Vaikuntha. The home of Lord Vishnu.
The Lord lies on the great serpent Shesha, on the ocean of milk. He is smiling. Goddess Lakshmi sits at his feet, gently pressing them.
And into this calm… a sage comes running. Hair wild. Gasping. Shaking with fear. Behind him, the sky is on fire.
He throws himself at the Lord's feet. "Save me!"
He is the man who cursed Vishnu's own devotee. What will Vishnu say to him?
How Durvasa Came to Vaikuntha
Two days ago, King Ambarisha's guest, the sage Durvasa, did not come back in time for the Dwadashi meal. Yesterday, the king broke his fast with a sip of tulasi water, and Durvasa cursed him to ten births. Then the Lord's own discus, the Sudarshana chakra, came after the sage. And no one in the three worlds, not Indra, not Brahma, not even Shiva, could shelter him.
Durvasa had begged everyone. Every door had closed. So, with nowhere left to go, he went alone to Vaikuntha.
He fell at the Lord's lotus feet, trembling.
"Ancient Lord! Your chakra is coming to devour me. Save me!"
And then he reminded the Lord of something.
"Long ago, the sage Bhrigu kicked you on the chest. And you forgave him. You carry his footprint there even now. I have cursed your devotee. Forgive me too."
The Lord Answers the Sage
Vishnu looked at him. And he smiled, a little wryly.
"Durvasa, you are a form of Shiva himself. Rudra, born as a brahmin. All three worlds are afraid of you."
"Brahmins are dear to me. I take birth again and again, in every age, to protect the cows, the gods, the brahmins and the good. That is why I come down to earth."
"But I cannot bear it when my devotees are wronged."
"Ambarisha is one of my greatest devotees. He keeps the Dwadashi vow that I love. He rules with justice. And you? You abused him in every way. You kicked him with your left foot. And he bore it."
"Think, Durvasa. Whose fault was it? You went as his guest. And you didn't come back on time. Dwadashi was ending. He drank only water, so that his vow wouldn't break. What else did he do wrong? He tried his best to calm you. And you cursed him for it."
Where the Curses Really Fell
Then the Lord told him something Durvasa didn't know.
"When you began to curse, Ambarisha was afraid. And in his fear he took refuge in me, in his own heart. He was so absorbed in me that he forgot his own body. He didn't even hear your curse."
"I heard it. Through his ears. At that moment his heart was my home. So your curses didn't land on him. They landed on me."
"And I had a choice to make. If I let your word come true on him, my devotee would suffer. If I blocked your curse, a brahmin's word would become false. So, to keep your word true and my devotee safe, I took your curses on myself."
"Even then, you didn't calm down. You were ready to curse him again. So I sent my chakra… to stop any more curses."
And then Vishnu said nothing more.
He lay there in silence. Watching Durvasa's face.
And Durvasa knelt at his feet. With the fire of the chakra still burning behind him.
What This Chapter Asks of Us
Notice the words at the heart of this chapter. "His heart was my home." Ambarisha didn't fight back. He didn't argue. He didn't even hear the curse. He was simply holding the Lord in his heart. And that was his armour. Whatever was thrown at the devotee fell on God.
This chapter also gives one rule that Vishnu says is for everyone, whoever you are: don't eat on Ekadashi, in either half of the month. And if you're fasting, the Lord says, drinking water is no fault.
Read next
- Karthika Puranam – all 30 days
- Previous chapter: Karthika Puranam Day 25: One Sip of Tulasi Water
- Start from Day 1: Karthika Puranam Day 1: The River in Every Well
- Why Karthika Masam Is So Sacred: Meaning and Key Days
- Why We Light a Lamp (Deepam): Meaning, Oil, Wicks and Rules
- How to Do Tulasi Puja at Home: Method and Rules