The Serpent King

*THE SERPENT KING( Vish777)*

There lived a poor brahmin family, the father's simplicity and dignity were between the family and the money. He could barely make enough money to feed his wife, and two children, a girl Laxmi and a son Rahul. The man and woman were worshipers of Shiva and Serpent Deity was their family deity. Seeing them in a pitiable condition, The Serpent King( ordered by Shiva), gave the mother Trinetri, a dream. In which she was promised to be given a Mani ( a crest believed to be possessed by old snakes that brings fortune), If she gave their daughter Laxmi, who was tender and beautiful as a nymph, to The Serpent King, At a certain age. First, she hesitated but knowing she's anyway going to marry her daughter she confided herself. But she was worried about the daughter's survival among the serpent clan and her ability to mingle with them. Seeing no way out of their misery she accepted the deal.

They were well off after having the Mani. And spending their lives in luxury, they forgot or neglected the promise made to The Serpent King. Knowing the daughter belongs to The King they never let her play near waters, For, the waters were the Kings abode, they forbade their daughter from going near the river or sea.

One special day arrived called Kumbh Mela, the day when Indians bathe in the holy convergence of three rivers, Ganga Yamuna and Saraswati. The daughter being spiritually inclined insisted to go there but the mother and father fearing the promise were determined to not let her go.

But seeing his sister's desire to go and not knowing or caring about the Serpent Story, her brother Rahul, made a plan to escape with her sister to the Mela at night.

And so they arrived at the Mela, a gathering of millions. They waited for their turn to take a bath. The brother did himself early and now the sister was taking a bath. Due to her playful and fearless nature, she enjoyed the bath a lot. And after some time, she decided to walk deeper into the water.

That's when she started to feel weird as if her feet were moving on their own and she started to feel devoid of control, seeing her sister so deep down, the brother yelled to stop her but she was only listening to the void humming under water then, so she went off into the waters. The brother who was a confident swimmer tried to find her underwaters but she was gone, maybe to the King's abode.

The brother reached home sad and ashamed and when enquired about the night and disappearance of the sister he told the parents the events that took place at the Mela. The parents were more sad than angry but knowing about the promise they were still and sure that The Serpent King has taken his due. And knowing the truth about the promise made to The Serpent King, the brother considered himself guilty for taking his sister there.

Now, the brother, to wash off his guilt took the resolve to bring her sister back anyhow. But for this, first, he has to be able to go to the Kingdom of The Serpents. To find a way he meditated on Shiva for a long time. Then in a dream, he was told that they have to give up the Mani in order to be able to go there. And giving up meant that in the next Ardha Kumbh they have to throw away the Mani into the place where Laxmi disappeared. And so they did.

Now, Rahul got the siddhis required to travel to the Serpent Kingdom by the grace of Shiva, but he was only allowed to live like a brahmin i.e. beg for the livelihood and teach in payback, which he resented because being like his father was the last thing he ever wanted to be in life. But to wash off the guilt he went there.

So he spent days begging and teaching in the Serpent Kingdom. He asked many people about the residence of The King, but only to find out that the king changes his palaces very often. Which makes it a thing of chance, meeting the King.

Fortunately, one day he was informed that the King is staying nearer to the place he was staying. But, since he was travelling on foot he reached there late. And seeing the so-called palace, which was nothing more than a hut and devoid of all kingly features, he started to worry more about his sister.

One day begging he came across a house, where the girl that came out to give alms looked familiar to her. He immediately asked her name and the name was, Laxmi. Now she was almost 27, very different looking from childhood days. They asked suitable questions to one another to be sure that they were not mistaken for somebody else. And they actually were Laxmi and Rahul of our story.

Rahul said, " Sister I've come to free you".

"Free from whom?", She asked.


"Now I am a wife, the wife of The Serpent King,
who's to free me and from whom?"

Rahul asked, "You live in a hut, what kind of king your husband is?"

"Oh! Rahul, the real King isn't the one who has luxuries and chests, the real king is the king whose instructions and commands are followed by his people.", She replied.

"And anyway I'm not any more of your kind, now I'm a split tongue. He bit me with his venom at the night of marriage and now I'm transformed into his kind".

Then she invited him to stay with them, to meet the King and then judge him.

"You'll have all your answers, once he has arrived"

Rahul waited for the king and satiated his hunger.

The King arrived, Laxmi introduced Rahul to the King. The king greeted the brother and instantly handed him the Mani, saying you deserve it now. Your toll was successful and now you have learned your lesson.

But Rahul couldn't understand The King and asked him to clarify.


Then the King said laughingly, " Oh my boy It's all Shiva's game we are in, it's all karma."

"Your father earned the Mani through abstinence to Shiva, but he broke the promise made to me, that is why he had to live without you so long, while you were busy searching for your sister"

"You did not respect your father's profession so you had to beg to earn the Mani again, and if your sister wouldn't have come to me then the Mani couldn't be transferred to you from your father, you have earned the Mani in this way."

" And as of your sister, she is happy and well because she's loved here. And remember Laxmi doesn't mean money, it means beauty and beauty wants to be admired and taken care of. Go and read Saundarya Lahiri if you want to know about beauty, as my advice. And have no guilt also."

"So in Shiva's game everybody wins, it's a none zero some game."
-Vish777( Vishal Shukla)