King Shantanu and Ganga

“Shakti, I have a potential client who needs your help,” Bala, the receptionist, said as she walked into Shakti’s office. “King Shantanu requested an immediate appointment.”

“King Shantanu?” Shakti gasped. “How immediate of an appointment does he need, Bala?”

“Like…today,” Bala grimaced as Shakti rolled her eyes.

“Of course,” Shakti said. “Because kings don’t actually do that much work, they don’t understand the schedule of a busy woman. That’s alright, I have time for Shantanu today. What’s his problem?”

Bala gave Shakti a briefing about how Ganga, the goddess of the Ganges river, married King Shantanu, and that they had seven kids, but she threw them out and drowned them in the river. King Shantanu was to not speak against her, but when it came time for their eighth child, he couldn’t keep quiet, and argued with her about it.

“This is a PR nightmare,” Shakti said. “Have Neerav get started on a research campaign to find what makes rulers likable. I have a hard time believing if Shantanu’s people know about this, then they are happy with him being in charge of them and their babies.”

“Yes ma’am,” Bala said. “Is there anything that I can do?”

“Help Neerav as much as you can,” Shakti ordered. “I need to figure out how to get it through a grown woman’s head that it’s not okay to drown babies. What time is their appointment scheduled?”

“They’ll be coming in…..um….” Bala hesitated. “They’re already here.”

“That’s bold,” Shakti cut her eyes to the door. “Send them in.”

Ganga and King Shantanu walked in and sat down across from Shakti. She offered them water or fruit, but they shook their heads no as they sat in silence and shame. It was clear they weren’t in need of anything besides a consultation.

"Bala has already briefed me on the situation," Shakti said. "I need to talk with you each, individually. Ganga, you first."

"I'm so ashamed that it has come to this," King Shantanu said as he left the room.

"Ganga, you have to be honest with me," Shakti started. "I need to know every detail so that I'm not surprised at any point during this campaign with any scandalous information."

"Shakti, it's not as bad as it looks," Ganga leaned in towards Shakti and began whispering the secret she had been keeping for so long: she's a goddess setting the Vasu gods free from their earthly punishment. Shakti was shocked with this information, but knew exactly what she had to do. She stood up from her desk, and while strategizing, she invited Shantanu back in.

“I’ve decided that the best plan of action for the both of you in this situation is to handle it as though you are individuals,” Shakti started. “With that being said, Shantanu, my intern is working on your case as I oversee it. He’s starting with a research campaign to find out what the public positively responds to from their rulers. If they have any suggestions or preferences, we'll find out, and you can act accordingly considering your people distrust your abilities as a ruler right now.”

"Shakti, thank you." Shantanu nodded his head in shame, but acceptance. "I love my people, but I also love my wife. I knew you'd be the person who could help us repair our image to my people. But... Are you sure you don't need to speak to me individually?"

“I'm certain, trust me.” Shakti looked in his eyes then cut her eyes to Ganga. “As for you, Ganga, we have a lot of work to do. You will start a charitable organization that allows you to raise money and do hands-on work. It’s important that you make financial and physical impacts in the community to be respected. Plus, people of the community will see it for themselves that you are changed.”

"I can do that," Ganga nodded.

"Thank you for your help, Shakti," Shantanu started. "I really hope that this wo-"

"Oh, we're just getting started." Shakti looked at them with intense eyes. "Please see your way out. I've got work to do."

Author's Note:

This story's characters outside of the PR firm originate from the stories of the Mahabharata: King Shantanu and Ganga. Ganga, the goddess of the Ganges river, was absolutely beautiful and married King Shantanu. They had seven kids, but she threw them out and drowned them in the river. Shantanu was to not speak against her because of a previous agreement between the two of them, but when it came time for their eighth child, he couldn’t keep quiet, and argued with her about it. In this story, King Shantanu and Ganga, the goddess of the river, regarding their children that Ganga kept senselessly drowning, meet with Shakti regarding this "PR nightmare." The introduction in my storybook mentions that King Shantanu is one of Shakti’s biggest clients, and the intern gives a little detail about that. This story is a prequel to the introduction, which allows the intern, Neerav, to give Rama and Sita the details about what’s going on in the firm. Preferably, the reader should read the introduction first to get a good understanding of who the characters are, and then they should “go back in time” and read Shakti’s first encounter with Shantanu and Ganga. If this story seems jumbled, please refer to Star Wars: a series of stories that was also released out of order. Enjoy!

(image from Image library for MLLL-4993, Epics of Ancient India, University of Oklahoma and "Public Domain Editions" of the Ramayana and the Mahabharata)

Bibliography: Public Domain Mahabharata