Prem Purana

by Usha Narayanan

  USHA NARAYANAN

  Prem Purana

  Mythological Love Stories

  PENGUIN BOOKS

  Contents

  I. Ganesha’s Brides

  1. The Parijata Forest

  2. A Delightful Surprise

  3. A Duel for Love

  4. Nara Mukha

  5. Fiery Durga

  6. A Son Like Krishna

  7. A Secret Revealed

  8. The Chintamani

  9. The Mute God

  10. A Lost Cause?

  11. A Wedding and a Dispute

  12. Celebrating Love

  II. Mandodari

  1. Strange Beginnings

  2. Lankeshwara

  3. The Rapture

  4. Folly

  5. Cursed

  6. Torment

  7. Temptation

  8. Beauteous Sita

  9. Vayu’s Son

  10. Carnage

  11. A Mother’s Grief

  12. The Secret

  13. The Setting Sun

  14. Will Love Triumph?

  III. Damayanti’s Riddle

  1. The Swan from Heaven

  2. A Clash with the Gods

  3. Kali and Dwapara

  4. The Roll of the Dice

  5. In the Heart of the Fire

  6. The Riddle of Love

  7. The Nectar of Her Lips

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  Copyright

  PENGUIN BOOKS

  PREM PURANA

  Usha Narayanan had a successful career in advertising, radio and corporate communications before becoming a full-time author. She has written several books, including the suspense thriller The Madras Mangler and the fun office romance Love, Lies and Layoffs. Her books Pradyumna: Son of Krishna and The Secret of God’s Son have been praised as ‘Indian mythology at its fiercest and finest’.

  When she is not travelling, writing or editing, Usha reads everything from thrillers to the Puranas. To know more about her, visit www.ushanarayanan.com or email her at author@ushanarayanan.com. Find her also at www.facebook.com/writerusha or tweet @writerusha.

  By the Same Author

  Pradyumna: Son of Krishna

  The Secret of God’s Son

  For my brother-in-law, K. Sampath,

  a gracious and magnanimous soul

  GANESHA’S BRIDES

  1

  The Parijata Forest

  A happy Ganesha was riding on his mouse through a forest of parijata trees. The fragrance of the orange and white blossoms pervaded the air, making him feel as if he was in heaven even though he was on earth. The moon shone brilliantly in the skies—a silvery, unblemished orb. The world was celebrating Ganesha Chathurthi, in honour of the elephant-headed son of Lord Shiva and Goddess Parvati. It was the season of music and dance, of feasting and rejoicing, for Ganesha, worshipped by 108 different names, was beloved in all the realms. His devotees on earth loved the merry young god who was easy to please. They brought him fruit and his favourite modakas, dumplings stuffed with dry fruits, grated jaggery and coconut. In the heavens, the devas worshipped him with red hibiscus and white conch flowers.

  Parvati’s young son was happy, his stomach full with all the modakas he had eaten, his heart filled with joy as he went along merrily on his path. But just then, a snake slithered across his path, and the startled mouse dropped the young god in its haste to escape. Ganesha, heavy with all the food he had eaten, was unable to get up for a moment. He muttered angrily, snatched up the bothersome snake and bound it tightly around his stomach as if to ensure that the modakas within would not spill out. As he did so, he heard a laugh from above. Soma, the moon, had watched him fall and had dared to laugh at him.

  Ganesha’s big ears flapped in agitation and he hurriedly rose to his feet. He broke off a piece of his tusk and hurled it at the full moon. ‘You will suffer for your insolence, Soma!’ he said. ‘Your light will fade gradually and you will become dark in fifteen days.’ The tusk shattered the moon’s surface and created a crater, and Soma scudded in fear to hide behind some clouds.

  Still angry, Parvati’s son pulled out a plantain tree by its roots and flung it on the ground. ‘Everyone laughs at my big belly and elephant head!’ he muttered. ‘If only I were as handsome as my brother Karthikeya . . .’ His eyes fell on the uprooted plantain tree. ‘Oh my Kola Bou, my banana wife! Forgive me!’ he exclaimed as he stroked its lush green leaves.

  Then he heard the laugh again. Ganesha’s ears turned towards the sound. Had Soma returned even after he had been cursed? There was a flash of red and Ganesha dashed forward to capture the culprit. As his hands grasped hold of an arm, he closed his eyes in ecstasy, his nostrils filling with an ambrosial scent. His hands stroked the silky soft arms that were now straining against his grip.

  ‘Let me go!’ whispered a girl’s voice as she struggled to free herself.

  ‘Soma, come back and show me your light!’ he shouted, holding her tighter. By the light of the broken moon, he saw a charming maiden clad in red, looking up at him with a mixture of fear and excitement.

  ‘Who are you?’ he asked her, his anger turning into fascination as he saw her enchanting eyes and her sylphlike form.

  ‘I am Riddhi. You must have heard of Brahma’s beautiful daughter!’ she said proudly. ‘I study at Sage Kapila’s ashram nearby.’

  ‘Yes, of course I have,’ he said, wanting to please her and keep the conversation going. He gazed at her, spellbound, unwilling to let her go. She stared back at him for a moment and then pulled free.

  ‘I know who you are too!’ she exclaimed. ‘Everyone knows about Parvati’s golden son, Gajamukha, with the head of an elephant. Now tell me, why did you call the plantain tree your bride?’

  Watching the expressions chasing one another across her vivacious face, Ganesha took a moment to answer. Riddhi’s eyes danced with pleasure as she noted the effect that she had on him.

  ‘One day, I saw my mother Durga eating her food with all ten hands!’ Ganesha said. ‘When I asked her why, she told me that when I married, my bride would not allow her to eat in peace. So she would eat to her heart’s content before that happened.’ Riddhi’s eyes widened as she imagined the sight. ‘In order to reassure her, I promised her that I would marry only a plantain tree since it would not be able to harass her!’

  ‘You are such a loving son, though you appear to be a little crazy!’ laughed Riddhi. ‘And what a wonderful idea—to marry a tree! I have an idea too, so please wait here for just a moment.’

  She darted away, with not a doubt in her mind that he would be there when she returned. There was hardly a man or god who would not wait for her, entranced by her beauty. She returned soon, laden with various objects in her hands. First, she washed the stem and leaves of the plantain tree with some water she had brought from the river Ganga that flowed nearby, and smeared vermilion on its leaves. Then she draped the tree in a white sari with a red border, bringing one end of the sari over its top to make it look like a veiled bride.

  Riddhi then clapped her hands in delight. Before her was the tree that now looked like a shy newlywed, with its drooping leaves moving gently in the breeze. She disappeared again and returned to place a decorated pedestal on the ground and arranged some flowers and incense sticks before it. Then she conducted a bemused Ganesha to the seat and placed the plantain tree on his right. The god’s eyes twinkled as he conjured up garlands for himself and his bride.

  He looked at Riddhi’s happy face and then shook his head with a smile. ‘My Kola Bou is beautiful, no doubt,’ he said. ‘But I do not wish to be married and be caught in a web of troubles!’ He gestured with his hand and at once the plantain tree was restored to its original state with its roots in the ground.

  ‘Really?’ asked R
iddhi, tossing her hair. ‘Why do you say that?’

  ‘Do you know what my father Shiva said to my uncle Vishnu?’ he asked in return. ‘He said that love destroys your peace of mind like a Brahmastra in the hands of Kama. And that a woman’s beauty is the cause of all delusion, tempting you with nectar that conceals the poison beneath!’

  ‘Do you really believe that?’ retorted Riddhi, her eyes blazing fire. ‘Why would Shiva say such a thing when he himself is married and has two sons besides?’

  ‘Maybe that’s why!’ he chuckled. ‘Just imagine his plight. The serpent Vasuki that he wears around his neck looks hungrily at my mouse. My brother Karthikeya’s peacock waits for a chance to kill the snake. Durga’s lion glares at me because an elephant is his arch-enemy. And Durga herself frowns jealously at Ganga who adorns my father’s head. No wonder then that Shiva drank the halahala poison that emerged from the cosmic ocean when it was churned!’

  Looks like he will never stop talking! thought Riddhi. ‘I think I should go now,’ she said out loud. Yet she lingered, shifting restlessly from foot to foot.

  ‘No, no! I did not mean to offend you,’ said Ganesha. ‘Please do not go.’

  She looked at his anxious face and decided to forgive him. He was interesting, with all his strange ideas. ‘So tell me,’ she said. ‘Why did you choose a mouse as your vehicle instead of a lion or a bull like your parents?’

  ‘Do you think I look funny—a giant mounted on a little mouse?’ he asked, looking woeful.

  ‘No, of course not,’ she replied, not wishing to hurt his feelings.

  ‘Come, let us eat some modakas and I will tell you the story,’ he said, sitting on the rich carpet of flowers under a parijata tree and patting the ground by his side in invitation. She smiled as she sat down gracefully, her golden anklets tinkling.

  ‘I love all animals,’ said Ganesha, his face lighting up. ‘Indeed, I could have chosen a bull like my father or even an eagle like my uncle.’

  ‘Your uncle?’ asked Riddhi, nibbling at a delicious modaka. His mouse appeared silently by his side, drawn by the sweet smell, though he was afraid that Ganesha would curse him for toppling him to the ground. However, his master smiled at him and gave him a piece of modaka to eat.

  ‘Yes, Vishnu is my mother’s brother, as both of them are Devaki’s children,’ he explained. ‘When he was born as Krishna, my mother Durga took his place as Devaki’s child, in order to safeguard him from his uncle Kamsa. As for my mouse here, he was originally a gandharva named Krauncha. When roaming the skies, he saw the beautiful wife of Sage Sabari and was overpowered by desire. He entered the hermitage and grabbed her by the hand. She screamed, arousing the sage from his meditation, and he cursed Krauncha to become a mooshika, a mouse. Shaken by the curse, Krauncha begged for forgiveness and Sabari told him that he would be redeemed when he received my blessing. Krauncha was huge and powerful and he ravaged everything in his path as he roamed the earth looking for me. Finally, he arrived at the ashram where I was studying and attacked the rishis there. Irked by his behaviour, I hurled my danda at him. My staff thundered forth, spewing flames like the fire at the end of the world. Krauncha’s body was scorched and he tried to escape by burrowing down to patala but the danda followed him there as well. He flew through the nether regions of nagas and yakshas, danavas and daityas, and finally surfaced on earth.’

  Riddhi had stopped eating and was listening to him wide-eyed. Ganesha could not help wishing that she would stay there forever. ‘Krauncha led my danda on a merry chase,’ he continued. ‘He fled to remote corners of the earth, trying to hide in snowy caves and desert lands. Many years passed in this fashion until one day he fell gasping to the ground, unable to run anymore. My danda pinioned him with coils of fire and dragged him to me. Krauncha fell at my feet and pleaded for his life. “Allow me to become your vaahana and to serve you for eternity,” he said. Poor Krauncha had already paid for his sins over a long period of time. So I granted him his boon, making my body light so that he could carry me easily!’

  Riddhi smiled as she looked at the amiable pair, sitting together and eating modakas. Gajamukha was fun to be with. She rose to her feet reluctantly. ‘I must go back to the ashram,’ she said. ‘My guru will be looking for me.’

  Ganesha did not want her to go but knew that he could not say anything, considering that he had met her only that day. She smiled as if she could read his thoughts and then turned to walk away towards the ashram that was just a short distance away.

  Ganesha was forlorn as he watched her disappear from view. He would happily brave his mother’s wrath if he could have a chance to court this lovely damsel. Maybe Riddhi would come back again the next day. Perhaps she would even look for him. He would linger in this fragrant forest, praying that she would return.

  2

  A Delightful Surprise

  Fortunately for Ganesha, Brahma’s daughter returned the next day. Rather, he came upon her during one of his restless rambles through the forest. She was seated under the tree where they had been talking the previous day and he smiled, thinking that she had come there to meet him. He stopped some distance away, admiring the lovely picture she made, looking like a parijata blossom in a beautiful white sari with an orange border, her eyes fixed on the flowers she was stringing.

  ‘Greetings, fair maiden!’ he called out as he rushed forward. She sprang to her feet, startled, toppling the silver basket holding the blossoms.

  ‘Forgive me!’ he murmured as he bent down to gather the flowers and place them back in the basket. ‘I was so happy to see you that . . .’

  He saw then that she was gradually backing away from him, her eyes wide with fear. Her expression was a total contrast to her liveliness the previous day. What had happened? Had her guru warned her to stay away from him? But he had always shown the deepest respect to Sage Kapila who was venerated on earth and heaven for his learning . . .

  ‘Is something the matter?’ he asked her as she stood before him, twisting her hands anxiously together. Her luminous eyes drew him into their depths and made it difficult for him to speak cogently. ‘Parvati’s son . . . we met yesterday . . . we were speaking . . .’ he stuttered.

  ‘Buddhi! Where did you disappear?’ The clear voice broke the silence between them as they stood staring at each other with wary eyes.

  Ganesha turned and saw another girl burst into the clearing. She greeted the young god with a warm smile and said, ‘Oh, you seem to have met my sister!’

  This was definitely Riddhi, so the maiden he had greeted earlier must be Buddhi! Parvati’s son saw that the two girls looked identical, except for their demeanour. While Riddhi had started chattering to her sister, telling her about meeting Ganesha the previous day, Buddhi stood calmly listening, her eyes darting between him and her voluble sister.

  ‘Poor Soma!’ exclaimed Riddhi, remembering his curse. ‘What happened to him?’

  ‘He came to me as a pale crescent, distraught and repentant,’ said Ganesha. ‘I took pity on him and told him that he would lose his light for fifteen days and regain it during the next fifteen.’

  ‘That was kind of you,’ said Riddhi, nodding her approval. ‘Now, tell me, what were you saying to my sister?’

  ‘Nothing, really,’ he said. ‘I guess I frightened her. I think she was preparing to flee!’

  ‘Not she!’ laughed Riddhi. ‘All the animals of the forest adore her and will tear you to bits if you should try to harm her. Did you mistake her for me? We look alike, no doubt, but you can see that I am far more beautiful.’

  Buddhi smiled at this and Ganesha gasped as he noticed the two perfect dimples that appeared in her cheeks. Suddenly, he heard the sound of galloping hooves and saw a girl riding towards them, her face flushed and her eyes fiery. He looked at her and then at the other two with him, and Riddhi laughed at the shock on his face.

  ‘Another sister!’ Ganesha exclaimed. ‘How many more do you have?’

  ‘There are only three of us!’ laughed Rid
dhi.

  The newcomer jumped lithely off her horse when she was close to them, and he saw that she was eyeing him suspiciously.

  ‘You are here just in time, Siddhi!’ said Riddhi, putting an arm around her sister’s waist. ‘Tell our new friend, Parvati’s son Gajamukha, what you think of marriage. He is very interested in your answer!’

  Ganesha was puzzled. He and Riddhi had talked about marriage, of course, but that had been the previous day. He looked curiously at Riddhi, wondering why she was bringing up the topic now.

  ‘Marriage? Who cares about marriage?’ snapped Siddhi, casting a scathing glance at him. ‘And why would I discuss it with a stranger?’

  Aha! So Siddhi has strong views on this topic and her sister wants to provoke her, thought Ganesha, seeing Riddhi’s eyes glinting mischievously.

  ‘Perhaps he is another foolish suitor for me to dispose of,’ continued Siddhi, glaring at him. ‘Listen to me, Parvati’s son! I am not interested in marrying you or anyone else. Let me warn you that I wish to emulate the virgin goddess Kanyakumari who destroyed the mighty Banasura.’

  Ganesha nodded, his eyes twinkling, noting the bow and the quiver that Siddhi carried on her shoulder. At least he had not been caught eating modakas. That would have created quite a bad impression on the warlike goddess!

  ‘See what we have to contend with,’ said Riddhi to him. ‘Siddhi is the firstborn and we cannot marry unless she does. But she is happy roaming about, looking for an asura to kill!’

  ‘Talking about marriage, I have a riddle for you,’ said Ganesha. ‘See if you can guess who I am talking about.’

  All three nodded.

  Ganesh began,

  A 1000-headed snake is his bed on the sea

  While an eagle hovers overhead, waiting to kill.

  His one wife can’t stop talking

  The other can’t stay still.