Kansa marched
down the stairs of his palace quickly. The sun had barely begun to rise, and
the dark of night was still present, but his tiredness had faded quickly when
he heard the news. His sister, Devaki, had given birth to her eighth child, the
child that the gods themselves said would kill Kansa. None of the guards would
say it, but despite the coolness of the palace, Kansa was sweating.
At the
bottom of the stairs, four guards stood by the doors to the dungeon. The air
was damp and smelled of death and decay. Kansa smiled as the stench entered his
nostrils. The guards all fell to their knees as Kansa arrived. “My lord, the
child is in here.” The guard spoke clearly but without raising his head. Kansa
walked quickly passed him and pushed the door open.
Behind the
iron bars of the dungeon, Devaki, her husband Vasudeva, and their newly born
child sat quietly. The married couple wore torn rags – the only clothes Kansa
had given them in 4 years - and the
child lay naked in her mother’s arms. They smiled lightly, but tear streaks had
cut clear paths down their dirty faces.
“Is it
true?” Kansa yelled from across the room. His voice echoed lightly off of the
mossy stone walls. “Is this the eighth child of Devaki? The child who will
bring about my doom?” The smiles left the faces of both parents, and they
looked at Kansa with fear in their eyes. But just then, Kansa saw the child. A hearty
laugh filled the dungeon.
“A girl?”
Kansa said to no one in particular. “A little girl will kill the great demon
king?” Kansa’s hearty laughter was replaced by an uproarious cackling. No other
sound dared intrude on the king’s joyous moment. Finishing his laughter, the
king looked upwards and yelled “Gods, do you hear me? You will have to do
better than that!”
Kansa
shoved the bar door open and snagged the innocent child from his sister. Both
parents cried out as he slammed the door shut, blocking them from their child. “Is
this your powerful warrior? Your destined Savior? A girl?” Kansa shouted at the
sky once more. He drew his knife and raised it above the child’s head.
Just as the
Kansa’s hand began to fall, an explosion of light filled the dungeon. Kansa was
thrown against the wall, his knife tumbling to the ground as he slammed his
back against the stone. Vasudeva and Devaki shielded their eyes as the light of
the sun itself emanated from the center of the dungeon. The light slowly began
to fade, until only a soft golden glow remained, bright enough to block out the
torches on the wall but soft enough to look at harmlessly.
As Kansa
opened his eyes, he saw the source of the light clearly; a heavenly woman, clad
in armor with golden glowing skin. Countless arms emanated outwards from her,
most of which carried a terrifying weapon of divine design. Hundreds of rubies
lined both her weapons and her armor. Her black hair floated freely behind her,
as if sitting still in water. Her face was still and calm, but her eyes were
locked with Kansa’s, and he could see a burning hatred stirring within her
pupils.
Kansa
reached down to grasp his knife, but his hand hadn’t moved an inch before 2
heavenly arms flew forward and shoved him up against the wall, one hand shoving
his chest and the other with fingers wrapped tightly around his throat. Kansa
tried to choke out a sound but managed only to gurgle quietly.
Durga’s
mouth opened, and her voice was like fire. “You find women weak, Kansa? Do you
find me weak?”
The goddess’s
fingers lightened their grip around Kansa’s throat, but his response was still
raspy and quiet. “No, Ma Durga.”
“You would
be a fool to think so.” Her fingers tightened their grip lightly, and her other
hand pushed Kansa harder against the wall. “I’ve killed demons a thousand times
more powerful than you with only one hand. I’ve killed demons who earned the
world with their ferocity, and you are nothing next to them.” Durga spat the
words at Kansa, her eyes narrowing as she spoke. “If it were not Vishnu’s duty,
I would have become a girl and killed you myself, if only I had heard your
challenges before he was reincarnated.” At the mention of Vishnu, Kansa’s eyes
widened even further in shock and fear.
Durga
laughed a taunting laugh. “Ah, yes, you don’t know. Devaki’s eighth son escaped
in the night. Vishnu’s next avatar is upon the world, and by now, well out of
your reach. Your demise has already been written, or I would strike you down
myself.”
With that, Durga dropped the demon
king on the ground and turned to Devaki and Vasudeva. She flicked one of her
many swords in the air, and from the tip of the blade, golden thread came forth
and wrapped itself around the prisoners, weaving them elegant clothing. “I can
do no more for you, but know that my strength is in you. Kansa will keep you
here, but you must live on. One day, your son will come, and his strength will be
matched only by his kindness. On that day, you will taste joy once more.”
Devaki and Vasudeva bowed their heads,
and with a bright flash, Durga was gone, and the child was nowhere to be found.
This story is based on epified's series about the life of krishna, particularly
Episode 3, Durga Speaks to Kansa. I found the idea of a warrior goddess chastising the demon king just delicious, and wanted to get in on the sweet karma action. I changed very little, just making Durga a little meaner, and adding some descriptions.
Image Information
Durga Statue -
Wikiquotes
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