Week 3 Story: Grudle

Tumbara (image source from Wikipedia) 

Jusa and Cayden were twin brothers, both known as fiercest warriors from their village called the Caidmens. Growing up in the Caidmens and being raised by the village, helped them become warriors of their village to provide maximal protection. At the age of 12, they lost their parents to a monster named Grudle.

The village had a very prominent army of warriors. The toughest of the tough. The bravest of the brave. The tallest wall to protect them from anything.

At the age of 12, Jusa and Cayden were playing outside of the village borders without their parents knowing.  As the parents were searching for their kids, they came in contact with Grudle. He was this most disgusting, blood sucking, cheetah skinned human eater. What was crazy that he was known to be a myth. They never expected to see a man eater in real life.

Grudle saw the man and woman wandering outside the village and abducted them. He ran straight to the bushes with them to be skinned alive.

The kids heard noises around the bush and saw Grudle eat their parents alive. They were completely terrified and ran back to the village to save their lives.

Jusa and Cayden warned the villagers but knew there was nothing they could have done but to become the strongest warriors to kill Grudle.

12 years later, they were on the hunt of this ferocious beast that killed their parents as a kid. They heard rumors that Grudle was 75 miles north from their village, so they began to hunt.

The hunt took 2 years to find Grudle because he was everywhere. They finally spotted him. He was near this small village where this family was prepping dinner. They had a small pit of fire lit to keep the monsters away. Jusa threw his spear at Grudle, hoping it’ll aim at his heart, but it aimed at his arm. Grudle did not bleed nor was he injured. Cayden shot an arrow straight to his chest and there was still no blood shed. No object could have harmed him. 

Grudle spotted Jusa and Cayden and attacked them. He had the brothers twisted and locked up in both his arms, by the neck. He was so strong that it felt impossible for the brothers to injure him. Grudle explains “No object can kill me. No harm can ever come to me because I am immortal. You are wasting your time and life”.

Cayden eventually slipped out and decided to shoot him with an arrow with fire. It aimed straight to his chest and he screamed. Grudle did not expect to ever feel pain, but he did. He never realized fire was his weakness. Jusa got his spear and lit it with fire to aim at his heart. His body was slowly scorching on fire.

The brothers threw the monsters into the pit of fire. He was a demon that needed to be sent straight back to hell.

Authors note: The story I used was Ramayanha: Viradha. He was this nasty beast that ate live flesh to stay alive. He abducted Sita and was killed by Rama and Lakshmana. The beast could not have been harmed by any object, but could be injured by ripping his body apart. Rama killed him and threw him in the pits to suffer. Little did they know, he was a Tumburu, a gandharva that was cursed to be living in Viradha's body. It was his faith to be killed by Rama and have his soul released into heaven. 

"Ramayana: Viradha" by Manmatha Nath Dutt. Website: Blogspot

Reading Notes: PDE Ramayana: Viradha, Part B

Rama, Lakshmana, and Sita came across a nasty beast named Viradha. He had a huge frightful face, deformed chest, absolutely disgusting, terribly ugly, fat, and dressed in tiger skin. The way the monster was described looked absolutely pitiful. 

The beast saw them and abducted Sita then explain how he is a rakshasa. Rakshasa are known to be maneaters. He said the forrest was his place and that was where he fed on live

flesh. There would be one beautiful lady to be his wife and in battle, he would drink their blood. Sita is terrified at this point and Rama threatens Viradha to let go of Sita or he will see his death in this battle.

Rama tries to attack him with his stringing bow. The arrows landed straight into his body, so he was covered in blood. The rakshasa dropped Sita and attacked the brothers. The brothers kept trying to shoot arrows at the rakshasa as he was running towards them, but nothing helped. He could not be harmed with arrows.

As Rama and Lakshmana are being held in Virada hands, Sumitra’s son broke the rakshasa’s left arm while Rama broke the other arm. They found a way to harm the beast- it was physically tearing it apart. They attacked his fists, arms, feet, and choked him. Everything they did, he did not die at all. So, they dug him a grave and placed him in there as he was being pressed down.

As he was down in his pit, he revealed himself that he was Tumburu, a gandharva, that was cursed by Kubera. Tumburu was his celestial musician body. He was cursed to live in a body of a monster until he was killed by Rama. The brothers killed and buried him down there which released his soul to heaven.

Rama grounding Viradha while Lakshmana dug a pit (image source from Wikipedia)

Manmatha Nath Dutt, Ramayana: Viradha, Link 

Reading Notes: PDE Ramayana: Dasharatha's Sons, Part A

Dasharatha is the son of Aja of Kosala and Indumati. Aja was the 38th king from the Solar Dynasty and decent from sun god Suyra.

King Dasharatha performed an Ashwamedha, a horse sacrifice, so the gods would grant him an heir that could take over him. He had three wives at the time- the first wife was Kausalya, middle wife was Kaikeyi, and Sumitra.

During the month of Choitro, a horse was let loose in the night and a brahmin accompanied it for a full year then the animal returned to the kingdom. There were rajahs that came to the ceremony, and rajahs are known to be people like the prince or ruler. The ceremony was at Sarayu river located at the north bank.

Once the ceremony started and the fire was lit at the altar, his first wife, Kaushalya slew the horse with a sword while the brahmins were changing mantra. Brahmins are similar to a priest or protector. Throughout the whole night, Dasharatha wives were next to the horse to finish off the ceremony. Fleshes of it were burned in the fire and Dasharatha received gifts and treasure from the brahmins.

In the end, Dasharatha were givens son. Sumitra gave births to twins. Kausalya and Kaikeyi each bearing one son.  

PDE Ramayana: Dasharatha's Sons, Donald A. Mackenzie, Link 

Dasaratha's aswamedha, with Queen Kausalya (image source)