Vishwamitra Page 3

  Her voice was now full of enthusiasm. ‘You remember, my liege, the relief that coursed through our bodies? In an instant, both of us felt rejuvenated!’

  Kushanabh nodded with a faint smile. ‘A feeling of absolute bliss it was. It felt as if all my fatigue and shame were gone in an instant, replaced by a peace I had never felt before. He left us then and asked us to meet him the next day at dawn at the riverbank.’

  For the first time during the conversation, Kadhi mustered control over his emotions and asked, ‘But, father, why did the rishi put you through such an ordeal? What was the purpose of making a king and queen stoop to the level of beasts of burden? More importantly, why did you not protest?’

  Kushanabh turned sombre and explained to his son, ‘Kadhi, my boy, rishis are spiritually advanced beings who have reached that stage through a lifetime of perseverance. When they decide to bless someone they first make sure that the potential candidate is worthy of their benediction. Your mother and I knew that Rishi Chyavan did not have any guile in his heart, hence we could deal with it.’

  Kadhi took a minute to digest this and asked, ‘May I ask what the result of all this effort was?’

  Ghritachi replied, ‘Next morning, we reached the riverbank and found the sage seated in meditation. We sat in front of him so that he would see us as soon as he opened his eyes. When he finally awoke from the trance, he smiled and told us the reason for his actions.

  ‘During a trip to Brahmalok the Maharishi had heard that the Kaushik and Bhrigu clans would intermingle in the future. Since he himself is the eldest son of Maharishi Bhrigu, he set about testing all the sons of Kush, your grandfather,’ she said, turning to Kadhi, ‘to assess which of us would be worthy in-laws.’

  Kushanabh chuckled as he thought of those days. ‘Apparently, he had already tested the patience of my three brothers and had found them wanting! Thankfully, we matched up to his standards and, satisfied with our efforts, he disclosed the true purpose of his visit to us.’

  Kadhi was amused at the thought of his uncles and aunts going through the same tests and wasn’t surprised at the sage’s failed experiment with them. His mood cleared a little and he finally began to understand the grand plan that Rishi Chyavan had set in motion.

  ‘He told us that he was happy and had deemed us worthy to be in-laws to the Bhrigu clan. However, he himself was already married to Sukanya, the daughter of your grand-uncle Shrayati, hence the match would have to wait a generation.’

  ‘That’s when I told him about your sisters,’ Ghritachi pitched in.

  ‘He told us not to worry and to get your sisters married to Brahmadatt, who had just ascended the throne of Kampilya. Since your brother-in-law is the son of a rishi and a half-nymph, he could match the girls in his genetic make-up.’

  Kadhi marvelled at the vast knowledge the rishis possessed as he listened to his mother.

  She was saying, ‘Our in-laws, Somada and Rishi Chuli, were more than gracious in agreeing to the match. As Kampilya held the hand of each of my girls for the ceremony, they kept getting cured of their disfigurement! What a relief it was to watch them attain their original forms and that was when we realized that the other boon that Rishi Chyavan had bestowed on us would also come true sooner or later.’

  ‘What other boon?’ both Kadhi and Satyavati asked together.

  Kushanabh smiled at their excitement and replied, ‘The boon that we shall be blessed with an incarnation of Indra and that our granddaughter would get married to the rishi’s own son when the time was right.’

  ‘It was only on his suggestion that we organized the Putrakaam-eshti Yagnya to obtain you, Kadhi, from the gods and today, the time has come to fulfil his prophecy regarding our lovely granddaughter.’

  Kadhi felt a burden lift off his muscular shoulders. So he did not have to worry about his daughter or his kingdom; destiny had already planned a good future for them.

  Kushanabh noticed the change in his body language and patted his head. ‘However much importance one gives to free will, in the end, he cannot escape the hand of destiny. In spite of the near impossible condition you have put before Rishi Ruchik, rest assured it shall be met. So cheer up and start preparing for our granddaughter’s wedding!’

  Adhyaye 5

  Ruchik was a worried man.

  He had gone to the king to ask for his daughter’s hand in marriage because of his father’s insistence and had landed up with a new problem instead.

  He still could not fathom what he would gain out of a marriage except additional responsibility. He liked to live life on his own terms and did not fancy a woman changing his lifestyle and, if rumours were to be believed, they had a tendency to change a lot of things!

  However, he had postponed the Grihasth Ashram for as long as he could and had promised his father that he would finally settle down into the householder’s role. He had learnt everything that he could about the girl his father had suggested and, frankly, he hadn’t found any excuse to reject her so far. He had even dug into her family’s past but again got nothing he could use to turn down this proposal.

  Steeling his mind, he had finally gone to the royal court only to be stumped by this almost impossible condition that the king had put before him. The thought had come to him that this could be the perfect way out of an alliance that neither he nor the father of the prospective bride seemed to really want.

  Yet, he did not want to accept defeat because of a condition that had clearly been a ploy to dissuade him. If anything, it had only strengthened his resolve to fulfil his mission now that there was a seemingly insurmountable obstacle in front of him.

  He was not sufficiently advanced in his spiritual journey as yet to conjure up a thousand steeds of the description that Kadhi had demanded. Nor could he take the help of his father since it was a personal challenge that the king had given him. He would have to find a way to achieve this feat himself.

  After some thought, he decided to go to the riverbank to meditate in peace and think of a solution. Travelling on foot, he came across the confluence of the Kalandi and the Ganga and, compelled by the serenity of the place, decided to set base there.

  He chose a spot from where he could see the waters of the two rivers mingling and sat down under a great ashwattha tree. The thought of a thousand horses, white like the moon save one black ear, filled his mind. How could he make it come true . . . Surely there was someone who could help him!

  He realized he would have to take divine help in order to fulfil this promise. Who was best suited and, more importantly, would be inclined to help him achieve this goal? Would the wind god help him in this endeavour? Maybe not, given his history with the daughters of Kushanabh!

  He thought next about invoking Varun, the lord of water; he was rumoured to have a predilection for horses. He remembered a hymn composed by Atri Muni that spoke of him as the provider of strength in steeds and milk in cows. Yes, maybe he should give it a shot but he decided to try to create a steed on his own first.

  He thought of the spells he knew and realized that even if he could not create the huge number of horses that had been demanded, he could perhaps create a prototype on his own and, as the sun began slipping towards the horizon, he started chanting mantras that could conjure up a living, breathing, galloping steed of the colour he had in mind.

  As he concentrated harder on achieving his goal, an amorphous shape began to emerge from the foam splashing at the riverbank.

  It started coalescing into a ball of water that caught the light of the setting sun and the moonbeams of a rising full moon, absorbing the radiation of both the celestial bodies, imbibing their energies into its heart. All of a sudden, a spark seemed to come to life in its centre. Within minutes the sphere changed form and took the shape of a mare’s womb.

  To a casual onlooker, it would have been an amazing sight. Within that watery womb, the spark was developing into a foal, an entire solar year of gestation taking place within seconds. The ontogeny would have been astounding to
watch since an equine embryo passes through many transitions before it actually starts to resemble a horse.

  As soon as the baby was fully developed it let out a neigh of gratitude. The sage opened his eyes and glanced at his creation with satisfaction. It was a beautiful silver foal, with its left ear tipped black and a tiny horn on its head!

  Ruchik beamed with pride at the perfection of his creation and raised a hand to bless the newborn, simultaneously chanting a mantra to speed up its development. Within a few moments, there was a full-grown unicorn standing on the riverbank, tossing its head haughtily, showing off its golden mane.

  Ruchik felt excited. This was the first time he had tried to create a living being and to succeed in his very first attempt!

  His objective achieved, he closed his eyes to pray to Varun to obtain the remaining 999 horses and chanted the very mantra that had come to his mind earlier.

  I sing forth unto the mighty Varun, who keeps the earth apart from the sky.

  The provider of life to trees, strength to horses, milk to cows, and wisdom to the minds of men.

  He laid Fire in water, Soma in the stone and made the two worlds wet with Rain.

  He clothes the mountains with clouds and makes the meadows fertile.

  It is only his power that lets rivers pour into the Ocean, yet they fill it not.

  O Varun, forgive the sins I may have committed to friend, comrade or brother;

  To family or to the stranger; knowingly or in ignorance. Forgive my sins, O Varun, and may I be dear to thee hereafter.’*

  The initial salutations done, he tried creating a mental connection with the lord of the oceans.

  He focused on projecting his desire for the horses in the form of mental waves that spread outwards from his mind. After some effort, his thoughts leapt to the river in wave after wave of pure energy that merged with the flowing waters gleaming in the moonlight.

  After an hour and a half of telepathic transmission, Ruchik sensed a response emanate from the depths of the river. It began as a faint rumble that steadily grew louder. The two rivers seemed to be churning in an invisible cauldron and their confluence seemed like a whirlpool. Ruchik felt all this happening around him even though his eyes were closed in a deep trance.

  The rumbling was now increasing in amplitude and, seconds later, the first of the 999 horses emerged from the vortex, bathed in the sacred waters of the Ganga. The creature glowed as if it was made of the very moonbeams that reflected off its radiant pelt, and its silver mane flew majestically as it galloped across the water and came to kneel on the bank in a posture that would have been difficult for an ordinary horse to hold for long. Its appearance was followed by that of another and another till the entire riverbank teemed with horses that were the colour of the moon and had one black ear each. As the last of the horses appeared from the waves, Ruchik opened his eyes and surveyed the herd. He did not have to count them for he had known instinctively when the penultimate horse had emerged from the water.

  As he stood up, the unicorn turned and knelt before him as the leader of all the assembled horses.

  Ruchik couldn’t believe that his very first attempt at harnessing his mystical powers had given him such handsome results. As he was counting his blessings, he realized he now had a different problem on his hands: how would he transport all these steeds to Kanyakubja?

  He folded his hands and prayed to Varun once again, requesting the lord to give him a solution.

  In an instant all the horses disappeared save the unicorn that Ruchik himself had created. Ruchik panicked and looked around. Had Varun taken away the horses, annoyed by his never-ending demands? He closed his eyes and wished for the horses to reappear and, lo and behold, they were there in front of him, neighing and tossing their heads.

  The rishi realized that Varun had given him a wonderful solution. The horses could appear whenever and wherever he wished them to.

  He fell down on his knees and thanked Varun for coming to his aid, promising to establish a pilgrimage point at this very place. He would make sure that generations to come would remember his generosity and visit this Ashwatirth to bow to the great lord of the oceans.

  His mission accomplished, he jumped on to the back of the snow-white unicorn and galloped towards the city of the hunchbacked maidens.

  Adhyaye 6

  This time Kadhi welcomed him with genuine happiness, a change that Ruchik couldn’t help but notice.

  In front of the gathered assembly, the rishi proudly declared, ‘Rajan, I bring with me a fleet of one thousand horses, each white as the moon save one ear each. I have fulfilled your condition and kept my promise. I hope you are ready to keep your end of the bargain as well.’

  Kadhi accepted the rishi’s words even though he could not see any of the horses Ruchik spoke of.

  He asked in a mild manner, ‘I accept your word for the presence of the horses, O learned sage, but it would be good for the assembly here to actually see them, if you don’t mind!’

  Ruchik understood the king was saying this light-heartedly and wondered what had happened in his absence to cause this positive change. Unaware of his own father’s real role in the situation, he merely smiled and nodded in agreement.

  Taking a dramatic turn towards the open end of the arena, he clapped his hands twice. Instantly, the lights in the circular hall seemed to turn dim and a fragrant mist filled the hall.

  The entire gathering watched in awe as the different phases of moon on the midnight-blue roof seemed to swirl around and coalesce into silver-grey clouds. Even as they gazed at the ceiling in awe, fine flakes of snow started floating from above and the first one landed on Kadhi’s shoulder.

  The king looked at the falling flakes in disbelief and then turned to glance at Ruchik.

  The rishi smiled and gestured towards the entrance. Out of the gathering mist and falling snow, a shape was emerging. A muscular milk-white horse with a flowing golden mane entered the hall at the far end. As it gracefully cantered into the light, the people sitting closest to it let out a gasp and the reason became apparent to the king soon enough.

  It wasn’t an ordinary horse but a living, breathing unicorn! The king was impressed and so was the assembly. Till date no one had seen a unicorn on Earth though they had heard rumours of their sightings near the North Pole where Kuber, the lord of riches, resided.

  One by one, other horses started appearing, each white as the moonlight save for one ear that was black. Kadhi knew if all of them arrived here the citizens would probably cause a stampede so he urged the rishi with folded hands, ‘The entire rajya sabha has witnessed the fulfilment of your promise, my lord. I request you to order the horses to appear in my stables instead of the assembly hall so that they may be taken care of appropriately.’

  Ruchik acknowledged his request and clapped his hands again. At once the pattern on the ceiling changed and the mist and snow disappeared. All the horses filed out of the hall in a disciplined manner; only the unicorn remained by the rishi’s side.

  Kadhi got up from his throne and embraced Ruchik before announcing to the entire hall, ‘I hereby declare the terms of my condition fulfilled and vow to give the hand of my daughter Satyavati to Rishi Ruchik in marriage. Let the festivities begin!’

  Adhyaye 7

  The wedding was a grand affair and the royal families of all neighbouring kingdoms attended the ceremony to bless the newly-weds. Satyavati even got to meet her aunts who, after being cured of their curse, had been living in Kampilya with their husband.

  Kadhi had accepted the 999 horses that had originated from the river as a gift from Varun but had let his daughter and son-in-law keep the unicorn along with other gifts. Ruchik accepted the unicorn but graciously returned all other presents that Satyavati’s parents wanted to bestow on their daughter. He told them that they would be living in the forest, where there would be no need for all these luxuries.

  In the midst of all the events that took place, no one had noticed the quiet change that had
come over Satyavati. She had barely spoken since the day Ruchik returned with the horses and had accepted her destiny with an equanimity that belied her age.

  It wasn’t that she was unhappy, but she could not be completely happy as well. Her dreams of becoming a valiant warrior and a ruler had been shattered by one cruel stroke of fate, yet she was gracious in her behaviour towards Ruchik throughout the ceremony.

  Now, as they sat in the ashram, talking for the first time as man and wife, she poured her heart out and berated him for demanding her from her father as if she was an object or an animal. She knew their marriage had been predestined but she wanted to fight against her destiny.

  She berated him for bringing misery to her parents who had not harmed any person ever and had only strived to better the lot of their people. Most of all, she cursed him for taking away the dream she had nurtured all her life.

  Ruchik listened to her patiently, trying to understand the emotions flowing through her heart.

  After she had calmed down, he said, ‘Princess, I agree that when I had first arrived at your father’s palace, I had not given any thought to what your own dreams would be. I was just following the orders of my father and was too engrossed in my own reluctance to begin a householder’s life to pay attention to what my prospective bride may have in her mind.’

  Satyavati looked at him, searching for an expression that may give away his lie. In her mind she had already branded him a villain but the honesty in his eyes made her doubt her own preconceived notion.

  Ruchik was gracious and apologized profusely while cursing himself for being so self-centred. He took her hand in his and said, ‘I cannot undo the past but I can strive to give you a bright future. This is the first day of our life together and I promise to never neglect you for my hermitic duties and to fulfil all your desires to the best of my abilities. You shall be free to visit your parents anytime you want to assist them in looking after their kingdom and my unicorn shall be at your service whenever you wish to ride back home.’