(Indra prevents Trisanku from ascending to Heaven in physical form-from The Freer Ramayana)

King for whom Sage Vishwamitra created another heaven. (Glossary for the Vahinis)

Trishanku and Vishwamitra

Trishanku, of the Lunar dynasty, was a noble, pious king, but developed an irrational desire to go to heaven in his human body. His preceptor, Bhrahmarshi Vashistha told him that his desire was like seeing to pack an unsuspicious dead body and taking it to heaven. Trishanku was adamant, but Vashistha refused to help him in his unholy desire. The king approached the learned sons of Vashistha, who had immense spiritual powers. They refused to help one who had defied the advice of his own preceptor, their father. Finally, the king approached sage Kaushika, who harboured an ill-feeling towards Vashistha because of an earlier encounter with him. Kaushika agreed to take up the case of Trishanku as a challenge. He performed a Yajna for the purpose of sending Trishanku bodily straight to heaven. At the conclusion of the Yajna, the gods did not come down to accept the offering. Enraged by this, Kaushika concentrated all the powers acquired by him by his penance on his Brahma-dandha (flagstaff) to transport Trishanku to heaven. But Indra, the Lord of the celestial ones, blocked his path and Trishanku came hurtling down towards the earth. On seeing this, Kaushika stopped him in the middle of the firmament and proceeded to create a parallel heaven, with all its paraphernalia. Even today, it is known as Trishanku Swarga (In western astronomy, this is known as the constellation Southern Cross, consisting of four stars.

Consequences of breach of promise

King Trishanku had a son by name Harishchandra (not Emperor Harishchandra who sacrificed everything, for truth). This Harishchandra had no sons and prayed to Lord Varuna (the Rain God) for a son, with the promise that he would sacrifice his son later to the same God. He got a son, Rahul. As he became attached to the son, he did not keep his promise and was afflicted by a, strange disease.

Rahul being afraid of the consequences of his father’s failure to keep his promise, fled to the forest. He got the idea that his father’s illness could be cured if someone else was offered to Varuna in his place. Seeing a Brahmin couple with three children, he asked them to offer one of the sons for sacrifice in return for a large herd of cows and other wealth. The Brahmin was attached to the eldest son and would not part with him. His wife was attached to the youngest son and would not let him go. So, it was the middle son who was offered and preferred to die as an offering to God, rather than live without the love of father and mother. Rahul was taking this boy with him when on the way they passed through Kaushika’s Ashram. The Brahmana boy, Shunassepha, sought refuge with the sage. Pledging to protect him, Kaushika asked one of his sons to go with Rahul, saying that the human body has to be offered in service to others. His sons ridiculed the idea and declined to comply with Kaushika’s proposal. Thereupon the sage taught Shunassepha a Mantra to propitiate Lord Varuna. The boy chanted the Mantra and Lord Varuna appeared before him and chided Harishchandra for agreeing to offer his son to Varuna and then going back on his word and offering someone else in his place. He said because of his breaking the promise, he would be consumed by the disease afflicting him.

Students should learn from this the lesson that they must not develop excessive attachment to anything and should always keep their plighted word.

Sage Kaushika himself was a victim of an unbecoming desire (when he was an emperor) to possess the wish-­fulfilling cow of sage Vashistha. Foiled in his attempt, he embarked on severe penances to acquire the title of Brahmarshi on a par with Vashistha. He forfeited the fruits of his penances several times before he could earn ultimately the title of Brahmarshi from Vashistha himself. (SSS Vol.28, pp.161-163)