It was the night of their wedding. She entered the room
carrying a cup of saffron milk. As soon as he saw her, the words “Shubhamangal
Savdhan” echoed in his ears. He remembered how Saint Samarth Ramdas had
fainted and fled from his wedding. Even Gautama Buddha had left his wife and
child in the darkness of night.
A thought struck him: “If I don’t leave now, I’ll never
escape this cycle of worldly life. I’ll never break free from attachment and
desire.”
He turned to his wife and said, “I got married only to fulfil
my parents’ wishes. Now I’m free from that promise. I have no interest in
family life. I want to reach heaven and see the gods. For that, I must undergo
intense spiritual practice. I have no choice.” Saying this, he ran away.
He reached a deep forest, far from people. To attain
heaven, he began severe penance. He wore simple bark clothes. The earth was his
bed, the sky his blanket. He ate roots and fruits. He never thought of worldly
pleasures. He spent his days in prayer and meditation. Time passed. He grew old
and eventually died.
Chitragupta calculated his deeds. He had earned the merit
to spend one day in heaven. He was happy—at least he would see the gods once.
His life’s penance would be fulfilled.
Angels took him to heaven. They bathed him with fragrant
oils and dressed him in rich silk robes. He was taken to Indra’s court, where Lord
Indra and other gods were enjoying dances by celestial nymphs like Rambha and
Urvashi.
Lord Indra welcomed him and offered him a seat. A nymph
brought him a cup of divine nectar. Lord Indra said, “Enjoy the dance of
heavenly nymphs. Drink this nectar. Tonight, you may spend time with your favourite
apsara. Don’t waste this moment. This is the reward of your lifelong penance.”
He looked around. Rambha and Urvashi were dancing in a
drunken trance, their clothes disheveled, revealing more than they should. But
they felt no shame. The gods were also intoxicated, enjoying the nectar touched
by the lips of eternal beauties. Their clothes were more revealing than movie
stars on Earth. The gods were celebrating lust openly.
Seeing this, he remembered a New Year’s party his friend
had once taken him to at a farmhouse. There, bar girls in skimpy clothes served
drinks. Men and women danced without shame, drunk and wild. That party had made
him feel detached from worldly life.
Now, seeing the same scene in heaven, he wondered—was
this the reward of his penance? Such pleasure could be bought on Earth with a
little money. He had spent his whole life for this? He felt ashamed. He
remembered his abandoned wife. He had hurt her for something so trivial. He
wanted to ask her forgiveness.
He left Lord Indra’s court. But where would he find her
now? Suddenly, he saw a faint figure—it was her. He shouted, “Forgive me!”
She replied, “What happened to you? What forgiveness? Did
you see a dream?”
He was startled. He realized he was lying in bed. He
quickly composed himself, took the cup of saffron milk from her hand and said,
“The night of sweet union should be spent awake. I fell asleep. I’ve committed
a sin. The guilty must be punished.”
She laughed and said, “There’s still plenty of night
left. I’ll punish you as you wish.”
What happened after that—who punished whom, and how—was
lost in the darkness.
