Episode 21
Birth of Dhrutarashtra, Pandu Maharaj and Vidura[i]
(This is a simple story of the
birth of Dhrutarashtra, Pandu Maharaj and Vidura. But it talks of many issues-
like,the importance of samskara of Garbhadana (impregnating a lady) as
specified in Ayurvedic texts, the effects of thoughts of would-be mother on the
personality of the child and sociological
insights of Devara Nyaya prevailing in ancient society to preserve the family
lineage and the discussion of kshetra or bija as important factors for deciding
the caste society etc. We also find traces of the predominance of mother-in-law
in the joint families in this story. Please read, reflect and share the story
to like minded inquisitive persons).
The story
Santana was the king of
Hastinapura. He was ordained by destiny to marry the celestial Ganga (river
Ganges). Their eighth son was Bhishma,
the legendary character in Maha Bharata. Santana married Satyavati, the adopted
daughter of Dasa raja (king of fisher men tribe) after the first wife Ganga left
him. With Satyavati, he had two children- Chitrangada and Vichitraveerya.
Satyavathi was an exceptionally beautiful lady and, while being virgin, she was
blessed by sage Parasara with a son Veda Vyasa. Satyavati was thus the mother
for three persons- Veda Vyasa, Chitrangada and Vichitraveerya; and step mother
for Bhishma.
Bhishma took to celibacy by oath
and renounced marriage and the kingdom. He enthroned his brother Chitrangada
and unfortunately Chitrangada did not live long and in a duel with a Gandharva
he died. Bhishma enthroned his minor brother, Vichitraveerya and was ruling the
country as a protector of the State. When he attained majority, Bhishma brought
Ambika and Ambalika, the daughters of the king of Varanasi and married them to
Vichitraveerya.
Vichitraveerya enjoyed with his
beautiful wives for seven long years and before they could conceive, he died of
tuberculosis disease (Kshaya roga). Now
the question before the State was who should become the king of Hastinapura.
There was none in the royal lineage ready to take the reins of the State.
Bhishma was the son of king Santana but he had renounced kingdom by oath.
Satyavati had two issues before
her. She could not afford to leave the State and its people without a king.
Secondly she could not afford to leave the family without a descendant. She
called his step son, Bhishma and requested him to become the king. She also
asked, ‘See, Ambika and Ambalika are beautiful young
queens and they desire to have children. Take it as my command and bless them
with children. I say that this is as per dharma’(Adi Parva 103- 8,9,10).
Bhishma told, ‘Mother what you
have now told is as per dharma and I agree the principle per se. But I have
taken an oath renouncing sexual pleasure and also the kingdom. I follow and
stand by my words which are truth. I value Truth and never deviate from the
path of Truth’. When a principle of dharma has an
apparent conflict with another principle of dharma, it is difficult for
ordinary brains to unearth the core values of dharma. Interpreting a dharma
principle is a difficult task.
Bhishma suggested that
a meritorious Brahmin may be deputed to have progeny with Ambika and Ambalaka
even by paying money to him (here a Bramhin has to be understood as person with
Atma jnana and not one born in the caste). Bsishma was not aware of the
birth of Ved Vyasa to Satyavati prior to her marriage. Satyavati was shy to
tell the fact to Bhishma. She summoned courage out of blushes and slowly
narrated her story of giving birth to Ved Vyasa. She suggested that he can be
directed to have children with Ambika and Ambalika. Bhishma was quite happy and
he agreed to her suggestion.
Satyavati called for Vyasa and he
immediately appeared before her. Satyavati requested her son Vyasa to bless
children to the wives of his stepbrother(Vichitraveerya) invoking niyoga[ii] dharma.
She emphasized that it was in the interest of the State and in the interest of
the family. Sage Vyasa agreed as it was according to
dharma[iii]
but suggested that for Garbhadana, the ladies had to undergo rituals for a
year. Any lady without undergoing the rigors of rituals
cannot reach him[iv].
But Satyavati was in a hurry as
she could not afford to leave the State without a king and in the absence of
king, all the dharmic acts perish. Then what is the way out? Ved Vyasa
suggested, ‘If you want me to impregnate the ladies
right now, they have to bear my odour, personality, and the body’[v].
(We know that Vyasa was terribly black and with all his long beard and plaited
hair and moustache, he must not be appealing to sensual pleasure of any lady).
Satyavati agreed and one day she counselled her daughter-in-law Ambika to have
children in a dharmic way to preserve the lineage but did not tell about Veda
Vyasa and his words.
On one fine day, Satyavati took
her daughter-in-law (in her mid-menstrual cycle) to her bedroom and told her,
‘today your husband’s brother will be arriving to meet you by midnight. I have
asked him to do garbhadana (blessing for
conception). Wait for him and think of him’ (Adi Parva
105.2). Ambalika was clueless as to who was coming. She was thinking
about Bhishma and other great men of Kuru clan. But in the night, she saw a
black coloured person with dazzling eyes, long greybeard and plaited hair with
long and untidy moustaches approaching her place. She was aghast and out of
fear closed her eyes. Vyasa had come there to fulfil the order of his mother (मातुः प्रिय चिकीर्षया). He slept
with her and blessed her with a son. Satyavati asked curiously whether a
successor to the throne would be born to Ambalika. Vyasa
told that a mighty son would born but without eyesight due to the mistake of
mother at the time of mating (she closed her eyes).
How can a blind person rule the
country? Satyavati, this time, convinced her second daughter-in-law Ambalika
and deputed Ved Vyasa to her place. On seeing Vyasa, Ambalika became pale and
grief-stricken. Vyasa impregnated the lady but told that the son would be pale
(Pandu varna) though a handsome and brave person.
Satyavati was not satisfied with
the turn of events. She again deputed Vyasa to have one more child with Ambika.
This time Ambika did not follow the advice of her mother-in-law. She decorated
her servant with all royal jewellery and deputed her to be on the bedroom on
the appointed day. On seeing the sage, the lady went up to him, brought him to
the bed and served him with care. Veda Vyasa satisfied with the pleasantries of
the lady and blessed her with a child who would be an embodiment of dharma and
she would no more remain to be a servant.
In due course of time Ambika gave
birth to Dhrutarashtra who was blind; Ambalika gave birth to Pandu Maharaj who
was pale, and the maid gave birth to Vidura, who was none other than Lord Yama (see
the story of Mandavya- episode 4). Dhrutarashtra and Pandu Maharaj became
Kshatriyas and Vidura became a Sudra.
Analysis of the story
The story is simple and
apparently conveys nothing to a casual reader. When we look deep into the story,
we can see the importance of samskara of Garbhadana (impregnating a lady) as
specified in Ayurvedic texts, the effects of thoughts of would-be mother on the
personality of the child and sociological insights of
Devara Nyaya[vi] prevailing in ancient society
to preserve the family lineage and the discussion of kshetra or bija as
important factors for deciding the caste society etc.
Even by today the dominant view
of our culture is to have a progenitor to perpetuate the family lineage. When
the child is the heir apparent to the throne, the issue gains much more
urgency. This forced Satyavati to request Bhishma and when he refused, approach
sage Vyasa. Why these two people were alone her choice?
It was an accepted principle (devara nyaya) in those days to have children with
a brother of a husband when the husband was dead or impotent or cannot
impregnate for any reason. Bhishma did not agree because he was more interested
to adhere to Truth and never wanted to deviate the path of Truth. For him the
principle of Satyavrata (adhering to Truth and one’s own words was more
important than Niyoga dharma. Sage Vyasa agreed because it was in tune with
dharma and he was going to sustain dharma in the world by producing an heir
apparent to the throne.
For Ved Vyasa the ends
will not justify the means. For attaining the broader objective of
preserving the State he did not want to deviate the dharmic principles imbedded
in Garbhadaana. The mating with a lady was not to attain sensual pleasure but
for having a progeny in the interest of the State and the royal family. He
sought one year of rigorous preparation. Ayurvedic
texts prescribe elaborate procedure of Garbhadana. The procedure in a nutshell
is as follows:
The
Samskara believes that specific acts are to be done to achieve successful and
healthy pregnancy. Only couples who possess pure or healthy Shukra (sperms),
Artava (ovum) and Garbhashaya (uterus) will have healthy conception. After
menstruation, the couple is being purified by Panchakarma i.e. Snehana,
Swedana, Vamana, Virechana, Asthapana and Anuvasana Basti. After that the man
should use Ghrita (ghee) and milk medicated with the drugs of Madhura Varga and
woman should consume oil and Masha (black gram). And till ovulation period they
should maintain celibacy. It is observed in some Ayurvedic research works that
after Panchakarma procedure chances of ovulation is more.
Key differentiating
qualities using principles of Garbhadhana Samskara are:
- Purification of mind, body
and soul of couple.
- Invitation of divine soul to
take birth though the womb.
- Finding right time of
conception from astrological aspect, choosing right Nakshatra, lunar days,
planetary position etc.
- In case of history of
hereditary diseases in family, Garbhadhana Samskara process mitigates the risk
of disease to a greater extent if started during planning phase with full
devotion.
- Yagya therapy for
pre-conception planning.
- Mantra therapy involves
chanting of beejamantra in a specific rhythm pre – conception and post
conception.[vii]
While, this being the ordeal,
Satyavati hastened Vyasa to have children and never informed the condition put
forth by Vyasa and in a way never made her daughters enlightened and ready to
accept Garbhadana. In Sanskrit, there is a saying-
Yadbhavam tad bhavati - thoghts decide the destiny. What we think, we shall
become. The meeting of Vyasa with the queens is more for the cause of dharma
than for sensual pleasure. It is like a bitter pill to cure a disease. When
they could not bear the personality of Vyasa, either they closed their eyes or lied
down aghast with fear. When the thoughts are vicious, they got blind and pale
princes. Modern researchers also believe that ‘while genetics play a huge role
in how new babies respond to stimulation, react to unexpected circumstances and
deal with emotions, researchers in the growing field of prenatal psychology
have found that environmental factors and some of the things parents do — such
as talking, singing or eating a diverse diet — also may have an impact on how
their babies come out of the womb’[viii]. Garbhadana, thus is a platform for physical and psychological
preparation of couple for healthy conception.
Another important aspect of this story
is much debated subject on deciding the caste of a person- kshetra pradhana (the lady who offers herself) or bija
pradhana(the man who implants). It means what decides the caste of a
person- is it that of the lady who bears the pregnancy or is it that of man who
is responsible for pregnancy. Of the three sons in the story, Dhrutarashtra and
Pandu Maharaj were Ksatriyas and Vidura was a Sudra. How is it possible? From
this story the Ambica’s and Ambalika’s caste decided the caste of their children.
In the case of servant maid, her caste
decided the caste of her son. In some other episodes of Maha Bharata, the caste
of the male decides the caste of the child- for example the birth of Veda
Vyasa. It is sage Parasara’s urge to have a child with Satyavati resulted in
the birth of Vyasa. Vyasa became a Bramhin. Here the father’s caste came to his
son.
How can this dichotomy be solved?
These sociological enquiries of the origin of caste from our ancient past were
answered long back by eminent scholars and commentators. Varanasi Subrahmanya
Sastri, in his Magnum Opus –‘Maha Bharata Tatva
Kathanam’, has done an excellent research and dispelled many doubts and
apparent ambiguities of Maha Bharata. According to him, the triggering person
for progeny – man or woman decides the ultimate caste of the child. In case of
Vyasa, it was the urge of Parasara. In case of Dhrutarashtra and Pandu Maharaj,
the urge came from the queens who were Kshatriyas. In the case of Bhima and
Hidimbi, their son Ghatotkacha became a demon (rakshasa) since the urge came
forth from his mother. Serious readers may read the book of Varanasi
Subrahmanya Sastri for further analysis before raising enquiries of any kind.
The story traces the
origin of the domination of chief lady (mother-in-law) in the joint family
systems.
When Satyavati led her daughter-in-law to bedroom, the later was clueless as to
who was going to enter her room. Ambika was thinking of Bhishma but Ved Vyasa
entered. Though this story alone cannot be used to justify this sociological
perception, a much deeper enquiry may be required to understand the origins of dichotomy
within joint family systems where the daughters-in-law were subject to certain
subjugations.
Maha Bharata is a text which has
everything happening in this world. What is not here is not there in any other
place.
Points to ponder
1. Do you
feel that ancient Indian society was relatively more liberal in the matters of marriage
system?
2. Do you
feel the process of evolution of caste system out of the Varna system in the
age of Maha Bharata?
3. When
there is a conflict between two aspects of dharma, what is expected to be done by
a person?
4. What is
the deciding factor to determine the caste of a person born of inter caste
couples? Is kshetra (lady) or bija (male) is the reckoning factor? What are the
probable sociological reasons for the proliferation of castes in Indian
society?
5. Is
mother-in-law more important in joint families? Establish from the current
story.
6. What is
the subtle difference between ‘devara nyaya’ and niyoga?
Footnotes
[ii]
Niyog- It is the system of begetting children by the
widow from a male person. Here the children born to the widow become the heirs
of widow and not the heirs of the father. Niyog should not be confused with
adultery since Niyog is transparent and known to society and never done in hush
hush manner.
भ्रातुः पुत्रान् प्रदास्यामि मित्रा वरुणयोः समान् ।।- Adi Parva 104-41.
(īpsitaṃ te kariṣyāmi dṛṣṭaṃ hyetat
sanātanam।
bhrātuḥ putrān pradāsyāmi mitrā varuṇayoḥ samān ।। )
संवत्सरं यथा न्यायं ततः शुद्धे
भविष्यतः ।।- Adi Parva 104-42.
(vrataṃ caretāṃ te devyau nirdiṣṭamiha yanmayā ।
saṃvatsaraṃ yathā nyāyaṃ tataḥ śuddhe bhaviṣyataḥ ।।)
अद्यैव गर्भं कौसल्या विशिष्टं प्रतिपद्यताम्- Adi Parva 104-47
(yadi me sahate gaṃdhaṃ rūpaṃ veṣaṃ tathā vapu:
adyaiva garbhaṃ kausalyā viśiṣṭaṃ pratipadyatām)
[vi] Devaranyāya
–( देवरन्याय) the method by which a widow is allowed to have children from the
brothers of her deceased husband. It is purely to sustain the family tree and
never for satisfying sexual pleasure. Since it is allowed and accepted by the
civilized society, it is in tune with dharma.
[vii] Utility of गर्भादान (Garbhadana Samskara)
with Ayurvedic point of view - A review Study by Hetal P Baraiya, Shilpa B
Donga, and by Kashyap Chauhan, ‘International Ayurvedic Medical Journal’
ISSN:2320 5091-
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