The Daughter from a Wishing Tree Read online

  Soon enough, the king realized the folly of his daughter. He approached Chyavana and begged for mercy. ‘O respected sage, forgive my daughter for her unintentional sin. Do not punish my army for her mistake. Please tell me what I can do to make you happy.’

  ‘I am an old man, and now, I am also blind because of your daughter’s thoughtless actions,’ said the sage. ‘If you are here because you want me to retract the curse, your daughter must marry me and take care of me.’

  The king was hesitant to give away his beautiful daughter in marriage to this old sage. Sukanya, however, came forward and said, ‘Father, our army must not suffer because of me. I am ready to marry this sage and serve him.’

  Chyavana was extremely pleased. The wedding took place and the curse was lifted.

  Years passed and Sukanya continued to serve her husband sincerely.

  One day, the Ashwini Kumars, the divine twin physicians, were passing by Chyavana’s ashram when they saw the stunning Sukanya. They approached her and said, ‘O lovely maiden, why are you living here with an old sage? Marry one of us and you will have a better life.’

  ‘Sirs, I am sorry, but I will not leave my husband,’ said Sukanya.

  ‘Well, what if we bless Chyavana with the gift of youth? After we do so, you must honestly choose Chyavana or one of us with an unbiased and true mind,’ one of them said, trying to tempt her.

  At first, Sukanya rejected their offer and went to her husband to explain the situation to him. Chyavana asked her to call the Ashwini Kumars. When they met, the sage said to them, ‘I accept your offer. Please give me youth.’

  The Ashwini Kumars gave Chyavana a combination of three treatments—the sage first took a dip in a lake containing special herbs, then a herbal paste called kayakalp was applied to the sage’s body, and finally, he was asked to eat a herbal mix.

  Finally, the twins and Chyavana took a bath in the lake and came out looking not just youthful but also identical to each other.

  Sukanya prayed with sincerity and identified her husband correctly. Chyavana was very happy and promised the twin physicians that they would get a part of every offering from him whenever he would perform a yagna.

  The herbal mix that Chyavana consumed changed him into a young man, and this led to the coining of the term chyavanaprash, a concoction of herbs, spices, jams and oils that is eaten by many people today.

  The Princess and the Ugly Dwarf

  When the Pandavas were in exile for thirteen years, their spiritual teacher, Sage Dhoumya, used to sometimes visit to entertain and counsel them by telling them stories.

  Frequently, Yudhishthira regretted having bet Draupadi in a game of dice and losing her along with his crown. When he finally shared this with the sage, Dhoumya said, ‘Good times and bad are inevitable in the circle of life. During tough periods, people do things that are sometimes out of their nature. Even a sermon or an intelligent suggestion may not help. History is filled with stories of kings who have made such follies and caused their families to suffer. In all cases, people have managed to pass through the rough times. Hence, there can never be a permanently good or bad time in anyone’s life.’

  Yudhishthira was curious. He asked, ‘But was there ever a foolish king like me who played a game of dice, bet his wife and lost his kingdom? I have caused grief to my family and my subjects.’

  ‘Yes, there was,’ said the sage. ‘His name was Nala. Let me tell you his story.

  ‘There lived a beautiful princess named Damayanti of the kingdom of Vidarbha. Her beauty was so renowned that even the gods could not help but admire her.

  ‘The king of Nishadha kingdom had two sons—Nala and Pushkara. Nala was very handsome, charming and well respected.

  ‘One day, when Nala went hunting, he stopped at a lake to rest. There, he saw many white swans in the midst of which there was also one beautiful golden swan. Nala couldn’t resist this fascinating creature. He slowly approached the golden swan from behind and seized it. The surrounding birds immediately flew away, but this golden bird couldn’t escape Nala’s tight grip.

  ‘To his surprise, the swan suddenly spoke to him in a human voice. “O great Nala! Please let me go. I need freedom, just like every living being on the planet. You are a great king, general and ruler, and I know that you will agree with me.”

  ‘Nala realized the truth in the swan’s words. He loosened his grip to release the bird.

  ‘“I am glad you did that,” said the swan. “You have listened to a bird and done your duty as a compassionate ruler. When someone receives help, they should be grateful. So, in return, I will give you something. I will ensure that you get the finest match in this world. Princess Damayanti, the daughter of King Bhima, is celebrated for her beauty. Gods want to marry her and apsaras are jealous of her. Her loveliness is truly unmatched, even in the heavens. I give you my word that I will introduce you to her.”

  ‘Saying thus, the bird flew away.

  ‘Deep in thought, Nala stood in silence, still processing this unexpected turn of events. He had indeed heard of Damayanti and felt ecstatic about the swan’s promise.

  ‘The swan made his journey to Vidarbha. He went to the royal gardens and hid behind a bush. Other white swans also joined him and cheerfully moved about in the gardens. Princess Damayanti was attracted to the white swans, but when she approached them, they all flew away.

  ‘After some time, Damayanti spotted the golden-winged swan. She was enchanted and went close to him with the intention of catching him. When she approached the bird, he slowly moved away and lured her a short distance from her friends and guards, where nobody could see them. Then he allowed himself to be caught by the princess.

  ‘The swan said, “O Damayanti, the most beautiful one, please release me. I am the messenger of Nala, the most handsome prince I have ever seen. No princess other than you is worthy of his valour and compassion. I have seen millions of couples, but most are mismatched. Nala and you are truly worthy of each other in every way. If you set me free, I will take your message back to Nala.”

  ‘The bird went on to describe Nala and his many outstanding qualities. Without realizing it, Damayanti began falling in love with this unknown prince. She set the swan free.

  ‘A few days passed and Nala occupied Damayanti’s thoughts all day and all night. She could neither sleep nor eat properly. She was a young woman utterly and desperately in love. When her father, Bhima, learnt of this development, he quickly arranged a big swayamvara and invited all the princes of the allied kingdoms to attend.

  ‘Nala was delighted to get an invitation. He dressed his best, got into his chariot and started his journey towards Vidarbha. He was a skilled charioteer, possessing the ability to ride extremely fast. On the way, he saw four shining chariots and four handsome gods descending from the sky. The gods stopped Nala and one of them said, “I am Indra, the king of the gods. These are my friends—Agni, the god of fire; Vayu, the god of wind; and Varuna, the god of water. Though there are gorgeous maidens in the heavens, we heard of Damayanti’s celestial beauty and couldn’t resist it. So, we thought that at least one of us must marry her.”

  ‘Nala was dumbstruck.

  ‘“O noble prince,” they continued, “you are known for your wonderful manners, and hence, we want a favour from you.”

  ‘Nala recovered and replied, “Salutations to all of you. I am, after all, just a mortal. How may I help you?”

  ‘“We request you to go to Damayanti as our ambassador of love. Describe our great qualities to her. Convince her that she must marry one of us. Explain to her that it is a privilege for a human being to marry a god.”

  ‘Nala felt hopeless and despondent. He replied with as much courage as he could muster, “I will help you and stay true to my word. But, my lords, Damayanti is always surrounded by her relatives and friends. So, how do I meet her privately to convey your desire and advocate your love?”

  ‘The gods smiled with amusement. “Don’t worry, Nala,” they said. “We bless