Another story related to the birth of Hanuman goes like this. Punjikasthala was a heavenly creature. Once, she visited a planet named Svah (a planet beyond the pole star) as a tourist. She was very beautiful and Lord Indra fell in love with her. But Punjikasthala declined Indra’s marriage proposal. She ridiculed him and said, “How can I marry a person who has a thousand eyes? You are not a suitable groom for me. I deserve someone more handsome!” Indra felt severely insulted, as Punjikasthala had ridiculed him in front of his ministers. He instantly cursed Anjana, “You will pay dearly for your arrogance! You will be reborn on earth as a monkey named Anjana.” Punjikasthala’s friend Adrika could not bear what Indra said. She started yelling at Indra and mocked at him in a cat’s voice. Indra became more offended and he cursed Adrika too, “Go and be a cat in your next life!”
Indra Curses Punjikasthala
