The Proud Vindhya Mountains and Two Sages of Different Hearts

To the south of the great Mount Meru, the center of all things, thrived the eldest mountain of the physical plane. Unnamed, unexplored by the human touch, there lay the now-called Vindhyas. Cast into an ever-living winter, the Vindhyas were full of a snow-capped pride that once reached heights unimaginable. Once their ridges held grooves deeper than the oceans, towering tall in the sky. Their peaks pierced the bright blue of the daytime, interrupting and tearing the black silken blanket of the night sky. They even knocked a star from the sky, once, in the pursuit of greatness.

Why, you may ask, were the Vindhyas so entranced with possessing awesomeness?

It was early in the world, a newly rising dawn, when the Vindhyas were the proudest of all mountains. Their pride remained unrivaled for eons, and it swelled with the growth of the mountains. The Vindhyas have many heads, all of which chatter in different voices ranging from booming to soothing, though they all share the same heart. Their heart leads to their desire, which has been recounted with disrespectful slight against their egotistical mannerisms. It is true the Vindhyas are proud, chests covered in the sprouts of well-groomed trees. There was but one blemish on this great range: the demons who lived in their ridges, infested their crevices, infecting their caves until none of the Gods would even look at the great mountains.

Their spurn caused unease in the Vindhyas, and this unease turned to jealousy as he saw the lavish adoration pampered upon Mount Meru - the golden one. Vindhyas was just as beautiful, enriched in color and life just as the forest lying at Meru's feet. Inside his stoney exterior were treasures untold: gems, metals, and gold that had never been touched by clean hands. The devils wasted his treasures and left the Vindhyas slick with blood of their own brothers. The Vindhya range was left empty of godliness, stuck watching as Mount Meru housed Brahma and the princely Himalayas treated Indra.

There was but one who came aware of the plight of the Vindhyas: Narada.

The sage was wise, full of blessings and fortunes enough to cast light upon the darkest of places, though one might suggest he knew not how to use his wisdom well. Narada enjoyed the forests, the woodland animals, and the pleasures of nature, as well as any Vedic sage but his true passion lay with something far less reputable. Narada loved chaos with a ferocity, captured in a desire for trickery and games that he could forget any consequence in exchange for that single exhilarating moment of deceit. However, despite his enthusiasm, his tricks always came with a price as karma never failed to disapprove.

So, when Narada came upon the solemn Vindhyas, he was quick to notice the sorrowful sloping of a once-straight and unperturbed formation. Narada sat among the only uninfested grove of trees in the Vindhyas, lucky enough to not have encounters with the demons of the Vindhyas' desolation. The mountain range had spent many of the past moons clearing the small alcove of filth. Their energy had been spent on such efforts, attempting to rid their entire self of the devilish beasts, since the dawn of its crowning from the Earth. Their efforts had grown into simply restricting the devils to certain areas of the mountain-sides, rotating the tribes throughout the forests so careful travelers could pass through their steep ranges without the fear of demons. Only those few villages who dared live close to the range's feet knew the patterns and rotations, and though they were grateful for the security, none had thought to give much praise to the tired mountain heads gradually hanging lower and lower with each passing year.

The Vindhya range hardly acknowledged the Vedic sage, tossing a half-hearted mango in recognition.

"Nameless one, what causes such sorrow in a mountain so great?" Narada asked, though he already knew the answer. The wind had carried news of the Vindhyas' distress for some time now and Narada knew it would only take a few words to unsettle him further.

"Wise one, call not one so little so great. I am but a hill in the golden shadow of Meru. The Gods do not grace such small footrests with names." The range sighed.

The air rippled with the words of rock, striking hard with severity to even Narada's occasionally cruel heart. Here, the Vedic sage thought, shall be a triumph of trickery over humility. With a plan to show that even pride can be a virtue, Narada withheld a flashing grin and gently offered a frown of comradeship.

"Think not of the King's visage - instead, take pride in ways to better yourself. Remind the Gods which seeds are sown in your slopes. Prove you hold expanse not just wide and far, but high and near to the Heavens." Narada crooned, peeling the thin skin from the ripe mango. He smiled as it easily fell away.

Thus, he left the Vindhyas to ruminate about his words. Narada knew in the morning that he was successful when awaking to find that their peaks had risen throughout the night. Over the course of his stay in a small village, Narada was stunned to watch the Vindhyas grow further. The range continued to flourish upwards, climbing the sky even as the mountains gained notice from all sorts of Gods and Goddesses. Murmurs circulated the heavens, whispers about how the Vindhyas did not stop rising with speed that both alarmed and impressed the Gods.

Then came the fateful day that regret would plague Narada until he hid in the woodlands to cleanse himself of guilt. The Vindhyas, until then having been nameless, gained their name meaning "to obstruct" with trueness. The Vindhyas had risen so far, piercing the sky with ragged peaks, that the sun could not pass as the day began to fall. The moon came to the other side of the Vindhyas, unable to pass or greet her brother as she would as daylight collapsed into night's arms. No mortal being could cross over the mountains, for its slopes were too high and death collected any who tried. Yama's lasso was inescapable, stitched with fate, for those who wanted to cross. A star returned to the night sky, only to be knocked from its long-held perch by a sharp mountain-top. It crashed to the Earth, and it was that moment which marked the unbalancing of the world. The Heavens themselves were tilted into disorder as chaos arose from all corners of Earth. The demons running amuck in the Vindhyas thought themselves all the more powerful and began to peruse human villages for wares to steal.

During this time, Shiva and Parvati were preparing to be wed. Gods and Goddesses, sages and other mortal worshippers, traveled from the farthest reaches to watch the great affair. One of the sages on his way to see the royal wedding was Agastya. Agastya is a powerful sage and well-known for his deeds. He was often called upon by the Gods, who desired his help. The ceremony was to take place on the Himalayan mountains, as Shiva lived in Mount Kailash and Parvati was the daughter of the Himalayan prince. On Agastya's travels, he encountered the immense Vindhyas.

Agastya was surprised to see the soft sadness brushing through the trees, and through the heart of the mountains. His prowess was great, and he knew despite the pride of the Vindhya range, they dared not disobey the word of a mountain guru such as himself. Agastya approached the mountains carefully. He did not wish to insult the mountain range.

"Vindhyas, show your respect and bow. Allow my family and me to pass." Agastya asked.

The Vindhyas groaned, for he had not moved in such a long while that he had almost forgotten how. Vindhyas kneeled, bending low to allow Agastya's family to pass through his ranges, and he promised remained like that until Agastya returned so that the sage could cross back over. However, Agastya did not return and the Vindhyas keep their word even today, bent down to Earth and waiting for Agastya to cross back over.

The Gods had taken notice of how long the Vindhyas had kept the demons plaguing his land contained, since he had been formed and had only recently been unable to keep the demons from wandering into other places. Kali, the fierce and fiery goddess, took to the Earth and dispelled of the crude creatures in the Vindhyas' forests. Once she got to know the mountain, she saw his great heart and his great sorrows at having been long un-admired by the Gods. Kali took residence in his caverns and it is there that she resides now: in the mountains which once obstructed the sun, the moon, and knocked a star out of the sky!