The Tale of King Nriga and Krishna: Short Mythological Stories for Kids

A common mythology for kids is the one between Krishna and King Nriga. It centres on the error committed by the gentle and forgiving monarch Nriga, which led to a vengeful Brahmin turning him into a Chamaeleon. And also about the Surpanakha son. We also heard about three kids from Krishna's home playing near Nriga's well one day and how they decided to open the well because they were thirsty.

The boys were shocked to see a sizable chameleon inside after they opened it. They hurried to Krishna for help. To get him, Krishna threw down his hands. The chameleon became Nriga when he touched it. Nriga was able to share his tale and express gratitude because of Krishna's touch.

The Tale of King Nriga

The Srimad Bhagavat Purana contains the story of King Nriga, who transformed into a chameleon and was later saved by Sri Krishna. In the Mahabharata's Anushasana Parva, Bhisma told Yudhisthira this story. The Yadava clan's children were playing in an open space one day. They were thirsty and desired to drink water. They came across a well overgrown with grass and creepers while looking for a water source.

They decided to remove all the creepers and draw water from the well because they were thirsty. They stumbled across an unexpected sight after clearing the well's mouth. That well was home to a gigantic lizard. The strong young Yadavas tried to retrieve the lizard from the well.

The lizard was the size of a hill, and even with ropes and other equipment, the little lads could not move it. They then went to Krishna and informed him of this strange occurrence. Krishna approached the well and asked the lizard which it was after pulling it out.

The lizard responded, stating he was King Nriga reincarnated as a lizard. King Nriga was a good spirit who had made numerous sacrifices and lived a dharmic existence. Krishna was consequently taken aback when he heard about King Nriga's distress, as he had given hundreds of thousands of cows and wealth to the Brahmins and the poor.

According to Nriga, a cow formerly belonging to a Brahmin had broken out of her master's house and wandered into the king's herd when her master was away. Nriga and his men were completely unaware of this. Nriga eventually gave the cow to another Brahmin.

When the genuine owner returned home, he discovered his cow had gone missing and searched for her. After a long search, he discovered her in the home of another Brahmin. He claimed ownership of the cow. The new owner challenged his claim, and both travelled to Nriga expecting a sensible decision. The original owner, a Brahmin, accused Nriga of robbery and theft.

Nriga was upset, so he asked the Brahmin, to whom he had unknowingly given the cow, to return it and intake hundreds of other cows instead, the Brahmin declined the offer, stating that the cow produced wonderful milk and was nice.

Nriga then asked the original owner to be kind and accept 100,000 cows in exchange. The Brahmin, on the other hand, was enraged and stated that he did not take presents from kings. He requested that the king return his lawfully owned cow. Nriga offered him vast sums of money in exchange for the cow.

The Brahmin refused to accept anything else and instead cursed Nriga to be reincarnated as a lizard before leaving. As soon as he was done narrating his story, he requested Krishna to rescue him through his divine touch so that he could ascend heaven. Lord Krishna granted Nriga his wish and Nriga left for the Divine abode.

Nriga and Krishna

Moral of the Story

No matter how many good things a person has done in his or her lifetime, everyone must pay back and endure the results of their faults. One cannot avoid the repercussions of their choices. You will be required to pay for your actions, regardless of whether you did them consciously or unknowingly. Another lesson from the narrative is that when the account of the results of good and evil activities is resolved by suffering them, you will prosper in either hell or heaven, neither more nor less.

Note to the Parents

Parents can tell this story to their children as a way of teaching them about the repercussions of their actions. It will be helpful to teach children about this while they are young because the effects of our decisions follow us throughout our lives.

Conclusion

In this, we studied the story of king Nriga and Krishna. The tale of King Nriga, who changed into a chameleon and was subsequently saved by Sri Krishna, is told in the Srimad Bhagavat Purana. Bhisma told Yudhisthira this tale in the Anushasana Parva of the Mahabharata.

Children from the powerful, youthful Yadava clan tried to pull the lizard out of the well. Even with the use of ropes and other tools, they could not move the lizard since it was the size of a hill. While her master was abroad, a cow that had belonged to a Brahmin slipped into Nriga's herd.

The monarch ordered the Brahmin to give back the cow and take hundreds of other cows in its place. When the Brahmin was rebuffed, he cursed the man for having a lizard in his next incarnation. He told his tale and then asked Krishna to save him so he could ascend to heaven.