50 / Deliverance of Mucukunda

When Maharaja Pariksit heard this incident of Kalayavana’s being burned
to ashes, he inquired about the sleeping man from Sukadeva Gosvami:
“Who was he? Why was he sleeping there? How had he achieved so much
power that instantly, by his glance, Kalayavana was burned to ashes? How
did he happen to be lying down in the cave of the hill?”” Many questions
were put before Sukadeva Gosvami, and Sukadeva also answered, as
follows.

“My dear King, this person was born in the very great family of King
Iksvaku, in which Lord Ramacandra was also born, and he happened to
be the son of a great king known as Mandhata. He himself was also a great
soul and was known popularly as Mucukunda. King Mucukunda was a very
strict follower of the Vedic principles of brahminical culture, and he was
truthful to his promise. He was so powerful that even demigods like Indra
and others used to ask him to please help in fighting with the demons, and
as such, he often fought against the demons to protect the demigods.”

The commander-in-chief of the demigods, known as Karttikeya, was
satisfied with the fighting of King Mucukunda, but once he asked that the
King, having taken too much trouble in fighting with the demons, retire
from fighting and take rest. The commander-in-chief, Karttikeya, addressed
King Mucukunda, “My dear King, you have sacrificed everything for the
sake of the demigods. You had a very nice kingdom undisturbed by any
kind of enemy. You left that kingdom, you neglected your opulence and
possessions, and you never cared for fulfillment of your personal ambition.
Due to your long absence from your kingdom while fighting with the
demons on behalf of the demigods, your family, your children, your
relatives and your ministers have all passed away in due course of time.
Time and tide wait for no living man. Now even if you retire to your home,
you will find that no one is living there. The influence of time is very

337
