Story 1
People were gossiping throughout Vraja – saying that Radha was unchaste, that she had had an affair with Krishna. Full of affection for his devotees, Krishna decided to remove the stain from Radha’s name.
One day Krishna suddenly became unconscious. Finding no way to bring him back to his senses, all of Vraja began to weep and wail. In the meantime a kaviraja( Poet) arrived and after learning the cause of their crying, reassured them with the words, - ‘Have no fear. Your Krishna will be fine in no time. However you will have to do one thing. If one chaste woman can draw a a pitcher full of water from the river Jamuna, using this pitcher with a hundred holes, then the water can be sprinkled on Krishna and he will immediately regain his consciousness. Now there is no dearth of chaste women in vraja. But mind you not a drop of water should spill from the pitcher.’
Jatila Kutila etc. tried in vain. Each one returned head down with shame.
Finally, Radha took the name of Krishna took the pitcher headed low and headed towards the river. A crowd of onlookers gathered and there was utter confusion. Radha carried the water-filled pitcher uttering ‘victory to Krishna’. Not a drop of water fell out and she came to the place where Krishna was lying. The Kaviraj came and said that Radha alone seemed to be chaste as this impossible deed was done by her. Then Krishna was brought back to consciousness. All the people of Vraja were happy and praised Radha but she maintained that it was Krishna’s victory and not hers.
One must have intense yearning for Him to obtain Krishna’s grace.
When language fails to convey a concept adequately, one then takes help of stories and allegories to express it. When there is no religious colour to these expressions, they are known as fairy tales and folk tales. And when these narratives are about divine beings, arranged in a coherent system, passed down traditionally and linked to the spiritual or religious life of a community these narratives are called mythology.
Myths are often intended to explain the beginning of universe, local customs, natural phenomena, perplexing cultural conventions of rituals and anything else for which there is no easy explanation available. Creating myths is natural and inherent in every human mind, and hence the tendency to create and live by myths is found all over the world. ‘Myths are not history, but they convey a truth’ as a thinker once said.
Story 2
King Swet of Vidharbha Kingdom was most uncharitable, not even giving to the needy people in his kingdom. Later in his life he developed a sense of detachment and abdicated his throne, renounced worldly life and went to a forest where he built an ashram and began living an austere life. He performed penance for many ways.
While on his way to the lake to bathe, he stumbled, fell and died. He was elevated to Brahmaloka, Brahma’s realm, where he received everything except food to abate his hunger. He was told he would not receive food because he had not given food to the hungry when he was on earth. Worried, the king wondered how he would survive without food. Unable to bear his hunger, he asked to be sent back to earth. Brahma replied ‘You have earned a place in this realm by doing penance for many years. You cannot be born again and return to earth.’
Observing the king’s predicament, Brahma suggested a way out of the situation. To the king he said ‘On earth, your body is still lying on the bank of the lake where you died. No animals have touched it. Thus you can go to earth and eat the flesh of your own body to satisfy your hunger.’
To this the king replied ‘Oh lord! My dead body will be stinking from decay. How can I eat such an unappetizing thing? Even if I could do so, it would soon be consumed and I would be hungry again.’
Showing mercy to the king, Brahma said, ‘Do not worry, I will ensure that your body does not deteriorate or give off a foul smell. Every time you eat from it, it will be replenished and so remain intact.’ The king was quick to ask ‘Even if you grant me this favor, how can I make the long journey to earth everyday?’ Brahma said, ‘I will provide a very fast celestial craft which will take you to earth everyday and bring you back after you have finished eating .
After the arrangements were made, the king asked Brahma, ‘How long would I have to travel back and forth between Brahmaloka and earth in this manner?’ Brahma replied, ‘when you go to earth and find your dead body, upon it you will find a golden necklace. Take it and keep it with you. In future when you meet sage Agasthya, give the necklace to him as a gift. He will then bless you and you will no longer feel hungry.’ From then on, the king went back and forth to earth to appease his hunger. One day when he was on earth, he met a sage to whom he told his story. Feeling moved, the sage revealed himself as Agasthya. The king was pleased and immediately presented the necklace to the sage, saying, ‘ I know you do not require any wealth because you are a renunciate, but kindly accept this golden ornament so that I can be free from this horrible situation. This ornament is no ordinary one. It was made by Vishwakarma many generations ago for my ancestors. When worn this divine ornament will save you from difficulties.’ Accepting that necklace, Agasthya gave his blessings to the king and freed him from his hunger. Sage Agasthya later presented the orhament to Lord Rama who gave it to his wife, Sita.’
Story 3
There were 2 sages Shankh and Likhit, who were brothers well versed in scriptures. They lived at different ashrams, in the same vicinity. The younger brother Likhit, went daily to pay his respects to his elder brother. Once he arrived at Shankh’s place while he was bathing in a river nearby. Feeling a little hungry while he waited, he decided to eat some sweet fruit he saw hanging on a tree in the garden. When Shankh returned, seeing Likhit eating the fruit, he asked if he obtained the permission to pick it from the garden. Likhit replied that he had not received the permission. Shankh asked his younger brother how he would classify this act of his and Likhit replied that it would be considered as theft. Shankh asked ‘ Do you know that the punishment for theft is to cut off the thief’s hands at the wrist? How will you atone for your sin? I cannot punish you; you must seek punishment from the king of this region.
Feeling ashamed, Likhit wanted to repent and immediately went to the king. Knowing Likhit was a sage, the king wanted to prostrate at his feet and offer him gifts. However Likhit immediately said that he is not a sage to be respected and has to be punished. He then told the king what had happened.
The king did not know what to do? He did not want to punish the sage. He said ‘As a king I can punish you, but I can also absolve you from your crime.’
Likhit said ‘you have no right to change the laws of the scriptures . You must give the punishment prescribed for theft’. The king then told him that his hands must be cut off at the wrists and the servants executed his order. – Likhit was happy and his embarrassment vanished - He came back to his brother showed what he had done as atonement for his sin and hoped he would now look favorably at him.
Preparing to go to the river for his midday sadhana, sage shank asked his brother to join him. Standing in water up to their waists, they both bathed in the river. Then Shankh took water in both the hands and offered it to the Gods. He then asked Likith to put his arms in the water and as he did so he was surprised to find both the hands were restored. Turning to his brother he asked, ‘if you were going to show such a favour to me anyway, why did you first send me to the king?’
Smiling, Shankh replied, ‘the king is the only one who can give punishment. I am a saint and I can only grant favours.
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