Mahabharata - The greatness of king Sivi

Greatness of King Sivi

A certain king of name Suhotra of Kuru race had gone to visit the great rishis and was returning from the errand.  He encountered king Sivi, the son of Usinara who was sitted in his chariot. Both of them respectfully bowed to each other treating each other as equal, but both of them refused to give way to each other. At this stage Narada, the heavenly rishi came and saw what had happened. He asked both of them as to why they were blocking each other's way. Both of them replied unto him that sages have declared that one should give way to those who are more able or who are superior to oneself. Both the kings, even after judging carefully could not consider the other to be superior to himself and hence they could not give way. At this Narada recited three slokas which represented an extremely good philosophy. Narada said that those who are wicked misbehaves with those who are humble, those who are humble behaves with humility even towards those who are considered to be wicked. Those who are honest behave honestly towards those who are dishonest and therefore why should not he behave honestly towards those who are honest? An honest man regards the service done to him to be hundred times greater than it really is. This is also the practice among gods. Certainly it is the royal son of Usinara who is superior in every respect and deserves honour. A mean person should be conquered by charity, untruthful should be conquered by truth, wickedness should be conquered by forgiveness and dishonesty by honesty. Then Narada told them that both the kings were great and therefore according to the sloka one of them should stand aside respectfully and let the other pass. In that way nobody would be considered inferior to the other.

At this king Suhotra became delighted and by showing due respect to king Sivi, who was a very great and virtuous king, gave him the right of way and the dispute was settled amicably.

One day the gods Indra and Agni decided to test the greatness of king Sivi the son of Usinara. They both came to earth in disguise. Agni assumed the form of a pigeon while Indra that of a hawk. The pigeon, as if being afraid of the hawk, came and fell down on the lap of king Sivi who was sitted on his throne. The priests then told the king that it was bad omen and foretold danger when a pigeon fell like that on a person. Therefore the king should give away his wealth in charity. The pigeon then addressed the king and said that he (the pigeon) was a Brahmin who was well acquainted with Vedas and was well versed with ascetic practices and therefore deserved to be saved from the vicious hawk. At this the hawk addressed the king saying that he was hungry and the pigeon was his food. The pigeon might have been related to the king in his previous birth and that's why he chose him for protection. However it did not befit the king to interfere with the hawk's food. At this the king became surprised and addressed the assembly saying that it was very surprising that birds were speaking so eloquently the ideas of virtue. However the king felt that it was his duty to protect one who had sought his protection as that is the dharma of the Kshatriyas. He further said that one who did not protect the one who deserved to protected by him lost all honor and respect, and earned great demerit. Even gods did not accept offerings in sacrifice of such a person and that person who did not protect another but instead gave him or her away to the danger confronting him or her sank in the deepest hell. Then he addressed the hawk and told him that he could not give away the pigeon. Instead his folks would offer him a bull with rice to appease his hunger. The hawk said that he would be satisfied with the pigeon's meat and did not want a bull, because the pigeon had been ordained as his food for the day by the gods.

At this the king said that he could not give away the pigeon. However he was ready to do anything else the hawk ordered him to do, in exchange for the life of the pigeon. At this the hawk said that the king should then cut an equal measure (of the weight of the pigeon) of flesh from his own body and gave to the hawk. The king delightedly agreed at this proposal thinking the pigeon to be light weight and cut a portion of his flesh from the thigh and weighed it in a balance against the weight of the pigeon. However everyone was surprised to see that the pigeon still weighed more. The king cut more of his flesh and weighed but everytime the pigeon's weight was greater. The king was in great pain and bleeding all over but he refused to give up and himself ascended the balance. At this Agni and Indra assumed their own forms blessed the great king and gave him boons. Agni gave him the boon that all his injuries would heal and the skin would assume the colour of gold and would emit a sweet perfume and he would have a son born from his own body that would be a delight to his race. On the expiry of his term, because of the great merit acquired king Sivi would ascend to the heavens to enjoy the felicities there.

There came in the great Aswamedha (horse sacrifice) of king Ashtaka of Viswamitra's race many great kings. The three brothers of the king Ashtaka, Pratardana, Vasumana and king Sivi, the son of Usinara also came there. After the sacrifice was over, king Ashtaka was proceeding in the chariot along with his brothers when they beheld rishi Narada. King Ashtaka duly worshipped Narada and asked him the following question. He said that all the brotehrs had great merit and therefore all of them would go to the heaven and stay there for a long period. Who among them would be the first to fall from heaven (i.e. who among them had the least merit and the privilege of staying in heaven)? At this Narada replied that king Ashtaka would fall first. Ashtaka then asked him why it was ordained to be so. Narada said that one day he went with Ashtaka in his chariot outside his town and there he beheld thousands of cattle with different colours. He asked Ashtaka that whom these cattle belonged to. At this Ashtaka replied (with pride) that it was he who had given away these cattle. Since he was proud of his achievement and proclaimed the same, he would be the first to fall.

At this another brother asked, who amongst the three remaining would be the first to fall. Then Narada replied that it would be Pratardana. When asked why he said that he dwelt with Pratardana for sometime and one day when they went out in his car a certain Brahmin came and asked for a steed from the king. The king replied that he would give it to him upon returning but the Brahmin wanted it immediately and hence the king unyoked one of his horses and gave it to the Brahmin. Then while proceeding he met another Brahmin who asked for a steed and the king had to unyoke another of his steed and give it away. He did the same to a third Brahmin when solicited thus. Then came a fourth Brahmin who similarly asked for a steed and the king unyoked the only steed he had and began to pull the chariot himself. He said that now there was nothing for the Brahmins. Since he thus expressed his dissatisfaction in giving away what he had, he therefore on account of that lost his merit and would fall from heaven.

Then the remaining two kings asked Narada as to whom among them would fall first. Narada replied that it would be Vasumana. This was because being solicited by Narada he gave away a car decked with flowers twice when Narada had praised it, but the third time he said rather tersely that Narada had praised the car enough, implying that he would not be given the flowery car any more.

Then the kings asked him, of Sivi and Narada who would be living in the heaven longer and Narada said that without doubt it was king Sivi who would be lasting longer. At this everybody was surprised and asked the reason. Narada said that a certain Brahmin once came to the king Sivi and asked for alms. The king was ready to give him everything that he possessed and the Brahmin then asked him for his son to be cooked and prepared for the Brahmin. At this Sivi, without displaying any wrath, cooked the flesh of his own son for the Brahmin and came in search of him but the Brahmin was no longer there. Somebody then told him that while he was so engaged in cooking the flesh of his son, that wicked Brahmin had gone and set fire to his city, to his palace, to his treasury and the apartments of females as well as the stables for horses and elephants. In short, the king had lost everything to that Brahmin. The king still displayed no wrath and went to the Brahmin to beg him to eat the food prepared. At this the Brahmin, as if to insult him further, said to the king to eat the flesh himself. The king displayed no signs of anger and took the vessel for eating. The Brahmin then assumed his own form. He was none other than one of the gods who was testing the virtue of king Sivi and everything was restored as before. Later when one of the counselors asked the king as to why he did what he did, the king said that he did not do anything for the sake of name, fame, wealth or merit and he did it because it was virtuous. He only followed the footsteps of the great ones.