The Daughter from a Wishing Tree Page 3

  ‘The welfare of our children,’ said Gandhari.

  ‘Then you must pray to Goddess Parvati. She is, after all, the best mother of them all,’ responded Narada.

  ‘I am aware of the might and power of Mother Parvati. But how do we pray to her for our children?’ asked Kunti.

  ‘Perform the Gaja Gowri puja. But it must be done in the month of Bhadrapada, prior to the Ganesha festival and at the end of the rainy season.’

  ‘What must be done for the puja?’ asked Kunti.

  ‘Invite Parvati to your home. Her family should also come, if possible. She must arrive on an elephant. If that isn’t feasible, you must bring an elephant, mount the goddess’s statue on it and provide her with clothes, vessels and flowers. Pray to her to protect and care for your children.’

  With these words, Narada said goodbye to Kunti and Gandhari.

  After Kunti returned to her room, she sat down, worried. ‘Gandhari is the queen and has a hundred children. She can easily get a real elephant. She can assign tasks to each child and perform the puja with great pomp and show. It is my destiny that I don’t have such liberties or power. And my children are only five in number. What must I do?’

  Meanwhile, Gandhari sat in her chambers and thought, ‘I shouldn’t invite Kunti to this special puja. She doesn’t have any resources, and when she sees how I perform it, she may remember all that she lost as a queen and it will make her unhappy. I don’t want to be the cause of her pain.’

  Certain that she was doing the right thing, Gandhari performed the puja by ensuring the attendance of a real elephant, mounting the goddess’s statue on it and offering plenty of delicious food and fabulous clothing.

  When news of the puja reached Kunti, she felt dejected. ‘Gandhari hasn’t invited me because I am no longer of a status that befits her company,’ she assumed.

  When her sons saw her in such a state, they asked her, ‘Mother, what is bothering you?’

  ‘Gandhari performed the Gaja Gowri puja today for her hundred sons. She has so many sons to assist her. However, she didn’t invite or inform me. I, too, wanted to perform the puja, but how can I do it given our situation?’

  ‘Mother, the strength of your five sons is much more than that of a hundred men,’ said Arjuna. ‘Just as Mother Gandhari got a real elephant for the puja, I will bring for you the white elephant Airavata from Indra’s court. In fact, I will ensure that Goddess Parvati herself comes for the puja.’

  ‘How will you do that, my child?’ asked Kunti.

  ‘You don’t worry yourself with that, my dear mother,’ said Arjuna as he set out with his bow and arrow. He went to the outskirts of the city. After some time, he found an open space there and shot hundreds of arrows at the sky, carefully weaving a staircase of arrows leading to the heavens. Once the staircase was complete, Arjuna climbed the steps and entered the court of Indra.

  A human entering heaven worried the gods sitting in the court. Now anyone would be able to walk into their abode and take away their wealth.

  Arjuna announced his presence to all the gods. ‘I am Arjuna, O respected ones, and I earnestly request a meeting with Indra.’

  Indra recognized the brave, young warrior and asked him with affection, ‘Dear Arjuna, what do you desire? I am ready to give you all you want, but ensure that you destroy the staircase after your work is done. You are a man of admirable character, but not everyone in the realm below is like you, and we do not want unsavoury characters entering our home.’

  Arjuna bowed. ‘My mother wants to perform the Gaja Gowri puja, and for that she needs an elephant. May I borrow yours?’

  ‘Of course. You can take Airavata. Lead him down the strong staircase you have built,’ replied Indra.

  ‘Also, I would like all the materials needed for the puja.’

  ‘Take whatever you wish,’ agreed Indra.

  ‘May I also request you to speak to Lord Shiva and Goddess Parvati and invite them to attend the puja in person?’

  Indra smiled. ‘Yes, I will ask them.’

  Arjuna brought Airavata down to the earthly realm along with the necessary materials. During the auspicious time for the puja, Parvati arrived with her husband and their gana, or loyal followers. She sat on Airavata, and Kunti worshipped her with sincerity and devotion.

  As the puja drew to a close, Parvati blessed Kunti. ‘May your children’s names always be remembered when people talk about dharma and good deeds. May your son Arjuna, who came all the way to the heavens to fulfil your wish, be known as Partha, or the son of Pritha.’

  Today, the Gaja Gowri puja is performed in Karnataka for the welfare of children. It is usually done for sixteen days, during which a different type of food is made every day. This puja is not specific to any community, nor are there many rituals involved; it is only about faith and belief. Since it is not possible to get a real elephant these days, people keep an idol of Parvati on an elephant made of clay.

  To War with a Woman

  Once upon a time, there lived two asura brothers named Shumbha and Nishumbha, sons of the cruel asura Shambasura.

  Together, the brothers prayed to Lord Brahma and performed a severe and austere penance in the holy place of Pushkara. After many years, the lord appeared. ‘What boon do you desire, my devotees?’ he asked.

  The brothers were ready with their answer. ‘Lord, we do not want to be killed by a male member of any species—whether it is a man, bird, animal or god.’

  Brahma smiled and said, ‘So may it be.’

  The brothers were ecstatic. It was nothing short of a boon of immortality. The thought that there could ever be a woman powerful enough to slay them both didn’t even cross their minds.

  Shumbha was the king of the land and upon receiving the boon, the behaviour of the two brothers became unbearable—even more barbaric than they were as generals of Taraka’s army when the mighty asura was alive. To make it worse, they were assisted by two great warriors named Chanda and Munda, who joined them with the sole purpose of serving the brothers. In time, their atrocities reached their zenith, and the suffering of the common man became excruciating.

  One day, Chanda and Munda were wandering around in the forest when they saw a lady so stunning that they immediately reported the news of her beauty to Shumbha. They told the king that the lady was fit to be his queen.

  Shumbha, who trusted Chanda and Munda’s opinion, sent a marriage proposal to this beautiful woman through two of his deputies.

  The woman, who was a form of Goddess Parvati, rejected the request. ‘I have taken a vow to marry someone who can defeat me in battle. So, I cannot accept the king’s proposal,’ she said to the envoys.

  Shumbha, however, didn’t give up. He sent other trusted ministers to convince her. However, they all came back with the same message.

  At last, the king sent 60,000 soldiers to seize the woman, but Parvati, armed with multiple weapons and riding a tiger, killed all the soldiers and the asuras who approached her, including Chanda and Munda.

  Shumbha and Nishumbha were dealt a huge blow with the death of their loyal servants. ‘How dare she destroy our mighty army and kill our trusted warriors?’ Shumbha thundered in rage. The brothers set out to fight her themselves, forgetting about the boon.

  As it was destined, Parvati fought fiercely with incredible strength and honour, slaying the asura brothers and forever freeing their kingdom and the people from their evil reign.

  Brahma’s boon remained intact—the brothers had been slayed by a woman and not by a male member of any species.

  The Woman of the Battlefield

  Rambha and Karambha were two asura brothers who desired special powers. They began to seek these powers through deep meditation and prayers to Agni, the god of fire, and Varuna, the god of water. Rambha took residence in a blazing fire and began praying to Agni while Karambha stood inside a river and prayed to Varuna.

  When Indra, the king of the gods, learnt of their penance, he grew worried. He desperately wanted to stop
the brothers from obtaining any boons that could be used against the gods.

  After much thought, Indra disguised himself as a crocodile, entered the waters in which Karambha stood in meditation and quickly attacked him, killing him on the spot. He then also tried to attack Rambha and drown him, but the asura managed to escape with the grace of Agni.

  The years passed and Rambha was crowned the king of the asuras. Soon, he was also blessed with a son, whom he named Mahishasura. The baby’s name, which meant ‘buffalo-headed asura’, referred to the fact that the boy was an asura with the strength of a buffalo.

  When Mahishasura grew up, he came to learn of the story behind his uncle’s death and became furious with Indra. Eagerly, he waited for the right time to wage a war against the king of the gods.

  During the wait, he prayed to Brahma for the boon of immortality. Brahma could not give such a promise, so instead he blessed him with another boon. ‘Mahishasura, your death will occur only at the hands of a woman.’

  Mahishasura was satisfied. ‘It is impossible for any woman to overpower a man of my strength,’ he thought with arrogance.

  When the right time came along, Mahishasura waged a war against Indra. The heavenly army failed to defeat their opponent, and all the gods were driven out of their abode. This forced the gods to come together and take action. They resolved to end Mahishasura’s life. However, Brahma’s boon prevented any man from defeating the feared asura.

  So, the gods devised a plan. With the blessing of the Trinity and the combination of their powers, they created the asura’s nemesis—a divine form of the goddess Parvati with multiple arms and beautiful long black hair.

  The gods gifted this avatar of Parvati a red sari, gold jewellery and a magnificent crown. ‘You will be known as Durga, the goddess of the battlefield,’ said Brahma. In addition, they presented her with a tiger as her primary vehicle and gave her each of their characteristic weapons: the trident from Shiva; the Sudarshana Chakra, or discus, from Vishnu; a kamandalu, or small water pot, from Brahma; a bow from the wind god Vayu; arrows from the sun god Surya; a thunderbolt from Indra; a spear from Agni; and a conch from Varuna.

  When Durga was ready, Brahma spoke on behalf of all the gods and requested her, ‘O Goddess, none of us can kill the mighty and uncontrollable Mahishasura. You will need all of these weapons to slay him. We beseech you to help us.’

  Almost as if those words were all that she had been waiting for, Durga went forth and battled fiercely with Mahishasura. It was on top of a hill known as Chamundi Hill that she killed him.

  The area that Mahishasura ruled was known as Mahishamandala in the old days. It is now known as the city of Mysuru, which is in Karnataka. Parvati came to be known as Mahishasura Mardini or Chamundi. In Mysuru, there is a temple on the top of a hill dedicated to this fearless avatar of Parvati.

  This story about Parvati is described in the religious text Devi Mahatmya, or ‘Glory of the Goddess’. This legend became such an integral part of her worship that prayers were offered to Durga by royal families before the initiation of war. Even today, during the nine days of Navratri, Parvati is worshipped in all her different forms, such as Vaishnavi, Kali and Durga.

  The Daughter from a Wishing Tree

  Parvati, the consort of Shiva and the mother of Ganesha and Karthikeyan, felt lonely at times. Shiva was constantly in meditation, and her sons were usually busy with activities outside the home. Parvati felt the boys would never truly understand her and yearned for a daughter with whom she could share her feelings.

  One day, after another bout of loneliness, she spoke to Shiva. ‘I am terribly bored. Take me to the most beautiful garden in the world.’

  Shiva smiled, glad to show her the celestial garden of Nandana at Amaravati, the capital city of Indra’s kingdom.

  There, Parvati saw many beautiful trees, but Kalpavriksha, the wishing tree that had emerged during the churning of the ocean, enchanted her completely. Suddenly, she had a desire to ask for a daughter who would take away her grief and loneliness. Her wish was immediately granted by Kalpavriksha, and she found herself with a beautiful baby girl. Affectionately, Parvati named her Ashokasundari—‘a gorgeous damsel who reduces loneliness’.

  Ashokasundari grew to be a young woman who was devoted to her parents. Parvati loved her dearly and enjoyed her cheerful company.

  When she came of marriageable age, Parvati was of the opinion that only an earthly king of the stature of Indra would be an appropriate match for Ashokasundari. After much thought, Parvati decided that Prince Nahusha of the Lunar dynasty would be suitable and shared her view with her daughter, who was quite agreeable to the idea.

  One day, Ashokasundari was enjoying herself with her friends in a nearby forest. The group of girls were laughing and talking loudly. This caught the attention of a demon named Hunda. When he saw Ashokasundari, he immediately fell in love with her. He approached her and asked, ‘O lovely woman, I am Hunda, an accomplished asura, and I have completely lost my heart to you. Will you marry me?’

  ‘I’m sorry, but I am going to marry Nahusha someday,’ said Ashokasundari truthfully.

  Hunda became enraged but did not display his true feelings. Instead, he hatched a plan.

  A short while later, he disguised himself as a widow, whose husband he had killed earlier. In the form of the widow, he approached Ashokasundari. ‘Hunda is a malicious asura and frequents this area,’ the widow said. ‘I am in this helpless state because of his cruelty. Young maiden, it is not safe for you to stay here. Why don’t you accompany me to my ashram? I am poor and only have a small place, but please come and experience my hospitality.’

  Ashokasundari agreed, told her friends that she would be back after some time and followed the widow to the ashram. The moment the two women stepped through the gates, Hunda shed the form of the widow and turned back into himself.

  Realizing she had been tricked, Ashokasundari cursed him, ‘O Hunda, you do not know who I am. I am the daughter of Goddess Parvati. I curse you to be killed by Nahusha.’

  Ashokasundari fled through the open gates of the ashram and made her way to her parents’ home in Mount Kailash.

  Afraid of the curse, Hunda decided to take immediate action and kidnapped the unsuspecting young Nahusha from his palace and kept him under lock and key.

  But as destiny had ordained, a maid took pity on Nahusha and handed him over to the famous sage couple Vasishtha and Arundhati, knowing that they would keep him in hiding and take care of him. When Hunda found out that his prisoner had escaped, he was livid and searched for Nahusha everywhere but was unable to trace him.

  The sage couple took great care of the prince and made sure to educate him. Within a few years, the prince grew up to be a fine young man. He waited for an opportunity to slay Hunda.

  Meanwhile, Hunda hatched another plan. He kidnapped Ashokasundari again when she was alone. He threw her into an empty room, and as he turned the lock in the keyhole, he said to her, ‘I have killed Prince Nahusha.’ Ashokasundari was dismayed.

  The young maiden’s grief overwhelmed her, and she wondered how her mother’s belief that she would marry Nahusha could be wrong. She began to sob uncontrollably.

  A Kindara couple—half-human and half-horse—happened to pass by Ashokasundari’s window and heard her cries. They stopped and asked, ‘O young lady, why do you cry so bitterly?’

  ‘The mighty Nahusha is dead,’ she said.

  They smiled, amused at the thought. ‘Please don’t listen to such rumours, young maiden. Nahusha is alive and well. He is not an ordinary mortal, for he has been taught by the great sage couple Vasishtha and Arundhati. We are blessed with the art of face reading and can assure you that the two of you will be wed. Your children will be famous throughout this land.’

  Ashokasundari smiled with gratitude, and her heart filled with hope again.

  A few days later, Nahusha came in search of Ashokasundari and fought Hunda for her freedom. After a long battle, Nahusha killed the asura
and married Ashokasundari to the delight of his subjects.

  In time, he became such a powerful emperor that he could easily defeat the gods. He even dethroned Indra for a short period of time.

  This story of Ashokasundari is not a popular one, but it shows Parvati’s longing to have a daughter and her profound belief and knowledge that a daughter is indeed rare and precious—a discovery that people continue to make even today.

  The Maiden of the River

  The River Ganga, considered to be of the feminine gender, is one of the most sacred and vital rivers in our country. It boasts multiple tributaries and flows down from the Himalayas, originating in the caves of Gangotri in Uttarakhand.

  A mythological story surrounding the Ganga suggests that Vishnu took the avatar of a dwarf named Vamana and asked Emperor Bali for three feet of land, and that each step he would take must equal the size of one of his feet. After Bali agreed to what appeared to be a simple request, Vamana expanded in size until he became a giant called Trivikrama. With one foot, he occupied all of the land on earth, while the second occupied the sky. The third pushed Bali down. When the second foot occupied the heavens, Brahma recognized the foot to be that of Vishnu’s and became thrilled at the opportunity to perform a puja for the lord. So, he took some water from his small kamandalu and washed Vishnu’s foot. Once he did so, the water on earth began to flow like a river in the heavens, and the Ganga was created. This is why the river is considered very holy and is also called Devaganga.

  Another story about the river involves the short-tempered sage Durvasa. The sage was once taking a bath in the Ganga in the heavens when, suddenly, a strong breeze blew away the cloth that he had been wearing. Ganga saw this and laughed. Durvasa became furious and cursed her, ‘You are a river that resides in the celestial realm, but your immaturity displays your behaviour—similar to that of the humans on earth. From now on, you will reside on earth instead.’