THE HAPPY LIFE OF PURANJANA

Her name was Puranjani. She and Puranjana lived in that City with Nine Gates. He lived Happily in the inner apartments of the Princess and He was always with Her. Not for a moment would He lose Her Company. He did all that she did. What she desired was what he wanted. If She wanted to sip wine His desire was to do the same.  He was hungry when She was. When She sang he became the Words. When She wept, he shed tears with her and her smile was enough to make him smile. The Words He spoke were the words She spoke and the Words he heard had to be the ones which reached her Ears. What She thought was sweet smelling was the same for Him too and what was ugly in her sight was abhorrent to Him. In short, he had no entity except through her. He was so lost in her.

Puranjana lost all count of Time. Days passed Him by and they seemed like moments to Him. Children were born to them and they were growing up.  Still Puranjani held him in thrall. He did not realise that He was growing old. His age was now fifty. His Love for his Wife and the pleasures which she was still giving Him were always in His Mind and He was Happy. He was unconscious of the Truth that Time was fast slipping by: that his youth had left him long ago. The passage of Time was the one thing which he never noticed. Old age, the unwelcome guest to the body of a Man in Love, came to him and came to stay.

·       *                *                *

Chandavega was the name of a Gandharva Chieftain. He had three hundred and sixty powerful servants. These, in their turn, had the same number of Women to attend on them. These men were fair and the Women were dark. Chandavega decided to attack the City called Bhogavati. With his Three Hundred and Sixty henchmen and their Women Chandavega went to the vicinity of the City of Bhogavati. He surrounded it on all sides and his intention was to destroy it entirely. The City had the Snake to guard it. : the Snake Prajagara with the Five Heads. He tried in vain to stop the attacking forces from destroying the City. He fought valiantly with the enemy which was Seven Hundred and twenty strong. The fight went on for a Hundred Years and Prajagara could not understand the onslaught. Puranjana was sorely distressed at the State of Affairs. The attack had begun long ago: ever since he came to live with the Woman he Loved. But he was so lost in His Love for Wife and Children He refused to pay attention to the invasion of Chandavega. Now, slowly it was trying to force itself into His thoughts: the fight which was going on. But still He refused to pay any thought to what was happening.

Kala, Time, had a Daughter by name Jara. Unfortunately, she was not attractive and no one wanted Her. She travelled far and near in search of a Husband. No one welcomed Her advances and people turned their faces away if she appeared in front of them. Once She came across NARADA and fell in Love with the Young Sage. She asked Him to take Her for Wife. Repulsed by Him She became very angry and cursed Him to wander the entire Universe without a place to call His own. Jara then went on with Her search for a Husband. She went to Yavaneshvara, Death, and asked Him to take Her. He looked at Her with kindness and pity and said: “Listen to me and do not be angry with me for my frankness. You are not attractive: nor are you bent on doing good to anyone. That is the reason why no one is willing to accept you. But I feel sorry for you. I will tell you what you should do. I cannot accept you. As long as you keep on asking people to accept you willingly, they will not do so and you will only be disappointed again and again. I suggest that you creep on people without their being aware of it. The entire World will then be your slave.

“Do not be afraid. I will team up with you. This is my Brother Prajvara and I will be with you all the Time. From today you are my Sister and we will travel with you all the Time. From today you are my Sister and we will travel all over the World invisible to the Eyes of Men. And when they are unmindful of us, when they are unheeding, you and Prajvara creep on them. I will do the rest.”

The three travelled together benr on destruction. Their army was made up of Men name Bhaya. During their wandering they came upon the City Bhogavati which was guarded by the old snake Prajagara and they thought the Time to be right for their onslaught.

When he was unaware of it Jara entered the body of Puranjana. She gained complete control of his body and he could do nothing about it. And the Yavanas, the assistants of Death attacked the City on all sides. Puranjana was suffering great agony. His Body occupied by the invader, Jara, and His City invaded by Chandravega. He found that He was being treated with indifference  now by everyone. His Children did not care for him anymore and, even his beloved Wife, Puranjani frowned when he tried to make Love to Her. He could not invoke the old passion in her and he found to his dismay that he was himself too weak to indulge in Love as he used to.

Puranjana looked all around him. The City was falling to pieces under his Eyes and He was helpless. Prajvara approached him and in his wake came Bhaya. Puranjana was sorely distressed. Prajagara, the guardian of the City could not fight anymore. Like a snake which tries to escape from the Tree which has caught fire, Puranjana wanted to get away from the City Bhogavati. He wept tears of despair. He had no desire to let Prajagara leave the City and go away: and, at the same time he did not know what he had to do. While he was cogitating thus Death came to him and claimed Puranjana. With his Death the City of Bhogavati fell to pieces and nothing was left of it except the name.