When Tara was first confronted with her dilettante, she looked at Brihaspati (Jupiter), the teacher of (for) the Devas, and her avowed husband - with a mild look of amusement.
She was unsure if she was being chided for having an amorous relationship with Chandra (the moon), or whether she was being censured for dis-respecting the confines of a relationship, or here she was being prepared for a public butchering.
Whatever it was, she did not even once deny that she was passionately in love with Chandra. That infuriated Brihaspati even more.
It was only when a few days later, that Brihaspati made his moves on her and she resisted, did the other pressing matter come to light.
"Why are you resisting?" Brihaspati asked with a tone of mild irritation.
"I cant do it with you now.", was her mild and only answer.
"Is this the time of the month?"
"No."
"But wait a minute....", he said, as he calculated again, "isnt it the time of the month?"
"No."
"What does a 'No' mean? It is, I am keep my time precisely around the Sun, and know exactly when it is your time. I don't miss the beat ever.”
"You are right. It is indeed my time, and yet it is not the time."
With a long pause, she added, ”I am pregnant, and a tiny soul is wrestling within me."
"Am I the father, or is it he?"
She remained mum on that question, and instead answered in a roundabout manner,
"I am the mother, and I refuse to divulge the name of the father. As for the name, he needs neither of you, and I shall give him mine. As for the love, he needs it from both of you. I want him to have three parents."
"Tara, this is un-reasonable, I need to know, and need to know now, who is the father?"
"All the father does is release the seeds. The mother toils for the soul to become a child. Why should even I be bothered on who is the father?"
Brihaspati was aghast, certainly not amused, and soon enough this matter reached the doors of Indra, the Lord of the Devas.
Indra called Chandra, Tara and Brihaspati for a 3 way dialogue. He started by asking Tara,
"Dear daughter, I know that you have a child within you. Who is the father, we would like to know."
She answered, "Lord, both the fathers are present here. Why should the mother answer this? Would they not know within themselves, who has sown the seeds?"
"Tara, you are being difficult, tell us. Its important we all know the truth."
"Lord, except for the child and me, no one else ever needs to know the truth. The child has not asked yet, and when he does, I shall tell him what I know.”
Indra then nudged the child within and spoke through him, almost a la like a ventriloquist. The child asked "Mother Tara, who is really my father?"
Tara figured the trick that Indra had played on her, and considered for a moment whether she should answer in public, or whether she should stick to silence. After a minute of considered options, she spoke in verses,
"Dear Child, I am pregnant with you all should know this now,
Carrying the seeds of Chandra within me, and his passionate love,
I adore him (Chandra) and his love for me,
What will it take, for the world to just let us be?"
Indra was shocked, but with practiced composure he asked,
"And Tara dearest, why did you choose Chandra over your burly husband Brihaspati".
She again chose to answer in verses,
"Chandra is tepid and cool like the milk adorned rice,
He (Brihaspati) on the other hand is angry and huge with red blooded eyes,
On the nightly bed, Chandra just lets me be,
Its never about him, its always about we,
With Him (Brihaspati) he is the biggest and brightest as all of you can tell,
I can never ever be his real consort and his equal.”
Indra looked at Briahspati and asked “Is it true, O wise one, that you have never treated her like a partner?”
All He did was look downcast, and in that silence there was an implicit answer.
And then Indra moved his gaze to Chandra, who looked weak and cornered, and yet spoke,
“She has always been more equal than me.
She is the one who lends my composure some fire.
She is the one who balances out the flame of my desire.”
As the assembled audience gazed at all 3 of them, Briahspati, seething with anger announced,
“This son of Tara, who belongs to no one, will also belong to no gender.
He shall be neither here nor there.
He shall be laughed upon even by the fools of everywhere.”
The Devas and Indra were shocked. How could their teacher, lose his cool and curse a little innocent child.
Indra jumped in and said (in verses)
“Brihaspati, this child shall be yours and shall carry your name,
If he is indeed cursed, then you shall too carry the shame,
He shall be named Budh (Mercury) and will always be the God of wealth,
I wish him knowledge, a happy childhood and years of health,
Brihaspati, from today you shall be responsible for this child,
Never mind, that you cannot forgive Tara for being so wild.”
Finally, after a pause, Indra asked Tara,
“O Goddess, where would you rather be, with Brihaspti or with Chandra?”
She answered in verses,
“I love Chandra for his passionate ways,
With him, I have realized some of my happiest days,
Between the burly husband and the tender calm,
I choose Chandra for being the soothing balm,
If in the future there are questions about me being chaste,
I will repeat and say, Chandra was a matter of good taste,
And if ever, the world forces me to re-enter Briahspati’s house,
That shall signal the end, I shall light my own douse,
For years to come, I want the world to say,
Tara chose the Moon, it was her choice to stay,
I still choose the Moon, because he has flamed my lust,
Its never physical (she said looking at Briahspati), its always a matter of safety and trust,
Years later, when we all are gone for long,
I want the world to remember, in these matters the heart is never ever wrong.”
She was unsure if she was being chided for having an amorous relationship with Chandra (the moon), or whether she was being censured for dis-respecting the confines of a relationship, or here she was being prepared for a public butchering.
Whatever it was, she did not even once deny that she was passionately in love with Chandra. That infuriated Brihaspati even more.
It was only when a few days later, that Brihaspati made his moves on her and she resisted, did the other pressing matter come to light.
"Why are you resisting?" Brihaspati asked with a tone of mild irritation.
"I cant do it with you now.", was her mild and only answer.
"Is this the time of the month?"
"No."
"But wait a minute....", he said, as he calculated again, "isnt it the time of the month?"
"No."
"What does a 'No' mean? It is, I am keep my time precisely around the Sun, and know exactly when it is your time. I don't miss the beat ever.”
"You are right. It is indeed my time, and yet it is not the time."
With a long pause, she added, ”I am pregnant, and a tiny soul is wrestling within me."
"Am I the father, or is it he?"
She remained mum on that question, and instead answered in a roundabout manner,
"I am the mother, and I refuse to divulge the name of the father. As for the name, he needs neither of you, and I shall give him mine. As for the love, he needs it from both of you. I want him to have three parents."
"Tara, this is un-reasonable, I need to know, and need to know now, who is the father?"
"All the father does is release the seeds. The mother toils for the soul to become a child. Why should even I be bothered on who is the father?"
Brihaspati was aghast, certainly not amused, and soon enough this matter reached the doors of Indra, the Lord of the Devas.
Indra called Chandra, Tara and Brihaspati for a 3 way dialogue. He started by asking Tara,
"Dear daughter, I know that you have a child within you. Who is the father, we would like to know."
She answered, "Lord, both the fathers are present here. Why should the mother answer this? Would they not know within themselves, who has sown the seeds?"
"Tara, you are being difficult, tell us. Its important we all know the truth."
"Lord, except for the child and me, no one else ever needs to know the truth. The child has not asked yet, and when he does, I shall tell him what I know.”
Indra then nudged the child within and spoke through him, almost a la like a ventriloquist. The child asked "Mother Tara, who is really my father?"
Tara figured the trick that Indra had played on her, and considered for a moment whether she should answer in public, or whether she should stick to silence. After a minute of considered options, she spoke in verses,
"Dear Child, I am pregnant with you all should know this now,
Carrying the seeds of Chandra within me, and his passionate love,
I adore him (Chandra) and his love for me,
What will it take, for the world to just let us be?"
Indra was shocked, but with practiced composure he asked,
"And Tara dearest, why did you choose Chandra over your burly husband Brihaspati".
She again chose to answer in verses,
"Chandra is tepid and cool like the milk adorned rice,
He (Brihaspati) on the other hand is angry and huge with red blooded eyes,
On the nightly bed, Chandra just lets me be,
Its never about him, its always about we,
With Him (Brihaspati) he is the biggest and brightest as all of you can tell,
I can never ever be his real consort and his equal.”
Indra looked at Briahspati and asked “Is it true, O wise one, that you have never treated her like a partner?”
All He did was look downcast, and in that silence there was an implicit answer.
And then Indra moved his gaze to Chandra, who looked weak and cornered, and yet spoke,
“She has always been more equal than me.
She is the one who lends my composure some fire.
She is the one who balances out the flame of my desire.”
As the assembled audience gazed at all 3 of them, Briahspati, seething with anger announced,
“This son of Tara, who belongs to no one, will also belong to no gender.
He shall be neither here nor there.
He shall be laughed upon even by the fools of everywhere.”
The Devas and Indra were shocked. How could their teacher, lose his cool and curse a little innocent child.
Indra jumped in and said (in verses)
“Brihaspati, this child shall be yours and shall carry your name,
If he is indeed cursed, then you shall too carry the shame,
He shall be named Budh (Mercury) and will always be the God of wealth,
I wish him knowledge, a happy childhood and years of health,
Brihaspati, from today you shall be responsible for this child,
Never mind, that you cannot forgive Tara for being so wild.”
Finally, after a pause, Indra asked Tara,
“O Goddess, where would you rather be, with Brihaspti or with Chandra?”
She answered in verses,
“I love Chandra for his passionate ways,
With him, I have realized some of my happiest days,
Between the burly husband and the tender calm,
I choose Chandra for being the soothing balm,
If in the future there are questions about me being chaste,
I will repeat and say, Chandra was a matter of good taste,
And if ever, the world forces me to re-enter Briahspati’s house,
That shall signal the end, I shall light my own douse,
For years to come, I want the world to say,
Tara chose the Moon, it was her choice to stay,
I still choose the Moon, because he has flamed my lust,
Its never physical (she said looking at Briahspati), its always a matter of safety and trust,
Years later, when we all are gone for long,
I want the world to remember, in these matters the heart is never ever wrong.”
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