Krishna and Kalayavana - Part 1 of 2

In the first Yuga – the Satya Yuga, there lived a great king by name Muchukunda. He was brave and brilliant war strategist. Indra, the Lord of the Devas frequently asked him to help against the fight with the asuras.

However one particular battle between the Devas and the Asuras stretched on and on for many years. Muchukunda was so caught up in the battle that he forgot everything else. Every day was just a bloody battle between the Devas and the Asuras and nothing more. King Muchukunda carried on the battle on his shoulders....It went on and on and on.....

Lord Indra came and spoke to him after the end of the battle. 'Great King! You are the most brilliant strategist that I have seen. There has not been yet anyone like. Now that you have put the Asuras is the back foot, we will take it from here. I am sure you would want to lead a life without the stress of the battle and blood...'

King Muchukunda tiredly nodded his head, 'Yes my Lord! I myself was thinking the same thing....I was wondering how to tell you the same thing....I did not think it was right to live you in the middle of....' King Muchukunda gestured around him.

Lord Indra smiled, 'Now we have Lord Kartikeyan [Lord Shiva and Goddess Parvati's son] to lead us. He is our commander. So don't worry about us...'

Muchukunda happily nodded his head. Faintly, he recollected his wife, his children and his family. He shook his head tired...He really was very tired...He could not even remember the faces of his loved ones....'Devendra! Now that you do not need my services, I think I should get back to my family.... my kingdom.....'

Lord Indra unhappily nodded his head, 'Ah! That is where you have a problem....You see, the time of the Devaloka is different from the time on earth. A few years that you have spent here....eons and eons have passed on earth. The family you knew, the kingdom you had.....all of them have gone....Nothing of them remains....' King Muchukunda looked blankly at Indra. Indra gently told Muchukunda, 'You are a great hero my friend! What you have done for us, is unmatched...and you are a good man.....Ask me for any boon and I will give it you my friend....'

King Muchukunda was however too enlightened a soul to be bothered about the news of his family and kingdom...He nodded his head. He realized that there was nothing in earth which would bind him and pull him back.....He took a deep breath and also realized that he had seen enough battles, war and blood to last many lifetimes....

He tiredly looked at Indra and spoke, 'Indra! I am tired.....very tired and I have enough blood shed to last many life times...I want to forget all about it...I want to sleep...I want to keep sleeping so that I forget all about the violent life I have led....So that is the boon I seek, I want to sleep, nothing more...'

Indra nodded his head when King Muchukunda spoke again, '...and if anybody should disturb my sleep, they should be burnt to ashes....'

Indra nodded his head and granted King Muchukunda the boon he wanted. King Muchukunda entered a cave and slept....he slept, through the second and the third yuga...The third yuga was almost at an end.....

***********

In the meantime, Lord Krishna, the Dark Lord had defeated Kamsa, the king of Mathura who was also his maternal uncle. Krishna crowned Ugrasena, his grandfather as the King of Mathura.

Krishna and Balarama realized that the situation was now tense.

Krishna spoke to Balarama, 'Rama! Kamsa may have been evil, but he has many powerful friends....We have to be very careful!'

Balarama nodded his head, 'Yes! We have to fight with the allies of Kamsa! There are quiet a lot of them!'

Krishna nodded, 'Actually it is not about us, that I am worried!'

Balarama nodded his head, 'Our people would not be safe in Mathura! We have to make sure, they are in a safer place....'

Krishna spoke with a twinkle in his eyes, 'I think it is time I used the help of Vishwakarma!'

Balarama grinned as he nodded his head.

Vishwakarma was the architect of the Devas. His constructions were brilliant and all of them were masterpieces.

Krishna met Vishwakarma, 'My Lord! I am in need of your services!'

Vishwakarma's heart swelled in joy...To be of help to the Dark Lord was the greatest honour...He bowed to Krishna, 'For you, my Lord, I will do anything!'

Krishna smiled, 'I want you to built a city for me, my Lord! A city which would be remembered for all time...'

Vishwakarma nodded his head. He got down to business, 'How do you want the city to look like...Any particular characteristics for the city?'

Krishna smiled and nodded his head, 'Spare no costs! Make the city as lavish as possible! It must be protected on all sides...so that even if I am not with my people, they should not be vulnerable to any attack....'

Vishwakarma caught the drift of Krishna's reasoning, 'I am guessing you want the people from Mathura to be able to go there immediately in case of any....any problems....'

Krishna smiled and nodded his head.

So Vishwakarma set about designing the city of Dwaraka, The land for building Dwaraka was reclaimed from the sea. It has residential and commercial areas, wide roads and plenty of palaces. They also had a hall to hold public meetings. The city had close to 7,00,000 palaces made of gold and precious stones! Each of Lord Krishna wives had her own palace. The city had beautiful gardens and the prettiest lakes. The city was protected by the sea on all sides....

Krishna was thrilled with the construction and thanked Vishwakarma. The Devas also lavished their gifts on Dwaraka....

However the time for using the city came too soon....

****************

Kamsa had two wives - Asti and Prapti. They were sisters and were the daughters of a powerful king called Jarasandha. Jarasandha was seeing both his daughters widowed, was furious. He promised that he would avenge Kamsa, so matter what....

With a huge army, Jarasandha attacked Mathura, not once, not twice....but seventeen times! Every time Krishna and Balarama destroyed Jarasandha's army but for some inexplicable reason always left Jarasandha alive....

Jarasandha became more and more furious with each defeat....In the eighteenth time, Jarasandha took the help of Kalayavana,the King of Magadha to attack Mathura.

Krishna and Balarama discussed what had to be done....

Balarama spoke, 'Krishna! This is very bad! Both the armies have surrounded our kingdom! We cannot fight both the armies at the same time! Besides we also have to think of our people....We cannot just leave them helpless!'

Krishna nodded, 'I guess it was time, we used Dwaraka! This was the reason we built it, isn't it?'

Looking relieved Balarama nodded his head.

The people of Mathura were safely transported to Dwaraka, overnight. The city of Mathura was deserted....

After the people were safely removed from harm's way, a relaxed Dark Lord and Balarama discussed on what had to be done.

'What should we do now?' Balarama asked Krishna. 'We just cannot attack Kalayavana....He cannot be defeated by us! Can we call the help of our own friends?'

Krishna smiled, 'No brother! We do not need to run to our friends! I think this problem we can take care ourselves....'

Balarama looked enquiringly at Krishna. Krishna smiled and was about to explain, when their own army man came forward, 'Why can we not destroy Kalayavana? He is also a normal man. We have defeated Jarasandha seventeen times... Do you think we cannot do it the eighteenth time?'

Krishna smiled, 'You speak like this, because you don't know Kalayavana's story.'

The army man looked curiously at Krishna. The thought of defeat had not really occurred to him. With the Dark Lord, that was really not an option. 'What is Kalyavana's story?' He asked.

Krishna smiled, 'There were two great rishis Shyala, who was our family priest - the family priest of the Yadavas and Sage Gargya. When they were debating about a point, there broke out a quarrel between them...Gargya was so angry with Shyala, that he walked away with anger from the debate...'

The army man nodded wondering what the fight between two rishis would have to do with them. But he listened to the story attentively.

'Gargya walked away from the place and prayed to Lord Shiva. He prayed for twelve years and then Lord Shiva. Lord Shiva appeared before him, 'Son! Why did you perform such a powerful penance?'

Though 12 years had passed, Gargya's anger with the Yadavas had not reduced. In fact he was more angry than ever. Gargya with angry eyes looked at Lord Shiva, 'The Yadavas! I want to destroy them...'

Lord Shiva looked at Gargya with sad eyes. Such a good man had performed such a powerful penance and all he asked for was destruction....Lord Shiva took a deep breath and looked at Gargya and said, 'What boon do you seek, great rishi?'

Gargya did not understand the sadness within Lord Shiva because he was angry. He said angrily, 'I wish for a son, a son whom all the Yadavas would be afraid of!'

Krishna's army man slowly nodded his head. But then he did not understand, how the son of this rishi came into their problem...

He listened as the Dark Lord spoke, 'The son of that great rishi was black in complexion....black as a beetle....Because of this he was named Kalayavana!' The army man looked surprised as Krishna continued, 'Yes my man! The great rishi gave his son in adoption to King Yavasena, who did not have any children of his own!'

The army man nodded his head unhappily. Yavasena was the previous king of Magadha....Now Kalayavana was the king of Magadha, and he had a boon that could not be defeated by any Yadava....That meant even the Dark Lord could not defeat him!

-From the Bhagawat Puranam

Krishna and Kalayavana - Part 2 of 2

The army man looked at Krishna wondering what the Dark Lord was going to do about this. Krishna smiled, 'As I was telling my elder brother...Don't worry! I have a plan!'

The Dark Lord explained the plan to all of them. They all smiled...Krishna had his own reasons for following this plan. One that only Rama knew, the others would not understand....

*************

The next morning, as Kalayavana armies surrounded the city of Mathura. They saw the gates of the city and were in for a surprise....They rushed to their King.

'My Lord! There is a man at the gates of the city! He....' The soldiers wondered how to describe it, 'He is one of the most handsome men I have ever seen...ever! He is dark....But...' The soldier shook himself almost getting lost in the description of the man, 'But...he looks like he is going to escape from the city....I think you should see this for yourself...'

Kalyavana rushed to the spot. He had already suspected whom the man could be. Once he saw the dark man, Kalayavana knew that this was indeed the Dark Lord. For a second Kalayavana was mesmerized by Krishna. Then he shook himself...I am going to kidnap this man and bring him to Jarasandha...Kalayavana did not stop to think about why Krishna was trying to escape from Mathura....

He told his men, 'This could be a trick...I want you to stay here and observe the city. I am going to go after that Krishna!'

So without any weapons, Kalayavana ran after Krishna. As Kalayavana almost caught up with Krishna, he was surprised, Krishna ran faster almost...almost as if he was terrified for his life. For the first time Kalayavana was surprised...I have heard how you killed Kamsa with your own hands...You have defeated Jarasandha seventeen times....And yet you are running away from me....' Kalayavana was suddenly filled with pride...You know you would not be able to defeat me! Isn't it? That is the reason.... Kalayavana yelled at the running figure of Krishna, 'Come back you coward! Turn back and fight!'

The chase continued....As Kalayavana felt that he could reach Krishna and held out his hands and Krishna would suddenly run further away....

Kalayavana thought Krishna looked terrified as he ran....Arrogantly Kalayavana ran behind him. The great Krishna was running away from him with fear...

Running. running..... they came before a huge mountain...Kalayavana looked gleefully as Krishna seemed to look around desperately. Kalayavana's sharp eyes saw a cave at the base of the mountain.

'You think you are going to escape from me, by hiding in a cave...I will show you!' Angrily he ran faster trying to reach Krishna.

But before Kalayavana reached Krishna, Krishna disappeared inside the cave. The cave was dark and because of the sudden change in light, Kalayavana could not see anything....He blinked and waited for his eyes to get adjusted to the darkness.

After Kalayavana's eyes got adjusted to light, he was in for a bigger shock. There was a sleeping form lying in the cave. Kalayavana was finally fed up. This man was a fool and a coward...He thinks just because he pretends to be asleep, I would not kill him....Wondering why people talked so highly of Krishna, Kalyavanaha yelled at the sleeping form, 'Get up and fight!'

The sleeping form would not get up. Angrily Kalayavana kicked the sleeping form. Kalayavana was in for a bigger shock, when the sleeping figure opened his eyes. It was a stranger's face...Before Kalayavana could even explain himself to the man, he was burnt to ashes!

The sleeping man still looked angry wondering who had the audacity to disturb his sleep, when he saw beside him another man....Looking at the man, made the sleeping man feel blissful...as if he had reached the end of the road...one that marked the beginning of something more....more beautiful that he had ever imagined....A dark man, who looked handsome beyond imagination and who looked infinitely more intelligent and powerful.

'Who are you?' The sleeping form asked the dark man with wonder in his eyes.

Krishna spoke to Muchukunda, the sleeping king, with love in his eyes, 'The names I have used and the actions I have done cannot be recounted in one breath, my friend! Ask anything from me and I will grant it to you!'

Muchukunda said wonderingly, 'I do not want anything! I just want to be with you, always!'

Krishna shook his head smilingly, 'I can make you the king of the world! I can do anything you want! You can ask me and I will give you!'

Muchunkunda looked at Krishna with tears in his eyes, 'You are making fun for me! You are giving me all these things which would go away at the blink of an eye! I have been a great king my Lord! I have fought great wars and won all of them! But none of them...not one thing brings me the peace that I feel right now! I just want to be with you all the time....Please!'

Krishna smiled, 'Forgive me, my king! I was testing you! I now know that you are firm at what you want! You definitely deserve salvation. However you need to spend some more time on earth. You have been a warrior and you have killed animals for a sport! For that you need to spend some more time on earth and after that you will come and stay with me for all eternity!'

Muchukunda was happy. He and the Dark Lord parted at the mouth of the cave. Krishna went back to Mathura, his work here done and Muchukunda went to the ashrama of Nara and Narayana and performed penance there, to spend his time of earth....

Meanwhile without an army to lead them, the army could not meet the challenge when Balarama attacked them....Krishna joined them and together the two brothers destroyed the army...

However what happened to Jarasandha is quiet another story!

The Salvation of Gurudruh

Gurudruh waited patiently looking around in the forests. There had been a rustle of leaves and he was pointing the arrow at the bush waiting….However when Gurudruh looked, there was no movement, obviously it had been a mole or a rat…The animal must have burrowed itself inside the soil…Gurudruh sighed. Gurudruh looked around the forest once more and realized that waiting here was waste of time….He would have to choose some other location.

Reluctantly Gurudruh placed his bow back in his arms and moved on to another place.

As he was walking he heard a melodious chant from somewhere. Gurudruh went towards the sound. He found that it was coming from the temple in the middle of the forest. Gurudruh being a regular in the forest knew the habits of the temple well…Today obviously was a special day for the God that the people worshiped. The temple was thronged with people. ‘Shiva! Shiva! Om Namah Shivaya! Shiva Shiva!’ It was a rhythmic chanting. Gurudruh listened to the chanting for a few seconds…Then he shrugged. He had to go back to his work. Without the hunted animals, his family would not have enough to eat…

Gurudruh moved on. Though Gurudruh went deeper and deer inside the forest, still he could not get enough to eat for himself and his family. Gurudruh knew that going back home with so little food was not an option. So he went deeper and deeper inside the forest.

Though Gurudruh had been a hunter his whole life, he had never ventured this deep into the forest. This part of the forest…somehow Gurudruh could not explain it. But it was different….The trees seemed quieter, the sky seemed darker….Gurudruh brought out his bow and kept his arrow in readiness just in case….

As he walked inside the forest, he saw a tiny pond in the middle of the forest. The pond had refreshing cool water which reflected the multicoloured evening sun….The sun was peeping out of the thick branches of the surrounding trees and overall effect it had was beautiful.

However Gurudruh was a hunter. The matters of scenic beauty just did not enter his mind. Looking at the spot, Gurudruh smiled. It was the perfect place to hunt. Animals invariably came to pond to drink water. The trees would provide the perfect hiding place. Gurudruh planned to hide himself in the branches of the trees and from there he planned to hunt the animals…

Silently Gurudruh checked the place, his hunting instincts kicking in. After studying all the trees, he chose the tree closest to the pond, because it offered the perfect hiding place and because the view from there would cover all the areas of the pond. He was climbing the tree when SCRAT! Gurudruh heard a loud noise coming from his waist. Gurudruh hurriedly got on the branch of the tree and looked at his waist. He cursed himself when he saw his water pouch was torn…

Angrily he looked down and saw that at one place the bark of the tree was sharp He had not seen it and there the bark had scraped his water pouch, the water was leaking…The pouch was already leaking, with the stiches coming apart in seams…Now the bark had finished the job and water began steadily leaking…But then Gurudruh was not worried for today. Atleast he had found a place near a pond…

He waited on the branch of the tree, the water from his pouch steadily leaking and falling below….As he waited, he suddenly remembered the scene from the temple he had seen today. What words were the people there muttering…O Na…va… Gurudruh had never studied books or scriptures in his life. For his way of life that was just not necessary. He could not even properly pronounce the words that he had heard the devotees say…Then he remembered…Shiva…Yes! That is what they had said…Shiva…

Gurudruh being man of the forest never understood devotion or even temples…These men were fools to worship some one more powerful than them! Why should I be like them? I will do the opposite of what they do…To pass his time Gurudruh muttered ‘Vashi! Vashi!’ And sat on the branch of the tree.

Gurudruh’s sharp eyes picked up a rustle of the leaves, as he peered through the tree, he found that the leaves of the trees were obstructing his view. Gurudruh plucked the leaves carefully and threw it down one by one. He was careful not to make a big ruckus, or he would scare away any animal coming towards the pond. He threw the leaves down one by one making as much less noise as possible….The rustling he found was another mole which had entered the burrow.

Gurudruh saw the evening sun setting and slowly darkness gathering around the pond. A chill wind picked up. Gurudruh shivered slightly, but he did not dream of giving up the spot on the tree…All the while he cleared the place of the extra leaves which stopped him from looking around and muttered ‘Vashi! Vashi!’ under his breath, the water from his pouch leaking….

In the first quarter of the night, when the world was getting ready to sleep, or atleast that is what Gurudruh thought, Gurudruh heard movement towards the pond. He quietly brought out his bow and placed his arrow ready to let go. He knew that he had to rely more on his hearing, then his sight to shoot correctly.

Gurdruh saw a faint silhouette of a deer coming near the pond. As the deer came near, Gurudruh saw a beautiful deer. Gurudruh was surprised with himself…Till now he had never even once felt any animal as beautiful. For him it was just a means of livelihood…Shaking himself, Gurdruh tried to pull himself together and pulled the arrow back and was about to let it go…

Gurudruh had the fright of his life when the intelligent face of the deer looked at him and spoke. ‘Hunter! Please, please do not kill me!’

Gurdruh was shocked…He wondered whether some evil spirit had possessed him…or probably the deer was an evil spirit…Gurdruh sat paralyzed with fear as he kept his arrow tautly on the bow unable to let it go…

The deer saw that Gurudruh was still having the arrow in his hands spoke again, ‘Please have mercy on me! Please do not kill me, hunter!’

Gurudruh decided that he was dreaming. Then he decided that there was nothing wrong in replying when one was in a dream. He said harshly, ‘Why should I let you go? You are after all my food! If I let you go, I and my family would die hungry! No! That is not right, I have to kill you!’

The deer looked at him with tears in its eyes. ‘What you say is true. If you don’t kill me, your family would starve! Then please let me go now! I promise I would come back! Then you can kill me!’

Gurudruh felt this was very funny! He burst out laughing in his coarse voice, ‘You! I have to believe that you would come back?’ Gurudruh almost doubled over laughing, ‘Seriously! If I start believing words given to me by animals I hunt, I would have to remain hungry for the rest of my life!’

‘No!’ The deer said hurriedly as it saw Gurudruh ready to let the arrow fly. ‘You see, I am a mother of a young deer! I am looking for it! Once…once I have met it and told it and my husband everything, I will come to you! I promise!’

Gurudruh could not explain it, not even to himself. But he felt that the deer was speaking the truth. Gurudruh was even more surprised when he found that he put his arrow back…Probably some spirit had possessed him….He was angry with himself for showing weakness, ‘Go!’ He said irritably to the deer. ‘Go fast! Before I change my mind!’

The deer did not wait for a second chance. As soon as the hunter put the arrow down and said ‘Go!’ the deer shot off…

Once the deer went away, Gurudruh sat on the branch of the tree wondering what had overcome him…He was hungry because he had listened to the words of a deer! If anyone came to know about this…he would be the laughing stock of the village….

Angrily Gurudruh plucked the leaves of the tree, moving it aside, to see on both sides more clearly. Now more out of habit, than anything else, he muttered ‘Vashi! Vashi!’ as the water from his pouch leaked…

Another quarter of the night passed.

This time Gurudruh saw another deer from far. It was bigger and looked majestic. Gurudruh could see it was a male deer. He promised to himself that he would make up now for letting that mother deer get away…This deer is as good as dead. Gurudruh thought as he had his bow and arrow in readiness long before the deer came near the pond. The deer bent down to drink the water. But Gurudruh could see that the deer was not drinking water because of thirst…The deer seemed to be looking for someone….

Enough! Gurudruh scolded himself…Thinking like this would lead to his starvation….

Astonishingly this deer also spoke to Gurdruh, ‘Hunter! I know you are hunting for me! But please let me go now! I am looking for my wife and young child. Once I see my wife and child, I promise I would come back!’

Do you think I am a fool? Gurudruh wanted to yell. But somehow looking at the majestic deer, he remembered the tear filled eyes of the mother deer and just could not bring himself to fire the arrow. ‘Go!’ He said unhappily. He had no doubt in his mind that both the deers were never going to come back and that he was making a fool of himself.

Another quarter of the night passed, the water from the pouch was almost empty. Gurudruh was afraid to get down the tree for fear that he would scare away the animals which would come near the pond….He passed his time as before muttering ‘Vashi! Vashi’ and throwing the remaining leaves down.

This time he saw a female deer come towards the pond. He was elated. The mother deer had kept her promise…But this deer seemed to be different…No matter…Gurudruh brought out his bow and arrow for the third time.

As usual this deer spoke to him, ‘Hunter! Have you seen my brother and sister-in-law? I have found their child and have it with me. The child needs to see its parents immediately.’

Gurudruh had had enough. This time he was not going to be a fool…

The deer saw with widened eyes as the hunter meant to kill it. ‘Hunter! Please do not kill me! If my brother and sister do not know where their child is, they would never know any peace…Think about the young baby deer. Please hunter, just let me go now! I promise I would be back, after telling them everything…’

Gurudruh slapped his head hard. He wanted to punch through something. But he knew that it was the right thing to let the deer go…He wished that whatever was possessing him would go away. He did not want to start feeling sorry for killing animals. Despite everything he let the deer go away….The deer skipped away….

The last quarter of the night started. With nothing better to do, Gurudruh continued what he had been doing, the last few drops of the water from his bag was falling down drip by drip…The last part of the night was almost over, when Gurudruh had the shock of his life….

Coming towards the pond were one…two….three…no, four deers! Gurudruh blinked wondering whether he was hallucinating. The faint light of the skies confirmed that indeed four deers were walking towards the pond. Picking up the bow and arrow had become second nature to him….now Grudruh found that he was so surprised that he could not pick up the bow and arrow….

The four deers came before him. Gurudruh saw that the first three were the deers he had already met. The fourth deer was a baby deer. It was walking in between its mother and father.

As the four deers saw the hunter, they bowed to him. Gurudruh still did not know what to say….Gulping he stared at the four deers, when the mother deer spoke first, ‘Great hunter! Thank you so much! You trusted me and let me go! I have finished my duties and here I am. I will keep my part of the bargain!’

The aunt deer spoke next, ‘Yes hunter! It was because you let me go, I was able to make the child meet its mother and father! I have come to keep my promise!’

The father deer spoke majestically, ‘We all have completed our duties! You can do what you wish for!’

The baby deer spoke last, ‘Great hunter! I do not have any family other than those here! Take my life too! I also want to go, where they are going!’

Stunned, Gurudruh never drew his bow and arrow. The last quarter had passed, when Gurudruh jumped from the tree and ran towards the four deers.

‘Who are you?’ He asked in a tone of wonder. ‘You are not deers, who are you?’

Gurudruh blinked when the four deers vanished from there. Standing in their place, was a beautiful dark three eyed God. Gurudruh could not explain it but he felt a feeling of bliss coming over him. He felt like he was free…He was free….

The God smiled lovingly at Gurudruh, ‘Son! Your worship today, cannot be equal to anything that has ever been done in my name!’

Gururuh looked bewildered, ‘Worship? I…’ Gurudruh shook his head in wonder, ‘I did not do any worship to you, my Lord!’

The God smiled, ‘You cleansed me with water, chanted my name, worshiped me with my favourite leaves, and fasted for the entire night…This is the most perfect worship I have ever seen!’

Gurudruh thought back and stumbled back to the base of the tree he had just got down. He realized that it was the ‘Bilva’ tree. [In Hindu mythology it is believed that the Bilva leaves are Lord Shiva’s favourite leaves] Below it was a small linga…now covered from the leaves he had thrown the whole night…. The linga was wet…from the water of his pouch…Gurdruh felt understanding come over him Vashi! Vashi! when repeated again and again became Shiva! Shiva!

Gurdruh fell on the feet of Lord Shiva. ‘Lord! You have given moksha to a hunter like me! For that I would always be grateful to you!’

Lord Shiva smiled, ‘You are certainly worthy of it! You did all this on the one day, which I consider sacred. It is Mahasivarathri! For this Gurudruh, you shall attain salvation! You shall always be a part of me, in my world! Come with me!’

Peace and understanding came to the hunter as he followed the three-eyed blue God to Kailash….

- From Shiva Purana

                                                               

Veda Vyasa's Shakuntala - Part 1 of 2

In Hindu mythology, the story of Shakuntala is quiet famous.

It is the story of how King Dushyanta falls in love with Shakuntala, who is a simple girl living with her father, sage Kanva in a hermitage. King Dushyata visited the hermitage when sage Kanva was not there. 

The king smitten by Shakuntala's beauty marries her then and there without waiting for the sage to come back. Immediately afterwards news comes to the king that he is wanted at the kingdom immediately.

King Dushyanta gives her his ring while leaving. He promises her that he would come back and take her to the kingdom in a manner befitting a queen.

After the king leaves Shakuntala keeps thinking about King Dushyanta all the time. It was at this time that Sage Durvasa comes there. Caught up her thoughts she fails to look after the sage. The sage curses her that the person she was thinking about would forget her.

However at the request of Shakuntala's friends, sage Durvasa modifies the curse saying that the person would remember her if she shows him any insignia of his, which was with her.

Days pass into years, the king because of the curse forgets all about Shakuntala. Shakuntala gives birth to a son Sarvadhama.

Realizing that Dushyanta is not coming for her, Shakuntala goes to see King Dushyanta carrying the ring with her. But as she was taking a bath in the river, the ring falls into the river and is swallowed by a fish.

Later, when Shakuntala visited the KIngdom and stands before the king with her son, the king refuses to recognize her due to the curse. Shakuntala is broken hearted and starts crying.

It was at that time that a fisherman comes there with the ring, which he had found inside a fish. Looking at the ring, the king remembers everything.

Shakuntala and Dushyanta marry and live happily ever after. Their son is named as Bharatha and he is crowned the next king after Dushyanta....

However this is the version of Kalidasa's Shakuntala. But do you know that this story was written by Veda Vyasa in the Mahabharatha? That story is quiet different from Kalidasa's story. In fact there is no ring in the story.

Here is Veda Vyasa's story

Long ago there lived a king called Illila. He had many sons. When he became old, he crowned his eldest son Dushyanta as the king and retired to the forests.

When Dushyanta became the king, he first expanded the borders of the kingdom. He first brought all the neighbouring kingdoms under his control. Then Dushyanta ruled the entire kingdom. He was a very good king. He was kind, firm and just. It was said that during his rule, people never knew hunger. Thieves were totally abolished from his country....

One morning in court as Dushyanta was hearing about the affairs of his kingdom, a very haggard looking man rushed inside the king's court. His dress looked dirty and torn and the man was short of breath, with dark circles under his eyes. The man looked like he had not slept or eaten for a long time. The man saw the king and gasped. 'Your majesty! Your majesty! You have to help us...You have to help us or we are doomed!'

The guards of the king came near the man and looked at the king questioningly. What could have happened to this man....The guards had not seen any person in such a bad state for as long as they could remember....

The king signaled his guards to stand back. 'Who are you, my man? He asked the man sharply.

The man took a deep breath and looked at the king, 'Your majesty! The animals....our village....Our village is near a very big forest....The animals from the forest have entered the village and....' The man shuddered, 'They are wrecking havoc in our village....' The man wiped fresh tears from his eyes. 'If you do not come fast, I am afraid....I am afraid...' The man sobbed, 'There may be no one left in my village....'

The king looked straight at the man, 'Do not worry. I will take care of it....' Such was the confidence of the king that the man for a second felt his worries vanish. He felt instinctively that his village was safe...He nodded calmly. The king called one of his guards. 'Take this man and make sure he is well-fed and rested...' The guard nodded his head and led the man away from him. The man realizing that the king would take care of the problem, forgot his worries and went with the guard.

The king called his minister, 'I want to leave for the village now!' The minister was a man of small words and nodded his head. 'Prepare a small army to accompany me...The army should have archers and people who are good at fighting animals....' The minister nodded his head again. 'And handle all the matters here in the capital, while I am away...' The minister nodded his head for the third time.

The king left for his chambers to prepare himself.

As the king traveled through the capital in his chariot, his people stared at him in awe...

'Look at our king, he looks magnificent like Indra himself....'

'I don't think our king can ever be defeated in war....' The people whispered among themselves.

As the whispers reached the king, he smiled to himself as he raced out of the capital towards the other village, a small army following him....

As the king had planned he was near the village soon. There he heard the screams of people, the roars and trumpets of the animals....He swiftly gave the order to his army and dispatched them to different parts of the village....He took out his bow and arrow and aimed it straight..... 

Soon the threat to the village was no more....The king and his army chased the wild animals back to the forests...There the king and his army hunted the animals....

As the king strung his arrow and aimed it at the last of the few elephants...he stopped...Suddenly jumping before the elephant was one of the most beautiful deers he had ever seen....The king almost fumbled with the arrow. But by sheer practice, he pulled the arrow back instead of letting it go....

The deer also suddenly looking around seemed to realize the danger it was in and ran....It ran as fast as it could, away from it....far away from it....The king was however mesmerized by the beauty of the deer....He ordered his charioteer to go behind the deer. The king followed the deer and behind him came his army......

As the king raced behind the deer, soon they entered into another forest....a captivating forest....The king could not describe it, but he knew that the forest was different from the one he had just left or any other forest he had seen...It was serene, calm and infinitely more beautiful...The forest was mysteriously peaceful....

The king was still chasing the deer when he saw a majestic river flow through the forest. The sound of the river passing through the forest seemed to be melodic and in tune with everything else in the forest....The king forgot the deer and smiled as he looked around....The view around the river took his breath away. The king had never seen such a beautiful place....He felt tranquil, peaceful....

He now knew where he was....

The river was the Malini and near the river were beautiful small hermitages. The king smiled to himself and ordered for his army to stop, 'We will all wait here...No hunting in these parts!' He looked at his soldiers who were half looking surprised and half enjoying their surroundings. 'This is the hermitage of the great sage Kanva! That is the reason, the forests here look....' The king gestured with his hands all around them. The soldiers nodded. The king continued, 'The sage would not appreciate it, if a huge army entered his hermitage. But I have to go and pay respects to the sage! So I will go with our priest!' He looked at his soldiers who nodded as one. 'I will be back soon! We have to get back to the other forest! Though there is no danger to the villagers as of now, we still have to make sure that the villagers are safe from further harm!'

Leaving the army behind, the king and his priest entered the hermitage.

However as the king walked inside the main hermitage and was surprised. There was no one there. The priest and the king looked around. Still there was no sign of anyone in the main hermitage....

'Hello?' The king called out. The king turned as he heard a rustle of clothes behind him. He whirled around and when he turned....The king felt like as if the world stopped still....Standing before him was a girl wearing a simple ashrama's dress looking ravishing and charming.

The king did not know it but the girl herself was stunned on seeing the king. The king looked powerful and strong and his face shone out with the power he wielded....

The two of them looked at each other for long without realizing anything. Finally the girl seemed to shake herself out of her reverie. Before the king could ask her anything, the girl came towards him and properly welcomed him inside the hermitage.

Still a little stunned, the king sat down on the offered seat and looked at the girl, who looked as beautiful as the Goddess Lakshmi herself.....The king had the refreshments given to him by the girl and finally collected him, 'Who are you? I thought this was the hermitage of Sage Kanva! I never expected to find a girl like you here!' He took a deep breath and said again, 'Who are you?' He repeated again.

The girl looked at him and smiled, 'I am Shakuntala!' The king found the voice of the girl soft and melodious. 'I am the daughter of Sage Kanva!'

The king shook his head to himself. No way Sage Kanva could have a daughter. And if she was the daughter of Kanva, then the king could never marry her....He looked at the girl, 'Sage Kanva is a rishi! He has never married! Then how is it that...' The king looked at Shankuntala hoping she would explain.

Shakuntala smiled to herself, 'I am his adopted daughter! My real father is Kaushika.'

The king blinked, 'Kaushika? You mean the great King Kaushika, who performed severe penance and then went on to become Brahmarishi Vishwamitra! That Kaushika?' The king looked at Shakuntala a little stunned.

Shakuntala smiled to herself and nodded, 'Yes! When King Kaushika was performing the great penance, Indra sent one of his apsaras Menaka to break his penance. Menaka succeeded in breaking the penance....Kaushika married Menaka and I am their daughter!'

The king breathed a little freely. In those days it was custom, that a king could marry either another king's daughter or a warrior's daughter. If Shakuntala had been the daughter of a rishi, there was no way, he could marry her....But there was another worry bothering him now.

'How are you here?' The king asked pointing around the hermitage.

'Once when King Kaushika realized that this was a ploy by Indra, he...' Shakuntala shrugged, 'He left me in the care of Sage Kanva! My mother went back to the kingdom of Indra...That is the reason I was called Shakuntala! When my father left me, the 'Shakun' birds looked after me!'

The king smiled and asked her the question foremost in his mind now, 'I am Dushyanta! I am a king of the Paurava line! I am the son of Illila! Shakuntala, will you marry me? 

Veda Vyasa's Shakuntala - Part 2 of 2

Dushyanta looked at Shakuntala and said, 'Since I first saw you....I knew....I knew that you were the one...my queen!' The king looked at Shakuntala with love-filled eyes. 'Please accept my proposal....' The king saw that Shakuntala was not entirely convinced. He hurriedly continued, '...My whole kingdom is yours my queen! Please marry me!'

Shakuntala looked shy and troubled at the same time. She looked at the King and spoke, 'King Dushyanta, I am flattered that you feel that way about me, but please....could you wait for a some more time....My father, the great sage Kanva is on the way home. After he comes home, talk with him, after that I would happily marry you....please!'

Dushyanta looked at Shakuntala with a smile, 'You are obviously Sage Kanva's darling! The apple of his eye! Seriously you do not think he would object to anything that you have done by your own liking....' Dushyanta continued passionately, 'There is a form of marriage called as 'gandharva marriage'. Kings and warriors are allowed to perform this marriage....By this system, they are allowed to choose their own spouse....You may be brought up in a hermitage as the daughter of a sage, but you are the daughter of a great king....I think you can definitely get married by this method....Please say yes!'

Shakuntala looked troubled. She knew that what the king said made sense. But still she felt uncomfortable.....But the words of the king came back again....She looked at the king with her beautiful eyes and slowly nodded her head, 'King! What you say is true!...I think I can get married to you by the gandharva ritual....' The king looked at Shakuntala with happy eyes and was about to hug her when she held up her hands, 'Listen to me my king! If you marry me now, I will ask you a boon...I wish that the child born to us should be the monarch after you....Only if you agree to this, will I accept your marriage proposal!'

Shakuntala looked very firmly at the king. The king almost burst out laughing. 'Is that all my queen! I promise that the child born to us would rule after me! That is a warrior's promise and I will never go back on it....'

Shakuntala looked at Dushyanta and smiled. She turned to her friends. 'My friends! Go and find all the things necessary for performing a simple marriage ceremony...immediately! You will find everything in the ashrama!' Her friends nodded and they raced to find the things necessary for the marriage.

So there in the midst of the beautiful hermitage, by the flowing Malini, the king married Shakuntala........

**************

King Dushyanta was now however a worried man. In the spur of the minute, he had married the daughter of a rishi. Adopted daughter thought she may be, she was still his daughter. He had married her without the permission of the sage. What would the sage say? He would be angry that he had done such a thing.... Dushyanta knew enough about sages and realized the power that sages wielded by the power of their penance. Greater men than him have been reduced to less that nothing because of the curse of the sages....King Dushyanta was now in a full scale panic. No! I must not be here, when the sage comes back....I have to get away from here....If I don't, the sage would curse me....

Thinking this, King Dushyanta went to Shakuntala. 'Shakuntala! I have to get back to the affairs of the kingdom! I had come to the neighbouring village because some wild animals had attacked it. It was during the chase that I came here, my queen!' Shakuntala looked at Dushyanta and waited for him to continue, 'To fulfill the duty to my people, I have to leave and go back to the village!'

Shakuntala looked a little perturbed when King Dushyanta spoke again, 'Don't worry, my queen!' Dushyanta fervently nodded his head to himself, 'I will come back and take you back to the kingdom, on a royal palanquin. You will come back to your home, like a queen! My people would see and accept you as their queen!'

Shakuntala looked at the king and slowly nodded her head, 'Go ahead King! I realize that you have many duties as a king! I will not stop you from that...Come back and take me to the kingdom...I will wait for you!'

King Dushyanta nodded his head and mounted on his chariot and drove off with his army. His mind in a turmoil....What would the sage do....

After Dushyanta had left, Shakuntala was worried. Now the full force of what she had done dawned on her. She had married a king, without her father's permission. What would her father say?

Sage Kanva came back to the hermitage after collecting the fruits from the forest. As he was walking, he remembered the youthful face of his daughter. She would come and embrace him and welcome him....Kanva was a rishi, but he still enjoyed the intelligence, youthfulness, curiosity and creativity of his daughter.

As Sage Kanva entered the hermitage, however today nothing happened....His daughter did not come running towards him....he looked around and saw that most of the work in the hermitage had not been done. Sage Kanva was surprised....His daughter had never lapsed in any of her duties so far. What had happened? He hurried inside the hermitage and saw his daughter seated on the mat not even looking up at him...

Finally when Shakuntala looked up at the sage, the sage saw a kaleidoscope of emotions in her eyes....Shyness, fear, love...Sage Kanva was surprised. He had never seen his daughter like this...

Shakuntala for her part was afraid to talk. She was afraid that she had disappointed her father...Mutely she took out some refreshments and listlessly offered it to her father. Her father looked at her kindly, ‘Shakuntala! What is wrong? Please tell me...’ Shakuntala’s hands shook as she burst out crying at the kind words of her father...She did not deserve to have such a good man as her father. He was being so nice to her and she had broken his trust...

Shakuntala laid her head on her father’s lap. He lovingly caressed Shakuntala’s head patiently waiting for Shakuntala to tell him. He could have of course used the powers of his meditation and sensed everything that had happened here. But he wanted the story out of Shakuntala. So he waited.

Between sobs, Shakuntala told him the whole story, ‘Father...father! King Dushyanta had come here, when you were away...’ Shakuntala fearfully looked at her feet afraid to meet Sage Kanva’s eyes, ‘...We... we were married by the gandharva ritual...!’

Shakuntala waited for her father to yell at her or start shouting at her. Whatever Shakuntala had expected her father to do it was not this...Sage Kanva laughed. He looked at her daughter’s tear stained face and laughed, ‘Why were you afraid of telling me this?’ The sage asked her genuinely surprised.

Shakuntala looked at her father bewildered and surprised, unable to understand, ‘You may be brought up in a hermitage, but you are a princess...a daughter of king and an apsara! You chose a good and just king as your husband! Why should I feel wrong about that? In fact it is for precisely this purpose that the ‘gandharva marriage’existed...And you have also made sure that all the ceremonies of the marriage were carried out...So no...! I am not angry at all. In fact I am very happy. You have chosen a good man for yourself. For this, I will grant you any boon you wish my child. Anything..’

Shakuntala broke out crying, feeling hilarious. Finally after all the turmoil in her heart had subsided she felt peaceful and looked at her father, ‘Father! If you wish me to ask a boon, then I ask you that you forgive my husband and accept him wholly...’

Sage Kanva laughed at the childish boon of Shakuntala but he realized that the boon would make Shakuntala stronger. ‘I promise you that I have no ill feeling towards your husband! I wish only good things for him and now that you are his queen, that will always be so..’

********

Soon Shakuntala had a son by name Sarvadhaman. When Sarvadhaman was born, it is said that the Gods rained flowers on the child. Lord Indra the king of the Devas himself came to see Shakuntala. Lord Indra looked at Sarvadhaman with pride and spoke to Shakuntala, ‘Your son is no ordinary mortal, Shakuntala! He is born to be an emperor!’ Shakuntala glowed with pride as Indra continued, ‘You are the mother of an emperor!’

Sarvadhaman grew up in the forest hermitage under the guidance of Sage Kanva. He thought of Sage Kanva as his father. Even as a child Sarvadhaman knew no fear. He would fight wild animals with his bare hands. It was said that Sarvadhaman would keep the mouth of a lion open with his own hands to count the number of teeth of the lion!

Sage Kanva taught the child Vedas and the scriptures. He even taught him the art of warfare and diplomacy. Sarvadhaman learnt all of this very easily, almost effortlessly...

***************

But Dushyanta never came back. He had gone back to his kingdom and had never come back...It was as if he had forgotten all about Shakuntala...

But Sage Kanva was not blind to his daughter. He realized that Shakuntala was hurt and angry. The man she had loved and broken her heart...But Sage Kanva realized that the only way for Shakuntala to gain her rightful place was to send Shakuntala to Dushyanta.

He spoke to her, ‘Shakuntala! It is time for you to go to your husband!’ Shakuntala looked at Sage Kanva as if she had been electrocuted. She looked angrily at Sage Kanva. ‘I don’t want to go to him! Why should I? He does not even remember...’ Shakuntala choked down a sob unable to go on.

Sage Kanva looked at Shakuntala and looked at her steadily, ‘You love him! You will have to go to him! If not for yourself, then atleast go for your son! He is meant to be an emperor! He will properly be brought up there in the palace and learn the things that a king should learn!’

Shakuntala was fuming but deep down she realized that her father was asking her to go because that was what would make her happy….

The next day Sage Kanva spoke with Sarvadhaman when Shakuntala was nearby, ‘Both of you would be leaving for King Dushyanta’s kingdom. Your mother has to go back to her husband...You will have to accompany her..’

The little boy frowned, ‘If she wants to go, she can go...’ The boy said pointing at Shakuntala. ‘I am not leaving my home.’

Sage Kanva told him gently, ‘That will be your home from now on...’

The boy looked at him suspiciously, ‘You are sending me away because of my latest antics, isn’t it? If you do not like what I did to that tiger, I will not do it...’ The young boy said it so earnestly and Sage Kanva felt a tear in his eye. ‘I will not do anything you don’t like, but please don’t send me away...’

Sage Kanva looked at the young face and realized that life without his grandson and daughter would be very difficult. But then he knew what he had to do and he also knew that it had to be done. He looked at the little boy and said with amused eyes, ‘If you don’t like it there, you can come back here, anytime...’

The young boy’s face broke open into a beautiful smile, ‘Promise?’ He asked. The sage nodded his head happily.

With tears in his eyes, Sage Kanwa bid goodbye to his daughter and his grandson. He sent some people of his hermitage along with Shakuntala and Sarvadhaman, to properly present the story to King Dushyant...

*****************

As they reached the kingdom, the people looked at the coming group of people with wonder. A beautiful woman with sad eyes was clutching the hands of a majestic and brave boy surrounded by people from the ashrama. Who were these people? What did they want?

The people had never seen people from hermitages before. They pointed at them. Some jeered...some sneered...some talked...The only person who found all this exciting was Sarvadhaman. The other people accompanying Shakuntala were annoyed. They turned to Shakuntala, ‘Shakuntala! We will not come with you after this!’

Shakuntala looked frightened as she gripped their hands, ‘Why? Please...Please do not leave me here alone...Please...’

The hermitage people smiled. ‘Shakuntala! Your father is sure that you can handle whatever happens...We are also sure that you can handle anything...We have observed all the omens on the way. They are very good omens! Go ahead and talk to the king! But from here on, your journey is alone...’

Shakuntala looked at her friends and feeling a little scared tightly held the hands of Sarvadhaman. I am his mother and I have come here for him...She realized. It was at that minute that Shakuntala felt strong and powerful. She nodded to her friends who turned back from the capital streets.

Once her friends had left, Shakuntala clutched Sarvadhaman’s hands and led him towards the king’s court. As she walked the people gawked at her. Never before had the people seen such a beautiful woman...The boy who was with her looked majestic and brave...

‘She looks like Goddess Shree...’

‘I think she is not from earth...She must be an apsara...’

‘Look at the boy! He looks like he can rip apart a tiger with his own hands...’

‘Oh my God! This boy resembles our King Dushyanta! Who are these two people?...’

The people followed Shakuntala all the way to the King’s court. The whispers almost broke her resolve. Shakuntala wanted to turn and run away. Only the thought of Sarvadhaman kept her moving ahead.

She entered the court and from far saw Dushyanta sitting on the throne, proud and regal, like Lord Indra. Shakuntala also felt unhappy, her wounds opened suddenly...Why had this man forgotten all about her?

Dushyanta looked at Shakuntala and realizing that she had come to the court, with a boy, he said, ‘Who are you? What brings you here?’

Shakuntala felt like the words had pierced her. She spoke quietly to Sarvadhaman, ‘Son! Go and salute your father, the king!’

All the people in the court were dumbstruck. The woman was the wife of the King? How could that be? Dushyanta looked at Sarvadhaman who had saluted him.

‘Father? What lie is this? Who are you?’ Dushyanta said angrily staring at Shakuntala.

Shakuntala looked at Dushyanta, ‘King! I am Shakuntala, the daughter of Sage Vishwamitra and the apsara Menaka! I am the adopted daughter of Sage Kanva! You met me in my hermitage, when you were driving away wild animals from our neighbouring village! There you married me by gandharva ritual! This is the son we have! You promised me that the child born to us would be the monarch after you! I have come here to make sure you keep your promise...’ Shakuntala wanted to also say that ‘You promised to bring me to your kingdom in a manner befitting a queen!’ But she held her tongue.

Dushyanta looked at Shakuntala and said, ‘I married you? What lies are this? I don’t remember any such thing...You are making up stories...’

The people looked at Shakuntala, who stood in the centre of the court poised and perfect, her eyes smoldering. Every one of them was thinking...This woman does not seem like she is lying...Then what is happening here...Who is this woman...The people again pointed at her and started talking.

Shakuntala was past caring. She was not here to fight for her rights as the queen to this man. She was here to give Sarvadhaman his right to rule. She was here as a mother...

She looked at Dushyanta with angry eyes, ‘Lying is equal to killing...How can you even commit such a crime without blinking?...Don’t you feel ashamed of denying being the father of such a noble boy? Just look at him...How can you deny being his father or how can you deny being married to me?’

The court now stirred restlessly looking at Shakuntala, more and more convinced that she was speaking the truth. Shakuntala continued, ‘I came here to the great King Dushyanta from the line of the Puraravas, thinking you were just and truthful...I don’t care whether you deny our relationship or not...but remember this and remember this well! I have been a faithful wife to you and you alone for all these years! With my power...’ Shakuntala said looking around the court, ‘I can destroy this court and your kingdom and bring it down to nothing...’ The people looked fearfully at Dushyanta who himself looked a little pale. Shakuntala continued, ‘It is not like I have no home of my own! I will be welcomed back in Sage Kanva’s hermitage like a queen! And also know this, my son...’ Shakuntala said pointing at Sarvadhaman with pride, ‘...is destined to be a great emperor!’ Shakuntala’s eyes looked ready to shoot fire as she continued, ‘This was told to me none other than Lord Indra, himself! I will raise him to be an emperor either with or without your help!’

Everyone in the court looked a little shaken. None of them had any doubts in the words of the lady. Shakuntala clutched Sarvadhaman’s hands and turned back without even looking back. She had not even crossed the hall, when the entire court was filled with a heavenly voice, ‘Dushyanta! Shankuntala speaks the truth! As a Kuru king, it was your duty to speak the truth. Call your wife back and accept her! Sarvadhaman is destined to be the greatest Kuru King ever. He will be called as ‘Bharatha’ henceforth’ [In Sanskrit ‘Bhara’ means honour and ‘tha’ means guard.]. The anger of a righteous woman can destroy countries…Apologize to her and bring her back now, before it was too late!’

Dushyanta looked at the people and at Shakuntala and smiled. He went near her and held her hands, ‘My Queen! I am sorry, but there was no other way!’

Shakuntala and all the people of the court looked bewildered as the king continued, ‘This was the only way I could make sure that the people believed that we really were married and that Bharatha is my son and has rights to the throne after me!’ He held Shakuntala and took her and Sarvadhaman back to the throne, ‘Now people would never question the rule of Bharatha! I am sorry, my queen, if my words hurt you! I am very sorry indeed!’

Shakuntala realizing that it was all a ploy readily forgave her husband and lived as his queen…

True to the prophecy, Bharatha ruled the kingdom after Dushyanta. Bharatha was a brilliant ruler, kind and compassionate….He ruled almost the whole of India…that is the reason India is called as Bharat even now….

From the  Mahabharatha