September 1, 2026
yenaivā ‘bhyuditā yasya tasya tena vinā gatiḥ
na śobhate na sukhadā na hitāya na satphalā (2)
RĀMA asked:
O sage, how, by whom and by what means will this deer be freed from its unfortunate state of existence?
VASIṢṬHA replied:
The way out of this misfortune is that which was its original cause. Any other path is not the right one and it will not be productive of happiness, welfare or fruition. The king Vipaścit adored the fire; and by entering into the fire this deer will regain its former state, just as gold regains its lustre by being purified in the fire. Behold, I shall make this deer enter into the fire.
VĀLMĪKI said:
So saying, the sage Vasiṣṭha sipped water from his sacred water-pot and created a fire in the middle of the hall without any fuel. It burned brightly without any sparks and without any smoke. The people in the assembly moved away from the centre of the hall. The deer was delighted to see that fire. It began to frisk about in delight. Vasiṣṭha was in a deep state of contemplation and blessed the deer that it should be freed from its past sinful tendencies. He further prayed to the fire-god: “Remembering his previous existence, O fire, please restore to this deer his old form as the king Vipaścit.”
The moment the sage uttered these words, the deer rushed with great joy into the fire. It rested for a few minutes in the fire while everyone was looking; gradually its form changed into that of a human being. He was radiant and handsome. As soon as he arose in the fire, the fire vanished from sight. All the assembled sages with one voice exclaimed “Ah, what radiance (bhā) does this person possess! He shines (bhāsa) like the sun. Surely, he shall become famous as Bhāsa.” Hence, he came to be known as Bhāsa.
Bhāsa realised in a moment by deep contemplation all that had happened in his previous incarnations.
In the meantime, the excitement and the conversation in the assembly had subsided and there was silence once again. Bhāsa arose and proceeded towards the sage Vasiṣṭha and bowed to him. The sage, in turn, blessed him saying, “May the ignorance under which you have been labouring for so long leave you”. Then Bhāsa saluted Rāma and hailed him.
After this, the king Daśaratha welcomed Bhāsa: “Welcome, O king. Be seated here. You have wandered far and wide and for a very long time in this saṁsāra. Now rest here.” Bhāsa took his seat among the sages in the assembly. King Daśaratha continued: “Alas, like a tethered elephant, this king Vipaścit had to undergo countless trials and tribulations. What a great calamity follows imperfect vision of the reality and the perverse understanding of the truth. Though essentially unreal and non-existent, it is amazing what power this illusion has that it can seemingly create such diverse worlds in the infinite consciousness and such varied experiences.”