Mahabharata – 139

by

Sankar Mukherjee

&

Dr Ramesh Chandra Mukhopadhyaya
                                   Aadivamsavatarana Parva

It was the middle of the night by a remote castle clock. And the  birds cuckoo & cockatwoo & a flock of crows were awakened by the castle clock. And when they found a little child all alone giggling at the sight of the fool moon & at the murmuring of the river Malini they at once crowded around the baby. The hissing snake saw them & returned to its hole. The hawling wolf saw the crowd of birds & passed by into denser forest. Birds protected the baby in that forest full of beasts by surrounding the baby. The sage Kanva was also taken by surprise by chirping of the birds standing in a flock making a circle. The sage came near the birds.Though they were scared they did not take to their wings. The sage espied the baby protected by the birds.This was a strange sight. And at once the sage Kanva named the baby Shakuntala one who is protected by the birds. Seeing the sage Kanva the birds made room for him & the sage softly took the baby in his arms & went into his ashrama. 

He brought her up as his daughter. He became the de facto father of the little child. Needless to say the little child was me. The sage Kanva brought me up & he is my father.

In the relegious text there are three types of father mentioned ---  1.one who gives birth,2.one who saves life,& 3.one who provides food.Thus Shakuntala became the daughter of Kanva.

 Shakuntala said to Dushmanta --- Oh king this is my birth story as said by sage Kanva to that brahamana & you also must know me as Kanva’s daughter in that fashion.Ido not know my biological father.I consider Kanva as my father.

Dushmanta replied Oh fortunate lady you are by birth the daughter of a Kshatriya. Therefore Oh fair lady! Marry me. Tell me  what I can do for you.

Oh beautiful lady! Right now I am arranging for you different clothes,neckless,ear – rings,number of gems & jewellery,skin of the deer ,along with covering of the breast.You please accept me as your husband.Let it be an instance of gaandharva marriage.For the kshatriyas this is the best type of marriage.

The Gaandharva Marriage is the best out of eight types of marriage according to the scriptures.

Gaandharva marriage is similar to love marriage in our times. In this case, the bride and the groom get married secretly, without the knowledge of their parents. It is not considered a right kind of marriage in India today, as it is done without the consent of the parents.

Shakuntala replied ------- Oh King wait for some time. Let my father come.He has gone out to collect fruits & flowers.He will bestow me on you.My father is always my friend philosopher & guide.Who ever is chosen by him as my bride groom will be my husband.

 Before marriage girls are usually maintaned by the father.During her youth she is
maintaned by her husband.During old age she is maintained by the children.She is never ever  independent.

Therefore how can I accept you as my husband ignoring my father?.

Dushmanta replied  ------ Oh my fair lady never say like this.Your father is a great sage & his passions are under  control.

Shakuntala said ------- Anger is the only weapon of the Brahamanas.But they seldom use the weapon.Indra uses the thunder to slay demons. Similarly the brahmanas kill the wrong doers by rage.Fire burns with  the power of its inherent spirit,Sun burns with  the rays.

Dushmanta said -- Oh graceful lady! Adore me,as I am staying here only for you & my mind is distracted for you.Look my lady one had better decide for himself/herself.You therefore  bestow yourself upon me.It will not be transgressing.

There are eight kinds of marriage  as per the scriptures in,1.brahma marriage,2.daiva marriage, 3.arya marriage,4. prajapatya marriage,5.gaandharva marriage,6.rakshasa marriage,7.paisacha marriage,8.asura marriage. The first four are  best for brahmanas & first six are  best for kshatriyas.But rakshasa marriage is also considered righteous by the sastras for kshatriyas & for the sudras & vaisyas. Asurik marriage is also considered as legal by the shastras.But brahma marriage,daiva marriage,prajapatya marriage,are best.Arya marriage & asura mnarriage are considered as inferior.Brahmanas never marry as per the guide line of asura marriage.Brahmanas & other castes never marry acccording to the pisacha rule.For the kshatriya mainly gaandharva & rakshasa are legitimate.You might not be scared of it.As I fell in love at the first sight & you also fell in love with me,therefore you can be my wife in accordance with the rule of the gaandharba marriage.

Shakuntala replied --- Oh best of the Pauravas! If it righteous & if I am able to bestow me, please listen to my prayer. Whatever I tell you in this solitary place you must keep them righteously.The first son will be born to me should be the crown prince.Oh King if this is possible I promise you that I shall consider you as my husband.

The king then without considering much replied --- let it be so.

The king  also assured her that he would take her to his capital, as she deserved to live in the capital. And  the king married Shakuntala in accordance with the principle of gaandharva marriage & had union with her. Before leaving the place the king promised  Shakuntala that he would send his troops to bring Shakuntala to the palace in the capital.While leaving Shakuntala, the king’s mind was full of anxiety about the repercussion of the great sage Kanva.After some time  Kanva returned to the ashrama.But Shakuntala out of shyness did not meet him.The great sage Kanva with divine wisdom saw into Shakuntala’s situation & told her -- Oh lady!You are lucky.Without my knowledge you came in contact with a male in a solitary place.There by you did not lose your virtue.When a passionate man in a solitary place accepts the hands of a lustful lady without any ritual whatsoever is known as gaandharva marriage.For the kshariyas that is the best one.The person whom you accepted as your husband is lovable & righteous with great soul. He is the  best of the men.You will give birth to a son.He will be  of great prowess & of  great soul.He will be the king of the whole globe.Your son will never be defeated by the enemies.And Shakuntala paid homage to the great sage Kanva.She washed his feet & collected the wood,kusha,fruits & flowers. She arranged the place for his rest.

Shakuntala said to Kanva -- At my own will I accepted Dushmanta as my husband. You please grace him with his ministers.

Kanva replied ---- I am pleased with Dushmanta.You ask for any boon from me.