奔月

漢朝，淮南王劉安因對上古神話傳說感興趣，被武帝（劉威 飾）使為“離騷賦”，奉旨著書。為收集素材與妻子尋月遍訪民間，歷經世事，眼見因武帝營宮室、急賦斂、重刑誅而導致盜賊群起、民不聊生，著書銳興頓減，又因尋月積勞成疾病倒途旅，遂返京上萬言諫疏。武帝怒而欲殺之，幸得群臣力保，才於重杖之後 限令三日著成《淮南子》。及至回到家中，方知愛妻已撒手人寰，痛不欲生中揮淚提筆，奮筆二日成書兩卷，當寫到第五十四篇—后羿嫦娥故事時，因思念亡妻而難以成文，力竭朦寐之中，尋月竟來到眼前，一面替夫磨墨，一面對夫侃侃道出未盡的故事：后羿（李銘順 飾）如何受天帝之命，斬巨蟒、除八害以救蒼生，如何在鷙鳥傷害嫦娥時射鷙鳥以救嫦娥（范文芳 飾）。還說她之所以死後再來相會，只為再次為人再結夫妻緣。說完凌空飛昇而去。驚醒的劉安唯見皓月當空，月宮中竟隱現著妻子的身影，於是義思洶湧一夜疾書，青絲盡成白髮，終為後人留下后羿射日、嫦娥奔月等曠世神話。人們看到——上古,凡塵多苦難，天上眾神卻因長生不老而逸樂逍遙。擅射的天神后羿耿直剛烈，經常面斥眾神妄顧人間疾苦，故備受排擠。天帝也忌其辛辣言詞，遂藉故將后羿貶至洞庭看守水族而設閒置散。后羿到職，與孝義漁郎馮夷莫逆，得知巨蟒禍民，欲請天旨殺蟒除害。
　　天后羲和育有十子一女子為太陽，每日分班運行天際，女為嫦娥，性溫柔而愛蒼生。此時的嫦娥也欲將鷙鳥“大風”為禍中原等七害肆孽之事秉報天帝。天帝惱怒後界抗旨返天、擅闖帝庭，竟命后羿獨力除害，事敗則永除神籍。后羿雖知九死一生卻欣然受命的情操，深深感動了嫦娥。
　　后羿首戰鷙鳥，嫦娥暗中助力竟被“大風”吞噬，后羿殊死除害，終於救出嫦娥。生死之中二人心儀，結為愛侶矢志除妖。
　　漁郎馮夷引出巨蟒，與后羿、嫦娥合力殺蟒除害，不幸葬身洞庭。天帝感其志高義正，封夷為神。賜稱河伯鎮守黃河。河伯羨嫦娥美豔，又不能奪友之愛，情感上的空白埋下了苦種，經常縱情聲色發洩悶鬱。
　　伏羲之女洛嬪以美色聞名，本是嫁娥好友，後因暗戀后羿芳心寂寥而與河伯惺惺相惜。河伯唆使洛嬪在帝、後面前挑撥，天帝也暗懼后羿的威儀，遂於後羿消滅八害後出爾反爾，託辭后羿對嫦娥不軌，除后羿神籍貶下凡塵。嫦娥感激后羿的愛情誓言，在姑母西王母幫助下暗自下凡與結為夫妻。從此男獵女織相親相愛於凡人生活。
　　洛嬪自知有過而自悔自疚；河伯弄巧成拙而得不賞失；伏羲則順水推舟請準，天帝力促女兒與河伯成為一對。
　　羲和因勸女迴心不成，震怒之下竟每日增派一個太陽長照大地，脅迫嫦娥就範。頓時，禾木焦枯，江河干涸，生靈塗炭。正當后羿、嫦娥夫妻無奈之際，河伯又施惡計，他偷來大庭神弓，假朋友義託救民辭，挑唆后羿射日解危。后羿射九日，成為英雄。嫦娥喪九兄，傷及夫妻感情。
　　河泊深知后羿之罪必死無疑，竊喜之餘對洛嬪棄如敝展，並欲娶凡塵美女，否則就幸災釀禍。洛嬪既被冷虐又自恨當初，終日以淚洗面。后羿自感獲罪嫦娥，終日遊獵於野，恰遷洛嬪，恍如隔世。洛嬪雖能明示愛心，后羿卻只心愛嫦娥，而河舊的嘲弄，終令洛嬪崩潰而自廢神力自溺洛水。在後羿的救助下，洛嬪終於道出河泊與自己的無德行為。后羿雖怒何伯為友不義，為“官”不仁，卻念其當初除害有功，只射瞎河伯左目以示警戒。河伯上告天帝奏請殺后羿，未遂。洛嬪也因矢志追后羿未遂而以淚化水為洛(河)，永澤大地。
　　天后羲和發誓令后羿、嫦娥死後墜入鬼道永不超生。后羿不忍愛妻受累遭劫，遂以凡身歷經艱險獨闖崑崙，向西王母求來不死仙丹，並定於八月十五月圓之夜與嫦娥同服仙丹。豈知羲和為報喪子之仇，己先期見嫦娥勒令：若二人同服仙丹都獲長生，天庭將會合眾神嚴懲，變后羿為蟾蜍。若嫦娥一人服丹則能重返月宮，后羿亦可再世為人。嫦娥雖難捨夫妻恩愛，卻不忍丈夫世世變成怪物，遂於月圓之夜獨吞仙丹飛上月宮。
　　后羿卻誤解了愛妻，由此狂躁放浪自暴自棄。嫦娥雖能洞察卻無以解救，枉自傷絕。西王母於嘆息之下預言：二千年後的月食之夜，嫦娥將再次下凡，與后羿重拾夫妻之緣。
　　逢蒙雖受師恩卻恨師能，終於殺心暗起。而此時的后羿己了無生趣，寧願早日解脫。於是，一柄桃木錐乘界不備灌頂而來，一代英雄空留千古遺恨。
　　——雞鳴天白時，劉安力竭倒地。武帝念其三日能成鉅著［淮南子］，意欲放生而不咎以往。而劉安卻自請飲鴆家中，伴亡妻而去。孰料西王母己派仙童手捧仙丹久候多時……

DevonKeDev...MahadevisaHinduspiritualtelevisiondramaserieswhichairsonLifeOKchannel.Itpremieredon18December,2011andshowcasesthestoryofLordShiva,alsocalledasMahadev.ThedramaisinspiredbytheworksofDevduttPattanaik.ThestoryhasbeenresearchedfromBodhisattvaandhasbeenpennedupbyMihirBhuta.DevonKeDev...MahadevisthestoryoftheHinduGodShiva,alsocalledasMahadev.Theshowportrayshisjourneyfromahermittoahouseholder.IntheshowShivatakesmanyincarnationsandmanyincidentstakeplace.However,thisplotmentionsonlythemajorevents.ThestorystartswiththetaleofShiva’smarriagewithSati.SatiwhoisthedaughterofPrajapatiDaksha,astaunchVishnudevotee,isdrawntowardsShivaagainstthewishesofherfather.ShefinallymarriesShiva,butsoondiesbyself-immolationwhenherhusbandisinsultedattheyajnaofDaksha.Thegrief-strikenShivaproducesVirabhadra,whoslaysDaksha,howeverherestoresDaksha’slifeafterbeseechingofDaksha’swife.AdistraughtShivaleaveswithburntcorpseofSatiandwanderstheuniverse.Vishnuseversthebodyintopieces,shatteringthemonearth.ShivatransformsthepiecesintoShaktiPeethas,embodimentsofthepoweroftheGoddessAdiShakti.SatiisrebornasParvati,thedaughterofHimavan,kingoftheHimalayasandMainavati.Sheisalsothesisteroftheriver-goddess,Ganga.ParvatiisraisedinthehermitageoftheShivadevoteesageDadhichi,whoteachesherdevotiontoShiva.ParvatigrowsupandlikeSati,iscaptivatedbyShiva.Sheslowlyremembersherpastlife,thenwinsShivabyherausteritiesleadingtotheirmarriage.ShivaandParvatigivebirthtoKartikeya,whoslaysthedemonTarakasuraandhisbrothers.KartikeyaisalsonominatedforthethroneoftheKingofDevasbutShivaasksIndratocontinueastheking.AfterthisKartikeyaissenttotheDakshin(south)whereheiscaredbyMeenakshiandhereheslaysthedemon(asura),Tripathwithherhelp.ThestorygoesonwiththetaleofthedestructionofTripura,belongingtotherevengefulsonsofTarakasura,whowereearliergivenboonsbyShiva.AndjustbeforethedestructionoftheTripura,ShivaandParvati’sdaughter,Ashoksundariisborn.AfterthedestructionofTripura,exceptLordIndra(theKingofDevas)everyonecongratulateShivafordestructingTripuraandalsoforbeingthefatherofAshokasundari.RishiDurvasagiveshimaspecialgarland,whichShivagaveNaradaasprasadam.WhengivenLordIndraacceptsthegarlandplacingitonthetrunkofhiselephant,Airavatatoproofthatheisegoisticthrowsit.ThisenragesthesageandhecursesIndraandevryonetobebereftofallwealthandfortune.SoonlatertotakerevengeonthedestructionofTripura,KingBaliattacksheavenandinattempttostealAmrita(nectarofimmortality).ButitfallsintotheOceanofmilk.TogettheAmritbackDevasjoinhandswithAsurastochurntheoceanfortheAmritaandtoshareitamongthem.Thechurningoftheocean,knownasSamudraManthanisanelaborateprocess.IntheprocesstheDevasdisadvantagetheAsurasinmanyways.Despitethis,theychurntheocean.IntheprocessLordVishnualsotakeshissecondincarnationofaturtle,Kurma.Theprocessreleasesanumberofthingsfromtheocean.OneproductisthelethalpoisonknownasHalahala.Thiscouldcontaminatetheoceananddestroyallofcreation.TosaveeveryoneLordShivainhalesthepoisoninanactofself-sacrificebutParvatirescueshimbypressinghisnecktostopthepoisonfromspreading.Asaresult,thecolorofLordShiva’sneckturnsblue.DuringthechurningmanythingsareobtainedfromtheoceanwhichincludesLakshmi,theGoddessoffortuneandwealth,whoistheeternalconsortofVishnu.Thus,everyonegetstheirwealthandfortuneback.LaterVishnutakestheAmritasecretlyfromtheAsurasanddistributesitamongtheDevas.ThestorytakessomeyearsleapafterwhichitisshownthatKartikeyahasbeenremovedfromthepostofSenapati(headofthearmy),whichpleasesIndraandforthefirsttimeaftersomanyyears,agrown-upAshoksundarimeetsKartikeya.Kartikeyaalsomeetshisparents.HeenlightensAshoksundariaboutmeditationandsheinspiredbyitsomuchthatsherenouncesherlifetomeditate,whichdisturbsParvati.Lookingattheillhappeningoftheworld,ofhowAhalyaisseducedbyIndra,Mahadevcomeindside.EvenafterMahadevtellsthatheishisfatherandmanyothergodstriedtotellhim,hestillrefuses.MahadevgotangryandcutVinayak’shead.