Son of Fire, daughter of the Sun

Chapter 1 Curse of Durvasa

In that world, from the very beginning, everything did not go according to plan, Bolenath, and, I confess, there is a share of my fault in that. Even before the birth of King Shantanu and even his older brothers Devapi and Bahlika, Indradev and Suryadev appeared before me in Vaikuntha. They came to ask for a solution to their protracted dispute about whose sons are the most powerful. Indradev claimed that his six sons were stronger than any of the descendants of the Sun God. In turn, Suryadev said that none of the children of Indra can be compared in greatness with his firstborn. And if we consider that in addition to the eldest son, Suryadev also has a middle and younger ones, no less famous in all three Lokas, then the dispute should be resolved in his favor. For who can be equal in his talent to the Ashvin healers? And to whom will Shani yield in strength and sense of justice? The Deva King Indra, listening to Suryadev's reasoning, became angry, and the Sun God clearly took pleasure in listing the virtues of his children. Both great devas looked too serious with their, in my opinion, completely childish argument. I made a mistake in deciding to play a trick on them and show how small their present difficulties are compared to their future ones. I hinted that in two centuries their future sons would decide this dispute about power on the battlefield. I let slip about the coming birth of the son of the Sun and the son of the Thunderer in Mrityu Loka, O Virupaksha. I said that two amazing boys would be born in Hastinapur from the same earthly queen. They will become great warriors and unsurpassed archers. The son of the Sun and the son of the Thunderer will constantly compete with each other to find out who is the most skilled of them, and only on the battlefield after many years will the winner be announced. I partly gave away the secret of the future, O Lalataksha, and for that there is no forgiveness for me, for these two proud descendants of Aditi, instead of stopping the dispute, continued it with even more fervor. They left Vaikuntha, tirelessly discussing the virtues of their unborn sons, invented by themselves on the go. Driven by curiosity and pride, they went to Mritya Loka to look at the birthplace of their descendants. To their misfortune, forgetting and not noticing anything around in the heat of the argument, they disturbed the meditation of the sage Durvasa, held on the banks of the Yamuna River, and the enraged sage cursed them. Look, O Kalakala , how it happened," Vishnu waved his hand, and the image of the world that Narayana remembered came to life before Mahadev.

"None of my sons can lose to yours, neither in training nor in battle! He will surely win!" Surya said arrogantly, trampling the top of a tall palm tree with his golden sandals.

"Never," Indra protested, hovering in a fighting pose over a sandalwood tree.

- "My son will become the best in all three Lokas, everyone will see his glory!"

Both devas did not notice that the result of their heated argument was the weather changing dramatically every minute. The sun flashed mercilessly in the sky, burning all living things with its rays, then clouds swam, thunder rumbled, and it rained. After the thunderstorm over the same happened for the eighth time, from under the sandalwood rose with an angry face the one whom they both did not notice. The sage Durvasa drew himself up to his full height and exclaimed loudly:

"How dare you, insignificant ones, disturb my meditation with your petty problems?! Can't decide whose son will become great in the future? I curse you both! Instead of sons, you will have a daughter! And let them both at least until the end of their lives find out who is better, boasting of hairstyles and gold jewelry, but not the art of combat! This will be a fitting punishment for your pride."

Turning pale, Suryadev and Indra fell at the sage's feet, begging for forgiveness. The great rishi looked with indignation and contempt as the two lords of the divine lokas lay prostrate at his feet, begging for forgiveness. An hour later, seeing the stubbornness and desperation of the devas, Durvasa took pity.

"I can't change the curse, but I'll soften it. The son of Indradev, born as a girl, will again become a boy as soon as he first touches a peacock feather, but then, when he becomes an adult, he will have to live in a female form for a whole year, remaining a man in spirit and body. And there will be special reasons for that. The daughter of the Sun will regain her masculine appearance if there is someone who does not refuse her and agrees to marry her, while everyone around her doubts her chastity. And until then, she will remain the spirit of the young men, but the body - the devi."

What is this blessing? Suryadev was indignant. "My son may have to live all his life in a female body, and immediately after birth, the son of Indra can put a peacock feather in his fingers, and he will become a boy again!" Where's the justice?

"For an interpretation of justice, you can turn to your middle son Shani, if you are not happy with my decision," the sage replied dryly.

- I follow the rule: to act for the good of the universe. And my curses, as everyone knows, are for the benefit of the world. So go away, both of you, and don't interfere again before I curse you some more. With these words, the sage Durvasa closed his eyes again and began to repeat with concentration: "Om Bhasmoddulitavigrahaya namah, Om Sharvaya namah, Om Somasuryagnilochana namah" ... Suryadev considered it better to follow the advice and leave. Following him, smiling, Indradev also left Mritya Loka.

These two, O Bolenath, did not remember the curse exactly until Suryadev was called by the mantra of Queen Kunti, and he, drawn to Mritya Loka by a force superior to his own, was forced to give her part of his rays. Suryadev was about to give Kunti a boy, but at that moment the curse of Durvasa worked, and a beautiful baby appeared in the hands of the stunned girl, but since the words of the sage did not touch the rest of the events, they went on as usual. Golden armor appeared on the girl's body, and precious earrings appeared in her ears. So Suryadev protected the one who one day, if it is the will of Shiva, will still be able to regain her true appearance. Queen Kunti, not knowing anything about these intricacies of fate, lamenting the fate of the child, whom she did not even have time to give a name, put the baby in a basket and let her swim along the river. The charioteer Adiratha fished out the basket and brought it home, where his wife Radha accepted the found baby as her own daughter and gave her the name Karisma, which means "Miracle". And ten years later, Queen Kunti, having called Indradev with a mantra, took in her arms a second girl, born after two sons. The queen decided to name the baby Abhilasha, but Indra stopped his wife Pandu from such a reckless act"With a mantra you called me to give birth to a son, O queen," said the Lord of Lightning. "And I gave you a son, as you asked. But by the will of the sage Durvasa, this child is cursed, and the little devi will become a boy only after you find a peacock and put his feather in her hand. Needless to say, O Samapria, that the peacock feather was found on the same day before sunset, and the third son of Pandu and Kunti again became himself and received the name Arjuna, as it was destined. And Karisma still grew up in the family of a charioteer, not knowing who she really was. She did not have a craving for housework, although she diligently helped her mother to collect flowers for the puja and cook food. Karishma from an early age dreamed of becoming a warrior. She looked with envy at those who were allowed to carry weapons. Secretly from her parents, she made herself a wooden bow and homemade arrows. She trained early in the morning while everyone was sleeping, near the river. She vowed to find a teacher and learn how to shoot so that she would never miss her target. And, even staying in a female body, Karisma went the way that we had planned with you. She cut off her hair exactly to the length that they did not become an obstacle in her studies. Having become an adult, she flatly refused her father's demands to marry a charioteer neighbor, whom he chose as her husband. She resolved to cut all ties with her caste and family. One day at dawn, saying goodbye to her tearful mother, not paying attention to the fact that the angry father did not give her blessings and in a fit of anger declared that from now on he would not let her on the threshold, Karisma took a homemade bow and left the house. She went to look for a worthy guru to give her the knowledge that her soul aspired to. But it just so happened that before she got to the ashram of Acharya Drona, she had a chance to meet a yakshiny who had met on the path of Princess Amba several decades earlier. Until that day, no one knew about this yakshina, except for the offended princess who took her own life ...

Vishnu was silent for a moment, thinking about something of his own. "Speak, Narayana," Shiva urged him. - Who was that yakshina and why did she meet Princess Amba and the daughter of the Sun Karisma? "Of course, Swaramaya, I will tell you, but for this I will again have to go back in time. And a bright and amazing picture arose before Mahadev.