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Many years ago, Vana, the King of demons, pleased Shiva with his devotion. For his great tapasya, he won a boon that he would remain invincible to all, both on the heaven and the earth. Vana had a beautiful daughter named Usha. Her great friend and constant companion was Chitralekha, the daughter of one of Vana’s ministers. As Usha grew up, she began to wonder who her husband would be. She did not like any of the demon princes or her father’s young friends.
Usha’s Dream: A strange love story
It was a strange night! It changed Usha’s life forever. She dreamt of a handsome prince who sat beside her and smiled at her, looking deep into her eyes. Usha fell in love with him instantly and woke up to find that it was only a dream. But something deep within her told her that this dream meant something significant and that such a prince must exist somewhere.
Usha was no longer her old self. Her love for the dream prince was so real that she could think of nothing and no one else. She went around lost in her own thoughts, longing for him and missing him with all her heart. Her friends teased her, especially when they realized that she had no idea who he was and had merely seen him in her dream.
“Come on, Usha, wake up!” said her friends. “You can’t take a dream that seriously.” “I can’t help it. I can think of nothing else,” said Usha looking miserable. “I know he must exist somewhere. I also know that I cannot live without him, whoever he is”.
“But that’s the whole point! You don’t even know who he is. You don’t know if he is real, what his name is and where he lives,” said her friends.”How on earth will you ever find him? Where will you begin? You know absolutely nothing!”
“I know all that. Nevertheless, I have to find him. I have already accepted him in my heart as my husband, and shall wed no other man,” said Usha. The others laughed and thought she had gone crazy. But Chitralekha realized how serious Usha was and decided to make an attempt to find out if such a person really existed.
Chitralekha was a very talented artist, and could draw anyone’s portrait very accurately. “If I were to draw portraits of all the young kings and princes, would you recognize your dream prince, if he happens to be one of them?” asked Chitralekha.
“Of course,” said Usha without any hesitation. “I remember him so clearly. But can you really draw portraits of all the princes? There must be so many of them!” “I must try,” said Chitralekha. “It’s the only way to find out if he is real or just a dream.”
“Please hurry then, I pray to you. Please…,” said Usha, “I shall be eternally grateful to you if you can find him for me.” Chitralekha got busy from the next day, drawing portraits of prince after prince. At night she would take all the portraits and show them to Usha. The princess looked at them eagerly but turned down all of them with a heavy heart. Chitralekha got to work again, drawing and showing them to Usha. One night, Usha picked up the first portrait listlessly. She sat up eagerly and looked at it again. “Who is this?” she asked Chitralekha.
“It is not my prince but he reminds me of someone.” “It is Krishna, the prince of Dwarka,” said Chitralekha, “People say that he is an incarnation of Vishnu.” “Show me the next one,” said Usha. Chitralekha handed it to her. Usha frowned, trying to recall something. “Strange! This person reminds me of someone too. Who is he?”
“It is Pradyumna, Krishna’s son.” It is not my prince, though he does remind me of him. I wonder why,” said Usha. “How about this one?” asked Chitralekha handing her another portrait. Usha looked at the portrait and stood still as a statue. “Well?” asked Chitralekha looking at her curiously. “Who….is….he?” whispered Usha hardly able to speak. “It is Aniruddha, Pradyuman’s son. He is the grandson of Krishna,” said Chitralekha.
“He is the prince of my dreams,” cried Usha. “Are you quite sure?” asked Chitralekha. “As sure as I am alive. I remember this smiling face, these eyes that started at me and the hands that held mine. Chitralekha, he is the one I have been waiting for, all my life,” said Usha in excitement.
“Now that we know that he really exists, I shall die if I cannot marry him. Please, I beg of you, bring him to me.” Chitralekha was deep in thought as she walked up and down. She knew it was impossible for her to meet Anirudhha, let alone bring him to the palace. Aniruddha lived with his father and grandfather at Dwarka, surrounded by hills and deep moats. She had heard that anyone wishing to go there secretly had to scale seven steep walls and conquer a regular army of guards. Moreover, the invincible Chakra of Krishna was always resolving across the skies of Dwarka, ready to destroy the strangers.
“I am absolutely certain that anyone coming from the land of demons, would not be admitted to the hallowed kingdom of Dwarka,” Chitralekha told Usha. But the princess was not convinced. “I don’t care how tough it is. If you love me and are my true friend, bring Aniruddha here to me.”
“I shall try. But I don’t have much hope of success. I fail to see how I can ever get inside the city walls of Dwarka,” remarked Chitralekha. But true to her promise, Chitralekha started on her hazardous journey keeping her friend’s happiness in mind. She was just wondering how to proceed when she caught sight of the wandering sage Narada, singing the glories of Vishnu.
