Thursday, April 9, 2015

A-Z April Challenge 2015: H for HARISCHANDRA

H for Harischandra greets Sage Vishwamitra
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IN A PARALLEL UNIVERSE...

 King Harischandra walked out to the entrance of his palace to welcome Sage Vishwamitra. He bent down to wash the sage’s feet with rose water and greeted him with folded hands, inviting the revered Vishwamitra into his palace. 

 A visibly pleased Vishwamitra walked ahead of the king and took his seat right next to the king’s throne, his feet placed on a small cushioned golden stool. 

 The ministers and courtiers watched on as their king and the visitor discussed a number of things under the sun. King Harischandra listened more than spoke as he felt that he needed to learn a lot from Vishwamitra who had himself been a king many years ago. 

 By and by, the sage arrived at the purpose of his visit. “Dear Harischandra, last night I had a strange dream. You came to me and promised to hand over your entire kingdom for the upkeep of my ashram. I have come to claim what is mine.” Sage Vishwamitra had a benign smile on his face, confident that the king will keep his promise, even if it had been made only in a dream.

 The noble and truthful king, with folded hands and bowed head, replied to the sage, “I am so honoured you brought this matter to me Oh Great Sage Vishwamitra! I promise to handover my kingdom to you the very next time I visit you in my dream.” The king raised his head to look sharply at the sage, his eyes suggesting that the sage never visited the king in the latter's dream, ever. 

 Was it surprising that Sage Vishwamitra was left speechless! 

 Glossary:
Ashram - Hermitage



Check out some of my favourite bloggers who are also participating in A-Z April Challenge 2015

Eloquent Articulation by Inderpreet Kaur Uppal
I Luv Fiction by Ruchi Singh

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38 comments:

  1. IndywritesApril 9, 2015 at 9:24 AM

    Hahahah!! This one was sneaky! I was expecting a marriage proposal! Romance on my mind, I think!
    I really liked the humour in this one.

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    1. Sundari VenkatramanApril 9, 2015 at 10:43 AM

      LOL! Thank you Inderpreet :D Glad you liked my little story

      Delete
  2. LsApril 9, 2015 at 11:20 AM

    Hahahaa.. thats a good twist at the end.. and a first for a Harishchandra story I have heard.

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  3. Prasanna RaoApril 9, 2015 at 12:28 PM

    He he that was some quick thinking on the part of Harishchandra. Vishwamitra would have learnt his lesson ;)

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  4. SoumyaApril 9, 2015 at 12:31 PM

    Hahaha Harishchandra is smart!! :D

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  5. UnknownApril 9, 2015 at 12:35 PM

    Oh I loved this one :D Ha ha ha. Trust Hari boy to be sneaky ;) Good one, Sundari!

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    1. Sundari VenkatramanApril 9, 2015 at 12:39 PM

      Thank you Shailaja :D He's seems way smarter here, doesn't he? ;)

      Delete
  6. Amrit SinhaApril 9, 2015 at 12:37 PM

    Wow ... loved the twist :-D

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  7. Swathi ShenoyApril 9, 2015 at 12:57 PM

    Loved it :D Its fun to read the stories we have heard many times from a different point of view :)

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    1. Sundari VenkatramanApril 9, 2015 at 3:24 PM

      Thank you Swathi! I agree :) especially those stories that bring a lot of pain

      Delete
  8. UnknownApril 9, 2015 at 2:43 PM

    Confusing. ;-) Nice twist yet again, Sundari!

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    1. Sundari VenkatramanApril 9, 2015 at 3:23 PM

      The original story is that Harischandra agrees to give away his kingdom and goes to live on the streets with his queen and prince. His troubles are unending as he insists on paying a tax to the sage for gifting the kingdom. He's forced to sell wife and kid.... And there's more
      So my parallel universe story ;)

      Delete
  9. iluvfictionApril 9, 2015 at 6:02 PM

    Lol, this was cheeky. Loved it!!

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  10. JANUApril 9, 2015 at 6:03 PM

    Wish he had this wisdom then :)

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  11. deepti menonApril 9, 2015 at 7:13 PM

    Sundari, I love the twist! Harishchandra has always been such a beacon of truth and honesty, at times a little too straitlaced, if you ask me! This was a brilliant way to redeem him! Great story! :)

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    1. Sundari VenkatramanApril 9, 2015 at 10:27 PM

      Thank you so much Deepti. I always thought he's one-dimensional. Needed some comic relief ;)

      Delete
  12. deepti menonApril 9, 2015 at 7:14 PM

    Do check out my post when you have the time, please! Would love to hear what you think of it!
    http://deepties.blogspot.in/2015/04/hope-lies-eternal-or-does-it.html

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    1. Sundari VenkatramanApril 9, 2015 at 10:27 PM

      Sure thing! Been tied up a bit since morning. Checking right now :)

      Delete
  13. UnknownApril 9, 2015 at 7:42 PM

    Harishchandra in a sneaky avatar. Hahaha. Would have never thought that this day would come. Enjoyed reading it.

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  14. Shanaya TalesApril 9, 2015 at 9:05 PM

    This is the most interesting Harishchandra story I have read. He was depicted to be so one dimensional. You gave him a sense of humor. He should thank you :P
    *Shantala @ ShanayaTales*

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  15. the little princessApril 9, 2015 at 11:48 PM

    Now that's a wise man! The sage must have been really stumped! was fun to read!!

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  16. A Tarkabarka HölgyApril 10, 2015 at 1:10 AM

    Haha! Perfect answer! :D

    @TarkabarkaHolgy from
    Multicolored Diary - Epics from A to Z
    MopDog - 26 Ways to Die in Medieval Hungary

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  17. SuzyApril 11, 2015 at 5:29 AM

    A witty King Harishchandra - how awesome. Now that is a real twist in a Harishchandra tale.. Loved it.

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    1. Sundari VenkatramanApril 11, 2015 at 12:07 PM

      Thank you so much Suzy. Glad you enjoyed reading my little story on Harischandra :D

      Delete
  18. LakshmiApril 12, 2015 at 9:29 AM

    This story also brought a wide smile on my face. Harischandra story would have been quite different if this had happened :)

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    1. Sundari VenkatramanApril 12, 2015 at 9:16 PM

      Seriously! Otherwise its so full of pathos. I never much liked the story :D

      Delete
  19. Prathima RaoApril 12, 2015 at 11:54 AM

    Hahahaaa.. This was a good one! Loved the twist at the end :) Glad to see some humour associated with this sad tale.

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