A journey to Earth
Lord Yama is king of the underworld. Everyone trembles when he visits their house. They know he has come to take a dear one away from this world. Death and lord Yama walk hand-in-hand. No wonder lord Yama is never on anyone’s guest list!
A long time ago, Lord Yama came down to earth for a holiday. He took the guise of an ordinary man. It was a wise decision. People liked him and invited him to their house. This was a new experience for him. He had got used to people wailing at the sight of him!
He was sitting by the river one day, when he met a beautiful girl. She had come to help her father haul up his fishing net. Lord Yama fell in love with her. The fisherman’s daughter, Mohana, agreed to be his wife. A delighted Lord Yama decided to extend his sojourn on earth. The grand wedding ceremony took place in the village temple hall. Everyone had only one remark to make. The couple made a handsome pair! The fisherman’s son-in-law looked like a prince. Mohana was a very, very lucky girl!
A year passed. Mohana was surprised her husband never went to work. However, as he never was short of money, she did not complain. The days passed by quickly. Lord Yama was convinced he had discovered heaven on earth! A year later, Mohana gave birth to a bonny baby boy. All seemed well in their little world.
Now there was a drastic change in Mohana’s personality. She suddenly realised her husband was always idle. He was never interested in doing work. In fact, her husband was a good-for nothing!
“All you do is play with our little son,” said Mohana angrily. “You never do any work. Soon we will need more money to buy food and clothes. Will it fall from a coconut tree?”, she added.
Poor Lord Yama! He could not tell her he was the Lord of the dark underworld. There was absolutely no need for him to work! He dearly loved his little son, Prasad. One day he would have to return to his own dark world. Until then, he wanted to be on earth with his family.
But Mohana was very angry. She insisted her husband should go and find work. He could start by helping his father-in-law catch fish. That was a big mistake. The time had changed. His identity was getting disclosed. The moment the fish sensed Lord Yama was close by, they refused to be ensnared into the fishing net!
“Mohana, we caught no fish today,” said her father sadly. Mohana glared angrily at her husband.
“Now you are bringing us bad luck as well!”
Next day she refused to milk the cows. So lord Yama went out to do the first chore of his life! The cows mooed in fright when they saw him. They refused to fill the buckets with milk. Mohana was very angry.
“What a useless man you are!” sneered Mohana angrily. “You do not even know how to milk the cows. You seem to think you area royal prince. But work you will have to do. Our son should not have a father who is a good-for nothing!”
When she sent him to buy vegetables, a strange thing happened.
Meanwhile Prasad grew up into a fine, handsome boy. He still loved his father dearly, though his mother was glad her ‘good-for-nothing’ husband had left the house. “One mouth less to feed!” said Mohana sarcastically.
Prasad needed a job. He prayed to his father to come and help him. That night, Lord Yama came to his bedside. Prasad blinked unbelievingly at his father. His father was Lord Yama, the Lord of death! “Tell everyone you can cure all diseases,” said Lord Yama, handing him a bag full of medicinal herbs. “This pouch will always contain medicine. If you find me standing near the patient’s head, you will know that death waits at his door. My blessings will always be with you, my beloved son.”
Prasad soon became famous far and wide. He refused to treat patients whom he knew were going to die. Lord Yama was always at their bedside. The others recovered miraculously from their maladies. Prasad became very rich. Mohana was very happy. At least her son was not a good-for-nothing!
Then one day the princess fell very, very ill. The distraught king summoned Prasad to the royal palace. He promised Prasad a handsome reward if he cured the ailing princess. Prasad was stunned to see his father, LordYama, standing at the head of the princess’s bed. He knew the princess was going to die. What was he now supposed to do?Prasad was in a dilemma. He had to give his medicine to the princess. If she was not cured, the king would throw him into the dark dungeons. He would proclaim to the world that Prasad was a fraud! The rest of his life would be spent within the four walls of a dark, dingy prison.
He had to find a way to make his dear father go away. Prasad pondered on what to do. Then a smile lit his face. Now he knew exactly what he had to do! He told the guards that he wanted his mother to be brought to the palace. Mohana was brought into the princess’s room. Lord Yama went pale when he saw her. She could not see him. He was visible only to their son. “If only your ‘good-for-nothing’ father was here!” sneered Mohana. “He would have seen whose brains you inherited!” Lord Yama cringed in the corner of the room. His wife’s rasping voice brought back the nasty days of the past! He was sure she would soon see him. Then she would once again rave and rant about what a ‘useless’ man he had been. He decided to do the vanishing act.
Given the situation, it was the best thing to do! He forgot he had to escort the princess to the nether world. Only one thought loomed inside his head. He had to get far away from his frightening loud-mouthed wife! Prasad was delighted. His medicines cured the sickly princess. He was now famous all over the kingdom. The king made him the royal physician. Prasad’s cup of happiness was now full to the brim. His mother was very happy. She no longer had to do any hard work. “Your ‘good-for-nothing’ father should now see us!” gloated Mohana angrily. “Mother, his blessings will always make tomorrow what we want it to be!” replied her wise son happily.
