The five sons of Pandu, three by Kunti and two by Madri, became known as the Pandavas. Collectively, the five sons had the five qualities of the perfect king—honesty, strength, skill, beauty and wisdom.
Were the ‘gods’ who made Kunti and Madri pregnant actually Devas or simply priests performing a ritual role to compensate for the inadequacies of Pandu? This has been elaborated in Bhyrappa’s Kannada novel, Parva. Some scholars believe that even the tale of Kunti’s premarital tryst with Surya is an attempt to hide the truth, that she was asked by her father to satisfy all the needs of the sage Durvasa in keeping with the laws of hospitality. The Mahabharata has at least two tales that refer to sex hospitality, according to which a guest was allowed access to the host’s wife or daughter for pleasure. Even Satyavati’s tryst with Parasara on the boat is interpreted sometimes as a case of sex hospitality. This practice, once glorified, came to be frowned upon with the passage of time.
Kunti restricts access of Madri to the gods for fear that she will end up bearing more children and so yield greater influence than her. Through this little episode Vyasa makes us aware that the desire for power is not restricted to men alone. In the entire epic, the children of Madri are overshadowed by the children of Kunti. This is often overlooked in modern retellings of the Mahabharata which prefer portraying Kunti as a kind, selfless and helpless widow when in fact she is a woman very conscious of palace politics, never sharing her premarital secret with anyone, quoting laws that enable her husband to father children, and later, doing everything she can to keep her sons and the sons of Madri united, even when Madri’s brother sides with the Kauravas.
The gods invoked by the two wives of Pandu are early Vedic gods known as Devas: Yama, Indra, Vayu and the Ashwini twins. Neither Kunti nor Madri invokes Shiva or Vishnu or Brahma who are forms of Bhagavan or God. The notion of an all-powerful God is a later development in Hindu thought. This clearly indicates that the epic first took shape in Vedic times which were dominated by belief in elemental spirits. Later, with the rise of bhakti or path of passionate devotion to the almighty, the ideas of God and Shiva and Vishnu and Krishna were added to the tale.
17
Death of Pandu
Pandu lived a happy life in the forest with his two wives and five sons in the company of many sages. But he was a young man and there were times when he sorely missed intimacy with his wives.
One day, he saw sunlight streaming through the sheer fabric that Madri had draped round her body. He realized how beautiful she was. He could not resist touching her. No sooner did he do that than Kindama’s curse was realized and he died.
A heartbroken Madri leapt into Pandu’s funeral pyre leaving her two sons in the care of Kunti.
The Rishis in the forest then took Pandu’s widow and his five sons to Hastina-puri so that they could be raised as princes should be in the royal household of the Kurus.
Unknown to all, Pandu had a premonition of his death and had told his sons a secret. ‘Years of celibacy and meditation in the forest have given me great knowledge. It is embedded in my body. When I die, eat my flesh and you will be blessed with great knowledge. That shall be your true inheritance.’
After Pandu died, his body was cremated. The children could not do what their father had asked them to do. But Sahadeva noticed ants carrying a tiny piece of their father’s body. He put that piece in his mouth. Instantly, he knew everything about the world—what had happened in the past and what would happen in the future.
He ran to tell his mother and brothers about it when a stranger stopped him and said, ‘Do you want God as your friend?’
‘Yes,’ said Sahadeva.
‘Then never tell what you know to anyone voluntarily. And when a question is asked, reply with a question.’ Sahadeva divined the stranger was none other than Krishna, God on earth. Sahadeva had no choice but to keep quiet, knowing all but never being able to tell people what he knew or do anything to avert the inevitable.
He realized the future that he knew could be deciphered if one observed nature carefully. And so he put together various occult sciences that helped man predict the future.
As for himself, Sahadeva waited for people to ask him the right question. They asked him many questions—but never the right one. Hence, he was always wistful and forlorn, the youngest of Kunti’s five fatherless sons.
The Mahabharata does refer to Sati or the practice of widows burning themselves on their husbands’ funeral pyres. But in all cases, it is voluntary; nobody forces the women to submit to this violent practice. Vedic funeral rites refer to the practice of the widow being asked to lie next to her husband’s corpse, but then she is asked to stand up and return to the land of the living. She was allowed to remarry or at least cohabit with other male members of her husband’s family, usually the younger brother. Greek chroniclers who accompanied Alexander the Great to India did report the practice of Sati in North India. Around 500 CE the practice of Sati became part of liturgical manuals and a common theme in folklore as well as worship.
In South India, Sahadeva is renowned as the master of astrology, face reading and all other forms of divination. Even today, a secretive man who never reveals anything despite having full knowledge of a situation is colloquially described as a ‘Sahadeva’.
Book Four
Education
‘Janamejaya, your ancestors turned a teacher into a trader and a priest into a warrior when they paid half a kingdom as tuition fee.’
18
Kripa and Kripi
Shantanu had found a pair of twins—a boy and a girl—abandoned in the forest. They had been placed on a tiger skin and next to them were a trident and a pot, indicating they were the children of a sage. They were the children of sage Sharadwana and an Apsara called Janpadi. Shantanu named them Kripa and Kripi and raised them in the palace.
Kripa grew up to be a teacher. Bhishma appointed him tutor to the five sons of Pandu and the hundred sons of Dhritarashtra who were now under his care.
Kripi was given in marriage to Drona. Drona was the son of sage Bharadvaja. He was born in a pot into which his father had spilt semen at the sight of a beautiful Apsara called Ghrutachi. In time, Kripi gave birth to a son, Ashwatthama.
Drona was extremely poor, so poor that he did not have a cow in his house. Ashwatthama grew up without ever having tasted milk. He could not even distinguish milk from rice water.
Unable to bear the poverty, Kripi finally convinced Drona to go to his childhood friend, Drupada, king of Panchala, and ask him for a cow. ‘When we were children, we were such good friends that he promised to share all his wealth with me,’ Drona told his wife.
Unfortunately, Drupada burst out laughing when Drona reminded him of the childhood promise. ‘Friendship exists among equals. We were friends then. Now I am a rich king and you are a poor priest. We cannot be friends. Do not claim cows in the name of friendship; ask for alms and I shall give you a cow in charity.’
Hurt and humiliated by Drupada’s words, Drona stormed out of Panchala, determined to one day become Drupada’s equal.
Kripa, Kripi and Drona are illegitimate children born after nymphs seduce ascetics and make them break their vows of celibacy. This is a recurring theme in the Mahabharata which values the householder’s life over that of the hermit’s. The epic age was one of tension between those who believed the purpose of life was to enjoy material pleasures and those who believed the purpose of life was to renounce the same.
In the epic age, kings were supposed to take care of Rishis either by daan or charity or by dakshina or fee paid for services rendered. Drupada treats Drona as the son of a Rishi and offers him daan. Drona is angry because he is not treated as a friend and equal. Drupada is thus the dispassionate follower of the code of civilized conduct (dharma) while Drona yearns for human affection and respect that transcends social stratification. The conflict between Drupada and Drona is thus the conflict between head and heart. Through Drona, Vyasa draws attention to the disruptive power o
f desire (kama).
Drupada’s treatment of Drona needs to be contrasted with the tale of Krishna and Sudama. Like Drupada and Drona, they were the best of friends, one a rich nobleman and the other an impoverished priest. Unlike Drupada, however, Krishna shares all his wealth with his friend. For Krishna, there can be no dharma without the spirit of generosity. Without genuine love, laws and rules are worthless.
19
Drona, the teacher
Drona went to Parashurama and learnt from the great warrior-priest the art of war. ‘Never share my knowledge with Kshatriyas,’ said Parashurama. Drona promised never to do so.
But as soon as he left Parashurama’s hermitage, Drona forgot all about this promise. He made his way to Hastina-puri, intent on making the Kuru princes his students and using them against Drupada.
When Drona reached Hastina-puri, he found the Kuru princes trying to retrieve a ball from a well. Drona decided to help the princes. He picked up a blade of grass and threw it with such force into the well that it pierced the ball like a pin. Then he threw another blade of grass which pinned itself to the free end of the grass pinned to the ball. Then he threw a third blade of grass which pinned itself to the far end of the second blade of grass. Soon he had a whole chain of grass that could be pulled up along with the ball.
Drona then dropped his ring into the well. He raised a bow and shot an arrow which pierced into the waters and ricocheted back along with the ring.
The children, astonished by what they had seen, ran into the palace and told Bhishma about this strange priest-warrior near the well. ‘Let us make him the royal tutor,’ said Bhishma to Kripa.
Kripa was more than happy to give employment to his brother-in-law. But Drona had a condition. ‘As fee, I want my students to use their knowledge to capture Drupada, king of Panchala, alive.’
‘So be it,’ said the Kuru princes.
Drona accepted the hundred Kauravas and the five Pandavas as his students. Soon, Yudhishtira became skilled with the spear, Arjuna with the bow, Bhima, Duryodhana and Dusshasana with the mace, Nakula and Sahadeva with the sword.
In due course, the Kauravas and Pandavas were well versed in the art of war. It was time to pay Drona’s fee. They rode into Panchala, herded away Drupada’s cows by force, and challenged Drupada to war.
When Drupada emerged from his city with his army to save the cows, Arjuna said, ‘Our teacher wants us to capture Drupada alive. We must not lose focus by fighting his army. It will wear us down.’ The Pandavas saw sense in what Arjuna said but Duryodhana, who never agreed with the Pandavas even when what they said made sense, ordered his hundred brothers to take Drupada’s army head-on. They rushed forward but the Pandavas stayed back.
While the Kauravas were busy fighting the army of Panchala, Arjuna climbed a war-chariot and told Yudhishtira, ‘You go to our teacher. We four shall meet you there after capturing the king of Panchala.’ With Bhima leading the way, swinging his mace like a wild elephant, and Nakula and Sahadeva protecting the wheels of his chariot, Arjuna raced through the ranks of the Panchala soldiers straight towards Drupada. Drupada, distracted by the Kauravas, was caught by surprise. Before he could defend himself, Arjuna pounced on him and pinned him to the ground. Bhima got a rope and bound him. Then placing him on their chariot they took him straight to Drona.
‘My students will let you go only if you part with one half of your kingdom,’ said Drona to a humiliated Drupada, who nodded his assent. Then, said Drona, ‘My students claim the half of Panchala north of the Ganga. Your rule is now restricted to the southern half.’
The Kuru princes gave the conquered Panchala lands as dakshina to their teacher which Drona accepted with joy. Then the royal tutor turned to Drupada and said, ‘I am now master of one half of Panchala and you are master of the other half. We are equals. Can we be friends now?’
‘Yes,’ said Drupada, taking care not to reveal the desire for vengeance that burned in his heart.
Rishis were supposed to focus only on spiritual pursuits and stay away from society. This spiritual pursuit gave them many magical powers. Over time, unable to resist material desires, Rishis became members of society. They split into world-renouncing ascetics known as Tapasvins or Yogis and world-affirming scholars, priests and teachers known as Brahmans. Parasara and Bharadvaja belonged to the former category while Kripa and Drona belonged to the latter.
Some sages like Parashurama gave up spiritual practices and took up arms in revolt against the excesses of the warrior community. In contrast, some warriors like Kaushika, father of Shakuntala, became Rishis when they realized true power lay in spiritual practices and not in weapons. The epic age was a time of flux.
Education involved not just the study of Vedic hymns, rituals and philosophy, but also the study of the Upavedas which included the study of warfare (Dhanur-veda), health (Ayur-veda), theatre (Gandharva-veda), time (Jyotish-shastra), space (Vastu-shastra) and polity (Artha-shastra).
At the end of education, students were expected to pay their teacher’s fee before moving out of the teacher’s house. This was called guru-dakshina, a transaction fee, after which all obligations to the teacher were severed. Ideally, a teacher was supposed to take only that which he needed for sustenance. But Drona takes much more.
Wealth in Vedic times took three forms: livestock which included cows, horses and elephants, land which was turned into pastures, fields and orchards and finally gold and gems. Most Vedic warfare was over livestock and pasture lands.
20
Arjuna, the greatest archer
There were skills that Drona was reluctant to teach the Kuru princes. These he reserved for his son, Ashwatthama. Arjuna noticed this. So he followed Drona wherever he went, determined to learn all that Drona had to teach, never leaving father and son alone, making it impossible for Drona to pass on any teaching to Ashwatthama exclusively. Eventually, there were lessons that were exclusive to Arjuna and Ashwatthama, secret lessons that no other student of Drona was given access to.
One day, while bathing in the river, a crocodile caught hold of Drona’s foot. Arjuna, who as usual was following his teacher, immediately raised his bow, released an arrow, struck down the crocodile and rescued his master. Drona, until then irritated by Arjuna’s persistence, came to admire it. He declared that he would make Arjuna the greatest archer in the world, not out of gratitude, but because Arjuna possessed all the qualities of a good student: persistence, determination, hard work and focus.
One night, the wind blew out all the lamps in Drona’s academy. Still Arjuna found that his fingers carrying food could find their way to his mouth. ‘If this is the case, then surely in the darkness my arrow can find its way to the target,’ he realized. He started practising archery at night blindfolded and, to the amazement of his teacher, developed the skill of shooting arrows at the target without depending on his sight. Because of this he became renowned as Gudakesha, he who has conquered sleep.
Arjuna also was able to shoot his bow using either his left or his right hand. Hence, he came to be known as Sabyasachi.
In an archery test, Drona asked his students to point their arrows at the eye of a stuffed parrot placed high on the wall. ‘What do you see?’ he asked them.
Yudhishtira said, ‘I see a parrot.’
Duryodhana, determined to outdo Yudhishtira, said, ‘I see a stuffed parrot placed on top of a wall.’
To outdo Duryodhana, Bhima said, ‘I see a stuffed parrot placed on top of a wall under a cloudy sky.’
Arjuna, however, was focused, ‘I see an eye. Only an eye.’
‘Release the arrow,’ said Drona to Arjuna. The arrow was released and sure enough, it hit the mark.
India is the home of the guru–shishya tradition where pupils stay in the house of the teacher. The teacher is supposed to treat his students as his own sons. This tradition is prevalent even today especially in the fields of music and dance. But as many art lovers have discovered, many teachers are blinded by their love for their child
ren and give them priority over students at the cost of true talent. Vyasa perhaps experienced this in his lifetime too. Had it not been for Arjuna’s dogged determination and sheer talent, Drona would have kept reserved the best of his secrets for his dear son, Ashwatthama.
Arjuna is considered to be the greatest archer in Indian epics, second only to Ram, the protagonist of the Ramayana. More than talent, Vyasa portrays him as one with grit and determination.
The bow is the symbol of poise and balance. The third of the five Pandavas is an archer, suggesting his role in balancing his brothers. His two elder brothers represent royal authority (Yudhishtira) and force (Bhima), while his two younger brothers represent royal splendour (Nakula) and wisdom (Sahadeva). He is neither as aggressive as his elder brothers nor as passive as his younger brothers.
21
Ekalavya
Ekalavya was a Nishadha or forest dweller who wanted to be an archer and had learnt that Drona was the best teacher in the land. But when he approached Drona, Drona turned him away on the grounds that he was too busy to take more students.
‘How do I learn then?’ asked the young tribesman.
‘If you have faith in me, you can teach yourself,’ said Drona without giving his words any thought.
Jaya: An Illustrated Retelling of the Mahabharata Page 6