Ganga, Satyawati & Shantanu - Is there something, fishy, fragrant OR camouflaged ?
Ganga, Satyavati & Shantanu - Is there something fishy, fragrant OR camouflaged?
As per the Indian mythological story from the Hindu epic “Mahabharata”, King Mahabhisha for his lifetime achievement was merited an award for an entry ticket to Swarga. He enjoyed the dance of Apsaras and music of Gandharvas in the company of Devas in Indralok. He was given to drink Sura, the drink which fills one with joy. He was given access to the tree called ‘Kalpataru’, to the cow called ‘Kamadhenu’ and to the gem called ‘Chintamani’, each of which had the power to fulfill any wish and grant every desire.
One day, a river-nymph called Ganga visited the Indra’s Sabha. While among the gods a gentle breeze caused Ganga’s upper garment to a wardrobe malfunction exposing her breasts. The assembled Devas lowered their eyes as a mark of respect but Mahabisha spellbound by her stunning beauty stared at her unabashedly which was enjoyed by Ganga too. This display of unbridled passion so angered Indra that he cursed both of them to become like mortals on the earth. Mahabisha’s voyeuristic behavior cost him a berth in Devalok and resulted in his return trip to the material world of suffering on Earth. In the Indralok or Devalok there is only happiness, contentment and ever youth in that heaven.
However, Ganga was instructed to leave ‘Amravati’ heaven and allowed to return only after breaking Mahabisha’s heart.
The Indian mythology is full of boons and banes.
Mahabisha was reborn as Pratipa’s son Shantanu in the city of Hastina-puri. Pratipa from the Puru dynasty renounced the world after considering his children were able to take the mantle from him to rule the kingdom. The crown as per practice would have gone to his eldest son Devapi but he had a skin disease. As per the prevalent law a person with any kind of disability was never considered to be worthy of the royal throne.
One day, while Pratipa was meditating on a river bank, Ganga came and sat on his right lap. Pratipa asked Gnaga, had you sat on my left lap it would have meant you want to become my wife, now being seated on my right you wish to be my daughter. Beautiful woman, what is it that you desire?
Ganga replied, ‘I want to marry your son, Shantanu.’
‘So it will be’, said Pratipa.
One day Shantanu visited his father Pratipa on the river bank and was told by him that a beautiful woman called Ganga would approach you and wish to be your wife. Fulfill her desire and that is my wish.
Shortly, thereafter Shantanu saw Ganga gliding on a Dolphin. He has instantly fallen head over heels for her and asks her to marry him. Ganga agreed with the condition that Shantanu should never question her actions. Driven by both lust and his promise to his father, Shantanu agreed and Ganga followed him home.
Soon, Ganga gave birth to Shantanu’s first son. There was nothing left for celebration for Shantanu, as Ganga drowned the newborn in the river. Though, horrified by her action Shantanu did not want to lose his beautiful wife.
A year later she delivered another son and Ganga continued the action of drowning him too. Even this time Shantanu did not protest his voice. This action continued till the birth of the seventh son. Each time Shantanu said nothing.
But when Ganga was about to drown his eighth child Shantanu cried, ‘Stop, you pitiless woman. Let him live.’
Ganga stopped and smiled. ‘Husband you have broken your word,’ she said, So it is time for me to leave you like once Urvashi left Pururava. The children I killed were seven of the eight gods known as Vasus who were cursed to be reborn as mortals for the crime of stealing Vasishta’s cow. Vasishta was a sage who owned a cow called Nandini. She was capable of feeding an entire battalion of the king’s army. It was a wonder cow. Pratibha and his brothers stole his cow while they were enjoying Vasishta’s hospitality. At their request I became their mother and tried to keep their stay on earth as brief as possible to spare them the misery of earthly existence. But alas, I could not save the last one. This eighth Vasu, who you have saved Shantanu, will live. But a terrible life it shall be. Though man, he will neither marry nor inherit your throne. He will have no family, yet will be obliged to live as a householder. And finally, he will die a death of shame at the hands of a man who will actually be a woman.
It will not be so, I will not allow that Shantanu argued passionately.
I shall take your son and raise him as a perfect warrior. He shall be trained by the martial Sage, Parashurama. I shall send him to you when he is ready to marry and be king. Then we shall see, so saying Ganga disappeared with her son leaving Shantanu all alone.
Ganga kept her promise. Her son Devavrata grew up as a handsome warrior Prince. When Ganga sent him to his father the people of Hastina-puri (city of elephants) loved him and awaited his coronation as the King of Hastinapuri. But this never happened.
Shantanu had fallen in love for a second time. This time to a fisherwoman called ‘Matsyagandha’.
Before continuing with the future of Shantanu, let us examine the work of Karma depicted by Vyasa in the Hindu epic ‘Mahabharata’.
Mahabaratha gives great importance to the law of Karma. According to this law, nothing in this world is spontaneous. Everything is a reaction to the past. Shantanu falls in love with Ganga and has his heart broken because of events in their past life. Ganga kills her own children because of events in their past life. By interfering course of Karma, as Shantanu does when he stops Ganga from killing his eight sons one ends up causing more harm than good. The epic constantly reminds us that what is apparently a good deed need not really be a good deed, for every moment is governed by factors that are often beyond human comprehension.
The eight Vasus are ancient Vedic deities associated with the elements. For the paap (sin) of stealing Vasishtha’s cow, they have to be born as mortals. The leader of the eighth Prabhas, who stole the cow for his wife suffered more than the other seven and lives a longer and more miserable life as Devavrata.
Vyasa draws attention to the dangers of lust and blind obedience to the father when Shantanu agrees to the conditions laid down by Ganga . At the root of all human tragedy is human folly.
Shantanu’s second object of desire was Satyavati, a fisherwoman, who ferried people across the river Ganga. Shantanu longed to make her his wife. Satyavati too had a condition like Ganga before she accepted Shantanu’s offer of marriage. She wanted children borne out of their wedlock to be the heirs to Shantanu’s kingdom. Shantanu was in a dilemma as to how to satisfy this condition for Devavrata was already the crown prince of Hastina-puri.
When Devavrata came to know about the misery of his father, he went to Satyavati and said, ‘So that my father can marry you , I renounce my claim to the throne.’
Satyavati’s foster father who was the chief of fisher-folks was not satisfied by the act of Devavrata. He said to Devavrata, what is the guarantee that your progeny will not fight with Satyavati’s children for the throne. How will you ensure to avoid that.
Devavrata took a vow saying that I would not marry and I shall never be with a woman. I shall never father children.
Devarata’s vow was like a thunderbolt and gods in Indralok was stunned by that. So impressed were the Devas they descended from the skies and showered him with flowers. They renamed him “Bhishma” the one who took the most terrible vows. Since Devavrata would father no children due to this terrible vow, there would be no one left on earth after his death to facilitate his rebirth. He would be doomed to live forever in the land of the dead across the river Vaitarni. The Devas felt so sorry for Devavrata that they decreed Bhishma would have the power to choose the time of his death.
With Devavrata taking the vow of celibacy, there was nothing to stop Shantanu from marrying Satyavati.
Satyavati was not an ordinary fisherwoman. Her father was a King called Uparichara who during the course of a hunt had rested under a tree in the forest, thought of his wife ejected a joyful spurt of semen. With the intention of not wasting this semen, he wrapped it in a leaf gave it to a parrot, and requested it to carry it to his wife so that she could bear a child with it.
Satyavati was not an ordinary fisherwoman. Her father was a King called Uparichara who during the course of a hunt had rested under a tree in the forest, thought of his wife ejected a joyful spurt of semen. With the intention of not wasting this semen, he wrapped it in a leaf gave it to a parrot, and requested it to carry it to his wife so that she could bear a child with it.
On its way, the parrot was attacked by a falcon and the packet containing the semen fell into a river where it was eaten by a fish. This fish was once an Apsara called Girika, cursed by Brahma to be a fish until she gave birth to human children.
A few days later, some fishermen caught this fish and found in its belly twin children, a boy and a girl. The fishermen gifted these children to King Uparichara who accepted the male child but let the female child to be fostered by the fisherfolks. The chief of the fisherfolk adopted the girl and raised her as his own daughter. She was called Satyavati but teased as Matsyagandha for she smelt dreadfully of fish.
A few days later, some fishermen caught this fish and found in its belly twin children, a boy and a girl. The fishermen gifted these children to King Uparichara who accepted the male child but let the female child to be fostered by the fisherfolks. The chief of the fisherfolk adopted the girl and raised her as his own daughter. She was called Satyavati but teased as Matsyagandha for she smelt dreadfully of fish.
Matsya-gandha ferried people across the Ganga. One day she found herself ferrying a sage called Parashara. Midstream, near a river island, the sage expressed his desire to make love to Matsya-gandha and have a child with her. ‘No one will marry me if you do this’, she said with concern.
‘Don’t worry ‘ said the sage drawing a curtain of mist - a camouflage - over the ferry. “With my magical powers, I will ensure that you will bear a child instantly and regain your virginity”, said Parashara. And you will never ever smell of fish anymore. Your body will give out a fragrance that men will find irresistible.
‘Don’t worry ‘ said the sage drawing a curtain of mist - a camouflage - over the ferry. “With my magical powers, I will ensure that you will bear a child instantly and regain your virginity”, said Parashara. And you will never ever smell of fish anymore. Your body will give out a fragrance that men will find irresistible.
Before the ferry reached the other shore, Matsya-gandha had become a lover then a mother, then a virgin, and finally a fragrant woman. The child borne of this union was raised by Parashara. He was named Krishna Dwaipaina the dark child delivered on a river island. Eventually, he became known as Vyasa, who compiled the sacred scriptures.
This reminds me of a song and its lyrics by Mallu poet and lyricist Vayalar Rama Varma who had greatly influenced me since my teens -
“Kaamashastramezhuthiya muniyude
Kanaka thoolike – nee
Maanavahridayamam thoonirathile
Mantrasaramaayi enthinu malleesaramayi ?…(Kaamashastra..)
Dhyanadhanyamam manushyatmavine
Thapasil ninnunarthuvaano
Jananavum maranavum mayangumbol vannu
Janmavaasanagal unarthuvaano
Thaalam thakarkkuvaano……..(Kaamashastra…….)
Mayamoodiya yuga saundaryangal
Naayadippidikkuvaano?
Madhuravum divyavumamanuragathine
Maamsadhaahamai mattuvaano?
Raagam pizhakkuvaano?.....(Kaamashastra……) “
The sage who has written the “Kaamashastra” (the science of lust) with his golden feather (the sage in question is Vatsayan), are you the arrow of Kaamdev (the cupid) who lodged the cupid’s flower-tipped arrow of the quiver. Are you trying to disrupt the mind with the highest degrees of penance? Or, are you trying to trigger the inner instincts when birth and death take a slumber and spoil the cakewalk? Are you trying to hunt the beautiful mystical era? Are you trying to change the abstract sophisticated love into a lust for flesh and spoil the anuraag (the tender love)? I may not have been able to do justice in capturing the poet’s true feelings. The poet Vayalar’s lyrics and singer Dasettan’s (Dr. K.J. Yesudas) song rendition are considered a divine experience by Mallus. The music has no language and it will attract even non-Keralites.
The relevance of the song here is Parashara’s sexual exploitation of Satyavati aka Matsyagandha and the writer of ‘Kaamashastra’ the sage Vatsyayan. The sages of yesteryears were no novices to sex and lust and considered sex as an integral part of human life.
Matsya-gandha’s new fragrant body got her the attention of Shantanu and made her the queen of Hastina-puri.
Let us analyze the logic of the story.
· The story of Uparichara’s ‘joyful spurt of semen’ in the forest and its consumption by a fish is perhaps an elaborate tale to cover a king’s indiscretion with a fisherwoman.
· One wonder’s if Satyavati’s insistence that her children be kings stems from her resentment at being rejected by her loyal father Uparichara who chose only her brother and let her be raised by fisherfolk. As the story continues, Vyasa draws attention to the desperate and sometimes brutal steps taken by Satyavati to change her destiny.
· The tale of Parashara and Matsya-gandha can be seen as a tale of the exploitation of a young girl by a powerful elderly sage, or it can be seen as a tale of sex hospitality that was prevalent in the epic age when fathers and husbands offered their daughters and wives to guests, sages, and kings. Or it can be seen as an attempt by Matsya-gandha to manipulate a sage by offering him sexual favors.
Devdutt Pattanaik
The illustrations in the books retelling of ‘JAYA’ and ‘SITA’ were done by him with the help of his Chauffeur who assisted him in drawing and shade the illustrations.
Mahabharata gives prime importance to the law of Karma.
I always found joy in reciting the shloka “Karmanye Ma Phaleshu.”
"Karmanye Vadhikaraste Ma Phaleshu Kadachana,
Ma Karma Phala Hetur Bhurma Tey Sangostva Akarmani"
Ma Karma Phala Hetur Bhurma Tey Sangostva Akarmani"
Meaning: Do your duty and be detached from its outcome, do not be driven by the end product, enjoy the process of getting there.
- SHRIMAD BHAGVAD GITA
Let me end this Blog post with the mantra 'Satyameva Jayathe' … Truth Alone Triumphs.
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