The Daughter from a Wishing Tree Read online

  The brutal king’s subjects suffered and spoke to each other in worried whispers. ‘How can there be a being with the same name, a god’s body and a horse’s head? Hayagriva will never die!’

  Finally, they went to Brahma for help.

  Brahma, however, had no solution. So, he approached Shiva, who suggested that they go to Vaikuntha to meet Vishnu.

  When they reached the lord’s abode, they found a standing Vishnu fast asleep. He was so tired after a particularly fierce battle with the asuras that he had fallen asleep standing and still holding his bow, Saranga, in his right hand.

  Brahma was reluctant to wake Vishnu but knew that he had no choice. So, he created a colony of white ants and positioned them on Saranga. He thought the ants would eat the thread of the bow, causing a loud sound as the thread snapped and the bow opened. But he was terribly mistaken. The ants ate the thread in the blink of an eye, and the bow opened up with so much force that it beheaded Vishnu! His head flew up in the sky and fell with a splash in the middle of the sea.

  Brahma and Shiva were not prepared for this. Alarmed, they looked in shock at each other and wondered what to do. Unable to find a way out of this situation, they prayed to Shakti. Soon, she appeared and said, ‘Do not worry. Vishnu will be fine.’

  The two lords looked incredulous.

  With a smile, Shakti disclosed the reason. ‘One day, Vishnu and Lakshmi were speaking to each other, and Vishnu had taunted her, “O Lakshmi! Just look at your relatives—your father is the ocean himself, yet nobody can drink a sip of his salty water. What a waste! And what do I even say about your brothers who emerged with you from the churning of the ocean? Chandra, the moon god, is healthy for two weeks and then sick for the following fortnight. Halahala turned out to be the poison that turned the great Shiva into Neelkanth, the one with the blue throat. Amrut, the nectar of immortality, caused a great war, and your other brother, the seven-headed horse Uchaishravas, is constantly galloping around.”

  ‘Lakshmi was deeply offended. “It is very easy to talk ill of people,” she said to her husband. “The world survives today because of my father. Chandra gives his light to the earth at night, and Shiva was able to save the world thanks to his blue throat. Amrut is the reason for the gods’ eternal existence, and everyone desires a horse because of Uchaishravas. Maybe in time you will understand what it means to be a horse.”

  ‘So, you see,’ Shakti concluded, ‘Vishnu was predestined for a moment like this. This has all been designed to initiate the destruction of Hayagriva.’

  Shakti grabbed a sword and beheaded a horse grazing nearby. She took his head and put it on Vishnu’s body, which came back to life. ‘The lord’s body with this horse’s head will be known as Hayagriva. Haya itself means horse, and now is the time for him to fight the asura.’

  Vishnu, now in his form of Lord Hayagriva, followed Shakti’s instructions and killed his namesake asura. When he came back victorious after the battle, the horse’s head was replaced with his original one.

  This form of Vishnu, also known as Hayashirsa, is one of the Dashavataras and is sometimes considered to be an alternative to the avatar of Balarama. He is usually depicted with four hands, carrying a Sudarshana Chakra. In this form, he is offered a unique dessert, also called Hayagreeva, which is made with chana dal—a type of lentil.

  The Power of Faith

  A long time ago, there lived an able and just king named Dhruvasanti who ruled the kingdom of Kosala. He had two beautiful wives, Manorama and Leelavati, who each had a son named Sudarshana and Shatrujit. The boys were only a month apart in age and were raised in a lifestyle befitting their royal status.

  One day, the king went to the forest to hunt and was unexpectedly killed by a lion. Shocked by the unexpected loss, the people of the kingdom mourned their king’s death.

  Tradition dictated that Sudarshana, who was the older boy and Manorama’s son, ascend the throne. However, Yudajit, Leelavati’s father, strongly felt that his grandson, Shatrujit, was better suited for the crown. Yudajit was a clever king, and after some thought, he arrived in Kosala with his army to invade the kingdom’s capital city of Ayodhya in an effort to make Shatrujit the new crown prince. Virasena, Manorama’s father, countered the attack and stormed the city with his own forces in support of his grandson Sudarshana. The two sides battled each other and Virasena was killed.

  When Manorama learnt of her father’s death, she became terrified. She was certain that her son’s life was in danger in Ayodhya, so she escaped with him. On the banks of the River Ganga, a revered sage named Bharadwaja took pity on both the queen and the young prince and provided them with care and shelter.

  With Sudarshana nowhere in sight, Shatrujit safely ascended the throne and became the king of Kosala. One day, Yudajit, Shatrujit’s grandfather, learnt that Sudarshana was under the protection of Bharadwaja. He thought of killing him so that the first-born prince could not pose a threat to the throne. However, the kingdom’s wise ministers advised him not to proceed with this plan while the boy was under the hermit’s protection.

  In the hermit’s ashram, Sudarshana heard a fascinating mantra one day. However, later, he could recall only the first word of the mantra and began chanting it repeatedly: Kleem Kleem. Little did he know the word signified the sacred Devi.

  Years went by and the chanting became a part of Sudarshana’s daily routine. Devi, who had finally noticed the young boy and his innocent devotion, appeared before him. She blessed him with a divine bow and arrow and promised her protection to him.

  Meanwhile, Sasikala, the beautiful princess of Kashi and an ardent devotee of Devi, heard about Sudarshana and Devi’s blessing to him. Instantly, she felt a connection to him and fell in love, despite never having met him.

  Subahu, Sasikala’s father, had arranged her swayamvara—a grand gathering of prospective husbands from whom the bride would choose a groom—and invited many princes to attend. But Sasikala abruptly informed him that her groom would only be Sudarshana. This upset her parents. Sudarshana was a prince without a kingdom and any supporters, but what dissuaded them most was his powerful enemy and half-brother, Shatrujit. They advised Sasikala, ‘Please, dear daughter, you must change your mind for the sake of your future.’

  Sasikala, however, remained firm, unwavering in her decision. Reluctantly, Subahu sent a trusted messenger to the forest to invite Sudarshana to the upcoming swayamvara, though the princess’s parents still hoped that one of the other princes attending the event would change their daughter’s mind.

  On receiving the invitation, Sudarshana grew eager to attend the event. But his mother, the queen-in-exile Manorama, stopped him, afraid of what lay ahead. ‘O my dear child, please don’t go!’ she said. ‘I know you have received a royal invitation, but it was sent just days before the swayamvara. That, in itself, implies that you are not an important suitor for the princess. I am sure that Shatrujit will also be there, and I don’t want to lose you the way I lost my father.’

  Sudarshana smiled. ‘Mother, please don’t worry. Devi is with me. I belong to the clan of warriors, as do you. It is perfectly acceptable to be afraid, but it shouldn’t stop us from pursuing our path. We must push ahead.’

  ‘But you are my precious son,’ remarked Manorama sadly. Sensing that her son would not let this go, she said, ‘Well, if you must go, then I will come too.’

  Sudarshana agreed, and soon, the mother and son journeyed to Kashi.

  When they reached, King Subahu welcomed them with great respect, honour and hospitality.

  The next morning, Sudarshana ran into his half-brother, Shatrujit, at the swayamvara. Shatrujit was accompanied by his grandfather Yudajit. ‘Why are you here?’ Shatrujit asked, barely hiding his contempt. ‘This is not the place for you. You don’t even have an army!’

  ‘I am here with Devi, and hers is the only support I need,’ responded Sudarshana.

  Just then, Sasikala entered the hall with a garland. Softly, she said to her unhappy parents standing n