Vayaskara Chathurvedi Bhattathiri and Yakshi (വയസ്കര ചതുർവേദി ഭട്ടതിരിയും യക്ഷിയും)

Cohabitation, Seduction, Mutual Respect, and Partnership while Parting Ways

Author’s Note: This article is my personal retelling of the story “Kadamattathu Kathanar” from the legendary collection of Kerala folklore, Aithihyamala, originally compiled by Kottarathil Sankunni.

Once a Kozhikode Zamorin king’s queen fell terribly unwell. No one could find out the reason for her condition. After all the doctors failed, they realized that this was beyond Ayurveda, and could only be dealt with supreme - the four Vedas from which all knowledge came.

Vayaskara ChathurVedi Bhattathiri - the Bhatt priest of Vayaskara family who mastered all four Vedas was requested to help. The last of the Vedas, Atharva, was not explored by many. Its occult nature made it powerful beyond realms and dealt with dark forces. And because fatal destruction will fall upon the land if it fell into the wrong hands, not many qualified to learn the Atharva.

Vayaskara Bhattathiri (or Vayaskara Potti/Mooss) was the rarest intellectual of the times. One look at the queen, and he knew she was possessed by a Yakshi, a being that belonged to the Atharva realms. 

Bhattathiri did not reveal this to anyone. This was too scary a secret to express or keep.

He arranged for some Tantric rites. 

The cryptic process looked like a big Homa. But in the occult realm, it was a conversation between the Bhattathiri and Yakshi. He knew that the intelligent being could be reasoned with. 

The Yakshi, having met her match intellectually, started to respect Bhattathiri and agreed to leave the queen.

After the process, Vayaskara Bhattathiri gave the Zamorin a faint idea of what happened and took his leave.

On his way home, he stayed at a Brahmin home for the night. The savant carried a very powerful book with him which he read before bed and kept under his pillow. 

This event also tells us that ancient high-Sanskrit texts acted as Yantras when made right.

In the middle of the night, Vayaskara Bhattathiri woke up sensing a presence. Before him, was an otherworldly beauty. Mind-boggling was how was beyond the descriptions of the beauty of heavenly maidens. The lady asked if she could come closer to him - if he could keep his book away. Apparently, the book was a Yantra, a powerful divine object. She column’t come closer.

This was the Yakshi revealing one of her forms. She had followed Bhattathiri.

She was a force too dynamic, that she needed something powerful to contain her (or the vessel would break like the queen almost did) 

But now she was smitten by the Bhatt’s prowess and kindness with which he treated her reckless, almost demonic potential. 

She revealed her love for Bhattathiri and promised not to hurt him in the absence of the book. Vayaskara Bhattathiri, in the course of interactions with her, had understood that her demonic nature was because she was unable to control her powers. She may have faced grave injustice too, owing to which her faculties turned more destructive than productive, throwing herself all over the place. 

Bhattathiri understood her - he saw her for what she was - a woman of great potential unable to contain herself.

He kept the book away. Having found an anchor, Yakshi let go of herself. Having been touched by dynamic feminine, Bhattathiri let go of himself. Their bond was beyond the borders of worlds.

Bhattathiri took her home (illam). There she remained invisible to others and wife to Bhattathiri. As the oldest son, Bhattathiri had to have a human family. Yakshi was his content paramour, for she was not of this world.

After years, by due course of her life cycle, Yakshi gave birth to a female child. The unearthly child grew up into a young Yakshi the very day, to remain ever-youthful like her mother. 

By due course of his life, Bhattathiri grew old. His faculties began to lose integrity. The couple sensed that he may not be able to withhold the mystical nature of their relationship with weakening intel. Yakshi had also attained mastery over herself. 

They decided to part ways. Yakshi couldn’t stand to see the end of her husband. But Bhattathiri had not had enough of his daughter’s filial heart. He requested the daughter to stay with him till his death.

At his deathbed, Bhattathiri revealed his secret to his oldest son. He asked the son to enshrine the young Yakshi as the protector deity of the Vayaskara Illam.