Another one in the mythology series. This is a story about some of the boons and curses which were meted out in Hindu mythology, and how they affected the future course.
Boon - Sage Durvasa to Kunti, Curse - Sage Kindama to Pandu
Kunti was the biological daughter of Shurasena, a Yadava chief, who had given Kunti to his chlidless cousin Kuntibhoja. Once Sage Durvasa visited Kuntibhoja, and Kunti was assigned the task to look after the comforts of the sage. Pleased by her devotion, Sage Durvasa gave her a boon - a mantra which she could recite to invoke any god to bear a child. Kunti was curious (and in some texts she just did not believe that the mantra would work). Hence she decided to test it, and invoked the mantra in the name of Surya.
Surya appeared before her, and Karna was born, but she was now afraid as she did not want to bear a child out of wedlock. She placed Karna in a basket and set him afloat on a river, where it was later found by Adiratha, a charioteer, who raised the child. Karna grew up to be a famous archer who became Duryodhana’s friend and was the third commander-in-chief of the Kuru army after Bheeshma and Dronacharya.
Kunti is married to Pandu, who also has Madri as his wife. Once Pandu was out hunting in the forest, and he shoots his arrow at a deer couple. It turns out the deer were Sage Kindama and his wife who were in the midst of lovemaking in that form. The sage cursed Pandu that he would suffer the same fate, and would die were he to approach his wives with the intent of lovemaking. Pandu renounces his kingdom and starts living as an ascetic. Kunti reveals to him the boon given by Sage Durvasa, and Pandu urges her to bear the children so that his lineage can go on. Kunti bears Yudhisthira, Bheem and Arjun from Dharma, Vayu and Indra respectively. She also teaches the mantra to Madri, who has Nakul and Sahadev from the twin gods Ashwini Kumaras.
Boon - Lord Shiva to Bhasmasur
Bhasmasur was a devotee of Lord Shiva. He once performed a penance to please Lord Shiva and to gain a boon. Lord Shiva was pleased with his devotion, and asked for what was desired. Bhasmasur asked for the power that whoever head he puts his hands on would immediately turn to ashes. Shiva knew this power could be used wrongly, but he was bound by his promise, and granted Bhasmasur his wish. Bhasmasur then proceeded to wreak havoc across the world, killing people at his whim.
The rishis turned to Lord Vishnu for his help. Lord Vishnu appeared in front of Bhasmasur in his Mohini form. Bhasmasur was immediately enchanted, and asked her to marry him. She put a condition that she could marry him only if he was able to match her dance forms exactly as she did them. He agreed, and they started dancing. Eventually after some time, Mohini proceeded to create a form in which she had her hand on her head. Bhasmasur forgot about his boon, and as he placed his hand on his own head, he was turned to ashes.
Curse - Parashuram to Karna, Curse - BhoomiDevi to Karna
Karna wanted to get acquianted with the art of warfare, and wanted to get new weapons in his arsenal. For this purpose, he sought the tutelage of the great Parashuram (who was the sixth incarnation of Lord Vishnu). Parashuram had vowed that he would never teach a kshatriya, and would impart his knowledge to brahmins. Karna portrayed himself as a brahmin and started learning under Parashuram.
Towards the end of his lessons, once Parashuram wanted to take a nap, and he put his head on Karna’s lap and fell asleep. Soon, an insect appeared and bore a hole in Karna’s thigh. He was in excruciating pain but did not budge lest he woke up his master. Blood trickled down, and when it touched Parashuram’s face, it awakened him. He was surprised at what he saw. He realised Karna was not a brahmin, as no brahmin would be able to withstand the pain. Upon realizing Karna’s true identity, Parashuram cursed him that in the time of need, he would forget whatever he has learnt, and hence will not be able to invoke the celestial weapons.
The story other curse goes as follows. Karna was the ruler of Anga (which was given to him by Duryodhana). Once he saw a boy who was crying because his bowl of oil had fallen on the floor. Karna offered to buy the same amount of oil, but the boy refused and insisted he get the same oil. Karna took the soil and squeezed it so hard that the droplets of oil fell in the bowl held by the child. The boy left after the oil had been restored, but now Karna heard the wails of a woman. He soon realized it was BhoomiDevi (mother Earth) who was crying because of the pain caused by Karna. She cursed him that at a crucial juncture in his life she would hold his chariot back the same way he had held her in his hands.
Both these curses come into effect on one day during the battle between Kauravas and Pandavas. While fighting Arjuna, Karna’s chariot gets stuck in the moist soil, and he suddenly forgets all the mantras required to invoke the weapons. He is then killed by Arjuna.
Boon - Lord Brahma to Hiranyakashipu
Hiranyakashipu started to pray to Lord Brahma in order to be able to gain powers to kill Lord Vishnu, as was angry with him for killing Hiranyakashipu’s brother Hiranyaksha. Lord Brahma was pleased with him, but he was unable to bestow upon Hiranyakashipu his initial wish - immortality, who then proceeds to ask for a wish which he believes would be cryptic but would essentially grant him the same result. He asks Lord Brahma for a boon that he may not be killed by any of the living entities created by Lord Brahma, may not be killed inside the house or outside, during day or night, nor on the ground or in the sky, and nor by any weapon, human being or animal. Lord Brahma grants him his wish.
Hiranyakashipu’s son Prahlad becomes a staunch devotee of Lord Vishnu, which irks him since he has hated Lord Vishnu for so long. During one of their conversations, Hiranyakashipu angrily asks Prahlad, that he says Lord Vishnu is present everywhere, so whether he was present at that moment in a particular pillar. Upon hearing an affirmative from Prahlad, he breaks down the pillar with his mace, only for Lord Vishnu to emerge from it in the form of his Narasimha avatar, who goes on to kill Hiranyakashipu without violating the terms of his boon. He is not an entity created by Lord Brahma, as he is a form of Lord Vishnu himself. He is killed at the boundary of his house and outside. It is dusk. Narasimha is not a human being or an animal, but partly both. He kills by placing Hiranyakashipu on his lap, and tearing him apart with his nails.
Hiranyaksha and Hiranyakashipu are actually incarnations of Jaya and Vijaya, the gatekeepers of Lord Vishnu’s abode. I will explain their story in detail in the next post.
Curse - Vriddhakshatra to unnamed, Boon - Lord Shiva to Jayadrath
When Jayadrath was born, a voice was heard from heaven that he would attain all glory, but his head would be ultimately severed by a prominent warrior. His father Vriddhakshatra cursed that whoever would cause his son’s head to roll on the floor would have his own head smashed to a thousand pieces.
During the time the Pandavas were in exile, the Pandavas had gone to gather some food, leaving Draupadi at the ashram. Jayadrath saw her, and sent a proposal to marry her even after knowing her identity. When she refused, Jayadrath abducted her. On knowing this, the Pandavas went after him, and humiliated him, but spared his life. Jayadrath started a penance to please Lord Shiva, and pleased by his devotion, Lord Shiva granted him one wish. Jayadrath asked to be able to defeat the Pandavas in battle. Lord Shiva told him that was not possible as the combination of Krishna and Arjuna could not defeated in any war, but granted him a wish that for one entire day of his choice, he would be able to hold off any warrior from the opposite side, except Arjuna.
During the battle, Jayadrath explained this to Dronacharya. Susharma, the king of Trigarta, was able to lure away Arjuna to another part of the battlefield, and then Dronacharya created the chakravyuha and started wreaking havoc on the Pandava army. Apart from Arjuna, his son Abhimanyu knew how to enter the chakravyuha, but unlike his father, Abhimanyu did not know how to come out of it. The Pandava brothers decided that they will be right after Abhimanyu, but Jayadrath, by virtue of his boon from Shiva, was able to hold off everyone. This led to Abhimanyu stuck in the chakravyuha alone, and was ultimately killed inside.
Arjuna, on hearing this, vowed to kill Jayadrath the following day. Krishna knew the curse of Vriddhakshatra, hence at the time of killing him, Krishna directed Arjuna to keep shooting arrows in a particular direction where Vriddhakshatra was meditating. This caused the severed head of Jayadrath to fall in the lap of his father. When he got up, the head rolled on the floor, and in accordance with his own curse, his head burst into a thousand pieces.
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