Week 12 Storytelling - The Banyan Tree

The summers in India were very heavy and very hot. At times, it felt as if all the water in the world had been turned to steam under the Indian sun, suffocated everything in a blanket of drowsiness. Lying beneath the still branches of a tall banyan tree, Krishna felt the beads of sweat gather across his forehead before slowly rolling down his face. He didn't mind the heat, but it often made him feel sleepy and unmotivated. Krishna opened his eyes, then rolled and plopped another piece of fruit into his mouth. The sweet, crisp juice of the grape gave him some relief, and he spoke.

"Friends," he addressed the other men spread out in similar positions in the shade, "it will be time to return home soon. We should be going."

Krishna looked over the sleeping forms of his companions to survey the ambling, grazing cattle in the lush fields behind them. Here and there one would emit a low rumbling call, and their wide bells clanked as they raised and lowered their heads to graze. One by one, their respective herders rose, yawned, stretched, and gathered their sleeping rolls. The shadows would be growing long soon, and the angle of the sun indicated the necessity of their progression.

Krishna turned and looked over the hill to the other side. A faint glimmer of reflection from the lake could just barely be seen some way off.

One of the older herders spoke, "It is too hot to go on without some water. The men and I will head over to the lake and cool ourselves and refill our water skins. Then we will go home. If you'd like, half of us will remain with the cattle while the others go, and then we can trade watch of the herds"

Krishna knew this man well. He knew this man had knowledge of the lands and trusted his friends with the care of his cattle. Otherwise, he would have never made such a suggestion. Krishna shook his head and replied, “No, why don’t you all go. The herd is calm and I can protect them on my own. That way it will be faster and we can leave for home sooner than if we separated.”

The rest of the herdsmen found this to be agreeable and set off in the direction of the lake. Meanwhile, Krishna turned his attention to the cattle and began his watch. As powerful as he was, Krishna had a strange feeling as he sat alone. It seemed to him that the other men had been gone longer than anticipated and he began to grow worried, but he did not want to leave the cattle, for fear of predators from the surrounding forest. So, Krishna waited…and waited.  

Krishna leapt from his post under the banyan tree. The shadows were still long, but as Krishna rubbed his eyes, he realized the shadows now pointed the opposite direction. His heart stopped. He had somehow fallen asleep. He ran his eyes over the field. The cattle were all gone and he was alone. Krishna felt his gut twist and knew he had to do something.

A banyan tree - West Palm Beach Kapok Banyan Tree by Kim Seng

Author’s Note:

This story is intended to be a “part 1” of a larger story of Krishna battling the Serpent Kaliya. The lead up to this story is really short in Sister Nivedita’s version, which I felt made the climax of the story feel misplaced for me. I wanted to create my own story, which would lead to Krishna engaging in battle with the serpent. In my version here, Krishna is much more ordinary thus far and not as much like a god. He is not perfect or without mistake, as he falls asleep while he is supposed to be watching the cattle. I also wanted to spend time focusing on the background and the setting for this story. I felt like it was necessary to understand the overwhelming heat for the disappearance of the others to a watering hole to be more realistic. Otherwise, it would not be a significant for Krishna to need to go after them.

I decided to choose the picture of the Banyan tree, because I wanted to provide a clear mental image for the setting of the story. It looks like the Banyan tree is seen at either early morning or late evening, providing a warm light. For me, it made it easier to imagine Krishna and his friends laying beneath it.

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