Kesar – Son of God, Episode 07 | Shyok Times

Chapter (Yaldaq) No.: Three

"The Birth of Kesar in Mi-Yul"

Episode Number.: 07

Lhayukpon ordered the wood to be set ablaze, and as the flames leapt toward the sky, he cast Lhuvu Kesar and Lhamo Brangmo into the fire. The flames instantly engulfed the brother and sister, reducing them to ashes.
Seeing this, Mirardob flew into a rage and scolded him, saying: "You set fire to both of them because you didn't want me to make Lafu Kaiser my heir!"  
He then stormed out of Lhayukpon's house, declaring that he would find another boy to adopt as his son. He had gone only a short distance when he heard the sound of footsteps behind him. Turning around, he was astonished to see Lafu Kaiser following him. He asked the boy how he had survived after he and Princess Bringmo had burned in the fire.
Lafu Kesar told Mirardub that it was necessary to burn his sister in the fire to prove that she possessed eternal life, and that he could now take Lhamo Bringmo as his wife. He added that the fire could not consume her because she had attained eternal life.
So, the two set off together on the journey back home; they took a shortcut and encountered neither wild beasts nor ghosts along the way. Mirardub admitted that he had fabricated the stories about wild animals and ghosts solely to test the courage of his nephews. He was pleased that Lafu-Kaisar proved to be the bravest of them all.
Lafu-Kaisar spent two nights at Mirardub’s home. He then gave Mirardub a magical flute, telling him that if he ever found himself in trouble, he should play the flute, and Lafu-Kaisar would immediately come to his aid. He assured his "adopted father" (Mirardub) that although he would always remain close by...
But now, he could no longer remain at home. Then, Lafu Kesar vanished like a spirit.
Lhayukpon scattered the ashes of Lafu Kesar and Lhamo Bringmo over the twelve rocks at "Hardas" (a village in Rondu)—a village situated in the Rongyul Valley (now known as Rondu), where Lafu Kesar is believed to have been born.
Then, he unleashed first heavy snowfall and later torrential rain, filling the mountain hollows with water. Afterward, he gave water from one of the hollows to Uncle Gogbzang, from another to the wife of "Fyukpo Takmuspa," and to Keling Yangkarmo...
...from the second pit, and Zomo Roinmo from another pit. As each drank water from their respective pits, they were conceived in turn: Zomo Roinmo in the womb of [Mother], Kesar in the womb of Mame Gogbzang, and Lhamo Bringmo in the womb of the wife of "Hyak Stanpa Aba."
One day, when the sky was overcast, Phasangkhā Raskas asked his wife to cook some "sarnama" (peas are called *sarnama* in the Balti language). As they began to eat the pods, Phasangkhā Raskas said to his wife, "Let us pair up the *sarnama* and count the number of our relatives; then, we shall eat them." So, they counted their relatives and then ate the *sarnama*.
During the counting, they discovered that Uncle Gogbzing and Phasangkhā Raskas were, in fact, cousins. In those days, marriage between cousins ​​was considered shameful, and upon realizing that he and his wife were cousins, Phasangkhā Raskas felt deeply embarrassed. He decided to leave his wife and home, telling her that he was setting off for a place called Yashirat Katsa.
"...where he would live with his brothers. Do not reveal this secret to anyone," he said.
"And if a daughter is born to you, keep her with you so she can help around the house; but if a son is born, summon 'Saranjamu Kiki' (the man-eating ogress) to come and devour the child."
Then, he went off to live with his brothers.
Exactly nine months, nine days, nine hours, and nine minutes later, Mama Gogbazing went into labor. After suffering for a few days, she summoned the ogress Saranjamu Kiki.
And she asked her to stay close by and look after her.
If a son were born, Mame Gogbzing would give him to the goddess Saranjamu Kiki as a reward; if a daughter were born, the mother would keep her to help around the house.
When Saranjamu Kiki heard that she might receive a son as a reward, she stayed close to the mother and took excellent care of her. She was eager to obtain the son,
and for this reason, she spared no effort in caring for the mother. But the child in Mame Gogbzing’s womb refused to be born. A voice was coming from the mother's womb:
Saranjamu Kiki thinks she will devour me; a hundred gods will come from the land of gods and devour her.
Saranjamu Kiki thinks she will devour me; a hundred snakes will come from the land of snakes and devour her.
Saranjamu Kiki thinks she will devour me; a hundred Zhen will come from Zhen-Yul and devour her.
Saranjamu Kiki thinks she will devour me; a hundred wild beasts will come from the land of wild beasts and devour her.
The child's voice frightened Devi Suranjamu Kiki, and she refused to stay any longer with Mame Gogbzang.
She told Mame Gogbzang that if the child turned out to be a boy, he would devour her; therefore, she needed to leave the house as soon as possible.
Lhufu Kesar would not let his mother rest; he addressed her, saying: "How can I be born in a place like this? My birthplace ought to be in the high mountains.
Oh Mother! When you reach the mountains, build a hut out of stone; and the moment you light a fire within it, Lhufu Kesar—the Son of God—will be born to you right there."
"Oh, my mother!" Hearing this, Mame Gogbzing gathered some utensils, barley, butter, and buckwheat flour into a basket. 
Then she set out and, after an exhausting journey, reached nearly the summit of the mountain. There, she built a hut of stones 
and lit a fire to make pancakes from the barley and buckwheat flour. She was in great pain and implored her son to enter the world as soon as possible, if he could. The son replied in these words: 
"Do you take me for 'Thodkar,' the son of the hare, who is born in rocky caves? Do you think this is my birthplace?"
"My birthplace lies amidst the stooping birch trees, O Mother! When you reach the stooping birch tree, build a hut of stones there; and the moment you light a fire within it, Lafu Kesar—the Son of God—shall be born to you right there, O Mother!" Upon hearing this, the heart of Mame Gobzing nearly failed, for she no longer possessed the strength to climb up to the birch tree. Yet, she gathered her last reserves of courage and began to ascend toward the tree.
There, she built another hut out of stones, lit a fire, and began preparing a meal from barley and buckwheat flour. Having done all this, she once again implored Kesar to come into the world. Kesar replied in these words:
"Do you consider this place worthy of being my birthplace? Do you take me for 'Wofu,' the son of a fox, who might well be born here?
My birthplace is the spot near the spring; when you reach it, build a stone hut—one where you can light a fire—and there Lfu Kesar, the Son of God, shall be born to you, O my mother."
Overcome by despair and pain, Mame Gogbzing once again gathered all her belongings and, after walking for several days, reached the spring. But by then, her strength had waned significantly, and she began to lose consciousness. She built another stone hut, lit a fire, and implored her son to enter the world. Her strength had now ebbed so low that she could walk no further. Weeping, she asked her son:  
"Why are you treating your mother so cruelly—forcing me to climb the mountain and then making me walk all the way back to the spring?"
Lefu Kesar replied in these words: "Oh Mother! Do you consider the spring a fitting place for my birth? Do you take me for a fowl—a creature hatched at a spring? My birthplace is the stone known as 'Fongtu,' Mother; go there, and that is where I shall be born."
Mame Gogbzing set out once more, this time heading for the place called "Fongtu," but upon arriving, she collapsed to the ground, unconscious. At that very moment, Lefu Kesar was miraculously born through a hole the size of a thumb.
He placed several things before his mother, including a grinding stone, a snake, a scorpion, a puppy, and a kitten.
Then, holding a polo stick in his hand, he went off to play in the bushes. When his mother regained consciousness, she saw the objects lying on the ground before her.
She wondered if the difficult childbirth had been caused by these strange items.
...which had emerged from her body along with her son. Then she realized that the child she had given birth to was Lufu Kesar, the Son of God.
She set out to find him and saw the boy playing with a polo stick.
He was so beautiful that no one dared to look directly at his face. This time, Mame Gogbzing spoke thus:
"Mame Gogbzing cannot be the mother of a snake or a scorpion."
"O my son! He who was born of Mame Gogbzing
Is Lefu Kesar, the son of God.
Mame Gogbzing cannot be the mother of a kitten and a puppy;
O my son! He who was born of Mame Gogbzing
Is Lefu Kesar, the son of God."
Lefu Kesar replied to his mother, saying:
"Why did you claim that what was found in the bushes was your son?
The things born of you—Mame Gogbzing—were a grinding stone and a snake.
What was born of you, Mame Gogbzing, were a puppy and a kitten."
His mother replied: "O my son, if you refuse to acknowledge me as your mother, I do not care; for the one who gave birth to me is Kaling Yangkarmo.
O my son! The one who gave birth to me is Zomo Roinmo.
O my son! By refusing to acknowledge me as your mother, you will lose your wealth—which consists of foals and calves."
When Lafu Kaiser heard this, he remembered everything that had happened in the sky and ran back to his mother. 
He first suckled at her breast and then told her to come with him. He immediately ran towards the enclosure... 
(To be continued)