This story is from Satya Yuga (Era of Truth). Daksha Prajapati, one of the sons of Lord Brahma, had two daughters – Kadru and Vinta. Both girls were married to sage Kashyap. One day, Kashyap was very delighted with the loving care of his wives and told them, “Go ahead! Ask me whatever boon you desire.”
Kadru said, “I wish for one thousand radiant serpents to be born as my sons.”
Vinta said, “I wish for only two sons, who are better than Kadru’s sons in each respect.”
Sage Kashyap granted their respective wish. His two wives were elated and conceived soon. Advising them to take care during pregnancy, Kashyap went to the forest for tapasya.
At the right time, Kadru laid one thousand eggs and Vinta laid two eggs. Their delighted maids sealed the eggs in warm containers. Five hundred years passed. One day, Kadru’s eggs hatched into one thousand small male serpents, but Vinta’s eggs did not hatch.
Vinta grew impatient and broke the shell of one egg. A strange, half-developed baby came out. His first half was fully developed, but his lower portion was still raw. Furious at his mother, the baby raged, “Mother! Due to your sibling rivalry, you have committed this crime. When your eggs did not hatch along with Kadru's, you went ahead and personally broke an egg. Just look at what you have done. I am not even fully developed. Because of your impatience and desire to remain one step ahead of your sister, you have doomed me to a life of a handicap forever. I curse that you will become a slave to that sister, with whom you keep such rivalry, for five hundred long years. You will be free from this curse only if you remain patient and wait for the second egg to hatch by its own. If you want your other child to be born normal, then I suggest that you wait for five hundred years and let the baby be developed. He will be your salvation."
After cursing his mother, the half-developed baby flew off to the sky and went on to become the charioteer of the Sun god. He is called as Arun. Before the Sun rises, the red light of the dawn is his reflection.
This story fires my imagination. It is only the strangest, most imaginative things that are almost unbelievable that capture one's interest. Harry Potter, Lord of the Rings are some prime examples where the author's imagination has fired interest of thousands of readers. I have found the same element of mystery and magic in Hindu mythology, especially in the tales of Sata Yuga when everything was being born. This story narrates how even heavenly and godly creatures are not free from human sins like jealousy, rivalry, etc. Story of Kadru and Vinta can be of any two sisters who keep rivalry between themselves. One was the mother of one thousand serpents and the other was the mother of Arun and Garud. Simply awesome!
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