King Nimi of Ikshvasu dynasty was highly righteous and sought to perform in the name of Devi Bhagavati; Sage Vasishtha who was the dynasty’s Raja Guru agreed to be the Head Priest. At the arrived time when all the preparations were through, the Sage informed that Indra had called him too for a Sacrifice and sent word that King Nimi’s Yagna be rescheduled. King Nimi went ahead with his function as per schedule. Vasishtha returned and cursed Nimi that his mortal body would fall off. The King gave a return curse likewise. But since Nimi’s Yagna was not complete, he performed it as ‘Videha’ or without body as Lord Yama was pleased with the Sacrifice and gave him the option of another nice birth or enter the first Jiva body of Brihaspati but the King chose the Videha option. Vasishtha had to pray to his father Brahma who arranged that he be reborn as MitraVaruna. In the past, Apsara Urvasi was infatuated by Mitra-Varuna and two issues were born, one was Agasti who beame an ascetic and the other was Ikshvaku who became a King. Mitra Varuna’s Jiva -body was still intact even before Brahma created original Vasishtha; the Jiva of the present Vasishtha now dropped as a return curse of King Nimi entered the duplicate body of Mitra Varuna without any loss of original Vasishtha’s wisdom and Radiance!
King Yayati Vs. Sukracharya
In an another incident Sage Sukracharya cursed King Yayati. The Sage’s daughter Devayani married the King but objected to live with his another wife Sarmishtha but still the King did not comply. The father of Devayani Sukracharya cursed that Yayati would become old and impotent. As the King entreated for forgiveness, the Sage’s curse was diluted that if any of his sons could take the position of Yayati’s old form instead, then he could regain his youth. The youngest son of Sarmishtha, <Puru who bore his father’s curse and after Yayati, he became a youthful King, the ancestor of Panadavas and Kauravas. Veda Vyasa affirmed that being an upright King, Yayati was also in a position to reverse the curse of the Danava Guru but restrained from doing so and quietly conceded to assume the old age as after all he did not commit a great sin in asking his another wife Sarmishtha to bed; equally wonderful was the preparedness of Puru to take on the curse of the Sage and sacrificed his own youth for thousand years!
