The Mad Narayana (concluding part)

The Goddess that Failed

It was then that Goddess Kali made her appearance there with her entourage of the fearful ghosts. The time was fast approaching midnight and no humans roamed outside their houses, especially near cremation grounds, at that time. The goddess wanted to enjoy a dance with her friends around the funeral pyre as was her habit.

Goddess Kali was shocked to find our Narayana, a human, at that time there. She expected him, at least, to run away in panic at her sight. Nothing happened of that sort. Narayana ignored the sudden appearance of the unearthly beings and continued with the preparation for his simple dinner.

Kali had no other choice than to confront him. The easiest weapon at her disposal was her frightening features.

But, the Goddess was disappointed that she could not find even any hint of fear in the stooping figure near the fire. How to handle a strange case case like that? The presence of a human was the least welcome when divinities choose to enjoy themselves. So, Kali decided to talk sense to the human. “You may know that I am Goddess Kali and these are my companion ghosts. It is my habit to dance around funeral pyre in the middle of night. Human beings are not allowed in our presence, let alone witness our dance. So, you better leave this place immediately.”

But, Narayana did not care for such protocols. He replied. “Well, if that is your practice, then that is your problem. It is my habit that I cook my dinner wherever I get some water and fire . Today I found this convenient place and I am going to enjoy my meal here. It is up to you whether you dance here or leave this place.”

How impertinent of the human being to talk to the divinity in such a fearless and disrespectful tone. Kali thought of using her powerful and unfailing weapon, of creating terror in her human opponent. She said. “If you do not go, then I shall make you run “

Narayana replied. “Try your luck!”

Then, Kali and the ghosts took their most terrible forms with dishevelled hair and large blood shot eyes protruding out, and roaring in fearful sound that filled the air like thunder. Yet, Narayana did not even bat his eye lids once, but, broke into a gentle and mocking smile instead. That was the most humiliating defeat that the Goddess Kali had ever met. She changed into a benign smile and approached Narayana. “We, divinities avoid humans except in rare circumstances. If it happens, it is a rule for us that we either put a curse or give them a boon. I take you to be man of extraordinary faculties and I do not want to curse you. So, please tell me what boon I may grant you."

But, Narayana was not impressed even then. He said. “Sorry, I am not interested in any boon from you or from any one else.” That put Kali in a fix. She pleaded. “Please do not say so. Even as a favour, please accept a boon from me.”

The mad Narayana thought for a while and asked: “Well, can you please tell me how long I am going to live?”. The goddess did not have to think a lot to arrive at the remaining life of the human. She said: “You have thirty six years, six months, six days and a few hours left in your life.”. “If so, please grant me one additional day’s life ”. “Oh, no! That is something that I cannot promise. Nobody can do that.” “In that case, have mercy and end my life a day earlier!” The Goddess was in trouble even then. She admitted. “Sorry, even that is beyond me.” “That is why I refused to ask for any boons from you. If you cannot change my life even by a day, then what power do you have?”

But, Kali insisted that Narayana should ask for some other boon, something within her powers to bestow. Our man, with an amused smile asked. “You see my swollen left foot. Please have mercy on me and change that to my right .” He was being considerate to the divinity. It mattered little to him either way. But, Kali was pleased. She blessed him accordingly and left the place with her entourage leaving Narayana all to himself.

(Concluded)

The twelve children of a woman of low birth – 5

“Mad Narayana”

All the eleven living children of Vararuchi may have been equally great. Their greatness was that they were evolved souls, not affected by the ways of the world. Most of them exhibited a sixth sense. It is said that they could see the future in store for themselves and for those with whom they moved. Most of the recorded stories surround five or six of the eleven. There may be more about them and about the others, told and retold locally, in the respective areas where they lived.

Among them the mad Narayana (Narayana Bhraanta) impressed me most. He was believed to be fostered by one sub-division of Brahmins, an Ilayath, though that is not so recorded. He was known more for his idiosyncrasies.

He was always dressed in rags and appeared in the most untidy way. He spoke little and had very little to do with others. He needed very little to maintain himself and survived only by begging.

What earned him the epithet, “mad”, was his strange daily routine. He used to start the day rolling a rock up a hill nearby. He would toil, in sun or rain, until he reached the top of the hill, rolling the rock up with all his strength. Once he reached the top he would roll the rock down the slopes of the hill and enjoy the sight. He would clap his hands and laugh loudly, as if appreciating his own achievement. Wise men have tried to explain the madness of Narayana saying that he tried to send the message that the path uphill was always difficult. And a fall from a lofty position earned the hard way was so easy.

Ten thousand gone, ten thousand yet to go

One of the trivial pursuits of Narayana was his pre-occupation with nature. He would watch arrays of ants passing so intently that it would appear that he was counting them. One day some one who passed by mockingly asked. “How many have gone?” Our Narayana, even without turning around, replied. “Ten thousand gone, another ten thousand yet to go.”

It was said that the man who asked the question was suffering from a severe stomach ailment. He had already spent ten thousand Rupees in treating his illness. Yet, he did not get cured. In fact, he had kept an equal amount aside for the purpose. The unexpected reply from the mad Narayana made him thinking. Even mad people often would make sensible statements. It was possible that Narayana, though mad, might have got an inkling of his future, that he would be cured by spending the amount he had earmarked for his future treatment. That was the thought that came to the mind of the passer by. It is said that finally the prediction of mad Narayana came true. The guy was cured of his ailment after he spent ten thousand more Rupees on treatment.


All alone in a cremation ground

Narayana, after spending the mornings in such frivolities, would start begging for food in the afternoons. His only worldly possession was his begging bowl which he also used for cooking his solitary meal of the day, at night.

He would go to a place where there was water in the evenings with whatever food, mostly a handful of rice, he collected by begging during the day. He would collect water in the bowl, make fire near by, cook his meal and enjoy the simple dinner. Then, he would sleep in the open near the fire till morning. If he got nothing he had no complaint. He could go without meal for days together.

Narayana had collected some rice for his dinner that day. He found fire in a cremation ground near the river. The relations of the dead person had left after performing the funeral rites. Normal persons never entered such places for any other reason, especially at night.

There are always ghost stories built around cremation grounds. It is believed to be the place where Goddess Kali entertained herself with her companion ghosts. Ordinary humans used to shudder at the very thought of cremation grounds and of the terrifying sights they might witness there, especially in the middle of nights.

Not so for our Narayana. He feared nothing and cared for none of the norms that bound ordinary humans. So, for him a cremation ground was as good a place as any other that suited him as a camping site. There was a huge fire that was burning from the pyre and there was a river nearby. Besides, the place was desolate giving him the much cherished peace.

So, he made an open oven with three rocks and pulled some logs off the funeral pyre to their middle. He placed his begging pot with rice and water on top and left it for cooking. Narayana had his left foot slightly swollen because of elephantiasis which he placed on top of one of the rocks for temporary relief. He started humming a melody and was drowsing off in between.

(We continue the story of Mad Narayana in the next episode)

The twelve children of a woman of low birth – 4

Vararuchi started a happy married life with the wise girl from the Brahmin family. One day he was enjoying her close company in solitude. While he was stroking her lovely hair his hands sensed something rough on her scalp. On close observation he realized that it was a scar. “How did this happen?”, asked Vararuchi. His wife replied in a casual manner: “You know, I am not really a child born to my parents. My mother found me afloat on a raft while she was bathing in the river. She was childless. So, she pleaded with my father to keep me. My father was hesitant initially saying that he did not know of my birth. From the look of me he knew that I was a cast away in the river for some reason he would not know. But, my mother persuaded him saying that I was god’s gift to them. Finally, they decided to accept me. They removed an oil lamp that was stuck on my head which left this scar. My mother told all these things to me after I grew up”.

The irony of fate

Vararuchi heaved a sigh wondering at the power of fate. He told her all about her birth and about the prediction. He explained how he tried to protect himself and how he failed. He concluded saying, “we should not continue living in this land as before. Let us be on a pilgrimage from now on distancing ourselves from the society and its norms.” With the concurrence of his wife, whom we may simply call Parayi (born of the Paraya family) for no other reason than convenience, Vararuchi left the palace and the country and in her company started roaming around holy places in the neighbouring lands.

The story so far must have taken place outside Kerala, probably in and around Ujjain. There is reason to believe that further journey of the couple took them into various parts of the state.

Does the baby have a mouth?

Soon, the wife of Vararuchi got in the family way. When it was time for delivery they got into a nearby forest where the good lady delivered her first child. It was a boy. When Vararuchi heard the first cry of the baby he called out: “Does the child have a mouth?” “Yes, of course!”, replied the mother with excitement. “If God has given it a mouth, then He will provide for its food also. Leave him behind, just as you come out of the forest.”

The Parayi was sorry to lose her darling baby and abandon it at a forest, with no one to care for it. But, Vararuchi started walking away even without turning back. So, she had to follow him keeping her deep sorrow to herself.

She bore another child, to another boy, and the same question was asked by her husband after delivery: “Was the child born with a mouth?” If so, leave the child behind. The Lord who gave him a mouth shall feed him as well. This was repeated eleven times. Only one was a girl. All others were boys. All were left behind, in the hands of the God who bestowed it with a mouth.

The one without a mouth

The Parayi bore a child the twelfth time also. It was a boy. This time when the same question was asked, she replied though with hesitation: “No, my husband, it does not have a mouth”. She hoped that she would be given permission, in that case, to keep the child. Vararuchi came near and inspected the baby. What a wonder, it did not, indeed, have a mouth! It is said that the words of the truly devoted (Pativrata) wives come true. How will a child without a mouth survive? So, Vararuchi carried it to a nearby hill and installed it as deity on top of it. Thus, the twelfth child born to the couple became an instant divinity. The villagers from nearby and even far away lands continue to visit the temple of the god without a mouth on a hill (vaayillaakkunnil appan).

The eleven siblings

The other eleven were picked up by kind villagers, all belonging to different castes, whoever found them. The first was a Brahmin. The boy grew up and later performed one of the rare rituals, called an Agnihotra, and came to be known as an Agnihotri. Another was adopted by a carpenter and he grew up to become one of the best known artisans in the land (perunthaccan). One, named Narayana, behaved so extraordinarily that people took him to be mad from birth. He was known by the name,“ the mad Narayana (narayana bhaanta)”. Nothing more is known of Vararuchi or his devoted wife later.

All the eleven children exhibited extraordinary traits even from their childhood. Many of their stories are told and retold even today throughout Kerala. Quite a few of them are interesting in one way or other. We may pick a few and go through them through the next episodes. The families of the eleven surviving children are traced even to this date.

After the death of Vararuchi the eleven surviving children started getting together in the house of the eldest brother, the Brahmin, for the annual remembrance ritual for their father. That practice was revived recently by the families who claim to be the true descendants of the Parayi.

(To be continued)

The twelve children of a woman of low birth – 3

Vararuchi had won back the confidence of the king in him. Yet, he could not breathe easily. There was one disconcerting thought that haunted the mind of the gentle Brahmin day and night.

True, the conversation among the deities in the forest had given him the clue to the riddle. Yet, they were the very words that made his mind restless. They had said that the girl born on the eventful night to the woman of low caste was to be married by him.The rules of the land did not allow the marriage of a Brahmin with a woman of low birth. If that happened, he would definitely be thrown out of his caste. The king, in that case, would have to abandon him, not for 41 days, but for ever. Such disturbing thoughts continued to torment the otherwise pure mind of Vararuchi.

The impending danger

The change in mood of his friend did not escape the notice of the king. He once asked. “I have a feeling that there is something that is bothering you. Do not hesitate to tell me about it. I am sure that I can find a solution, some way or the other.”

Vararuchi replied. “Your Highness! I do not know how to put this to you. I am aware of a great disaster that is going to fall on this country. That has been tormenting my mind all these days.”

It was the turn of Vikramaditya to feel concerned this time. “Tell me all about it and, if there is a way I can prevent that.”

Vararuchi mentioned the birth of the Paraya girl giving the date and the approximate place. He simply said that the girl was the cause for the disaster looming over the kingdom. “Your majesty, if it pleases you, please do not spare any efforts to find the girl at the earliest and arrange to destroy her without delay.”

The way out

Vikramaditya was in two minds. He had no reason to suspect the truth in the words of his friend. But, killing an innocent child was a sin of the greatest order. He called his ministers and men of learning for consultation into his court. After discussing the issue at length they reached a consensus and a plan. The child was to be placed on a raft and left on the river that flowed through the country into the neighbouring lands. As was the custom, an oil lamp was to be stuck on the head to indicate the status of the child, that it was a caste away. The child, in that way, was placed in the hands of the god. With god’s will, the child would survive. Else, it would perish. Either way, the king could live with a clear conscience. The soldiers had no difficulty in finding the child and executing the king’s orders without delay.

The fate in store

Vararuchi was a happy man. The impending danger in his life was over. He lived happily in the palace reciting poems to the king and engaging in discussions on matters of the world and mind.

Several years passed in that manner. Once, Vararuchi was on a visit to a far away land. It was noon and he was lucky to find the house of a Brahmin just in time for lunch. As was the custom, the Brahmin received Vararuchi with due curtsies. He informed the guest that he could finish his bath (as was the custom, as a way of purification) by which time lunch would be ready.

Vararuchi suddenly got into a mischievous mood. He said. “I have a few conditions to place so that I can accept your hospitality.” “What can they be? If they are within me, I shall try to meet them.”

Then, Vararuchi spelt out what sounded like near impossibilities. “I want a garment made of special silk for change after bath. Then, I want myself to feed one hundred people. I also want 108 dishes for my meal.” They were all very difficult, but, the Brahmin could stretch himself and try to meet them. It was then Vararuchi came out with what sounded like a bombshell. “After meal, I want to eat three people as is my custom. Then four men should hold me up while I take a short nap”.

The host was shocked by the ridiculous conditions. Was he out of his mind? When the Brahmin was trying to recover from his shock there was a voice from inside the house. “Father, tell him that all shall be arranged as per his wish”. (Women and adolescent girls do not appear in front of men who are not related by blood.)Vararuchi also heard the words coming from his host’s daughter. He proceeded to have his bath wondering who could be the girl, so wise as to understand his needs, spoken in riddles.

The stiff conditions

The host was perplexed. He had high regards for the wisdom of his daughter. But, what she undertook to accomplish was beyond his imagination. He accosted her. :”Are you out of your minds to agree to those senseless conditions?” The girl replied. “Father, what our guest wanted is not difficult. It is only that he put them differently. He wants the customary piece (kaupeenam) of cloth (undergarment) to change after bath. It is simply given the name of the special silk. Then, he wants to appease the gods with the usual offerings (vaishvadevam) as Brahmins do before food. It is considered to be equal in merit to feeding one hundred people. He would be satisfied with a dish of curd mixed with ginger to go with rice. Is that not called the ‘108 curry’, as it is thought to be equally good? He, then, wants to chew betel leaves with lime and areca nut. You know, yourself, that it is jokingly called, eating three. Finally after meals, he wants to rest a while on a bed. A bed is, as though held high by four men. Is that not so? In short, what he asked for is nothing out of the ordinary.” The Brahmin was impressed by the wisdom of his daughter.

So was Vararuchi. He was thinking all along while bathing. Was the Brahmin’s daughter so exceptionally intelligent as implied by her reply, in understanding his cleverly put conditions? But, when he finished bath, he got the piece of cloth to change into. He found all the arrangements for making the usual offering to gods. He could get the special dish of curd with rice and was satisfied with his lunch. He found a plate with betel leaves, lime and areca nuts to chew near the bed made ready for him. He was truly satisfied.

Vararuchi was so impressed that he wanted to ask for the hands of the girl. He had remained a bachelor all those years. When the matter was brought up the Brahmin asked for the background of his guest. It was then that he realized that his guest was none other than the famous Vararuchi, the close associate of emperor Vikramaditya. Age was not of much concern in marriage alliances those days. Thus, the proposal was accepted. Vararuchi married the wise daughter of the Brahmin on an auspicious day in a simple ceremony.

(To be continued)

The twelve children of a woman of low birth – 2

It was the fortieth day after Vararuchi had left the palace of Vikramaditya in search of an answer for the riddle: what was the best verse in Ramayana? Needless to say, that no satisfactory answer was found to that intriguing question of the king.

Vararuchi had roamed over the breadth and width of the country and even outside, meeting scholars of repute. None could give a good enough answer. If he could not return to the king next day with a proper answer what would happen to him?

That day the poor Brahmin could not find any house where he could satisfy his hunger and get the much needed rest. When night came the poet found himself within a forest. It was too dark to get to the nearest village. He was tired from long walks, and from hunger and thirst. He lied down under a palm tree and tried to get some sleep. But, as was customary, first he prayed to the guardian deities of the forest (vana devata) for protection.

Yet, sleep escaped from the tormented mind of the Brahmin. He lay down with thoughts of his bleak future. He had lost hopes of life itself. Slowly, because of exhaustion, the poor Brahmin drowsed off.

The clue

He was woken up in the middle of night by a conversation. The voices came from the top of the tree. “Welcome, friends. What brought you here?” “We are on a visit to the hut of the Paraya (of low birth) family in the next village. The woman is due to give birth. We are on our way, as it is our duty to visit the house and bless the child. Won’t you join us?” “Unfortunately, not. This Brahmin has prayed for our protection before he went to sleep. We cannot move away from this place until he wakes up. Do come this way on your return and tell us about the delivery.”

Vararychi was intrigued by the conversation. Obviously it was between the deities of forests, the hosts being the ones to whom he prayed for protection. His vast learning must have included the language (and sound) of non-human beings as well. Vararuchi, soon got into a light sleep again.

He was woken up later, towards early morning by similar voices coming from up the palm tree. This time the conversation went like this: “Are you already on your way back? What was the baby like?” “The Paraya woman has delivered a pretty little girl.” “That is wonderful. Who is going to marry her?” “This Brahmin, who does not know ’know me (maam viddhi)’ ”.


There was silence from the top of the tree after that . But, those brief words flashed the desperately sought verse in Ramayana in Vararuchi’s mind. “maam viddhi ? Of course, that indicates to the stanza in Ramayana which goes:”

“Think of Rama as (your father,) Dasaratha
Know me to be Seetha (actually, know Seetha to be me, because of the two nouns in the accusative case, me and Seetha)
Think of Ayodhya as the forest
My son! Go well”

(raamam daSaratham viddhi
maam viddhi janakaadmajaam
Ayodhyaam ataveem viddhi
gaccha taata yathaa sukham)

Those were the famous parting words of Sumitra spoken to her son Lakshmana (the brother of Rama) when he went to his mother to bid good bye. Dasaratha was the king and Rama was the eldest brother and the favourite of the king for the throne. He had two step mothers and three brothers. Kaikeyi was the youngest of the three queens and the the most beautiful. Because of her ambition in favour of her own son, Bharata, Rama was asked to go in exile into the forest at the instance of his father, Dasaratha, for fourteen years. Rama’s other brother, Lakshmana, wanted to accompany him and Seetha (Rama’s wife) to the forest. What Sumitra meant was that her son would survive the hardships of life in forest by thinking of Rama and Seetha as his parents and the forest as his palace, Ayodhya.

The clue given by the deities helped the wise Vararuchi to immediately arrive at the long sought answer to the king’s query. Of course, Vararuchi thought, this verse could be treated as the most important one in the entire Ramayana. He wondered why neither he nor any of the other scholars he had approached could think of it earlier.

Soon, it was dawn. Vararuchi could not wait any longer to rush to his king and report his chanced discovery on the very last day of the permitted period.

Meanwhile, Vikramaditya had been spending his days in palace with a heavy heart. There had been no news of his dear friend all those days. Finally, the last day of the time given to find an answer came. Vikramaditya was waiting anxiously in his court. Then he saw his poet friend arriving hurriedly. The king guessed from the beaming face of his friend that he was successful, at last, in his search.

The king asked. “Did you find out which verse is the most important?” Vararuchi recited the verse and explained the meaning and its implication. He further clarified that the most important phrase in the verse was “Think of Seetha as me (your mother)”, indicated by the “Maam Viddhi”. The king was very pleased and showered valuable gifts on the great scholar.

(To be continued)

A story from the folk tales of Kerala

We begin a new story in Samskruthi (www.kunjunny.blogspot.com). The story taken from the collection of folk tales of Kerala runs into several episodes.

The twelve children of a woman of low birth

Introduction

This is based on the famous book, Aitihyamaala (A Garland of Folktales), by Kottaratthil Sankunni. The original is in Malayalam. I am not aware, if any complete translation exists in English.

The stories, just over 120 of them on a few less than 900 printed pages, are based on folklore originating in Kerala. None of them are likely to be mere works of imagination. Traces can be found even now of the some of the characters in each story.

This is particularly true of the above story. It is an amazing tale of twelve families, each belonging to a different caste, all of whom, strangely originating as children of the same parents.

The story talks about a king, Vikramaditya, and a Brahmin poet in his court by name Vararuci. There were several other Vikramadityas. But, it was the Vikramaditya of Ujjain in the Madhya Pradesh State of India, who had nine famous poets, termed as the nine jewels (nava ratnas), among whom the name of Vararuci finds mention. (Kalidasa was the most famous among them.) Because of this we assume that the Vikramaditya is the famous emperor based in Ujjain. This Vikramaditya is recorded in Indian History as having lived in the 1st century BC.

We have two main characters in the story, a high born Brahmin and a woman of low caste, known by the name of Paraya. Members of that caste make a living by selling articles woven out of bamboo stem and reeds.

We want to get into Ramayanam, soon. The following story has some bearing on the famous works of Valmiki, considered to be the first among early poetry.

Poet Vararuchi

King Vikramaditya was the ruler of the land. He was himself highly learned and was a patron of scholars and artistes of various types. One among the scholars in his court was a poor Brahmin by name Vararuchi. The king used to enjoy scholarly debates with this highly learned friend of his. True to his fame, Vararuchi was well versed in various fields of science and proficient in all the important works of ancient learning.

The great puzzle

One day the king suddenly had a thought. True, Ramayana is to be considered the best among early poetry. But then, which particular verse among the 24,000 stanzas in Ramayana (the famous work of Valmiki) stands out among all? The king lost no time in asking his dear friend, the best among scholars, Vararuchi.

The poor Brahmin was perplexed. The whole of Ramayana is to be considered equally good. Is there any part in it that can be considered better than the rest? He expressed his thoughts aloud, by way of a reply to the king.

That was not the type of answer king Vikramaditya had expected from the scholarly Brahmin. The king’s disappointment turned into instantaneous anger. He retorted in a loud voice. “I give you 41 days. You may go anywhere and ask anyone you please. But, do not think of coming back without finding a satisfactory answer.”

The exile

Once the king had spoken, there was no argument about it. May be, because of the close friendship between the two, Vararuchi could have lingered on until the king’s anger cooled down. But, he was too proud to beg for pardon. Moreover, his scholarship was in question. So, Vararuchi wasted no time to step out of the palace.

But, where could he go? He was so used to the good days in the palace that he knew nothing of life outside. He had learnt no other way of livelihood, except by the patronage of the king. Vararuchi started moving in search of great scholars of the land and even outside. Walking was the only method of getting from place to place. He would go looking for scholars from morning till noon. Then, he would go to the nearest house of Brahmins and hope to get some food for lunch. Then, again, he would continue with his search for learned men until dark. Then, he would retire to the house of any Brahmin nearby. He would eat whatever dinner that was offered and sleep there until next morning.

Vararuchi, thus, went from place to place and asked many of the men of learning of the time. “Which verse, you ask? Why, are not all the verses of Ramayana equally important?” Of course, that was what Vararuchi also had thought, until his king had asked that question. Then, right or wrong, he had to find an answer that would appeal to the mind of his mentor king.

The agony

Forty days passed this way. As the days progressed Vararuchi became more and more distressed. He had travelled far and wide for the purpose and had met a large number of noted scholars. Yet, he could get no satisfactory answer. What would happen to him? How would he continue to live, without the royal patronage?

Vikramaditya was, in the meanwhile, equally tormented in mind. It was too rash on his part to order the poor Brahmin out. How was he surviving outside the palace? What was going to happen to himself without the enjoyable daily debates and discussions, if Vararuchi failed to return?

(To be continued)

The story of Daksha

Daksha, the ‘creator’

The story of Daksha as in Mahabharata is very brief. What is given below is the more popular version based on other epics.

Daksha was one of the sons of Brahma born during the initial time of creation, who was deputed by the creator of the world for the proliferation of life on earth (Prajapati). He, accordingly, procreated a large number of children in several wives. The first batch, of five thousand sons, was known by the name of Haryasva (haryaSva).

There is an interesting story on the Haryasvas. They, being obedient children, started searching for suitable places to settle down and set up families of their own. The fun loving sage, Narada, wanted to play mischief on them. He asked them to find out the length and breadth of the entire land before deciding on the best place to live in. It is said that the innocent Haryasvas took the sage’s words seriously and were soon lost wandering, searching for the end of the spherical earth.

Without being able to trace the whereabouts of his first batch of sons, Daksha produced another batch of one thousand and named them Sabalaasva (SabalaaSva). They were, in a similar fashion, lead astray by Narada.

A curse on Narada

It is said that Daksha soon learnt about the trick played by Narada on his children. He was infuriated by the frolics of the sage and cursed him. “May you also be on the move always! If you remain at a place for long, may your head burst up into pieces instantly !’ Sage Narada was pained when he realized that what was meant to be a practical joke had landed him up in serious trouble. If he could not remain at a place, how was he to meditate on his favourite god, Vishnu, and attain salvation? Vishnu, it is said, came to his rescue. Thenceforth, the merit of meditation, of those who chanted Mantras without counting (without concentration), would go to sage Narada! That was how Narada started accumulating merits and qualify for Moksha (salvation).

Sati, the daughter of Daksha

The main story of Daksha is built around his daughters. He produced several of them. The twenty seven ‘stars’ (constellations or Nakshatras named aswini, bharaNi, etc.) were said to be his daughters married to the moon.

One of his daughters born later was called Sati. She had made up her mind on Lord Siva from her early childhood days. But, Daksha was dead against the idea and tried to reason out with his ‘immature’ daughter.

Siva’s ways

Siva was reputed to be dressed with leopard skin and had serpents entwined all over his limbs. He had matted hair and used to smear his body with ashes. Dressed in such a fashion the Lord went from place to place begging for alms. How could he be a prospective son in law for Daksha who was like an emperor of the world? But, Sati was adamant. Other gods also stood by her saying that Siva, in spite of his appearances, was the Lord of the entire universe. Finally, Daksha gave in.

The quarrel

Soon after the marriage of his daughter Daksha wanted to pay her a visit. The time was noon and the Lord was having his afternoon siesta. Hence, it is said that the keepers of Siva’s abode (said to be mount Kailas in the Himalayas) did not want to disturb their master at the untimely hour. Daksha felt humiliated. He took it that Siva did that on purpose. From that day Daksha declared Siva to be his worst enemy.

The sacrificial ritual

Daksha wanted to perform a sacrificial ritual (yajna) soon after that. His main purpose was to settle score with his arch enemy who was none other than his son in law. He made elaborate arrangements for a pompous ceremony and invited all who counted for the function, but, not his son in law. Daksha also proclaimed that he would not allocate any portion of the offerings to Siva, though he was entitled to, along with other divinities of his status.

Sati came to know about the event and was in two minds. How could she miss such a grand affair in her father’s house where all her brothers and sisters would gather? But, she was not invited. Would it be right to go uninvited? Then, she thought, did she need an invitation to her own house? She decided to speak to her husband first.

Siva knew what was in the mind of his wife. He tried to discourage Sati with reasons. If she was dishonoured in front of other guests by Daksha, would she be able to tolerate that?

Sati was not able to counter the arguments of her husband. Yet, she was bent on attending the ceremony in her father’s house, with or without invitation.

The tragedy

Sati went, finally, without getting the consent of her husband. But, she hoped that everything would turn out for the better. After all, she was going to her father.

As expected, the palatial house of Dakhsa was decorated colourfully for the grand ritual. All the important personalities on earth and in heaven, except for Siva, were present there. Sati was in high excitement.

But, that was unfortunately, short lived. The moment Daksha spotted her, he started ridiculing her. Why did she come? Who had invited her? Daksha, then, started putting down Siva for all his queer ways and for sending his wife for a ceremony where the two were not invited.

Sati tried to pacify her father with her own reasoning. But, that only made Daksha even more furious. He started rebuking Siva for insulting him when he tried to pay him a visit last.

That was too much for Sati. She could have ignored insults on her. But, belittling her lord in front of the celebrities! Unable to take the insults any more, Sati jumped into the sacrificial fire when every one stood watching in utter disbelief.

The fury of Siva

Siva soon learnt about what happened. He was furious beyond measure. It is said that he created two ferocious deities, Veerabhadra and Bhadrakali, and ordered them to destroy all they found at the sacrificial venue of Daksha. They were warned not to harm sages and Brahmins.

Accordingly, the two went about their business in all earnestness creating panic at the sacrificial place of Daksha. He, himself, was killed in the process. The whole place was ransacked. That was how the sacrificial ritual of Daksha ended up in great tragedy.

Epilogue

It is said that Sati was reborn as Parvati, as the daughter of the mountain Himalaya. Her meditation on Siva and her eventual marriage with the Lord have inspired several works of art and literature. The most famous among them is the epic poem of Kalidasa, on the birth of Subrahmanya (Kumara or Skanda) to the divine pair, under that name, ‘Kumara sambhavam’. We have briefly mentioned this earlier elsewhere.

The Killing of Vritra

Vritra was a demon (Asura). The story about Indra, the king of god, killing him is very popular in the ancient Indian epics. It is so old that we can find mention of it even in the Vedas. The story is basically too simple to arouse any interest. Its importance is primarily because of its antiquity and the fact it is told again and again.

There are different versions of the story. In one version Vritra was the son of sage Kasyapa and in the other, of sage Twashta (twashTa). In all versions his mother was a demon.

There is reference to this story at least on three different occasions in Mahabharata. The first was in the chapter of ‘Pilgrimage (Teerthayatra Parvam)’ of the ‘Book of Forest Life (Vanaparvam)’. The second is in the chapter of ‘Army Deployment (Senodyoga Parvam)’ of the ‘Book of war preparations (Udyogaparvam)’. And finally, in the chapter of ‘Steps towards Salvation (Moksha dharma anuSasana parvam) of the Book of Peace (Saanti parvam)’

Vritra joins the demons

Vritra, though of mixed birth, had his affinity with demons, his mother being one of them. So, it is said that he went about fighting against the gods and destroying the sacrificial rituals in which offerings were made to them.

In the popular version, the demon meditated on Brahma and won a powerful boon. By that he could not be killed, during the day or at night, by any weapon made of metal.

A weapon made of bones

The gods under the leadership of Indra fought several battles against Vritra. The demon was so powerful and the boon he got so potent that he remained invincible. It was Brahma who suggested to Indra that a special weapon, Vajra (literally meaning a diamond or the thunderbolt), be made with human bones. He further said that a sage by name Dadheeci (dadheeci) was spending his days in deep meditation with the singular aim of attaining salvation. He would gladly give his bones for the purpose. (Not clear why the bones of a living person were required).

When Indra approached the sage he was only too happy to give up his life for a noble cause. That was how the powerful Vajra was made of the bones of sage Dadheeci.

The encounter

Vishnu gave the idea to Indra that the king of gods should attack the demon at dusk, to avoid both the day and night times. Indra did accordingly. The weapon made of bones, which was not metallic, and the time of the setting sun found the loop holes in the boon the demon had obtained. Indra dispatched the powerful Vajra against Vritra and brought his head down for the relief of all gods.

The sin that inflicted Indra

It is said that by killing Vritra who was the son of a Brahmin Indra was vulnerable to the sin called Brahmahatya. Indra got so frightened that he hid himself inside the stalk of the lotus flower on which Brahma usually sat. Nothing would make him to come out of his place of hiding. The whole world suffered as a result, he being the king of gods. So, Brahma pleaded with four elements found in the nature, like fire and water, to equally share the sin and thereby rid Indra of the malady. The elements of nature agreed to accept the sin on condition that those who pollute nature get a share of it. For example, one who pollutes water gets a small share. Brahma, thus, could rid Indra of the sin of killing Vritra.

The three interpretations

Many of the stories found in the epics and Vedas are interpreted at three different levels: the physical or the worldly level (aadhibhautikam), the heavenly or the divine level (aadhi daivikam) and the spiritual or the intellectual level (aadhyaatmikam). This is possible, because the root of the words Indra and Vritra permits different interpretations.

At the physical level Vritra is the cloud and Indra the rainmaker. The Vajra, the weapon of Indra, was the lightning or the thunder. The rainbow is called the bow of Indra (Indradhanus). The killing of Vritra is simply the rain bursting out of the cloud.

At the divine level the god, Indra, kills the demon called Vritra as the story is normally told.

At the spiritual level, Vritra means darkness, caused by ignorance. Indra is enlightenment. Enlightenment removes the cover of ignorance that engulfs human mind. There is one school of thought that upholds this interpretation of the story in the context of the Vedas.

The one with bellyful of ‘and’s

There is an anecdote that is told about poet Kalidasa. It is widely accepted that he was highly inspired by the works of Vyasa and that he had great admiration for his predecessor. But, he was also very proud of his own accomplishments, especially, after he became famous.

Vyasa was considered so great that he was revered as a sage and even worshipped. There are a few temples, not many though, where the poet is the main deity. It is said that Kalidasa, one day, came across such a temple.

It is customary to worship deities in temples with suitable prayers which are either short stanzas of poem or even a phrase called a Mantra. Kalidasa was at a loss for a suitable Mantra to pray to Vyasa in the temple. So, he quickly made up one – “I pray to that one whose belly is filled with the conjunction ‘and’ (cakaara jaTharaaya namah)”. There was a dig in that prayer at the sage for using innumerable ‘and’s (ca) in his works. We find so many ‘and’s in works like Mahabharata, especially while listing many characters like the hundred sons of Dhritarashtra. Often poets use even nouns which do not add much meaning to the stanza. The need to stick to the meter of the poem demanded them.

Satisfied with his imaginative Mantra the poet was about to step out of the temple. At that moment he was accosted by a stranger. The visitor addressed Kalidasa. “I have heard a lot about you and I request you for a favour. Please make a small poem on today’s weather”. May be, he wanted to take the poem to the king nearby. That was no problem for Kalidasa. He quickly made one stanza and chanted it aloud to the visitor. The stranger listened to the poem and innocently asked, “why, I pray, the use of ‘and’s (cakaaram kimartham)?” Kalidasa was dumbfounded by the unexpected question. True, there were three or four ‘and’s in a stanza of four lines. He realized that the stranger was none other than Vyasa trying to drive a point. Vyasa wanted Kalidasa to realize that there was no surprise that the long poems, like Mahabharata of a hundred thousand stanzas especially with hundreds and thousands of characters, contained very many conjunctions.

It is said that Kalidasa fell at the feet of Vyasa and asked for forgiveness.

The birth of Parasurama

We have briefly narrated the story of Parasurama (Rama with the axe as weapon) in Samskruthi. The following is the interesting story of his birth as told by Krishna to Yudhishthira as they traveled to meet Bhishma lying on his bed of arrows.

There was a king by name Kusika (kuSika), a descendant of Yayati in the lunar dynasty. He had a son by name Gathi (gaathi). The latter had a daughter by name Satyavati.

Rceeka was a Brahmin who was a descendant (great grandson) of the famous sage, Bhrigu. This Bhrigu was one of the sons of Brahma, the creator. Gaathi married his daughter, Satyavati, to Rceeka acknowledging the powers from meditation of the young Brahmin. The sage was pleased with the devotion he received from him wife and wanted to bless her with a son. He made an offering in fire by chanting suitable Mantras and gave the left over (Caru) to his wife. He told her. “You partake this and you shall be blessed with a son with great meditative powers”.

As was the life style in those days, his mother-in-law, Satyavati, was also young enough to bear children. Rceeka wanted to pay tribute to his mother-in-law through a similar reward. The sage prepared a separate Caru by invoking different Mantras this time and gave it to his wife, saying, “you take this to your mother. She shall, in due course, beget a child who will become a powerful warrior of great repute”. The obedient wife did accordingly.

But, Satyavati must have thought that Rceeka had used a better recipe in preparing the Caru for his wife and cleverly interchanged hers with that of her daughter. The two ladies soon got in the family way.

Rceeka observed his wife one day and remarked. “I can see just looking at your belly that you are going to give birth to a son full of valour. He will rise to the rank of a world renowned warrior by waging several great wars and cruel killings. He will have none of the composure (satva guna) of a Brahmin. There must have been some mix up. I have no doubt about it. How did this happen?”.

Satyavati was perplexed and approached her mother. She finally got the secret of the exchange from her mother and reported that to Rceeka. She pleaded with her husband. “I have no role in this exchange. Kindly forgive me. I do not want a warrior son. You have the powers to change the whole world. Please give me a son who will be more like you. ”

Rceeka thought for a while and said. “I cannot nullify the effect of the powerful Caru. But, I can keep its action pending. Let it be your grandson who will be born with the effect of the Caru”.

Viswamitra

Sage Gathi soon got a son by name Viswamitra. He became a great sage in due course and rose to the rank of a Vedic seer. The most famous of the Mantras, the Gayatri of the sun (Savita), is attributed to Viswamitra. Every time it is chanted the name of the sage (Rishi) is remembered as Viswamitra, the son of Gathi (Gathino Viswamitrah rishih). Viswamitra is also referred often as the descendant of Kusika (kauSika viSwamitra).

The birth of Jamadagni and Parasurama

Satyavati gave birth to Jamadagni who became a reputed sage in time. Jamadagni married Renuka who gave birth to the celebrated Parasurama. We have already learnt many of the pursuits of Parasurama.

We know how closely linked is the main story of Mahabharata with that of the powerful Rama with the axe.

Kalidasa’s famous simile

Kalidasa was one of the most famous among the ancient Sanskrit poets. His works, especially, the play called “Abhijnana Sakuntalam” is world renowned. He became famous after he wrote the great poem “the dynasty of Raghu (Raghu Vamsam)”.

Kalidsa shines in several aspects of poetry. His narrations of nature are superb. Probably, he is best known for his similes.

Simile comes so naturally to him that there is one in almost every stanza in Raghuvamsam. Almost all of them can be quoted for their beauty and imagination. But, the one which earned him the adjective of “torchlight (deepaSikha) Kalidasa” is the most famous.

The wedding of princess Indumati

The poem starts the narration of kings in the dynasty in Raghuvamsam with king Dileepa. His son was named Aja. He was one of the invitees at the time of the wedding of the princess Indumati of Vidarbha. As was the common practice in those days among the royals, Indumati could make her free will (Swayamvara), while choosing a prince from those assembled as her groom.

The Simile

The arrangement used to be to seat the invited kings on suitable thrones around a marriage hall. The princess, then, would be taken around by her friends. As the party neared a particular king the friends of the bride would go into the qualities of the prospective groom. They would narrate the history of the dynasty with details of some famous kings in that. They, then, would go into the merits, including the wars won, of the prospective groom.

The king on his part would have already known about the beauty and other accomplishments of the bride. Naturally, each among those assembled would have lost his heart for the princess. As the procession leading the princess in front approached a king even from a distance, his face would light up with expectation. The nearer the princess came the brighter would be the face of the king. If the princess rejected him and proceeded ahead without placing the garland of acceptance around his neck, his face would naturally fall. This mood is what is described in the following four lines by Kalidasa.

“sancaariNee deepaSikhaiva raatrou

yam yam vyateeyaaya patimvaraa saa

narendra margaatta iva prapede

vivarNabhaavam sa sa bhoomipaalah”

Moving like a torch light at night, she (Indumati), that suitor of a husband, (the face of ) each (king) whom she left behind and went ahead, like a house along the royal arcade (on the approach of the burning torch), turned bleak. (The face brightening up earlier on her approach is thereby implied)

The simile was so acclaimed that Kalidasa became famous as “deepasikhaa Kalidasa” or Kalidasa of Deepasikha fame.

The Indian calendar (solar)

India follows both the lunar and solar calendars. Both use the actual movement of the moon or the sun during the current year. That is, the start of the month and the number of days, have to be calculated afresh each year. The traditional system was lunar. The religious ceremonies, even now, are mostly based on that. Some parts of India, still, follow it socially also.

The Solar calendar

Luckily, the question is on the Malayalam calendar followed in Kerala.

Indians use the signs of the Zodiac, called “raaSi” for astrological purposes. This is, of course, solar. We, in Kerala, follow the “raaSi” for the calendar.

This solar system uses the twelve signs of Zodiac. The names of constellation as known in the west are given below. The Sanskrit names with the meaning are given in brackets: Aries (Mesha – ram), Taurus (rshabha – bull), Gemini (mithuna – twins), Cancer (karkitaka – crab), Leo (simha – lion), Virgo (kanya – maiden), Libra (tula – scales), Scorpio (vriscika – scorpion), Sagittarius (dhanus – bow), Capricorn (makara – shark or crocodile), Aquarius (kumbha – water pot), Pisces (meena – fish) .The meaning differs somewhat in English and in Sanskrit. E.g. Virgo = woman (kanya – maiden). Sagitarius = archer (dhanus – bow). Capricorn = horn of goats (makara – shark or crocodile), Aqvuarius = figure of water carrier (kumbha – pot)

The name of months as used in Kerala is close to the Sanskrit name of “raasi”, but, not exactly the same.

New Year

The day in summer on which the sun came right on top of the equator (the spring equinox) was taken to be the start of the year. Thousands of years ago that happened on the start of Aries (mesha) which was around the middle of April. Later astrologers (astronomers) have realized that the calendar needed correction (by about a month). But, the old system prevails.

One king in Kerala, 1183 years ago, arbitrarily decided to shift the new year to the first of Leo (“sinha”). So, the new calendar starts with “sinha”, but, the new year remains as the 1^st of “mesha”.

Several other places in India, understandably, base their calendar on the same system. But, the name of months is different. The start of the year also changes by a few days. The difference must only be due to the difference in calculating the movement of the sun.

Variable days

There is something peculiar about this system. Months have days varying between 28 and 32 and the number of days can differ from year to year. This is because the calendar is not one that is fixed arbitrarily. Instead, the actual position of the sun (and hence, of the earth) with respect to the twelve constellations is calculated afresh every year.

One advantage of the system is that it does not have to bother about the complexity of leap year. The correction on that account is absorbed in the number of days in months each year.

It goes without saying that this system will never meet the Julian calendar. There is almost a fixed difference in the start of the year.

I am trying to get information on the solar calendar followed elsewhere in India. The lunar calendar shall be posted separately.

The significance of various numbers in Ancient Indian Knowledge

There is an interesting comment by one of the readers, posted to Arshajnanam, in the context of the story of the sixteen kings. The question is about the significance of the number sixteen and whether it has any relation to the number, four, signifying various concepts like the four Vedas and the four stages in life. The answer to that question, probably, is “no”.

The number four is important, no doubt about it. So are many of the others as given below. As far I understand the reason for picking up sixteen kings is not because of the four Vedas or the four epochs. There are so many other issues with sixteen. For example, there are sixteen purification ceremonies (for Brahmins) – the shoDaSa samskaaraas - starting from conception of the embryo till death. The moon is supposed to have sixteen (and not fifteen) phases (Kala) which is reflected in many of the Tantric rituals.

Most of the numbers starting from 1 (and even zero) have significance associated with them in the ancient Indian sciences. In a philosophical discussion, if some one mentioned the number 1, it may be interpreted as signifying one god or the one absolute truth. Two could mean the two aspects of god, one being the reflection of the other, like the temporal (of humans or the “jeevaatma”) and the absolute (of the ultimate god or the “paramaatma”). Three signifies the three worlds, the three fires in rituals and so on.

Associating concepts with numbers is used widely in ancient Indian knowledge like astronomy and mathematics. Poetry was the medium to record and transmit knowledge. Words meaning elements in nature and concepts in philosophy fit in better than numbers in poems. The following two stories, though esoteric, demonstrate the significance of numbers.

The story of Ashtavakra

We had covered the story of the great scholar with eight bends on his body (Ashtaavakra) in Samskruthi. We mentioned, in that context, a philosophical discussion he had with an opponent by name Vandi. We did not go into the details. Let us go a bit into that now.

Vandi started. “One is the fire which burns in different forms, one is the sun that alights the whole world, …”

To that Ashtaavakra responded. “Two are the gods – Indra and Agni, two are the heavenly sages – Narada and Parvata, ….”

Vandi refuted. “……There are three offerings – savanam- in Yajnas , there are three worlds and ….”.

It went on and on, one upping the other with the significance of the next number. When Ashtaavakra reached thirteen Vandi accepted defeat.

A parody for the story

There is an amusing story which sounds like a parody of the above. It is widely told and retold, but, we are not sure of its origin.

As in the case of Ashtaavakra a great scholar announced his arrival at the palace of a king and challenged all in the kingdom to meet him on a scholarly debate. It was the custom for such scholars to go around, challenge opponents, defeat them and win gifts and fame in the process.

The reputation of the visitor was such that no one in the host kingdom dared to face him in a verbal duel. If they got beaten which was highly likely, they would get into the bad books of the king. The scholars of the land went into quick consultations on the possible way out. Finally, they came up with a plan. They caught hold of the greatest fool around and gave him strict instructions to follow. The first rule was that he should not open his mouth at all. What all he needed to do was to raise one finger more than what was shown by the opponent, in response.

The Debate

Then, they went to the king and revealed their arrangement to him. They convinced the king that that was the only way to face the opponent and retain the prestige of the kingdom. The king realized the situation and gave his approval. Then, they announced in the assembly that the scholar of their choice was, unfortunately, in his period of silence (Mauna Vratam). But, there was no problem. He would meet the visitor in a debate. He would listen to the arguments and respond appropriately by raising his fingers. It used to be quite a normal practice those days for people to observe periods of silence. It even carried a certain respect for such people. The guest was impressed with the arrangement. But, he was confident that he could beat any opponent, silent or not. Against a silent opponent what was the need to talk? He was quite capable of arguing a point through gestures.

The debate started. The visitor raised his finger, probably meaning that god was one. As arranged, the defender looked at the raised ringers with a grim expression and, after giving the right time gap raised his two fingers.

The challenger was not worried with the response. He could easily interpret the response as “the ultimate god may be one, but, is manifested as two – the Jeevaatma and the Paramaatma”. He thought for the appropriate argument against it and raised three of his fingers. He might have meant to say that the real manifestation is as the triumvirate – Brahma, Vishnu and Siva or that the two are manifested throughout the three worlds. It made no difference for the defender.

After a short “studied” pause four fingers of the defending scholar were raised. The visitor looked at the fingers and thought. “Surely he is saying that the god is manifested as three, but, we know about them through the four Vedas”. He was impressed. How profound!

How to refute that argument? He thought deeply and raised five fingers. Soon enough, he was refuted by six raised fingers of his defender. The debate went on and on like that. Each response from the defending scholar made the challenger go deeper and deeper into thought, pondering over all the sciences and scriptures. His respect for the defender increased every time he was refuted ‘appropriately’ by him. Finally, he gave up. He accepted defeat. It was a great privilege for him to meet such a brilliant scholar, well versed in all fields of knowledge!

The king was happy. He rewarded both the challenger and defender with lavish gifts. He did not leave out the supporters of the great scholar. It was not a small matter that the prestige of the whole country was held high by the silent scholar.

The story of Sakuntala (Part 2)

Sarvadamana was six years of age when sage Kanva thought that it was time for Sakuntala to go to Dushyanta with her son. He asked his disciples to accompany the pair to the king.

The meeting

The party announced their arrival to the king as was the custom and then entered the royal court. Dushyanata received the visitors seated on his throne. He did not give out any hint of recognizing his wife, wedded by mutual consent (Gandharava Vidhi).

Sakuntala bowed before the king and announced herself and her son. “King, here is your son whom you have promised to make the heir apparent. Please accept him and keep your word”.

Dushyanta feigned ignorance and spoke words that would have hurt the feelings of any woman in that situation. He said. “I do not recognize you nor do I remember giving any such words. You must be a cunning woman appearing in the guise of a hermit. I refuse to accept you or your son. You may leave or remain as you like”.

Poor Sakuntala was shocked with the turn of events which was so unexpected. She stood hanging her head down and sending angry side glances towards the king. She could not speak for a few moments.

Then she spoke going into the details of her birth, how she was adopted by sage Kanva, how Dushyanta happened to meet her in the hermitage, how they got into marriage and finally how the boy was born as a result. She concluded asking “why do you pretend ignorance of things that you surely know about? The sun, the moon and other elements of nature stood witness to our affairs”

Dushyanta went a step further to insult Sakuntala saying, “if that was how you were born, I am not surprised that you made this false allegation against me”.

There were some hot exchanges between Sakuntala and Dushyanta, each giving the other lessons on moral codes. The king maintained his stand till the very end. Finally Sakuntala said. “If you refuse to honour your words I shall leave with my son. But, remember, this son of yours is destined to rule the entire world when he grows up”.

It is said that at the very instant a voice was heard from heaven which said. “Dushyanta, what Sakuntala said is true. Accept her and her son who is yours as well. He shall rule your land and become famous by the name of Bharata (one who rules admirably)”

Dushyanta accepts Sakuntala

Dushyanta heard the words and turned to all present in the court including the priests and elders of the society. “Did you all hear the words from heaven? I knew the truth of Sakuntala’s words even earlier. But, if I had accepted her merely on her words without any convincing evidence, doubts might have lingered in some of your minds. The lineage of the future monarch of this country should never be in question. That is why I had to pretend ignorance at the beginning even at the cost of hurting my legally wedded queen”.

Thus, Sakuntala was accepted by the king along with her son. Sarvadamana grew up to become the monarch of the vast kingdom and earned the name of Bharata as prophesied. India, and the epic Mahabhaaratam, got the name because of him.

Kalidasa’s Sakuntalam

Kalidasa makes the story a lot more interesting through a couple of twists in the plot. He introduces a curse on Sakuntala from the mercurial sage, Durvasa, that Dushyanata would fail to recognize her when she went to him. That was because Sakuntala, lost in thought of Dushyanta, failed to notice the visiting sage. When pacified, the sage toned the curse down saying that any identification would help the king to get back his memory. Hence the name, “of Sakuntala with the signet for identification (Abhijnana Sakuntalam)”

Kalidasa’s Sakuntala was sent to Dushyanta while she was still pregnant. She had taken with her the royal signet that the king had given her before parting (in Kalidasa’s Sakuntalam). Unfortunately, that was lost in the river on the way. No one noticed the loss at that time. Naturally, Dushyanata refused to recognize Sakuntala, genuinely in Kalidasa’s version. She tried to remind the king quoting events of their honeymoon in the hermitage. That did not help him either. In utter despair, Sakuntala appealed to mother earth to take her into her fold, away from the king. The poet says that a divine person appeared there at that time and carried Sakuntala away from the scene. She was taken to the hermitage of sage Mareeca where she delivered a boy and lived happily.

The ring was swallowed by a fish which happened to be caught by a fisherman. Soldiers hearing about the incident took the fisherman along with the ring to the king. The sight of the ring brought back the lost memory of Sakuntala to Dushyanta. He started repenting for not recognizing and accepting Sakuntala.

Later, while on an expedition to fight against a demon, Dushyanta reached the hermitage where Sakuntala lived with her boy. The happy re-union of the king with his wife and son took place there.

Extra characters

Kalidasa has introduced a few additional characters for effectiveness. The king was accompanied by his court jester (Vidooshaka) most of the time in the play. Sakuntala has two friends in the hermitage of Kanva with whom she was close. There was also a deer that was her pet. These characters added a lot more life to the story in the play, especially in the parting scene.

Kalidasa’s poetry and drama

The whole play by Kalidasa is packed with drama brought out by poetry of extreme beauty. The very first act has one stanza which is worth quoting. The king’s entry to the hermitage is highly dramatic, chasing a deer in his chariot. He describes the movements of the escaping animal to his jester thus:

“Look at the deer. He is running ahead constantly turning his back to me fearing my arrow. Thus, his head appears to be broken at the neck, as though. The half chewed grass is being dropped all along his path. He is taking such long leaps into the air that he hardly touches the ground in between”. It is a three dimensional and highly dynamic picture that the four lines of poetry so deftly portray.

At that very time there is a voice from the background, “this is a hermitage and everything around this place, including this animal, is part of it. No killing here, please!”

Dushyanta’s first meeting with Sakuntala is another good example of Kalidasa’s poetic excellene. She was plucking flowers for use by the hermits and is being harassed by a bee. At the same time she is aware of the arrival of the king with his companion on the scene, but, pretends ignorance. She is darting her glances slyly here and there with exaggerated movement of her eye lashes. She is also taking steps from one flower to the other, at the same time preventing the attack of the bee. On the whole she was moving “like a danseuse without the accompaniment of (drum) music”.

Let us go to the scene after the king recovered from the curse and recollected his days with Sakuntala. He was highly nostalgic and wanted to paint the scenes in the hermitage. He talks with his court jester.

“I want to paint the river (Malini by name) that flows gently, along with the pair of swans which usually takes rest on its sandy banks. I want to include the hill which rises behind that with its gentle slopes. There is that old tree which stands bare after it has pealed its skin off its trunk. Resting under the tree is the usual pair of deer. The female is gently rubbing its eye against the horn of its partner and there by is trying to get relief from the itching. (There is so much peace and mutual trust)”

There is no end, if we try to go into the highly dramatic scenes in the play. Sakuntala’s farewell to the in-mates of Kanva’s hermitage is worth mentioning. Sage Kanva who was a recluse exclaimed. “The thought of Sakuntala’s departure fills my eyes with tears, chokes my throat and turns my mind blank. If that is my state who has abandoned all worldly ties, what will be the condition of householders in the same circumstance?”

It is so frustrating and almost ridiculous to try to narrate Kalidasa’s world famous play in a few lines. Yet, we have to do what is possible for the sake of comparison.

(concluded)

The story of Sakuntala

King Dushyanta

It is said that Dushyanata presided over an empire that spread as far as the oceans on all sides. He was a just king and ruled the land strictly by the law. There was plenty everywhere and the people lived happily without fear of robbers and thieves.

The hunting expedition

The kings in those days frequently used to go hunting. It was partly for the fun and partly to protect hermits from wild animals, and demons who harassed them. One day Dushyanta set on such an expedition. An army of assistants accompanied the king with hunting equipment and taking with them horses and dogs to chase game animals. The citizens watched with pride as their king march through the land and were all in his praise looking at his handsome figure.

The party hunted in a forest not too far away from the palace throughout the day and was soon overwhelmed with thirst and physical exhaustion. They started looking for water and found a clearing which drew the attention of the king. He asked the people behind him to move with caution and went ahead to explore the place.

The hermitage of a great sage

What lay ahead was a place of heavenly beauty and absolute peace. Green meadows were interspersed with trees in full blossom. Flowers that fell from the trees made patterns over the meadows. Birds of various types sang with an abandon. Bees sat on tree trunks and helped themselves lavishly on honey that was in plenty. Vedic hymns gently resonated out of a few hermitages that were concealed behind the thick growth of trees. There was a river that quietly flowed behind the row of the hermits’ huts. Perfect tranquility prevailed over the entire terrain.

The king entered the area warning his companions not to disturb the peace of the hermitage at any cost. As he advanced, a gentle breeze blew carrying the intoxicating fragrance from the flowering trees with it. Dushyanta thought that it must be a sage of great penance who lived in such a place cut off completely from human habitation.

A sweet welcome

Finding no one around, Dushyanta announced himself politely, as was the custom, and asked for the hosts who lived there. He was surprised to find a damsel emerging out of a hut who, to the eyes of the young king, did not fit in the harsh living conditions of a hermitage. She simply and sweetly spoke the words of welcome and offered her guest a seat, and water to wash his feet as per the tradition. Then she asked. “What can I do for you, your excellency?”

Dushyanta replied. “I am king Dushyanta of the dynasty of Purus. I came hunting and arrived at this place by accident. Now I want to pay my respects to the sage who lives here. Who are you, fair maiden? You do not seem from your appearance to belong to this place.”

Sakuntala’s Story

In reply, the sweet young girl introduced herself. She was the daughter of sage Viswamitra born of the celestial damsel, Menaka. The sage was performing long years of penance performing a number of sacrificial rituals (Yajna) that terrified Indra, the king of gods. There is a tradition that one who performed one hundred such rituals qualified himself to the heavenly throne. Indra wanted to disturb the meditation of Viswamitra by whatever means at his disposal. The first and easiest choice fell on Menaka, one of the most beautiful and talented among the celestial damsels. That was normally an unfailing tool in the hands of the king of gods.

Menaka was apprehensive of the sage and his powers from meditation. Indra assured her of her safety. That was how the heavenly lady set out on her mission. Menaka sang sweetly and danced seductively and waited for the sage to open his eyes. When it was time for sage Viswamitra to open his eyes a gentle breeze blew, apparently instigated by Indra, to expose the curves of Menaka. Indra did not go wrong in his calculation.The pent up emotions of sage Viswamitra was roused at the sight of the pretty and voluptuous Menaka. The result was their union and the birth of a pretty female baby. It is said Menaka abandoned her at birth, as nursing the baby was not part of the deal. Viswamitra’s only concern was to get back to his penance and make up for all the damage that was done to it by his not so pious adventure. The hapless baby found only the company of some little birds that perched around and took care of her.

Sage Kanwa happened to pass by the scene and stumbled upon the abandoned child. He adopted the baby out of kindness and left it under the care of his good lady. The baby was named Sakuntala as she was saved by the little birds known by the name, Sakunta.

A marriage of consent

Dushyanta had already fallen in love at the very first sight of the sweet Sakuntala. The knowledge that she was the daughter of Viswamitra who was originally a king himself, assured the king that she was one of his kind. The king proposed a marriage of mutual consent (Gaandharva Vidhi) which was widely accepted as one suitable for the royalty. Sakuntala was apprehensive in the beginning, though she was charmed by the looks of the young king. Dushyanta assured her that he would make her his queen in due course. Sakuntala asked for a better commitment from the king. If a male child was born to them, he should be made the future king. Dushyanta was willing to give his word on that.

The two accepted each other as husband and wife. Only the birds and trees of the hermitage stood witness for the unusual marriage. The king left in due course without waiting for sage Kanwa to return. He did promise to send his emissaries to take his queen to the palace in due course.

Soon, Kanwa returned. Sakuntala’s mind was in turmoil thinking about the reaction of his guardian when he would hear about the recent events that took place in his absence. But, she had to boldly tell him the truth. The sage was not upset on hearing the story. He was not against the alliance as he knew that the right place for his adopted daughter was a palace.

Sakuntala gave birth to a son in due course. Kanwa performed all the ceremonies that were due for a royal child from birth onwards. The boy grew playing with the wild animals that roamed near the hermitage and soon was acclaimed to be one of extraordinary strength and courage. Accordingly, he was named Sarvadamana or one who subdued all around him.

(To be concluded in the next episode)