Incest Divine Touch of the Yakshini

[neerathemall]

then the column of light went out and I woke up in my bed," said Shakuntala.

She, Rukmini and Narmada had just narrated their dreams to Yashoda. It was the morning after they had experienced the shared dream. At day break Shakuntala had found Rukmini and Narmada knocking on her front door. After quickly corroborating that all three had seen the same dream, they had rushed to Acharya's house. There, in the privacy of the backyard, they had confided everything to Yashoda, trusting the wisdom of the old lady to guide them.

Yashoda listened to them with rapt attention throughout and then went deep in thought.

"Well, what do you think?" asked Rukmini.

"Getting contacted in your dreams by celestial beings is not unheard of. So, it doesn't surprise me. I'd heard many such occurrences of it when I was a child, though it rarely happens now. And as the Yakshini mentioned, sexual relations among kin, was indeed widely accepted and practiced in the days of old. Even our ancient religious texts and scriptures mention about it. So, I don't think any less of you for desiring your sons," said the old lady, looking at them. All three friends blushed under Yashoda's stare.

She continued, "The only matter bothering me is whether we can trust this... Urmi. Mind you, not all celestial beings are benevolent. There are many legends about nature spirits playing cruel jokes on humans. It might simply be for their mirth or something more sinister. We never know what their true intentions are. I feel it would be best to consult the Maharishi and seek his guidance."

***

Later in the morning, the four women journeyed to the mountains to meet the sage. Maharishi heard them with patience. After some thought, he asked, "Do you know the legend of the Lady Rati, as told in one of our most revered scriptures, the Vishnu Purana?"

Shakuntala knew of Lady Rati but wasn't aware of her legend. She looked at Rukmini and Narmada who also looked like they didn't know. Yashoda obviously knew of the legend but kept quiet.

Maharishi recounted the tale to the women.

"Lady Rati, as we know is the Goddess of Lust & Sexual Desires. She is the female counterpart and wife of Lord Kama, the God of Love & Passion.

"The Vishnu Purana, tells the legend of Kama and how his body was turned to ashes by a furious Lord Shiva for interrupting His meditation. Mad with grief, Rati begged Lord Shiva to resurrect her husband. The ever-merciful Lord Shiva was moved by her sorrow. He promised her that Kama would be reborn as Pradyumna and she would find him in the demon, Sambara's palace.

"The asura king, Sambara had been wreaking havoc on mankind and deities alike, for quite some time. It was prophesized that he would die at the hands of Pradyumna. Rati assumed the form of a servant in the asura's palace kitchens and awaited the return of her husband.

"Sambara had heard of the prophecy about his death. So, when Pradyumna was born, he abducted the infant and threw him in the sea to die. There, the infant was swallowed up by a large fish but stayed alive within its belly due to his divine powers.

"By the twist of fate, that same fish was caught and brought into the asura's kitchen to be served as food. When Rati cut open the fish, she discovered the infant within. She secretly raised the boy as her son, with Pradyumna believing Rati to be his mother.

"As the boy reached adulthood, Rati's passionate feelings and sexual desires started manifesting towards him. Conflicted, he rejected her physical advances thinking it incestuous. That was when she revealed her true form and reminded him of his identity and past life. She also revealed to him his purpose in this new life; to kill Sambara and bring peace to the world.

"Finding out his true purpose, Pradyumna fought the asura and slayed him in battle. Having fulfilled his destiny, he finally returned home to his parents with Rati as his wife."

The Maharishi completed his tale. All were silent for a moment. Rukmini asked, "Does that mean, Lady Rati married the boy she raised as her son?"

"That's one way to look at it, my child. When you said that the Yakshini was tasked by Lady Rati to spread incestuous love, it brought this legend to my mind. It may so happen that the Goddess of Lust may have wanted us mortals to feel the desires of incest, in a way like she did. The Yakshini might be telling the truth after all."

"Maharishi, what do you reckon we should do?" pleaded Narmada.

"Your choices are limited. I just got word from my disciples that they have failed to find any cure for the diseases. They reckon the sickness and death of the plants and the villagers may be due to reasons beyond our understanding. This makes me think that there might be some truth to the Yakshini's claim about the imbalances in nature.

"We've tried everything we could and failed. If things are allowed to continue unchecked then it will be the end of your village and all its people. The Yakshini is your only hope now. I suggest you heed her words and trust her."

The journey back to the village was a quiet and uneventful as they all walked in silence. Shakuntala pondered over the Maharishi's advice. While they had not explicitly said so; she knew that Rukmini and Narmada secretly desired their sons. She, herself, found it difficult to accept her own desires for Sanket. Though in her heart she knew it to be true, her conscious mind rebelled against the thought of sexually uniting with her own son.

They reached the village just before nightfall and proceeded to their homes. When Shakuntala reached her house, she found Sanket and Angad outside. Angad was consoling a visibly distraught and tearful Sanket. She rushed into the house to find Omkar tending to an unconscious Jaidev. Her husband had fallen sick with the disease.

***