Of sixteen kings (part 1)

Introduction

One of the two main dynasties of ancient India is called the solar dynasty. That of king Ikshvaaku belongs to this. Most of the sixteen kings mentioned below belong to the Ikshvaakus.

(Their origin from Brahma, the creator, is mentioned as Brahma => Mareeci => kaSyapa => Vivasvaan (the sun) => Vaivasvata Manu => Iksvaaku)

There is repeated reference to two of the sacrificial rituals, Rajasooya and Aswamedha, which are done by great monarchs after they conquer vast tracks of land. Yudhishthira had already performed the first just before the game of dice. He is about to perform the second one soon after this. Their significance is the sovereignty of the performing king over a large number of kingdoms and the liberal gifts that are given to Brahmins during the ceremonies.

1. Marutta

He belonged o the Iksvaaku dynasty. ( Ikshvaku => VimSa => KalyaaNa => Ghaneenetra => Suvarcas => Karandhama => Marutta )..

King Marutta wanted to perform a great sacrificial ritual (Yajna) and requested Brihaspati, the chief priest of gods, to preside over it. Sage Brihaspati knew that Indra did not approve of the ritual and hence, turned down the request.

But, Brihaspati had a brother by name Samvartta who had earned as much merit as his brother through long years of penance. Marutta approached Samvartta with the request which was duly accepted. The ritual took place in all its glory. All the important people from heaven and earth attended the ceremony. Timely rain and in the right quantity is said to be the immediate benefit from such rituals. As a result, the land became so fertile that it was possible to reap rich harvest from crops that grew on it even without tilling. The king’s fame spread over all the lands and reached even the

heaven.

Yet,

“He died, Srinjaya, who was four fold

As meritorious as you are

Even more blessed than your son

Do not feel sad for your son”

(There is a mention elsewhere in Mahabharata that Marutta won plenty of gold as gift from Lord Siva for the ritual. There was so much of it that a lot was left over even after spending it lavishly on the Yajna. It is said that the king buried the remaining riches on the Himalayas close to his palace. Saint Veda Vyasa pointed out the treasure to Yudhishthira when the latter was in need of money to conduct the horse sacrifice)

2. Suhotra

He belonged to the Lunar Dynasty and had married a princess from the Ikshvakus.

When Suhotra ruled the land of the Kurus Indra was so pleased with him that he caused gold to pour down from the sky as rain which flowed through rivers and streams. Even the fishes and tortoises in them were of gold. The king, then, performed a ritual (Yajna) in which he gifted away (dakshiNa) all that gold to Brahmins.

Yet,

“He died, Srinjaya, who was four fold

As meritorious as you are

Even more blessed than your son

Do not feel sad for your son”

3. Brihadratha of the Anga kingdom

Brihadratha performed rituals in which he gifted a million white horses, an equal number of maidens adorned in gold and as many elephants to Brahmins. He also gave away ten million gold decorated bulls and thousands of cows. It is said that Indra got intoxicated with Soma (that is offered as drink) and the Brahmins, as though, with the gifts.

Yet,

“He died, Srinjaya, who was four fold

As meritorious as you are

Even more blessed than your son

Do not feel sad for your son”

4. Sibi of the Lunar Dynasty.

This Sibi had driven round the earth in his chariot after he brought all the lands under his rule. He conducted a sacrificial ritual in which he gifted away as much cattle as roamed about anywhere on earth.

Yet,

“He died, Srinjaya, who was four fold

As meritorious as you are

Even more blessed than your son

Do not feel sad for your son”

(Famous for the story of the hawk and the pigeon which appeared in Sanskruthi -www.kunjunny.blogspot.com – sometime in March last year)

5. Bharata

(There were several famous Bharatas in ancient Indian history. The brother of Sreerama was one and sage Bharata famous for the science of acting and dance – NatyaSastra – was another, besides the Bharata mentioned here)

Bharata was the son of Dushyanta and Sakuntala (became famous especially because of the play, SaakuntaLam of Kalidasa) and belonged to the lunar dynasty.

He had conducted a thousand horse sacrifices and one hundred Rajasooya ceremonies and had given millions of animals as gift to Brahmins.

Yet,

“He died, Srinjaya, who was four fold

As meritorious as you are

Even more blessed than your son

Do not feel sad for your son”

India got the name Bhaarata after this king.

6. Mandhata

He belonged to the same Ikshvaku lineage of the solar dynasties as Marutta, the first king in our list. There was a reference to him earlier in our episodes.

There is a story that the earth developed cracks as a result of the twanging sound emerging from his bow strings in one of his battles. He ruled over all the lands over which the sun rose in the morning and set in the evening. It is said that he conducted one hundred each of the Aswamedha and Rajasooya sacrifices.

Yet,

“He died, Srinjaya, who was four fold

As meritorious as you are

Even more blessed than your son

Do not feel sad for your son”

(To be continued)

Yudhishthira’s Grief (Part 5)

Sage Narada – an introduction

We have come across sage Narada a few times in the past. He is so prominent a sage throughout the epics of India that it is worth knowing a bit of his background.

Narada was said to be born as the son of Brahma, the creator. He is on one hand considered to be so pious that he spends all his time chanting the name of his favourite god, Vishnu. Narada was considered to be a great musician and had his favourite string instrument, Veena, (some say it was a Tamburu) always with him.

At the same time he is also considered a little fun loving to the extent that he enjoys stirring up a quarrel wherever he gets a chance. He does that normally without malice. The stories of Narada, themselves, make one epic if compiled together.

None of these traits have any relevance to the story below.

Narada was among the dignitaries present when Yudhishthira was lamenting about the disastrous war.

Krishna consoles Yudhishthira

Krishna continued where Vyasa left trying to console Yudhishthira. He started narrating the stories of the sixteen famous kings. The same stories were told by Vyasa to the Pandavas after the death of Abhimanyu. We had left them out at that time. There is not much of a story there. Both Krishna now and Vyasa earlier simply pointed out to the examples to lessen the sorrow of the incident.

There is a story involving Narada and his nephew by name Parvata behind this. Parvata, himself, was a sage of great meditative powers. The two, both uncle and nephew, once started on a pilgrimage. They were so close with one another that they came to an understanding that they would not keep any secret from one another. After all, it was a pilgrimage in which great hardships may test their endurance to a great degree. Then, on such a spiritual mission there was no place for little secrecies. That was how they thought about it.

With King Srinjaya

Srinjaya was a king of the same dynasty in which several of the great rulers of India took birth. A few of them appear in the brief stories that appear below. He was a good friend of both Narada and Parvata.

The two sages decided to spend a few days with their friend in the middle of their pilgrimage. The king received his friends with open hands. He appointed his daughter to look after the guests.

The boon

The two sages were very pleased with the hospitality offered by their friend. Hence, they decided to grant him a boon. They said. “Friend, choose any boon that you wish”. The king did not have to think hard. He asked for a son who would be glorious like Indra, the king of gods, himself.

It was Parvata who came up with the offer. He said. “You will have a son who will become so famous that he will be like Indra in his glory. But, there is a problem. He will have only a short life”.

The king was pleased with the boon, but, was sad with the thought of losing a glorious son too early. So, he appealed to the sages.

Narada intervened and said. “Do not grieve on that account. May your son be anywhere, on earth or in heaven, I shall bring him back whenever you think of me”.

The curses

As this incident took place a love story was taking shape in the palace. It is said that sage Narada started developing a soft corner towards the king’s daughter which was also reciprocated by the young princess. But, he was shy to reveal his feelings to his nephew, ignoring all about their agreement.

Unfortunately, Parvata guessed what was in the mind of his uncle through his powers. He was angry that there was a breach in the agreement. He accosted his uncle and said. “I know what is in your mind which you kept as a secret from me. You have thus broken your own words. Hence, I curse you to become a monkey which will take effect as soon as you marry the daughter of king Srinjaya”. Narada, in turn, cursed his nephew that he shall not go to heaven in spite of his all other qualities and spiritual attainments.

Having cursed his uncle Parvata left the palace carrying the burden of the curse he received in turn.

King Srinjaya, soon, came to know of the love affair in the palace. Healso knew of the curse. Yet, he was happy to wed his daughter to so worthy a groom such as Narada. The love of the princess also remained firm even after hearing that she was going to marry a monkey.

The happy ending

Narada wed the princess and turned into a monkey immediately. That did not diminish the love the two had for one another. The two lived happily in a forest not far away from the palace. Years later, Parvata came across his uncle in the form of a monkey. He apologized to his uncle and begged him to withdraw the curse so that he could ascend to heaven. In turn he promised to cancel his own curse on Narada. Thus, the sage recovered his original form and lived happily with the young princess for long years.

The birth of a son to Srinjaya.

It is said that king Srinjaya, soon was blessed with a son. The palace and the entire country celebrated the event with great festivities. The king was overwhelmed with joy. The boy had an extraordinary power right from birth. Whatever he touched turned into gold. Hence, he was named “swarNashTheevi (one who spitted out gold)”. The magic of the child was such that the king became rich beyond words. The entire palace, even the trees and river that flowed, as though, turned into gold.

Indra heard about the birth of the strange prince and the prophecy that he would grow in glory equal to his. He was worried that the child may one day challenge his own position. So, he sent his weapon, the “Thunder Bolt (Vajra)” to kill the boy. Vajra assumed the shape of a tiger and waited at the outskirts of the palace for a chance.

One day, when the boy, a mere child of five years, was taken by his nurse to play outside the tiger pounced upon him and killed him instantaneously. The palace that was still celebrating the birth of the prince, immediately, was deeply immersed in sorrow. The king, himself, was beyond consolation.

Sage Narada sensed the tragedy from where he was and arrived at the palace. He narrated the example of the sixteen kings and tried to console his friend. The sorrow of others was not enough to lessen the weight of the king’s sorrow. Hence, it is said that sage Narada brought the prince back from the land of the dead which is a very rare feat in all epics taken together.

The story of the sixteen kings may briefly be narrated in the next episode.

Yudhishthira’s grief (Part 4)

Note

The two sages, Sankha and Likhita, in the last episode have earned a name through a treatise on moral codes. These are called “smriti”s. Four of the Smritis are famous, including theirs, by Manu, Yajnavalkya,( Sankha and Likhita) and ParaSara are famous. The Smritis are said to be based on the Vedas which are the revealed truths (Srutis)

Life cycle on earth (time) is divided into four epochs - Krita, Treta, Dvaapara and Kali. There is said to be a moral decay as man passes from the first through the last of the epochs. We are currently on the last. Each of the Smritis, in the order given above, is designed to suit the behaviour of mankind in each of the epochs. These were treated as the constitution of the countries in the region, because the kings judged the crimes and meted out punishments with reference to the codes set by the relevant Smriti.

The end of an epoch is supposed to be marked by a great calamity. The Mahabharata war took place at the end of the third epoch, just before the start of the Kali epoch. At the end of the four epochs there is said to be a deluge (PraLaya). Then life starts again, passing through the four epochs repeatedly. After several such cycles a great deluge takes place.

Vyasa’w words (Continued)

Veda Vyasa continued to speak addressing Yudhishthira in an attempt to console the grieving Pandava.

Vyasa said. “Son, think of your brothers who suffered with you in the forest all these years. You owe them their due along with what you owe to the gods, ancestors (by way of offerings) and to the citizen (protection)”.

“What you need to do now is to assume the role of an emperor and conduct the great horse sacrifice (Aswa Medha). Make generous gifts to all deserving which is part of the ceremony. You will attain all the merits you can ever hope to achieve as a result”.

If you collect the taxes (said to be one sixth of one’s earnings) from your subjects and do not ensure their protection, then you end up attracting one fourth of the sins committed by the erring subjects from time to time.

The story of Hayagriva

Vyasa, then, continued to describe the story of an ancient king by name Hayagriva. There are no details available about the king other than what is given here. (There was a demon by the same name who was killed by an incarnation of Vishnu as fish. That story is more famous, mentioned in many of the epics). In the few stanzas outlining the story the poet uses synonyms (of the word Hayagriva which means one with a neck resembling that of a horse) such as Vaajigriva and Aswagriva. Each stanza ends with a refrain. We have a few translated here with the refrain in the same meter (with four lines of eleven syllables each) to give a taste of the poetry.

The king died at the end of performing acts that destroyed the enemies and protected the subjects. Now, “Vaajigriva in heaven merrily lives (Vaajigrivo modate swargaloke)”.

After facing enemies he sacrificed his life when all his weapons were destroyed in the conflict. And, “Vaajigriva in heaven merrily lives”.

It was a (religious) sacrifice that Hayagriva performed with the bow (as the sacrificial post or Yoopam), arrows (as the wooden ladle offering the ghee– sruk), the chariot (as the platform for the sacrifice – vedi), the four horses (as the four Vedas), the blood that flowed (as the sacrificial ghee – aajyam) and the war itself (as the fire). At the end, “Vaajigriva in heaven merrily lives”.

The example of king Senajit

Here again, we know about the king only from the few lines mentioned in Mahabharata in this context. We do not even know to whom he spoke. Vyasa quotes the words of the king to console Yudhishhira.

“This killing when you think of it is just a name, only a way of looking at it. What is the use of mourning the death of people you care? After all, who are they and who are we? If you think of others as you think of yourself, then there is no cause for further sorrow”.

“There will be thousands of reasons for a fool to feel sorry about. Not so for a wise person. Joy and sorrow come by turn to all living beings. You must rise above all such temporary joy and sorrow to attain permanent happiness”.

“It is the duty of kings to come out of the sorrow and taken upon the task of ruling the land”.

Yudhishthira, in response, referred to the story of Yayati to point out how important it is to control desires. (This famous story appears at the beginning of our epic, given in 2-3 episodes just before the game of dice. Yayati was not satisfied with the youthful joys even at old age. He asked his sons for a temporary exchange of their youth with his old age. All except Puru refused. Yayati continued to enjoy life with the borrowed youth of his young son, Puru. Finally, he realized that yielding to passion was like pouring oil to fire. It only burns it further. One of the sons who refused was Yadu. He originated the Yadavas, the race to which Krishna belonged. Puru was the ancestor of both the Pandavas and the Kauravas ). The Pandava continued to feel sorry for the death of Dronacharya and the young and valorous Abhimanyu. He felt personally responsible for these. He also considered himself instrumental in the fall of his grandfather, the formidable Bhishma.

(To be continued)

Yudhishthira’s Grief (Part 3)

Introduction

There are four prescribed paths of life called celibacy (Brahmacarya), married life (Gaarhasthya), the life of a recluse (Vaanaprastha) and sainthood (Sanyaasa). These are institution (varNa aaSrama) with specific purposes (Dharma). Ideally, one passes through all the four in that order. Education takes place during the first. There were many who remained in that institution throughout life. At the third stage the married couple retires to a forest after handing over their worldly affairs to their children. It is the stage to prepare one for the final sage, sainthood.

Most of the great sages, even the Vedic Seers, remained in the third stage. The final one is said to be only for the exceptional cases where man is mentally prepared to abandon all worldly possessions and desires.

It may be mentioned that the four parts (of each of the four Vedas) – the Samhita, BraahmaNa, AaraNyaka and Upanishad – have been compiled out of the Vedas for these four paths, respectively.

Nakula’s words

Yudhishthira was apparently not convinced listening to the wise words of his brothers. Then, Nakula talked in his own way.

He said. “One should not escape from one’s duty which, for a king, is to rule the land. It is said that the sages once weighed the four paths of life and found that that of a Grihastha (one leading a married life) weighed more than the other three together. You can do a lot to the world while leading a worldly life. You also do what is due to the gods and to your ancestors while leading this path. What is important is that all your actions are done with complete detachment. This is by far the most difficult”.

Sahadeva joined the others and pleaded with his senior brother to rule the land following the prescribed path.

Yudhishthira remained silent after listening to the words of his four brothers.

Draupadi speaks.

Note: The Caataka is the proverbial bird that has a hole in its neck. Hence, it cannot drink water (or eat food) in the normal way. It is said that the bird remains flat on its back waiting for the rain to quench its thirst.

Then, the Pandava queen spoke what was in her mind. She said. “Oh, son of Pritha (Kunti)! Your brothers are looking to you like the Caataka bird so that they can enjoy the worldly life. They had spent thirteen long years under snow and rain waiting for this day to come. Had you not promised them in the Dwaita forest that you, in the company of your brothers, would defeat Duryodhana in war and enjoy the riches of the land? Why are you turning away from your own words now?”

(Draupadi speaks of the boundaries of the Bharata empire in this context. The proverbial mountain, Meru, is said to be at the centre of the land. Four islands occupy the four sides of it – the jambu to the South which contains the present day India, the kraunca to the west, the bhadraaSwa to the North and the Saaka to the East. These names are consistent with what is given in the ancient Indian geographic texts. The world was said to be composed of seven islands at that time).

“You did not get this land by charity, but, won it the hard way. Please do not turn your back on your duty which is to rule this land in the glorious tradition of your ancestors”.

Arjuna spoke at that time of the need to mete out just punishment to the offenders and thereby protect the peace loving citizens. Bhima called on his brother to assume the role of the emperor and conduct an Aswamedha ceremony.

Yudhshthira was still not in agreement with the rest and continued to talk of the ideal life of saints.

Arjuna reminded his brother the story of Janaka (the father of Seeta, the wife of Rama, in the famous RamaayaNa epic) who was a great scholar. King Janaka at one time wanted to abandon the kingdom and retire to the forest. It was his queen who convinced him of the need to return to the land and to rule the empire.

Yudhishthira remained unconvinced. Among the sages who had assembled, one by name Devasthaana tried to argue against the decision of Yudhishthira quoting the words of Brihaspati, the wise counsel to Indra, the king of gods. Even then, Yudhshthira remained adamant.

Sage Veda Vyasa joined the rest in an attempt to prevail on Yudhishthira.

The story of Sankha and Likhita

Vyasa narrated the story of two brothers, Sankha and Likhita, who were sages of great learning and of great meditative powers. The younger brother, Likhita, happened to pluck some fruit from a tree near the hermitage of his brother while the latter was not around. When Sankha returned he found the fruits missing. When asked, Likhita admitted to his eating the fruits.

Sankha reminded his brother that what he did amounted to stealing. He should approach the king and receive whatever punishment he meted out for the offense.

Likhita, accordingly, went to the king by name Sudyumna (sudyumna). The king was aware of the greatness of the sage and tried to evade the issue. But, Likhita persisted. Then, the king had to pronounce the judgment which was to chop off the two hands of the offender. The sage accepted the punishment with calm. He, then, went to his brother holding his bleeding hands up. Sankha asked his brother to take a dip in the nearby river by name Baahuda and offer prayers to gods (tarpaNam). Likhita did accordingly. To his surprise new hands appeared in place of the ones that were chopped off.

Likhita returned to his brother and reported the miracle. Sankha said. “There is no miracle here. I created them out of my power from meditation”.

Surprised, Likhita asked. “Then, why had I to undergo this ordeal? You could have purified me off my guilt in the first place”.

Sankha replied. “No, it is the duty of the king to punish the offender. I wanted Sudyumna to do his part”.

The moral of the story, Vyasa explained, was that the king has the duty to protect the land from offenders. It is a difficult one. But, he alone can do it. It needs to be done so that justice prevails in the land.

(To be continued)

Yudhishthira’s grief (Continued)

The words of the sages and of Kunti could not lift the sagging spirit of Yudhishthira. He continued to sulk over the death of Karna. He spoke to Arjuna.. “We better had continued with our life in the forest begging for food. We would not have committed this sin in that case. The very duty of kings (Kshatriya) is itself faulty. What is the use of power and valour? It was also wrong to keep enmity with our own people. What we have gained with all that is remorse beyond redemption”.

“Think of the sages who live in forests. They are gentle in nature, tolerant and are always at peace with oneself and with others”.

“What has happened to the dreams of the mothers who bore all those killed in the war? They would have counted on their children, thinking that they would grow powerful. Instead, they have left for the other world without looking after their parents, who took care of them in childhood, in their old age”.

“For what gain did we kill those who deserved our care and protection? - merely, for the land and the riches”.

“Now that we have committed this crime, what is the way out? The Vedas say that atonement is by one of the following ways – by remorse, confession, giving gifts, meditation, pilgrimage, by repeating the text from the scripts over and over again (Sruti-smruti-japa) and by giving up all possessions. Out of these, the last is our resort. I want to retire to forest leaving the land in the care of my brothers”.

Yudhishthira fell silent after speaking the above words.

Arjuna speaks

Arjuna did not like the stand taken by his elder brother. He countered his brother’s arguments with his own reasons.

“Why are you affected so much by the events? We have rightly fought the war and won it the hard way. Do you want to leave everything at this stage? Then, why had we to kill all those veteran fighters? What will the people say when they see you begging around with a bowl in hand, you who possessed the richest of lands? Begging is for the poor and sages, not for kings”.

“The gods have, themselves, set an example for us. How have they retained their position in heaven? By fighting and winning against the demons who are their step brothers (The gods and the demons are born of the same father, kaSyapa prajaapati, to two different mothers, aditi and diti ). In the process, they have killed so many of their enemies. ”.

“Please remember one thing. You need wealth (artha) to achieve anything in this world, may it be to perform one’s duty (dharma), to fulfill one’s desires (kama) and even to attain salvation (moksha). (These are three of the four objectives of human life called Purushaartha. The first, Artha, is only a means to achieve the other three). This kingdom of yours has been handed down to you from great monarchs like Dileepa, Nriga, Nahusha, Ambareesha and Maandhaataa. What you need to do now is to perform the horse sacrifice (Aswa medham) that is prescribed for emperors with unquestioned authority. Please do not even think of any other path”.

Yudhishthira’s response

Yudhishthira replied. “I stick to my stand. I am going to leave all these royal attire and change to one made of the bark of trees. I shall then mat my hair and leave for the forests alone. There I shall spend my days deep in meditation, sustaining my life eating fruit and roots”.

“In the forests, my sole companions will be wild animals and birds. The only music I listen to will be the noise they make. The sight of beautiful flowers and enjoying the smell will be my only pleasure. I shall expose myself to cold air and rain and thus temper my body”.

“I shall get rid of all desires and attain equanimity in mind and thoughts. Thus I shall spend the rest of my life”.

Bhima speaks

Bhima intervened at that point and spoke. “Brother, you speak words of wisdom (Veda) like a half witted person. If we had sensed your thoughts earlier, then we would not have taken the very trouble of fighting the war in the first place. Our effort is like that of someone who dug a well for a long while and stopped, soaked in mud all over, without finding water; or like that of a man who climbed up a tall tree with a lot of effort, found honey, but got down without eating it. Your action will be the same as killing so many and committing suicide at the end”.

“The scripture approves of forest life for a king in his old age or if he is defeated by an enemy. If living a life without harming others for salvation is your aim, then you should have taken birth as a tree or a hill. They do no harm to others. Thus, they must qualify for a place in heaven”.

“Please do not get into this vain talk on philosophy. Your duty is to act like a king. Thereby is your salvation”.

Arjuna’s story

Arjuna narrated a story when Bhima stopped. A few young Brahmins left their homes for a life in forest, leaving their parents and family members behind. Indra felt pity on them for their ignorant action. He appeared before them as a bird and advised them to return to their homes. Indra (as the bird) pointed out that their duty was to live the life of a house holder (grihastha) and follow the prescribed path (dharma). That was superior even to the life of a recluse in the forest. It is said that the Brahmins followed the advice given by the bird and reached heaven at the end of their normal family life.

Arjuna concluded saying, “you are well versed in the scriptures and your duty is to rule this land with courage”.

(To be continued)