The Upside-Down King

by Sudha Murty

  ‘O Krishna!’ exclaimed Satyabhama when she saw him. ‘I know that you have not stolen the diamond. My father, Satrajitha, gave that to my uncle to hide somewhere in the forest with King Jambuvanta. If you can trace him, you will find the diamond. I came here to help you but I haven’t been able to locate him yet.’

  Krishna liked Satyabhama’s courage. ‘But why did you choose to help me and not your father?’

  ‘I cannot simply stand by and see you being labelled a thief!’ Satyabhama’s voice quivered with emotion.

  Krishna smiled, and together they resumed the search in the forest. After some time had passed, they noticed torn pieces of cloth on the ground and tracks leading away—it looked as if somebody had been dragged away from there.

  Satyabhama immediately recognized the pieces of cloth. ‘Oh no! These are my uncle’s clothes. I remember that he wore these the same morning that he left for the forest.’

  As they went farther, they saw half-eaten human remains, a lion’s dead body, what was left of the clothes and a gold chain. Satyabhama was aghast at what she saw.

  Krishna consoled her. ‘Clearly Prasenajith came this way only to be eaten by a hungry lion. The poor unsuspecting man! But what happened to the Shamantakamani? It was obviously of no use to the lion.’

  Krishna had just begun searching for the diamond, when he saw some animal tracks leading away from where the clothes were found. Krishna and Satyabhama followed the tracks and soon found themselves inside a cave. To their surprise, there was a baby in a cradle, and the beautiful Shamantakamani hung right on top of the cradle. The entire cave was illuminated by the magical light from the diamond. A young tribal girl was sitting next to the cradle and rocking the baby with her eyes closed, as if she was in her own world.

  Just then, a huge bear-man appeared out of nowhere. Before Krishna could react, the bear man attacked him, and they fought for a long time. Though the bear-man was old, he was quite strong, and it was a long time before he fell to the ground in defeat.

  The old bear-man wondered aloud in a human voice, ‘How can anyone but Lord Rama defeat me? He promised me that he would visit me some day.’

  At those words, Krishna smiled mysteriously.

  The bear-man realized his innocent mistake. He came forward and hugged Krishna tightly. ‘Please forgive my ignorance, Lord! I am Jambuvanta, the bear-man who had served you in your avatar as Lord Rama. It was my earnest desire to wrestle with you but you wouldn’t, and you said that you would do so in your next avatar. I am so sorry that it took me this long to recognize you.’

  Krishna smiled and explained the purpose of his visit.

  ‘I saw a diamond hanging from a chain that was in the mouth of a lion. I was fascinated by this diamond and wanted to bring it for my child. So I fought the lion and killed him. From this day on, please keep the Shamantakamani under your protection,’ said Jambuvanta.

  Then he introduced his beautiful daughter. ‘This is Jambuvati, my motherless child. It will be my good fortune if you get married to her and look after her baby brother too. Then I can retire to the forest.’

  Krishna nodded and got married to Jambuvati, much to the grief of Satyabhama, who stood by, a mere spectator. But Krishna turned to Satyabhama and said enigmatically, ‘Don’t worry.’

  When Krishna returned to Dwarka with the diamond, Satrajitha apologized to the lord for his behaviour and offered his daughter’s hand in marriage. Krishna was already aware of Satyabhama’s devotion and accepted the proposal. Thus, Satyabhama also became Krishna’s wife.

  This story of Shamantakamani is often heard on the fourth day of the month of Bhadrapada, which is also the day of the Ganesha festival.

  Legend has it that on one such festival day, Ganesha ate so much that he could barely walk; he stumbled on a stone and fell down. His stomach burst open and all the sweet laddoos fell out. Ganesha quickly shoved them back in and tied a serpent around his stomach. He looked around to see if anyone had noticed him, but there was no one. He was relieved that there was nobody to poke fun at him.

  But just then, he heard a giggle and then a snicker. He looked up and saw the moon laughing at him.

  Ganesha was upset at Chandra’s behaviour and cursed him without a second thought. ‘Whoever looks at you on the fourth night of Bhadrapada will be subjected to false allegations, particularly theft.’

  Chandra apologized.

  Then Ganesha said, ‘Please don’t worry, Chandra. There is a way to lift this curse. Whoever listens to the story of Shamantakamani will be spared.’

  That is why when we see the moon on the fourth day of Bhadrapada, we listen to the story of the unique diamond to ward off the curse. We also assume that Krishna must have seen Chandra, which is why he was also known as the diamond thief for a brief period.

  Krishna and His Enemies

  Unlike Rama, who had only one enemy, Krishna had multiple enemies. When he was born, his maternal uncle wanted to kill him. Later, his cousins also stood against him. Krishna accepted the realities of his life but followed the path of dharma. Some of his enemies are responsible for making Krishna whom he came to be.

  Srugala Vasudeva

  Srugala Vasudeva or Paundraka Vasudeva, the king of the Pundra kingdom, fancied himself to be an incarnation of Lord Vishnu, and dressed exactly like Krishna. He was an ardent devotee of the sun god, and through his worship to him, Paundraka received an extraordinary chariot and horses. He was so proud of these possessions that he looked down upon Krishna, who did not own horses or a chariot until the war of Mahabharata took place. Paundraka also couldn’t understand why, despite all his efforts, he was not as popular as Krishna.

  His niece Shaibya frequently taunted him—‘A rooster cannot become a peacock.’ Her comments would upset him. Shaibya also happened to love Krishna with all her heart, but she had no hope of getting married to him because of her uncle’s behaviour and malice towards him.

  One fine day, Srugala Vasudeva decided to wage a battle against Krishna to display his superiority. However, Krishna defeated him easily. This is how Krishna took ownership of the chariot and the horses, which later became an integral part of his persona. The chariot was pulled by four white horses, and the animals understood the lord’s mind. Krishna knew ashwa vidya, or the art of understanding the minds of horses, and took care of them as if they were a part of him. That is why Krishna easily became an outstanding charioteer to Arjuna in the Mahabharata. He was the only charioteer in the war who personally looked after the horses’ needs and provided them with compassion at the end of every day. He was well aware that the horses were critical in the fight against the Kauravas.

  Much later, Krishna learnt of Shaibya’s love for him and married her too.

  Kalayavana

  Muchukunda, a famous king and a great warrior, belonged to an illustrious family and the Ikshvaku dynasty. His brother, Ambareesha, and his father, Mandhata, are well known in their own right.

  Once, there was huge war between the devas and the asuras. The devas were looking for a commander-in-chief, and the search led to Indra approaching Muchukunda. ‘O King, please come and take charge as our commander and fight for us.’

  ‘That will be an honour,’ replied Muchukunda, and jumped into this new role with all his enthusiasm.

  He joined the gods in Devaloka and fought a mighty war. At the end of war, he was exhausted.

  Indra said to him, ‘O Muchukunda, our original commander, Karthikeyan, the son of Shiva and Parvati, has arrived. You have helped us in our time of need and protected us for years. Ask me whatever you desire and I will fulfil it.’

  Muchukunda remembered his family and his kingdom. He had been so involved in the war that he hadn’t thought about them for a long, long time. With hope and eagerness, he said to Indra, ‘I want to go back to see my family, children and my subjects. I would like to spend my time with them.’

  Indra responded with sadness, ‘O Muchukunda, a day in the Devaloka is not equivalent to a day on earth. You hav
e spent several years with us in Devaloka, but one day up here is one whole year on earth. That is why there is no longer any sign of your family or kingdom on earth. I am happy to give you any other boon that you desire, apart from that of moksha. That, if you desire, is not in my hands. Only Lord Vishnu can grant such a boon. But I can fulfil anything else that you might wish for.’

  Muchukunda was sad to learn that he had no family left on earth. Suddenly, he felt emotionally and physically drained and requested Indra, ‘Then I just want to sleep, my lord. Please just grant me a peaceful sleep.’

  ‘That is a small thing to ask me for, my child. I promise you that not only will you go back to earth and enjoy sleeping, but that whoever wakes you up will be instantly reduced to ashes.’

  So Muchukunda slept in bliss on earth in a cave on a mountain, without any disturbance and many years passed thus.

  Meanwhile, there lived a cruel asura king named Kalayavana, who disliked the Yadavas. He prayed to Lord Shiva for twelve years and earned the boon that no Yadava would be able to slay him.

  When Jarasandha, the king of the Magadha kingdom, learnt of Kalayavana’s boon, he was ecstatic. This was the opportunity he had been waiting for. His two daughters, Asti and Prapti, were now widows of the king Kamsa. His daughters had returned to live with him after Krishna had slayed their husband, and were constantly encouraging Jarasandha to take revenge; this was his chance.

  Jarasandha joined forces with Kalayavana and, declaring him the commander of the unified army, instructed him to invade Mathura and kill Krishna and the other Yadavas.

  When Krishna learnt of the plan through his spies, he knew that he might not be able to protect his people with his current army. So he convinced his subjects to move west of the kingdom. He called Vishwakarma, the architect of the heavens, and asked him to build such a city for his people that would protect them from all sides. Thus, the port city of Dwarka was built.

  When the time came, Mathura was evacuated and Krishna stayed back by himself. He did not want Kalayavana to get a whiff of the new city or hurt his subjects, and misguided him by remaining in Mathura.

  Just as he had anticipated, Kalayavana marched to Mathura with his army. When he found the city empty of people, Kalayavana became livid. ‘Burn this city to ashes,’ he commanded his army. One of his spies informed him, ‘Sir, we found a dark-skinned young man wandering around the city. He is dressed like royalty and smiles frequently.’

  Kalayavana understood that this was none other than Krishna. ‘That is Krishna! I will destroy him!’ he thundered. ‘I will find him and kill him with my bare hands.’ Furious, Kalayavana immediately left to search for the lord himself.

  No sooner had Kalayavana laid his eyes on Krishna than the lord took off running. Kalayavana followed, and while he was an outstanding warrior, his big body could not match Krishna’s swiftness. Krishna allowed himself to slow down, and just when it seemed that Kalayavana would catch him, Krishna would pick up speed and run farther away. The lord kept up this illusion of getting caught several times until Kalayavana became very tired.

  Krishna approached a mountain and began climbing it. Kalayavana also followed suit. Within a few minutes, Krishna saw a cave and speedily entered it. His pursuer also ran into the deep cave. Minutes later, Kalayavana saw a figure lying in a corner of the cave and covered from head to toe with a sheet.

  ‘O Krishna, I see you! Now I will catch you and present you to Jarasandha,’ Kalayavana said with a laugh. He kicked the figure hard, but there was no movement. Then Kalayavana pulled off the sheet. To his surprise, he saw a skeletal old man with a long beard. The man slowly stood up and glared at Kalayavana in unrestrained anger. Who had disturbed his sleep? As if by magic, the glare of the old man reduced Kalayavana to ashes. The old man was none other than Muchukunda.

  Muchukunda turned around to see Krishna near him, hiding in the dark. Muchukunda’s vision allowed him to see Krishna in the form of Lord Vishnu. Muchukunda said, ‘O Lord, I am truly blessed to see you. I have grown tired of living alone. Please grant me moksha. You are the only one who has the power to do so.’

  Krishna smiled and blessed him. ‘You have some time left on the earth, my child. Pray, and moksha will be yours.’

  Muchukunda nodded and decided to go pray in the Himalayas.

  The place where Muchukunda met Lord Krishna is located in the Girnar Mountains in Gujarat. Dwarka was an island city, which still exists but is now submerged under water.

  Panchajanya

  Krishna and Balarama were raised in Gokul and Vrindavan as cowherds and without formal education. The two boys were street-smart, courageous and good strategists.

  When they came to Mathura, killed Kamsa, reunited with their parents and realized that they belonged to a royal family, some of the family elders insisted that the boys be given a formal education befitting their royal status. So they were sent to the ashram of Guru Sandipini to study.

  In the ashram, the two boys made a good friend named Sudhama, and together the boys completed their education quickly. Krishna, being a smart boy, sensed that the guru and his wife carried an overwhelming sadness in their hearts.

  When the time came for them to say goodbye to their teacher, Krishna asked, ‘Sir, you have taught us so much in such a short time. We are grateful to you and would like to give you gurudakshina. Please tell us what you would like us to do.’

  Guru Sandipini said fondly, ‘Teaching you boys was an honour for me. Your parents will take care of me and my family. I do not need anything from you.’

  ‘But I have noticed that you and Gurumata are always sad. I wonder why, and if there is any way I can take some of the sadness away. Can I be of any help to both of you in this matter?’ insisted Krishna.

  Gurumata burst into tears. After she composed herself, she said, ‘Our only son was kidnapped by the head of the Panchajana tribe while he was walking on the seashore of Prabhasa Teertha. We were unsuccessful in getting our child back, and that’s the sorrow you sense within us. Will you be able to help? I can’t think of a gurudakshina that I would like more.’

  ‘I will get him back, Gurumata, I promise you,’ said Krishna confidently.

  Krishna and Balarama went to Prabhasa Teertha and began to gather as much information as they could. They found that the head of the Panchajana tribe was a man called Shakasura, who lived inside the sea. Occasionally he left his abode to trouble the people on land. He would capture them, imprison them and force them to work for him as servants.

  Krishna and Balarama decided to fight Shakasura and dived into the deep sea to search for him. When Shakasura saw them approaching, he was very happy that he had now found two new servants without even looking for them.

  Krishna saw many children around Shakasura and realized that the son of his guru was among them. He also noticed that Shakasura carried an attractive conch with him.

  Krishna swam directly in front of Shakasura. ‘Release the children,’ he commanded.

  Just as the lord had expected, Shakasura instructed his soldiers, ‘Capture the two boys.’

  And just like that, the battle had begun. The two boys defeated Shakasura very easily and forced him to surrender.

  ‘Promise me that you will never kidnap anyone ever again,’ ordered Krishna.

  Shakasura bowed his head. ‘I will not, Lord. I promise,’ he said. ‘Please forgive me.’

  Shakasura released the children and gave his conch as a gift to Krishna.

  ‘The whole world will remember your tribe and your promise. From this day on, I will name the conch Panchajanya and blow it to signal to my enemies that I will always protect dharma. It will be an indication to my enemies that their end is near. The sound of the conch will also reassure my friends that I am always with them.’

  When he returned his guru’s son, Guru Sandipini had no words. ‘I wish every teacher to have a student like you,’ he said. ‘May I be remembered as a teacher of the lord, no matter how brief.’

  Krishna is fam
ous for blowing the conch during Rukmini’s swayamvara. Rukmini was in love with the lord and wanted to elope with him. Krishna, however, had flatly refused to run away quietly. ‘I want the world to know that I am taking you away with your consent, Rukmini,’ he said, and took her away only after blowing the conch.

  Mura

  Mura was a powerful asura who had a boon from Brahma. If Mura touched anyone during a battle, that person—mortal or immortal—would immediately die.

  Mura was also the best friend of Narakasura, whom he always assisted in wars against Krishna. Mura had two sons, and together they protected Narakasura’s capital fiercely. Any trespasser would be ruthlessly killed.

  With the special boon from Brahma, Mura and his sons were able to protect the city from many gods, including Indra, and invaded many kingdoms. Mura even invaded Yama’s city, and the god of death frantically fled on his buffalo.

  Krishna knew then that he had to intervene. He sent word to Mura that he was waiting for him on the seashore.

  When Mura finally arrived, the lord was gentle. ‘Tell me, Mura, what do you want? Why are you causing trouble everywhere?’

  ‘I love to fight, Lord. If you are ready for a battle, then let us fight each other. Otherwise, please do not waste my time,’ the asura replied.

  ‘But I am scared, Mura,’ said Krishna, pretending to be afraid. ‘How can I fight an asura who has chased away the likes of Yama and Indra? My heart is beating loudly. I think I can hear your heart beating equally loudly. Are you frightened too?’

  ‘Of course not,’ Mura replied immediately.

  ‘But I can feel it,’ said Krishna. ‘Your heart is clearly trembling.’

  ‘It isn’t!’ said Mura and placed his hand to his heart to check. The boon that Brahma had given him came to play, and before Mura realized what he had done, he lay dead at Krishna’s feet.