In ancient times, there was a large city north of the Narmada River. Only women lived in this city, and the city was ruled by Rani Jvalya. All the women in the city, including the Rani herself, were unmarried. None of the men dared to enter this city. Around the city, armed women stood guard on all roads. As soon as they saw that any man was trying to get into the city, they immediately grabbed him and brought him to the Rani. With a magic spell, she turned him into a dog and ordered him to be driven out of the city.
In front of the Rani's palace there was a pond in which lotuses bloomed. On the other side of the palace there was another pond. Rani bathed in it every day.
One day, while swimming, she suddenly saw a handsome young man approaching the pond. The beauty of the young man struck the Rani so much that she immediately fell in love with him and wanted to marry him. But while she was leaving the water, the young man disappeared. No matter how hard the Rani tried, she could not find him. But love for him alone made her happy.
After this meeting, after the due date, the Rani gave birth to a girl. She gave her the name Maya and in her honor renamed her city Mayanagari - the City of Maya.
There lived a water spirit in the lotus pond in front of the Rani's palace. Rani prayed to him every day, and he, coming out to her after prayer, confided various secrets to her.
One day a prince came to Mayanagari. He was a disciple of Guru Gorakhnath and once received a necklace as a gift from the guru. Having put it on, he became invisible. The Guru also gave him a bag of black ash. If a pinch of this ash was thrown at someone, that person would start dancing. The prince also had a wonderful sword, which, by order of its owner, could cut off the enemy’s head.
Having put a necklace around his neck, the prince came into the city and, unnoticed, approached the Rani’s palace itself. The spirit who lived in the pond found out about this. He reported to the Rani that a man had approached her palace, and by washing himself with his blood one could gain immortality.
Meanwhile, the prince entered the palace and took off the necklace. As soon as Princess Maya saw the prince, she immediately fell in love with him. Rani found out about this and rushed at the prince with a sword, but he put on a necklace and immediately disappeared from sight.
Rani hurried to the water spirit for advice on how to destroy the prince. The spirit explained to her that unless the prince’s necklace, bag of ashes and wonderful sword are taken away from him, he cannot be destroyed. Hearing about this, the Rani took the form of Guru Gorakhnath. She ordered her maids to bring wood and pile it around her as if they were going to burn the guru on this fire.
The prince saw all this. He did not guess about magic, but thought that his mentor was in danger, and hastened to help him.
“Don’t come close,” the Rani told him in the form of guru Gorakhnath, “and if you want to save your guru, throw me a necklace, a bag of ashes and a sword from afar.”
The prince believed and threw all these things to her.
Then the Rani took on her former form and chased the prince. Fleeing from her, the prince ran to Princess Maya. The princess, using a magical spell, turned it into a flower garland and put it around her neck.
Rani ran into the palace and began asking her daughter if she had seen the prince. Maya replied that she had not seen it. Rani hurried to the pond. A spirit came out of the water and told her that Maya turned the prince into a garland and put it around her neck.
But before the Rani returned to the palace, Maya took a necklace, a bag of ashes and a sword from her room and gave them to the prince. As soon as the Rani entered her daughter’s chambers, the prince threw a pinch of ashes on her. Rani immediately forgot that she wanted to kill the prince and began to dance. And the prince seized the opportunity and cut off her head with a sword.
After that, he married Princess Maya, and they lived happily. The prince married all the girls of the city to worthy grooms. And since then, both women and men began to live there.
Translated from Russian · original on wisdomlib.ru