uranas Retold
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Long time ago there was a very very old man. He had
married thrice. His first wife was as beautiful as a princess .She
brought with her a large amount of dowry from her father. Her father
was a prosperous trader .He fitted out countless vessels that voyaged
across the seas to different countries ranging from Rangoon to Cape of
Good Hope laden with rich cargoes consisting of cinnamon gold and
muslin and other dainty things from the length and breadth of India .
But it is a pity that the old mans first wife died of cholera all of
a sudden. So he went for a second wife .The astrologer said that her
longevity was short . Because firstly Jupiter was ill placed in her
natal chart. Besides an ill disposed Saturn was aspecting her
ascendant. The second wife also died. He went for a third wife .
She was the daughter of a rich land lord .She brought to her husband a
lot of wealth. She lived till her husband reached the age of 75.Then
she died of asphyxia .The old man however was not tired of marrying.
He surveyed his past and found that he had earned a lot of riches
through marriage. He had by the by squandered away his wealth in many
ways. So he looked forward to a fourth wife .Nobody was willing to
give his or her daughter to an old man. But there was an orphan girl.
She lived in the house of a distant relative of her . Though she was
not rich she was exceedingly beautiful . Her eyes were as deep as a
pond on which the shadows of cocoanut trees takes refuge. The old man
had in the mean time developed a number of diseases and physical
complaints that were usual with old age. His head was already bald.
His mouth was bereft of the teeth. Some times he would be down with
feats of asthma. He could not work properly because of his legs were
made useless due to sciatic pain.He felt that he was in dire need of
a faithful wife who would look after him in his old age. So he got
married for the fourth time . He married the orphan girl. The little
girl who came to his house hold as his wife was not only exceedingly
beautiful but also exceedingly faithful. The first wife of the old man
was garrulous. She was very greedy. She would eat away what ever good
food were there in the household without giving them to her husband .
The second wife was of sad disposition . She always complained that
she was lone and lorn. The third wife was shrewish . She used to beat
her husband twice a day -once in the morning and once in the
afternoon. Her face was like that of a lioness. She had little hair in
her head and her countenance was always angry. But the fourth wife was
like a fairy come to rescue the old man from all his sorrows. She
would smile always . .The old man coughed and coughed . He used to
spit now then. The little girl would not complain .Despite the old
man, he kept her household clean . The old man suffered from a host of
ailments . He needed costly medicines and chosen diet as prescribed
by the doctor . The old man had some money but he would not spend
them. He would keep them in hiding lest his little wife got them.So
the little wife had to work as a maid servant in the neighbouring
household to earn money. With that she would pay the doctor and pay
for the medicine and feed her husband. But she did not complain for
that .
One fine morning the old man was
sitting at the window of his house . He saw a courtesan going past his
house .She was in flowing garments. They were made of the costliest
stuff. She was in a palanquin studded with gold and emerald . The
palanquin was accompanied by a band of beautiful women . Her eyes were
that of a snake that draws its prey simply by gazing at it. She ogled
at the old man from her palanquin . And the old man at once became
restless . Go he must to that woman that very night. His little wife
readily consented to the whims of her old husband.The courtesan
charged hundred silver coins for one hour if any one wanted her
company. The child wife had some savings .Beside she borrowed some
money. She sold away all her ornaments to raise the fees to be given
to the courtesan.
Evening descended upon the
scene .Soon it became night. The road became empty of traffic and
passers by. This was the hour when the old man would visit the
courtesan. But the old man could not walk. The child wife carried him
on her shoulder and softly alighted from the house on the road.
It was a new moon night. There was
a thin grey cloud covering the sky. The stars were ashamed to look
upon the world .They hid themselves behind the cloud. It was pitch
dark all over. There was load shedding .The lamp posts were blind .
The road was a net work of puddles. The child wife stumbled here
and there. The old man was hanging from her shoulder. And alas his
legs kicked a traveling mendicant. The travelling mendicant was
sitting at the road side akimbo on his rugs. He was suffering from
great pain. His head was bleeding .His head was reeling.
The wandering mendicant used to move from
one village to another with his begging bowl. He chanted the name Sri
Hari all the time. His head was so full of Sri Hari that he chanted
the name inarticulately even when he was plunged in deep sleep. One
day he was walking along the village road chanting the name of Sri
Hari. All of a sudden he saw that he was surrounded by some of the
villagers. They were looking daggers at him . They snatched his
begging bowl. They put their hand into it . And lo! They found there
a gold ear ring that they were searching. For. It was clear that the
mendicant was the thief who had stolen the ear ring of the mistress of
the panchayet pradhan. They exclaimed that such sadhus were rogues in
disguise . The panchayet pradhan was immediately informed .He rushed
to the spot where the mendicant was . They had already started beating
the sadhu. He was dragged to the village court . The honourable court
found the sadhu to be a diehard rogue . But since he had the robes of
a sadhu, death sentence was not pronounced on him . The honourable
judges said that a dagger should be thrust into his skull . So the
sadhu was dragged to a stake. There a dagger was being thurst into his
head . But god knows why. The dagger inflicted an injury on the skull
but it did not enter into the head. The people were struck by this
miracle .
In the mean time the superintendent of
police of the district drove to the spot in his car accompanied by a
troupe of police men in the police van . He alighted from the car
and decreed that the sadhu must not be tortured anymore.The real thief
had met the police officer and confessed that it was he who had stolen
the ear ring. How come that the ear ring was found in the begging bowl
of the sadhu? Well when the thief had heard hue and cry and when he
found people searching every passer by he silently slipped the ear
ring into the begging bowl of the sadhu .The sadhu was plunged in
chanting the name of Sri Hari . He did not look at who gave what to
him . And the sadhu was arrested . Learning that the innocent sadhu
was arrested the thief was all of a sudden over whelmed with
repentance. He rushed to the police and confessed. The superintendant
of police brought the thief with him and ordered that he should be
beheaded presently. He was an offender on two counts. Firstly he had
stolen the ear ring . secondly he shifted the blame on an innocent
sadhu. But the sadhu was on his knees before the police officer and
the people . He said that he was punished only because of his past
activities. When he was a child he had killed an ant pinning it on its
head. Now he reaped his past actions. The thief was merely
instrumental in bringing upon him divine justice. So the thief should
be pardoned . The people begged apology of the sadhu . They wanted
the sadhu to be treated by the local surgeon but the sadhu refused the
offer . He said that he would bear the punishment given to him by God
with a smile. Saying thus he left the village . Wandering along the
village road finally he reached the very road along which the child
wife was carrying her husband to the courtesan. The old husbands legs
hit him on his head while he was sitting on the road side suffering
from pain . He at once shouted that the old man should die with the
sun rise. It hurt the ears of the child wife . And she retorted that
the sun would never rise again in that case.
The dark night continued for hours
together . It continued for 24 hours,48 hours ,72 hours …………… It
seemed that the night had no ending . The day time activities on earth
came to a stand still. For 2 or 3 days some people enjoyed . Because
they did not have to go to office. But the hench men of the political
leaders had their hour.They went looting the houses and raping and
ripping the women . The snakes were out from their hideouts . The
whole atmostphere became loud with the roar of the lion and the tiger
and goons of the different political parties and the groans and the
screams of their victims. Soon life was suspended on earth .
The gods were taken aback they
saw the world on the brink of destruction they did not understand what
be took the world . Why did not the night end on earth . They gathered
before vaijayanti – the palace of Indra the king of the gods . Indra
accompanied by the gods hurried to Brahma to know why such things were
happening on earth . Brahma has four mouths. With one of his mouth he
was drinking tea with another mouth he was eating sweet meat with the
third mouth he was smoking cannabis. With the fourth mouth he told the
gods that he was himself anxious as to the state of affairs on the
earth. He went to lord shiva along with the gods. He found the snakes
who hung from lord shiva’s neck bright with glee. They cried that the
night on earth would never end .The rule of men on earth had ended .
The reign of serpents had begun . Lord Shiva told Brahma and the gods
that they must go to lord Vishnu to know why such things where
happening on earth .And he assured them that Vishnu could prescribe
some remedy to such state of affairs. So the gods went to lord
Vishnu . Shiva also accompanied them to lord Vishnu . Vishnu heard the
gods and smiled. He told them –look a child wife who is 200 percent
devoted to her husband has said that the sun will not rise on earth .
A devoted wife is stronger than the gods. Even gods can not undo what
a devoted wife wills . The gods exclaimed that the creation would be
destroyed in that case. What could be done to redress the situation ?
Vishnu laughed and said –we must go to Anasuya the wife of saint Atri
for remedy.She can alone save the earth from impending destruction.
How come that Anasuya can do what the
gods can not ? Well ,long time back the divine sage Narada visited
lord Vishnu . In course of his conversation with Visnu he told Lord
Visnu that there was no greater chaste lady than Anasuyaa. Lord Visnu
smiled. Narada had already circulated the news among the gods Shiva
and Brahmaa.He claimed that even Durga and Lakshmi were not as devoted
to their consorts as Anssuyaa was to her sage husband. This fuelled
the jealousy of the goddesses Brahmaani and Shivaanee. There was
cordless telephone conversation between Brahma Visnu and Shiva. Next
day early in the morning the three gods Brahma Visnu and Shiva hurried
to the humble hut of the sage Atri. The sage was already away from his
digs . He went to the Himalayas to do penance .He would not return
before six months . Anasuyaa was all alone in her hut, her head full
of her love for her husband.The three gods Brahma Visnu and Shiva
took the shape of three young men of world winning beauty . Brahmaa
looked like a lion of a young sage, his eyes gleaming like the
twilight sun , his hair likening the rain clouds, --there was a
pleasant halo around his face.Visnu looked like the moon amidst its
starry fays flooding the world with a w eird light that was never on
heaven and earth. Lord Shiva looked like a youth decked in vernal
verdure. The young men of the three gods looked at Anasuyaa with
courting eyes. But it did not make any dent on Anasuyas mind. Anosuya
was simply eager to serve the guests. She was heedless to any other
thing. The gods perceived this and they invoked all their divine might
to evoke in Anasuya carnal desires
The three had set out early in the morning.Visnu in his Vaikuntha set
out after the morning tea. Lord Shiva had set out from Kailash just
having a cup of morning milk. Lord Brahma took a glass of lime juice
and telling Brahmaanee that he would come back in a minute.
My God! The three gods did not return home during lunch. They did not
turn up even for tea coffee garni in the afternoon. Evening
descended upon the scene.It is not pitch dark in heaven during
night.The sky is there something like in Norway lit with Aurora
Borealis . Be that as it may the goddesses had not taken any food
during the whole day They were anxious. The goddesses rang each other.
They informed the other gods that Brahma Visnu and Mahesvara were
missing. The gods were also eagerly waiting for the trinity. Because
they had to take advice from them on very important issues. The demons
were already up in arms. Messengers had come to tell the gods that the
demons were gathering at the borderland of the heaven. Now at the
instance of Durga and Brahmaanee they also eagerly set out to seek the
three gods. They toiled hard to find them. They surveyed the seven
heavens. They went to Bhulok Bhuvalok swarlok Mahalok Janalok Tapalok
and Satyalok . They surveyed the seven netherworlds. But nowhere
there was the trace of the seven gods. Finally they came near a brook
on the earth in the forests of Dandakaaranya. The river goddess
babbled and whispered to them. A s per her instructions they went to
the aashrama of the sage Atri. And lo! they saw three little children
playing in the courtyard of the hut of sage of Atri . One with long
hair was playing with a snake . Another was feeding a bird. The third
child was playing with a volume of the Rigveda. Anasuya was looking
after them and caressing them with great attention and devotion . The
gods at once informed Laksmi Sarasvati and Durga and they rushed to
the spot helter-skelter. Now the thirtythree crores of gods and
goddesses were on the knees. They praised Anasuya for her chastity.
She outdid the goddesses in her devotion to her husband. Anasuya
finally released the three gods. They resumed their original
appearance. Brahma now blessed her with his four tongues from four
mouths. Visnu and Shiva also blessed her.They asked Anasuya to pray
for any boon whatever .Anasuya said that may the three gods be her
three children . When Atri came back home after her penance in the
Himalayas he was highly pleased. Brahma was born as the Moon god and
Visnu was born as Dattatreya and Shiva was born as the sage Durvasa in
the arms of Anasuyaa.
So at the instance of Lord Visnu all the gods went to Anasuya. They
told her that every activity on the earth had come to a standstill.
There was a total bandh on earth. The factories were not working. The
banks were not working. The electric supply was helpless. The peasants
were not going to plough. Snakes and hyenas were at large.Men were
dying everyday of starvation and snakebite.If night continued like
that for two days more the earth would be destroyed. It would grow
cold and contract into an invisible point. Anasuyas motherly heart
overflowed with the milk of love for all beings both great and small.
She made up her mind to save the creation. She heard the whole story
of the child wife from the gods. At her instance the gods promised to
keep up the honour of the devoted child wife. They agreed to her
proposal.
Anasuya now went to the doors of the child wife. She was sitting there
with her ailing old husband on her lap. Anasuya introduced herself to
the child wife and praised her for her devotion to her husband. The
two ladies discussed for hours together on the efficacy of being
devoted to ones husband. Anasuya however requested her to ask the Sun
to show up or else the whole creation was going out of joints.The
child wife saw eye to eye with her.But she said that she would not let
her husband die. With sun rise he would die. Anasuya implored her to
let the Sun rise.True that her husband would die presently. Because
the curse of a saint must not go in vain. But Anasuya assured her that
as soon her husband dies she would pray to gods and the gods would
call him back to life.Anasuya told the child wife that the latter
could trust her hundred percent. The child wife did what Anasuya asked
her to do . The Sun showed up in the eastern horizon. The whole world
including the seas and the skies the lions and the tigers crows and
the sparrows burst into joyful laughter. It sounded like the music of
the spheres to gods in heaven. But it sounded like wardrums to the
demons who were clandestinely gathering at the borders of heaven. It
struck terror into their hearts. At once however the the old man of
the child wife fell dead. She screamed in great agony. Anasuya held
her by her hand like a mother and chanted prayers. In no time
thousands of gods appeared in the skies. They asked the dead old man
to get up from sleep. Hurrah !The dead old man stood up as it were
from a siesta. And lo !He was no longer old. He stood up a fullblooded
youth. The beauty that is Apollo and the beauty that is Lord Buddha
mingled in him. The child wife and her young husband fell at the feet
of Anasuya. They worshipped the gods. They went to the saint whom they
had hurt.The chaste wife got her husband and it was all right with
the world
married thrice. His first wife was as beautiful as a princess .She
brought with her a large amount of dowry from her father. Her father
was a prosperous trader .He fitted out countless vessels that voyaged
across the seas to different countries ranging from Rangoon to Cape of
Good Hope laden with rich cargoes consisting of cinnamon gold and
muslin and other dainty things from the length and breadth of India .
But it is a pity that the old mans first wife died of cholera all of
a sudden. So he went for a second wife .The astrologer said that her
longevity was short . Because firstly Jupiter was ill placed in her
natal chart. Besides an ill disposed Saturn was aspecting her
ascendant. The second wife also died. He went for a third wife .
She was the daughter of a rich land lord .She brought to her husband a
lot of wealth. She lived till her husband reached the age of 75.Then
she died of asphyxia .The old man however was not tired of marrying.
He surveyed his past and found that he had earned a lot of riches
through marriage. He had by the by squandered away his wealth in many
ways. So he looked forward to a fourth wife .Nobody was willing to
give his or her daughter to an old man. But there was an orphan girl.
She lived in the house of a distant relative of her . Though she was
not rich she was exceedingly beautiful . Her eyes were as deep as a
pond on which the shadows of cocoanut trees takes refuge. The old man
had in the mean time developed a number of diseases and physical
complaints that were usual with old age. His head was already bald.
His mouth was bereft of the teeth. Some times he would be down with
feats of asthma. He could not work properly because of his legs were
made useless due to sciatic pain.He felt that he was in dire need of
a faithful wife who would look after him in his old age. So he got
married for the fourth time . He married the orphan girl. The little
girl who came to his house hold as his wife was not only exceedingly
beautiful but also exceedingly faithful. The first wife of the old man
was garrulous. She was very greedy. She would eat away what ever good
food were there in the household without giving them to her husband .
The second wife was of sad disposition . She always complained that
she was lone and lorn. The third wife was shrewish . She used to beat
her husband twice a day -once in the morning and once in the
afternoon. Her face was like that of a lioness. She had little hair in
her head and her countenance was always angry. But the fourth wife was
like a fairy come to rescue the old man from all his sorrows. She
would smile always . .The old man coughed and coughed . He used to
spit now then. The little girl would not complain .Despite the old
man, he kept her household clean . The old man suffered from a host of
ailments . He needed costly medicines and chosen diet as prescribed
by the doctor . The old man had some money but he would not spend
them. He would keep them in hiding lest his little wife got them.So
the little wife had to work as a maid servant in the neighbouring
household to earn money. With that she would pay the doctor and pay
for the medicine and feed her husband. But she did not complain for
that .
One fine morning the old man was
sitting at the window of his house . He saw a courtesan going past his
house .She was in flowing garments. They were made of the costliest
stuff. She was in a palanquin studded with gold and emerald . The
palanquin was accompanied by a band of beautiful women . Her eyes were
that of a snake that draws its prey simply by gazing at it. She ogled
at the old man from her palanquin . And the old man at once became
restless . Go he must to that woman that very night. His little wife
readily consented to the whims of her old husband.The courtesan
charged hundred silver coins for one hour if any one wanted her
company. The child wife had some savings .Beside she borrowed some
money. She sold away all her ornaments to raise the fees to be given
to the courtesan.
Evening descended upon the
scene .Soon it became night. The road became empty of traffic and
passers by. This was the hour when the old man would visit the
courtesan. But the old man could not walk. The child wife carried him
on her shoulder and softly alighted from the house on the road.
It was a new moon night. There was
a thin grey cloud covering the sky. The stars were ashamed to look
upon the world .They hid themselves behind the cloud. It was pitch
dark all over. There was load shedding .The lamp posts were blind .
The road was a net work of puddles. The child wife stumbled here
and there. The old man was hanging from her shoulder. And alas his
legs kicked a traveling mendicant. The travelling mendicant was
sitting at the road side akimbo on his rugs. He was suffering from
great pain. His head was bleeding .His head was reeling.
The wandering mendicant used to move from
one village to another with his begging bowl. He chanted the name Sri
Hari all the time. His head was so full of Sri Hari that he chanted
the name inarticulately even when he was plunged in deep sleep. One
day he was walking along the village road chanting the name of Sri
Hari. All of a sudden he saw that he was surrounded by some of the
villagers. They were looking daggers at him . They snatched his
begging bowl. They put their hand into it . And lo! They found there
a gold ear ring that they were searching. For. It was clear that the
mendicant was the thief who had stolen the ear ring of the mistress of
the panchayet pradhan. They exclaimed that such sadhus were rogues in
disguise . The panchayet pradhan was immediately informed .He rushed
to the spot where the mendicant was . They had already started beating
the sadhu. He was dragged to the village court . The honourable court
found the sadhu to be a diehard rogue . But since he had the robes of
a sadhu, death sentence was not pronounced on him . The honourable
judges said that a dagger should be thrust into his skull . So the
sadhu was dragged to a stake. There a dagger was being thurst into his
head . But god knows why. The dagger inflicted an injury on the skull
but it did not enter into the head. The people were struck by this
miracle .
In the mean time the superintendent of
police of the district drove to the spot in his car accompanied by a
troupe of police men in the police van . He alighted from the car
and decreed that the sadhu must not be tortured anymore.The real thief
had met the police officer and confessed that it was he who had stolen
the ear ring. How come that the ear ring was found in the begging bowl
of the sadhu? Well when the thief had heard hue and cry and when he
found people searching every passer by he silently slipped the ear
ring into the begging bowl of the sadhu .The sadhu was plunged in
chanting the name of Sri Hari . He did not look at who gave what to
him . And the sadhu was arrested . Learning that the innocent sadhu
was arrested the thief was all of a sudden over whelmed with
repentance. He rushed to the police and confessed. The superintendant
of police brought the thief with him and ordered that he should be
beheaded presently. He was an offender on two counts. Firstly he had
stolen the ear ring . secondly he shifted the blame on an innocent
sadhu. But the sadhu was on his knees before the police officer and
the people . He said that he was punished only because of his past
activities. When he was a child he had killed an ant pinning it on its
head. Now he reaped his past actions. The thief was merely
instrumental in bringing upon him divine justice. So the thief should
be pardoned . The people begged apology of the sadhu . They wanted
the sadhu to be treated by the local surgeon but the sadhu refused the
offer . He said that he would bear the punishment given to him by God
with a smile. Saying thus he left the village . Wandering along the
village road finally he reached the very road along which the child
wife was carrying her husband to the courtesan. The old husbands legs
hit him on his head while he was sitting on the road side suffering
from pain . He at once shouted that the old man should die with the
sun rise. It hurt the ears of the child wife . And she retorted that
the sun would never rise again in that case.
The dark night continued for hours
together . It continued for 24 hours,48 hours ,72 hours …………… It
seemed that the night had no ending . The day time activities on earth
came to a stand still. For 2 or 3 days some people enjoyed . Because
they did not have to go to office. But the hench men of the political
leaders had their hour.They went looting the houses and raping and
ripping the women . The snakes were out from their hideouts . The
whole atmostphere became loud with the roar of the lion and the tiger
and goons of the different political parties and the groans and the
screams of their victims. Soon life was suspended on earth .
The gods were taken aback they
saw the world on the brink of destruction they did not understand what
be took the world . Why did not the night end on earth . They gathered
before vaijayanti – the palace of Indra the king of the gods . Indra
accompanied by the gods hurried to Brahma to know why such things were
happening on earth . Brahma has four mouths. With one of his mouth he
was drinking tea with another mouth he was eating sweet meat with the
third mouth he was smoking cannabis. With the fourth mouth he told the
gods that he was himself anxious as to the state of affairs on the
earth. He went to lord shiva along with the gods. He found the snakes
who hung from lord shiva’s neck bright with glee. They cried that the
night on earth would never end .The rule of men on earth had ended .
The reign of serpents had begun . Lord Shiva told Brahma and the gods
that they must go to lord Vishnu to know why such things where
happening on earth .And he assured them that Vishnu could prescribe
some remedy to such state of affairs. So the gods went to lord
Vishnu . Shiva also accompanied them to lord Vishnu . Vishnu heard the
gods and smiled. He told them –look a child wife who is 200 percent
devoted to her husband has said that the sun will not rise on earth .
A devoted wife is stronger than the gods. Even gods can not undo what
a devoted wife wills . The gods exclaimed that the creation would be
destroyed in that case. What could be done to redress the situation ?
Vishnu laughed and said –we must go to Anasuya the wife of saint Atri
for remedy.She can alone save the earth from impending destruction.
How come that Anasuya can do what the
gods can not ? Well ,long time back the divine sage Narada visited
lord Vishnu . In course of his conversation with Visnu he told Lord
Visnu that there was no greater chaste lady than Anasuyaa. Lord Visnu
smiled. Narada had already circulated the news among the gods Shiva
and Brahmaa.He claimed that even Durga and Lakshmi were not as devoted
to their consorts as Anssuyaa was to her sage husband. This fuelled
the jealousy of the goddesses Brahmaani and Shivaanee. There was
cordless telephone conversation between Brahma Visnu and Shiva. Next
day early in the morning the three gods Brahma Visnu and Shiva hurried
to the humble hut of the sage Atri. The sage was already away from his
digs . He went to the Himalayas to do penance .He would not return
before six months . Anasuyaa was all alone in her hut, her head full
of her love for her husband.The three gods Brahma Visnu and Shiva
took the shape of three young men of world winning beauty . Brahmaa
looked like a lion of a young sage, his eyes gleaming like the
twilight sun , his hair likening the rain clouds, --there was a
pleasant halo around his face.Visnu looked like the moon amidst its
starry fays flooding the world with a w eird light that was never on
heaven and earth. Lord Shiva looked like a youth decked in vernal
verdure. The young men of the three gods looked at Anasuyaa with
courting eyes. But it did not make any dent on Anasuyas mind. Anosuya
was simply eager to serve the guests. She was heedless to any other
thing. The gods perceived this and they invoked all their divine might
to evoke in Anasuya carnal desires
The three had set out early in the morning.Visnu in his Vaikuntha set
out after the morning tea. Lord Shiva had set out from Kailash just
having a cup of morning milk. Lord Brahma took a glass of lime juice
and telling Brahmaanee that he would come back in a minute.
My God! The three gods did not return home during lunch. They did not
turn up even for tea coffee garni in the afternoon. Evening
descended upon the scene.It is not pitch dark in heaven during
night.The sky is there something like in Norway lit with Aurora
Borealis . Be that as it may the goddesses had not taken any food
during the whole day They were anxious. The goddesses rang each other.
They informed the other gods that Brahma Visnu and Mahesvara were
missing. The gods were also eagerly waiting for the trinity. Because
they had to take advice from them on very important issues. The demons
were already up in arms. Messengers had come to tell the gods that the
demons were gathering at the borderland of the heaven. Now at the
instance of Durga and Brahmaanee they also eagerly set out to seek the
three gods. They toiled hard to find them. They surveyed the seven
heavens. They went to Bhulok Bhuvalok swarlok Mahalok Janalok Tapalok
and Satyalok . They surveyed the seven netherworlds. But nowhere
there was the trace of the seven gods. Finally they came near a brook
on the earth in the forests of Dandakaaranya. The river goddess
babbled and whispered to them. A s per her instructions they went to
the aashrama of the sage Atri. And lo! they saw three little children
playing in the courtyard of the hut of sage of Atri . One with long
hair was playing with a snake . Another was feeding a bird. The third
child was playing with a volume of the Rigveda. Anasuya was looking
after them and caressing them with great attention and devotion . The
gods at once informed Laksmi Sarasvati and Durga and they rushed to
the spot helter-skelter. Now the thirtythree crores of gods and
goddesses were on the knees. They praised Anasuya for her chastity.
She outdid the goddesses in her devotion to her husband. Anasuya
finally released the three gods. They resumed their original
appearance. Brahma now blessed her with his four tongues from four
mouths. Visnu and Shiva also blessed her.They asked Anasuya to pray
for any boon whatever .Anasuya said that may the three gods be her
three children . When Atri came back home after her penance in the
Himalayas he was highly pleased. Brahma was born as the Moon god and
Visnu was born as Dattatreya and Shiva was born as the sage Durvasa in
the arms of Anasuyaa.
So at the instance of Lord Visnu all the gods went to Anasuya. They
told her that every activity on the earth had come to a standstill.
There was a total bandh on earth. The factories were not working. The
banks were not working. The electric supply was helpless. The peasants
were not going to plough. Snakes and hyenas were at large.Men were
dying everyday of starvation and snakebite.If night continued like
that for two days more the earth would be destroyed. It would grow
cold and contract into an invisible point. Anasuyas motherly heart
overflowed with the milk of love for all beings both great and small.
She made up her mind to save the creation. She heard the whole story
of the child wife from the gods. At her instance the gods promised to
keep up the honour of the devoted child wife. They agreed to her
proposal.
Anasuya now went to the doors of the child wife. She was sitting there
with her ailing old husband on her lap. Anasuya introduced herself to
the child wife and praised her for her devotion to her husband. The
two ladies discussed for hours together on the efficacy of being
devoted to ones husband. Anasuya however requested her to ask the Sun
to show up or else the whole creation was going out of joints.The
child wife saw eye to eye with her.But she said that she would not let
her husband die. With sun rise he would die. Anasuya implored her to
let the Sun rise.True that her husband would die presently. Because
the curse of a saint must not go in vain. But Anasuya assured her that
as soon her husband dies she would pray to gods and the gods would
call him back to life.Anasuya told the child wife that the latter
could trust her hundred percent. The child wife did what Anasuya asked
her to do . The Sun showed up in the eastern horizon. The whole world
including the seas and the skies the lions and the tigers crows and
the sparrows burst into joyful laughter. It sounded like the music of
the spheres to gods in heaven. But it sounded like wardrums to the
demons who were clandestinely gathering at the borders of heaven. It
struck terror into their hearts. At once however the the old man of
the child wife fell dead. She screamed in great agony. Anasuya held
her by her hand like a mother and chanted prayers. In no time
thousands of gods appeared in the skies. They asked the dead old man
to get up from sleep. Hurrah !The dead old man stood up as it were
from a siesta. And lo !He was no longer old. He stood up a fullblooded
youth. The beauty that is Apollo and the beauty that is Lord Buddha
mingled in him. The child wife and her young husband fell at the feet
of Anasuya. They worshipped the gods. They went to the saint whom they
had hurt.The chaste wife got her husband and it was all right with
the world
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