Another long day and all I can think about is going home and getting some sleep. I have not had enough of it lately because all I do is guard Vishnu's Gate into Vaikuntha. What I would do for a few extra hours of rest.

"Hey, Vijaya. Snap out of it! Someone is coming," I hear my brother Jaya say to me as he nudges me out of thoughts.

"Sorry, I was just thinking of..."

"Yeah, yeah, I don't care what you were thinking about. We have a job to do," he replies. He always takes this job too seriously. We know most of the people who pass through here, and if there ever is anyone who we do not recognize, Vishnu always lets us know. When I look up, however, I see four small children approaching the Gate. I remember Vishnu saying he had guests coming today, but not children.

"Do you see this?" asks my brother, "Who do these kids think they are coming to Vishnu's Gate?"

We both watch cautiously as the four of them came closer. It does not look like they are going to be stopping, rather just walking straight through. Before I could say anything to them, Jaya steps in front of them. "Are you lost? Vishnu has no time to meet with mere children."

One of the four steps forward and replies, "You are mistaken. We only appear to be children, yet we are much older than yourselves. Vishnu is expecting us today. Let us pass." They try to step around Jaya, but he does not let them do so. I think I should speak up.

"My brother, Vishnu did say he was expecting guests today. What if these are the guests he was speaking of?"

"Vishnu does not meet with children. They are clearly lying just to get into Vaikuntha. Who knows what kind of chaos they will cause in there?"

Why would these four children come here so confidently already expecting to see Vishnu? I think they are telling the truth, but how can I convince my stubborn brother? He never listens to me. "May I have a word with you, brother?"

"There is nothing to speak of. These children must leave," says my brother.

"Please, brother. Humor me," I say and he reluctantly agrees. We step over to the side to speak. "Do not move a muscle," he says to the children before coming over.

Before I can even get a word out he chimes in with, "This is stupid. You are not as smart or clever as me, so you cannot see that these children are lying. While their trick may have worked on you, it will surely not work on me."

"Brother, have you heard of the Kumaras? They are the four sages of Brahma. I have heard that they appear as children even though they are not!" Surely he will believe me now.

"HA! You believe these are the Kumaras? You are more foolish than I originally thought. We will not let them pass and that is final." He turns away and walks back to the four visitors before I can say anything more.

I take a deep breath to calm my anger. He does this all the time. There is no point in me guarding this gate because Jaya makes all the decisions. I have a bad feeling about saying no if they really are the Kumaras.

As I return, I hear my brother arguing with the four of them, "For the last time, you cannot pass. You can tell all the stories you want, but Vishnu will not see you. He is sleeping anyway."

Finally one of them speaks, "You two have made a grave mistake. Vishnu always has time to see his followers. We are the Kumaras and you have denied us. For this, both of you will not longer be gods. You will be reborn as mortals and have to live as normal humans."

Jaya starts to laugh. He still does not believe them. Just then, Vishnu appears through the gate. "What is this arguing I have been hearing? Who has come to see me?" As he comes through the Gate, he notices the four guests. "Ah! Sanaka, Sanandana, Sanatana, and Sanatkumara! How are you? I have been expecting you. What has held you up?"

They were telling the truth. Does that mean we must live as mortals... What have you done, brother?

"They did not believe who we were and they are going to be punished for it," says one of the four.

Vishnu looked at the both of us. "Is this true?"

Before I could say anything, Jaya spoke up, "They looked like children. Vijaya and I thought it was best not to believe them. We wanted to protect you. They say we will be reborn as mortals and lose our godhood. I cannot be a mortal!"

I cannot believe this. He is throwing me under the bus. How could my brother blame me? "Vishnu, that is not..."

"Enough! I am outraged that you declined my guests. You will be punished. While I cannot reverse the curse of the Kumaras, I will modify it. You will live on Earth for three lifetimes, but as my enemy. After those three lives you will be able to return as Jaya and Vijaya, my devotees. This is final."

This would not have happened if my brother heard me out. Even though I am younger, does not mean he can treat me like this. I hope in our new lives I will be able to stand up for myself.

(Just as Vijaya was finishing his thought, both of them were teleported to Earth to begin their first of three lives. Kumbhakarna lay tossing and turning in his sleep as his dreams ends. He is frustrated at the memories, but cannot awake.)

Authors Note: This story is the origin story of how Kumbhakarna came to be. The source story is not told from the point of view of Vijaya, but that is how each of my stories will be told from. I added that Vijaya thought they were actually the Kumaras. While it was not explicitly said in the source, I assumed there was more conflict than both of them agreeing they were children. Kumara actually translates to "boy," so this reinforces their appearance as children. I thought it would be perfect to show how the two brothers interacted. I know what is like to be the younger brother, so it helped me relate with Vijaya in this story. In stories about Kumhakarna, he is seen as this giant who eats everything in his path and does not care for anyone else, but I think he is often misunderstood. While I am not advocating for his actions, it is an interesting concept to look at what might have caused him to do perform these actions. What better example than that of being the younger brother, especially working alongside his older brother. This is just the first example of his older brother treating him poorly. Overall, Kumbhakarna is a character with many layers. Taking a look at these layers through stories from his point of view will allow others to see him for more than a lumbering giant.

Bibliography: The Ramayana, R.K. Narayan. Book

Jaya-Vijaya, Wikipedia. Website.

Image: Stone Gate. Source: Pexels

The Kumaras and the Gatekeepers. Source: Wikipedia