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Oh, hello again! I am so glad you came to learn more about what I do, and how I do it. Today, I would like to take you on a soul collection journey. This journey is going to shift gears from our last two stories. I will actually be moving our journey's time and place. We will be going to search for souls in Hastinapura. However, you may know this better as a city very close to Delhi.

Come! Come! Watch the life of King Pandu as his death comes as a horrific surprise. This story is not exactly the happiest story I have in my books. However, I think it will teach you much about the sanctity of life in a different light.

Look! See! That is Pandu down there, with the bow. He is hunting for deer. He has a way of moving stealthily through the forest so that no one can see him or hear him. There he goes! He is about to shoot! I know you are wondering why he is going to shoot the deer that is making love to its doe. What you may not realize is the difference between our view and his view. Look where he is, behind those three trees. Hidden from sight of the deer. His vision is blocked. All that Pandu can actually see is the back of a live deer, and four small hooves. There his arrow goes! BAM! Straight through the back of the deer. It pierced the deer's heart.

Don't be surprised by the changing of the deer's body. The deer was actually a celestial being, who had just wanted to see what life was like on earth for a little bit. Poor Pandu had no idea. Because of Pandu's interference, the celestial being has cursed Pandu to die as soon as he has sex with any one of his wives. That is right: Pandu has two wives, Madri and Kunti. However, he can no longer make love with either of them.

Hold on. We need to fast forward about a year - to the next spring. Pandu has done very well. He has communicated his curse to both of his wives. He has abstained from uniting with them for a whole year. But now he is back in the same forest with his wife Madri. Spring fever has hit him, just like it does every young person these days. He can't help it anymore, and decides he's going to try making love to his wife. He has not done it in so long.

Now! We must go now! He is down! Try not to stare at his wife for too long. She is very embarrassed, astonished, ashamed, and heart-broken for her husband. Looking at her will only make her feel worse.

Stay here, while I retrieve Pandu's soul.

"Pandu, it is time to go. You know what you have done. You disrupted the sanctity of love-making. Even though it was the love-making of an animal, it is still an important part of the circle of life that must never be disturbed by murder. For this you have been cursed by the celestial being who was incarnate in the deer. And now, since you broke the rules of the curse by making love to your wife, it is sadly your time to leave this place. Thank you for being so willing."

"Because of your view of the deer making love was blocked, and because of your loving and true heart for your wives, I have decided to bring you back to heaven with me. You can rest in peace there. You will be reunited with your wives before you know it."

Alright, friend, hold on! It's time for me to bring this king back to the heavens. I will let you go on your way now. I am sure you have much to ponder after today's story. Please, don't think I have shown you everything yet. I have one more story for you, get ready because this one will surely blow your mind!

Author's Note: I decided to use the story of Pandu as my third story simply because I thought it was a great death story. I could not believe that Pandu was cursed to abstinence from his wives for the rest of his life. I wanted to show the character of Yama's heart in this story. I wanted to portray him as being able to sympathize with Pandu, a mortal, even though Yama is a great god himself. Having Yama keep the vow of the curse, even though he sympathized with Pandu, was to show how a god can never go back on a promise. Having Yama also express the sanctity of life among all animals, I thought, would be a good added detail to the story. I used it to show how everything on this earth is important, no matter how small or how big. Even though a deer may be lower on the food chain, his love-making is still an important part of the circle of life. It was just too bad Pandu had to choose the deer that was a celestial being incarnate, or he probably would have gotten away with it, and lived a much longer life. I also wanted to show Yama's sympathy and understanding towards Pandu, by deciding to bring Pandu back to heaven with him. Then at least Pandu's afterlife is good, since the last part of his life was horrible.

Image Info: White Tailed Deer. By: Scott Bauer. Weblink
Bibliography: Narayan, R. K. (1978). The Mahabharata: A Shortened Modern Prose Version of the Indian Epic