Hello everyone! I am Shashthi, the Goddess of Childbirth. I am the protector of children and mothers, and I also bless them with good health. I will be narrating this storybook for you all. As you may have already guessed, this storybook will have a lot to do with childbirth because it is about the birth stories of the Mahabharata.

Personally, I have plenty of experience in giving life as well as taking it away. My black cat is my vahana and she means everything to me. Once, a woman stole food from her father's house, and when the father confronted her, she blamed the missing food on my cat. The man nearly killed my poor baby kitty, while the perp went about her day as if nothing had happened at all! Little did she know, I would get my revenge. Because it was her fault that my cat got hurt so bad, I told my cat to steal this woman's children every time she gave birth and bring them to me.

After the sixth time her child was stolen from her, this woman FINALLY realized why her children kept being taken from her, she begged me to forgive her. After the woman apologized, I felt a little better, so I told her to sculpt a statue of the cat and tie a picture of me around it with a sacred thread. I gave her my word that I would protect her next child if she worshiped both my cat and me, daily. I told the woman, once her next child was born, to tie the sacred thread around the child as a symbol of protection from me, the Goddess Shashthi. I also asked her to fast on the sixth day after her child is born as a form of worship to me.

After that mess, I seemed to have gotten a bad rap for a period of time as this malevolent deity who eats fetuses and kills babies. (WHICH I AM NOT!!) Sometimes, I just have to reiterate to humans that I can give life as well as take it away. I simply want to be respected and honored for my sacred gift of giving life as well as protection to the mortal infants. Over time, I managed to power through the negativity and restore my image as a kind Goddess who is a protector of children and mothers.

I hope you enjoy my narration of this collection of birth stories!

Yours Truly,

Shashthi