Mystical Tales for A Magical Life: 11 Unheard Fantastic Vedic Stories

By Shubha Vilas

Mystical Tales for a Magical Life is a collection of 11 unheard fantastic Vedic stories that offer deep insights into the human experience and the mysteries of life. This book is a must-read for anyone interested in spirituality, mindfulness, and personal growth. The stories are beautifully written and offer timeless wisdom that can be applied to everyday life.

• A perfect gift for anyone seeking inspiration and enlightenment
• Unveils rare and enchanting tales from ancient Vedic mythology
• Journey through mystical beings, divine adventures, and timeless wisdom
• Provides a captivating and immersive experience
• Delves into the wonder of a truly magical life through these intriguing narratives

• Language: English
• Publisher: Fingerprint Publishing
• Release date: Feb 1, 2019
• ISBN: 9789389717167

Book preview

Priceless Gifts in Filthy Packages

You could either stay holding onto your comforts and be forever a bud or take the risk of exploring the impossible and blossom into a flower.

‘A hundred years of slavery will set with the sun today . . . if I do the impossible.’ This was his sole goal. But even as a flurry of thoughts stormed Uttanka’s mind, he walked on—his fists clenched in desperate determination. His friends, schoolmates, and well-wishers had dissuaded him enough about his impossible mission—impossible madness, rather. But Uttanka had his reasons for being stubborn about his decision. Surely, this was a risk worth taking. There was so much more to this than the decades-long life of servility he spent at the gurukul pandering to the whims of his guru-ma. Those were wretched long years, but he bore the yoke only because of his noble and empathetic guru, Veda. Only one other person truly understood him: his guru’s daughter. She was someone, he had not really . . .

Suddenly, Uttanka stopped. His mind went blank. Right in front of him was the most bizarre of sights: parked right in the middle of the road was a bull, and mounted on it was a giant of a man. ‘Giant’ would be an understatement, for the man was at least ten times the size of the bull. The bull appeared rather puny next to the man, but was surprisingly comfortable with the massive weight on its back. Before Uttanka could even make any sense of the weird vision, the man on the bull said: ‘Get down on your knees and eat the bull’s dung! Lie on your back and drink its urine!’

Gobsmacked, Uttanka turned around to see if the giant was instructing someone else. As he gnashed his teeth, he could feel a slow burn rise up his cheeks. ‘How dare he speak to a brahmana like that?’ Uttanka stared at the formidable hulk in front of him. Quickly containing his fury, he decided against an argument. Uttanka’s hesitation and confusion were enough for the giant to pick up where he had left off.

‘Your guru Veda has done it, so why hesitate?’

Loyalty out of fear is the graveyard where your commitments lie buried, whereas loyalty out of faith is the sky where your commitments soar.

That one comment threw Uttanka completely off balance. All of a sudden, following the hulk’s instructions became a matter of prestige. He now had to honour the precedent his guru had set. Even if that was not a bother, the size of the hulk was. Uttanka was soon on his knees and then on his back. As he lay down, eyes shut, swallowing the hot fluid, he felt a nudge. The flow had surprisingly stopped all at once. Uttanka opened his unsure eyes to the blinding rays of the sun. Neither the bull nor the giant stood right above him. Instead, standing next to him was a frail old passerby who had stopped out of concern for a brahmana lying in the middle of nowhere. Uttanka straightened himself up. Was all that a mere illusion? Where was the bull? The hulk? As he tried to wrap his head around the surreal incident, the kind traveller patted his back gently and went his way.

Uttanka realised that it was noon and time for his sacred offerings. Not wanting to miss the auspicious moment, he stood right there and prayed. Not the best way, but certainly the best time. Uttanka reasoned he was on an emergency mission, and every moment counted. He set off on his journey yet again, and the thoughts switched on just as abruptly as they had switched off.

Perilous mission

His guru’s daughter was the trigger behind his venture. The previous evening when he returned exhausted after fetching firewood for the ashram, he saw her sitting downcast at the entrance. The sweat on his forehead brought her to tears. For years on end, she had seen him toil and slave for her mother. Each year, as students passed out of the gurukul and prepared to return home, the guru-ma—her mother—would hint at how Uttanka was still that favourite student she couldn’t part with. A century had passed since Uttanka entered the gurukul, and he was still the favourite student who couldn’t go home. He stayed because it was polite of him. Veda wanted him to stay because he loved him. Guru-ma needed him to stay because it was convenient for her. Veda realised that it was time to let go, but his wife would have none of it, and she always had the last say. Veda thought enough was enough and told guru-ma that it was time to release her favourite student to find his own path. She agreed, but on one condition: Uttanka had to complete one last chore. That would be his guru dakshina. She flashed a cruel grin. ‘I want Uttanka to bring me the mystical golden earrings of Queen Zenana by sunset today. He will be a free bird if he does. If not, I will curse him to a doomed destination.’

Uttanka had his task cut out, but he had an inkling what such a mission could entail. His guru confirmed his doubts when he said, ‘The task may seem simple, but the mission is extremely difficult. Beware, for so many evil forces have sought those earrings. As long as those are in Queen Zenana’s possession, no one can dare own them, but the moment those are beyond her protection, you can expect all kinds of sabotage.’

His guru’s warning was still ringing fresh in his ears as he walked into King Pausa’s palace with utmost caution. Uttanka, the brahmana, was ushered into the pious king’s presence straight away. Not wasting a single moment and mincing no words Uttanka revealed the purpose of his visit. Taking a cue from his urgency, the king immediately beckoned an escort to rush Uttanka to Queen Zenana’s chamber. Once alone, Uttanka scanned the entire chamber for the queen. She was nowhere in sight. Once back at the king’s chamber, Uttanka faced a strange question: ‘Have you done anything impious or wrong today?’ The king said that Uttanka’s inability to find the queen hinged on his answer. Apparently, the queen was so pure that she was invisible to anyone who had committed a sin or even an impious act.

Uttanka flinched at the thought of the hulk, the bull, and the nauseating task. ‘It was a nasty task, but by the time it was all over, it was time for my noon ritual. I must admit, I performed it without cleansing my hands and legs.’ His explanation was enough for the king to realise what had gone wrong in the queen’s chamber. ‘Ah! That is a big mistake. You must set it right here and now. Repeat the ritual. But do so peacefully and purely.’ Right away, Uttanka first sanitised himself physically and then, with a composed mind, he sat on the palace floor facing eastwards and completed his offerings and dedication.

The queen’s chamber looked particularly ornate this time. Seated on an opulent throne, the queen kept staring at him as he walked towards her. Once near her, he bowed and told her of his dilemma. ‘I beg you, O Queen. Please help me out of my misery.’ Uttanka’s narration of his plight melted the queen’s heart. ‘Here take these earrings.’ Just when Uttanka had almost begun to celebrate his luck, the queen spoke again. ‘But let me warn you. Once long ago, the Naga king Takshak had tried to steal the mystical earrings. He realised soon enough that it was impossible to take these away from me. So he gave up trying altogether. But remember, as soon as you step out of the precincts of my palace, these earrings will be beyond my control and nothing can stop the serpent king from trying to rob you.’

Most people stop using things for fear of losing them.

‘Thank you.’ Uttanka was grateful to the queen and mindful of the risks about which she had alerted him. He secured the earrings in his dhoti and set out for the ashram to meet his sunset deadline. Almost half way into his destination, he saw a sparkling clear beautiful lake. He looked up at the sun and reckoned there was enough time for a quick dip in the glistening waters.

Uttanka pulled off his dhoti and placed the bundled cloth on a rock by the lakeside before wading into the waters. As he was taking his third dip, he saw a naked monk wandering alongside the lake. That’s eerie. A stark naked monk. Here? Why? Uttanka was trying to make sense of the weirdness of it all when suddenly the monk swooped down on his dhoti and began to flap it hard, as if to shake off something. A dumbfounded Uttanka stood there neck deep in water as the monk tossed away the cloth, picked up the prized earrings, and kissed them. He turned towards the hapless bather, flashed a mocking grin, and disappeared into the thickets.

Neglect before attainment is irresponsibility. Neglect after attainment is stupidity.

By the time Uttanka wore his dhoti, the thief had gained a significant lead. But the desperate brahmana put his all into the chase and soon caught up with him. The moment the thief spotted Uttanka, he morphed into a serpent and slithered into a dark cave. Takshak. Uttanka’s heart went frigid.

He sat there at the mouth of the cave not knowing what to do next. The cave wasn’t big enough for him to enter and too dark to attempt anything else. How could I be so stupid to stop for a bath when I had a mission to complete? How could I let my freedom slip right out of my hand? Uttanka could not flog himself enough for his folly. Here he was in front of this cave, halfway away from his goal, with no way forward. He had all but lost hope when he heard a drilling sound overhead. He looked up to find a radiant personality piercing through the small mouth of the cave with Indra’s thunderbolt weapon. ‘I am Vajrayudha, an assistant to Indra,’ he said as he continued tunnelling through to create a portal to the nether realm—Patalaloka.

To hell and back

As soon as Uttanka stepped into the portal, he rolled down into Patala. He had hoped to find Takshak somewhere, but there was no sign of the slithering sadist. Uttanka began clamouring for pity, begging for the Naga king’s mercy, and pleading for the earrings. Still no serpent king! Time was running out. Uttanka’s frantic search for a clue to the serpent’s whereabouts seemed futile. As he kept looking for Takshak, he spotted two women weaving cloth with a machine. They were spinning black and white threads on a huge twelve-spoke wheel with six boys turning it. The brahmana stared in jaw-dropping wonder.

He had begun to felt a little dazed by all that rolling and running and spinning, but the incredulous sights in that dark hole seemed relentless. As he stood gaping at the wheel, he thought he heard a horse galloping towards him. He turned around, and approaching him was a blazing red stallion, the most exquisite he had ever seen. The horseman—a very handsome chap—seemed oddly familiar. Uttanka thought he resembled that hulk on the bull. Was that a dream? Or is this one? He shook off his thoughts and lunged into action.

‘My dear sir, you are my only hope today. I have come to this strange land from Planet Earth. I believe right now I am in Patalaloka. I beg you to help me recover Queen Zenana’s earrings from Takshak. Be merciful, dear sir.’ The rider stopped, jumped off his horse, and turned the animal’s rear towards Uttanka. The brahmana was now certain the horseman and the bull rider were the same. Only this time it was not a threat, it was more like a suggestion. This time, it was not an obligation; it was his compulsion, his need.

‘Blow into the rear of this steed, and all your troubles will vanish.’ Uttanka was aghast and could feel warm vomit rise up his throat. How can blowing into this animal’s rear help find the earrings? Should I even trust this strange horseman, especially after what happened with the bull this morning? He looked around to see if he could bail out, but realised he was all alone. So he closed his eyes, swallowed his pride and the vomit, and decided it had to be done, repulsive or not.

An indecent proposal in desperate times may in fact be a compassionate plan to save you from greater despair.

No sooner than Uttanka blew into the horse’s rear, flames burst out of every pore of the animal. Uttanka watched the fireballs spurt out in every direction and smoke and fire permeate every nook and cranny of Patalaloka. He was astounded to find snakes slithering out of every corner of the city. Within seconds, millions of snakes were everywhere in their frenzied attempt to escape the insane flames and fume. Delighted by the outcome, Uttanka kept blowing harder, and the flames kept burning stronger. The fire singed the snakes, but Uttanka was surprisingly unharmed and unaffected, immune rather. Every snake in Patalaloka was now out in the open, completely scarred and scared by flames of fury. Uttanka felt a huge surge of relief when he saw a dizzy Takshak stumble out with the queen’s earrings in his outstretched hands. The brahmana quickly grabbed the precious trinkets and hid them safely in his dhoti yet again.

You can cover the long distance to success in a short span of effort by flying on the magic carpet of grace.

Then it suddenly dawned on Uttanka that the mission was yet incomplete. Turning towards his saviour, he said, ‘Oh no! It must be mere minutes before sunset. How do I cover such a huge distance from here all the way to the ashram in such a short while? How will I meet guru-ma’s deadline? The horseman was prompt with his solution. ‘Take this magical horse. It can transport you to any destination within moments.’ Uttanka jumped right on and soon Patalaloka and a seething Takshak were a distant memory.

By celebrating others’ failures, you sponsor your own humiliation.

The sun was about to set, and there was no Uttanka in the horizon. Guru-ma was thrilled. Her heart was pounding with excitement, and she could hear the drums of celebration inside her head. She was so certain Uttanka had failed his mission that she even began practising the curse she would hurl at him. Only moments were left. So she took a few drops of water in her palms, waiting for the rapidly setting sun to vanish into the ground. She took a deep breath and glanced at her nervous husband who seemed to be yearning to stop the globe of fire from descending. Guru-ma felt victorious and was about to curse when suddenly her husband’s face lit up like a thousand lamps. He was now beaming. She turned towards where his sparkling eyes were fixated. She collapsed to the ground.

Approaching from in front of the large ball of fire was Uttanka, seated atop a red flying horse, holding high the queen’s earrings for all to see. A victor was making his way to the ashram with an elusive trophy. He jumped off the horse as soon as it touched ground and placed his guru dakshina in his guru-ma’s hands. It marked the fulfilment of his obligation—and his ordeal.

Uttanka then fell at his master’s feet and sought his blessings. The proud teacher and valiant student stood wrapped in silent embrace. Veda had silently watched his pupil go through so much pain for so many decades. Silence was his weakness all those years, today his silence expressed strength and triumph. Uttanka was now free. ‘I am so proud, Uttanka. You have achieved the impossible.’ Uttanka glowed as he narrated the details of his adventures. His guru smiled and decoded his marvellous journey for him.

Within the packaging lies the principle of faith that helps channelise the power of grace.

If you focus on how a package appears rather than the principles inside it, you unravel doubts. If you focus on the principles, you are sure to unravel blessings.

‘My dear Uttanka, you have had a tryst with death today. Everything that happened to you right through the entire sequence of these mad events has a deeper meaning. Every test was to ascertain your faith in your guru. The bull whose dung you had to swallow was none other than Airavata, the celestial elephant. The hulk was Indra, the king of the heavens. The urine was really the celestial ambrosia. Because you had consumed the nectar of immortality, the fire in Patalaloka did not kill you, but the snakes suffered terribly. The packaging of tasks did not bother you, and you unravelled your demeaning gifts with undeniable and unshakeable faith in me. That worked in your favour and you reaped its benefits.

The two women weavers you saw in Patalaloka were Dhata and Vidhata—the personifications of destiny. The white and black threads represented day and night. The six boys and twelve spokes were the six seasons that change in cycles through the twelve months of the year. The horse you rode was Agnidev, the fire god. The horseman, as you rightly guessed, was the same as the one on the bull—Indra. Indra is a dear friend, and he agreed to help you in disguise at every step of the way. My blessings have always been with you, from the moment you stepped into this ashram to when you set out on the mission and returned. They were there then, they are here now, and they will always follow you silently through every moment in your life.’

Uttanka took his first long breath of freedom. He went out of the ashram for the first time and began to explore the world and his life as a free man. He was of course forever grateful to Veda, his loving guru.

Clouds of conscience

Over time, Uttanka chose the Ujjalaka desert as his spiritual home. During his stint there, he decided to travel to Dwaraka and meet Sri Krishna. He received a warm welcome, and Krishna spent considerable time with the brahmana. They talked of many things, their conversation traversing the goings-on in the universe. Eventually it veered towards the battle between the Pandavas and the Kauravas. ‘About that. It is very disappointing that you have failed to make the warring cousins agree to a compromise.’ Uttanka was so emotionally swayed that he shut his eyes to hurl the curse at Sri Krishna for what he assumed was a big mistake. When he opened his eye to cast the spell, he saw the entire universe in the body of Sri Krishna. At once, Uttanka fell at the Lord’s feet and surrendered himself. Sri Krishna was very pleased with the sage’s humility and submission. ‘Choose a boon, Uttanka. Your wish will be granted.’ Now that he lived in the desert, he sought what he thought was the most necessary in the parched conditions. ‘Please make water available to me whenever I need it.’ Sri Krishna was all too happy to oblige. ‘Uttanka, whenever you remember Me, water will be available to you.’ Uttanka returned to the Ujjalaka desert and his spiritual practices.

On a particularly hot day, Uttanka was walking through the desert on a mission and seemed lost in the wilderness. Exhaustion and thirst began to overpower his senses. Just then he remembered his boon and began focussing on Sri Krishna. As soon as he opened his eyes after offering his prayer, a stark naked filthy outcast appeared in front of him with a muddy pot. Rabid dogs surrounded him, their tails wagging and tongues salivating. The dirty person handed over the mucky