The Daughter from a Wishing Tree Read online

  Ganga realized her petty sin and apologized to Durvasa, who had by then calmed down. He said, ‘I can’t change the curse—you will flow on the earth—but I will give you a special power. Whoever takes a dip in your pure waters will be immediately cleansed of any sins they have committed.’

  That is why people visit the Ganga in places, such as Haridwar, Prayag, Rishikesh and Kashi even today to absolve themselves of their sins.

  There once lived a king named Bhagiratha who wanted Ganga to descend from the heavens to the earth. The king’s ancestors had been reduced to ashes, and the only way for them to obtain salvation was for the River Ganga to flow over their ashes. After much prayer and penance to the gods, Ganga was allowed to flow on the earth, but she flowed with such force that she could have easily submerged the entire planet. So, Shiva decided to direct only a fraction of her flow to the earth by holding her in his jata, or hairdo, thus earning him the name Gangadhara. Yet, her force was so strong that when she reached earth, the gush of the water flooded the ashram of the sage Jahnu. Jahnu became so livid at the destruction that he drank the river. Ganga was then unable to proceed further. Seeing that the river had stopped flowing, Bhagiratha prayed again, and soon, the river emerged through Jahnu’s ears, thus earning the name Jahnavi.

  A story about Ganga also speaks about Nandini, a wish-fulfilling cow and the daughter of the sacred Kamadhenu, who was given to the great Rishi Vasishtha’s ashram to help him perform his prayers and to take care of his guests. One day, eight vasus, or minor gods, experienced Nandini’s hospitality at Vasishtha’s ashram, and came back and told their wives about her. The wives immediately wanted to possess the holy cow and insisted that their husbands catch Nandini and bring her to them. Prabhasa, one of the eight vasus, took the lead. He stole the cow and then directed the other cows out of the ashram. Vasishtha became furious when he learnt of the robbery and cursed the eight vasus. ‘You will all take birth as mortals on earth as the punishment for your actions!’ he thundered.

  The vasus begged Vasishtha for forgiveness until he agreed to reduce the potency of his curse. ‘May you all be born out of the holy River Ganga and be immersed in her immediately after birth. Then your sins will be cleansed. But Prabhasa, who stole Nandini, will remain on earth for a much longer time.’

  This is why Ganga, who was married to a king named Shantanu in her human form and became the queen of Hastinapur, immersed her first seven children in water, freeing them from their human form and their lives as mortals. The last one, however, stayed on earth for a long period of time as Bhishma, the respected warrior in the Mahabharata.

  Shantanu’s story, however, goes back to times of yore. In that time lived a frog in a forest. This frog heard about the River Ganga and how people yearned to go on a pilgrimage to her to take a dip in her waters. So, the frog also decided to travel to the river.

  Sadly, he got caught in a stampede during his journey and was crushed to death under a man’s foot.

  In his next birth, the frog took the form of a man who was employed by Indra, the king of the gods. Indra was very appreciative of his work and gave the man a cart full of gold.

  Now that he had more than enough money to make the trip, the man again started his journey to the River Ganga. However, his bullocks died on the way and he was at a loss for how to continue further. He requested Surya, the sun god, for help. ‘Lord, if you help me now, I will give you half of this gold.’

  Surya assisted him and the man managed to make his way to the Ganga. Once he was there, he took a dip in the waters and donated all the gold he had by immersing it into the river.

  A short time later, when Surya asked him for his share, the man was unable to pay. Surya, now angered, turned the man into a jackal as punishment. With no place to go, the jackal lived near the river and had a dip in the waters every day.

  Time passed until one day Ganga showed up in the form of a beautiful maiden. Fascinated, the jackal followed her. Ganga, afraid of the animal, threw a stone at the jackal, which hit him and blinded him in one eye. Still, the jackal continued to follow her. She ran to a sage nearby and hid behind him, telling him about the stalking jackal. Upset, the sage ensured that his disciples killed the animal, burnt him and immersed his ashes in the river.

  A few years later, the same ashes transported the seeds of a sal tree to the banks of the river. Eventually, a huge tree grew there. The sage, through his yogic powers, realized that the jackal’s ashes were responsible and were a part of the tree. He immediately instructed his disciples to cut the tree down. So, they fell the tree until only the dry trunk remained. The sage then ordered his students to burn the trunk. Out of this fire emerged a handsome young prince, whom the sage named Shantanu. The sage said, ‘Young man, for years you have tried to meet and be a companion to Ganga in different forms. I bless you with all my heart—you will marry her, even if it is for a short period.’

  Much later, Shantanu met Ganga again, now in her human form, and became enchanted by her beauty. She agreed to marry him on the condition that he must never question her actions. Deeply in love with her, Shantanu accepted this condition. In time, she gave birth to seven children, whom she immersed in water after they were born. On the birth of the eighth child, Shantanu questioned her, fearing the fate of the newborn. This questioning broke the condition upon which Ganga had agreed to marry Shantanu. She abandoned him but left the eighth child with him—this child was none other than the glorious Bhishma.

  That was how Vasishtha’s prophecy came true.

  Usually, Ganga is represented in temples by a stone statue of a woman standing atop a crocodile and holding two pots of water. She is related to the Trinity very closely, since she was born from Brahma’s kamandalu, washed over Vishnu’s feet and emerged from Shiva’s hair.

  The point where other rivers meet the Ganga is termed Prayag. For instance, you will find Rudraprayag, Karnaprayag and Devprayag in Uttarakhand. Ganga also merges with the River Yamuna in Allahabad, and this point of confluence is known as Prayag Raj.

  The Perfect Revenge

  Shurpanakha, the sister of the powerful king Ravana of Lanka, was very beautiful.

  When she came of age, she fell in love with Vidyujjihva, the prince of a different clan of asuras. She knew that her brother would not approve of this alliance, and so, she married Vidyujjihva in secret.

  When Ravana learnt of her marriage, he was furious and wanted to punish her. However, his wife Mandodari encouraged him to respect his sister’s choice, and Ravana finally came to accept Vidyujjihva and Shurpanakha as husband and wife. Little did anyone know that Vidyujjihva had married Shurpanakha only to get close to Ravana and murder him.

  One day, Ravana went to visit his sister in her new home. To his disappointment, Shurpanakha was not there. Vidyujjihva seized the opportunity and attacked his brother-in-law, but he was no match for Ravana, who killed him quite easily.

  Shurpanakha become a widow at a young age, and the incident created a gigantic misunderstanding between her and her brother. She refused to listen to Ravana’s side of the story. She truly believed that Ravana never really accepted her marriage and had punished her by killing her husband.

  Shurpanakha began spending her days in the forests of Lanka. Time passed, but her thirst for vengeance against her brother only grew greater. The princess was part-asura and knew Mayavi Vidya, or the magic of illusion. She could transform into any form she chose.

  One day, when Shurpanakha was on the banks of the River Godavari in Panchavati (or today’s Nashik), she saw Rama, the exiled prince of Ayodhya, from a distance and lost her heart to him.

  When she approached Rama and confessed her love for him, Rama instantly refused. When she insisted, Rama directed her to his younger brother, Lakshmana, who insulted her and cut off her nose.

  The injured Shurpanakha backed away from the brothers but saw Rama’s wife, Sita, standing nearby. She found Sita stunning. That was when it occurred to the asura princess that this was her chance—her un
conquerable brother could not be defeated directly but through a creative plot. Knowing Ravana’s weakness for beautiful women, Shurpanakha went to her brother and described Sita’s unique beauty. Just as she had planned, Ravana fell into her trap and eventually abducted Sita.

  The kidnapping made it certain that Rama would neither forgive Ravana nor let him off the hook. He was sure to kill Ravana, and he did.

  It was the perfect revenge.

  The Frog Who Forgot Happiness

  A long, long time ago, there lived a group of sages who went out every morning for their prayers and came back to their dwellings in the evening. They led a pious and simple life, eating fruits and drinking water from a nearby well. A frog, who lived in the well, observed their way of life and also turned pious.

  One day, the frog saw a poisonous snake entering the well while the sages had gone for their prayers. The frog knew that if the sages drank this water, they would die. So, he waited impatiently near the well till the sages returned. When they came near, the frog jumped into the well to warn them about the poisonous water. The sages saw the sudden movement of the frog and peeped inside the well. To their astonishment, the frog was dead. When the sages fished the frog out from the well, they noticed that the colour of the frog’s body had changed to bluish grey. That’s when the sages realized that the water had been poisoned and through their yogic powers, they discovered that the frog had given his life to save all of theirs.

  Together, they recognized the frog’s sacrifice and blessed him. ‘A simple creature like you saved us from certain death. O dear frog, we will revive you so that you can ask us for a boon.’

  When the frog came alive, he said in a human voice, ‘I want to be beautiful like Parvati and marry someone who is extremely learned and is an emperor.’

  The sages smiled and said, ‘May you take birth as a very beautiful and pious woman whose name will always be associated with virtues and devotion to your husband. You will grow up to marry a great and knowledgeable king.’

  Thus, the frog was born in his next life as Mandodari, daughter of Mayasura—the architect of the asuras—and the celestial dancer Hema. Mayasura knew of his daughter’s previous birth, which is why he named her Mandodari—derived from mandook, meaning ‘frog’ in Sanskrit.

  As time progressed, Mandodari grew up to be an exquisite and pious woman. She eventually married Ravana, the greatest warrior of the time and a highly learned man.

  Mandodari, however, forgot to ask the sages for happiness and never experienced true joy in her life. She experienced immense sadness at the hands of her husband, Ravana, who kidnapped Sita, another man’s wife. Mandodari repeatedly advised her husband to release Sita but to no avail. The consequences of the abduction resulted in a great war, which led to Ravana’s defeat. She also lost her great warrior son, Meghanada, in the tumultuous war.

  In Indian mythology, we remember her has one of the five great women, or Panchakanya—Ahalya, Tara, Mandodari, Draupadi and Sita.

  The Goddess of the White Lake

  Bharata, one of the hundred sons of the first Tirthankara, ruled the kingdom of Ayodhya, while Bahubali, the youngest of the sons, got Podanapur.

  One day, when he was in the armoury, Bharata saw a rotating circular disc that seemed to point in a certain direction. When he spoke to the astrologers of the kingdom about his observation, they said, ‘This is an indication that you will rule the earth and become an emperor.’

  In time, it seemed that the prediction was coming true, as Bharata fought many wars and expanded his kingdom with the aid of the disc, which pointed the way to him on his journey.

  One day, Bharata was returning to Ayodhya after one such war, anticipating that he was close to becoming an emperor, when suddenly the disc stopped rotating.

  Bharata knew that this was an indication of something important and sent inquiries to various scholars and astrologers. Finally, he was told, ‘The disc has stopped because you also need your ninety-nine brothers to submit to you. Only then can you proceed on your quest to be an emperor.’

  So, Bharata sent a royal letter to all his brothers, informing them that they must either submit to him or wage war against him to determine the winner. Ninety-eight of his brothers were absolutely displeased when they received the communication. For the sake of his ego and land, Bharata was calling his own brethren to battle. Given their limited resources, the ninety-eight brothers decided to give him their share of the kingdom and left.

  Bahubali, however, refused to submit and surrender his share of the kingdom. Since he was a tall and strong warrior, he sent a message to Bharata: ‘Come, brother. Let’s fight—just the two of us. I don’t want either of our subjects to be innocent victims, so let’s keep this between us.’

  Bharata agreed, and the two met on the battlefield.

  The brothers engaged in three kinds of tournaments: Malla-yudha (wrestling), Jala-yudha (battle in water) and Drishti-yudha (staring at each other). Bharata was equal to Bahubali in skill, but Bahubali used the advantage of his height to defeat Bharata in the Jala-yudha and the Drishti-yudha.

  When he won, Bahubali knew that he would be crowned emperor—the lord of many, many kingdoms. But the rush of power faded away just as quickly as it had come. ‘I don’t need this kingdom,’ he thought. ‘Look at us! The love for land and power has turned us into mortal enemies!’

  With that intense realization, Bahubali gave away all that he had won to Bharata and left to meditate and perform a penance in the search for ultimate bliss.

  He became a Digambar Jain monk and gave away all his clothes, money and ornaments. He stood bare naked for years in one spot, anthills forming around him. Even dust, water, the sun and the wind did not bother him. Despite his focus and dedication, he was still unhappy. It bothered him that he was standing on the land of his brother Bharata.

  A year passed. Finally, Bharata felt ashamed and went to visit his brother. When the brothers reunited, Bahubali became free of all attachments and attained supreme knowledge and moksha. Bharata built a beautiful statue of his brother.

  History differs from this account. This single-stoned fifty-eight-foot granite statue of Bahubali (or Gomateshwara) is located on top of Vindhyagiri Hill in Shravanabelagola in the Hassan district of Karnataka. It was built by the great Jain prime minister of the Ganga dynasty, Chamundaraya, and it represents detachment from worldly life. It is one of the rare statues that depicts Bahubali having a calm expression. Besides this, many of his statues exist in Karnataka alone, in places, such as Veluru, Karkala, Gommatagiri and Dharmasthala—but none can surpass the beauty of the statue in Shravanabelagola. Owing to this very beauty, Chamundaraya began regarding himself as the greatest man on earth. His perspective and ego thus dominated all his future work.

  One day, the statue was washed with milk and water, and Chamundaraya ordered drums of milk for the ceremony of Abhisheka, or the anointment of the statue. He was surprised to learn that despite drum after drum of milk being poured on the statue, the milk would not flow past Bahubali’s hips. What was wrong? No matter how much the priests tried, the result remained the same, and the ceremony of Abhisheka remained incomplete.

  Just then, Chamundaraya saw an old lady walking past with a small container of milk.

  She asked him politely, ‘Sir, may I use this milk for Bahubali’s Abhisheka?’

  ‘O Ajji, we are unable to bathe the statue despite the litres of milk that we have poured over it. But if you think your little bit of milk will help in successfully completing the ceremony, please go ahead and try.’

  Slowly, the old lady went up the makeshift staircase until she reached the head of the statue and poured the milk over it. To everyone’s surprise, the milk covered Bahubali’s entire body. In fact, there was so much excess milk that it flowed down and formed a pond of white on the ground.

  Chamundaraya knew then that she was no ordinary lady but a divine soul. When he apologized to her, she transformed into Goddess Yakshi and said gently, ‘Don’t be
proud, dear one. Everybody has the faith they believe to be true. What you can accomplish with that faith is much more important than what you can do with money. I wanted to show you that, which is why I played this little trick on you.’

  If you visit Shravanabelagola today, you can still see the pond below the hill. It was filled with milk once, and that’s why it is known as Bilia Kola, meaning ‘a white lake’ in Kannada. And you will also find a statue of Ajji holding the little milk pot in her hand.

  The Secret of Youth

  Once upon a time there lived a king named Sharyati.

  One day, the king went hunting in a forest nearby. His daughter, Sukanya, accompanied him with her friends, and they set up camp. The king became engrossed with the hunt and galloped away with some of his troop, so the young maidens decided to go for a stroll.

  Sukanya stumbled upon a big white anthill with two shining holes. Surprised to see such an unusual anthill, she picked up a stick from the ground and poked the two holes. Instantly, blood started oozing out from the hollows. Scared, Sukanya turned around and headed back to the camp with her friends.

  Inside the anthill lived a sage named Chyavana. He had been meditating for decades, and white ants had built their nest all around his body. The nest had two holes that were directly aligned with Chyavana’s eyes. Princess Sukanya had, in her ignorance, poked the sage’s eyes, which had instantly blinded him.

  Chyavana was furious. Using his powers, he ensured that the call of nature come to a pause for the army of the king responsible for this act. The curse went into immediate effect, and the soldiers and officers of Sharyati’s army began suffering, unable to relieve themselves of their bodies’ toxic waste.