Hare Krishna all,
Pamho,
AgtSP!
When we read puranas we come across personalities like Anjani devi, Jambavati etc. I want to know were they in human form ? How does their marriage works ( I mean different species), does they had an ability to take any form they wanted. Here I am not trying to create some fun but, want to have clarity, so that I can explain it to others.I hope most of the history happend in this material world. I request devotees to explain these things in detail.
Your Servant
Aakash
Replies
Hare Krishna!
Anjana Mata:
This tale began with the mischief of a young apsara named Anjana. As an apsara, Anjana was used to the ease and comfort of life as a heavenly being, but soon she grew bored of her luxurious existence. In search of amusement she began to sneak down to earth to play with the strange creatures.
One day while wandering through the forests of earth, Anjana stumbled upon a monkey meditating. Anjana couldn’t help but laugh at this monkey who acted like a holy man. Sadly, little Anjana did not just laugh, but also began to throw pebbles at the monkey. The sage tried to ignore this as long as possible, but Anjana would not stop her foolish behavior. Eventually the sage lost his temper. His eyes flew open, and Anjana could now see they were flashing with anger. His voice boomed through the forest as he proclaimed, “Young apsara, you have committed a great evil. You should not disturb a sage’s mediation. I curse you to assume the form that you mocked, the form of a monkey! And you will remain this way until you give birth to the avatar of Shiva. “
Before the monkey sage even finished his words Anjana began to back away in fear. She found herself frantically running through the forest, and as she ran she was horrified to discover that she was covered in fur and sprouting a tail. Anjana cried out in despair, “Oh, so it is true. I am a dirty monkey. What shall I do?”
Anjana ran as far and as long as she could, but she began to grow tired. She came to a stop near a large banyan tree, and collapsed under its shade. There Anjana curled her tiny monkey body into a ball and cried herself to sleep.
At first light Anjana awoke, and the tragic memories of yesterday flooded back to her. She sat up, rubbed her eyes, and looked around. To her surprise Anjana found that beneath this banyan tree there was also a makeshift altar with a small statue of myself, Lord Shiva. She remembered the curse the monkey sage had place upon her, and decided that she would devote herself to the worship of me. She hoped that if she demonstrated true devotion I would grant her the boon of giving birth to my avatar.
Without stopping for food, drink, or sleep, Anjana prayed for three years. Her fur grew matted, and her body withered away from starvation. In the heavens I, Lord Shiva, had been observing these penances. I realized that Anjana had finally attained holiness, and she deserved a boon for her troubles. I spoke to Anjana, “Dear girl, you have proven yourself.” Anjana neither moved nor opened her eyes, but a small smile came upon her lips.
Then I set to work. I knew that in far-away Ayodha King Dasaratha was giving his wife Kausalya magic pudding that would help her beget a son, so I ordered Vayu, the wind, to bring a portion to Anjana. Vayu, a faithful servant, gladly complied. He instructed a hawk to grab a small portion of pudding and bring it to Anjana. The hawk carried out Vayu's wishes, and as it dropped the pudding into Anjana’s lap, Vayu softly spoke, “Eat.”
After three years Anjana broke her meditation by opening her eyes and eating. Once she finished, Vayu explained to her that because it was he who had brought her the child he was the rightful father. Vayu also assured her that he would be a dutiful and loving father. Upon hearing this, Anjana smiled in relief. She knew that soon she would resume her form as an apsara, and would be forced to leave her child. With a powerful father like Vayu Anjana’s child would be taken care of.
For the next few months Anjana rested and recovered from her penances. During this time, Vayu proved himself to be an attentive caretaker. He blew cool winds upon Anjana when she was hot, and brought her fruits when she was hungry. The day finally came for the child to be born, and Anjana gave birth easily. As soon as the birth was complete, Anjana’s physical form began to return to that of an apsara.
Jambavati:
Lord Krishna on the search of Syamandaka jewel appeared in this mountain cave seeing the foot print of an animal. When Jambhavan, the powerful old bear saw the Lord in his mountain cave, to protect his daughter and other servants he fought with Lord Krishna for 28 consecutive days and got defeated by the Lord . The astonished unconqerable bear being conquered by the Lord requested Lord Krishna to reveal His original identity and when he heard that He is Krishna, Jambhavan surrendered and told the Lord that he has been waiting for the Lord since treta yuga, ever since the departure of Lord Ramachandra. Jambhavan offered his daughter Jambhavati to Lord Krishna in marriage and by the mystic blessings of Lord Krishna Jambhavati became a very beautiful maiden and the Lord married her with great splendor.
From these facts mentioned in Srimad Bhagavatam, we can infer that all these elevated personalities have assumed different forms based on the Supreme Lord's will, since they are all playing lilas in this material world to deliver meaningful messages to mankind.
Ys,
Mathura Vasi Devi Dasi.