A story..

[Guest guest]

Pranam. How is everyone? I would like to submit this story I wrote in honour of

Devi. Please read it and send me your comments. I wrote this during Navaratri

festival 1998. It just came to me without me trying. I gave it to my dear Ma as

a gift. I had hoped that She liked it. But, I will know with certainty that She

did if my sisters and brothers like it. Without further ado..........

 

 

The Story of Neela

 

 

There was once in the distant past, when a man fought for his life daily. For

his village was ravaged by pillaging ‘Rakshasas’.Once, when he was emotionally

and physically drained, he prayed to Lord Shiva to end his life. “O Lord of my

forefathers! What kind of life have I been cursed to live? Every day, I know no

peace. My fellow villagers are dying. Wailing and sounds of mourning arise from

different houses daily. There is a perpetual gloom surrounding the village. No

longer do I have the desire to live. Therefore, please relieve me of this

accursed ‘janma’!” Whilst he was praying, his sharp ears detected the sound of a

twig breaking. Immediately, his hands went to his weapons and he prepared

himself for battle. He waited, tensely, for his unknown enemy to reveal himself.

 

 

 

Suddenly, the whole forest reverberated with feminine laughter. While the young

man stood about confused, there appeared a beautiful woman of fifty-five years.

That was when it dawned upon him that it was the lady’s laughter, which pervaded

the forest.

 

 

 

“Who are you, Mother? Why are you here? Don’t you know that this area is

infested with evil ‘Rakshasas’? And, why are you laughing at my prayer?” asked

the young man.

 

 

 

“My name is Durga! I am on a ‘punya yatra’ and while I was passing through, I

heard your silly prayer, My son.” answered the lady and started to laugh again.

 

 

 

“Wait, Mother! Why do you laugh? Do you find my woes funny?” roared the young

man in anger. The lady stopped laughing and answered him, with her doe eyes full

of mirth.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

“My son! Why do you seek Death? Death is not your servant, who can be summoned

at will. God has not willed that you should die so Death will not deprive you of

your life force. You are young and healthy. Your four limbs do not lack

strength. You have full control over your faculties and your senses. Everything

about you shows youth and vitality. Tell Me, why are you bogged down by

despair?"

 

 

 

“Mother, I am Neela. I come from the cursed village called Vajra gramam.

Everyday, evil Rakshasas arrive in hordes to capture our villagers. All the men

gather to fight them off. And, each day, one of my relatives, family or friends

fall. We cannot even give them proper funerals because the Rakshasas take their

bodies for one of their unholy feasts. Everyday, one of the women in my village

becomes a widow, a mother loses her son or a sister loses her brother. My soul

is suffering from this constant anguish. If I continue to live like this, it

wouldn’t be long before I lose my sanity! I wish to die!” finished Neela

implacably.

 

 

 

“O, Neela. Do you truly wish to die? Or, do you still wish to live, deep down

inside you? If you truly wish to die, why did your hands take up weapons when

you heard me coming? For a man who wishes to die, you show a remarkable desire

to defend and protect yourself. So tell Me truly, Neela. In your most secret

heart, do you wish to live or die?” asked the Lady Durga.

 

 

 

Neela opened his mouth and said, “To live! Wait, I mean, to die!” he uttered in

growing confusion. “Very well, Neela. I shall grant you your desire. Close your

eyes,” ordered the Lady Durga. To his astonishment, Neela did just that.

Suddenly, he felt a piecing pain travel through his body and fell down. Slowly,

he felt his consciousness slip away from him.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Light. Bright, white light. Surrounded by it. Although the light was blinding,

it did not hurt the eyes. In fact, it filled one with bliss. Suddenly, a sweet

voice called out. “Neela! Look at Me!” it commanded. “Where are You?” asked

Neela. “Right in front of you, Neela. Concentrate on My voice and you shall see

Me.” answered the voice and began to chant the Gayatri Mantra. As Neela sought

the owner of the voice, concentrating on the mantra, he felt it resound in his

mind. As the mantra grew louder in his mind, a figure took shape. Within a few

minutes, the Lady Durga was in front of him. Yet, how different She looked!

 

 

 

“Neela, My son. Here I am. The Lady of your Lord. The Goddess of your God. The

Wife of your Father. Your Mother! I am the slayer of the asura, Mahisha. I am

Durga. Your courage has always pleased me, My son. That is why I have always

protected you. I couldn’t bear it when you decided to renounce your life. That

is why I came to you today,” said the Mother.

 

 

 

Neela couldn’t speak for a while. His throat was clogged up with emotion. His

bodily hairs stood up. He gazed at the Mother with joy and wonder. Hearing such

praise from the Mother of Courage filled him with ecstasy. Then abruptly, his

joy vanished.

 

 

 

“O, all-powerful Mother! How could you just protect me? Those who fell to the

Rakshasas are your children, too. How could you forsake them in their hour of

need? For that matter, why is Vajragramam afflicted with Rakshasas? And, why did

you take so long to respond to our prayers?” he questioned.

 

The Mother looked at him tenderly for a few minutes. Then, “Neela, let me tell

you a story. There was once a king called Savitr. He ruled an island called

Sindoorpur, just off mainland Bharat. The King was just and the land rich. The

King protected the citizens and the citizens were honest. This King had a wife

called Hinduja. She was the daughter of Maharaja Hindu of Vaishakapur in

mainland Bharat. Although the King and Queen were happy and fulfilled, they

lacked one thing. A son and heir to the throne. So, they consulted the Brahmanas

who were well versed in the Sastras. They advised the royal couple to perform

the ‘putra kaameshti’ yagna. The King and Queen agreed and invited one of the

Brahmanas themselves to perform the yagna. Alas, unknown to the royal couple,

the Brahmanas were cursed by the sage Narada when they consumed alcohol and meat

during their youth. All yagnas performed by them or their sons were cursed to

have a fault until an eclipse had occurred in their country and they had taken a

bath in the sacred river, Ganga. The royal couple were disappointed and started

on their way home. After they had travelled a few yards, one of the Brahmanas’

sons stopped them. This son was called Asvattha Kumara and was the son of the

head Brahmana, Lingashtaka Shastri. Asvatta Kumara was still a novice and did

not yet know of the sage’s curse. He loved the King and the Queen like the rest

of the citizens and wanted to help them. So, he went to the King in secret and

offered his services.

 

 

 

So, the King and Queen began the yagna. All the citizens of Sindoorpur helped

and each prayed reverently that the yagna should be successful. The Brahmanas

did not learn of this as they had gone to the fair city of Mithila in Videha for

the

 

marriage of Lord Ramachandra and Sita Devi. The yagna went well until Asvattha

came to the desired characteristics of the child. Instead of asking for a child

who would not hesitate to fight for justice, by a slip of tongue, he asked for a

bloodthirsty child. But Asvatta did not realise this. After finishing the yagna,

he gave the sacred remains mixed in milk to the Queen. Instead of drinking the

drink in one go, the Queen drank it in three gulps. Therefore, she gave birth to

triplets. The whole kingdom resounded with joy that year. However, as the

princes grew older, the people’s joy diminished. In all aspects, the princes

were perfect. But, they would often start fights and kill their opponents in a

gruesome manner. They would also get their courtiers and go for royal hunts,

killing many animals cruelly. The King and Queen tried to discipline the three

princes but to no avail. One day, the King died and within the year, the Queen

died. The three princes became joint rulers. Soon, they decided to wage war with

one of their neighbours, Sushinderpuram. They thought that since Sushinderpuram

was small, it would fall easy. But the islanders barricaded themselves and

fought valiantly for a year before they fell. After that, everything went in a

downward spiral. The princes all caught a mysterious disease and died one after

another. Sindoorpur went into chaos and one day, just sank into the ocean. After

a few centuries, nobody even remembered Sindoorpur, once the envy of many

nations!” paused Durga Devi. Neela, who had been engrossed in her story, looked

enquiringly at her.

 

 

 

“Neela, you were the eldest prince. Your two younger brothers were your

brothers then, too. The villagers who died were your friends and the royal

courtiers. It was the islanders suffering and curses that attracted the

Rakshasas. For the

 

past eleven months, you had been suffering from the reaction of the sins you

committed. That was why I didn’t intervene before. However, the period of your

sufferings is drawing near.

 

My son, by the Gayatri mantra, on which you meditated upon, you have taken a new

birth. By My grace, you shall now know the mantra for the various magical

‘astras’, by which you may defend your village and yourself. Go back to your

village and barricade yourselves by the virtue of mantras, which you shall know

instinctively. Ask the whole village to fast strictly for a month. Cleanse your

bodies and minds. On the first day of the new month, gather your men and

weapons. War with the Rakshasas and you shall return victoriously. Then, let the

whole village go to Varnasi and bathe in the sacred river, Ganga. Ask the man

who will be uttering the Gayatri mantra out aloud in the inner sanctum, to

perform the will of the Mother and you shall see My gift to you!” blessed the

Mother and vanished. Neela went back to the village immediately and did as the

Goddess Durga instructed.

 

 

 

After their victory over the Rakshasas, the people of Vajra gramam set

off to the holy city of Varnasi. There, after bathing in Ganga, they went to the

Vishwanatha temple to gain darshan of the Lord and the Mother. There, in the

inner sanctum, was a dirty man who was uttering the Gayatri mantra out aloud.

Neela was astonished that this apparently mad man would be able to give him the

Goddess’s gift. But, trusting Her, he approached the mad man and said “ O, Sir!

The great Mother told me to inform you that the time to perform Her will is at

hand.” The stranger then got to his feet and bowed to Neela. “O blameless one,

I ask for your forgiveness. I am Asvattha Kumara. When I learned of my folly and

the fate of Sindoorpur, I hated myself. I went to the Goddess Kali’s temple to

kill myself. Just as I was about to throw myself on Her trident, She appeared

before me. She told me not to commit suicide and instead to tour the world and

teach the Vedas to the masses. She also told me that in my next birth, I would

be born as a Brahmana. In my new birth, after I had finished my training, the

Mother appeared in my dream and told me of my former birth and the sin I

committed. To make amends, She told me to come here and chant the Gayatri mantra

out aloud. And when you arrive, I have to take you and your villagers to the

banks of Ganga. Therefore, please follow me.” he finished. As an amazed Neela

and his villagers went to the banks, Asvattha sat in the lotus position, and did

a few rituals. He then took an earthen pot and filled it with ‘Ganga jal’. He

asked each person to come forward and asked him or her to call out the names of

those who died. As each person called out, Asvattha threw some water from the

pot back into the river and said, “Arise into the land of the living, O’ valiant

one!” And the wonder of it was that, one by one, the fallen ones rose out of

river. They looked as if they had just finished their bath and were coming out

to the bank, instead of being dead for the past few months. After, the last

person had been resuscitated, Asvattha turned to Neela and said,” My job is

finished and at last, I am free of my sins as you are. Please remember the

lessons that both of us have learned the hard way and act accordingly. This is

my most humble request of you. For now, I take my leave." He then left for his

hometown. Neela and the villagers too left for Vajra gramam.

 

 

 

Once there, they commenced to build a beautiful temple for the Goddess

to show their thanksgiving. Neela was elected to the head of the village. He

married a wonderful woman and had many children. He lived to a grand, old age

and always remained devoted to the Goddess. And, always, he remained

 

wary of excessive violence. He was hailed as a hero and poets created poems of

his bravery. May all of us who read this story be as celebrated as Neela! May we

also keep in our minds the lessons learned by Neela! May the Beloved Goddess

Durga be in our hearts always and guide our paths!

 

 

 

JAI SHRI DURGA !

 

The End

 

With Love

 

Shankaree

 

 

 

 

 

Health - Feel better, live better

 

 

[Guest guest]

Dear Swamy mama,

Pranam. Thank you for your encouraging and kind words. Isn't it beautiful the

way God moves? In order to show His approval, my Father Lord Shiva prompts me to

send in this story which was written 4 yrs ago. I am blessed in that, not only

do I have the satsang of great souls but I am also used as an instrument by

Bhagwan. Even sweeter is the knowledge that I was used. For we are all His

instruments but the knowledge allows us to connect and be intimate with Him My

ananta kodi namaskarams to Lord Pashupati and to you, my dear mama, for showing

His mercy.

With Love

Shankaree

 

 

 

 

 

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