Episode 14

Characteristics of Satva and Rajas –

Uttanka vis-à-vis King Paushya[i]

(This is a famous story from Maha bharata, the verses of which are quoted very often by scholastic community to distinguish satvic and rajasic personalities. 

Anger management is the hallmark of satva personality. This story also talks of the importance of devotion that is to be given in certain nitya/ naimittika karmas by our scriptures)

We have come across the story of Uttanka in our Episode 12. The current story is in continuation of the earlier story.  Uttanka’s guru, Veda relieved him from the Gurukal as he had completed his education at the Gurukul. Uttanka was pleased to present a gift to his guru before leaving to his place. He was insisting his guru to accept a gift though the guru was reluctant to accept any. As the sishya was insisting, he asked Uttanka to approach the guru patni (wife of Veda) and give her whatever gift she asks for.

Uttanka approached the guru patni and requested her to ask something as a token of gift and relieve him from the debt of learning in the gurukul. At that time she was contemplating a vratam (a ritual) involving the distribution of food to the learned and needy scholars. On that day she wanted to wear the ear-studs of the queen. So she asked Uttanka to go to the court of king Paushya and bring the ear-studs of the queen in just four days.

Uttanka hurried to meet Paushya. On the way he had no time to perform the Gayatri prayer (a regular nitya karma- a daily ritual ordained by sastras) and so he did it while walking and reached the court of king Paushya. Paushya, on hearing his request, asked him to approach the queen in the harem. Paushya entered the harem but he did not find her. ‘Telling lies with me do not auger well with you. Your queen is not in the harem’, he told the king.

Paushya thought for a while and told, ‘You must have gone there with saliva in the mouth or approached with unchaste demeanor and, as the queen is a pativrata (a devoted dharmic wife), she is not seen by you’, Paushya told. Uttanka recollected his diabolic approach of performing the Gayatri ritual while walking. Immediately he repented his mistake, sat there and performed the ritual. Then he again went and found the queen. She welcomed him inside with all humility, prayed to him and asked the reason for his visit.  

Uttanka narrated his story and requested the queen to part with her ear-studs so that he can give them to guru patni. The queen was pleased with his devotion to his guru and his selfless imploring. She gave her studs and bid him farewell from the place.

Before leaving the court, he wanted to thank the king Paushya. On that day Uttanka was the guest and the king wanted to offer him food by performing ‘sraddha karma’ (a naimittika karma- a ritual done with devotion to propitiate the fore fathers). But Uttanka was in a hurry to meet the guru patni. He asked the king to serve the clean and sanguine food that is readily available in the house. King obliged his request and served him the food that is readily available in the kitchen.

Uttanka saw a hair in the rice which had already become very cold. He got angry for the king had not served the rice with sraddha (devotion). Immediately he cursed the king, ‘since you have served dirty rice, you shall become blind’. Paushya was taken back and cursed him back, ‘since you are admonishing the clean food as unclean, you shall not have a progeny’.

Uttanka did not see the logic in the argument of the king. He asked the king to test the rice. The king enquired thoroughly and learnt that the rice was already cold and was prepared by a lady with untwined hair. The king pleaded guilty and begged his pardon. He asked Uttanka to reverse the curse given to him as he (king) did not want to live a life of a blind person.

‘Oh king! My words remain truth since I never tell untruth. You shall become blind but you will get back your eyesight very fast’. In this way I can reduce the curse. ‘Now I request you to reverse the curse that you have given to me’. Uttanka said.

Paushya replied, ‘I am unable to reverse the curse or modify the curse given to you since my anger against you has not come down’. ‘It is a known fact that a Bramhin’s speech is razor like knife but the heart is like butter that mellows. In respect of a Kshatriya both are opposite – the heart is hard and the talk is sweet’[ii]

Paushya continued, ‘Since I am a Kshtriya, I possess a heart that is hard and I cannot reduce the rigor of the curse given by me. You may please leave the place’.

Uttanka was a dharmic person and he analyzed the issue on hand with equanimity. He did not want himself to be exonerated if he was really wrong. But he did not want to undergo the punishment unreasonably. He said, ‘While cursing me to become childless, you had told the reason for it as my admonishing the clean food as unclean food. You yourself had tested the rice and found it unclean later on. Since the food is unclean let your curse cannot stick to me’, saying thus Uttanka left the court of Paushya.

Points to Ponder

1.    What is the importance given to ‘Shraddha’ (श्राद्धा) in Sanatana Dharma? Should the ritual be ceremonial in nature?

2.   In Gita Krishna says that the four-fold division of society is on the basis of gunas (qualities) and the karmas (nature of works). What are the qualities that we find in Bramhin and a Kshatriya in this story?

3.   How does a ‘Satvik’ person different from ‘Rajas’ person in his speech and action?

4.   Is anger controllable? What quality of man enables him in anger management?

5.   ‘No one should curse other person without specific valid reason. A curse without a valid reason shall not stick to the person’. Substantiate from the story.

6.   How did sage Vyasa depict the psychological behavior of two classes of people of his times?

7.   What is the importance given to Pativratya (पातिव्रत्य- an exclusive power possessed by a lady devoted to her husband) in Indian scriptures?

8.   What is the importance given to Gayatri Mantra and Sandhya Vandan - संध्या वंदन् (a prayer to Bramhan) in our scriptures?

Footnotes

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[i] This story is taken from Adi Parva of Maha Bharata written by sage Veda Vyasa.

[ii] नवनीतं हृदयं ब्राह्मणस्य,

वाचि क्षुरो निशितः तीक्ष्णधारः|.

तद् उभयम् एतत् विपरीतं क्षत्रियस्य,

वाङ् नवनीतं हृदयं तीक्ष्णधारम् । - Adi Parva 3.123

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