The Daughter from a Wishing Tree Read online

  ‘The welfare of our children,’ said Gandhari.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

  ‘Take whatever you wish,’ agreed Indra.

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

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

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

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

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

  To War with a Woman

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

  The Woman of the Battlefield

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

  When Indra, the king of the gods, learnt of their penance, he grew worried. He desperately wanted to stop