Glimpses of The Devi Bhagavatam: 36. THE TRAVAILS OF A PRINCE

 

INDIAN MYTHOLOGY

Glimpses of The Devi Bhagavatam:

36. THE TRAVAILS OF A PRINCE

That special Yajna required that all the sages should participate in it. When Vasishtha heard of the preparations for the Yajna, he forbade as many sages as he could to participate in it.

This infuriated Viswamitra. “If not by the Yagna, I’ll send you to heaven by my power of Yoga!” he consoled Trishanku.

He gathered all his power and sent Trishanku upward to heaven. But when Trishanku reached the portals of heaven, Indra and the other gods did not allow him to cross into their domain. With his supernatural power, Indra toppled him.

Trishanku began falling. At once Viswamitra shouted, mustering his Yogic power, “Stop!”

Trishanku thus remained midway between the earth and heaven. Viswamitra now got ready to create a new heaven solely for Trishanku.

But a new heaven was bound to create new problems. Therefore, Indra requested the sage to refrain from doing so. Indra then gave Trishanku a new body in place of his mortal body and admitted him into heaven.

Sage Viswamitra’s spiritual power made it possible for King Trishanku to ascend the heaven. His son, Prince Harishchandra, was crowned king.

Harishchandra remained childless for long. He was worried about the future of his kingdom. He met Sage Vasishtha, the guru of his dynasty, and asked him, “O Learned One, is it so ordained that I should not have any issue? Will you kindly enlighten me about it?”

“O young king, whatever be in store for one in one’s destiny cannot be altered. But so far as having a child is concerned, it is Varuna who decides it. Meditate upon him. You shall be blessed with a child if he is pleased.”

Harishchandra retired to a lonely spot on river Ganga and meditated on Lord Varuna, the presiding deity of the waters. He appeared before him.

“Be pleased to grant me a son,” said Harischandra.

“You can have a fine son on condition that you’ll sacrifice him in a Yajna. Do you agree?” asked the god.

The king was in a fix. If he did not agree to the condition, he would not get a son. His penance would go in vain. But how could he sacrifice his son in a Yajna?

He kept quiet.

“I’m sorry, dear king, but there’s no other way to alter your destiny. You cannot have a son unless you agree to this condition,” said the god.

“Bless me with a son. O Lord Varuna, I shall face my fate!” the king cried out.

“Let it be so,” said the god and he disappeared.

The king informed his queen Shaivya about the boon. In due course the queen gave birth to a son. The child was named Rohit.

Varuna called on the king in the guise of a Brahmin. Nobody but the king recognised him. “Come on, let me see you sacrifice your son in a Yajna!” he said.

The king was at his wit’s end. He fumbled and said, “Well, at least a month must elapse before the newborn can be called a human child. Am I not right?”

“Very well, I shall come after a month,” the god said.

The king heaved a sigh of relief. He tried to forget all about it by looking at the child’s face.

But Varuna did not fail to appear after a month.

“O Lord! The child is toothless. How can it be eligible for sacrifice?” asked the king.

The god departed, only to reappear a few months later. “Your child must have gone through its teething. There can’t be any more delay,” he said sternly.

“O compassionate Varuna, you surely know that a child who has not yet gone through the head-shaving ceremony can hardly be called a human being. Should you not wait?” asked the king.

“Harishchandra! You hail from a great dynasty. Let it not be said that you are guilty of breach of faith! Let this be the last time I have to go back,” said the god.

Days passed. The little prince’s head-shaving ceremony was over. The very next day Varuna met the king. “O King, you must now arrange for the Yajna.”

“O kind-hearted lord! But don’t the Brahmins believe that until the thread-ceremony has taken place, one is not fit to participate in any auspicious rite? According to the scriptures, a Brahmin boy becomes eligible for the thread ceremony at the age of eight, whereas a Kshatriya lad has to wait till eleven. Pray, let my boy live till he has gone through the thread-ceremony,” the king pleaded.

Varuna went away quietly. The king felt relieved. Time passed happily for him.

But soon the prince became eleven years of age and wore the sacred thread after the necessary rituals. As soon as the ceremony was over. Varuna appeared before the king!

“Welcome O Lord Varuna! How lucky am I to receive you! My son has just begun to study the Vedas. You’ll agree with me that he’ll qualify better to become an object of sacrifice for the Yajna once he completes his study of the Vedas!” said the king.

Varuna flared up. “You are trying to be clever with me. Very well, I shall be back as soon as your son’s study is completed. Don’t you play any trick with me then!” he said.