Bits of life

J-29 Words-2000

went to banish her to the forest because she wore a particular garland given by god Kartikeya. Wearing the garland made her the enemy of the dreaded Bhishma. With an ambition to have a son, Drupada went to the forest and prayed for a son. Shiva granted a boon and Drupada back only to have Shikhandini as his child. When she was a young woman she wore the garland of fresh lotuses. Looking at her, wearing the garland of fresh lotuses, Drupada realized that she would truly kill Bhishma.

At Hastinapur, during this period different things took place. Vichitraveerya too died soon after marriage because his weak health could not withstand the demands of married life with two wives, Ambika and Ambalika.
For Satyavati the queen mother, there was a fresh question of how not to let the line of Kurus come to an end. So she thought of a plan. First she asked Bhishma to do the duty of a husband for her daughters in law. Bhishma refused to oblige her due to the celibacy pledge he took. She called for Vyasa, the son she had with Parashara before her marriage with Shantanu. She sent Bhishma as her messenger to Vyasa to bring him over to the Hastinapur palace.

Bhishma met Vyasa at his hermitage and delivered the message of Satyavati to him. Vyasa said that he would definitely come to answer the call of his mother. Bhishma was surprised to know of this relationship between the queen mother Satyavati and Vyasa. Vyasa explained to Bhishma the story behind their bond. He also said, Bhishma might have refused to oblige her because she was not his real mother. He would oblige her because for him, she was his real mother.

Bhishma and Vyasa reached Hastinapur and Bhishma took him to the chambers of Satyavati. She requested him to oblige her daughters in law to become pregnant with children. Vyasa agreed and went into the chamber of Ambika first. Looking at his face full of black beard and fierce dark eyes, Ambika closed her eyes out of fear. The union between a sage like Vyasa and any other woman was done through not body but by the spirit. He told Satyavati that looking on his face, Ambika got afraid and closed her eyes unable to see the bearded and dark eyed sage. As a result she would give birth to a son who would be blind.

Out of hope to attain a perfect son Satyavati asked Vyasa to go to Ambalika for the same purpose. He went to her chamber and waited for Ambalika to come to him. When Ambalika went to him, Vyasa turned to her. On looking at his face, Ambalika lost her cool and was stunned out of wits. She turned pale and her face looked bloodless. Vyasa told Satyavati since Ambalika went pale at the union, she would beget a son suffering from nicoderma or paling of the skin. Satyavati was bitterly disappointed. She wanted Vyasa to go to Ambalika once again. But Ambalika was so afraid that she had sent in her maid servant in her place. The maid served the sage with all her heart and devotion. She was blessed with a male child full of clever thoughts and wisdom.

Satyavati was once again disappointed at the situation but there was nothing for her to do anymore.
Sage Vyasa left the inner courts of queen mother Satyavati. He tried to console his mother saying that human beings cannot do much if the destinies worked in certain manner. Nine months later, there were three children born inside the palace of Hastinapur. Amba gave birth to a healthy male child who was born blind. They named him Dhratarashtra. Ambalika gave birth to a male child with a skin condition. His name was Pandu. The maid gave birth to healthy boy child with no physical deformities. He appeared the brightest among the three. He was Vidura, literally a synonym for prudence and excellence in reading and explaining the principles of state craft and social norms for all sections of society.

The children grew as years passed by under the supervision of their paternal uncle, Bhishma.
They learnt the craft of war with various weapons. Despite being blind Dhratarashtra was strong and rock like in his body. He was also known to be victim of jealousy and hunger for power. It proved that mind was a completely different entity from physical body. After Dhratarashtra, Pandu, and Vidura completed their education, they returned to Hastinapur. Although Dhratarashtra could not handle the weapons of war, he was a strong man. He could crush iron with his hand.

Satyavati thought it was the right moment to take decision about the ruler who would fill the vacant throne of Hastinapur. She had brought up the question of the next king of Hastinapur before Bhishma and other important members of the court.

When Bhishma and Pandu agreed for the eldest son Dhratarashtra to become the next king of Hastinapur, Vidura raised the question of propriety in the decision. He said as per the statecraft only a person without physical and mental ailments or deformities could become the king of a country. Dhratarashtra was overcome with worry and anger at Vidura’s objection. When Pandu’s name was proposed for the post of the king, Pandu vehemently rejected to be the next king. He said he would never attempt to become the ruler of the country while his elder brother was willing to do so. However, with the consent of everyone and Dhratarashtra, Pandu was made the king of Hastinapur. Dhratarashtra controlled his anger at the fact that Pandu became the king and not himself.

Now that the princes had attained marriageable ages, Ganga’s son, Bhishma started searching for a worthy bride for them. He came to know of the worthy daughter, Gandhari of the king of Gandhar. Gandhar was a weaker kingdom than Hastinapur. He went to Gandhar, met the king and his son Shakuni and asked for the hand of Gandhari for the king of Hastinapur. The king refused the match on the grounds that Dhratarashtra could not see. Yet, Gandhari stated in no uncertain terms her willingness to marry Dhratarashtra, though he was blind. She swore he was the right person for her. She also declared that since her would- be husband could not see, she too would bind her eyes with a piece of cloth and closed the door between the world and herself. She wanted to do bind her eyes to understand the blindness of her husband. Her father was aghast at her choice of husband. He was also moved by her sacrifice and praised her courage and confidence.

The marriage of Dhratarashtra and Gandhari took place soon. A year passed and the couple had no children yet. This was a condition that Dhratarashtra did not like.

Now Pandu was due for his marriage too. King Kuntibhoja of the yadava tribe had an adopted daughter named Kunti. He was the chieftain of the tribe. Kunti was actually daughter of Sushena, a cousin of Kuntibhoja. She was also by virtue of her birth in the Yadava tribe, a cousin of Lord Krishna. Krishna, though of royal birth was brought up by Nanda of Repally.

Kunti’s story before her marriage with Pandu:

One day Kunti and her brother shakuni were gambling. Her father too was there enjoying their game. Sage Durvasa arrived suddenly. His very personality was always dominated by the emotion of anger. He came fuming into the palace. Looking at the situation, Kuntibhoja appointed his daughter Kunti to serve him during his stay at the mansion. Kunti did the job very well. Pleased by her devoted service, sage Durvasa asked her to take a boon that she liked from him. Kunti asked for a strange boon. She wanted the sage grant her a boon by means of which she could command any deity to come down to her. Sage Durvasa taught her a mantra by which she could do exactly what she desired for. The sage left the mansion after sometime.

Kunti was just fourteen year old girl at the time when these things were happening in her life. She became curious of how well the boon she attained from the sage worked. Out of playfulness and curiosity she experimented with it. Looking at the rising and setting Sun through her large window, she started concentrating on it. Gradually, her desire to test the boon became more intense and she called the sun to come to her. When she saw the Sun approaching her in the form a human she was stunned and shocked. She pleaded with him to go back. She also confessed the fact that she did it out of curiosity and that she did not want anything out of it. Sun god said that since she invoked him, he could not return until he gave her something. Desperate Kunti told him that she did not want anything from him.

Sun god once again replied that he would give her son. Before she could object, he said,

“Hey, Kunti, since you have called me I have to give you something. Here I am blessing you with a son. He will be born with a golden armor and golden ear drops.”

Then the Sun god disappeared. Kunti did not know what to do with the son she had with the blessings of the Sun. she stood taken aback with a son in her arms. She cried and she was completely bewildered. She was stunned with emotions she never knew she had. Her motherly instinct rebelled against abandoning the little boy crying to feed at her breast. But as an unmarried girl it would be taboo to have a child. Society might brand her as an adulteress and a sinner. She was afraid of the society she was born in.

Kunti wrapped the baby boy in a cloth, placed him in a basket and left it floating in the river. It floated till it reached a shore and was found by a chariot keeper. He had no children of his own. He and his wife were over the sky when they saw a basket floating on the water and on finding a little boy. The boy was named Karna. As his mother’s name was Radha, he was also known as Radheya, meaning the son of Radha. No one knew of the secret behind the handsome son of the chariot driver. They knew him as sutaputra, the son of the charioteer.

A few years later,
In the swayamvara, arranged by her father Kuntibhoja, Kunti chose the hand of Pandu, the king of Hastinapur. When their marriage was performed there was one man who regretted it. It was Dhratarashtra. He had no children though he was married for quite some time. He had the hope that if he had a child, he would become the future king of Hastinapur. Now with Kunti’s arrival as the wife of Pandu, they may have children earlier than him and their child might become the next king. Idle minds are truly devil’s workshops.

Kunti and Pandu were married and after the marriage celebrations, the couple arrived at the Hastinapur palace. But before consummating the marriage Pandu wanted to conquer Madura kingdom. So he told Kunti on his return they could start their marital life. He went to battle with the Madura king. But the king of Madura, having heard of Pandu’s readiness to conquer him, had surrendered. Not only he was ready to give up his kingdom, but along with it he was prepared to give his daughter Madri in marriage to Pandu. Pandu accepted these proposals and married her.

Thus Pandu returned to Hastinapur with a wife and a kingdom to attach to his own. Dhratarashtra’s jealousy multiplied and he silently hated the prowess and prosperity of his younger brother.
After the royal couple came back, Pandu had once again started ruling and maintaining peace in