Manasa Devi, the goddess of snakes widely worshipped in Bengal and surrounding regions, is central to one of the most emotionally striking devotional stories in regional Puranic tradition – centered not on her own actions alone, but on the determination of a bride named Behula.
A merchant’s refusal and a goddess’s fury
The wealthy merchant Chand Sadagar refused to worship Manasa Devi, dismissing her as inferior to the gods he already followed, an insult that led the goddess to systematically destroy his sons and his fortune in retaliation. When his youngest son Lakhindar was set to marry Behula, Manasa Devi ensured a serpent would kill him on his wedding night despite an iron chamber built specifically to protect him.
A widow who refused to accept the outcome
Rather than performing his final rites, Behula placed Lakhindar’s body on a raft and sailed it down the river for months, determined to reach the gods and secure his revival rather than accept widowhood.
A resolution built on persistence, not just divine mercy
Behula’s extraordinary persistence eventually earned her an audience with the gods, and she successfully negotiated Lakhindar’s revival in exchange for convincing Chand Sadagar to finally worship Manasa Devi. Chand Sadagar, moved by his son’s restoration, eventually offered worship, though in some versions doing so with a symbolic reluctance – offering a flower with his left hand rather than fully bowing. The story remains one of the clearest regional illustrations of devotion and persistence succeeding where pride and refusal had caused only loss.