Durba

A king used to donate one hundred gold coins every day to his royal priest. In the same kingdom lived a poor Brahmin. One day his wife said to him,
“The king here is very generous. He gives one hundred gold coins daily to his royal priest. You should also go to the king. He will surely give you something.”

She sent the Brahmin off after giving him some yellow paste and a blade of sacred grass (durva). The Brahmin reached the king, applied the paste to the king’s forehead, and placed the blade of grass on his head. Seeing this, the king said,
“O Brahmin! Today I had your darshan before that of my royal priest. Therefore, instead of giving today’s donation to the royal priest, I give it to you.”

The king donated one hundred gold coins to the Brahmin. When the royal priest came to know of this, he became furious. He frightened the king, saying,
“A king who gives donations to another Brahmin instead of his royal priest becomes a sinner and goes to hell.”

Frightened, the king demanded the hundred gold coins back from the poor Brahmin. The Brahmin began to weep. Nearby stood Prince Aditya. Feeling pity for the Brahmin, Aditya gave him one hundred gold coins from his own wealth.

When the royal priest learned this, he began to think,
“After the king’s death, Prince Aditya may remove me from my position. It would be better to send him out of the kingdom.”

He deceived the king and had Prince Aditya expelled from the kingdom on false charges of treason. While leaving, Aditya touched his father’s feet. As the king lifted him up, the blade of sacred grass that the poor Brahmin had placed on the king’s head fell to the ground. After some time, the blade of grass turned into a beautiful maiden.

She said to Prince Aditya,
“I wish to stay with you. I will help you in times of trouble. My name is Durba.”

Prince Aditya and Durba began to travel together. On the way, they saw a snake killing and eating many mice. At Durba’s request, Aditya killed the snake. The mice were very happy and said,
“You have saved us from the wicked snake. Whenever you need us, remember us—we will come.”

They moved on and saw a huge python killing and eating snakes. Aditya and Durba killed the python and saved the snakes. The snakes promised to help them in times of difficulty.

Continuing their journey, Aditya and Durba reached another king’s palace. Durba said to that king,
“The difficult tasks that no one else can do, my husband can accomplish.”

Hearing this, the king appointed Prince Aditya to his court. This made the king’s minister jealous.

One day, the king and the minister were walking along a river. A fish was jumping in the water. The minister said,
“Your Majesty, this is a great bad omen. To avoid misfortune, you must throw the queen’s ring into the river.”

The king threw the ring into the river. After returning to the palace, the minister deceived the queen and said,
“The king must get the ring back, with Aditya’s help.”

The next day, the king ordered Aditya to bring back the ring from the river, or else return all the wealth he had received.

In the evening, Aditya told Durba everything. Durba remembered the mice they had saved. All the mice gathered at the riverbed and dug tunnels, diverting the river’s flow. It appeared as though the river had dried up. The mice found the ring and brought it to Aditya and Durba.

The next day, Aditya presented the ring to the king. The minister burned with jealousy. He then told the queen to ask the king for a garland of flowers from the land of serpents (Nagadesh).

The queen said to the king,
“My lord, I have all ornaments, but as the wife of such a brave king, I lack a floral garland. Please bring one from Nagadesh.”

The king consulted the minister, who said,
“Your Majesty, assign this task to Aditya.”

The next day, the king ordered Aditya to bring a garland from Nagadesh. Aditya informed Durba. They remembered the snakes they had saved earlier. Immediately, all the snakes arrived. Durba sent Aditya with them to Nagadesh and said,
“The king of Nagadesh, Serpent King, will also give you a serpent maiden. Bring her along without hesitation.”

In Nagadesh, the snakes introduced Aditya to the Serpent King and told him how Aditya had saved them from the python. The Serpent King was pleased and gave Aditya both the garland and his daughter.

The next day, Aditya and Durba appeared in the royal court. Durba said,
“Your Majesty, this garland is still unripe. It will become perfect only when the minister is punished in front of the court.”

The king punished the minister. The minister begged Aditya for forgiveness and promised never to trouble him again.

The king thought,
“No one else could have accomplished what Aditya has done. It would be best if the kingdom were handed over to him.”

Since the king had no children, he accepted Aditya as his son and handed over the entire kingdom to him. Aditya then went to his old home with Durba and the serpent princess. On seeing Aditya, his aged parents were filled with tears of joy. Aditya became the ruler of both kingdoms.

At that moment, Aditya stood at the same place where he had first met Durba years ago. Lost in memories, he suddenly looked at her. To his surprise, Durba had disappeared. In her place lay a single blade of sacred grass. A voice came from it:

“Prince Aditya, our journey together ends here. Marry the serpent princess and rule both kingdoms wisely.”

Prince Aditya searched for Durba, but she was nowhere to be found. His face showed happiness at reuniting with his parents and gaining the kingdoms, yet his eyes were filled with tears from being separated from Durba