Mahabharata – 138

by

Sankar Mukherjee

&

Dr Ramesh Chandra Mukhopadhyaya
                                   Aadivamsavatarana Parva

Menaka the celestial dancer as advised by Indra the lord of the heaven visited Vishwamitra’s ashrama. She observed that all his lust were destroyed. Vishwamitra was engaged in penance.After showing respect to  Vishwamitra she started dancing in front him.Her clothes were white ; finer than moon’s rays. And the wind god wafted away her clothes.Then she out of shame blamed the wind god for the act.Vishwamitra gazed at her with great interest.She then went near to the Vishwamitra to collect her clothes.Vishwamitra saw the naked beauty of Menaka as all her female organs were exposed.They  were of boundless beauty.One can not blame any of her female parts.But she was in a hurry to collect her clothes. Vishwamitra excited to have Menaka in his possession   presently proposed to Menaka ; Menaka also condescended to it.They spent a long time together. Consequently a daughter of Viswamitra and Menaka was born near the river Malini on the plains of the Himalaya.

Menaka became successful in her errand.Victorious she  went to the court of Indra leaving behind the new born baby.

The story of Viswamitra & Menaka puts forward many issues of significance.Firstly Menaka recollects many incidents of Viswamitra’s life.They prove  that  physical might & materialistic prowess such as money or men simply pale beside spiritual prowess.With the aid of spiritual prowess one can transcend the limitations of the society for example cast system might stand in the way like juggernaut of a persons growth.But legislation might not help him.By sheer hard work & studies Dr.Ambedkar who was lowly born became the law giver of the country.Truly speaking he became a brahmin. Actually Viswamitra was his role model in this context.Many other instances of the circulation of the elite could be cited from the Indian history.A true brahmin as he was his heart was full of the milk of love for the down trodden.Hence his sharp criticism of the cast system among the Hindus.In the self same way Viswamitra though born a khastriya transcended the limitations of the caste system . He was acknowledged as brahmin. If we survey his life & work we find that he was a great iconoclast & revolutionary. He was a first revolutionary in India who dare to challenge all existing customs.He improvised fresh rules of Yajna. He created a fresh galaxy.

Indra the king of heaven could be here deemed as the representative of the establishment.And he sends Menaka to allure him so that Viswamitra deviated from the path of penance &revolution.Had Viswamitra become Indra of the heaven he might have had changed the ethos of the world.We have seen king Yayati also who ascended the heaven by sheer force of his penance.But Yayati was all for establishment.He always alluded to the scriptures to explain his acts & to defend his thought process.But Viswamitra himself composed many Vedic hymns.He was one of the founders of the scriptures.

When Menaka was asked by Indra to delude the great sage she was visibly scared.She was as it were between two fires.On one side there was the command of Indra the lord of heaven if she did not oblige Indra might be she would have to fall from heaven.But if the all knowing sage Viswamitra could read her intention he might put her into flames.This fear in Menaka makes her human.

Menaka has been successful in seducing the great sage.That shows the power of sex & sensuous beauty.Even gods & the greatest sages succumbed to it forgetting their pursuit.

The celestial ladies like Menaka Urvashi & others are rather divinities of prostitutes.Here it might be argued that prostitution was deviate in ancient days.In Buddhist lore we have the instance of great prostitute who attaintained the Buddha nature.

These celestial prostitutes were apparently heartless no wonder that the baby born to Menaka was left on earth with no body to look after her.