Story 7 - The Birth of Garuda

After Vinta lost her bet with Kadru, she became her slave. Five hundred years passed. At the right time, the second egg laid by Vinta hatched. Out came a supremely radiant bird-like creature. His eyes were glowing with yellow light and body was as bright as fire. As soon as he was born, he flew into the sky and started growing. It seemed as if it would consume the entire universe with his strength, energy, and speed.

When gods saw this divine power, they first thought that it was Agni (god of fire) growing in size. They went to Agni and prayed, “Lord, please restrain yourself. Are you planning to burn us? Look, just look, your brilliant idol is spreading towards us.”

Agni replied, “Gods! This is not my idol. This is Garud, son of Vinta. You have mistaken him for me. He is the king of birds, a killer of snakes, a helper of gods, and an enemy of demons. Do not be scared of him. Come with me. Let us meet him.”

Agni and other gods then went to Garuda and prayed to him. Listening to their prayers, Garuda said, “You were frightened with my gigantic size. Do not be afraid any longer. I will now restrain my size and energy.” Gratified by his assurance, everyone returned.

One day, Vinta was sitting with her son, Garuda, when Kadru called her.

She ordered, “Vinta! I wish to see a beautiful site underneath the ocean with my sons. Take me there.”

Vinta then carried Kadru on her shoulders, while Garuda carried the serpents. The entire party set out to tour the desired site.

While flying, Garuda came very close to the Sun due to which many serpents fainted. Kadru prayed to Indra (god of thunder and lightning) and covered the entire sky with clouds. Rain fell and the atmosphere became cooler. The serpents were revived in no time at all.

When the party reached the site, the serpents were thrilled. They played around, toured the ocean's depth, and happily gazed at the creatures thriving within the ocean. Refreshed and delighted, they ran to Garuda and demanded, “You must have seen several beautiful islands in your flights. Take us to one such island.”

Garuda was distressed. After much consideration, he asked Vinta, “Mother, why should I obey the serpents?”

Vinta replied sadly, “Son! This is all because of a foolish bet that I made with Kadru before you were born. I lost the bet due to the trickery of her sons and unfortunately became her slave.”

When he heard the sad plight of his mother, Garuda was grieved. He went to the serpents and said, “Please listen and tell me carefully. What is that thing you want me to bring, that information you want me to get, or that task you want me to complete so that my mother can become free?

The serpents replied, “Garuda, if you can get us nectar somehow with your strength and courage, then we promise you that your mother will be free.”

Story 6 - The bet between Kadru and Vinta

One day, the two sisters Kadru and Vinta were taking a stroll together when they saw a magnificient, seven-headed horse called Ucchashrava. The horse was one of the 14 jewels that came out when gods and demons churned the ocean of milk to obtain the nectar of immortality.

Ucchashrava was the mightiest, swiftest, and the most handsome horse in the world. The sisters gazed at the horse in wonder. Kadru exclaimed, “Sister! Look and tell me the color of the horse.”
Vinta replied, “I think it is white. What do you think?”
Kadru contented, “Yes, its body is white but its tail is black. Come, let us bet on it. If you win, then I will be your slave; otherwise, you have to become my slave.”

Having made this bet, the sisters decided to wait till the next morning when they would observe the horse from a close distance to decide who won. Now, Kadru wanted to win the bet at any cost. She called her one thousand serpent-sons and told them, “Children, go immediately and cover Ucchashrava’s tail so that it appears to have black hair. I will then win the bet and do not have to become a slave.” Some serpents were reluctant to participate in this trickery and refused. Kadru was furious and cursed them, “Go, I curse that you will be burned to ashes in Janmayjay’s Yajna.” As soon as Kadru said these words, all the gods and heavenly bodies started praised her courage. It is a rare event in nature when a mother curses her own children to die. During that time, vicious and poisonous snakes were ruling the world and harming innocent living beings. So this curse turned out to be a blessing for other creatures. Even the creator of the world, Lord Brahma, praised Kadru’s courage with these words, “People who intentionally harm others are severely punished by the nature that created them.”

Kadru and Vinta spent a restless night and woke up early in the morning. They decided to go by the sky route to the place where Ucchashrava was grazing. Meanwhile, the serpents were a worried lot. Afraid of their mother's curse, they decided among themselves, “We should do as our mother has asked us to. If her wish is not granted, then she will blaze us with her anger. However, if we do as she pleases, then she may even free us from this curse. Come, let us turn the horse’s tail black.” Thus decided, they wrapped themselves over Ucchashrava’s tail, so that it looked black in color.

When Kadru and Vinta reached the horse, they saw that the horse’s body was as white as moonlight but its tail was black. As soon as Vinta saw this, she turned pale as she had lost the bet. From that moment, she accepted to be Kadru's slave.

Story 5 - Birth of Arun

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.

Story 4 - Story of Ved and his student Uttank

This is the story of Ayuddhaumya’s third student, Ved. Ved went on to become a Guru himself and he had a brilliant student, Uttank. This story is mainly about the task of Uttank and how he encouraged King Janmayjay to perform a Yajna to avenge his father's death, thus setting out the chain of events for the bitch's curse to unfold.

One day, Ayuddhaumya called his third student, Ved, and said, "Son, stay in my house for a few days. Serve us well and you will be blessed."

Ved agreed and spent a considerable time serving his Guru. Selflessly, he performed every task set out by his guru, even when Ayuddhaumya would load him like a beast of burden. However, he carried on with his duties, without a complaint.

Pleased with his service, Ayuddhaumya blessed him and set him free to move on with his life. Ved happily bade his teacher farewell and returned to his native town. He married and became a teacher.

Like his guru, Ved too had three favourite students, but he would never ask them for a test to prove their devotion like Ayuddhaumya. This is because he knew firsthand what hardships a student suffers when he is asked to prove his devotion to Guru and did not want to cause the same suffering to his students. So he gladly imparted knowledge to his students while serving as a priest to King Janmayjay and King Paushya.

Whenever Ved left his house for priestly duty, he would appoint one of his students as a caretaker. One day, he appointed his brilliant student, Uttank, to take care of the house while he was away. When he returned, he heard a lot of praise for Uttank’s decent behaviour.

Delighted with these reports, he called Uttank and said, “Son, you have served me with a lot of devotion and care. I am very pleased with you. May all your wishes come true. Now, you have my permission to leave the ashram and set out in the world.”
Uttank bowed to his guru and asked, “Sir, before I leave, I would like to present you with a gift. What do you desire?”
Ved refused but when Uttank persisted, he said, “All right, if you insist, then go and ask my wife.”
Uttank called on his Guru’s wife and repeated the request. She smiled and said, “I would like you to go to King Paushya’s kingdom and bring a pair of earrings from the queen. Four days from today, we have a banquet for Brahmins. I want to wear those earrings while serving food to them. If you can perform this task, then you will be successful, otherwise not.”

Uttank set out for King Paushya’s palace. On the way, he saw a tall man sitting on a bull. The man called out to Uttank and asked him to eat the bull’s dung. Uttank refused. The man encouraged, “Why do you hesitate? When I asked your Guru to eat it once, he readily ate it. Do not think much, eat it.” Uttank hurriedly ate the bull’s dung and went on his way. He washed his mouth while walking and reached the king’s palace.

He introduced himself to King Paushya who welcomed him. Uttank said, “Your highness! I have come to ask a favor from you.” When Paushya heard Uttank’s request, he sent him to his queen’s palace.

In the queen’s palace, however, Uttank could not see the queen anywhere. He searched for a while but when unsuccessful, he returned to the King and complained bitterly that the queen was missing. The King replied, “My lord! My queen is a pious woman. She cannot be seen by any indecent or unclean man.” When he heard this, Uttank remembered what happened during the way and narrated the incident to the king. The king said, “That is the reason you cannot see the queen. You ate on the way and did not wash your mouth or hands properly.”

Uttank was humbled by his carelessness. He sat down facing the east direction, washed his mouth and hands, sipped the holy water three times, and washed his mouth twice.

After performing these ablutions when he returned to the palace, he could see the beautiful queen. The queen greeted him, offered him refreshments, and asked how he fared. Uttank narrated his Guru’s wife’s request to the queen. The queen took off her earrings and handed them to Uttank with a warning, “Be very careful with them. Takshak, the king of serpents, also desires them. If you are not careful, he might just snatch them from you.”

Uttank thanked the king and the queen for their generosity and set out on his way back. On the way, he noticed a snake following him. Sometimes it would appear, and sometimes disappear. After a while when Uttank was thirsty, he put down the earrings to drink water. The snake was waiting for just that opportunity. It immediately snatched the earrings and disappeared. Uttank realized that the snake was none other than Takshak in disguise.

Furious with his sneaky behaviour, Uttank summoned Vajra, the weapon of Indra (the god of thunder and lightning). With Vajra’s help, he followed Takshak to the land of snakes. Scared of the power of Uttank, Takshak returned the earrings. Uttank returned at the right time to present them to his Guru’s wife and received her blessings. However, he could not forgive Takshak for his devious behaviour.

He bid farewell to his guru, came to Hastinapur, and sought an appointment with the king. During that time, King Janmayjay had just returned after a successful invasion over Takshilapur.

Uttank said to the king, “Your highness, it was Takshak who had killed your father by biting him. Your father’s life could be saved by a Brahmin called Kashyap. When Kashyap was coming to revive your father's life, Takshak tricked him into going back. You must take revenge of your father’s death from Takshak. To do so, you must perform a Yajna and burn the sinner snake into ashes. That soulless evil has also caused me a lot of grievance. If you perform the Yajna, then you can take avenge your father’s death and I will also be pleased.”

Story 3 - Upmanyu's Story

This is the story of Ayuddhaumya’s second student, Upmanyu.

One day, Ayuddhaumya decided to test his devotion.
He called him and said, "Son, I have a task for you. I would like you to herd cows and protect them during the day."
Upmanyu accepted the task and took out the cows for grazing next day.

When he returned in the evening, Ayuddhaumya asked him, "Son, you are looking so healthy and radiant. What do you eat and drink?"
Upmanyu replied, "Sir, I eat the food that I get from begging."
His Guru forbade him to do so, saying, "Son, you should not eat anything before offering it to me."

Upmanyu obeyed his Guru’s wish. Next day, he presented all his alms to Ayuddhaumya. Ayuddhaumya took away all the food without leaving anything for Upmanyu to eat. Upmanyu did not complain and went back to herding cows the next morning.

When he returned, Ayuddhaumya asked him, "Son, I have taken all your alms. Now, what do you eat?"
Upmanyu answered, "Sir, after I presented my alms to you, I returned and begged again.”
Ayuddhaumya gasped. He said, "Son, this is highly improper. When you go and ask for alms the second time, not only you take the share of other people who deserve those alms, but you also prove your greed."
Upmanyu heeded his Guru’s words.

When he returned in the evening, his Guru asked him again, "Son, I take all your alms. You do not beg again. In spite of that, you are looking so healthy and strong. What is the reason for that?"
Upmanyu replied, "Sir, I drink cows' milk."
His Guru forbade him from that too, saying, "Without my permission, it is not proper to drink cows' milk."
Upmanyu obeyed to this wish too.

Next evening, after he returned from herding cows, his Guru asked, "Son, you have now even stopped drinking milk. What do you eat?"
Upmanyu humbly replied, "Sir. I now drink the foam that calves spurt out after they drink their mothers' milk."
His Guru lamented, "Oh Lord! The poor calves must be taking pity on you and spurting out a lot of milk. By drinking the foam from their mouth, you are hindering the calves' growth."
Upmanyu listened to his Guru and even stopped drinking the foam from calves' mouth.

After his Guru stopped all his means of nourishment, Upmanyu got desperate and ate leaves of the 'Aak' plant (Calotrope). The leaves of the plant were bitter and produced a poisonous juice. After a while, Upmanyu found that he had lost his eyesight. Blind and hungry, he wandered around the forest until he fell into a dry well.

In the evening when Upmanyu did not return, his Guru was worried. He asked his students, "Has Upmanyu retuned?"
The students answered, "Not yet, Sir. The cows have returned, but not Upmanyu."
Ayuddhaumya was concerned. He said, "I stopped all his means of eating. He must be angry and upset with me and thus has not returned. Come, let us find him."

Ayuddhaumya went to the forest with his students and called out. "Upmanyu! Upmanyu,” the group called out, “Where are you? Come son."
When he heard his Guru’s voice, Upmanyu called out from the well, "I am in the well."
The group heard him and rushed to the well. Ayuddhaumya looked inside and saw his poor student, weary, blind, and wounded. His clothes were torn but his face was turned up in the general direction of the Guru.

Ayuddhaumya asked him, "Son, how did you fell in the well?"
Upmanyu replied, "I ate Aak’s leaves and lost my eyesight. I started wandering around to find my way back to the hermitage and fell into this well."

Distressed on hearing his plight, Ayuddhaumya advised him to pray to Ashwini Kumars. Ashwini Kumars are extremely handsome twins who are physicians of gods. “Son, you must pray to Ashwini Kumars,” said Ayuddhaumya, “They will surely restore your eyesight." The group then pulled out the blind Upmanyu from the well and returned with him to the hermitage.

In his small hut, Upmanyu started praying to Ashwini Kumars. Pleased with his devotion, Ashwini Kumars appeared before him and offered him a sweet, "Son, we are very pleased with your selfless devotion,” said Ashwini Kumars, “Eat this sweet and your eyes will be healed."
Upmanyu folded his hands in namaskar to the gods. He said, "My Lords! I am deeply humbled by your gift, but I cannot eat it without first offering it to my Guru."
Ashwini Kumars smiled and said, "Upmanyu, there was a time when your Guru also prayed to us and we offered him a sweet. At that time, he ate it without offering it to his Guru. So, if you eat the sweet now, you are only following what your Guru did."
Upmanyu remained steadfast. He folded his hands and said, "Please forgive me, gods, but I cannot eat this sweet without offering it to my Guru first."

Ashwini Kumars were impressed by Upmanyu’s devotion and loyalty to his Guru even in this adverse time. They smiled and said, "Son, we are pleased by your devotion to your Guru. We will now give you a boon. Your teeth will turn into gold, your eyes will heal, and you will have a happy and prosperous life."
As soon as these words were uttered, Upmanyu’s eyesight was restored. He opened his eyes and saw the twin gods in all their splendour and glory. He bowed to the gods, who blessed him and disappeared.

Upmanyu then rushed to his Guru and narrated the entire episode. Ayuddhaumya was delighted. He said, "Son Upmanyu, as per the boon by Ashwini Kumars, you will live a happy and successful life. In addition, all Vedas and Dharamshastras will be known to you automatically."

Upmanyu was elated at these words. When it was time for him to leave the ashram, he happily bid everyone farewell and returned to his native town.

To be continued.

Story 2 - Aaruni's Story

During the reign of King Janmayjay, there lived a Guru named Ayuddhaumya. He had three main disciples - Aaruni, Upmanyu, and Ved.

This is the story of his first strudent, Aaruni.

One day, the Guru summoned Aaruni, “Son, the levees of the field have been damaged and the irrigation water is rushing out from the field. Please, go and repair the levee.”

Aaruni bowed to his Guru’s wish and went to the field. However, the work was more difficult than he thought. He tried several times but could not build a levee. Tired and exhausted, he thought of an idea. In place of the levee, he laid down, which blocked the water flow. He remained in this position the entire day.

When the evening came and Aaruni did not return, Ayuddhaumya was worried. He asked his disciples, "Where is Aaruni?"
His disciples answered, "Sir, you sent him to build a levee in the field."
The teacher said, "Come, let us see where he has gone."

When they reached the field, the Guru called out, "Aaruni! Aaruni! Where are you, son?"
When he heard his teacher calling out, Aaruni stood and came to him with folded hands, "Sir, I am here. I apologize for not paying my respects to you in the evening, but I could not leave the field. When I could not stop water from flowing out by any means, I laid in place of levee. When I heard you calling for me, I stood up and have come to you for service. Please accept my greetings. Command me, what can I do to serve you?"


The Guru was pleased with the selfless service of his student. He smiled and replied, "Son, you stood up after breaking the levee. From now on, you will be known by a new name, Uddalak (the one who gets up after breaking things). When you could not build a levee, you laid in place of it. You did this great service to your Guru without worrying about food, drink, or physical comfort. Therefore, you will be also known as Kalyan. All Vedas and Dharmashastras will be learned by you automatically."

With these blessings from his Guru, Aaruni bid farewell to the aashram and happily returned to his native town.

To be continued.

Story 1 - King Janmayjay's Curse

Long, long time ago in India ruled a king called Janmayjay. He was a bold warrior, a wise man, and a noble soul. He was a descendant of valiant Pandavas.

The great battle of Mahabharata left several casualties for generations to come. One such casualty was to the Pandavas themselves. One day, a furious warrior named Ashwathama who was from the enemy side of Kauravas had infiltrated their camp and killed all the Pandavas’ sons. The only remaining heir was Parikshit, who was still in the womb of his widowed mother Uttara, the daughter-in-law of the great archer, Arjuna (third Pandava).

Janmayjay was the son of Parikshit. He had three brothers – Shrutsen, Ugrasen, and Bhimsen. Together they ruled India from their capital city of Hastinapur for several years until a dog cursed them.

This is the story of that curse. Once upon a time, King Janmayjay was performing a Yajna with his three brothers when a small dog ventured inside. Seeing the dog in the auspicious site, the king’s brothers rushed to capture it. They held the dog and beat it mercilessly. The dog started crying and somehow managed to escape the clutches of the men.

Bleeding profusely, it went to its mother. Now, the dog was not just any stray dog. It was the son of a bitch, who belonged to Gods.

When she saw her son crying and wounded, she was worried and asked, “What is the matter, son? Why are you crying? Who beat you?”
The small dog cried, “Oh mother! It was the king’s brothers who beat me.”
The bitch was concerned and asked strictly, "Surely, you must have done something terrible to deserve this punishment.”

Tears in its eye, the dog replied, "No mother! I did not do anything. I just ventured inside the site where they were performing the Yajna. But I did not look at the sacred fire or lick or touch anything. The king's brothers beat me without any reason."

Hearing these words, the bitch was furious and stormed into the Yajna site.

She screamed, "Listen, o king! My son was beaten by your brothers. May I ask the reason for this severe punishment it when it did not look toward the sacred fire, or lick or touch anything?" The king and his brother were lost for words.

Enraged with this injustice meted out to her son, the bitch cursed, "You have punished my son without any crime. I curse you that you will be consumed by a sudden fright.”

When the king heard these words from the bitch of Gods, he started trembling. Somehow he managed to finish the Yajna. But as soon as he returned to Hastinapur, he started a massive search for a learned astrologer throughout his kingdom that could prevent this curse. Many applicants came but the king was not certain of their wisdom and power to prevent the cursed calamity.

One day, he was hunting in a forest when he saw a beautiful, calm hermitage (ashram) of a sage near the river. Pleased at this serene site, he went inside to pay respect to the sage.

The hermitage was the adobe of a sage called Rishi Shrutshrava. Janmayjay greeted the sage with folded hands when he saw a young ascetic sitting next to the sage. The young man was deep in meditation. When the king enquired, the sage replied that the young man was his son called Somshrava. Janmayjay was impressed by the young man’s knowledge and learning and decided to appoint him as his astrologer.

He bowed to Rishi Shrutshrava and said, "My lord! May I have your permission to take your son to the city? I would like to appoint him as my astrologer."

The sage replied, "Dear king! My son is an esteemed ascetic. He can calm all calamities that are going to strike a person, except for the words that have come out of Lord Shiva. But he has a secret oath. If a Brahman asks him for a boon, then he will not refuse. If this condition is acceptable to you, then you have my permission to take him along."

Janmayjay readily agreed and returned to Hastinapur with Somshrava. He called his brothers and told them, "My dear brothers, I would like you to meet my new astrologer, Somshrava, the son of Rishi Shrutsharva. Please make him welcome. From today, you must obey his every word without a question." The brothers agreed gladly.

Reassured and calmed by the presence of the sage, the king and his brothers started planning for an invasion into another kingdom called Takshilapur.

To be continued.