Durvasa Offends Ambarish

Chapter 4

Another son of Manu was Nabhaga, whose son was Naabhaaga. Due to his absence from the kingdom, he did not receive any of his father’s property. His father, Nabhaga, later guided him on how to obtain wealth from a sacrifice conducted by the descendants of Angira. Naabhaaga had a son named Ambarish, who became famous as a great devotee.

Though a fabulously wealthy emperor, Ambarish Maharaja was constantly engaged in devotional service, uninterested in material enjoyment or even liberation. He engaged all his bodily and mental faculties in serving the Lord with enthusiasm and, though responsible for the state administration, was an exemplar of pure devotion. The Lord was so pleased with Him that He arranged for the Sudarshan Chakra to always protect him.

Once, on a dvadasi day (the day after the ekadasi fasting day), Ambarish was about to break his fast when the great mystic Durvasa Muni suddenly appeared. Ambarish invited his unannounced guest to eat, and Durvasa agreed, but first went to bathe in the Yamuna. Ambarish now faced a dilemma. Durvasa Muni had not returned from his bath, yet the prescribed time for breaking the fast was now upon him. He didn’t want to miss that auspicious time, but neither did he want to eat before serving his guest. To resolve the situation, the sages advised him to drink some water, since this would avoid any violation on both counts; to drink water is to simultaneously eat and not eat.

By his mystic power, Durvasa Muni immediately discovered that Ambarish had broken his fast. Without understanding the situation, Durvasa Muni, in a fit of anger, fashioned a ferocious demon to kill Ambarish. In response, the Lord’s lethal Chakra immediately intervened to protect His devotee, vanquishing the fiery demon and chasing Durvasa Muni all over the universe. Powerless to counteract it himself, unsuccessful in enlisting the help of the demigods, and seeing no other recourse, Durvasa surrendered to Narayana in desperation. “I am an offender” he admitted, “Please protect me!”

In a series of exquisite verses, the Lord expressed the intense love He has for His devotees, explaining how they know nothing but Him, and He knows nothing but them. The Lord advised Durvasa Muni to seek pardon from Ambarish, for only then would he be redeemed.