A King called Trishanku
By Dr. Devdutt Pattanaik – Author, Speaker, Illustrator, Mythologist
Once upon a time, there was a king called Trishanku who wanted access to Swarga, the paradise of the gods, located in the sky. But unfortunately, he was not good enough. Different versions give us different reasons: that he had committed adultery, that he had consumed beef, that he had broken caste rules. The point is Indra, king of the gods, would not let him enter Swarga. He was not dharmic enough.
So, the king sought the help of Vishwamitra, a rebel seer, who had defied the odds and made himself a Rishi. Born a king, Kaushika had chosen the mystical, occult, spiritual path, and made himself a Rishi, one with powers to even defy and control the gods. He promised to get Trishanku to heaven. Trishanku rose from the earth, and made his way through the atmosphere, towards the sky. But Indra refused to let him enter his abode. “Go back to earth,” he said.
Trishanku fell downwards but Vishwamitra blocked his fall, suspending him mid-air. There he remained, neither up nor down, neither up in the sky nor down on earth. Some say he is the Southern Cross constellation that appears in the Northern Hemisphere in summers. Others say he is the coconut, head upside down. Trishanku is a metaphor for those who belong neither in the realm of the gods nor in the realm of humans. The middle class. Those who have power but still feel powerless. The oppressor who feels oppressed. The in-between liminal people.
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