Mahabharata
33
by
Sankar
Mukherjee
&
Dr. Ramesh
Chandra Mukhopadhyaya
Adi Parva CHAPTER III
Philosophy of time
Sauti tells us that Utanka finds two ladies.At
that time they are weaving clothes in a beautiful loom. A few white threads
& a few bkack threads deck the loom. Six boys are rotating the loom.Utanka
further sees that a handsome person & a horse are standing nearby. Utanka
now prays to whatever he finds in front of him.
In his prayer Utanka observes that an year is a
wheel that moves eternally & ceaselessly. There are twelve full moons &
twelve new moons in the wheel. Also
there are three hundred sixty days & nights. Six seasons in the shape of six boys revolve the
wheel.The Sun sojourning in the north
& the Sun sojourning in the southern
region are represented by two youthful wives.They are always making the boys
youthful & the youths are being turned into old men by these two ladies. In
other words it is they who impel the world to move from one state to another state since they continuously
work at the loom of the year. They make black threads from the lunar days of
the dark fortnight & white threads from the lunar days of the bright
fortnight. That is how they weave the clothes called Time. This clearly
suggests that whatever we perceive, we perceive clad in Time. Utanka in quest
of the ear - ring enters into nether world or the sub conscious of the collective
mind. There he encounters one of the mysteries of existence unraveled. Utanka
worships the great soul that wields
thunder & maintains the world. He worships the the great soul that has
killed the demons like the Vitra & Namuchi & the great soul who puts on black clothes &
administers justice.
Utanka &
the unknown person
The handsome
person with the horse listens to the hymn with great attention. He tells
Utanka that he is very happy with the prayer recited by Utanka. He is ready to
give Utanka whatever he prays for.In reply Utanka says - May the snakes be
under my control.
The hymn of Utanka opens with reflection on Time.Does it
necessarily mean that one who sees into the workings of time can attain his
object of desire?
There was a handsome person with a horse whom Utanka pleased with prayer.Utanka’s
only object was to retrieve the stolen ear - ring of the wife of Paushya from
Taksaka.The handsome person asks Utanka to blow into the anus of the horse with
his mouth.Utanka obeys the hand some person.And as soon as Utanka blows the air
from his mouth into the anus of the horse,Lo! The horse started giving out
flames from every cell of his body,every tendon,every muscle of his body.The
fire becomes terrible. Smokes spread all over the Nagaloka.The Nagas are
scared.The Takshaka being scared of fire & smoke which are about to burn the whole of Nagaloka
comes to Utanka & gives him back the ear – rings that Takshaka had stolen
from Utanka.But is it not too late
because Utanka must give the ear – rings to the wife of the preceptor on the
fourth day,from the day when he left his preceptor’s house.to collect the
ear-rings.The handsome person, however,asks Utanka to ride the horse.Utanka
obeys & mounts the horse. In a flash he reaches the house of the preceptor.
He meets the wife of the preceptor & hands the ear - rings over to her.The
wife of the preceptor was just about to
curse Utanka because of his failure to give the ear –rings in time.But now that
Utanka has given her the ear – rings at the eleventh hour, she is visibly
happy.She blesses Utanka & tells him that he is destined to have good
fortune.
The adventures of Utanka are unique, in legends
of Grece & Rome there are many adventures, such as the adventure of
Jason. But Hercules or Jason shows their
physical might. Here a similar adventure
has been accomplished through penance & prayer. The story has the
flavour of a fairy tale.
The horse is itself the fire symbol.It is about
to put Nagaloka in flame.This, ironically enough, reminds one of burning of the
Khandava forest in the past,in the narrative of the Mahabharata.And of course,
the relationship between Takshaka & Utanka has been starned.It might have
dangerous fall out.
Here the time of the Mahabharata is note worthy.
The Mahabharata begins with Janamejaya & his contemporaries. The past
events will be discussed in flash back.
Time & Values
Taking farewell
from the preceptor’s wife Utanka visits his preceptor.The preceptor
exclaims at his sight---Welcome my child ! Why are you so late?
“Sir, the serpent King Takshaka interrupted in
my mission. Hence I had to visit Nagaloka.
There I saw two ladies sitting at a loom
weaving with a black & white threads.What is that?
I also saw a wheel having a spoke ceaselessly
rotating conducted by six boys. What is
that?
I saw a man & a horse of extraordinary
size. What is that?
On my way to the kings palace, I met a person
mounted on a bull. He advised me to eat the dung of the bull.I ate it,when I
heard that you had also eaten it.
The preceptor says-- the women weaving the
cloth are the deities of winter solstice
& summer solstice,The threads black & white stand for night
& day.The six boys are six seasons.The wheel with twelve spokes is the
year,having twelve months.The man & the horse are but Indra the King of
heaven & the fire god.The bull you saw was Airavata the king of elephant. The dung you took was
but nectar.Indra is my friend.He made you take nectar. Otherwise, you could not
enter into the world of snakes & survive.
Any long narrative must have repetition. Repetitions
make a pattern.The wheel with twelve spokes recur in the hymn composed by
Upamanyu as well as in the perception of Utanka.Its symbolism has been decoded by both Aapoda Dhaumyua
& Veda,the great preceptors &
later their discples turned into
preceptors enlighened by the light from
their masters.Thus recurrence have been there.But since they are in different
contexts, they add to the meaning of the symbol.The Mahabharata being a vast
narative & an oral literature, such
repetition are a must or else listeners are wont to forget what happened
earlier.The Mahabharata is a typical narrative.Now & then it reflects on
itself & then proceeds.
In all the episodes of Aaruni,Upamanyu &
Utanka we find that although the preceptor sends his discples on difficult
errands,the preceptor seems to know the difficulties that their discplies were supposed to
face.And it seems that the grace of the preceptors worked to help the disciples.Similarly
we ourselves do not know what lies in the store of our future,but are we on
some errand? If one’s purpose is fixed & if one does not deviate from one’s
purpose the unseen preceptor-- the self of the self or God will surely help
him in the adventures of his life. That is the legitamation of the episodes of
Uddalaka & Utanka.
Mahabharata
34
by
Sankar
Mukherjee
&
Dr. Ramesh
Chandra Mukhopadhyaya
Adi Parva
CHAPTER III
Utanka & unknown person
The handsome person with the horse listens to the hymn with great
attention.He tells Utanka that he is very happy with the prayer recited by
Utanka.He is ready to give Utanka whatever Utanka prays for.In reply Utanka
says - May the snakes be under my control.
The hymn of Utanka has opened with reflections on Time.Does it necessarily mean
that one who sees into the workings of time can attain his object of desire?
There was a handsome person with a horse whom Utanka pleased with
prayer.Utanka's only object was to retrieve the stolen ear- ring of the wife of
Paushya from Taksaka.The handsome person asks Utanka to blow into the anus of
the horse with his mouth.Utanka obeys him.
And as soon as Utanka blows the air from his mouth into the anus of the horse,
Lo! The horse starts giving out flames from every cell,every tendon,every
muscle of his body.The fire becomes terrible.Smoke spreads all over the
Nagaloka.The nagas are scared.
Takshaka being scared of fire & smoke which is about to burn the
whole of Nagaloka comes to Utanka & gives him back the ear – rings that
Takshaka had stolen from Utanka.But is it not too late because Utanka
must give the ear- rings to the wife of the preceptor on the fourth day,from
the day when he left his preceptor’s house to collect the ear-rings.The
handsome person, however,asks Utanka to ride the horse.Utanka obeys &
mounts the horse. In a flash he reaches the house of preceptor.He meets the
wife of the preceptor & hands the ear -rings over to her.The wife of the
preceptor was just about to curse Utanka because of his failure to give
the ear-rings in time.But now that Utanka has given her the ear - rings at the
eleventh hour,she is visibly happy.She blesses Utanka & tells him that he
is destined to have good fortune.
The adventures of Utanka are unique.In legends of Grece & Rome there are
many adventures.Such as the adventure of Jason.But Hercules or Jason shows
their physical might.Here a similar adventure has been accomplished
through penance & prayer.
The horse is itself the fire symbol.It was about to put Nagaloka into
flame.Ironically enough it reminds one of burning of the Khandava forest
in the past,in the narrative of Mahabharata. And of course the relationship
between Takshaka & Utanka has been strained. It might have dangerous fall
out.
Here the time of the Mahabharata is note worthy.The Mahabharata begins with
Janamejaya& his contemporaries.The past events will be discussed in flash
back.
Mahabharata
35
by
Sankar
Mukherjee
&
Dr. Ramesh
Chandra Mukhopadhyaya
AdiParva
CHAPTER III
Time
& Values
Taking farewell from the
preceptor’s wife Utanka visits his preceptor.
The preceptor exclaims at his sight--Welcome my child ! Why are you so late ?
Sir, the serpent King Takshaka interrupted in my mission. Hence I had to
visit Nagaloka.There I saw two ladies sitting at a loom weaving with black & white
threads,What is that?
I also saw a wheel having a spoke ceaselessly rotating conducted by six
boys.What is that?
I saw a man & a horse of extraordinary size. What is that?
On my way to the king’s palace,I met a person mounted on a bull.He advised me
to eat the dung of the bull,I ate it ,when I heard that you had also eaten it.
The preceptor says-- the women weaving the cloth are the deities of winter
solstice & summer solstice.The threads black & white stand for
night & day.The six boys are six seasons.The wheel with twelve spokes is
the year, having twelve months.The man & the horse are but Indra the King
of Heaven & the fire god,the bull you saw was Airavata the king of
elephants.The dung you took was but nectar.Indra is my friend he made you take
nectar.Otherwise you could not enter into the world of snakes & survive.
Any long narrative must have repetition.Repetition make a pattern.The wheel
with twelve spokes reccur in the hymn composed by Upamanyu as well as in the
perception of Utanka.Its symbolism has been decoted by both Aapoda
Dhaumya & Veda,the great preceptor & his disciples turned
into preceptor,enlightened by the light of his master.Thus recurrence have been
there. But since they are in different contexts,they add to the meaning of the
symbol.The
Mahabharata being a vast narrative & an oral literature,such
repetitions are a must or else listeners are wont to forget what happened
earlier.Mahabharata is a typical narrative which now & then reflects on
itself & then proceeds.
In all the episodes of Aaruni,Upamanyu & Utanka we find that although the
preceptor sends his disciples on difficult errands, the preceptor seems to know
the difficulties that their disciples were supposed to face.And it seems that
the grace of the preceptors worked to help the disciples. Similarly we
ourselves do not know what lies in the store of our future,but are we on some
errand? If our purpose is fixed, if we do not deviate from our purpose our unseen
preceptor-- the self of the self or God will surely help us in the
adventures of our life.That is the legitimation of the episodes of Uddalaka
& Utanka.
Utanka’s visit to the Nagaloka reminds one of
Bhima’s visit to Nagaloka in the past.But the time of the narrative is
differently projected.Bhima’s visit will be delineated later.
Mahabharata
36
by
Sankar
Mukherjee
&
Dr. Ramesh
Chandra Mukhopadhyaya
AdiParva
CHAPTER III
Utanka & Janamejaya
The readers may remember the conversation
between King Paushya & Utanka which took place earlier.The King
Paushya said that although the Brahmanas could be harsh in their words yet they
are very tender at heart.That is why a Brahmana might get angry all of a
sudden,but soon he is calmed down.He can withdraw curses upon others if any.On
the other hand Kshatriyas might be mellifluous in their speech.But once
they are angry,their anger does not ebb presently. Apparently this was a
compliment to Utanka as a Brahmana.The Mahabharata tells us of a society
framed by the caste system. And Paushyas compliment to the Brahmanas sinks deep
into the mind of the readers.When the expected behavior of a person takes place
the story becomes dull.Very naturally any engrossing narrative
whatever,describes unexpected things
that occur & evokes suspense in the readers.This is what we find in the
actions of Utanka in times to come.With the preceptor’s leave Utanka sets out
for Hashtinapur.
Hashtinapur is the capital city & the seat of the King Janamejaya.As we
know he had gone to Takshashila in battle array.He conquered Takshashila.Now he is back to Hashtinapur
charged with pride of victory. Utanka visits the King at Hashtinapur.He
praises the King because the King looks after his subjects.The subjects
are in perfect peace.This is becoming a King who is a Kashyatrya.But he has
other duties ,Utanka reminds Janamejaya of his father King Parikshit,who was a
great king with loving heart.But the serpent Takshaka killed the King for no
fault of the King. And there was a Brahmana Kashyapya by name.He could bring
back the fleeting breath with charms.Kashyapa was on his way to King Parikshit.
He would bring back the dead Parikshit
to life with spiritual prowess.But Takshaka stopped him from visiting the
King’s palace.Should not Janamejaya remember the sad incident & take
revenge upon Takshaka? the King earlier told Utanka that he would like to
satisfy any craving of the Brahman Utanka. Utanka says that he would be happy
if Janamejaya could take revenge upon Takshaka that killed Janamejaya’s
father.Utanka has his personal complain against Takshaka as well. Because
Takshaka harassed him by stealing the ear-rings of the wife of King
Paushya,which he was carrying to his preceptor’s place. Utanka adds - In order
to take revenge upon Takshaka,
the King had better launch a sacrificial rite that would destroy the whole race
of serpents. Hearing the story of fathers death the King Janamejaya takes
fire.He asks his counsellors at the court as to the veracity of Utanka’s
report. They tell the King that whatever Utanka
says is true.It was the serpent Takshaka that killed the benevolent King. At
once Janamejaya makes up his mind.He will launch a fire sacrifice which should
kill Takshaka immediately,who killed his dear father.
This episode of Utanka & Janamejaya has revenge theme at its centre.Utanka
wants to take revenge on Takshaka because Takshaka harassed him. And ignited
with the spirit of revenge he evokes the same spirit of revenge in Janamejaya
whose father was killed by the same Takshaka-- the snake.
Mahabharata
37
by
Sankar
Mukherjee
&
Dr. Ramesh
Chandra Mukhopadhyaya
AdiParva
The Bhrigu Race
When Sauti came to the forest Naimishya & met the sages under the
management of Kulapati Saunaka, they asked Sauti,whence had he come.In reply
Sauti told them that he had come from the serpent sacrifice conducted by
Janamejaya the son of King Parishkhit.And Sauti has narrated the circumstances
that led Janamejaya to observe the sacrificial fire to destroy the snakes.
Now there is a pause Saunaka retires for a time to have his prayers.Saunaka
returns to the assembly.He now asks Sauti to dwell on the history of the
race of the Bhrigu.
In reply Sauti says - We have heard that the creator Brahama was
observing a sacrificial rite on behalf of the god Varuna.And from the fire of
the sacrifice Bhrigu was born.
This Bhrigu got married to a lovely lady named Puloma.Earlier to her
marriage, however,her father had assured an ogre named Puloma that it was the
ogre Puloma upon whom he would bestow his daughter named Puloma.
Since Bhrigu married the lady Puloma, the ogre Puloma was deprived of her
hands. Now for a few days Bhrigu left his abode.In those days sacrificial fire
would burn ceaselessly in every house hold in the absence of the master of the
household.But in the absence of Bhrigu Lo! The ogre Puloma shows up.The fire
god is the watch of the household of Bhrigu.Ogre Puloma tells the fire god that
he was originally betrothed to lady Puloma.So he has the right to carry off
Puloma from Bhrigu’s abode. The fire god can not deny the truth of it. So the
ogre Puloma takes the shape of a boar & is about to carry off Puloma. Lady
Puloma wails piteously. And lo!Her tear forge a river.Brahma the creator names
it Badhusara. Lady Puloma has been in the mean time pregnant. Bhrigu’s child
Chyavana is already in her womb.Chyavana leaps out of the womb & encounters
the ogre. The ogre is at once dead & turns into a handful of ashes. Right
now Bhrigu turns up.He is shocked to learn what has happened in his household
during his absence. He blames the fire god for it.But the fire god posits that
he can not deny the fact that the lady Puloma’s father had given word that he
would get his daughter married to the ogre.But the fire god can not convince
Bhrigu.So he curses the fire god.Henceforth the fire god is destined to eat
whatever comes in his way.The fire god becomes angry. The sages offer the fire
god whatever they want to offer to the gods.In other words, the fire god
carries food for the gods offered to them by the sages.But if the fire god has
to eat everything whatever sacred or profane,the fire god will not carry the
food for the gods offered by the mortals henceforth.That is how the fire god
responds to the curse of Bhrigu. A great commotion takes place in
consequence.If the gods are not served the food by the fire god offered
by the mortals, the gods shall have to starve.So the gods go to the creator
Brahma. Brahma now appeases the fire god.He tells the fire god that the
fire god must not abandon his task. The fire god has his own prowess. With that
he should see to that the curse of the sage comes true.But the gods &
fathers must not be deprived of their food & nourishment.The fire god has a
body called Kravyada.It consists of
the flames of the lower part of the fire god.This Kravyada should devour
whatever profane is offered to it, And just as the Sun rays purify everything
whatever so with the profane burnt by the fire will be purified. The flames of
the upper layer of the fire will however
accept the offerings of food to be transported to the gods.
The fire god agrees to the proposal. And his wives Svaha & Svadha come back
to him.
This episode is very significant, we know that fire devours everything whatever
that comes in its way.But according to Sauti fire was not like this in the
past, Right now whatever garbage are there can be put to fire & purified.
But earlier the fire god would not do this, think of the situation of world in
that case. Surely garbage would be heaped up into mounts & mountains, ugly
odour would kill whatever man was there on earth.So Bhrigu’s curse upon the
fire god was a boon to humanity.And indeed fire burns everything profane.We
purify things by putting them on fire.We boil the milk or else it becomes
putrified. We boil flesh or it becomes rotten & not fit for human
consumption. This is not all. Fire is necessary in the human body to digest the
food.So when the fire god is destined to consume whatever comes in
its way, it is all right for men & animals. With us the men of today’s
earth gods are not real. But with the ancient Indian society gods were real.They
used to take care of man & the world.And surely the relationship between
the gods & the creation is symbiotic.The humans offered their prayers &
offer food to gods via Agni. Gods are strengthened by that & perform
their task to look after the wellbeing of the world. Unless we pay our taxes to the Government, the Government
headed by the Prime Minister surrounded by the ministers & accompanied by
the officers will be starved to death. How can they conduct the
development activity at the cost of the blood of the illiterate & the
inefficient ! if the Government can not earn money in the shape of taxes. But
this is not all when the fire god refuses to pay taxes to the
Government or to the gods, the wives of the fire god disappear.In our
context, in an Indian society looking forward to cashless society the
wives of the fire god could be likened to the knowledge of
computer.Unless you know the sacred lore of computer you cannot pay the electricity
bill. And you will be thrown into put of darkness.The Municipality will not
clean your drains. Dirty waters from the drains will overflow & you shall
have to wade through it Ha! Ha! Ha!
The creator Brahama tells us that fire god has two bodies,one is the lower body
with which it will devour the polluted things & another is the higher body
which will serve the Gods.This clearly shows that combustion is not always
destructive.
This episode of Bhrigu & fire god shows up a relevant question as to the
fate of a woman Suppose a woman is betrothed to a man.But my gosh! The woman
gets married to another man.Does not the man who was betrothed to the woman has
a claim on that woman? The episode says no,provided the married woman is
devoted to her husband.In fact the lady Puloma wept profusely when she was
being carried off by her lover,So it seems that if a woman refuses to go along
with one who loved her & wants to stay with her husband, her desire should
get legitimation. Does it speak of the right of a woman to choose two suitors.
Mahabharata
38
by
Sankar
Mukherjee
&
Dr. Ramesh
Chandra Mukhopadhyaya
AdiParva
Story of Ruru
We have already heard about Bhrigu & the heroic
exploit of the little child of a sage Chyavana --the son of Bhrigu.
Sauti continued--
The son of Bhrigu with the aid of Sukanya his wife gave birth to Pramati.With
the passage of time Pramati becomes a high souled & spirited sage.He begets
a son named Ruru by Ghritaachi a celestial dancer.Formerly there was a great
sage called Sthulakesa. He was wise.He had great spiritual & esoteric
power. He had a loving heart for all creatures both great & small. Now he
came across a little child on the bank of a river close to his sylvan abode. He
took pity on the child.Because there was nobody to take care of the baby he
brought the child to his abode.The child grew to womanhood.Youth overflowed
from her frame & being. It was she who happened to be the wife of the sage
Ruru.Her name was Promadvaraa.
The reader is apt to to ask as to the secret of Promadvaraa’s birth.Yes
the omniscient narrator knows how Promadvaraa was born. There was a king of the
angels or gandarvas named Biswavasu. He was drawn to the famous celestial
dancer Menokaa.The little child later was christened as Promadvaraa.
In other words,Biswavasu united with Menokaa & gave birth to
Pramadvaraa.Promadvaraa was brought up by the sage Sthulakesa.In her youth she
was married to the great sage Ruru.
The story is significant on different counts.
Firstly the sages in the Mahabharata are now
& then enticed by women. One wonders whether they could be our role models
because they seldom restrain themselves from the charms of world winning
beauty.
Secondly women are looked upon as the instrument for giving birth to a
child.This is perhaps in obedience to God the Father’s commands in the Bible to
multiply.
Finally the story foreshadows the story
of Dushyanta & Shakuntala which will show up in the
narrative later.
Mahabharata
-39
by
Sankar
Mukherjee
&
Dr. Ramesh
Chandra Mukhopadhyaya
AdiParva
Lamentation of Ruru
But the marriage of Ruru with Promadvaraa was not without any
difficulty.Promadvaraa’s foster father Sthulakesa had agreed to hand over
Promadvaraa to Ruru.Ruru was over head & ears in love with Promadvaraa.The particular time & date
for the marriage to take place was settled.In the mean time Promadvaraa went
with her friends to play in the forest.She was not careful & unknowingly
she planted her feet on a snake & the snake bit her to death. Promadvaraa
atonce fell on the ground.Her brightness vanished.The complexion of her body
became pale.Her ornaments fell from her body.Her consciousness vanished.Her
hair became dishvelled. Allthough she was very good looking, now that the vital
force disappeared she became ugly to look at.A number of sages who lived in the
neighbouring places in the forest
gathered there.But Ruru left the crowd & mourned left to himself.
Ruru lamented that his beloved had a face
likening the full moon.She was slim.Right now “she lies on the ground & my
sorrows escalate.It seems that she is lying on the ground only to summon me to
accompany her to the world from whose bourne no man returns”
Ruru further lamented that since her beloved
had passed away he would not have any son to perform ancestor’s worship.Thus
the death of his would be wife was a great loss to his ancestors.
The lament here is significant Ruru was so
enamoured of Promadvaraa that he felt like accompanying his would be wife to
death.Fulfillment of carnal desire was not the be all & en doll of
marriage.He had hoped that he would beget a son by marriage who would offer
nourishment to his ancestors.Thus love for a youthful wife for physical
pleasure as well the love for ancestors mingled here.Ruru wanted to accompany
her sweet heart to death. But Savitri on the other hand went to Death herself
to bring back the fleeting breath of Satyavan.Dysfunction also took place in
the career of Shakuntala.Durvasa cursed Shakuntala.So her husband Dushyanta
forgot Shakuntala for a time.Any separation is as good as death.It was a miracle
that united Shakuntala with her husband.Ruru addressed the gods & said that
if he had ever done penance, then the god should bring back life to his would
be wife. The compassionate gods sent a messenger to Ruru.Ruru agreed to the
proposal that he should share his longevity with his would be wife.Right then
the father of Promadvaraa who was a king
of celestial minstrels & the angels went to Death or ‘yamaraja’.The lord of
death agreed to the proposal & Promadvaraa returned from death.She woke up
as it were from a swoon.
Here is an instance where the bride groom
readily shares his life expectancy with the bride whose longevity is exhausted.
Marriage of Ruru & his Vow
So Promadvaraa is recalled to life. There after
Pramoti the father of Ruru & Sthulokesa the foster father of
Promadvaraa,married Ruru to Promadvaraa on the auspicious day as settled
earlier. The newly married couple Ruru & Promadvaraa pass their days
devoted to each other.
The beautiful wife regained,Ruru now vows to destroy the serpent race.
And whenever he finds a snake,he kills it with great anger.One day Ruru enters
a dense forest.There he finds an old serpent. The said serpent is not poisonous
Ruru, however,is about to kill the snake.But the snake addresses Ruru &
asks him why he should kill a snake that
is non poisonous & that has not done any harm to Ruru.On hearing this Ruru
replies that a snake had bitten his dear wife. Hence he will kill all the
snakes. Then the snake tells Ruru that the serpent who bite men are quite
different in type.So Ruru must not kill the serpents,who are not
poisonous.Rruru is astonished to hear the serpent speaking in the language of
men. Consequently he asks the serpent as to its true identity.The serpent says
in reply that he was a sage named Sahasrapad.He had a friend who was also a sage named Khagama. His words never
failed.Once he was observing a sacrifice.At that time Sahasrapads terrorized
him with a fake serpent woven with grass. The sage friend of Sahasrapad was
terrorized there by & fell down senseless. When he came back to senses,
Khagama cursed Sahasrapad.Consequently Saharsapad turned into a poisonless
snake.Khagama however told Saharsapad that as soon as he would meet Ruru of the
race of Bhrigu he would be liberated from the body of the snake.
Presently the snake gets back his former self as a human. He is
Saharsapad again. Now he tells Ruru that a Brahman should never be
jealous of anybody.He should be never be angry.He should remain calm &
quiet.This is the lesson of Vedas. The Brahman should be mild, truthful &
forgiving.He should always assure every creature. The Khashtriya on the other
hand must rule his subjects properly. And to that end he must punish the
wicked. Saharsapad observes that in the past Janamejaya, the king, organized a sacrificial
rite to wipe the species called the serpent off the face of the earth. But the
great saint Aastika showed up & intervened. Ruru wants to hear the whole
story.But Saharsapad will not linger.He vanishes into the thin air.Ruru is
curious to know how the snakes were saved,despite the fire sacrifice organized
by Janamejaya determined to kill all the snakes of the world. Further more he
meditates on the exhortation of Saharsapad regarding the duties of a
Brahman.Back home he tells everything to his father.
The episode is significant on many counts.
Firstly, to strike terror into any one’s heart even for a sport is a sin. One
must face consequences for that.
Secondly, curse is a major motif in the Mahabharata. Cursed men die.
Besides due to curse a human could metamorphose into a snake or into other
animals.
Thirdly, such curses could be undone. And a man turned into a snake can be a man again. The society of the
Mahabharata is laden with caste system. Every caste has its assigned duty.And
it is a pity that people often fail in their assigned duty. And it is a pity
that people often fail to observe the duties behoving their stations & may
be the deviation of people belonging to different castes from their assigned
duties will bring about a world war,that is at the heart of the narrative known
as the Mahabharata. But,the most interesting point in the narrative is the time
frame of the narrative Sahasrapad refers to the failure of fire sacrifice to
kill snakes organized by Jnamejaya the King.The episode of Ruru takes place
only after the fire sacrifice of Janamejaya.But the speaker of the
narrative, Sauti said earlier that he had come from the place where Janamejaya
was organizing the snake sacrifice.There after Sauti travelled far & wide
& reached the woods Naimisha, where Saunaka the Kulapati inhabits
surrounded by numerous sages.
However, the narrator Sauti does not
tell us what Pramati told Ruru when he had asked his father about the
history of the snakes.
Mahabharata
40
by
Sankar
Mukherjee
&
Dr. Ramesh Chandra
Mukhopadhyaya
AdiParva
Jaratkaru
& apparitions
At the very beginning of the narrative of the
Mahabharata we heard that Janamejaya was observing a sacrificial rite to
destroy all the snakes in the world. Sahrsapad however told us that the
sacrifice to kill all the snakes was interrupted.That ignited the curiosity of
Ruru.
Ruru went to his father to learn the details of the snake sacrifice but what
Ruru’s father told Ruru remain unspoken. Consequently the great sage Saunaka
requested Sauti to narrate in
details how the sacrifice that was being organized by Janamejaya was
interrupted.
Sauti said in reply that there was a great saint named Jaratkaru.He was well
versed in scriptures. He was was a travelling mendicant. He journeyed
throughout the day.Whenever night befell he would stop & takes some
shelter.He did not take any food through out the day & night. He used to
live on air. Besides he did not sleep in the nights.In fact Jaratkaru was a
gypsy man.While wandering here & there he chanced to see a tree where
apparitions dangled from the bough.And to his utter dismay he found that
a mouse was eating into the roots of the tree.The tree would fall any moment
& that would mean a heavy disaster for the spirits dangling from the tree.
Jaratkaru addressed the spirits & asked why they were hanging from a tree
which was sure to fall down on the ground because of the mouse eating the
roots? The spirits replied that their piteous predicament was due to their
unruly descendant Jaratkaru.
No doubt Jaratkaru the travelling sage was taken by surprise when he heard his
name in the lips of the spirits .
Jaratkaru asked-- why what harm has Jaratkaru done to them?
The spirits replied that Jaratkaru was a great sage but he did not pay any heed
to marriage.Hence the line of descendant has been abruptly interrupted &
the spirits must remain ever on the banks of Lethe never to enter into the
kingdom of heaven & bliss Jaratkaru repented hearing this.He
introduced himself as Jaratkaru whom the spirits abhorred. He promised them that he would marry provided his demands
were fulfilled.
The episode is very significant. People in the days of the Mahabharata often
set out in quest of the truth renouncing all the world.But as Isopanishada
points out that the world itself is the abode of God,so why renounce the world?
Celibacy is not the way out from the groans of existence. Marry one must
to keep up the family line. Worship of the ancestors should be observed
honestly. In fact the Mahabharata world believed in a world peopled by
ancestors or Pritriloka. It is noble & sublime as heaven. Ancestors
are like gods. So just as we please our gods so do we please our ancestors with
rites & rituals & begetting children.The children should continue the
worship of the ancestors. That is a must.Marriage is not for satisfying the
carnal desires. Marry one must to beget a son.
Mahabharata 41
by
Sankar
Mukherjee
&
Dr. Ramesh
Chandra Mukhopadhyaya
AdiParva
Jaratkaru’s marriage
Jaratkaru agreed to marry a woman only to rescue his ancestors.He
was not at all enamoured of carnal desires.But he set certain conditions. If
they were not fulfilled he would not marry.
Firstly Jaratkaru had no earnings. So he would not feed his wife.
Secondly, he could accept a woman for a wife provided the woman was given to
him as alms earmarked for becoming his wife.
Thirdly, the name of the woman whom he would marry should be identical with his
name. Such conditions were very difficult to fulfill. So Jaratkaru went
round the world in quest of a woman who could be his wife.But there was no wife
for him any where. So finally he went into the deep forest & cried out
mildly at the outset. Later he cried out loudly thrice-- is there any body to
bestow on me a virgin who should become my wife? And then Ananta of the king of
serpents appeared. He told Jaratkaru that the name of his younger sister was
identical with the name of Jaratkaru. The serpent king Ananta had brought her
up & preserved her only to be given away as alms to the sage whose name was
Jaratkaru.So the marriage of Jaratkaru took place in great pomp to the relief
of his ancestors. It was the serpent king Ananta who stood the expenditure of
the marriage of her sister. And one argues that Jaratkaru became the husband of
the lady Jaratkaru only to live in his father- in- law’s palace.
The two Jaratkarus cohabited & a spiritually mighty child was born. The
little child was christened as Aastika.Aastika would save the species called
the snakes from utter annihilation.
In the eleventh chapter of the Adi Parva the serpent king Ananta is
identified with serpent Vasuki. But else where Vasuki & Ananta are two different
serpent gods.
Curiously enough the larger part of the Adi Parva of the Mahabharata seems to
be a sequence of fables. A fable is that kind of narrative where
men,animals,snakes as well as the inanimate participated as real characters.
Mahabharata
42
by
Sankar Mukherjee
&
Dr. Ramesh
Chandra Mukhopadhyaya
AdiParva
Birth of serpents & Aruna
Saunaka & the ascetic surrounding him were very glad to hear
the story of Aastika,needless to say that were overjoyed to hear to how the species
called the snake were saved from being exterminated from the face of the
Nature.Consequently they wanted to hear more of the great savior Aastika.
Sauti in reply said ---
In order to know Aastika full well we had better go back to the remote past
when Satyayuga prevailed. During that period Prajapati Daksha had two
beautiful daughters in Kadru & Vinata.Infact Praja means
creatures.Prajapati is the Lord of all the creatures that we find in the
existence & here is a story that seems to hark back to that twilight period
of creation when the first animals showed up.
Now the two daughters Kadru & Vinata were given in marriage to the great
sage Kashyapa.
Though it was the Satyayuga when truth alone prevails,there existed jealousy
between the two sisters & between the two co-wives even of a great saint.
Kadru asked for a boon from her sage husband. She wanted that she should beget
one thousand children who should be strong & powerful.Vinata also asked for
a boon from Kashyapa. She wanted only two sons.But those two sons should be
stronger than that of the one thousand children of Kadru. Thus there was
envy between the sisters & between co-wives of a saint in the Satyayuga
itself.
In course of time Kadru laid one thousand eggs. Those eggs were properly
protected & nourished till the thousand snakes were born.
Kadru had already one thousand children she had had prayed for.Vinata also
brought forth two eggs from her womb. But alas neither of the eggs matured to
bring about a child. Being jealous of the success of the co-wife Kadru in
bringing about one thousand children, Vinata became restless. She was heedless
to the welfare of the children in the eggs.So she broke one of the eggs.At once
a new born child showed up.He was red & bright as the twilight Sun.But
the lower portion of his body was not properly developed. As soon as the child
was born it cursed its mother Vinata & told her that she must repent for
her activity.She broke the egg wherein the child was protected only impelled by
her jealousy of her sister & co-wife Kadru. Consequently, she must serve
her sister & co-wife Kadru for at least five hundred years.The new born
child warned Vinata that she must not break the second egg that she had laid.
The incubation period over, five hundred years hence, the other egg will burst
on its own giving birth to a great being.He would liberate his mother Vinata
from the the servitude under Kadru.
Thus saying the first born of Vinata accompanied Sun God to traverse the sky.
He was christened as Aruna or the Sun in morning twilight.
It has been already told that
Aruna looked like the Sun god himself. And the Sun god visited Aruna &
carried him off & engaged him in driving the chariot of the Sun god.
In the Mahabharata women have been over & over again jealous of other women
regarding giving birth to children.The consequences have not always been happy.
The legitimation of these stories is that an embryo should develop in the wombs
determined by nature. In other words Cesarean babies are not the ideal ones
perhaps according to the Mahabharata.
Mahabharata
43
by
Sankar
Mukherjee
&
Dr. Ramesh
Chandra Mukhopadhyaya
AdiParva
Uchchaishravas
One day Kadru & Vinata
the two co-wives were chatting together in their courtyard.They chanced upon a
lovely looking horse-- the most elegant in the world.It was Uchchaishrava.Sauti
told the auditorium that Uchchaishrava is a gem of a horse that leaped forth
from the occasion of the churning of the ocean. The great sage exclaimed that
notion of the churning of the ocean was amazing.He asked how & when the
churning of the ocean took place .
Sauti said ---
There is a great mountain at the centre of the world.It is known as Sumeru. Sumeru
accumulates lights & lustre from all over the cosmos & glitters .The
rays of the Sun reflects on its peak.The peak therefore looks golden.One knows
not whether this Sumeru has incarnated as Kanchanjunga the highest God of the
Lepcha community.Decked with gold Sumeru is the extremely beautiful
mountain & a favourite haunt of the gods & the gandharvas or
the celestial minstrel. The sinners can not have access to Sumeru. Countless
beasts & life saving herbs crowd there.It is so tall that it touches the
heaven. Common people can not dare to climb it even in dream. Numerous rivers, wonderful
trees deck the mountain - scape.It is loud with myriads of song birds.Once the
gods assembled on a peak of Sumeru.It dazzled with gems & jewels nowhere
found in the earth.There the gods deliberated on how nectar could be
discovered.Well nectar could be retrieved only if the ocean were churned.
Brahma & Vishnu agreed to the proposal of churning the Ocean. It was
suggested that the mountain Mandara should be used as the churning rod.
The mountain Mandara is eleven thousand yojanas in height from the ground
level.It is eleven thousand yojanas under the earth. It's peak embraces the
sky.Numerous gods & celestial beings like kinnaras & apsaras crowd
there. But Mandara must be uprooted, so that it could be used as the churning
rod.The gods however failed to lift up the Mandara.Then it was Vishnu who
summoned the great Serpent Ananata that carried the cosmos on its head.Lord
Vishnu commanded Ananta to lift up the Mandara & Mandara was lifted
up. Now the gods went to the seas & told Neptune or the deity of the
Ocean that they would churn the Ocean to retrieve nectar from it. The ocean
agreed to the proposal provided it could share the nectar that the gods
would retrieve.So now the gods were there with the churning rod Mandara &
the churning rope Ananta.The base of the Mandara was placed on the back of the
Tortoise King.The base of the Mandara lifted up from the earth was uneven.Indra
the King of the gods made it even,so that it could be placed on the shoulder of
the Tortoise King.
Every arrangement for the churning of the ocean was accomplished.The mighty
mountain Mandara would function as the churning rod.The Tortoise King would function as the support for
Mandara. The great serpent Ananta would function as the rope, with the aid of
which the churning rod would rotate.Vishnu proposed that the gods & demons
together should churn the ocean.The demons also assembled.While the gods held
the tail of the great serpent Ananta,the demons unwittingly held the head of
the great serpent Ananta.And the churning started.The snake had surrounded the
Mandara like a rope.The Demons pulled the snake from the end of its head.
The gods pulled the snake from the end of the tail & Mandara rotated on the
solid back of the Tortoise plunged in the Sea.The snake king had to tolerate
great stress being pulled like that.By the by he himself was the other form of
Lord Vishnu.His breath became fast.And vapours,flames leaped from his mouth
& killed a few demons.The vapours turned into clouds.The clouds poured
showers to give relief to the tired & distressed gods & demons.The
Mandara mountain was bedecked with beautiful trees laden with fragrant
flowers.The trees were shaken from their roots & the flowers were littered
all over, greeting both the gods & the demons.At that time a tremendous
sound like that of lightening came out of the deep of the ocean.Because of the
churning, countless aquatic animals &
organisms were killed.Numerous inhabitants of the nether world died.
Large trees along with birds in them were torn by the roots due to the rotation
of the Mandara.They fell into the water.The trees clashed with one another
& there was a great fire.The fire gleamed like a mass of blue cloud &
cloaked the mountain Mandara.The fire burnt the lions,elephants & other
animals that had taken shelter in the caves.Indra the lord of the gods rained
upon fire & it was put out.The extracts of celestial trees & shrubs
poured into the salty water of the ocean & may be nectar was one of those
extracts that poured into the ocean.The nectar washed the skin of the gods
& the gods became immortal.The salty water of the sea mingling with the
extracts of herbs were churned into milk.Because of the churning of the milk
there was butter.
Mahabharata
44
by
Sankar
Mukherjee
&
Dr. Ramesh
Chandra Mukhopadhyaya
AdiParva
Nectar
The gods however became fed up. Their hearts
were heavy.May be nectar was already there dissolved in the sea water.But
despite hard work they could not raise
nectar separated from the sea water.So they were rather fatigued & plunged
in despair. They shared their woes with the creator Brahmaa. Brahmaa
communicated the same to Vishnu. Lord Vishnu also participated in the churning
activity. He was however not tired in the least. And Vishnu shared his
immeasurable strength with the gods. The gods rejuvenated, once again,
continued the churning activity.After a while the Moon showed up.Its me,cried
the moon. Lo! The mild rays seemed to
have gods & demons in thrall.Thereafter Lakshmi the Goddess of wealth &
prosperity appeared with lotus in hand.At the same time the herb called Soma
& wine also popped up. The divine Horse Uchchaishravasa emerged from the
butter.Then the celestial gem Kaustava leaped up from the the ocean & flew
directly to the breast of Lord Vishnu. where it was set fiittingly. Then the
Parijat tree was found along with Surabhi the goddess of the cows,who fulfills
the desires of any creature whatever.Lakshmi,soma
the moon god the Pegasus Uchchaishravasa-- all of them went to the side of the
gods as soon as they appeared from the seas. Finally arose the divine physician
Dhanwantari with a pitcher full of nectar.
This is an interesting event. Because the demons did not want to possess the
moon or the horse,but when nectar came up they shouted to posses it.But they
did not want Dhanwantari with them. Then rose the great elephant
Airavata. It had two pairs of tusk. It became the mount of Indra the king of
gods. Because of continuous churning the deadly poison Kalkuta sprung. It
engulfed the cosmos with fumes & flames. Under the spell of the fumes the
three worlds lost their consciousness.
Brahma instantly invoked Lord Shiva to help. Lord Shiva drank the whole
poison that had flooded the existence .He did not let the poison to touch his
heart.He kept it in the throat & since then the neck of Lord Shiva turned blue. He was known as
Nilkantha or the god with blue neck.
It is curious to note that the very source which gave goddess Lakshmi &
nectar to the world also bestowed poison to the existence.
Mahabharata
45
by
Sankar
Mukherjee
&
Dr. Ramesh
Chandra Mukhopadhyaya
AdiParva
The fight between gods &
demons Over the bowl of nectar.
During the churning of the ocean, the world was
flooded with deadly poison. But the lord
of the lords, Mahadeva drank it & rescued life all over the world from the
jaws of impending death.Seeing this the demons were amazed.Some indeterminate
despair seemed to overwhelm them. In the meantime the nectar was already
distilled from the ocean.The demons clamoured for the possession of the bowl of
nectar as well as for the possesion of goddes Lakshmi who stands for wealth
& prosperity.Seeing the gods & the demons quarreling over the bowl of
nectar & over the possesion of the goddess Lakshmi, the goddess of wealth,
lord Nayrana hit upon a plan.And lo! a lady of world winning beauty took the
demons in thrall.Their senses failed them. Unanimously did they give away the
bowl of nectar to the lady sans mercy.The lady made the gods sit in one row
& the demons sit in another row. Then she served nectar to the gods while
the demons had to drink plain water or some wine.There was ,however, a demon
resembling the gods.He sat with the gods. The sun god & moon god found it
out.They conveyed the information to the lady without mercy .She at once doffed
her female appearence & became Lord Naryana himself.Naryana presently
summoned his wheel that cut the demon
across his neck.The nectar could not go below the throat of the demon in
disguise.So the demon was divided into two.The upper part of the body roared
& rushed to the skies aburning in a rage.The lower part of the body fell on
the ground with thunderous sound. The earth trembled .The former is known as
Rahu or Dragon’s Head ; the latter part is known as Ketu or Dragon’s tail.It
were the Sun & The Moon who had betrayed the truth about the dragon in
disguise.Hence to avenge themselves for their failure rahu & ketu now &
then devours the Sun & the Moon for a time.This is known as
eclipse.Presently after, a fierce fight between gods & the demons began.The
Sun was about to set .Both the gods & demons came to blows.They hurled
deadly weapons at each other.There was a great noise all about. Somebody said
--Cut him.Others cried--Kill him.Some
others shouted -- Crush them ,Kick them, Burn them,& so on. The noise went
up & pierced the skies.When the battle was raging fiercely,the lord Naryana
accompanied by Nara appeared in the battle.Nara rained arrows upon the demons
from the celestial bow. Naryana also invoked his wheel which pierced the demons
& cut them from nave to chaff to memorise another Gal gotha.The demons did
not lie low. They flung mountains. The mountains looked like masses of clouds
descending from the sky.The falling mountains collided with each other &
produced great fire & terrible sound that struck terror into the hearts of
the gods.The divine Nara with his golden arrows reduced the mountains into dust.Thus
the sky became covered with dense dust .The battle cries were ceaseless. Some
of the mountains fell on the ground with thumping sounds. The earth with her
forests tremblled.Finally the hurly burly was done.The battle was lost &
won.Scared the demons fled to the nethar world.All passions spent, there was a
calm of mind. The gods saluted the
mountain Mandara who functioned as the churning rod.The mountain was placed
where it was before the beginning of the churning of the ocean.Some portion of
the nectar was already taken by the gods.The nectar sustained the gods against
the demons.And yet a great amount of nectar remained in the bowl.Gods handed
over the bowl to Narayana & dispersed to resume their offices.
Any reader might find the episode a sad one provided they feel an empathy with the demons. Although
both the gods & demons toiled hard to raise the nectar, one wonders why
demons should be deprived of their due share in the nectar.Lord Naryana the
presiding deity of the Mahabharata did not hesitate to deceive the demons .We
dare not blame Naryana for that .But it seems that the narrative to follow is
loaded with such stories of deception enacted by the so called truthful &
rightous people.When demons deceive others that is no news .When gods &
godmen deceive others it is a news.
Mahabharata
46
by
Sankar
Mukherjee
&
Dr. Ramesh
Chandra Mukhopadhyaya
AdiParva
Ocular evidence of Uchchaishravas
All these event that we are describing harked
back to Satyayuja-- the twilight of creation. During the churning of the
ocean many emergent things popped up, such as the necter,the elephant god
Airavata,the great horse Uchchaishravas, & so on that were never seen in
land or sea earlier.The two wives of Kasyapa Kadru & Vinata, who have been
mentioned earlier were seated in the verandah of their celestial palace.And
whew ! their flew a Pegasus in front of their eyes like a missile. It went past
their eyes so fast that they could not understand what colour went passed them.
They understood that it was Uchchaishravas.Vinata & Kadru discused about
Uchchaishravas Vinata said that Uchchaishravas is white.But Kadru asserted that
Uchchaishravas is not all white.There are some portions of the horse that are
black. The argument became heated one, finally they agreed that if
Uchchaishravas is really white Kadru would serve Vinata as slave for five
hundred years.On the other hand if Kadru was right Vinata must serve as a slave
girl for five hundred years.
Kadru now shared all that had happened between
herself & Vinata with her snake children.The children exclaimed --- mother!
You are on the wrong foot. Our step mother is right the celestial horse is in
fact white. Kadru & Vinata had earlier agreed to investigate whether the
horse is black or white next day morning.They must have first hand occular
evidence of the complexion of the horse. So Kadru told her children to cover
the body of Uchchaishravas immediately so that on the next day morning Uchchaishravas
would look black.Or else she would have become a slave of Vinata. The children
must save her mother from humiliation. This put the snakes in a difficult
situation on one side they should obey their mother on another side they must
not do any fraud.Because one must not deviate from truth.The snakes now sat
together & discussed the situation.Vasuki & Ananta & a few other
snakes opined that truth is more precious than once devotion to once mother
a few others however observed that if their mother were a slave girl to
their step mother they would have suffer a lot as well. But the opinion of
Vasuki & Ananta prevailed.So they went to their mother & said that They
did not believe in simulation.Kadru took fire at this. She told the snakes that
all of them would be killed in times to come.The creator Brahma at once was
aware of the curse he said to himself that the snakes were very harmful to the
creation.They had better to kill during the snake sacrifice to be organised by
Janamejaya times to come.Hearing the curse of Kadru the majority of snakes were
scared.So they agreed to obey their mother.But Ananta & Vasuki & their
follwers said that truth was dearer to them than the life in the world.Next day
morning Kadru & Vinata set out to see the horse with their own eyes to find
out whether the horse was white or black & white. Vinata knew that she was
right, Kadru also knew that Vinata was right.But at the same time Kadru knew
that truth can be manipulated.The wiser of our generation also know that truth
can be manipulated.Kadru was much like the moderns.Dear readers do you not
agree with us on this issue?
Kadru & Vinata in quest of the celestial
horse had to cross the seas. The ocean was vast & deep rolling like wind
& tremendously roaring teeming with fishes, sharks, crocodiles, whales &fierce aquatic
animals & so on. Therefore it is difficult to touch or feel the oceans.The
ocean is also an untold treasure of gems, it is also abode of Varuna the water
god. The snakes also crowd in the ocean, nice & beautiful rivers also have
their stay in the ocean. The fire god spring from the clashing waves also
inhabit in the ocean.The ocean is the source of nectar. The terrible beauty of
the ocean as described here in the Mahabharataa is time & again. The high
tide & low tide in the ocean is effected by moon. It is the source of the
celestial conch Paanchajanya. Its waters were in turmoil when Lord Naryana
incarnated as a bore. The great sage Atri fail to reach the botton of the ocean
even after dyving into the same vertically for hundred years. During the
Pralaya when the multiverse is destroying it is the ocean that function as the
bed for Lord Naryana who gets immersed in yoganidraa. And this ocean assured
the Mountain Mainaka from the fear of falling into the waters.The demons vanquished
in their battle with the gods also take shelter in the ocean. Naturaly it is
quite diiffucult to cross the ocean, though ocean is vast in length & width
that reminds one the vastness of the skies.
Kadru &Vinata however crossed the seas
& reached the place where the celestial horse were champing the grasses
grown in Eden.The body of the horse was no doubt as white as rays of the
sun.But alas it had black tuft of hair on the tail.Vinata was at once very
sad.She had commited that she would serve Kadru as her maid if their were dark
blemish in all white body of the celestial horse.
The black hair in the body of the celestial
horse was but a simulation,the majority of the snakes had earlier decided to
obey Kadru despite the wishes of Ananta,Vasuki & a few others.They had rushed before dawn to the
stable of the celestial horse.And they instantly became spread on the body of
the white horse in the disguise of black hair.It seems that Uchchaishravas did
not protest.May be the celestial thought that it would not be bad to be decked
with falls black hair. Now a days also women fond of make up decked themselves
with falls hair.
Mahabharata
47
by
Sankar
Mukherjee
&
Dr. Ramesh
Chandra Mukhopadhyaya
AdiParva
Birth of Garuda
The Mahabharata is rplete with fast forward
& flash backs.Earlier we have been told that Aruna’s untimely birth would
bring about slave hood of Vinata for five hundred years.And the timely birth of Garuda would
liberate Vinata from slave hood.Now Vinata’s slave hood began presently after
visiting Uchchsraivas.
Right at this moment Garuda was born. As the
time of his birth was prescheduled, even in the absence of his mother he was
born on his own breaking the shell of the egg in which he was pent up earlier.He was a great power
brimming with energy.He was handsome.His eyes were bright red brown. As soon as
he was born he grew in size,his ever increasing body ascended the skies. He
roared fiercely & vehemently. He looked as terrible as the the fire that
burns in the ocean.All the directions were alight with his lusture.
The gods were scared.They prayed to the fire
god & requested him to control his fierce flame. Or else the gods said that
they might be scorched to death.The fire god said in reply that it was not him
the fire god spreading in the sky.It was
the mighty Garuda who was equal to fire god in strength & glory.It was the
son of Kasyapa it would destroy the snakes .It would be the friend of the
gods.It would be the enemy of demons. The fire god added that gods should not
be scared of Garuda.On hearing the fire god the gods accompanied by the fire
god saw
Garuda from a distance.They praised Garuda with beautiful words –
You are the god,king of birds
You are all powerful
You are as bright as sun
You are
the Indra Vishnu & Mahadeva
You are the lord of cosmos
You are the creator & the destroyer
You are the incarnation of Vishnu
You are our saviour
You are pure knowledge
You are the past, present & future
See that your infinite might does not harm us
No one can defeat you
Please control your anger & be kind
All the gods are trembling with fear
Please save us
Your voice is that of thunder
You resemble the god of death.
Then the Garuda reduced his titanic figure. He
controlled his blinding brightness.He told the gods – O gods! Let no creatures
be afraid of me.
Aruna was so long lingering in his father’s
house.The younger brother Garuda carried his elder brother Aruna to the sun
god.As we have noted earlier that the sun god was very pleased to see Aruna who
was as bright as the sun.In the mean time the sun god was very angry. He wanted
to burn the creation into ashes.But as soon as Aruna took charge of the chariot
of the sun god,the sun became mellow. Aruna was given the charge of the eastern
region.
There after Garuda reached his mother across
the seas in a flash.
Sauti recounts that this is what Pramoti told
Ruru when Ruru was curious about the fate of the snakes.
Mahabharata
48
by
Sankar
Mukherjee
&
Dr. Ramesh
Chandra Mukhopadhyaya
AdiParva
Why the
Sun god became angry
On hearing this Ruru asked why the Sun god resolved to burn the worlds with
his fierce rays?What wrong was done to him by other gods which provoked Sun’s
rage?In reply Promati harked back to the time of the churning of the ocean.It
was through the churning of the ocean that nectar was retrieved. Both the
demons & the gods clamored for the pitcher brimming with nectar.It was then that
Narayana put on the appearance of an exceedingly beautiful woman.All the gods
& the demons were enamored of her.The woman of Narayana took the advantage
of this state of swoon & distributed nectar only among the gods.There was a
demon who was not influenced by the charms of Lord Vishnu.He donned the
appearence of gods.In disguise of gods he also pertook of the nectar that was
being exclusively distibuted amongst the gods.Sun & Moon detected the
demon.The demon had already taken the nectar.So it could not be killed.The
wheel of Lord Naryana cut the demon in two pieces.The upper part of the demon
was Rahu or the Dragon’s head.The lower part of the demon was Ketu or the
Dragon’s tail.Since Sun &Moon were responsible for their misfortune.They
now & then attacked Sun & Moon impelled by the spirit of
revenge.Consequently eclipse takes place.Gods didn’t come to the aid of Sun
& Moon.Sun was furiously angry.And angrily he would employ his whole
strength in radiating heat.Even in the middle of the night he would radiate the
heat though he was invisible in the night.Consequently the whole world was
aburning.The sages approached the gods.The gods went to the Lord Brahma, the
creator.The creator was ready for the situation.He told them that Aruna the son
of the great sage Kasyapa was already born.He had to be placed in front of the
Sun in the chariot of the Sun.His presence would mellow down the fierceness of
the rays of the Sun.
The snakes visit a
beautiful island
Now back to the story of the snakes &
Garuda.Garuda reached Aruna to the Sun god.Thereafter he flew to his mother
Vinata across the ocean in a flash.He found his mother sorrowing.Because she
was a bonded woman.She must serve her
sister & co – wife Kadru having lost
in a bet.When Garuda went to her mother he found her with folded palms waiting
for commands from Kadru. Garuda had to
stand before Kadru in the self same way.Kadru said that there is a very
beautiful island amidst the seas.And
Kadru commanded Vinata to carry Kadru on her shoulders down to the
island.At the same time Kadru commanded Garuda to carry the thousand snakes –
her children,down to that wonderful island amidst the seas.So while Vinata
carried Kadru on her shoulder,the great Garuda carried thousand of snakes on
his shoulder & took off from the ground.Garuda excelsioied in the blue deep
& flew near the Sun.The Sun rays were scorching.Heat became intolerable for
the snakes.So Kadru prayed to Indra in the following hymn
Hymn to Indra
O king of gods I salute you
O killer of Bala, the demon, & Namuchi
O husband of Sachi
O god with thousand eyes
Shower rains so that the snakes are saved from
the scorching rays of the Sun
You are capable of bringing down rains
You are the air & cloud
You are fire in lightening
It is you who drives the clouds
And the sages call you Great Cloud
You are the fierce thunder & the roaring
clouds in the welkin
You are the creator of the cosmos,it’s ruller
& destroyer.
You are the unconquered.
You are the life of all creatures
You are the Sun & Fire
You are vast & the most amazing being in
the existence
You are the best of the gods
You are Vishnu with thousand eyes
You are the last resort for the helpless
You are bliss & freedom of souls
You are the soma rasa or the elixir
You are the moment the lunar day
Every moment every instant is you
You are the wide beautiful world decked with
forests & mountains
You are the star -s pangled skies
You are the ocean peopled with whales &
tortoises
You are the Parabrahma
The wise sages praise you with great pleasure
You drink soma rasa at the sacrifices for the
well being of all the creatures
You are the Vedas Vedanga & the Brahamana
The sages worship you to attain heaven
Thus praised by Kadru god Indra covered the sky
with blue clouds that blinded the Sun.Indra commanded the clouds to shed
rains.The clouds roared vigourusly with lightening & poured heavy shower.
The snakes were happy.Finally Garuda & his
mother alighted on the island.The snakes climbed down from the shoulder of
Garuda.Kadru climbed down from the shoulder of Vinata
The island was a wonder.Viswakarma the
architect of the world created this island as the abode for the mythological
creatures called makaras.The island is gorgous with flora & fauna &
loud with songs of birds. Fragrant breeze blows ceaselessly.Murmuring ripples
in the lakes dance.The plants rain flowers all the time around tall trees.It is
heaven as it were inebriated with humming
bees.The apsaras or the celestial dancing women & the gandharvas or the
celestial maestros are very fond of this island laden with forests that are
fair delightful & holy.The snakes were greatly delighted with the sights
& sounds of the island.After sojourning there for a while the snakes
commanded the mighty Garuda to carry them to another island which is also
excedelingly beautiful.
Mahabharata
49
by
Sankar
Mukherjee
&
Dr. Ramesh
Chandra Mukhopadhyaya
AdiParva
Garuda must bring nectar for the snakes
Garuda didnot understand why he should obey the
snakes & why his mother should obey the commands of Kadru.Disgusted with
the snakes he asked his mother aside why they should be at the beck & call
of Kadru & the snakes.Vinata told him in tears that in the past Kadru
&Vinata joined in a bet.Kadru won in
the bet through fraud.As per the conditions of the bet Vinata must serve Kadru
as a slave.Garuda was sad to hear this.He wanted to liberate his mother from
servitude.So he asked his mother how to liberate her from the servitude.He
asked the snakes how could he liberate
his mother from servitude.In reply Kadru & the snakes told him that if
he could bring nectar from the moon
for the snakes his mother could be free from servitude.Garuda was hell bent to
liberate his mother & get rid of humiliation.
Reminiscing the story of Vinata’s humiliation
though she was in the right confuses the readers.Virtual truth often rules the
day.The lies & the liars,call them media? Can make the humanity their
slave.The average readers like us are scared of snakes.We feel that if the
snakes get the taste of nectar the snakes will be immortal.And the world
flooded with their venom (atomic radiation?)
would be a necropolis.Garuda,however,had one aim – he must liberate his
mother.So he was about to set out in quest of nectar.But Garuda was very hungry
what could he eat to satisfy his hunger?
How could Garuda satisfy his hunger
How could Garuda satisfy his hunger?Vinata told
Garuda that he could go to the very island where Nisadas live.The Nisadas or
the hunters were very wicked.Once upon a time a nisada or the hunter killed a
bird while the bird was mating with his wife.The she-bird’s cries filled the
skies.Valmiki the great sage saw the incident & thundered upon the hunter –
O nisada you will never get at any peace
in life.And Lo! the curse was composed in verse although Valmiki was not aware
of it.Thus the cursing on a nisada explored the nectar of the first poetry on
earth.And may be the killing of nisadas by Garuda might help Garuda in his
adventure in quest of nectar.To repeat, the nisadas are wicked.They live on the
blood of others.May be they are the metaphor of the politicians & the
capitalists of the world today.
But Vinata warned that no Brahmana should be
eaten up by Garuda .Though the island is inhabited by nisadas,there could be a
Brahmana among the nisadas there.But how could Garuda distinguish a Brahmana
from a nisada? Vinata told Garuda that if he had pushed a brahmana into his
throat it would strike the throat like sharp thorn.Instantly he should vomit
the brahmana out from his throat & let the brahmana be alive.
Thus warned & advised by Vinata Garuda was
about to set out for his adventures. His mother blessed him thus –
Let the wind gods save your wings
May the moon & Sun protect your back &
shoulder
May the fire god save your head
May the eight Vasus save your whole body
Vinata
told Garuda that she would pray to god ceaselssely so that Garuda ‘s journey
could bring prosperity.
Now Garuda stretched his wings & ascended
the skies. Presently he reached the hunter’s colony & swooped upon it like
another god of death.
Mahabharata
50
by
Sankar
Mukherjee
&
Dr. Ramesh
Chandra Mukhopadhyaya
AdiParva
In the hunter’s colony
While alighting on the island where the hunters
live,the wings of Garuda brought about a strong gale.And all the hunters &
men & women were wafted by the violent wind into the very mouth of
Garuda.So all the inhabitants of the island went inside his
mouth.Garuda,however,felt uneasy in the throat.He at once remembered his mother
& guessed that some Brahmin must have had entered his throat.Garuda at once
cried – Is there any Brahmin inside my throat?a voice came from inside the throat in response – yes Iam a Brahmin married to a
nisada woman.Garuda cried to him -- Come
out from my throat along with your wife.Garuda vomitted.The Brahmin & his
nisada wife were forced out from his throat.The Brahmin & his wife were
very happy.The Brahmin blessed Garuda with all his heart.
The episode tells us that even if a Brahmin is
married to a lower caste woman he must not be killed.
The elephant & tortoise
After having eaten up all the denizens of the
hunter’s colony Garuda took off from the island where the hunters used to live.Only two persons were saved from
being killed by Garuda.They were a Brahmin & his wife who was a hunter
woman. In the skies Garuda met his father
-- the great sage Kasyapa.The father & son greeted each other Garuda
told his father that every thing was alright in the family.His elder brother
was alright.His mother was also ok.Garuda said that he was very hungry.True
that he had eaten some thousands of nisadas but his hunger was not
satisfied.Garuda asked his father where he should go to have more food.His
father the great sage Kasyapa told Garuda to rush to the place where he would
find an elephant & a tortoise ceaselessly fighting with each other.This
raised the eye brows of Garuda in surprise.Kasyapa smiled & told Garuda
what caused them to fight with one another.
Once upon a time there were two brothers. Both
of them were powerful sages. Be that as it may, when their father died they
quarreled over the partition of their paternal property.The quarrel never ended
during their life time.A brother cursed another that he would be an elephant in
the life to come.In their next birth one of the brothers became elephant.And
the other one became a tortoise.The tortoise lives in the water.The elephant
lives in the land.But as soon as they were born as elephant & tortoise.They
started fighting with each other.
This is a curious note on transmigration of the
soul.Our jealousy, anger & the like are transported to the next birth.So in
the next birth also we are engaged in envying
the person we envied in the earlier birth.Our minds are blocked with the
emotions that we inherit from earlier birth.We can not think of anything else
other than fighting our enemies of the earlier birth.That stands in the way of
our imagination.We can not even dare imagine that there could be an escape from
this worldly life.
The elephant was six yojanas in height &
twelve yojanas in length.The tortoise was three yojana high & ten yojanas
in circumference.A yojana is about 12 to 15 kms.So there was a great commotion
at the place where these tortoise & elephant were fighting with each other.
The waters flew high the land trembled & trees were uprooted.
Garuda told his sage father Kasyapa that he was
on his way to retrieve nectar.He would give away nectar to his snake step
brothers in exchange of wchich he could get his mother freed from the clutches
of the snakes & their mother Kadru.Those who want to get rid of the jail
forged by the virtual reality manufactured by the media also must get nectar to
calm & satisfy the greed of the poiliticians, the media & the
capitalists.They must be as strong as Garuda & fly into the blue deep of
pure consciousness to retrieve the nectar.
Kasyapa was happy hearing what Garuda was
about.He blessed him saying ---
It is
great that you are going to retrieve nectar.Go & eat the tortise that looks
like a vast cloud floating in the waters.Eat the elephnt as well that likens a
mountain.Then go on your errand.You will have to battle with the gods to that
end.But you do not worry.The battle with gods will bring good fortune for
you.Pitchers full of water,Brahmins, cows & every thing else that symbolise
good omen will help on your errand.The three Vedas in the Rikveda, ,Jajurveda
& Samaveda,the sacred offerings such as butter ear marked for sacrificial
rites -- all these should add to your strength while fighting with the gods.You
will feel that. Have god speed.
Having said this the great sage Ksyapa
vanished.Garuda flew to the place where the elephant & tortioise were
fighting.He lifted the elephant & tortoise in his claws.Now Garuda was at a
loss where to sit in peace & have his dinner consisting of the tortoise
& the elephant.
Mahabharata
– 51
by
Sankar
Mukherjee
&
Dr. Ramesh
Chandra Mukhopadhyaya
AdiParva
The elephant & tortoise
Garuda,the wide wanderer of the skies,carrying
the elephant & the tortoise in his claws flew high in the air & later
reached the sacred place Aalamva.Aalamva is a charmed place laden with divine
trees.The wind raised by the wings of Garuda shook them.The divine trees with
golden branches feared that they might break down.Golden & silver fruits
dangle from their boughs.They are transparent like the cat’s eye.The sea water
washes their roots.These trees are wish trees.They fulfil any wishes of man.But
the great traveller of the skies did not find any tree capable of bearing the
weight of Garuda.There is,however,a great large tree,most beautiful to look
at.The tree is thousand yojanas in height with numerous branches.Countless
birds have nests there.Numerous creatures rest in its shade & refresh
themselves.Garuda was flying with the speed of the mind.The gigantic banyan
tree,thousand yojanas high invited Garuda to sit on its branch & have
repast.Then Garuda,the speed- star with his mountain like body alighted upon a
branch of that banyan tree.The tree shook under great weight & the nests of
the birds went asunder.At the very touch of the legs of the mighty Garuda a
branch of the tree broke.Garuda at once caught it with its bill lest the branch
fell on the ground.He was surprised to find some ascetics,each one of whom was
as big as the thumb of a human being.The ascetics were known as Valakhilya.The
valakhilya sages were hanging from the broken branch with their heads down.They
were nevertheless plunged in meditation.If the branch fell on the ground the
sages might be killed.So the mighty Garuda held the elephant & the tortoise
more firmly in his claws.From the fear of killing of sages he held the branch
in his bill.The great sages were astonished seeing the act of Garuda.It was
beyond the power of gods even.It were they who named the mighty being as
Garuda --- the bearer of heavy
weight.Since then, he is known by the name Garuda --- the king of birds.Garuda
moved slowly in the skies with the elephant & tortoise & the sages.But
he could not find any place where he could alight.He went to that foremost of
the mountains called Gandhamadana.There he saw his father Kasyapa observing
penance.Kasyapa also saw him Garuda looked like a mountain throbbing with bound
less spirit & energy & speeding like the mind.He likened the
Brahmadanda. Literally brahmadanda is the stick of an angry Brahma the creator,
the stick can destroy the multiverse in the twinkle of an eye.He was looking
terrible like flames.Gods & demons could not approach him.He was able to
split the mountain & suck the ocean.He looked like Yama the god of Death.Kasyapa
addressed him & said-- O my son Garuda! Do not act in hurry.The valakhillya
sages live on Sun rays.They are dangling from the branch that you hold with
your beak.If angry, they might burn you to death.Then Kasyapa addressed the
Valakhilla sages & said --- O you
great ascetics! Have pity with Garuda.Because Garuda’s actions are meant for
the good of all things & all beings both great & small. He needs your
blessings.
Hearing these words of Kasyapa they left the
branch & went away to the sacred Himalayas for penance.
Garuda then asked his father --- O Lord! Where
should I throw this branch of the banyan tree?the place should be sans all
living beings lest they are killed by fall of the branch.
Kasyapa in reply directed him towards a
mountain where there are no living creatures.The caves in it are always covered
with snow.No living creature can approach them even in thought.Thus advised
Garuda the king of birds carrying the elephant,the tortoise & the branch of
the tree proceeded towards that mountain with great speed.He traversed lakh
yojanas in the skies & reached the mountain in a flash.There he threw away
the branch.It was very big & long.It fell with a great noise.The great
mountain itself was upset by the storm raised by the wings of Garuda.The
trembling trees rained flowers.The peaks of the mountain bedecked with gold
& gems split & fell down in all directions with great thumping sound,
impelled by the storm.The branch of the banyan tree fell on the countless trees
from the skies.The mountain forest covered by the fallen branch of the banyan
tree decked with golden flowers looked like a vast cloud from the skies with lightening.
The whole area was bright with those golden flowers.Those flowers mingled with
the saffron molten metals generated by the mountain & looked marvelous in
the sun.Garuda the Pegasus took his sit on one of these peaks & devoured
the elephant & the tortoise.He then resumed his skyey journey.
