Ila

One of the most captivating tales from Indian mythology is the one about Ila. 

The intent of Vaivasvata Manu and his spouse, Shraddha, was to have a son with exceptional qualities. So they went to the great sage Agastya, asking for his guidance. To please Mitra and Varuna, Agastya performed a magnificent yagna. Agastya asked Shraddha to name the unborn child during the yagna. It was Shraddha who said, "Ila." In order to earn favor from the gods, Agastya started offering gifts in the sacred fire under the feminine name Ilaa. Following the ceremony, Mitra and Varuna emerged from the fire with a young girl, whom they gave to Vaivasvata Manu and his wife. But when the couple saw the girl instead of the boy, they were completely disappointed. However, the infant had already been given life by the gods; thus, there was no way to revert it back. In order to find a solution, Manu and his spouse approached Rishi Vashistha, who then resorted to Lord Shiva for help. Through the grace of the supreme God, Ila was transformed into a boy and given the new name Sudyumna.

Image by Heike Tönnemann from Pixabay

While growing up, Sudyumna was a handsome young man who revealed certain feminine traits. However, everyone adored him for his modest demeanor, and he was just, brave, and knowledgeable. He became obsessed with chasing and hunting animals in the wild. He was riding through the woods one day when he unexpectedly spotted a barking deer. He was ready to release his arrow when the deer realized what was happening and began to flee. On his horse, Sudyumna pursued him as well. He pursued the deer for a long time, but he was unable to capture it. However, he arrived at a particular location in the woods known as Saravana, or the reed forest. Saravana was a cursed land. 

Many years ago, Lord Shiva and Devi Parvati used to spend their private moments together in a lovely garden in the middle of Saravana. A few hermits inadvertently wandered into the garden one day while the god and goddess were enjoying their passionate moments. They observed that Lord Shiva and Devi Parvati were in a state of love and had no clothing on. When Devi Parvati saw the outsiders in that predicament, she was deeply embarrassed. Although Lord Shiva was furious as well, he was aware of the hermits' innocence. Lord Shiva became so enraged that he cursed the saravana itself, saying that no male could ever enter it again. 

Unknowingly riding his horse, Sudyumna neared the Saravana, but his horse resisted going into the hinterland. Sudyumna was taken aback by his horse's unusual behavior. He dismounted and went alone into the wilderness. However, a short while later, he became quite sleepy and fell asleep. After a brief period, he was startled to open his eyes and see that a young woman's body had replaced his own. Knowing precisely the circumstances surrounding his birth, Sudyumna adopted the name Ila once more. Shamed by his newfound femininity, Sudyumna chose to wander the woodlands instead of going back to his parents.

Budha (the Lord of the Planet Mercury), the son of the moon god Chandra, happened to spot her one day as she was taking a bath in a lake in the middle of a forest. Ila's attractiveness captivated Budha, who then made a marriage proposal to her. Ila took up the offer, and the holy thread united them.

Meanwhile, Sudyumna's parents started to worry about their son and begged Vashistha to help them once more. Rishi Vashistha found out about the transformation of Sudyumna into Ila and about the union of Ila with Budha. Also, by that time, Budha had become the father of Ila's son, Pururava. 

After learning everything from Vashistha, Budha consented to change Ila back into a man. Vashistha asked Lord Shiva for help. However, not even Lord Shiva could totally undo the effect. Every month, Ila persisted in changing her gender. She becomes a male for the next month after remaining a female for one month. She lived with Budha as his spouse during the feminine phase, while he ruled his domain as Sudyumna during the masculine phase. He even wed and became the father of three kids as Sudyumna. However, as Pururava reached adulthood, he gave him his kingdom and withdrew himself into a jungle to spend his life worshipping Lord Shiva and Devi Parvati.