The Man Who Was a Woman and Other Queer Tales From Hindu Lore by Pattanaik Devdutt

Author:Pattanaik, Devdutt.
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Taylor & Francis (CAM)

The Son of Shiva and Vishnu

Shiva once saw Vishnu in the form of Mohini. Overwhelmed by desire he embraced Mohini and spilt his semen. From the spilt seed was born a child who was given into the care of a childless king. The boy was called Manikantha, because at birth he had a jeweled bell round his neck. The boy grew up to be a wise, brave, and virile warrior who defended his kingdom from marauders, winning the love and respect of the people. During his quest, he befriended a Muslim warrior called Vavar and low-caste warrior called Kadutha. Meanwhile, Manikantha’s foster mother, the queen, became pregnant and she gave birth to a son. Suddenly ambition reared its ugly head. The queen wanted her son, not the adopted Manikantha, to succeed her husband. To get rid of the rival, she feigned illness and claimed that only tiger’s milk collected by a chaste youth would cure her. Manikantha immediately set out on the mission. He tamed the tigers with his divine aura, milked the tigress, and made his journey back to the palace on tigers. On the way, he met an ogress called Mahishi, who challenged him to a fight. Manikantha fought and killed her. From the corpse emerged a nymph called Leela. She had been cursed that she would wander in the forest as an ogress until a chaste young man defeated her in battle. She begged Manikantha to marry her. “I will,” he said, “the day no chaste young man visits my shrine.” Manikantha returned to his father’s kingdom seated on tigers, cheered by the people. He gave the queen the milk she wanted and then, having divine her true intention, renounced the crown, took shelter atop Mount Sabarimalai, and began to meditate. The king begged him to return, but he refused. Not wanting to lose his son, the king tied a piece of cloth around Manikantha’s legs and had a shrine built to his glory atop Mount Sabarimalai. Eighteen steps led to this shrine, indicating the eighteen years Manikantha spent as a prince before transforming into a divine being, a chaste warrior, a vira, a god. People called the boy-god Ayyappa (father).

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