by Anita Nair
Gandhari bent her head and said, ‘I did not expect anything in return.’
‘I know that,’ the sage said. ‘Nevertheless you must have a desire.’
Then Gandhari remembered her dream and said, ‘I would like to be the mother of a hundred sons!’
So Vyasa blessed her, ‘You shall be the mother of a hundred sons.’
Soon Gandhari was pregnant. Unlike other women who had their babies in nine months, Gandhari continued to be pregnant for two years. Finally, she delivered a lump of flesh. ‘What am I to do with this?’ Gandhari asked herself in despair.
Just then the sage Vyasa appeared, and taking the shapeless mass of flesh, he divided it into a hundred and one pieces. One by one, he placed each piece in a jar.
In nine months, in one of the jars, a baby appeared. As soon as he was formed, jackals howled, donkeys brayed, the day became night and a wailing wind rattled the rooftops.
‘This child will destroy the world,’ everyone said, terrified. ‘Leave him in the forest where the beasts will destroy him.’
But Dhritarashtra refused, and brought his son home. The child was named Duryodhana, or the one hard to conquer. A month later, ninety-nine other princes came forth. From the last jar was born Gandhari’s only daughter, Dushala, for Vyasa believed every woman ought to have a daughter.
Thus were born Gandhari’s hundred sons who were called the Kauravas.
How Agni Got His Strength Back
Agni, the god of fire, was born from a lotus created by Brahma. His complexion was a brilliant red to match the vigour with which he leapt and flickered. Moreover, to keep up his strength he was provided with six extra tongues apart from the one in his mouth to lick up the butter offered to him in sacrifices.
Agni didn’t demand too much from his devotees and so was a popular god. Lovers and men seeking to enhance their masculinity worshipped Agni and he never failed to grant them their desires.
Naturally more and more people offered prayers and sacrifices to Agni and soon he had consumed so many oblations that he became fat and lazy and lost his strength to blaze and burn. All it needed was a light drizzle to put his flames out. And each time he was invoked by his devotees, he found it more and more difficult to make an appearance.
What Agni didn’t realize until much later was that the king of gods, Indra, had become jealous of Agni’s popularity and had been looking for a way to humiliate him. Knowing that Agni had lost his strength to stand up to rain and wind and still burn tall and proud, Indra always sent a few rain clouds to put out the sacrificial fire.
‘What shall I do now, Father?’ Agni asked Brahma. ‘I am unable to stand up to Indra. He turns up at each one of my sacrifices and ruins it. Unless I am allowed to complete a sacrifice I will not be able to regain my strength, and each time the sacrificial fire goes out, my devotees begin to lose faith in me.’
Brahma sighed, ‘When I gave you seven tongues, it was to help you build up your strength. Instead you became greedy and ate up everything that was offered to you. You are paying for your greed.’
Agni fell at Brahma’s feet and pleaded, ‘I promise never to lose control again but please help me regain my energy.’
Brahma looked at Agni and decided that he was truly remorseful and meant every word. So he said, ‘Go to Khandavaprastha. Krishna and Arjuna need your assistance. They will protect you from Indra. But even as you help them, remember that you could cause the other creatures there much harm. Do what you have to, but carefully, and when you finish, you will regain your powers!’
Once upon a time, Khandavaprastha had been a glorious city ruled by kings like Puruvas, Nahusa and Yayati. But the city had become a ruin now and in its place was a forest full of thorns and bushes. Birds and animals, thieves and bandits and murderers had all made it their home. So dense was the forest that those who dared to go in never found their way back.
Hoping to settle once and for all the quarrel between the Pandavas and Kauravas, Dhritarashtra divided Hastinapura. He gave the Pandavas the ruins and the forest of Khandavaprastha. It was here that the Pandavas had to build their empire.
Arjuna stood at the edge of the forest looking very worried. ‘How do we build a kingdom here?’ he asked Krishna.
Krishna smiled mischievously and said, ‘Make an offering to Agni and he will be here to help you tame this wilderness.’
Arjuna set about preparing for a sacrifice to worship Agni. Krishna watched him and said, ‘No butter or ghee is to be offered to Agni. He has eaten so much in the past few days that he has indigestion and will not appear anywhere food is offered. You need to light the fire with wood and scented herbs and it will burn by itself.’
So Arjuna did as Krishna told him to and Agni appeared. He rubbed his stomach that stuck out like a little round hill and said, ‘Arjuna, I will help you tame this forest but you have to protect me from Indra’s rain clouds as I go about my task. I do not have the power to blaze and burn as I used to. Even a little rain cloud can put me out!’
Arjuna, who was Indra’s son, beseeched his father not to interrupt the mission and let Agni burn the forest down. Indra hid his irritation and agreed to stay away. So Agni unleashed his flames. At first, the fire burnt slowly and quietly but as his strength grew, the fire began to blaze furiously. Agni laughed in glee and leapt from branch to branch, from tree to tree, consuming the wood of the forest.
All the birds and animals fled the forest and the wicked men died in its flames. Just then, Agni heard a faint cry, ‘O fire god, O Agni, we are helpless. Please do not harm us!’
He looked around wondering if it was one of Indra’s ruses to trick him. Then he spotted a tree with a nest and in it were four baby birds. They were much too young to fly away to safety and had persuaded their mother to leave. Agni heard their cries and remembered what Brahma had said. So he left that tree untouched and burnt everything else.
When the mother bird returned, she saw her children were safe and she blessed Agni that he would never lose his strength again. Thus Agni regained his power and the Pandavas built their kingdom of Indraprastha on the ruins of Khandavaprastha.
What Draupadi Did to Feed Ten Thousand Sages
After another game of dice with the Kauravas, Yudhishtira lost his kingdom. He was forced to go into exile with his four brothers and Draupadi. During this time, he performed many penances. The sun god was so pleased by Yudhishtira’s austerities that he appeared before him bearing in his hands a wonderful gift. ‘Yudhishtira,’ he said, ‘this is the akshayapatra, the vessel of plenty. This will provide you all the food you and your family need for the next twelve years. It will fill up as soon as the food in it is consumed. However, once Draupadi eats her share of the food, the vessel will stay empty till the next day.’
During their time in exile in the forests, the Pandavas were visited by many people. Kings and sages, scholars and warriors all flocked to the Pandavas’ simple home in the forests. No matter how many people came to see them, all the guests were looked after with great care and fed as much food as they wanted. This was possible because of the akshayapatra.
The Kauravas, especially Duryodhana, were very peeved to hear about how the Pandavas managed to extend such hospitality in spite of having very little to call their own.
One day, the sage Durvasa came to visit Duryodhana, accompanied by his ten thousand disciples. Since the sage’s short temper was well known, Duryodhana lavished much attention on the sage and his disciples.
Durvasa was immensely pleased and said, ‘You have been very devoted. I haven’t had such a wonderful welcome anywhere else. Ask me for any boon.’
Duryodhana sighed in relief. Then he suddenly had an idea. He would use this opportunity to add to the Pandavas’ misery.
He cast down his eyes and spoke humbly, ‘Your Holiness is very kind to offer me a boon when I was only doing my duty. My only wish is that you visit my cousins in the forest and honour them with your presence. Perhaps it would be best if you went late in the evening
.’
Duryodhana knew from his spies that every day the Pandavas fed their guests first, then the brothers ate their share and only then did Draupadi eat. But all this was completed early in the evening, as the Pandavas rose and slept with the sun.
When Durvasa and his ten thousand disciples reached the Pandavas’ home, it was late evening. Draupadi had already eaten, washed the akshayapatra and put it away.
The Pandavas received the sage warmly, not knowing that Draupadi had already eaten. The sage smiled at them and said, ‘My disciples and I will bathe in the river. We are very hungry. Please ensure that the food is ready by the time we come back.’
When the Pandavas came to tell Draupadi of their new guests, she wrung her hands in despair. She did not know what to do. Durvasa’s temper was renowned, and he could quite easily curse them for not giving him food.
Finally, not knowing what to do, she folded her hands and prayed, ‘Krishna, only you can help me now.’
Krishna appeared before her. He said, ‘I don’t know why but I feel a great hunger. Bring me something to eat and then we shall solve your problem.’
Draupadi stared at Krishna in shock. What was wrong with him? Here she was asking him for help on how to feed the sage and his disciples, and he wanted food instead! Didn’t he understand that there was nothing to eat? ‘There is nothing to eat. The akshayapatra is empty. Which is why I asked you for help,’ she cried.
‘Go, Draupadi,’ Krishna said with a smile. ‘Go bring me that vessel.’
Draupadi gave him the akshayapatra. Krishna peered inside. ‘Aha!’ he said triumphantly. ‘What do we have here? You said you cleaned the vessel but what is this?’ He held up a grain of rice and a shred of vegetable.
Draupadi looked at her feet ashamed. He must think she was a slovenly creature incapable of even cleaning a vessel.
Krishna merely smiled again and put the grain of rice and vegetable into his mouth. When Draupadi looked up, he seemed satisfied with that.
‘Bhimasena,’ he called, ‘go tell the sage and his disciples that the food is ready.’
Bhima stared in surprise at the empty vessel. He wondered what Krishna meant but went anyway.
Meanwhile, as the sage and his disciples finished bathing, they suddenly felt their hunger disappear. Not only were they not hungry, they felt really full and replete, as if they had just finished a large banquet.
‘Master, we cannot eat anything more,’ the disciples told Durvasa.
Durvasa too felt as if he couldn’t eat even one mouthful.
Just then Bhima arrived to summon them to dinner.
Durvasa rubbed his stomach and told Bhima, ‘It is strange but we are not hungry any more. Our apologies, but we will come another day.’ And so they left.
Bhima smiled. By eating that one grain of rice, Krishna had satisfied their hunger, he realized. And so Duryodhana’s plan to invoke the sage’s wrath came to nothing.
The Killing of Kichaka
When the Pandavas were exiled for the second time, one of the conditions of the exile laid by the Kauravas was that the Pandavas should pass the thirteenth and final year incognito. If they were discovered before the year came to an end, they would be exiled again.
In the thirteenth year of the exile, the Pandavas disguised themselves and entered the service of the king of Virata. Yudhishtira was disguised as a brahmin gamester in the court, Bhima as a cook, Arjuna as a eunuch who taught singing and dancing, Nakula as a horse trainer and Sahadeva as a herdsman.
Draupadi, who pretended that she was in no way related to the five new servants, became an attendant and needlewoman in the service of the queen Sudeshna. She took on the name of Sairandhari and told the king, ‘I promise to do my duties faithfully but I have two conditions before I come to work here. I will not wash anyone’s feet or eat any leftovers.’
Her bearing and looks were so noble that the king agreed without hesitation. Draupadi realized soon after that this favour had made Queen Sudeshna a little peeved with her. Besides, she was so beautiful to look at that every man seemed to be attracted to her.
So Draupadi decided to allay the fears in the queen’s mind. One day when she was combing the queen’s hair, she said, ‘Did I ever tell you about my husbands? They are gandharvas, the celestial singers. Though I live here under your protection, they guard me all the time. They are so possessive that they are jealous of any man who dares to look at me twice.’
The queen smiled, content that she need fear no threats from this new maid of hers.
For a while Draupadi and the Pandavas led a quiet life, each immersed in their new disguise. Then Queen Sudeshna’s brother, Kichaka, a wicked and powerful man who was the chief commander of the army, saw Draupadi and was bewitched by her beauty. Soon he began to waylay her at every opportunity and began making improper advances. Draupadi didn’t know what to do.
She first complained to the queen but Sudeshna ignored her. So Draupadi appealed to Yudhishtira. Instead of reassuring her, Yudhishtira scolded her for behaving like a child. ‘You shouldn’t take offence so easily. Besides, you can’t keep running to us every time he mocks or insults you. Don’t you realize that if we interfere, our disguise will be revealed?’
Draupadi went away quietly but she decided to appeal to Bhima who would, she knew, listen to her demand and fulfil it as well. So later that night she went into the royal kitchens where Bhima resided. Bhima was an extraordinary cook and so delicious was the food he cooked that the king wanted him to stay in the kitchen so that he was available to cook whenever the king felt like eating.
Draupadi walked into the kitchen, muffling her sobs. Bhima looked at her tear-stained face and asked, ‘What is it, Draupadi? Why are you crying, darling?’
Draupadi wiped her face and said, ‘It is the queen’s brother, Kichaka …’ Then she told Bhima about how troublesome Kichaka was.
Bhima bristled in anger. ‘How dare he? Don’t you worry. I’ll get rid of him.’
Draupadi smiled. She knew that Bhima would help her. But she remembered Yudhishtira’s words of caution and said, ‘But you have to be careful. We don’t want anyone discovering who we really are.’
Bhima nodded. He scratched his chin and said, ‘This will have to be done secretly. Tomorrow you must set up a meeting with Kichaka in a quiet place. Ask him to come to the dance hall after midnight and then I will take it from there.’
The next day Draupadi as Sairandhari didn’t move away when she saw Kichaka. Instead she smiled coyly and whispered, ‘Come to the dance hall after midnight. I will be there waiting for you. Come alone or my gandharva husbands will know…’
Kichaka was so besotted by her that he didn’t suspect a thing. That night, Kichaka went to the dance hall. He saw a veiled woman seated in the far end of the room and his heart beat faster. ‘My lovely woman, why are you hiding from me?’ he whispered. ‘Come here, let me show you how I feel about you.’
But the woman didn’t budge. So Kichaka shut the door and went towards her. He slowly took the veil off and there sat Bhima, grinning. ‘Yes, show me what you feel about me and then I’ll show you what I feel about you,’ he growled.
Bhima beat up Kichaka so badly that his bones and flesh were mangled and then rolled him into a ball. Bhima was taking care that no one would attribute the murder to him. So he made it seem as though some creature that wasn’t human had done this.
In the morning, the queen Sudeshna discovered her almost unrecognizable brother and began wailing. Her eyes fell on Draupadi and she shrieked, ‘I know he’s dead because of you. You must have told your gandharva husbands to murder him.’
Draupadi looked at her feet and didn’t speak a word.
‘Look at her,’ the queen raved and ranted. ‘There is guilt written all over her. She must be punished. Since her husbands killed Kichaka and they are not available to be punished, she will die with Kichaka. Burn her in the funeral pyre along with Kichaka.’
So Draupadi was dragged to the funeral pyre. The P
andava brothers watched in silence. Bhima and Arjuna looked at Yudhishtira’s face, hoping he would say or do something. But he stood there quietly. Bhima could bear it no longer. He stormed away in a huff and rushed to the outskirts of the city where Draupadi had been taken away. He took on the form of a wild gandharva as he entered the cremation grounds. There he uprooted a tree, and using it as a club, he swung it this way and that scaring everyone away. ‘Who dare hurt my beloved wife Sairandhari?’ he roared.
‘Sairandhari’s husband is here. Let’s flee before he turns us into balls of flesh and bone,’ they cried and fled.
Then Bhima lifted Draupadi off the funeral pyre and wiped her tears away. Draupadi had thought that the Pandavas wouldn’t come to her rescue. She and Bhima went back to the city separately.
Meanwhile the queen heard about how Sairandhari’s husband had rescued her and she was much too scared to send her away. What if Draupadi complained to her wild gandharva husband again? So she left her alone, which suited Draupadi very well and the thirteenth year of exile passed with no further trouble.
How the Vindhya Mountain Became a Range
Agastya, a rishi, was born in a water jug as a fish of great lustre. Since at birth he was very small, even as a fully grown adult, he was a smallish man. However, his powers were superhuman.
Once in a battle between the gods and demons, the latter dived into the ocean and hid in its waters. The gods didn’t know what to do so they went to Agastya, who they knew was angry at the ocean for some small slight.
‘O great sage, please help us in this battle!’ the gods pleaded and Agastya agreed. This way he would get his own revenge and help the gods at the same time.
So he stood on the shore, took a deep breath and drank up the entire water of the ocean. And the gods fell upon the demons and destroyed them. Meanwhile the ocean, penitent, fell at Agastya’s feet and pleaded for forgiveness. Agastya relented and spewed the water back. However, since the water had been stored in Agastya’s stomach, some of his juices mingled with the ocean water and it became salty forever.