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N ??rada also helped the cause in another away. He related the
beauty and the virtues of king PurCiravas to the Devas in Svarga.
Urvasi, the famous Deva nymph, hearing all that, became enamour-
ed of the king. She had then, by the curse of some god, a human
form. So she could keep company with the King. The king was en-
chanted by her beauty. When she left, he followed her advice and
pleased the Gandharvas. The Gandharvas gave him the fire, with
which the king could perform sacrifice. The fire became threefold.
With one he could perform his duties to the Devas and go to Svarga
Loka. With another, he could perform his duties to the Pitris.
With the third fire, he could perform the duties of a house-holder.
Thus sacrifices meant duties. And it is by the performance of duties
that men can perform Vedic sacrifices and go to Svarga Loka.
The Vedas laid down injunctions and prohibitions. They regu-
lated the actions of men, propelled by Kma or desire. Men must eat
meat. The Vedas said this meat was prohibited, but that could be used.
Men mixed with women. The Vedas laid down restrictions. Even
they regulated the relations between man and wife. Then the Vedas
laid down the duties which men owed to all classes of beings. In
order to induce men to accept the Vedic injunctions, the Vedas held
out Svarga as the reward of Vedic Karma. They even favoured the
belief, that there was to be immortal life in Svarga gained by the per-
formance of Vedic Karma. Detailed rules as to the performance
of Vedic sacrifices were given. So long as men did not aspire to be-
come Indra, or the ruler of Svarga, the Devas were pleased with the
sacrifices; they helped the performer as much as they could, giving
them all objects of desire, and they welcomed them to Svarga, when
they passed to that plane after death. The Devas were as friendly
to the performer of Vedic Karma as they were unfriendly to the im-
mature Trisanku.
The Vedic Karma K^nda became thus fully revealed. The
revelation was made in the last Treta-yuga of the present Manvantara.
"At the beginning of the Treta Yuga, the three Vedas were revealed
through Pururavas." IX. 14-49. " The path of Karma was promul-
gated in Treta Yuga, by the division of the Vedas." Sridhara.
The great churning was justified. The Devas asserted them-
selves for the good of humanity. The Rishis got the revelation and
helped men to place themselves in active relationship with the Devas.
Men learned to regulate themselves and to give up the wantonness of
material life. And they had a strong inducement to do so in the
prospect of eternal life in Svarga. The great actor in this Vedic
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