Long ago,
In times of old,
People did not fear death.
Death walked the earth with a tangible body,
And when it was time for someone to die,
Death walked right up to them.
They willingly went with him to Yama Loka,
The place of the dead.
Death was understood by all to be a joyous passage,
And so people did not make a fuss when death showed up at their doors.
Death was very orderly and kept a tidy account book.
He was always clear about whom to take and whom to leave alone.
One day he studied the columns in his book and came to the name of a highly skilled,
Industrious young blacksmith whose time had come.
Death knocked upon his door.
Upon seeing death,
The blacksmith was not afraid,
But he could not believe death really planned to take him.
It couldn't be my time,
He thought to himself.
I have not yet come close to fulfilling my many ambitions.
Surely death knows.
I have a great deal more to do before I depart this earth.
Out of respect,
The blacksmith invited death into the sitting room.
He served him food and drink,
All the while thinking death had just stopped by on his way to call upon someone else.
After a while,
The blacksmith realized that death intended to take him.
That's when he thought of a plan to outwit death.
Sometime before,
He had built an iron structure with many chambers.
He told death that before they went to Yama Loka,
He would like death to see his finest work.
He led death into the building from one chamber to the next until they reached the innermost chamber.
My,
How hard you've been working,
Said death,
Quite impressed with the blacksmith's work.
The blacksmith replied,
If anyone knows about hard work,
It's you,
Master Death.
You must have a seat here and rest.
Enjoy the coolness of the chamber.
I will be right back with some refreshments for you.
Death sat down and awaited the blacksmith's return.
The blacksmith went back outside,
Each time locking and double locking all the iron gates to the inner chambers.
He felt quite secure that death would be unable to escape.
The blacksmith told no one.
And if it had not been for Shiva and Parvati,
Death might be trapped there still.
Shiva,
The great creator destroyer,
Keeper of the universal law,
Detected an imbalance in the land of mortals on earth.
He entrusted his wife Parvati to set things right.
Beautiful Parvati went to the blacksmith's town in the guise of a voluptuous barmaid.
She took a job in the blacksmith's favorite tavern.
One evening she enticed him to drink more than usual,
And soon he was telling her all his secrets.
It wasn't long before the blacksmith passed out and Parvati took the keys to the iron chamber.
She rescued death,
And he soon resumed his part in maintaining the great order.
Ever since death's distressing confinement,
He has been wary of mortals and refuses to risk walking in tangible form.
As for mortals,
They now fear death and have forgotten that dying is a joyous passage.
