Narada informed King Prachinabarhishat,
“Once, as I was coming to the earth from Brahmaloka, Jara happened to meet me. Knowing that I am an avowed brahmachari, she became very lusty and begged me to accept her. But, when I refused her request, Jara very angrily cursed me, saying, ‘You will never be able to stay in one place for a long time.’ Then, at my suggestion, she approached the Yavana king, Bhaya, and requested him to become her husband.”
After meeting Bhaya, Jara said,
“My dear hero, you are the best of the untouchables. I am in love with you and so I want you to accept me as your wife. One who does not give or accept charity according to the injunctions of shastra is certainly foolish and will have to lament later on. Here I am present before you and ready to serve you. Please be merciful and accept me, for it is the duty of a gentleman to be compassionate towards one who is distressed.”
The king of the Yavanas smiled, and after much consideration, he replied,
“On behalf of providence, I will engage you in imperceptively attacking all people, along with my soldiers. Here is my elder brother, Prajvara, (the 107 degree faranheit fever sent by Lord Vishnu) whom you may accept as your husband.”
To make the best use of a bad bargain, the Yavana king wanted to serve Lord Krishna by introducing Jara (Kalakanya) everywhere. In old age, when one is attacked by invalidity, he becomes afraid of death, and thus Jara serves as an impetus for spiritual life.
This is a section of the book “A Sidelong Glance”.
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