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The Story of Haihaya

Revanta was the youngest son of Suryadev and his wife, Devi Samjna. He was the god of wild hunting and the leader of the Guhayakas. Guhayakas were half-equine and half-man creatures that used to live in the deep forests and rugged mountains of Uttar-Kuru. 

However, Revanta was an untamed person. Despite having an affectionate personality, he used to love causing mischief. Although the gods and asuras used to adore him, they also became annoyed by the constant problems stirred by him. 

Once, he stole the seven-headed celestial horse of Bali, the King of the Asuras. The horse, Uchhaishraba, was one of the fourteen riches that emerged from the ocean during the churning (Samudra Manthan). The horse was the king of all the horses and was able to fly into the sky. Thus, riding on that stallion, Revanta decided to go to Vaikuntha Loka, the adobe of Shree Vishnu, to pay him homage. 

Image by Bianca Van Dijk from Pixabay 

Without any resistance, Revanta rode into Lord Vishnu's adobe on the celestial beast. Devi Lashmi was greatly impressed by the stallion's magnificent look and his sleek, muscular body. She was so engrossed in watching Uchhaishraba that she could not pay any attention to Lord Vishnu. Noticing that, Vishnu mockingly suggested to her that she should become a mare herself if she loved the horse so much. 

Devi Lakshmi retorted that she could not defy Lord Vishnu, even though he had mockingly instructed her to be a mare. She thus assumed a horse's shape and descended to the earth in the form of a white mare.

Following Devi Lakshmi, Lord Vishnu, also assuming the form of a black steed, descended from Vaikuntha Loka to accompany her. Soon, Devi Lakshmi became pregnant as they engaged in love-making while wandering around together as a mare and stallion. Consequently, Devi Lakshmi was at a loss over what to do with her unborn child as she and Lord Vishnu made the decision to return to their adobe. 

King Shahastrajit, the son of Yadu and the grandson of King Yayati, was concerned about his kingdom's destiny at the time. Despite having four sons, he felt that none of them deserved to rule his kingdom. He was an ardent devotee of Lord Vishnu. Lord Vishnu once manifested before him and promised to give him a deserving heir to his empire. He assured him that the son of Satajit, Sahastrajit's eldest son, would be a worthy ruler who would glorify his name.

Thus, Lord Vishnu moved the unborn child from Devi Lakshmi's womb to that of Satajit's wife. As a result, Shahastrajit's grandson was born with extraordinary strength and brilliance. Although he went by the name Ekveera, he was also known as Haihaya, which means "born of a horse" (haya meaning horse in Sanskrit). 

Ekveera grew into a powerful, attractive man. Meanwhile, Shahastrajit commanded him to demonstrate his valor prior to his coronation. So, he asked Ekveera to slay a demon and bring his head back as proof. Ekveera began wandering in the wild, looking for a worthy rival who could equal his velor.

One day, he saw a small river below as he was traveling through a steep area. He approached the river to get some water. Suddenly, he spotted a damsel there, sobbing hysterically. After inquiring, he learned that the girl, Yasovati, was an acquaintance of a princess, Ekavali. While the girls were having fun in the river water, unexpectedly, a demon appeared there and abducted the princess. Yasovati also informed him that the demon known as Kalaketu was a formidable one, and he vanished through a crevice in the hill to enter the Patal Loka, or underworld, taking Ekavali forcibly with him.

Upon hearing this, Ekveera likewise used the same path to get to Patal Loka. He came across the demon Kalaketu there. Ekveera eventually vanquished Kalaketu and saved the princess after a harrowing battle. He then brought the demon's head back to his grandfather as a trophy. Princess Ekavali and Ekveera later got married. 

Ekveera established the mighty Haihaya empire and was a just and powerful ruler. As the most famous king of his lineage, Kartavirya Arjuna defeated the demon King Ravan in a single hand to hand combat.

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