The Daughter from a Wishing Tree Read online

  Convinced that this was the right move, Surya went in search of her. He could not find her anywhere, but since he was the sun god, he could see everything in the world. Eventually, he learnt that she had transformed into a mare that lived in the Himalayas. Off he went to locate her, disguised as a horse.

  When Sanjana laid eyes on him, she saw through the disguise and knew that it was her husband. They spoke openly, and Surya shared his thoughts. They finally came to an understanding and decided to live in the Himalayas for some time.

  Soon, Sanjana had twin horses called the Ashwini Kumars (from the term ashwa, meaning ‘horse’ in Sanskrit) and the couple returned to their home. These twins grew up to become physicians in the heavens and were the main controllers of the horses yoked to Surya’s golden chariot.

  The Ashwini Kumars arrive in the morning as rays and go to work. It is believed that they are the early sun rays that are helpful in curing skin diseases.

  The Seven Fierce Mothers

  If you visit the temples in the south that were built by the Chola dynasty, you will come across similar-sized statues of seven women, all in a sitting position known as the Lalita Asana, along with different weapons near the sanctum. These statues are known as Saptamatrikas—the seven mothers—who represent divine Shakti, or energy. Their names are: Brahmi, Vaishnavi, Kaatyayini, Indrani, Kaumari, Varahi and Chamunda. If there is an eighth statue, it depicts Yogishwari or Saraswati.

  Brahmi is the counterpart of Brahma, and she is often portrayed as having four faces, sitting on a lotus. She is usually dressed in yellow and holds a kamandalu in one hand and a japamala in the other.

  Vaishnavi, or Lakshmi, holds a conch and a discus in her hands, just like her male counterpart, Vishnu.

  Kaatyayini, or Rudrani, the female form of Shiva, holds a trident in her hand.

  Indrani, Indra’s counterpart, carries the thunderbolt weapon known as the Vajrayudha.

  The six-faced and pale-complexioned Kaumari boasts a peacock as her vehicle and carries the arms of the god of war, Karthikeyan.

  Varahi’s body is dark, and she has the face of a boar, just like Varaha. She carries a sword and is usually found under a Kalpaka tree.

  Chamunda is the popular Chamundeshwari, a goddess in a red sari, wearing a garland of monster faces, carrying a skull and a trident in her hands with a demon depicted at her feet.

  The story of the Saptamatrikas arises from different puranas. It is said that the seven mothers were created with the help of Shiva during his battle with Andhakasura. Whenever Shiva inflicted wounds upon Andhaka, his duplicate sprang up with each drop of his spilled blood that touched the ground. This led to the creation of thousands of Andhakas, leaving Shiva to battle with more and more of the same asura. To stop the flow of blood, Shiva created the goddess Yogishwari from the flames coming out of his mouth. The gods, who were watching, decided to assist Shiva, and so, they created their goddess counterparts who could carry and fight with their weapons. Thus, a brigade of seven mothers, headed by Yogishwari, was formed. Together, they stopped Andhaka’s blood from falling on the earth by drinking it instead. Shortly thereafter, Shiva defeated the demon.

  These goddesses are worshipped all over India, especially in Odisha and West Bengal, where their painted representations are found, as opposed to the sculptures that are often found in the southern parts of the country.

  The Weight of a Leaf

  The Parijata tree was one of the gifts received during the churning of the ocean. Eventually, it was planted in Indra’s royal garden. It boasted unusual white flowers with red stalks that bloomed early in the morning, much before the first rays of the sun. Once the sun’s light hit the flowers on the tree, the flowers fell to the ground.

  One day, Krishna and his wife Satyabhama went to visit Indra, who was very happy to see them. The king of the gods treated them as his special guests. Indra’s wife, Shachi, showed Satyabhama the garden and pointed out the Parijata flowers. Instantly, Satyabhama was smitten by their beauty and fragrance.

  When she got a chance, Satyabhama said to Krishna, ‘Let’s take a branch from this tree to our home. What do you think, dear husband?’

  ‘Let us not ask too much of our host,’ he responded, and with that, he ended the conversation.

  When they came back home, Satyabhama found herself constantly thinking about the wonderful flowers.

  A few days later, Indra sent a few Parijata flowers as a gift to Krishna, who received them in his other wife Rukmini’s chambers. He gave the flowers to her.

  The wandering and nosy sage Narada observed this and quietly made his way to Satyabhama’s chambers. ‘Tell me,’ he asked Satyabhama, ‘do you think Krishna loves all his eight wives equally?’

  Satyabhama was aware of Narada’s reputation for causing misunderstandings, so she said proudly, ‘No, he does not. He loves me the most.’

  Narada grinned. ‘If that is so, innocent one, then how is it that I saw Krishna give Parijata flowers to Rukmini? The flowers have just come from Indra’s abode.’

  Satyabhama became furious and deeply upset. ‘Krishna knows how I love those flowers! But he’s given them to Rukmini! How can he love her more than me?’ she thought. Bidding farewell to Narada, she went to a special room built for the queens to express their anger. There, they usually removed their jewellery, left their hair open and slept on the bare ground. Kaikeyi had done so in the Ramayana, and Satyabhama followed suit.

  Krishna, who knew what had occurred, pretended to be ignorant. He knocked on the door of the special room. When she didn’t respond, he said, ‘Bhama, please open the door.’

  Satyabhama was still angry and decided to annoy her husband. ‘Who is it?’ she asked. ‘It is the middle of the night, and I don’t open the door for strangers.’

  ‘I am that great fish that saved the world and the great Vedas,’ he replied. Krishna was referring to himself as Vishnu in his first avatar—the fish Matsya.

  ‘Well, you have lived in the water for ages, so you must stink of the sea. I cannot open the door for you.’

  Krishna continued, ‘I am also the one who took the burden of the weight of the universe during the churning of the ocean. Now, open the door.’ He was speaking of the turtle Kurma, the second avatar of Vishnu.

  ‘We don’t have any weight-bearing work in the palace. Go back to where you came from,’ came the feisty response.

  ‘I am the wild boar who killed the mighty Hiranyaksha and saved the world. Open, Bhama.’

  Satyabhama was equally adamant. She said, ‘Wild boars are very dangerous. How do you expect me to open the door for you? After all, I am a delicate woman.’

  ‘I understood the plight of Prahlada and came for him as the mighty lion-faced man. Open the door.’

  ‘I am not scared of the lion or its ferociousness, and yet, I will not let you in,’ said Satyabhama.

  Krishna smiled, enjoying the conversation. ‘I am the one who came in the form of a small, young and intelligent boy to conquer Bali. Come now, don’t be stubborn.’

  ‘The truth is that you cheated the great emperor Bali with your intelligence, and later, you became his security guard. You can’t be trusted! I am not going to open the door for such a being.’

  Finally, he said, ‘O Bhama, I am your loving husband, Krishna. Will you open the door for me now?’

  Bhama opened the door. She wasn’t angry any more but still jealous that she had not been given the Parijata flowers. ‘If you truly love me, then make sure that you plant the Parijata tree in my garden. I don’t care what you need to do. Until I see the tree here, I will not eat or drink,’ she said to her husband.

  Meanwhile, Narada was up to no good. He went to Indra and said, ‘Krishna is going to request you for the Parijata tree. His wife Satyabhama is hell-bent on possessing it.’

  Indra became upset. ‘How can Satyabhama ask for a heavenly tree to be sent to earth? If Krishna asks for it, I will give it to him, but on the condition that the branch I give will not yield an