Water: A Deep Dive of Discovery

Water: A Deep Dive of Discovery — page 9
The River of Life INDIA Retold by Meera Sriram Long long ago in southern India there lived a kind king named Kavera Every day he prayed to the gods for the prosperity of his people Pleased with his devotion Brahma the god of creation appeared before him and said Dear Kavera you will soon be blessed with a child who will bring glory to your kingdom Kavera named his daughter Kaveri after his own name and raised her lovingly Kaveri grew up with a generous heart and strong spirit She longed to make her father and his people happy During this time a powerful demon tormented the gods in heaven and destroyed beautiful things on Earth With the gods of rain and thunder in hiding the land grew thirsty Forests began to shrivel Fish gasped in drying lakes Across parched lands crops wilted while birds and beasts died Troubled the gods begged Shiva the lord of gods for help Shiva promised to restore Earth soon Meanwhile Kaveri’s heart ached seeing her land and people suffer She was determined to find a way to help If I take the form of a river she thought I could spread far and wide and give life to everything on my way But for this Kaveri needed special powers from the gods As Kaveri sat in prayer seeking the powers to chase her dream Agastya a great wise sage on a journey southwards passed by Impressed by Kaveri’s dedication he approached Kavera for permission to marry her The king out of kindness and respect submitted to the revered sage’s request and Kaveri wished to please her father 12