple passed the great sage MANDavya who was being punished for a suspected theft. MANDavya was lying limp on a spear suffering greatly. As SANDili was walking by carrying her load, her husband’s dangling foot hit the R^shi who was in great physical pain. In intensified pain, MANDavya cursed KauSika thus: As you have enhanced my pain, may you be dead before the sun rises in the east tomorrow!
Hearing the curse, SANDili cried out: I have observed the vow of PAtivRatyam! If I am a true PativRata, may the sun never rise again!
The great MARkaNDEya PurANam says that for 10 days the sun did not rise — such was the potency of SANDili’s the magical power of her vow!
Worried at the disturbance to the cosmic order caused by the absence of daylight, the Divine Protectors of the Cosmos went to SReematai anasooya —another celebrated PativRata — the consort of VasishTTHa MahaRshi and requested her to intervene in the situation and cause the sun to rise again!
Soon sati anasooyA approached sati SANDilli and asked her to withdraw her curse-like word and make the sun rise again. SANDili agreed, but in return MahaRShiNi anasooya has to lift the curse of MANDavya on KauSika and save the latter from death when the sun would rise.
SReemati anasooya used her PAtivRatya potency and gave hundred years of healthy life to KauSika and in addition healed him of his incurable illness and made him a pure-hearted man devoted to his own wife and no other.
Thus the sun rose again and cosmic order was re-established!
Here is a one-liner upholding the same truth:
अनुचरति शशाङ्कं राहुदोषोऽपि तारा -- Even during an eclipse, the stars or asterisms such as ROhiNi follow the Moon (who is their husband according to Vedic belief. They are modeling for us the vow or cosmic paradigm of PAtivRatyam.)
Garuda Puran
Text,
English 1,
2 (part of greatness of Sita)
Markandeya Purana (Adhyaya 16)
Text,
English 1,
2, 3,
Hindi
Skanda Purana (5. avantIkhaNDa-revAkhaNDa, Adhyaya 171-172)
Text,
English 1, 2