During the age of truth and dharma, the men of learning, wisdom and tapa thought of cosmos while the lord resided in the animate and inanimate created beings and spread a message of love, compassion and devotion. Realised souls were devoted to the lord and looked genuinely worried about the well-being of people, and forever worked like recluses for the benefit of humanity. They evinced no interest in the material world and so the lords of the land, heavens and various regions revered and listened to the sages, and obeyed. When nothing looked possible, people expected the noble souls to intervene, and wanted release from the life of untruth and violence, adharma and sins.

Sage Bhrigu and other holy men were quite happy with King Anga, for he ruled virtuously and objectively, and delivered justice. Everyone in the realm lived a life of security, joy and prosperity, for Anga made it an exemplary empire where he thought only of the people’s well being. After the death of King Anga, the wise men found no one competent enough to protect a vast empire. They found none to guide the country to the right path. The collapse and loss of ethics weakened a huge country and the people lost interest in devotion and dharma, and grew recalcitrant and irreligious. Anarchic times visited the land. The refractory character of people caused anxiety. Anxious queen Sunitha (Vena’s mother) and sages held prolonged consultations. The learned men of Vedas and the tenets of dharma after getting a nod from queen Sunitha, crowned Vena as the sovereign.

After the death of Anga, Vena becomes the ruler.

All ministers and reputed people of the kingdom approved Vena’s coronation. When the news spread, the people were happy. Vena ruled with an iron hand. He was very strong and cruel. Thieves and dacoits were scared and so, escaped and lived hiding like rats afraid of snakes when they heard that Vena had taken over. Very soon, he turned self-conceited and arrogant, and as he governed a vast empire, ego and false pride bloated. Royal pomp and glory, power, prestige, and affluence of the kings and victory over them and consequent subjugation made Vena mad and so, the situation worsened. People were unhappy and suffered cruelties and therefore, a disturbing and threatening scenario caused worries as he turned blind to reason, despised even holy souls, and was impertinent and derisive towards the righteous people.

Now, he was intoxicated and callous, and therefore, immune to calumny or reason. He lost sense of love and grace, moved like an elephant, and thus, cared little for regal honor and conduct. He valued darkness, instead of light and ethical values in life. Negative thoughts hurt people and he felt happy. Glory and pride excited, and brutality satisfied Vena. Once, he mounted a royal chariot and traveled around the entire dominion as an angry elephant. Vena’s dreadful stature and power created disturbance and tumult on earth and heaven. He was heartless and so, banned ceremonies of religious rituals, customs and yajnas, and issued a strong public statement as drumbeats filled air to explain the intents of a coldhearted and ruthless king.

The terrible sounds of drums and harsh decrees instilled fears and shattered belief of people and it said, “Do not perform yajna, bestow gifts or pour sacrificial fuel into the sacred fire.” Thus, increasing fear and terror of the king made people miserable.

Nobles decide to advise King Vena

The wise men and sages had learnt about the atrocious and harsh behavior of the king. Aversion and hatred of the king for religious ceremonies deeply disturbed people, and so decided to assemble at a sacrificial place, a ground of yajna and thought over the ruinous times ahead.

An elderly sage said kindly, “O holy men, it is a terrible calamity people face. A malicious and non-religious king revels in sins and blood, and thieves, thugs and dacoits torture people as if they were ants and insects living on a log of blazing wood. It is a grave situation. The ever-spreading anarchic conditions and chaos in the country require rigorous measures to control and overcome. We installed a wicked fellow on the throne of a holy kingdom known for justice, sympathy and dharma and thus, it was a serious blunder. Now, he is a source of fear. How can people live in peace? It is unfortunate for the embodied beings.”

They deliberated for a long time and realised that son Vena born to Sunitha was violent, wild and vicious. “You feed milk to a snake as if. Despite generosity, a snake is dangerous to man. Even if you offer milk to a snake, fears of stinging haunt. Therefore, we confront a similar situation. He is a snake and we thought he would improve but he has turned out an epithet of iniquity and sins. As a king, he would destroy people and the empire.” They analysed and the thought of gravity of misfortunes troubled and regretted.

One of the sages said, “If we advise and persuade… and assume he does not agree, it will be a shaky situation. What can we do?” He said, thought and added, “If the king does not accept saints’ fervent appeal and suggestion, we should burn and destroy the man with the spiritual power. Now, he is not popular and the people consider him a ruined and impious king.”

The wise men resolved, sans feelings of antipathy and wrath. Imbued with a spirit of courtesy and humility, they appeared before the king and said, “Listen O king. Give careful ears what the wise men say. Listen to the rational and wise offer, and it will prolong life, age, fortunes and prestige manifold and you will become famous. O child-like king, if conduct of a man is religious and truthful, he benefits all with wise thoughts and speech. If he is pure of body, intellect, and acts on the principles of dharma, then, after death, he attains heavenly worlds free from sorrows. The lord bestows an eternal abode free from attachment. To ensure happiness and security to the people is the duty of the king. It is also Dharma of a king. Pray, you do not relinquish sacred obligations to the people and the country, and serve people devotedly. If a king, O lord fails to serve people, he falls from the royal grandeur and magnificence. If a king serves public, protects it from thieves and awful elements, and realises just and reasonable taxes as scriptural doctrines prescribe, he enjoys life, and is happy in the world and beyond. The country is prosperous and peaceful if devoted and virtuous men do various functions, worship dharma, obey the rules of varnas (grades and castes in society) and stages of life (the life of ashrama), and perform yajna. O lord, if a king, the soul of the world, adheres to the instructions enshrined in the books of dharma and protects people as a deity presiding over the sacrifices, the people live contentedly.”

It was intent of the wise men to impress upon a wicked king to realise a king’s obligations toward the country and the people. Still uncertainty prevailed.

The sages continued to impress upon Vena the nature of essential duties towards people.

Unambiguously, they emphasized, “If a king is virtuous, pursues the laws of dharma and keeps people happy, he attains ultimate deliverance. A king must follow teachings of holy Vedas. In a kingdom, if people offer prayers and act virtuously, respect and do tapa and penance, make yajnas a part of life, propitiate the gods and goddesses religiously, and everyone shares sacrificial offerings, then the king and the people are blessed.” King Vena listened to the wise men but was distrustful and unsure.

At last, they said, “Therefore, O king, it does not look proper if you are impolite to gods, and refuse to carry out rites and religious sacrifices. If brahmins perform yajnas and offer prayers and worship, it pleases gods. The holy acts are like the rays of the Supreme lord that confer bliss and boons.” King Vena heard wise counsels but did not react.

King Vena refuses to listen to rational counsel and so, the sages kill him

Vena was arrogant and haughty and therefore, was not pleased but apparently, exercised restraint on derisive temper, and after a brief thoughtful pause, said, “You are foolish undoubtedly. You think unrighteousness for righteousness, untruth for truth. You ignore the lord, who looks after you and attends to you. I am an obvious lord but you do not understand. I am a husband to you. It is a pity. People, who disrespect god in the form or image of a king, cannot attain happiness here or hereafter I tell you. O fools, who is the man to who you are devoted. Do you know the deity presiding over the yajna? It is like the women of easy virtues devoted to paramours, who abandon husbands temporarily. O sages, Vishnu (the preserver), Brahma (the creator) and Shiva (the destroyer), Indra (the lord of paradise), Vayu (the wind god) and Yama (the lord of death and punishment) not only lavish delight and happiness on the created beings but also, when angry, they punish the created beings for evil doings. Ravi (the sun god), Parjanya (the lord of rain), Kubera (the lord of riches), Soma (the moon god), ksiti (the goddess of earth), Agni (the fire god) and Varuna (the water god) and other gods and goddesses are capable of granting boons. They bestow joys and contentment on living beings and at times, issue curses. They also live in a king. I say, a sovereign embodies all the gods.”

Ego and arrogance of the king stunned the wise men and ministers. They were speechless because Vena refused to listen to the sane counsel. Before they said anything, he added, “O brahmins, you be free from the jealousies, and get rid of the erroneous views and thoughts when you pray. You worship me through religious performances and therefore, pray before me because I am a god, a deity.”

Vena, a highly malicious and iniquitous psyche lost reasons, strayed from the virtuous path and did not respond favourably to the entreaties of wise men and sages. The king’s conceit caused perversion and distrust and so, he boasted of power and glory, and in sheer insolence humiliated the sages.

Infuriated learned brahmins looked at the monstrous king and said, “Kill him. Let the wicked king die. If we allow him to live, he will reduce the entire world to ashes. Yes, he will destroy the world. An unethical king barefacedly despises the god, and therefore, does not deserve a glorious throne of a holy empire.”

The sages were genuinely perturbed. The conduct of Vena drove the wise people to desperation and still, they tried to prevail upon the king to desist from the path of adharma.

However, the king did not respond rightly. Rather, he was audacious and so, they thought, made fiery anger obvious and resolved to eliminate Vena. They considered him already dead because he was irreverent to the gods but now, amidst concealed sounds of deafening hum, howl and hoot, they slaughtered him. After he was dead, the sages left the scene and each went to the hermitage. A grief stricken mother of the king resorted to various spells and magic devices, and preserved the body of son Vena.

The sages and wise men cleansed crime-ridden bodies, took bath in river Sarswati, offered oblations to the sacrificial fire and held sacred dialogue on the Supreme lord after they got rid of the tyranny of sins and irreligious conduct of the king. Unfortunately, portent signs, dacoits and wicked forces caused terror, confusion and lawlessness in the world the sages realised. The sages of strong will were silent but did not wish people to suffer loot, violence and untruth.

The wise brahmins and sages thought it unfavourable if anarchy continued to prevail because it could cause the end of the royal sage Anga’s progeny. They did not want an ignoble and mortifying death of a great dynasty. They knew the truth that none guarded the kingdom without a king. In the mean time, a horde of dacoits and looters raised clouds of dust the noble men and sages observed. They were competent and strong with the powers of meditation and tapasya to free people from the sufferings but still, kept quiet. Ultimately, they resolved to use divine powers to establish peace and harmony in the world.

Now, the sages exercised divine powers, took out the body of the king and churned thighs. Soon, a dwarf emerged out as the churning stopped. He was dark like a crow with extremely short organs, arms and legs, flat nose, red eyes and copper-like hair but the jaws were big. An ugly dwarf stood before the holy men and said, “What shall I do?”

“Nisheed, you sit down.” So later on, the people called the ugly dwarf Nishada.

After birth, Nishada took burden of Vena’s sins and through Nishada, a progeny with the attributes of violence, loot, arson and sins took birth. After sometime, they left and lived a life of sins in the mountains and forests forever and ever, and paid for the sins of ancestors. Now, Venas and Nishadas bring miseries to the people without hope of early redemption, and the ferreting out for truth and dharma proves futile, but the country survived.