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AJAYA I -- Roll of the Dice

Page 48

by Unknown


  Another curious nugget in the Mahabharata is the fact that Vidhura's two sons shared one wife, though Vidhura himself advises against polyandry. While reading the Mahabharata, one cannot but wonder at the openness of society then, and how effectively the great epic captured the changing social norms of what was acceptable and what was taboo.

  DHRITARASHTRA-GANDHARI'S 100 SONS & ONE DAUGHTER

  Pandu retired to the forest with Kunti and Madri. The news that Kunti had become pregnant with a divine child, made Gandhari impatient and insecure. She wanted 100 sons. Vyasa had granted her a boon saying she would have them. However, she did not bear a son, even after a pregnancy lasting two years. When she heard the news about Kunti, Gandhari hit her own stomach in frustration and delivered a lump of flesh. Vyasa divided this lump into 101 pieces and sealed them in mud containers, where they developed to become 100 boys and one girl. Gandhari delivered the lump of flesh nine months before Yudhishtra's birth; but the 100 boys and the lone girl, were born a day after Yudhishtra was born. Hence, Suyodhana was part of the lump Gandhari delivered long before Yudhishtra; but he was born a day after Yudhishtra. Which of the Princes was the eldest was thus a perplexing question and it forms the root cause of the Mahabharata war.

  Being the rebel I am, I have tried to find a logical explanation for the seemingly absurd situation of a couple having 101 children. What does this mean to the modern mind? A human pregnancy cannot last two years. Just as Kunti was in the race to produce the firstborn in the family, Dhritarashtra and Gandhari must also have been desperate to produce the firstborn son. It could be that Gandhari miscarried and the story of her two-year pregnancy and the lump of flesh being divided was an excuse to hide the fact that her son was younger than Yudhishtra. Or did Gandhari perhaps miscarry and Vyasa give her a concoction, leading to the multiple births the following year? The remaining Kaurava siblings could have been the children of concubines. This theory has the merit of plausibility. More fantastic theories suggest the ancients knew about test tube babies and cloning; however, a more rational explanation is that while all the Kauravas may have been Dhritarashtra's children, they were not essentially Gandhari's, as they are often referred to as 'Dhartarashtras', in the epic. Suyodhana refuses to acknowledge the Pandavas lineage and claim on the throne by always referring them as Kaunteyas, or the sons of Kunti, but not Pandu, whereas he is called Dhartarashtra, son of Dhritarashtra. It is also pertinent that, except for Suyodhana and Sushasana, none of the other Kauravas is referred to as sons of Gandhari, but only as Kauravas or Dhartarashtras. While the other Kauravas could have been the sons of Dhritarashtra's concubines, perhaps the role of Vyasa was to legitimize the 'containers' or wombs of these other woman who carried Dhritarashtra's seed. Obviously, in the race to produce the firstborn, neither Pandu nor Dhritarashtra were taking any chances.

  When I had raised the question with my late father, L. Neelakantan, he proffered a simple but beautiful explanation. His advice was not to approach the Mahabharata just as a story, for it contains hidden symbolism: the 100 Kauravas represent the Desires and follies of the mind. Hundred is just a number used to represent 'numerous', and should not be taken literally. Dhritarashtra represents Ego, which is blind and produces numerous Desires. Some are good and others bad. The Kaurava names have both the positive suffix Su and the negative prefix Du. Gandhari represents the Mind and blind maternal Love. Hence, the Desires are sons of blind parents - Mind and Ego.

  On another plane, the Pandavas represent the five Senses. They are all married to Draupadi, also called Krishna (black). Black represents Anger. The marriage of the five Senses to Anger, has catastrophic results when fighting the Desires - such as when the Pandavas visit the Kaurava sabha for the game of dice. Believing in Fate, not action, they gamble with the Desires, and lose everything. Anger is shamed and disrobed by the Desires and Fate. The Pandavas also represent the five Virtues: Yudhishtra represents Wisdom, as the son of Time (Kala). Bhima portrays Strength, as the son of Vayu (Prana). Arjuna represents Willpower, as the son of Indra. Nakula and Sahadeva stand for Beauty and Knowledge, as sons of the Aswinis, the Gods of Dawn/Beginnings. It is Krishna who brings the Pandavas and the Desires together at Kurukshetra. He is the Universal Soul (Paramatma). Black represents vastness/depth here. The Virtues are fated to lose without this aid. Kurukshetra represents the Soul. With the aid of Universal Consciousness, the Virtues triumph over desires.

  This was my father's explanation of the underlying significance of the Mahabharata. However, his rebel son's take on the great epic is Ajaya.

  SUGGESTED READING

  Sarva Daman Singh. Polyandry in Ancient India. Motilal Banarsidass New Delhi, 1988

  John Dowson. Classical History of Hindu Myth and Religion. Munshiram Manoharlal Publishers, New Delhi, 2000

  A.L. Ahuja. Women in Indian Mythology. Rupa & Co. New Delhi, 2011

  Ram Sharan Sharma. Aspects of Political Ideas and Institutions in Ancient India. Motilal Banarsidass, New Delhi, 2012

  Vettam Mani. Puranic Encyclopedia. Motilal Banarsidass, New Delhi 2010; Malayalam ed: DC Books, Kottayam 2013 [Ed: Perhaps the most comprehensive book on various Puranic characters; written as short notes, alphabetically arranged. A good reference source for anyone interested in Hindu mythology.]

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  SELECT GLOSSARY

  Aarti - Worship with lamps

  Acharya - Guru, teacher

  Achuyuta - Another name for Krishna

  Aghoris - Ascetic worshippers of Shiva who do not believe in caste or the taboos of Hinduism; known for extreme and even outlandish penances

  Ajaya - Unconquerable

  Andha - Blind

  Anga - Ancient Indian kingdom; present-day Eastern Bihar and parts of Bengal

  Angavasthra - Shawl worn by nobles

  Ashwini Twins - Gods of sunrise and sunset

  Astra - Arrow/shaft; described by the epics as having divine powers

  Asura - Hindu mythology portrays Asuras as demons of darkness - the antithesis to Devas, the Gods; here, they are one among many tribes

  Atharva - The fourth Veda, which speaks of magic, spells, etc.

  Atma - Soul

  Avarna - A person who does not belong to the first three castes; literally one without colour (varna); opposite of savarna (person with a good colour)

  Ayurveda - Ancient Indian system of medicine

  Bindi - Red dot worn on the forehead by Hindu women

  Brahmacharya - Self-imposed vow of celibacy; a period of life as a student when a man observes brahmacharya; to seek or follow God

  Brahman - The Supreme Power responsible for Creation and the Universe

  Brahmin - The highest Hindu caste and varna - Priests and scholars; Hindu society was divided into four varnas (refer Varna for details), and further sub-divided into jatis (castes); these varied from region to region (eg. a Brahmin from Kashmir in the north and one from Andhra in the south, belonged to the same varna but did not intermarry as they belonged to different castes)

  Chaitra - Indian calendar month when spring begins

  Chandagyo - One of the most important of the Upanishads

  Chandalas - One of the lowest of the Untouchable castes; keepers of graveyards; those who carried the dead

  Chaturvarnas - The four varnas (refer Varna for details)

  Chenda - A south Indian drum beaten with a curved stick; known even today as the Asura Vadhya or 'musical instrument of the Asuras' and used during festivals in Kerala and parts of south Karnataka and Tamil Nadu

  Chera - Ancient kingdom in south India, with Muzaris as its capital

  Chettis - Merchant caste of south India (corruption of the term shresti)

  Crore - One hundred lakhs; ten million

  Dakshinajanapada - Land south of the Vindhyas; south India

  Darshan - Literally 'view'; it was customary for Indian monarchs to appear at a balcony and hear petitions from their subjects

  Dasa - Servant or slave />
  Dasi - Female servant/slave

  Dhanurveda - Science of arms and weapon-making

  Dharma - Rough translation: duty, righteousness etc; but dharma encompasses more - it is the code of life; antonym: adharma

  Dharmaveera - Warrior or hero of dharma

  Dharmayudha - Ancient code of battle

  Dhoti - Traditional lower garment for men, made from an unstitched length of cloth; also worn in different styles by lower-class women in ancient India

  Gandhara - Present-day Kandahar in Afghanistan

  Gandharvas - Singers in the courts of the Gods; considered to be supernatural beings pining for love; messengers between the Gods and men; here, they are simply another aboriginal tribe

  Ganga - Ganges

  Gangotri - Glacier from where the Ganga originates

  Gayatri - Sacred Hindu mantra from the Rig Veda; when the caste system was at its zenith, many texts forbade Shudras from even listening to it; some texts advocated pouring molten lead into the ears of Shudras who heard the Gayatri even accidently - though it is doubtful if it was really practised

  Ghat - A broad flight of steps leading down to a river

  Gobar - Cow dung

  Har Har Mahadev - Hail Shiva, the Greatest God

  Hari - Another name for Lord Vishnu

  Hastinapura - City of Elephants, capital of the Kuru kingdom

  Indra - King of the Gods; used here as a generic name of the tribe who are the nominal rulers of the Devas; Indra, their last King, lives in penury; he is also the biological father of Arjuna

  Indraprastha - Ancient capital of the Pandavas; present-day Delhi

  Jambu Dweepa - Ancient Indian name for Asia

  Jaya - Victory

  Kala - Time; also God of Time and Death, commonly known as Yama (derived from the unit for measuring time - yamam)

  Kalaripayattu - Traditional martial art form of Kerala

  Kalinga - Present-day Odisha (roughly)

  Kaliya Mardana - Kaliya: a poisonous snake (naga), in the original Mahabharata; Mardana: punishment, suppression, etc. Kaliya Mardana is one telling of the legend of Lord Krishna punishing the naga for his evil deeds

  Kamarupa - Ancient name for present-day Assam

  Karma - Action or deed

  Kashi - Another name for the holy city of Varanasi or Benaras

  Kauravas - Scions of the Kuru dynasty

  Khandiva - Present-day Delhi

  Kingara - Servants; soldier-slaves

  Kinnaras - In Hindu mythology, these are celestial musicians, half-horse and half-human; here, they are treated as just another tribe

  Kirata - A wild tribe

  Kshatriyas - The warrior caste; often kings and rulers

  Kuravan, Malayans, Vannans, Velans - Tribes from the Western Ghats (Sahyas) of India. They were Priests before the Brahmins became prominent; even today, many rituals in the Malabar region are conducted by these people

  Kurta - Indian shirt

  Lakh - One hundred thousand

  Lathi - Staff, usually used by police to control crowds

  Leela - Divine play or drama

  Lord Vishwanatha - Lord of the Universe; another name for Shiva

  Ma - Mother

  Madhava - Another name for Krishna

  Mahadeva - Great God; another name for Shiva

  Maheswara - Great God; another name for Shiva

  Mahout - Elephant handler

  Mata - Mother

  Maya - Illusion

  Mela - Gathering

  Milavu, Timila, Maddallam & Mrudangam - Percussion instruments

  Mlecha - Barbaric/uncivilized people; term usually used for foreigners like the Greeks or Chinese, in ancient India

  Moksha - Salvation; nirvana in Buddhism

  Muzaris - Ancient port city on the South-Western coast of India, 50 kms north of modern-day Cochin, in Kerala

  Nagas - An ancient tribe; literally 'serpents'; here they represent a warring tribe who rises against caste oppression

  Namaskara - 'I bow to the goodness in thee' - a form of greeting; also Namaste

  Nishada - A hunter tribe

  Onam - The only Indian festival celebrated in honour of an Asura King - Mahabali; State festival of Kerala; people still believe the reign of this Asura King (cheated of his kingdom by Lord Vishnu in his Vamana avatar), is the ideal; and every human being was considered equal under his rule.

  Pallavas - Ancient south-Indian kingdom; its capital was Kanchipuram/Kanchi

  Pallu - The loose end of a sari worn

  Panchayat - Indian village Council, usually with 5 members

  Pandavas - Sons of Pandu

  Pandya - Ancient kingdom in south India with Madurai as its capital

  Parameswara - Literally 'Supreme God'; another name for Shiva, one of the Trinity of Hindu Gods (the other two being Brahma and Vishnu)

  Parashuramakshetra - Place of Parashurama - the ancient kingdom of Cheras (Gokurna to Kanyakumari, between the Sahyas and the sea). It is believed Parashurama reclaimed this land from the sea and gifted it to the Brahmins

  Pariah - Lowest caste, and the most discriminated against

  Parvati - Lord Shiva's consort

  Pasupathi - Literally 'Lord of the Beasts'; usually applied to Shiva

  Patala - Netherworld; here, capital of the Asuras in exile

  Poorna - River in Kerala; also known as Periyar

  Prabhasa - A city in present-day Gujarat

  Prabhu - Sir, an honorific; also used to mean a rich man

  Puja - Religious ritual

  Purendra - Indra, King of the Gods; also known as 'destroyer of cities'

  Ragas - Scales in Indian classical music

  Raja Dharma - Code of ethics for rulers

  Rajasuya - Sacrifice performed by Indian Kings in ancient times, who considered themselves powerful enough to be Emperors

  Rakshasa - Mythological evil being

  Sabha - Court or assembly

  Sahya - Mountains running parallel to the Western seaboard of India

  Samhita - A collection of holy hymns/science/knowledge

  Sanathana - Eternal; Hinduism is often considered an eternal religion without beginning or end

  Sari - Traditional attire of Indian women, made from 6 yards of unstitched cloth

  Sarpanch - Village Chief/Head of the Panchayat

  Sarswati - A mighty river which once flowed between the Indus and Ganges, which has now vanished

  Shastras - Rules, codes, tradition, science, specialized knowledge

  Shiva - The Destroyer, one of the Hindu Trinity of Gods who at the end of each eon, destroys the Universe, after which Brahma the Creator, recreates it

  Shivalinga - Phallic symbol of Lord Shiva

  Shravan - Fifth month of the Hindu calendar; considered a holy month

  Shri - Honorific for gentlemen; equivalent to Mister; also spelt Sri, Shree, etc.

  Shudra - Lowest of the four Varnas, the other three being (in order of precedence): Brahmana, Khshatriya, and Vaishya

  Sindhu - River Indus; also the land around it; here, Indus is ruled by Jayadratha, Duryodhana's brother-in-law

  Smritis - 'That which is remembered'; Hindu laws written by different sages; including Manu Smriti, the code for society in ancient India

  Soma - Important ritual drink during Vedic times; also the moon

  Somanatha - Celebrated temple of Lord Shiva - Lord of Somas (life energy)

  Suta - Charioteer caste; also famous as storytellers. Kings often used them to propagate tales of their valour in battle

  Swami - Sir, an honorific used to address a social superior

  Swayamvara - Ancient Indian custom wherein a girl chose her groom from a gathering of suitors, sometimes through a competition

  Tapsya - Penance

  Timila - Percussion instrument of Asura origin

 

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