Story: The River Nymphs

Once, the goddess of the Ganges river, Ganga, had four children who were the water nymphs that swam the river. These four were the ones that kept watch over the river for their mother, cleaning it, blessing it and maintaining peace throughout the entire length. All four of them were very beautiful, so much so that whenever a human man would lay his eyes upon one, he instantly fell in love with the mermaid. They prided themselves on their impeccable beauty and spent long hours brushing out their hair or finding the prettiest stones to add as jewelry.  

One day, as the sisters were doing their daily patrol of the river, they came across a hut they had never seen before. They were captivated by the sight because he had so few possessions. The owner of the home lived in a simple, tiny hut made of palm tree leaves, bark, and mud. Looking into the window, they could see that he owned just a cot on the ground and a fire opposite to cook or heat the hut when needed. Except for a few cracks in the mud caused by the Indian heat, the walls of the humble dwelling bore nothing.

As they swam closer to the shore, they saw that a man inhabited the hut they had just come across. He seemed to be meditating as he sat, legs crossed and arms outstretched, under a tree near the river. His appearance matched his humble home. He wore no shirt but just simple white cloth pants that had holes exposing the man’s knees. His hair was long and tangled and if he hadn’t brushed or bathed in a while. As the sisters continued to stare, the humble man met their gaze. He saw the water nymphs, smiled, and nodded as to say hello. Then, he simply turned his gaze downward, closed his eyes, and continued his meditation.

The holy man's hut

The sisters were shocked and insulted that the man did not immediately run to them as most men do. They stepped out of the water and their tails transformed into human legs. They walked closer so the man could see how beautiful they were. Surely, he did not immediately advance towards them because he did not see their beauty. The sisters stood close to the holy man and circled around him.

“Hello, dear sir,” the eldest sister said in her sweet, melodious voice as she went to sit next to him.

“Greetings, sea creature,” he replied. The water nymph was insulted that the man did not even open his eyes to look at her. “I know your intentions, madams, and I will not succumb to your advances. For you see, I am a holy man and I cannot commit myself to a woman, let alone four!”

The sisters were insulted at what the man said. They prided themselves on their beauty and were not about to let this hermit slip through their fingers. All four of them, thinking the same thing, followed their sister’s actions and sat where they stood. They tried all they could to gain his attention. They offered themselves, saying that their children would be more beautiful and more powerful than just a human child. One promised him great riches if only he would come back to the river with them. Another sister sat and sang in her beautiful voice to enchant him. Through all the temptations, the holy man remained seated with his eyes shut and repeatedly refused the magical beings.

The sisters trade their tails for legs

Finally, one of the sisters reached out and touched the man’s shoulder. At this, the calm self-control he had possessed left him and anger filled its place. He quickly stood up and said, “I know what you four do. You scan the riverbanks looking for human men to seduce so you can ultimately bring them to their deaths in the river. However, I will not be a victim. I have repeatedly told you to leave, but because of your stubbornness, I will now have to curse you!”

At these words, the four sisters started to transform. They looked down to see their limbs became shorter and their soft smooth skin was pushed aside with harsh scales. Their snouts grew long and their delicate hands were turned into claws. They looked at each other and saw that they had been turned into alligators! Filled with rage, they turned to find the man that did this to them but he was nowhere to be seen. They returned to the river to continue their lives as horrid beasts of the river.

Author’s Note: This story took place during Arjuna’s time in exile from the kingdom. In one of his adventures, as Arjuna was traveling beside the Ganges river, he meets a holy man who warned him not to go too close to the river because the river is cursed. The holy man explained how there are man-eating alligators that reside in the waters waiting to attack anyone that got too close. Arjuna, full of pride, didn’t listen to the warning and went to the river. There, an alligator slowly crept up and tried to devour him. He grabbed the animal by the tail and threw it out of the water. Here, the alligator transformed into a beautiful woman. She explained how her sisters and she were turned into animals because they tried to seduce a holy man.

This was such a small portion of the Mahabharata story, but I found it so interesting. In the story, I felt like the nymphs were being victimized, but I wondered if they actually goaded the old man on. I wanted to hear more about these magical creatures so I decided to expand their story and tell it in detail. Although the four sisters are the main characters, they’re not the good guys.

Bibliography: PED Mahabharata: Arjuna and Ulupi