Week Eleven Storytelling: Love for Death

There is always haze, and the tumultuous screams that surround me have become white noise. This is an everlasting punishment I was once told.  My soul is being devoured by the engulfing flames, and I can feel my skin melting as I crawl on the ground from being suffocated by the heat.  Crying does not help.  The salt from our tears welt our faces before we feel the evaporating stings.  More and more women and children are thrown into the fire each day.  Yesterday, I saw Yama fling a three year old into the fire by her leg.  It was there where she lay on the ground screaming piercing cries, before she was accompanied by her mother.

“Dare you throw a child into the depths of hell Yama?” The woman cried out. “I only steal bread for my children to eat! Should she too suffer from my sins?”

Woman in hell

I looked at who I believed to be the man that I would marry. He wore dark clothing and stood six feet high.  Broad-like shoulders and he has beautiful eyes. When seeing him, you would have not have known that you were encountering death. His words were sweet, and his touch was gentle. He would gain your trust, and believe that the words he speaks are true.  The capture was never sudden nor felt immediate.  He enjoyed being a predator comforting his prey. The day he met me, I was sitting near the shore of the Godavari River watching my brothers capture fish for our dinner. 
There he stood looking at me, and I blushed each time I looked away.  I would see him in the market where I would buy fresh fruits, and walking near the school I attended. As time passed, the stranger that watched me from far away asked me my name.

“Sumatra,” I told him. He whispered that my name was beautiful and matched me perfectly.  I began to meet him daily at the Godavari River and share my life stories to him. Months began to pass, and he was well known by my family and friends.  We would share our lives together--forever.

It was the day after we announced our engagement, I told Yama I had a secret. We left during the night when the moon filled the sky.  The Godavari River shone as the moonlight reflected its beauty. We held hands as we sat along the shore listening to sounds around us.

“Yama, I must tell you a secret that no one knows.  I have guilt in my heart that I cannot bear. Two years ago I saw a woman laying in the street. She was crying and begging for food. I stared at her like she was infected with disease.  Her hands were dirty, and hair disheveled. Her clothes were rags that barely covered her skin. A man walked by and gave her money for her and her child to eat.  As the man walked away, she continued to thank him generously. She looked towards the sky and thanked the gods for her small fortune. I stared at her in disgust and looked at her child as she watched me.   I grabbed the money from her hands and told her that she did not deserve it.  I told her that beggars must earn wealth, not be given it.  Do you believe that too Yama?”

Poor Woman and Child in Kanyombya

[Yama sat in silence and watched the ripples in the water.]

“Yama?”

“Sumatra the life we are given we do not choose, but the choices we make can better our lives.  Not all people choose to be poor, and what you see as poor some see as wealth.  You took her wealth and food from a child’s mouth. That woman stole because of you. She committed a sin so she could feed her child. Because she stole, she had taken wealth from another man and his family. I gave you many chances to repay the woman all those times I saw you in the market.  That woman sat in her same place with her hungry child, and you were only concerned with me. Do you remember the day when she stopped you by pulling on the hem of your skirt? She asked you for forgiveness for being poor, and you scoffed. I cannot be with a woman who steals from the poor and is vain. ”

“I will repay her back!”

“No you still don’t understand. You knew what you did was wrong and guilt shall remain in your heart.”

Yama rose from where he sat and walked into the brush.  I followed him only to see a horse and a dark chamber behind it.

“What is this Yama?”

“Sumatra I am the god of death and you are no longer apart of the living. When we held hands I separated your spirit from your body.  Your body will lay where we sat near the river.  It will be recovered by your family in the morning, but your spirit shall stay with me.”

Woman by A River

Author's Note: This story is inspired by the Budhastami Ceremony: The Bride if Yama, the King of the Dead.  In the story there is a woman by the name of Bijaya who is in search of a missing bull that was stolen from her and her younger brother Kausik.  They find the bull being danced around by celestial beings, as they traveled deep into a forest.  One of the beings tells them that they must go home and perform the Budhastami Ceremony in order to receive the bull back.

After the siblings perform the ceremony, goddess Paravati grants them one boon each.  Bijaya prays for a devout husband, and her brother Kausik prays for wealth.  Goddess Paravti guides Bijaya to her husband.  Bijaya meets a man, and Paravti lets her know that he is the devout man that she seeks. The man turns out to be Yama, the King of the Dead. 

When Yama and Bijaya get married, he warns her not to travel to the southern grounds of their property.  Out of curiosity and disobedience, Bijaya travels to the south grounds and sees women who are being burned by the eternal fires of hell.  In that fire, she sees her mother who is crying out for help.

Since Bijaya sees many women who are entrapped by the fire, I wanted to create a story that involved one of the many women that she sees.  When Yama met Bijaya, his appearance and demeanor was not one that seemed threatening.  I pictured Yama as a man of great stature an d morals, and wanted him display those characteristics in the story. 

Bibliography:  The Sacred Tales of India by Dwijendra Nath Neogi (1918) 

Week Eleven Reading Diary Continued: Sacred Tales of India, Dwijendra Nath Neogi

The Budhastami Ceremony

The Bride of Yama, the King of the Dead

Kausik and Bijaya search for their missing bull that was stolen from them.  When they find their bull, they see celestial beings dancing around the bull.  They were told by on e of the beings to go home and do the Budhastami ceremony, and once they finish the bull will be returned to them. Once they finish the ritual, Paravati grants them two boons.  Kausik will become king and Bijaya will marry Lord Yama. 

When Bijaya marries Yama, he tells he where she may and may not travel around their home.  Curiously, she travels to the south grounds on their property and sees her mother burning “in hell”.  She asks Yama to release her but he cannot. He tells her to visit her brother first and see if he would be willing to give up a portion of his riches.  Kausik declines to help his mother because he does not want to become poor.  She then visits a poor Brahman woman who is willing to sacrifice a portion of her reward that she was given when she practiced the Budhastami Ceremony.

The Mangal-Chandi Ceremony

The Goddess who Devoured Elephants

Lahana and Khullana were married to a man by the name of Ratnakar.  Lahana was jealous of Khullana.  Because of her jealousy, Ratnakar banished her form their home.  When Lahana walked through the forest she met people who were worshipping.  They told her of the goddess Mangal –Chandi, and the blessings that she gives.  After hearing a story about a hunter and his wife, Lahana began her pujah.  She wished for her husband to take her back, and he appeared. 

She was blessed with a child, Sadanand.  When Sadanand grew older, Ratnakar was not present.  He travelled to Sinhal and never returned.  Sadanand wanted to look for his father.  He and his mother called upon Mangal-Chandi for her guidance, and the Sadanand left for Sinhal.

Like his father, Sadanand saw Mangal-Chandi sitting on a floating lotus forest eating elephants.  He told the king, and the king ordered Sadanand to be executed.  Mangal-Chandi appeared, and told the king to release Sadanand and his father from the jail.  Mangal-Chandi ordered the king to give Sadanand a wife and half his kingdom.  After all was done, they set sail back home where they met Khullana.

The Janmashtami Ceremony

The Slayer Kangsa

The gods had came together to petition Kangsa for his behavior.  He was being a tyrant, and had killed all of the children of Devaki.  Vishnu had order the gods no to act upon killing him, but let him do it.  Vishnu would be born to Devaki in human form, and when he is older, he will commit the act.  Kangsa tried to kill Vishnu when he was born, but he was switched with Yasoda’s daughter.

Vishnu grew up as Yasoda’s son.  When it was time for him to complete his task, he broke Kangsa’s great bow and killed Kangsa.  Kangsa was sent to heaven although he committed grave acts on earth. 

The Padma Pujah Ceremony

Chand, the Unbeliever

Padma was born to Mahadeo, a god.  When he took her to heaven, her stepmother Bhagavati saw her as competition and was filled with jealousy.  Bhagavati ripped one of her eyes out and had Mahadeo banish her from the heavens and have her sentenced to live on earth. On earth Padma found a man by the name of Chand.  Chand was rich and had an ill-stricken wife and six sons.  Padma wanted Chand to take her as his wife but he refused.  He believed that she was an imposter. 

Padma had Chand’s children killed, and ordered him to worship her.  Many times, he refused until Lakhindars was brought back to life.  

Goddess Bhagavita 

Bibliography: The Sacred Tales of India by Dwijendra Nath Neogi (1918) 

Week Eleven Reading Diary: Sacred Tales of India, Dwijendra Nath Neogi

Sacred Tales of India

The Manasa or Naga-Panchami Ceermony

The Divine Brothers

Lahana was the seventh wife of the youngest son whose father was a farmer. She did not have any living relatives like her sister-wives.  One day when she and her sister-wives left their home to bathe, they spoke of the things that they wanted out of life.  The wised for possessions and to live in the homes of their biological fathers.  Lahana was unable to wish for such things because she possessed nothing. 

Her sisters convinced her to think of something, anything that would make her happy.  She wished for a good meal that consisted of two fish and time off from work.  Upon walking home, the two fish that she thought out appeared in front of her.  Her sister told her to gather the fist in her skirt and cook them for herself after she cooked dinner.  Later that evening when she was done cooking for her family, she opened the basket where she left the fish.  The fish transformed into two snakes.  The snakes were Ahiraj and Maniraj, sons of Padma Rani.

Lahana took care of the snakes and fed them.  Because of her kindness, they granted her a life full of riches, possessions, and most of all a family.

The Savitri Ceremony

Snatched from Death

Savitri was the daughter of King Asvapati of Ujjayinee.  She was born to the queen after her father prayed to the gods a committed a great Putreshti sacrifice.  Her father wanted her to be happy and gave her the blessing of picking her own husband.  She chose a man by the name of Satyaban, who was a son of a hermit.

Satyaban is not a hermit, but the son of King Dyumastena. If Savitri were to marry Satyaban, he would die within a year of the marriage.  It was declared that she would marry him after much deliberation between her, her father, and Narada. 

Savitri moves to the forest after her wedding, and lives with her new family.  W hen Satyaban falls to his death, Savitri encounters Lord Yama.  She pleads to Yama to bring him back to life but Yama assures her that he cannot.  He grants Savitri three boons.  With each wish that she makes, Yama is granting life to Satyaban.  When Yama realizes that he has been tricked, gives up his charm to Savitri.  Savitri takes Satyaban home, where they live their happy ever after.

The Itu Ceremony

Buy It’s Favor

A Brahman who was known for gluttony asked his wife to make cakes.  Two had been given to his daughters Rama and Isani.  The Brahman banished the girls by taking them to the forest.  When they awoke, they encountered women who were praying to Itu.

The women showed them how to pray.  Rama and Isani wished for their father to become wealthy and be given a son.  Later, they went back home and found that their father was wealthy and alive.

The girls were married off and Isani stopped praying to Itu, but Rama continued.  Isani suffered greatly.

Bibliography: The Sacred Tales of India by Dwijendra Nath Neogi (1918)