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- Herausgeber: Pencil
- Kategorie: Fantasy und Science-Fiction
- Sprache: Englisch
- Veröffentlichungsjahr: 2021
Lakshmi is banished from Vishnulok because of a fight among Vishnu’s three wives. She is cursed to be born on earth with the promise that eventually she will get back her Vishnu.
In her birth as Vedavati, she does penance for Vishnu but her tapsya is shattered by Ravana. She commits sati after putting a curse on him, without attaining Vishnu.
Born as Sita, although she is married to Vishnu, reincarnated as Ram, he keeps rejecting her in favor of his duties toward the people of Ayodhya. She dies a sad, bitter woman, not really having attained her Vishnu.
In her birth as Radha, she is the sakha of Krishna and is always considered his consort but never gets to marry him.
In her final birth, as Mira, she finally realizes the truth about herself and Vishnu.
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TheConsorts
BY
SavitaSingh
DISCLAIMER:Thisisaworkoffiction.Names,characters,places,eventsandincidentsaretheproductsoftheauthor'simagination.TheopinionsexpressedinthisbookdonotseektoreflecttheviewsofthePublisher.
Authorbiography
Savita
Singh
was
born
in
New
Delhi
on
July
4,
1948.
She
did
her
schooling
from
DPS
Mathura
Road
and
St.
Josephs
Convent,
Patna.
She
did
BA
Hons.
in
psychology
from
IP
College.
She
did
her
masters
in
aviation
psychology
from
Delhi
University
and
got
a
gold
medal.
She
did
her
MPhil
in
social
psychology
after
a
break
of
twenty
years,
again
from
Delhi
University.
Savita
Singh
has
been
writing
professionally
since
1979
and
has
more
than
400
published
short
stories,
articles,
poems,
dramas,
etc.,
to
her
credit.
This
includes
more
than
a
dozen
books.
She
writes
both
in
English
and
Hindi.
She
has
written
on
all
sorts
of
topics,
right
from
children’s
literature,
to
Mills
&
Boon
kind
of
romances,
to
human-interest
stories
and
a
few
TV
serials
also.
She
has
done
a
lot
of
translation
work
from
Hindi
to
English
and
even
done
a
stint
as
agony
aunt.
Married
to
a
career
army
officer
who
died
in
a
tragic
accident
while
on
duty
in
1990,
she
has
seen
life
in
the
army
from
very
close.
She
has
been
published
in
many
magazines,
like
Woman’s
Era,
Champak,
Suman
Saurabh,
Femina,
Sainik
Samachar,
and
Illustrated
Weekly.
Her
books
have
been
published
by
India
Book
House,
Rupa,
Ratan
Printing
Press,
Strategic
Books,
Olympia
Publishers
(United
Kingdom),
Atlantic
Publishers,
and
Authorspress.
Contents
Prologue
TheFirstBirth
TheStoryofVedavati
TheSecondComing
TheStoryofSita
Ayodhya
TheExile
Panchavati
SuparnakhaComplains
LifeinAshokaVatika
LifeatAyodhyaandSita’sExile
Sita’sSecondExile
TheThirdComing
TheStoryofRadha
KrishnaShiftstoNandGaoninBarsana
TheNextHundredYears
TheFourthComing
TheStoryofMiraBai
Prologue
Life
in
Vishnulok
was
running
smoothly.
Lord
Vishnu,
the
supreme
being,
was
enjoying
life
with
his
three
wives,
Lakshmi,
Saraswati,
and
Ganga.
They
each
completed
some
part
of
his
personality.
Lakshmi,
the
gentle
one,
was
the
goddess
of
wealth.
She
had
brought
incomparable
wealth
as
part
of
her
dowry,
was
always
dressed
in
red,
and
was
decked
from
head
to
foot
in
gold
and
diamonds.
She
had
showered
Vishnu
with
all
this
and
loved
him
beyond
words.
She
was
soft-spoken
and
loved
to
just
sit
at
his
lotus
feet,
pressing
them
with
all
the
love
in
her
heart.
She
was
very
secure
and
sure
that
the
great
Lord
loved
her
best
amongst
his
wives.
Saraswati,
the
goddess
of
knowledge,
always
sat
near
Vishnu’s
head,
holding
her
veena
[1]
.
She
loved
to
play
music
and
entertain
her
Lord
with
the
best
celestial
music.
Whenever
she
played
her
veena
,
Lord
Vishnu
would
shut
his
eyes
in
ecstasy
and
Saraswati
always
loved
this.
Dressed
in
white,
she
decorated
herself
with
ornaments
made
out
of
the
most
fragrant
flowers
found
in
the
universe.
She
was
always
aware
that
the
scent
from
these
flowers
enveloped
her
Lord
and
made
him
look
blissful.
She
felt
she
was
superior
to
the
other
two
wives
of
the
Lord
and
was
the
one
to
whom
he
turned
whenever
he
wanted
advice
of
any
sort
or
wanted
to
discuss
anything.
She
was
also
very
secure
and
sure
that
the
Lord
loved
her
the
most
amongst
his
three
wives.
Ganga,
the
third
and
youngest
of
Vishnu’s
wives,
was
like
a
tranquil
river.
Dressed
in
soft
blue,
she
appeared
soothing
to
the
eyes.
She
generally
wrapped
herself
around
the
Lord
and
cuddled
up
to
him
unashamedly.
Ever
since
the
day
the
Lord
had
married
her,
Ganga
had
clung
to
him
like
a
vine
and
the
Lord
had
humoured
her.
Lakshmi
had
looked
upon
her
antics
tolerantly
and
with
affection.
Somehow,
she
did
not
feel
jealousy
of
any
sort.
But
Saraswati
was
another
kettle
of
fish.
She
was
more
possessive
about
the
Lord.
She
frowned
at
Ganga
and
looked
askance
at
her
behaviour.
When
Lord
Vishnu
laughed
at
Ganga
and
indulged
her
as
she
was
the
youngest,
Saraswati
felt
the
devil
of
jealousy
burn
her
heart.
She
thought
the
Lord
was
giving
Ganga
too
much
importance.
One
day,
Saraswati
went
to
visit
Lakshmi.
Lakshmi
welcomed
her
with
open
arms.
‘Come,
sister.
How
nice
to
see
you,’
said
Lakshmi,
offering
her
a
seat.
Saraswati
took
the
offered
seat
and
after
the
necessary
greetings
were
over
burst
out,
‘Sister,
are
you
aware
of
what
is
happening
under
our
very
noses?’
Lakshmi
looked
puzzled.
‘Is
something
happening?
Do
tell
me
what
is
happening.’
Saraswati
looked
pityingly
at
her.
‘You
are
such
a
simpleton,
my
dear.
Can’t
you
see
what
that
conniving
Ganga
is
up
to?
She
is
busy
cutting
both
of
us
out
of
the
life
of
our
Lord.’
Lakshmi
smiled
at
this.
‘Oh,
that!
My
dear
sister,
Ganga
is
just
a
child
at
present.
She
is
but
a
new
toy
for
our
Lord.
He
will
soon
get
tired
of
her.’
Saraswati
was
furious.
‘I
would
not
be
too
sure
of
that,
sister.
You
are
a
fool.
Ganga
is
no
child.
She
is
old
enough
to
have
married
our
Lord.
And
now
she
is
making
sure
that
she
cuts
both
of
us
out
of
his
life.’
Lakshmi
just
laughed.
‘Don’t
take
things
so
seriously,
sister.
Believe
me,
no
one
will
ever
be
able
to
take
our
Lord
from
either
of
us,’
declared
Lakshmi.
‘You
are
just
being
a
jealous
cat.’
By
now,
Saraswati
was
fuming.
A
jealous
cat!
She!
Was
that
what
Lakshmi
thought
about
her!
How
dare
she
do
that!
‘Come,
come.
Have
a
glass
of
cold
water,’
said
Lakshmi,
offering
a
silver
glass
full
of
water
to
Saraswati.
A
furious
Saraswati
knocked
the
glass
down
and
turned
upon
Lakshmi.
‘You
think
I
am
being
jealous.
Me,
the
great
goddess
of
knowledge,
jealous
of
someone
like
Ganga?
And
you
think
you
are
too
great
to
feel
the
pangs
of
jealousy.
Wait
until
you
lose
what
is
yours.
I
put
this
curse
on
you
that
you
will
take
birth
on
earth
and
bear
the
pangs
of
separation
from
our
Lord.
You
will
get
him,
yet
not
get
him.
You
will
feel
the
pangs
of
jealousy
like
I
am
feeling
and
eat
your
heart
out
for
him.’
Just
then,
Ganga
walked
in
and
heard
Saraswati
putting
the
curse
on
Lakshmi.
Now,
Ganga
was
very
fond
of
Lakshmi,
who
had
been
very
kind
to
her.
She
jumped
to
the
defence
of
Lakshmi.
‘Sister
Saraswati,
why
are
you
putting
a
curse
on
sister
Lakshmi?
She
is
the
gentlest
person
I
know,
who
loves
everyone.’
‘You
stay
out
of
this.
You
know
nothing,’
glared
Saraswati
at
the
young
Ganga.
Ganga
did
not
like
this
tone
of
Saraswati,
especially
as
she
saw
that
the
gentle
Lakshmi
had
started
crying.
‘Please
don’t
cry,
sister,’
she
soothed
Lakshmi.
Angrily
turning
towards
Saraswati,
she
hurled
a
curse
at
her,
‘You
will
become
a
plant
on
the
very
earth
where
you
have
condemned
Lakshmi
to
live
a
life
of
separation.’
Saraswati,
by
now
completely
out
of
control,
turned
around
and
cast
a
curse
on
Ganga,
condemning
her
to
become
a
river
on
earth.
Vishnu,
hearing
all
this
ruckus,
came
running
to
see
what
it
was
all
about.
He
was
appalled
at
what
had
happened.
‘What
am
I
to
do
with
all
of
you,’
he
sat
down,
clutching
his
head.
Saraswati
immediately
realised
her
mistake
and
feeling
contrite
fell
at
his
feet.
‘I
am
so
sorry,
my
Lord.
It
was
all
the
fault
of
my
foul
temper.’
Lord
Vishnu
looked
at
her
and
Ganga
in
sorrow.
‘It
is
already
too
late,
my
dears.
The
curses
are
out
and
will
certainly
be
fulfilled.’
‘Can’t
you
remove
or
undo
them?’
asked
Ganga
in
a
small
voice.
Vishnu
looked
at
her
sorrowfully.
‘Unfortunately,
even
I
cannot
undo
a
curse,
my
dear.
I
can
only
mitigate
it
to
some
extent.’
Saraswati
and
Ganga
both
brightened
up
at
this
and
looked
expectantly
at
him.
Lakshmi
was
sitting
in
the
corner,
still
crying
her
eyes
out.
Vishnu
went
up
to
her
and
gently
lifted
her
up
by
her
shoulders
and
hugged
her.
She
looked
up
at
him
with
swimming
eyes.
‘Lord,
why
am
I
to
be
punished?
I
did
not
do
anything.
I
did
not
even
curse
anyone.
Why
should
I
be
separated
from
you?’
she
asked
pathetically.
Vishnu
looked
at
her
with
compassion.
‘My
dearest
Lakshmi,
that
is
the
problem
with
you.
You
have
to
learn
to
do
things
for
yourself.
You
have
to
start
finding
out
things
for
yourself
and
not
depend
entirely
upon
others.
You
have
to
learn
the
lesson
of
who
you
are
and
what
I
am,
and
only
once
you
realise
the
truth
about
you
and
me
will
you
never
be
at
the
receiving
end
of
the
small
stick,’
said
Vishnu.
‘But,
my
Lord
.
.
.
,’
Lakshmi
started
protesting,
but
Vishnu
put
his
finger
to
her
lips.
‘Listen
to
me,
dearest.
Now
you
will
have
to
go
down
upon
earth,
but
I
promise
that
that
whenever
you
take
birth,
I
also
shall
take
birth
alongside
you
there
and
undergo
as
much
suffering
as
you,
and
eventually,
when
you
understand
the
final
truth
about
yourself,
you
will
return
to
me.
But
you
will
have
to
make
the
effort
yourself.
Till
you
are
called
to
earth,
you
will
stay
with
me.
But
before
anything,
you
also
have
to
learn
the
lesson
of
compassion
for
the
feelings
of
others.
Do
not
judge
them
harshly
for
not
being
as
strong
as
you.
You
will
have
to
go
through
the
travails
of
Golok
[2]
before
you
go
down
to
earth
to
fulfil
the
curse
and
learn
your
full
lesson.’
Lakshmi
looked
most
forlorn.
She
knew
that
she
was
being
punished
not
because
she
had
done
anything
wrong
but
because
she
had
done
nothing
to
help
another
not
to
commit
a
sin.
Hers
was
a
classic
case
of
it
being
a
sin
of
omission
rather
than
a
sin
of
commission.
Vishnu
now
looked
sternly
at
Saraswati.
‘My
dear,
curses
are
not
to
be
thrown
around
like
confetti.
You
should
know
better
than
to
be
so
irresponsible.
You
have
become
arrogant
and
think
that
you
know
all
that
is
there
to
know.
You
jump
to
conclusions
impetuously
and
not
only
react
inappropriately
but
also
arrogantly
punish
the
others
as
if
it
was
your
birthright.’
‘I
am
sorry,
my
Lord.
My
temper
and
jealousy
got
the
better
of
me,’
said
Saraswati
contritely.
‘Please
do
something
to
mitigate
the
curse.’
Vishnu
looked
at
her
in
exasperation.
‘All
I
can
say,
my
dear,
is
that
you
will
be
reborn
as
the
tulsi
plant
and
will
be
worshipped
by
all.
Eventually,
you
will
also
return
to
me.
But
you
also
need
to
atone
for
treating
curses
so
lightly,
and
for
that
I
will
send
you
to
Lord
Brahma
so
that
you
can
help
him
in
creating
the
universe
and
while
doing
that,
think
about
your
wrongdoing.’
Then
he
turned
to
Ganga.
‘And
you,
my
dear,
must
learn
never
to
jump
in
without
knowing
the
full
truth
of
the
matter.
But
as
you
are
very
young,
you
can
learn
from
the
experiences
of
others.
So,
you
will
become
a
river,
and
not
just
any
ordinary
river
but
the
most
sacred
and
holy
river
on
earth,
and
will
help
wash
away
the
sins
of
all
humanity.
Ultimately,
you
will
also
return
to
me.’
And
thus
ended
one
of
the
most
harrowing
days
in
Vishnulok
and
began
the
journey
of
Lakshmi
on
earth
in
hunt
of
her
Vishnu.
TheFirstBirth
TheStoryofVedavati
Once
upon
a
time,
somewhere
in
central
India,
there
was
a
small
kingdom
ruled
by
a
king
called
Rathadhwaja.
He
was
a
humble,
god-fearing
king
who,
along
with
his
wife
and
two
sons,
Kushadhwaja
and
Dharamdhwaja,
worshipped
Goddess
Lakshmi.
Every
year,
he
offered
her
prayers
and
rich
offerings.
Lakshmi
reciprocated
and
saw
to
it
that
he
and
his
kingdom
prospered.
The
people
in
his
kingdom
were
happy
and
content.
They
not
only
worshipped
Lakshmi
but
also
revered
their
king
as
God
and
showered
adulation
upon
him.
One
day,
King
Rathadhwaja
stood
at
the
window
of
his
palace
and
looked
out
at
his
kingdom.
He
had
been
ruling
for
quite
a
few
years,
and
his
kingdom
had
prospered
under
him.
Pride
filled
him.
‘Look
at
what
I
have
achieved!’
he
thought
to
himself.
‘My
kingdom
is
so
rich
and
prosperous.
Everyone
is
happy
in
it.
I
have
achieved
all
this
on
my
own,
with
my
own
intelligence.’
And
his
chest
swelled
up
with
pride.
Just
then
his
wife,
the
queen,
called
out
to
him
to
tell
him
that
the
head
priest
of
the
kingdom
had
come
to
talk
about
the
prayers
and
feast
to
be
offered
to
Goddess
Lakshmi,
which
was
an
annual
ritual
of
the
kingdom.
The
king
ignored
her
call,
too
busy
admiring
his
possessions.
The
queen
came
out
of
her
chamber
and
stood
behind
him.
‘My
Lord.
Are
you
not
going
to
discuss
what
we
will
be
offering
this
year
to
Goddess
Lakshmi
at
the
annual
prayer
meeting
held
to
thank
her
for
all
the
benefits
she
has
conferred
upon
us?
Shall
I
call
Kushadhwaja
and
Dharamdhwaja
to
help
you?’
The
king
turned
and
said
in
annoyance,
‘No!
Don’t
bother
to
do
that.
What
benefits
are
you
talking
about?
I
have
earned
all
these
benefits
by
my
own
intelligence
and
hard
work.
Why
should
I
thank
someone
else!
Tell
the
priest
there
will
be
no
special
offering
or
prayers
this
year
and
henceforth
to
anyone.
If
such
offerings
are
to
be
made,
they
will
be
to
me.
Now
go.’
He
said
sharply.
A
shocked
queen
opened
her
mouth
to
argue
but
closed
it
again
when
she
saw
the
mutinous
look
on
the
face
of
her
husband,
the
king.
She
was
very
unhappy
and
apprehensive
but
could
do
nothing
about
it.
The
king
had
all
the
powers.
From
that
year
onwards,
no
prayers
were
offered
to
Goddess
Lakshmi.
People
were
forbidden
to
worship
her.
They
were
asked
to
worship
their
king
instead.
The
queen
and
both
the
sons
of
the
king
were
unhappy.
The
population
of
the
kingdom
was
also
unhappy.
Things
started
going
downhill
for
the
kingdom.
Floods
and
severe
droughts
alternately
plagued
the
little
kingdom.
The
crops
which
had
been
so
abundant
in
the
years
gone
by
began
failing
every
year.
Most
of
the
cattle
died
of
some
mysterious
disease.
Two
neighbouring
kingdoms
attacked
the
little
kingdom
simultaneously,
and
King
Rathadhwaja
lost
most
of
his
kingdom.
He
had
to
flee
with
his
family
into
the
forest,
where
he
and
his
wife
died.
His
two
sons
became
hermits.
Kushadhwaja
and
Dharamdhwaja
realised
that
the
arrogance
of
their
father
had
alienated
Goddess
Lakshmi,
who
had
deserted
them,
hence
the
decline
of
their
kingdom
and
their
lineage.
One
day,
the
two
brothers
were
sitting
on
the
banks
of
a
river
when
Dharamdhwaja
looked
at
Kushadhwaja
and
said,
‘Brother,
we
have
to
do
penance
for
the
sins
our
father
committed.’
Kushadhwaja
looked
at
his
brother
and
nodded.
‘Yes.
Father
did
a
great
wrong
when
he
stopped
the
prayers
being
offered
to
Goddess
Lakshmi.
We
have
to
do
penance
for
him.
Otherwise,
his
soul
will
rot
in
hell.’
So,
the
two
brothers
started
doing
penance.
They
offered
up
prayers
and
fasted
until
Goddess
Lakshmi
was
pleased
with
them
and
appeared
before
them.
Both
the
brothers
fell
at
her
feet.
Goddess
Lakshmi
asked
them
to
rise
and
smiled
at
them.
‘I
am
pleased
with
the
devotion
and
sincerity
of
you
both.
What
do
you
want
me
to
grant
you?’
she
asked.
Dharamdhwaja
was
speechless
but
Kushadhwaja
at
last
managed
to
ask
her
to
forgive
their
father
for
his
arrogance.
Then
he
asked
Goddess
Lakshmi
to
be
born
in
his
family
as
his
daughter.
The
goddess
smiled
and
granted
the
brothers
both
the
boons.
In
addition
to
these
she
told
them,
‘Because
you
both
are
so
sincere,
your
kingdom
will
be
returned
to
you
and
you
will
rule
their
happily
with
your
families.’
A
few
days
later,
the
people
of
their
former
kingdom
approached
them
with
the
request
that
they
overthrow
the
king
who
had
taken
over
their
kingdom.
‘He
is
cruel,
greedy,
and
evil.
Please
save
us
from
him,’
they
pleaded
with
folded
hands.
They
promised
to
fight
alongside
the
two
brothers
against
the
new
king.
So,
the
two
brothers
raised
an
army
and
marched
back
upon
their
former
kingdom
and
won
it
back
from
the
king
they
had
lost
it
to.
So,
true
to
the
prediction
of
Goddess
Lakshmi,
the
kingdom
was
restored
to
the
two
brothers.
In
due
course,
Kushadhwaja’s
wife
gave
birth
to
a
beautiful
baby
girl.
Kushadhwaja
took
one
look
at
her
and
knew
that
Goddess
Lakshmi
had
fulfilled
her
second
vow
and
had
come
into
his
family
as
his
daughter.
He
was
delighted
and
named
the
child
Vedavati.
The
palace
of
the
kingdom
was
filled
with
joyous
laughter
and
celebrations.
Vedavati
was
the
apple
of
the
eyes
of
her
father
and
uncle.
She
was
an
extremely
beautiful
and
intelligent
child
who
always
accompanied
her
mother
whenever
she
visited
a
temple.
Vedavati
would
also
insist
on
sitting
in
her
mother’s
lap
when
she
offered
prayers
to
various
gods
and
goddesses.
Vedavati
was
fascinated
by
all
the
religious
rituals,
especially
anything
to
do
with
Lord
Vishnu.
Whenever
she
heard
anyone
singing
a
bhajan
[1]
,
she
would
sing
along
in
her
baby
voice
and
everyone
would
laugh
indulgently
at
her
as
they
could
not
make
out
what
she
was
singing
but
she
looked
so
cute
and
pretty
doing
it.
There
would
be
a
glow
on
her
face
while
she
did
this.
Once
when
her
mother
was
praying
to
Lord
Vishnu,
Vedavati
pointed
to
the
idol
and
told
her
mother
that
when
she
grew
up,
she
would
marry
him
and
no
one
else.
Her
mother
was
amused
and
smiled
indulgently
at
her.
Vedavati
grew
by
leaps
and
bounds
and
from
a
pretty
child
turned
into
a
beautiful
woman.
Seeing
her
growing
up
so
fast,
her
mother
started
worrying
about
her
marriage.
But
every
time
someone
mentioned
marriage,
Vedavati
insisted
that
she
would
marry
Vishnu
and
only
Vishnu.
Her
mother
was
aghast,
but
her
father,
knowing
who
she
actually
was,
was
not
surprised.
He
pampered
her
and
indulged
her
every
wish
and
when
she
declared
that
she
wanted
to
go
into
the
forest
of
Pushkar
to
pray
and
meditate
to
achieve
Vishnu
as
her
groom,
he
overrode
all
the
objections
of
his
wife
and
allowed
her
to
do
so.
Vedavati
started
her
penance
deep
in
the
forest
of
Pushkar.
For
years,
she
fasted
and
prayed
to
get
Vishnu
as
her
husband.
One
day,
there
was
an
announcement
from
heaven
itself.
‘Vedavati,
you
can
stop
doing
penance.
It
is
not
possible
for
you
to
wed
Vishnu
in
this
lifetime.
But
you
will
get
your
wish
in
your
next
life.’
Vedavati
ignored
the
voice
and
continued
with
her
fasting
and
penance.
She
was
determined
to
get
Vishnu
as
her
husband
in
this
life
itself.
By
now,
with
all
her
penance
and
prayers,
she
had
started
glowing
and
looked
radiant.
In
those
days,
Ravana,
the
son
of
Rishi
Vishrava
and
the
demon
princess
Kaikasi,
was
the
king
of
Lanka.
He
was
one
of
the
most
powerful
kings
in
the
world.
Ravana
was
actually
a
very
learned
man,
but
at
the
same
time,
he
craved
power
and
riches.
He
went
into
the
forest,
did
a
lot
of
penance,
and
offered
many
prayers
to
Lord
Shiva.
When
finally
he
chopped
off
his
own
head
and
offered
it
to
Lord
Shiva
as
part
of
his
penance,
the
Lord
appeared
in
front
of
him
and
asked
him
to
ask
for
a
boon.
Ravana
asked
for
the
boon
of
immortality.
‘I
am
afraid
that
is
not
a
boon
I
can
grant
you.
But
I
will
put
amrit
[2]
in
your
belly
button
so
that
it
is
nearly
impossible
for
anyone
to
kill
you
unless
they
hit
you
there.
Every
time
someone
chops
off
your
head,
you
will
grow
another.’
Ravana
was
elated.
He
decided
that
he
deserved
to
be
the
king
of
Lanka
and
not
his
elder
brother,
Kuber.
So,
he
fought
Kuber
and
chased
him
out
and
grabbed
the
throne
of
Lanka.
Thinking
he
was
invincible,
he
became
arrogant
and
evil.
He
wanted
to
perform
yagya
[3]
at
all
odd
hours
and
practice
the
black
arts.
He
would
not
allow
anyone
to
question
him
or
protest
in
any
way.
The
people
of
Lanka
started
groaning
under
the
yolk
of
his
tyrannical
rule.
He
listened
to
no
one
and
did
exactly
as
he
liked.
He
stole
his
brother’s
flying
chariot,
known
as
the
Pushpak
Vimana,
and
whenever
he
went
out
in
it,
if
he
saw
a
maiden
he
liked,
he
would
just
kidnap
her
and
drag
her
back
to
his
palace
and
make
her
his
wife
or
concubine.
One
day,
Vedavati
was
sitting
meditating
when
the
celestial
chariot
flew
by.
Ravana
spotted
the
glowing,
beautiful
Vedavati
deep
in
meditation
in
the
forest.
He
stopped
his
vimana
[4]
and
got
down
and
approached
her.
‘Who
are
you,
beautiful
maiden?
And
what
is
a
beautiful
maiden
like
you
doing
alone
in
this
wild
jungle?’
he
asked.
Vedavati
did
not
reply.
She
ignored
him
completely.
‘You
are
too
delicate
to
be
living
in
this
harsh
jungle,
which
is
full
of
wild
beasts,
beautiful
one.
Come
with
me
to
my
kingdom.
It
is
beautiful
and
the
richest
kingdom
in
the
world.
Marry
me,
and
you
will
live
in
comfort
and
opulence
all
your
life.
I’ll
cover
you
from
head
to
foot
in
gold
and
precious
stones.
This
dry
and
deserted
forest
is
not
for
the
likes
of
you.
You
are
too
fragile
to
live
here
by
yourself.
I
will
make
you
my
chief
wife.
My
other
wives
will
serve
as
your
handmaidens,’
continued
Ravana.
Vedavati
continued
to
ignore
him.
Seeing
her
indifference,
Ravana
became
angry.
‘Don’t
you
know
who
I
am?
I
am
Ravana,
the
mighty
king
of
Lanka,
the
most
powerful
king
in
the
world!
I
have
already
defeated
Kuber,
my
brother,
and
no
one
can
stand
against
me,’
declared
Ravana
arrogantly.
Vedavati
still
ignored
him.
Ravana
became
incensed.
No
woman
had
ever
refused
his
overtures
before.
Nor
had
anyone
had
the
guts
to
ignore
him.
He
saw
red.
Catching
hold
of
Vedavati’s
hair,
he
started
dragging
her
towards
his
vimana
.
Vedavati’s
meditation
broke,
and
she
opened
her
eyes.
There
was
a
blazing
fire
within
them.
Seeing
this,
Ravana
recoiled
and
let
go
of
her
hair,
but
Vedavati
was
enraged
beyond
words.
Her
meditation
had
been
shattered,
and
her
penance
had
been
defiled.
She
stood
up
and
lifting
her
hand,
pointed
her
finger
at
Ravana,
and
with
eyes
spitting
fire
she
hurled
a
curse
at
him.
‘Oh,
you
vile
and
evil
devil!
I
was
doing
penance
to
get
Vishnu
as
my
husband.
But
you
did
not
see
this.
You
were
only
driven
by
your
lust.
By
touching
me,
you
have
defiled
me
and
I
am
no
longer
pure.
I
am
no
longer
fit
to
be
the
wife
of
the
great
Lord
Vishnu,
the
keeper
of
the
universe.
Oh,
you
arrogant
king,
I
put
this
curse
on
you
that
in
my
next
birth,
I
will
be
the
cause
of
the
destruction
of
not
only
you
but
also
your
entire
lineage!’
And
then
Vedavati
with
her
own
hands
chopped
off
her
hair,
the
very
hair
with
which
Ravana
had
been
dragging
her
and
which
were
the
symbol
of
her
defilement.
Then
even
as
Ravana
watched
in
fear,
she
built
a
pyre
and
immolated
herself
upon
it.
Thus,
the
unfulfilled
soul
of
Lakshmi
was
thrown
out
of
one
lifetime
and
having
failed
to
get
Vishnu
in
this
lifetime
was
left
to
wander
and
seek
Vishnu
in
another
lifetime.
TheSecondComing
TheStoryofSita
Once
upon
a
time,
in
the
foothills
of
the
great
Himalayas,
in
the
land
called
Jambudweep
,
in
what
is
today
known
as
the
Tarai
region,
there
was
located
the
kingdom
of
Vedeha.
It
was
bound
on
the
south
by
the
mighty
Ganga,
on
the
north
by
the
mighty
Himalayas,
on
the
west
by
the
mighty
Gandak,
and
on
the
east
by
the
Mahananda.
It
was
a
prosperous
land
where
the
crops
grew
in
abundance
and
the
people
were
happy.
It
was
ruled
by
King
Nimi,
the
grandson
of
Manu
[1]
himself.
Nimi
was
a
great
king,
learned
and
wise
in
his
ways.
He
ruled
his
kingdom
well
and
kept
the
people
satisfied
and
happy.
The
king
wanted
to
go
to
heaven
in
this
body
of
his.
So
he
decided
to
perform
a
yagya
.
To
conduct
this,
he
went
to
the
great
sage
Vasishtha
and
prostrating
himself
before
him
requested
him
to
conduct
the
yagya
.
The
great
sage
agreed.
But
there
was
only
one
problem.
He
had
been
already
engaged
by
Lord
Indra
to
perform
a
yagya
for
him.
‘Oh
king.
I
am
afraid
you
will
have
to
wait
for
some
time.
I
have
a
prior
engagement
with
Lord
Indra.
Once
I
have
finished
with
the
yagya
at
the
place
of
Lord
Indra,
I
will
come
to
your
palace
and
perform
the
yagya
for
you,’
he
promised.
King
Nimi
got
up
and
went
away
without
replying.
Guru
Vasishtha
got
the
impression
that
the
king
had
agreed
to
wait.
But
King
Nimi
did
not
wait.
He
went
ahead
with
the
preparation
for
the
yagya
.
When
all
the
preparations
had
been
completed,
he
invited
many
sages
and
peers.
Of
course,
Guru
Vasishtha
was
not
present.
King
Nimi
invited
the
sage
Gautam
to
do
the
honours
and
conduct
the
yagya
.
Meanwhile
Guru
Vasishtha
completed
his
task
at
Indra’s
palace
and
hurried
over
to
King
Nimi’s
palace.
There
he
saw
Rishi
Gautam
conducting
the
yagya
,
and
he
became
very
angry.
He
thought
the
king
had
deliberately
insulted
him.
He
thundered
over
to
the
palace
where
the
king
was
sleeping
and
put
on
him
the
curse
‘
Sadeh
videho
bhavao’
,
that
is,
the
king
would
cease
to
exist
in
this
corporeal
or
bodily
form.
The
king
woke
up
and
was
horrified
to
find
that
he
had
been
cursed
to
lose
his
bodily
form,
the
very
form
with
which
he
wanted
to
enter
heaven,
and
he
put
the
same
curse
on
the
rishi.
The
rishi
immediately
left
his
body
and
then
re-entered
it.
But
the
soul
of
the
king
could
not
do
this.
Meanwhile
the
yagya
was
completed,
and
the
brahmins
looked
around
for
the
king
to
give
him
the
prasad
[2]
.
When
they
saw
what
had
happened,
they
wanted
to
revive
the
king,
but
he
refused.
‘It
is
too
painful,
this
departure
of
the
soul
from
this
body,’
the
king
declared.
‘But,
Your
Majesty,
you
do
not
even
have
an
heir
who
can
inherit
the
kingdom
or
take
the
prasad
for
you,’
cried
the
priests.
‘Then
we
will
cull
an
heir
from
his
dead
body,’
declared
Rishi
Gautam.
‘How?’
asked
the
priests.
‘We
must
embalm
the
body
first
so
that
it
does
not
decay,’
said
the
rishi.
So,
first
the
body
of
King
Nimi
was
washed
five
times
with
cow
dung.
Then
five
pure
fluids
–
milk,
curd,
ghee,
honey,
and
sugar
–
were
brought
and
the
body
washed
in
these.
Then
the
body
was
embalmed
with
yakshakarddama
–
a
composition
of
agallochum
or
camphor,
musk,
saffron,
sandal
paste,
and
a
resin
called
kakkola.
After
this,
it
was
wrapped
in
netra
vastra
,
or
flowered
muslin;
pattamvara
,
or
silk;
and
manjistha
,
or
cloth
dyed
with
madder,
and
then
wrapped
in
a
blanket.
Then
the
body
was
covered
in
pure
clay
and
put
in
a
coffin
of
pure
copper,
or
tamra
samputa
.
Now
the
body
was
put
in
a
huge
churner
and
churned
until
a
fluid
emerged
from
the
body.
This
was
mithi
,
or
soil.
The
great
sage
used
this
mithi
to
produce
a
prince.
This
prince
was
called
Janak
as
he
was
born
from
the
dead
body
of
his
father.
He
was
called
Vaideha
as
his
father
had
become
one
without
a
body,
or
videha
.
He
was
also
called
Mithi
as
he
had
been
produced
by
churning,
or
manthan
.
Ever
after
that,
the
rulers
of
this
small
kingdom
came
to
be
known
as
janaks.
The
kingdom
of
Vedeha
flourished
under
the
various
janaks.
Its
capital
was
called
Mithila.
The
twenty-first
janak,
Seerdhwaja,
was
renowned
for
his
patronage
of
Vedic
culture
and
philosophy.
His
court
at
Mithila
had
become
the
centre
for
intellectuals,
rishis,
and
sages
like
Yagyavalkya.
The
king
himself
was
a
great
philosopher.
His
subjects
were
prosperous
and
happy.
The
only
cloud
on
their
horizon
was
that
the
king
had
no
children.
Then
one
year
there
was
a
drought.
The
rivers
became
dry,
and
the
rains
failed.
The
land
became
parched,
and
big
cracks
appeared
all
over.
The
crops
shrivelled
up,
and
the
people
were
faced
with
starvation.
King
Janak
consulted
the
pundits
and
astrologers,
and
they
advised
him
to
hoe
the
land
himself
under
a
full
moon
because
only
then
would
the
rains
come.
So,
the
next
full
moon,
Janak
bathed
in
the
sacred
waters
of
the
Ganga,
went
to
the
fields
of
his
kingdom,
and
put
his
own
shoulder
to
a
hoe
to
till
the
hard,
parched
land.
He
was
struggling
with
the
hoe,
to
which
he
was
unaccustomed,
when
he
thought
he
heard
a
cry.
He
looked
around
but
could
not
figure
out
where
the
cry
had
come
from.
Then
he
heard
the
cry
once
again.
It
was
the
wail
of
a
child.
It
seemed
to
be
coming
from
somewhere
near
his
feet.
Startled,
he
looked
down.
At
first,
he
could
not
see
anything.
Then
he
made
out
some
kind
of
a
bundle
lying
in
the
furrow
he
had
made
with
the
hoe.
Even
as
he
looked,
the
bundle
moved
and
let
out
a
lusty
wail.
Janak
bent
down
and
with
a
shock
realised
that
it
was
an
infant
wrapped
up
in
a
piece
of
cloth
lying
at
his
feet.
He
had
nearly
stepped
upon
it
but
had
just
stopped
in
time
and
now
it
was
bawling
away
to
glories.
Janak
looked
around
hastily,
but
there
was
no
one
around.
The
infant
seemed
to
have
been
abandoned.
He
picked
it
up
and
found
that
it
was
a
little
girl.
Abandoning
the
hoe,
the
king
hugged
the
baby
girl
and
rocked
her
instinctively.
The
girl
stopped
crying
and
opening
big,
black
eyes
looked
at
him.
Janak
felt
an
overwhelming
tenderness
engulf
him.
Who
could
have
abandoned
this
beautiful
baby
in
the
fields,
he
wondered.
He
called
out
loudly,
‘Is
anyone
there?
Who
does
this
child
belong
to?’
But
there
was
no
answer.
The
night
was
silent.
Janak
abandoned
the
hoe
and
returned
to
his
palace.
‘Have
you
finished
tilling
the
land?’
asked
Queen
Sunaina
when
she
saw
him,
‘And
what
is
that
you
are
carrying
in
your
arms?’
Janak
put
the
bundle
gently
in
her
arms.
The
queen
was
startled,
but
just
then
the
infant
girl
again
let
out
a
whimper.
The
queen
automatically
rocked
her
and
hugged
her.
‘It
is
a
girl
child.
Someone
had
abandoned
her
in
the
fields,’
explained
Janak.’
I
could
not
leave
her
there,
could
I?’
‘Of
course
not,
my
Lord!
Oh,
she
is
so
beautiful!
Look,
she
is
smiling
at
us!’
exclaimed
the
queen,
and
she
was
bewitched
by
the
infant
girl.
‘She
is
hungry.
Look
she
is
sucking
her
thumb!’
observed
the
queen.
‘Then
you
must
feed
her,’
said
King
Janak.
‘Did
you
look
to
see
if
anyone
was
around
who
would
claim
her?’
asked
the
queen
anxiously.
‘I
called
out
many
times,
but
no
one
came.
It
is
obvious
that
whoever
her
parents
are,
they
have
abandoned
her,’
said
King
Janak.
‘Then
from
today
she
belongs
to
us.
She
will
be
our
daughter.
God
has
heard
our
prayers
and
sent
us
a
child,’
said
the
queen
and
called
out
to
her
maids
to
fetch
the
milk
of
a
cow
to
feed
the
little
girl.
The
little
girl
smiled
up
at
her
new
mother.
The
soul
of
Goddess
Lakshmi
had
found
her
new
home
in
her
new
incarnation
and
could
hardly
wait
to
grow
up
but
would
have
to
bide
her
time
to
win
back
her
place
at
the
side
of
Vishnu,
her
Lord.
The
royal
couple
were
delighted
with
the
little
girl,
whom
they
decided
to
call
Sita
as
she
had
been
found
in
a
furrow
in
the
fields.
Sita
proved
lucky
for
everyone.
Within
days
of
her
arrival,
the
rains
came
and
the
parched
land
became
green
and
fertile
once
again.
Queen
Sunaina
also
started
expecting
and
very
soon
gave
birth
to
a
daughter,
whom
the
royal
couple
called
Urmila.
At
about
the
same
time,
the
wife
of
King
Janak’s
brother
also
gave
birth
to
two
daughters,
Mandvi
and
Shrutkirti.
All
four
girls
were
brought
up
together
in
the
palace.
There
was
harmony
and
love
between
them.
They
all
looked
up
to
Sita
as
she
was
the
eldest
and
