Completing The Svosthani Story

Siddhi B. Ranjitkar

A large number of the Hindu Nepalis visit Sakhu to take a last dip in the holy waters of the Salinadi Stream, every household completes the one-month-long Svosthani story, and about one hundred men and women taking the one-month-long Svosthani fasting complete it on the full moon day (February 18, 2011) of the Magha (Jan-Feb) month in the Nepalese calendar called Nepal Sambat. The Svosthani Story is unique to Nepal. It tells about the creation of the earth planet, the battle between the Shiva sect and Vishnu sect and finally, the election to a new king in the ancient Nepalese style.

Every Hindu household has started telling the Svosthani Story, one-month-long religious festival has started at Salinadi Stream in Sakhu, and a group of about one hundred men and women have started taking the Svosthani fasting at the Salinadi on the full moon of Push (Dec-Jan) following the Nepal Sambat. During this period thousands of Hindu Nepalis have visited Salinadi and have made offerings to Svosthani, and then to Chandravoti, Nava Raj and the porters that have carried Chandravoti on a palanquin. Some of the pilgrims take a dip in the holy but cold winter waters of the Salinadi Stream in Sakhu.  All these things complete on the full moon day of the Magha.

The Svosthani Story tells first about the creation of the earth planet then about Lord Shiva marrying the first spouse Sati Devi, then the battle between the followers of Lord Shiva and Daccheprajapati: the proxy of Lord Vishnu, then the death of Sati Devi, her incarnation as the daughter of King Himalaya and her marriage with Lord Shiva again. The couple then have two sons: Ganesh and Kumar. Lord Shiva and his spouse Parvati want to bestow a boon on one of them that meets the condition making a round trip to Mount Sumeru: current day Himalaya, and coming first.  Then, comes the story of Nava Raj and his spouse Chandravoti, how he becomes the king and how she suffers disgrace.

Daccheprajapati has several beautiful daughters. He has given them in marriage to one divinity after another including Lord Vishnu. However, he not only refuses giving his youngest beautiful daughter called Sati Devi to Lord Shiva when he comes to ask for the hands of his last daughter but also insults him in a disgraceful language using several foul words. This story is actually about the fight between the supporters of Shiva sect and Vishnu sect.

Frustrated with not having Sati Devi as a spouse for him and with the humiliating words of Daccheprajapati, Lord Shiva starts wobbling on earth. Lord Vishnu feels it and takes it seriously. So, he immediately approaches Lord Shiva, and finds out the reasons for Lord Shiva making unsteady steps. Lord Vishnu proposes Lord Shiva to trick Daccheprajapati to give the hands of his most beautiful daughter Sati Devi in marriage to Lord Shiva.

Lord Vishnu has been holding the hands of Sati Devi at the marriage platform for several minutes but Lord Shiva has failed to show up as agreed on. When her parents approach to grant the hands of Sati Devi to Lord Vishnu he becomes impatient and thinks that he will fail in tricking Daccheprajapati but Lord Shiva shows up just on time, and places his hands under the hands of Lord Vishnu. Lord Vishnu pulls out his hands leaving Lord Shiva’s hands receiving the grant of the hands of Sati Devi. This is another story that Lord Vishnu attempts to reconcile Daccheprajapati with Lord Shiva.

Furious with Lord Vishnu at tricking him to grant the hands of Sati Devi to Lord Shiva, Daccheprajapati once again uses whatever foul words available to insult Lord Shiva. However, Sati Devi accepts Lord Shiva as her spouse despite her father being deadly against it.

Then, comes the story of Daccheprajapati performing the fire worship called Yagya. As a rule, Daccheprajapati should invite all his married daughters and their spouses but he skips the invitation to Sati Devi and her spouse Lord Shiva. However, Narad: the messenger of Lord Vishnu takes the news of Daccheprajapati performing Yagya to Sati Devi and Lord Shiva. Disregarding the advice of Lord Shiva not to go to her father, Sati Devi rushes to her father only to get insulted again. Not being able to digest the insult of her father, she simply jumps into the fireplace and meets the death.

Lord Shiva rushing after Sati Devi finds his beloved Sati Devi lying dead in the fireplace. In anger, he cut off the head of Daccheprajapati and tosses it to the fireplace but he sets a head of sacrificial lamb on the shoulder of Daccheprajapati after a dramatic plea of his spouse for saving the life of Daccheprajapati. Thus, the fight between the Shiva sect and the Vishnu sect ends with the violent demise of Daccheprajapati: the protagonist of Vishnu sect.

The Shiva sect has originated in the Himalayas. So, we see Lord Shiva always meditating in the snow-capped mountain. His teaching is non-violent and peaceful ways of living.  The Vishnu sect has originated in ocean. So, Lord Vishnu is always lying on the bed of plaited five-headed serpents. It teaches the evolution of life on earth. So, Vishnu has ten incarnations. The story about Svosthani is the meeting between the Shiva sect and the Vishnu sect in Nepal.

After the death, Sati Devi incarnates as Parvati: the daughter of King Himalaya. The Svosthani story brings back the possibility of Lord Vishnu wedding Parvati but she herself avoids such a possibility and dedicates her life to Lord Shiva. Thus, Lord Shiva wins the hands of Parvati. Lord Shiva and Parvati have two sons: Ganesh and Kumar. When both the sons have come of age, Lord Shiva and Parvati call them to their abode and announce, “It is time for us to bestow a boon upon one of you that meets the condition of making a trip to Mount Sumeru and then going around it three times and coming back first.”

Kumar has a peacock as a steed whereas Ganesh has a rat. Immediately without thinking anything, Kumar rides on a peacock and undertakes a journey to Sumeru. Poor Ganesh remains puzzled at home with his steed rat sitting beside him. The rat notices his master is upset, so it asks the master why he has been so upset today but Ganesh ignores the concern of the rat for his mental status thinking the poor rat can do nothing and even it is good for nothing. Then, the rat goes on insisting on its master to tell the reason for being so upset. Finally, Ganesh give in and tells the reason for being so upset.

“Listen my dear, my parents have decided to bestow a boon on one of their sons in other words my brother Kumar and me on one condition: we have to make a long trip to Mount Sumeru and go around it three times, and then come first to receive the boon. Kumar has already possibly been half way to the Mount Sumeru flying on his steed whereas I having you as a steed have not been able to move even a single step. Tell me what can I do without being upset?”

The rat says, “Master, it is not a big deal. Please go to your parents and ask them to stand together and go around them three times in a clockwise direction and then prostrate at their feet, and tell them ‘for me, you are my Sumeru and I have made three rounds of it; so please grant me a boon’.”

Taking the rat’s tip, Ganesh goes to his parents and do whatever his steed rat has advised him to do. Lord Shiva and Parvati become very pleased with Ganesh and without thinking twice grant a boon of receiving first offerings to Ganesh. Lord Shiva says, “My son Ganesh, from today onwards, humans will make first offering to you before making offerings to any other deities. Enjoy it, my son.”

Soon after the parents have bestowed the boon to Ganesh, Kumar comes back and hoping to receive the boon from his parents goes straight to Lord Shiva and Parvati and finds they have already granted the boon to Ganesh. Kumar makes an emotional appeal to his parents for a boon. Lord Shiva says, “Kumar, we have already granted the boon to Ganesh, we cannot take it back from Ganesh and give it to you but we can give you a boon of receiving an offering before Ganesh does but not the full-fledged one but only a half of the offering Ganesh gets.” So, we make a small offering to Kumar that sits in the form of an eight-petal lotus carved in stone at the main entrance to every house on the way to make offering to Ganesh at the neighborhood before making offerings to any deity. The Nevah people living in the Kathmandu Valley still follow this tradition.

Then the Svosthani tells the story about Nava Raj; how he is born as the son of a small girl destined to marry 77-year old man following the curse she has received from a holy man. After Nava Raj comes of age, he goes in search of his father that has gone to find out some herbs required for his infant son, and has gone missing since then, and finds his father’s bones, performs the last funeral rites and rituals to his dead father and comes back home.

One day Nava Raj goes to watch the selection of a new monarch by a royal elephant. He lines up with other curious bystanders on the sidewalks for curiously watching how the heavily decorated elephant with precious jewels and ornaments will choose a new monarch. He sees the elephant holding a flower garland by its trunk and walking steadily at its own pace. Bystanders clap their hands as the greetings to the elephant when it passes them.

When the elephant reaches the area where Nava Raj has been standing with other onlookers, it stops and stands still and surprisingly takes a close look at Nava Raj, turns around and takes a close look at Nava Raj second time. The elephant seems to be satisfied with his look at Nava Raj but turns around once again to the surprise of all people standing there and this time with determination, the elephant takes a very close look at Nava Raj, and then puts the flower garland it has carried on its nose around the neck of Nava Raj and lifts him by its trunk and places gently on its back and takes Nava Raj to the palace.

At that time, Chandravoti is staying at her parents’ home but the news of her husband becoming the monarch has not taken much time to reach her. She immediately arranges two porters to carry her on a palanquin to the palace. Before crossing the Salinadi River, the porters want to drink water from the river. Chandravoti warns them of not taking too much time for drinking water but the porters after drinking water from the river find a group of people making offerings to Svosthani on the bank of the river and sit there for a minute to listen to the story of Svosthani but stay there until the end of the story and receive the food and flower blessings from the deity for themselves and for Chandravoti.

Furious at the porters for taking so long time to drink water, Chandravoti refuses to listen to the porters and does not accept the food and flower blessings of the deity and wants to move forward without delay. The porters carrying Chandravoti on a palanquin finds the river flooding but Chandravoti does not listen to the porters, simply wants to reach her husband at the soonest possible time. So, the porters have no choice but to attempt on crossing the swollen river. When they reach the middle of the river one of them slips and falls down and the river sweeps both of them away taking Chandravoti on the other side of the river and depositing her on the bank but she has been so disfigured nobody recognizes her. After sometimes, she comes to sense and thinks that she needs to revere deity Svosthani, so does she and gets her figure back and goes to live with her husband as a queen. Thus, ends the story of Svosthani.

On the full moon day of Magha, every Hindu household completes the reading out the Svosthani story and put the book on the shelf for next year to read out.

On this day, at the confluence of the Hanumante River in Bhaktapur, a religious festival is held. A dozen of men devotees wrapped their bodies down from the waist in white linens lie on their back on the bank of the river immersing lower portion of their bodies in the waters, some of them clasping their hands at their chests in prayer and others blowing conch shells calling Madhav Narayan. Women devotees opened up to their chests wash their heads in the waters of the Hanumante River in prayer to Madhav Narayan.

February 18, 2011

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