Tuesday, March 27, 2012

Part 6 of Madhavi's story - Narada's list of couples made for each other


7 tathety uktvā dvijaśreṣṭhaḥ prādāt kanyāṃ mahīpateḥ
vidhipūrvaṃ ca tāṃ rājā kanyāṃ pratigṛhītavān
8 reme sa tasyāṃ rājarṣiḥ prabhāvatyāṃ yathā raviḥ
svāhāyāṃ ca yathā vahnir yathā śacyāṃ sa vāsavaḥ
9 yathā candraś ca rohiṇyāṃ yathā dhūmorṇayā yamaḥ
varuṇaś ca yathā gauryāṃ yathā carddhyāṃ dhaneśvaraḥ
10 yathā nārāyaṇo lakṣyāṃ jāhnavyāṃ ca yathodadhiḥ
yathā rudraś ca rudrāṇyāṃ yathā vedyāṃ pitāmahaḥ
11 adṛśyantyāṃ ca vāsiṣṭho vasiṣṭhaś cākṣamālayā
cyavanaś ca sukanyāyāṃ pulastyaḥ saṃdhyayā yathā
12 agastyaś cāpi vaidarbhyāṃ sāvitryāṃ satyavān yathā
yathā bhṛguḥ pulomāyām adityāṃ kaśyapo yathā
13 reṇukāyāṃ yatharcīko haimavatyāṃ ca kauśikaḥ
bṛhaspatiś ca tārāyāṃ śukraś ca śataparvayā
14 yathā bhūmyāṃ bhūmipatir urvaśyāṃ ca purūravāḥ
ṛcīkaḥ satyavatyāṃ ca sarasvatyāṃ yathā manuḥ
15 tathā tu ramamāṇasya divodāsasya bhūpateḥ
mādhavī janayām āsa putram ekaṃ pratardanam


The above verses are from the Sanskrit Vyasa Mahabharata, available on the Sacred-Texts.COM website. http://www.sacred-texts.com/hin/mbs/mbs05115.htm. There, the Chapter N. 115 in Vol. 5 Udyoga Parva or the Volume of War Efforts.

Observe from my post "Part 2 of Madhavi's story" here, which contains the full text of Madhavi's story in Mahabharata. The verses I quoted, tally with the Sacred-Texts. Probably our source is same.

List of ideal couples in the above verses
-----------------------------------------
prabhAvatyAm yathA ravih- -- Sun God with prabhAvati;
svAhAyAm ca yathA vahnir -- Fire God with svAhA devi
SacyAm sa vAsavah -- Indra with SacI dEvi
candraS ca rohiNyAm yathA dhUmorNayA yamah-
varuNaS ca yathA gauryAm yathA carddhyAm dhanESvarah
^
yathA nArAyaNo lakshmyAm jAhnavyAm ca yathodadhih-
yathA rudraS ca rudrANyAm yathA vEdyAm pitAmahah
^

udyOg 115 011 adriSyantyAm ca vAsishTho vasishThaS cAkshamAlayA-
cyavanaS ca sukanyAyAm pulastyah samdhyayA yathA
^
|| agastyaS cApi vaidarbhyAm sAvitryAm satyavAn yathA-
yathA bhriguh pulomAyAm adityAm kaSyapo yathA
^
|| rENukAyAm yathArcIko haimavatyAm ca kauSikah-
brihaspatiS ca tArAyAm SukraS ca SataparvayA
^
|| yathA bhUmyAm bhUmipatir urvaSyAm ca purUravAh-
ricIkah satyavatyAm ca sarasvatyAm yathA manuh
^
|| tathA tu ramamANasya divodAsasya bhUpatEh-
mAdhavI janayAm Asa putram Ekam pratardanam
^

udyOg 115 016 athAjagAma bhagavAn divodAsam sa gAlavah-
samayE samanuprAptE vacanam cEdam abravIt
^
|| niryAtayatu mE kanyAm bhavAms tishThantu vAjinah-
yAvad anyatra gacchAmi SulkArtham prithivIpatE
^
|| divodAso atha dharmAtmA samayE gAlavasya tAm-
kanyAm niryAtayAm Asa sthitah satyE mahIpatih




prabhAvatyAm ravih- -- Sun God with prabhAvati;
svAhAyAm ca vahnir -- Fire God with svAhA devi
SacyAm sa vAsavah -- Indra with SacI dEvi
candraS ca rohiNyAm -- Moon and rOhini
dhUmorNayA yamah- -- God of death with dhUmOrNi
varuNaS ca gauryAm -- Rain/Water God with gauri.
carddhyAm dhanESvarah -- God of Wealth kubEra with riddhi
nArAyaNo lakshmyAm -- Lakshmi with VishNu
jAhnavyAm ca yathodadhih-- God of Ocean with jAhnavi
rudraS ca rudrANyAm -- rudra with rudrANi (presumably Siva with pArvati)
vEdyAm pitAmahah -- Creator with vEdi (probably sarasvati)
adriSyantyAm ca vAsishTho -- Sakti s/o vaSiShTha with adriSyanti
vasishThaS cAkshamAlayA- -- vaSishTha with arundhati
cyavanaS ca sukanyAyAm -- chyavana with sukanya
pulastyah samdhyayA -- pulastya with sandhya
agastyaS cApi vaidarbhyAm -- agastya with lOpAmudra
sAvitryAm satyavAn - -- satyavan with sAvitri (satI SAvitri fame)
bhriguh pulomAyAm -- bhrigu with pulomi
adityAm kaSyapo -- kaSyapa with aditi (Mother Indra, VishNu)
rENukAyAm rcIko -- jamadagni with rENuka
haimavatyAm ca kauSikah- -- viSvAmitra with haimavati
brihaspatiS ca tArAyAm -- Brihaspati (Jupiter) with tAra
SukraS ca SataparvayA -- Sukra with (Sataparva)
bhUmyAm bhUmipatir -- bhUmipati with bhUmi (Vague. Vishnu and BhUmi?)
urvaSyAm ca purUravAh- -- purUrava with UrvaSi
ricIkah satyavatyAm -- ricika (father of jamadagni) with satyavati
ca sarasvatyAm manuh -- manu with sarasvati

This list has total 27 couples.


Let us now compare this list with Ganguli's English translation which I have given in part 3 of mAdhavi's story, at this blog.

Surya with Prabhavati,
Agni with Swaha,
Vasava with Sachi,
Chandra with Rohini,
Yama with Urmila,
Varuna with Gauri,
Kuvera with Riddhi,
Narayana with Lakshmi,
Sagara with Jahnavi,
Rudra with Rudrani,
the Grandsire with Saraswati,
Vasishtha's son Saktri with Adrisyanti,
Vasishtha with Arundhati (called also Akshamala),
Chyavana with Sukanya,
Pulastya with Sandhya,
Agastya with the princess of Vidarbha Lopamudra,
Satyavan with Savitri,
Bhrigu with Puloma,
Kasyapa with Aditi,
Richika's son Jamadagni with Renuka,
Kusika's son Viswamitra with Himavati,
Brihaspati with Tara,
Sukra with Sataprava,
Bhumipati with Bhumi,
Pururavas with Urvasi,
Richika with Satyavati,
Manu with Saraswati,
Dushyanta with Sakuntala,
the eternal Dharma with Dhriti,
Nala with Damayanti,
Narada, with Satyavati,
Jaratkaru with Jaratkaru,
Pulastya with Pratichya,
Urnayus with Menaka,
Tumvuru with Rambha,
Vasuki with Satasirsha,
Dhananjaya (Arjuna) with Kamari,
Rama with the princess of Videha Sita, or
Janardana with Rukmini.

Observe: Ganguli's list has 39 couples. His source might have been Bengal version of Sanskrita mahAbhArata.


ybrems
Notable omissions in the West-India version:
1) Sita and Rama
2) Arjuna and kamari - who is this kamari? What is the etymology (origin of the name) ? Definitely she may not be draupadi. She may not be subhadra (krishNa's sister).
3) krishNa and rukmiNi
4) tumburu (celestial singer) with rambha (celestial damsel)
5) UrNAyu with mEnaka. UrNAyu was a gandharva, a leader of6 celestial singing tribe.
6) pulastya with pratIci
7) husband Sage jaratkAru with his wife jaratkAru
8) nArada with satyavati (nArada was telling mAdhavi's story to duryOdhana. Why did nArada omit his own name?)
9) nala with damayanti
10) dharma with dhriti (This 'dharma' seems to be different from the God of Death 'dharma).
11) dushyanta with Sakuntala
12) king of snakes 'Vasuki' with 'SataSirsha'.

These are probably DIFFERENCES ARISING OUT OF GEOGRAPHICAL VERSIONS AND VARIANCES. I shall not make a fuss of this. Readers may make their own deductions and inferences.

What I want to highlight:

Sage gAlava sold Madhavi for 200 horses to king divOdasa (or exchanged or gave her for dower or whatever it may be). The contract was for one year. The King and Madhavi were (or only the king was?) enjoying for one year. Okay. Was this really comparable to the 39 ideal couples quoted by Ganguli and the 27 couples quoted by Bombay version?

Why did nArada compare only divOdasa and mAdhavi with the ideal couples? Why didn't nArada compare the Ayodhya King Haryasva (first fellow who bought mAdhavi) and mAdhavi to the 39/27 ideal couples? Nor did he compare king No.3 usInara + mAdhavi with the 39/27 ideal couples?

Why did nArada omit his own name from the ideal couples list in the Bombay version?
Wasn't nArada a celibate?

If nArada could include his own name, Arjuna's name, krishna's name, (as per Ganguli-Bengal list), why could n't he include some names like dhritarAshTra - gandhAri, visvAmitra - mEnaka, duryOdhana - bhAnumati?

Telugu actor and former Chief Minister of Andhra Pradesh, Late NTR made a film named 'dAna vIra SUra karNa', popularly known as DVSK. He filmed even a love song for duryOdhana and bhAnumati. The approximate gist of the song was 'ayyArE vicitram! hE Great spectacle! Kings who remain always busy with political affairs and administrative burdens, spending some time in a secluded corner with their wives, is it not real fun?'

Sage nArada gave a near 350 verse discourse to duryOdhana, which would have taken at least 700 minutes (@ 2 minutes per verse) or about 12 hours. The Epic didn't mention whether duryOdhana went to ease himself to the loo or asked his attendants to bring some water and tiffins/meals to himself and the Sage. Before nArada's discourse, duryOdhana heard kanva's didactics. That would have taken another 2 or 3 hours. duryOdhana didn't revolt against nArada, probably, only because the Prince had already suffered once in the hands of Sage maitrEya, for revolting.

ybrems

nArada telling gAlava's story (mAdhavi's story + 1000 unnecessary things) as a part of his advice to duryOdhana was very inapt and senseless. Consequently, duryOdhana preferred to die in battle rather than face the boredom of discourses by so called elders.

If krishNa, nArada, bhIshma, drONa, kripa, aswatthAma, were convinced that yudhishThira's claim for his share of Kingdom was genuine and just, they should have forced dhritarAshtra to issue a partition decree, granting at least the five villages claimed by pAnDavas. If duryOdhana revolted, bhIShma and other elders should have got duryOdhana, karNa, Sakuni and DuS-Sasana arrested. Or nArada should have used his divine powers (if he had such powers) and cursed duryOdhana to become a stone, then and there.


ybrems
RamayaNa and mahAbhArata were sung by chroniclers in temples and at other public places, with financial patronage from the rulers. Discourses were given by scholars in temples narrating the family trees of the ruling dynasties. The chroniclers and scholars, naturally, had to compare the kings and their women with the top and the best in the heaven. Hence, the comparison with Creator, VishNu, Rudra, Rama, Krishna, Arjuna, Rain God,Fire god, God of Heavens, God of Death, what not! The 39 couples and 27 couples have thus appeared in mahAbhArata, out of context.

Today, human civilisation is trumpeted as greatly advanced and progressing. Media prepares lists. Top 100 influential persons, Top 100 most powerful women, Top 100 ideal couples, Top 100 Universities etc. Won't the include the names of Obama couple, Sarkozi couple, Cameroon couple, Elizabeth and Philip, some Williams and Duchess Cat, Putin and his wife, some pop singer couples, some foot-ballers, some golfers, some Toms, Dicks and Harries who have moolah.

Just as "prostituion' is one of the oldest professions in the world 'PAID NEWS' is also one of the oldest professions in the world.

3 comments:

  1. Shri ybrao: Wonderful exposition on the Madhavi story and particularly this post with the list of ideal couples. My compliments. You have raised the issue how Narada - Satyavati pair came about when Narada is supposed to be a celibate. Everything is possible in our puranas and the quantum mechanics. Please keep up the intellectual vigor and fearless analysis in your blogs.

    ReplyDelete
  2. Anonymous2:17 PM

    I second the above comment. You did an amazing job critically analyzing the Mahabharata.

    ReplyDelete
  3. Any description on the story of
    Vasuki with Satasirsha?? Plz if someone can share a link. M a big nag bhakt. Thanks

    ReplyDelete

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