The Upside-Down King

by Sudha Murty

  Banasura looked at the form standing in front of him and then bowed his head in surrender to the lord, just as his soul departed from his body.

  Soon, Aniruddha, Usha and Chitralekha were freed from prison. Later, they came to Dwarka, and the wedding was celebrated with much pomp and show.

  Today, the locals in Uttarakhand identify a place called Sui as where the bitter war between Banasura and Krishna is said to have taken place. Huge quantities of blood spilled everywhere and collected in the form of a pond, which is now known as the Lohawati, and the water continues to sport a tinge of red.

  Krishna’s Consorts

  Lord Krishna had eight principal queen consorts.

  Rukmini, the daughter of King Bhishmika, was the princess of Vidarbha who fell in love with Krishna. She had three brothers who arranged for her to marry Shishupala, Krishna’s cousin. So Rukmini secretly wrote a letter to Krishna and asked him to save her from the arranged marriage to Shishupala. On the day of the wedding, Krishna rescued her and took her to Dwarka, where the two were immediately wed. She was his first wife and the chief queen, and is often considered to be an avatar of Lakshmi, the consort of Lord Vishnu.

  Jambuvati (also known as Rohini), the daughter of Jambuvanta, was the second queen. Her father gave her hand in marriage to Krishna along with the diamond Shamantakamani when the lord came looking for the diamond. Jambuvati’s son, Samba, would later become responsible for the destruction of the Yaduvamsha clan.

  Satyabhama was Krishna’s third wife and the daughter of Satrajitha, a wealthy merchant in Dwarka. Again, it was Satyabhama who fell in love with Krishna and wanted to marry him. Since she was from a rich family, she often looked down upon the other queens. There are many stories of Rukmini and Satyabhama, and Krishna ensured that Satyabhama learnt lessons from Rukmini’s devotion and love for Krishna.

  The fourth wife was Kalindhi, the sister of River Yamuna, who performed a penance in her desire to marry Krishna. One day, Krishna and Arjuna went hunting inside a forest; it was here that they saw Kalindhi. In the end, she married Krishna because of Arjuna’s mediation.

  Mitravinda, the daughter of Jayasena, was Krishna’s fifth wife, and had twin brothers named Vindha and Anuvindha. She always loved Krishna and wanted to marry him. Her brothers opposed her love and did not invite Krishna to her swayamvara. However, she managed to inform Krishna about the swayamvara, and he came and took her away from the venue. Mitravinda’s brothers fought him, but Krishna defeated them all and married her, and also came to be known as Mitravinda Govinda. Later, Vindha and Anuvindha joined hands with the Kauravas during the war of Mahabharata.

  Nagnajitaa, or Satya, was the daughter of Nagnajita, the king of Kosala. The king’s condition was that the only man who would marry his daughter must be able to defeat his seven vicious bulls. When Krishna appeared ready to take on the challenge, the king was overjoyed to see him and secretly hoped he would be able to defeat the bulls. Krishna grew up in Gokul with cows and bulls, and he easily defeated the bulls and married Nagnajitaa. Other princes, who had earlier been unsuccessful in their attempts to defeat the bulls, challenged Krishna, but they were no match to the lord and had to bow down to him at the end.

  Neela, the princess of the Kaikeya kingdom, married Krishna in a swayamvara.

  Shaibya, the niece of Srugala Vasudeva, fell in love with Krishna, helped him fight her uncle and married him.

  Three and a Half Diamonds

  Balarama was a great champion of gadayuddha, or the art of fighting with a mace. He shared his knowledge with Bhima and Duryodhana and taught them everything he knew. Both the young men were good students.

  One day, Balarama’s wife, Revati, said to her husband, ‘I want to see your mace skills in a duel.’

  Balarama said, ‘Of course! You can see them any day, Revati, but I must tell you that I will never get good opponents to stand against me because of my ability to defeat anyone in such a duel. Let’s wait for a suitable opportunity where I can truly show you my skills against a worthy man.’

  Rukmini and Satyabhama casually mentioned to Krishna, ‘We are really bored, and we want to witness an unusual story. We are tired of Sage Narada’s stories when he visits us.’

  In due time, the Pandavas became powerful and ruled from the city of Indraprastha. Bhima, one of the Pandava brothers, became certain that no one could match him in gadayuddha.

  Meanwhile, Duryodhana regularly kept in touch with his skills at Hastinapur. He felt certain that he was strong enough to defeat Bhima. In his heart, he desired to fight his cousins and capture their kingdom.

  Duryodhana’s uncle Vidura advised his nephew, ‘Don’t think of going down the path of war, dear child. I suggest you go and visit Krishna, touch his feet and ask him for blessings that will allow you and your cousins, the Pandavas, to live in peace and with happiness. Don’t waste your thoughts or energy on trying to defeat Bhima in a gadayuddha sometime in the future.’

  Duryodhana shook his head. ‘I am not going to seek Krishna’s blessings nor am I going to respect him by touching his feet or any part of his leg. I am a king, and it is below my royal status to touch the feet of a cowherd. If a war is meant to be, let it happen, Uncle. I will ensure that we are prepared for it. I am sure to win.’

  Narada, the travelling sage, overheard this as he was passing by, and smiled mysteriously.

  King Vardhana was a handsome prince and a great devotee of Narada. He had lost both his kingdom and his eyes in a war. His condition became like that of a beggar, and he lived in a forest.

  After losing his kingdom, he prayed to Narada and asked for help.

  Narada came to him and promised, ‘Don’t worry. There is light at the end of this. Your good days will return in time.’

  King Vardhana trusted Narada’s words and followed his routine.

  Meanwhile, there lived a beautiful girl named Satyavati in the same kingdom, who was devoted to Krishna and an ardent worshipper of Lord Vishnu.

  One day, Narada went to Satyavati’s house.

  Satyavati was as hospitable as she could be with her limited means, and very kind and devoted. When Narada saw her devotion, he said, ‘The lord has chosen a groom for you. When you open your door in the morning tomorrow, the man you see will be your future husband. You will live with him very happily.’

  The maiden stood, perplexed, even as she knew that she must heed the lord’s words.

  Later that night, there was a heavy storm. The blind and poor king came to the maiden’s hut in search of shelter and slept quietly in the veranda outside the front door. As the next morning dawned, the storm subsided and sunshine filled the air. The maiden awoke and opened the front door, excited to see her future husband.

  But alas! She could only see the blind man sleeping outside her door. He appeared to be nothing but a beggar. Still, she woke him up and brought him inside her home.

  She recounted the incident with Narada and said, ‘I am going to marry you anyway. It is the lord’s wish, and I am sure that there is a greater plan in place.’

  Unfortunately, Satyavati’s father did not agree to the match. His daughter was beautiful, and he would not allow her to marry a man who was not only blind but also a beggar.

  ‘My fate is sealed if you do not marry me,’ said Vardhana with sadness. ‘Satyavati, I have lost a kingdom and my eyes. Narada told me that good days would return, and I know somehow that this turn of events is also a turning point for a change in my fortune. But perhaps it is not my fate to marry you at all, and I can’t say that I blame your father for his views!’

  But Satyavati was firm in her decision to marry the beggar, and a simple ceremony finally took place.

  After the wedding, the couple stayed in a small hut. Satyavati worked hard to put food on the table, and nothing really changed for both of them.

  One day, when the young bride was working in the garden, something fell on her head. To her surprise, she found that it was an exquisite diamond necklace. Immediately, she looked u
p and saw two birds flying away in the distance, and realized that one of them must have dropped it. She admired the necklace and wondered who the owner was.

  The same day, she heard a royal announcement as she went about her daily routine. ‘Queen Kamala has lost a precious diamond necklace. A great reward awaits the person who finds it.’

  Satyavati understood that the beautiful necklace belonged to the queen. So she went to the palace, met the queen and told her how the necklace had reached her.

  The queen was very happy and thankful. She said, ‘Now I understand. I went to swim by the pond and gave the jewellery to my maid. My maid was eating, and the birds must have come to pick up some food and mistaken the shining necklace for something edible. I am grateful that you have returned this to me. Please tell me what you desire.’

  ‘I have a small wish, my queen.’

  ‘You name it and it shall be fulfilled. Please tell me,’ replied the queen.

  Satyavati said, ‘I hope you will not be upset. Please promise me.’

  ‘I promise.’

  ‘I earnestly request that nobody in the kingdom light any lamp on the second Friday of the month of Shraavana, including you. That is all I desire.’

  The queen was surprised and thought that it was a very strange request. But she had promised to fulfil it. So she said, ‘It is not a great ask, and it will be done.’

  The young woman returned home, happy and content.

  When the second Friday of the month of Shraavana arrived, the entire city was shrouded in darkness. The woman cleaned her home, lit lamps all over her hut, kept some food outside her doorway and shut the main door.

  After a few hours, somebody knocked at her door. A lady’s pleasant voice came through. ‘Will you please open your home to me? I want to visit you.’

  ‘Of course I will, but on one condition. Once you enter, you may not leave,’ replied Satyavati.

  ‘There is total darkness everywhere now, and you have left me with no option. Yes, I promise to come and stay with you forever.’

  With an honest smile and gratification in her heart, Satyavati opened the door and the lady entered. She looked around and saw that the hut was clean. Satisfied, the lady sat down, and Satyavati shut the door.

  A short while later, there was another knock on the door, and the same incident repeated itself until the second lady also entered and took a seat. This process repeated six times until there were eight ladies sitting inside the hut.

  ‘You are a very intelligent woman,’ said one of the eight ladies. ‘If a house is well lit and clean on the eve of the second Friday of the month of Shraavana, Goddess Lakshmi is sure to visit your home. But if your house is unkempt and dark, she will retreat. Together, we are eight different Lakshmis—Adi Lakshmi, Dhana Lakshmi, Santana Lakshmi, Veera Lakshmi, Vidya Lakshmi, Gaja Lakshmi, Dhanya Lakshmi and Vijaya Lakshmi. Together, we are known as Ashta Lakshmis, and we will now stay with you.’

  Within a few days and almost as if the couple’s fortune had changed, Vardhana’s eyesight was restored. Able and well, he built an army and took back his kingdom in time.

  After the victory, the king was ecstatic. He knew that his fate had changed because of his wife’s wisdom, and his love grew by leaps and bounds. He couldn’t stand to be away from her. The new queen repeatedly told her husband to attend to his duties, but he did not listen to her. So she prayed to Narada for assistance.

  Finally, the sage came to visit the king and the queen one day and realized that something had to be done.

  He said to Vardhana, ‘Your wife should bring me my dinner today, and she must wait outside my chambers until dawn.’

  The king was uncomfortable with the idea of being separated from his wife for so many hours. So he asked politely, ‘May I send anyone else instead?’

  ‘Satyavati is a wonderful woman, and just like my daughter. Let her do her duty and treat me as a father.’

  The queen nodded happily, and the king had no choice but to agree to the sage’s request.

  That night, Satyavati took dinner to the sage and waited outside for his orders.

  Narada, however, did not eat dinner. He closed his eyes and became immersed in meditation. Satyavati stood at his doorstep the entire night. At sunrise, she assumed that her duty was done and returned to her chambers.

  A short while later, Narada opened his eyes and called out for the queen. Realizing that she had already left, he became upset. He immediately left to meet the king and the queen.

  Narada met the couple and said, ‘O King, your wife has disobeyed me.’

  ‘Dear sir, you asked me to wait until dawn, and I waited outside for you until sunrise. My intention was never to disobey or inconvenience you,’ said Satyavati gently.

  ‘But you never even cared to take my permission before departing,’ continued Narada. ‘For your blatant disregard for a sage, I curse you. May you turn into a horse.’

  Instantly, Satyavati was transformed into a thoroughbred horse.

  Vardhana was speechless. The sudden transformation was too much for him to bear, and he began sobbing at the state of his beloved.

  Narada calmed down and consoled him. ‘There is a bigger purpose to this, my king. In time, you will understand the reasons. For now, fulfil your duty towards your subjects and rule your kingdom fairly.’

  ‘O Sage, when will she become herself again?’

  ‘When three and a half diamonds touch her body, she will return to her original form.’

  ‘That is indeed good news. I shall bring as many diamonds as we need from the treasury, but I want my wife back.’

  ‘But they aren’t regular diamonds, dear king. These are special, and they will come to you when the time is right,’ said Narada and left.

  It was the worst day the king had ever had, and his sadness was unbearable. He went to sleep that night with heaviness in his heart and tears in his eyes.

  When he awoke the next morning, the horse had vanished without a trace. Immediately, he left with his troops to search for it.

  Meanwhile, in the neighbouring kingdom, Balarama was strolling in his gardens when he saw a beautiful horse chewing grass in the distance. Desirous of riding the horse, he turned around and asked for some of his riding gear, but by the time he looked back at the horse, it was nowhere to be seen. So he decided to go find it.

  As he was getting appropriately dressed for the search, his wife, Revati, became curious at his impatience and asked, ‘Where are you going?’

  ‘I have just seen the most beautiful horse in the world. Come with me and let’s find it. Then we can both ride it together.’

  Revati agreed, and together, they traced the horse to Bhima’s palace, where Bhima stood nearby speaking to a man they had never seen before.

  The man was saying, ‘This horse is of the utmost importance to me. Please give him to me, sir.’

  Bhima said, ‘I promise you that this horse is yours. Please don’t worry.’

  Just then, Bhima saw Balarama and Revati approaching him.

  As the couple got closer, Revati said, ‘I now understand what you mean. The horse is indeed one of a kind. Let’s keep him with us in the royal stables.’

  Balarama agreed.

  As they reached Bhima and the man, Balarama said, ‘Bhima, I would like this horse for myself, please.’

  ‘But this horse belongs to this man.’

  Balarama glanced at the man. ‘I will get you another speedy horse. That is not a problem at all.’

  The man was quiet and looked pleadingly at Bhima.

  Bhima intervened. ‘Sir, I have promised the horse to this young man here. Thanks to the Rajasuya yagna and the preparations we had made for it earlier, I have plenty of other horses in the royal stable, and I will be happy to give you any of those that your heart desires.’

  ‘How dare you!’ Balarama’s temper flared up. ‘Had my brother Krishna not been by your side, the Rajasuya yagna would have never happened. Be grateful to my brother. I want to ride t
his specific horse, and I will take it.’

  Bhima wasn’t one to keep quiet. ‘I respect you as my guru and have even provided you with an alternative. I agree that Krishna was the greatest strategist we could ever expect to have, but our family has also worked extremely hard to be where we are at today. I was the one to slay your enemy Jarasandha, not Krishna. I have given my word to this young man, and if you really intend to take the horse away, then I must challenge you to a duel of maces.’

  The two men agreed to a duel and the fight began. It was an unusual one—between a teacher and a student, as well as between two cousins.

  Revati stood on the side with her heart in her mouth. Sometimes, it seemed as if her husband was on the winning side, and other times, it seemed it would be Bhima. The fight went on for hours and hours until both Balarama and Bhima were exhausted.

  Suddenly, they noticed that the horse was missing.

  A short search later, it was found in Krishna’s palace. His wives Rukmini and Satyabhama fancied the wonderful creature for themselves. ‘Can we keep him?’ they inquired of their husband.

  ‘We must first find out whether he belongs to someone else. If he is not ours, we cannot keep him,’ said Krishna and glanced at the horse with affection. He noticed the tears in the horse’s eyes.

  The horse neighed and trotted away.

  ‘Let’s see where he goes,’ said Rukmini. So Krishna and the two wives followed the horse, who led them to Duryodhana’s palace.

  It was no surprise that Duryodhana fancied the horse for himself. ‘The king of Hastinapur deserves a horse, such as this one,’ he said out loud.

  The horse changed direction and wandered away, and the group followed him again.