Week 6 Story: The Rishi and the Mermaid

Somewhere there was a river where a mermaid named Satyavati resided. She was born to a fish who caught the seed of a passing gandharva as it was looking up. Because she inherited her mother's tail instead of her father's legs, Satyavati was trapped in the river and had to find ways to lessen her boredom. Initially, she took to watching and listening to the people on the banks and crossing the river while hidden from a distance.

One day the mermaid noticed some people who were struggling to cross. She wanted to help, but she was still afraid of people. It took her a bit, but she managed to overcome her anxiety and swam over to help them. From that day on, Satyavati took to ferrying people across the river. This did wonders to alleviate the mermaid's boredom, and she learned ever so much about the world beyond water.

Then there came the fateful day when the rishi named Parashara appeared. He asked to be ferried across the river, and like she did to all of the others, she obliged. As they journeyed, they exchanged stories and witty banter. Despite the short time together, Parashara became smitten with the mermaid. He asked for her comfort and companionship, for he believed this could be the only time he may witness a creature of such splendor. Satyavati was taken aback by this. No one had made a proposition like this before to her, and she did not know how to handle it.

With nervousness in her voice, she responded, "I am flattered by your offer, but as you can see, I am half fish. I am bound to the water and all things in it. Such a union between us would not work."

The rishi smiled. "I can grant you freedom from you aquatic prison. I can give you the power to walk upon the dry land just as I and all those others you have helped. I can grant this wish if you afterwards grant mine."

Satyavati pondered this. Here this man dangled a sweet fruit before her, yet it held such a degrading price. "If you are worried about being seen," added Parashara, "I will shroud the area with impenetrable fog." She pondered some more. Finally, she agreed. Fog gathered around them. The mermaid's tail turned to a pair of legs, and then she paid the rishi's price. They arrived at the other side of the river. Feeling dirty from the price she paid, Satyavati set her first step onto dry land and began her new life beyond the water.

The Mermaid by Howard Pyle

Web Source: Wikimedia Commons

Author's Note. This story was based on the part of the Mahabharata where Satyavathi was telling Bhishma about her origins. She was born from a fish that caught the seed of a gandharva flying by, and smelled fishy because of this. At one point in time, she ferried Parashara across the river, and he fell in love with her. He dispelled the fish smell and gave her a lovely fragrance in its stead. Then a fog rose to hide their union, and later she gave birth to Vyasa hidden on an island.

The original story with how Satyavati came to be was a bit weird to me. I thought it would be interesting to make Satyavati a mermaid in this story considering her mother was a fish and her father probably looked human. In a way, that makes more sense than a human who smells like fish that was born from a fish.

Bibliography. Mahabharata by R. K. Narayan, link to Reading Guide A.