The Daughter from a Wishing Tree Read online

  ‘Nala, being compassionate, rushed to help. He carried Karkotaka on his shoulders and brought him out of the circle of fire.

  ‘Suddenly, Karkotaka bit him, and Nala was immediately transformed into an ugly creature the size of a dwarf. He became upset. “What have you done to me? How can you do this to someone who has helped you in a difficult situation? You are a wretched and ungrateful being.”

  ‘“Please don’t curse me just because I have bitten you and made you ugly,” said the serpent. “I have done this on purpose. You are in a miserable condition, and this way, no one will recognize you. Don’t worry, you will have the power to transform back to your original form at some point.”

  ‘Nala kept mum. “Perhaps there is some truth to Karkotaka’s words. Who knows what the future will bring?” he thought.

  ‘The two parted ways, and Nala took the road to Ayodhya, where Rituparna was ruling the kingdom.

  There is a place known as Karkotaka Hill near Bhimtal, in the state of Uttarakhand, with a serpent or Nag Temple located atop it. It is believed to be the place where Karkotaka met Nala and bit him in order to help him pass through that difficult period in his life. This holy temple is frequented by pilgrims who believe worshipping the deity of Karkotaka helps obtain protection from serpents.

  ‘Nala changed his name to Bahuka and went to the court of the pious Rituparna. “My name is Bahuka, sire,” said Nala. “I am an expert cook and can make the most delicious food for you in the shortest amount of time.” Nala was able to do so because cooking requires fire, wind and water, and he knew he had the blessings of Agni, Vayu and Varuna.

  ‘Rituparna tasted Nala’s cooking and found him to be true to his word, so Nala was employed as the head chef in Rituparna’s royal kitchen.

  ‘Thus, Damayanti and Nala lived separately, not knowing each other’s whereabouts. Meanwhile, Damayanti’s parents were getting increasingly worried about their daughter with each passing day. They knew that Nala had lost his kingdom and that the couple were now in exile. Since they had not received any news from Damayanti, they sent messengers and soldiers to search for her. They even announced a reward for whoever gave valuable information that would help locate the couple.

  ‘Sudeva, one of the members of the search party, found his way to Chedi. There, he saw Damayanti serving the royal princess in the palace. When he got a chance, he approached her. “O my queen, you are the lady-in-waiting here, but I recognized you immediately.”

  ‘Damayanti earnestly inquired about the well-being of her children and parents.

  ‘Later, Damayanti was called to the court in the presence of the queen mother and Sudeva. The queen mother was smiling. “O Damayanti,” she said, “you are my niece! I neither came for your wedding nor have I seen you for a very long time. I apologize that I did not recognize you even though you have been staying with us. Please forgive me for treating you like a sairandhri. You can stay with us for as long as you would like.”

  ‘“Please do not be hard on yourself, my dear aunt. These things happen during difficult times. For a long time, I didn’t want to go to my maternal home without my husband, but now I realize how worried my parents are about me. I still don’t know where my husband is, and at this time, I’d prefer to go live with my parents and children.”

  ‘The queen mother showered Damayanti with many gifts and rewarded Sudeva with plenty of gold.

  ‘Soon, Damayanti reached her parents’ house. She was reunited with her children but remained unhappy. She knew that her husband was somewhere out there. So, she sent messengers to search for him by asking the people they came across a particular question: How can a man abandon his wife in the middle of a forest, use half of her sari to cover himself and then leave without thinking of her protection? Is he not an irresponsible husband?

  ‘She received many responses. Almost all of them said, “Yes, the husband is irresponsible.”

  ‘But one unusual response caught her eye. It was from Rituparna’s kingdom. It read: “It was a matter of fate. If the wife understands her husband’s intentions, she will forgive him. He did it for the sake of his wife, so that she would be taken care of by her parents.”

  ‘In addition, the messengers said, “When we went to Rituparna’s palace with the message, we met Bahuka, the king’s confidant and the man in charge of the kitchen. He inquired where the message had come from. When he learnt that it came from Princess Damayanti, his eyes filled with tears and he asked about your welfare as well as your children’s.”

  ‘Damayanti asked the messengers, “What does this Bahuka look like? Is he handsome?”

  ‘“Madam, he is a dwarf and the ugliest person we have ever seen,” came the reply. Damayanti was stunned, and she dismissed the messengers with a wave of her hand.

  ‘For a long time, Damayanti deliberated on this piece of information. Her instincts were telling her that Bahuka was none other than Nala, but she was hesitant because of the description of his appearance. Finally, she devised a plan.

  ‘King Rituparna was a skilled dice player. Since Bahuka was in his inner circle and spent much time with the king, he also learnt to play the game. Rituparna was excellent at counting the number of leaves on a tree, while Bahuka was skilled at riding chariots. In time, they learnt varied skills from each other.

  ‘Now that Damayanti was keeping her ears open for news about Bahuka, she frequently received updates about the dwarf at Rituparna’s court who was famous for cooking and riding chariots.

  ‘One fine day, she decided to put her plan into action and shared the details with her father. “Father, please send a messenger to Rituparna’s court to inform the king that my second swayamvara is tomorrow morning. If he arrives with Bahuka, I will see how to go further from there.”

  ‘The king was not convinced. However, he decided to trust his daughter’s intelligence and sent a message to Rituparna.

  ‘Rituparna had heard of Damayanti’s beauty and was ecstatic to obtain an invitation. “Had they informed me earlier, I would have definitely attended. How will I reach in time for the swayamvara now?” he wondered out loud. Suddenly, he looked around for his confidant. “O Bahuka, you are my last resort. Can you get me there quickly? We can take our fastest horses and my best chariot.”

  ‘Nala felt extremely heartbroken when he heard the news about his wife’s second marriage, but he couldn’t refuse his master. He began preparing for the journey to Vidarbha with a heavy heart, and soon, the duo departed.

  Rituparna and Bahuka reached the kingdom of Vidarbha the same evening. When Damayanti learnt that the king of Chedi was accompanied by the ugly dwarf, she knew that no one other than her husband would have been able to reach the kingdom this fast.

  To test her theory further, she sent her children to meet Bahuka, who embraced them and wept intensely. That same night, she sent a message instructing Bahuka to cook for her. When she tasted the dishes, she recognized her husband’s touch, knowing instantly that the dwarf was, indeed, her husband.

  But Damayanti wondered why he looked so different. So, she took her children and went to visit Bahuka for the first time. As if destiny knew that Bahuka’s time was done, Nala transformed back to his original form, and the family was reunited.

  Together, they went to Rituparna, and Damayanti apologized for the incorrect message that was sent to him. When the king learnt about Bahuka’s true identity, he felt honoured to have received Nala’s friendship and honest service.

  After some time passed, Nala went back to the kingdom of Nishadha, played another game of dice with his brother, Pushkara, and defeated him, finally winning back his kingdom and living the rest of his days in peace.’

  Yudhishthira heaved a deep sigh of relief at the end of the story. He understood what the sage was trying to teach him—that everyone faces their share of challenges in life, and that an individual can conquer these difficulties with patience, courage and intelligence, just like Damayanti had.

  Even today, good cooking by a man is