Kartik Mahatmya Adhyay 26: King Chola and Vishnudas

This page retells chapter 26 of the Kartik Mahatmya from the Padma Purana. The parshads Punyashila and Sushila answer Dharmadatta's question with an old history. It is the story of a rich king, a poor brahmin, a tulsi leaf laid over gems, and a challenge about whom the Lord will meet first.

The full list is on the Kartik Mahatmya Katha page.

संक्षेप में: राजा चोल की रत्न-पूजा पर विष्णुदास की तुलसी छा गई। राजा ने चुनौती दी कि देखें, भगवान पहले किसे दर्शन देते हैं। पूरा लेख हिंदी में पढ़ें →

The story

Dharmadatta asks the parshads which of all the means, yajna, charity, vows, tirthas or austerity, pleases the Lord most and brings a person closest to him. They call it a fine question and begin an ancient history, which is the story of their own past birth.

Long ago in Kanchipuri there lived a chakravarti king named Chola, and his land took the name Chola after him. In his kingdom nobody was poor, unhappy, sinful or sick.

Once King Chola went to the Anantashayana tirtha, where Vishnu rests in yoga nidra. There he worshipped the Lord with divine gems, pearls and flowers of gold, and bowed fully to the ground.

Just then Vishnudas, a brahmin also from Kanchi, arrived with tulsi leaves and water in his hands. He recited the Vishnu Sukta as he bathed the Lord, then worshipped with tulsi blossoms and leaves. The king's jewelled offering was covered over by the tulsi.

The king spoke in anger. He said he had made such a beautiful offering of gems and gold, and Vishnudas had hidden it under tulsi. He called Vishnudas poor and said he knew nothing about devotion to the Lord. Vishnudas replied that it was the king who knew nothing of bhakti. He was only proud because of his royal wealth. How many Vaishnava vows, Vishnudas asked, had he ever kept?

The king laughed. He said Vishnudas was penniless, with no yajna, no charity and no temple to his name, and yet so proud of his devotion. Then he called on all the brahmins to listen. Let them see, he said, whom the Lord would appear to first, the king or this brahmin.

The king went back to his palace, made the great sage Mudgal his acharya and began a vast Vaishnava yajna. Vishnudas stayed in that same temple keeping his vows: the vows of Magh and Kartik, guarding the tulsi grove, chanting the twelve-syllable mantra on Ekadashi, dance and kirtan, and the sixteen-part worship every day.

Walking, moving about or sleeping, he kept the Lord in mind at all times. His gaze had become even towards all, and he saw only the Lord in every creature. So both men stayed with their own vows, and a long time passed in worship. The chapter ends with the challenge still open.

The teaching of this chapter

The chapter names pride as the greatest enemy of bhakti. The king's gems are not the trouble. The trouble is what he says when someone else's offering sits on top of his.

It also shows that worship is complete even when it is simple, and that one tulsi leaf is plenty. And it gives a clear picture of a samadarshi, one who sees the Lord in every creature, in the way Vishnudas lives.

Frequently asked questions

What question started this story?
Dharmadatta asked the parshads which means, among yajna, charity, vows, tirthas and austerity, pleases the Lord most and brings one closest to him.

Who was King Chola?
He was a chakravarti king of Kanchipuri. His land was named Chola after him, and in his kingdom nobody was poor, unhappy, sinful or sick.

How did the two men worship at Anantashayana?
The king offered divine gems, pearls and flowers of gold. Vishnudas bathed the Lord while reciting the Vishnu Sukta, and offered tulsi blossoms and leaves.

Why was the king angry with Vishnudas?
The tulsi covered his offering of gems and gold. He took this as an insult and said Vishnudas knew nothing about devotion.

What challenge did the king give?
In front of the brahmins, he said they would all see whom the Lord would appear to first, the king or Vishnudas.

How did each of them prepare after the challenge?
The king began a vast Vaishnava yajna with Maharshi Mudgal as acharya. Vishnudas stayed in the temple with his vows, tulsi grove, mantra, kirtan and daily worship.

Previous chapter: Adhyay 25: The Gift of Half a Lifetime's Punya