January - 2013 Odisha Review Samba Dasami in Odishan Culture Dr. Dina Krishna Joshi Samba Dashami is a festival unique to Odisha and water with a beetle in it is taken to ‘Tulasi chaunra is celebrated on 10th day of the Sukla Paksha or mula’ (a small temple like structure with a Tulsi waxing phase of moon in Paush month plant overhead). All the cooked foods are served (December – January) as per traditional Odia in plates. Then female heads of the family see the calendar. Legends say that Samba, the son of face of Sun God through the bowl of turmeric Lord Krishna, was afflicted by leprosy and he water and offer all the cuisine to the God. They was cured by Surya, the Sun God, after 12 years read the legend of ‘Samba Dasami Brata Katha’ of penance near Konark in Odisha. So on this and pray for the well-being of the whole family day, mothers observe special Puja and rituals members. In the late night or evening, another dedicated to Lord Surya for the good health and pooja is observed as a part of Samba Dasami long life of their children. ritual. This is known as ‘Mahakala Puja’. Special Tradition: Budha Chakuli is offered to Yama. Special dishes are prepared on the day. Samba was Krishna’s Son : The dishes are first offered to Lord Surya and is Samba born to Lord Krishna and later shared among the children. On this day, Jambavati was very handsome, dearest and female folks of the family wake up early in the notorious son of Lord Krishna. Samba did many morning before sunrise. After bathing, they prepare unbearable things which led the variety of food items like, Khichdi, Ghadghadia whole Yadu dynasty to its end. Tarkari (a curry item) and offer them to Sun God during sunrise. One of the specific characters of According to mythology, Krishna wanted this ritual is variety of individual food item is a son. After getting advice from a sage, He offered to Sun God in the name of each member entered into seclusion, put ashes all over his body of the family. After that female folks of the families and clothed himself in tree bark. For years and go on preparing variety of Pitha (Cake) like years he prayed for a glimpse of Lord Shiva to Manda Pitha, Kakara Pitha, Arisha Pitha, etc. ask him a boon. After some years both Parvati and other items like Makar Chaula, and Shiva appeared. Krishna told Lord Shiva that Chhenaguda and sweet dishes like Khiri, only He could fulfil His desire. Lord Krishna Rasagola, Chhenagaja, Sweet Curd etc. all wanted his son to be exactly like Lord Shiva. Lord over the day. In the noon time, a bowl of turmeric Shiva’s main function is to destroy creation. For 55 Odisha Review January - 2013 his son to be like Shiva meant that the boy would dynasty, such as Bhisma and Dhrtarastra, six great be the cause of the destruction of his entire race. warriors—Karna, Sala, Bhurisrava, Yajnaketu This was what Krishna precisely wanted because and Duryodhana, the father of the girl—all maha- the Yadus could not be defeated by anybody. rathis guided by the great fighter Bhismadeva, Immortality for humans is out of question therefore attempted to arrest the boy Samba. There are at the end of the Yuga the Yadus would destroy different grades of fighters, including maha-rathi, each other. Samba played an instrumental role in eka-rathi and rathi, classified according to their this. Lord Shiva granted Krishna the boon. After fighting capacity. These maha-rathis could fight some time Krishna’s wife Jambavati gave birth to alone with many thousands of men. All of them a baby, they named him Samba. Samba is another combined together to arrest Samba. Samba was name of Lord Shiva. also a maha-rathi, but he was alone and had to Marriage of Samba: fight with the six other maha-rathis. Still he was not deterred when he saw all the great fighters of Duryodhana, the son of Dhrtarastra, had a marriageable daughter by the name of the Kuru dynasty coming up to arrest him. Laksmana. She was a very highly qualified girl of Alone, he turned towards them and took the Kuru dynasty, and many princes wanted to his nice bow, posing exactly as a lion stands marry her. Her father arranged her swayamvara adamant in the face of other animals. Therefore, and many princes came to win her hand. In as soon as Samba accepted the challenge and svayamvara ceremony, the girl has option to stood alone before them, he was overpowered select her husband according to her own choice. by showers of arrows thrown by all the great Meanwhile Samba joined the swayamvara and warriors. He fought them with great talent. First abducted her forcefully. Because Samba took of all, he struck each of the six charioteers with Laksmana away from the assembly by force, all six separate arrows. Another four arrows he used the members of the Kuru dynasty, namely, to kill the charioteers’ horses, four on each Dhrtarastra, Bhisma, Vidura, Ujahan and Arjuna, chariot. One arrow was used to kill the driver thought it an insult to their family tradition that the and one arrow was used for Karna as well as the boy, Samba, could possibly have kidnapped their other celebrated fighters. While Samba was so daughter. All of them knew that Laksmana was diligently fighting alone with the six great warriors, not at all inclined to select him as her husband they all appreciated the inconceivable potency of and that she was not given the chance to select the boy. Even in the midst of fighting, they admitted her own husband; instead she was forcibly taken frankly that this boy Samba was wonderful. But away by this boy. Therefore, they decided that the fighting was conducted in the ksatriya spirit, he must be punished. Therefore, all of them, so all together, although it was improper, they under the counsel of the elderly members of the Kuru family, decided to arrest the boy but not to obliged Samba to get down from his chariot, now kill him. All the members of the Kuru dynasty, broken to pieces. Of the six warriors, four took especially the great fighters, joined together just care to kill Samba’s four horses, and one of them to teach him a lesson, and Karna was made the managed to cut the string of Samba’s bow so that commander-in-chief for this small battle. he could no longer fight with them. In this way, with great difficulty and after a severe fight, Samba After consultation and after receiving was left bereft of his chariot, and they were able permission from the elder members of the Kuru to arrest him. Thus, the warriors of the Kuru 56 January - 2013 Odisha Review dynasty took their daughter, Laksmana, away from Lord Balarama then began to drag the city him. Thereafter, they entered the city of towards the flowing water of the river Ganges. Hastinapura in great triumph. Because of this, there was a great tremor The great sage Narada immediately throughout Hastinapura, as if there had been an carried the news to the Yadu dynasty that Samba earthquake, and it seemed that the whole city was arrested and told them the whole story. would be dismantled. When all the members of Although Lord Balarama knew very well that by the Kuru dynasty saw that their city was about to slight provocation people are prepared to fight fall into the water of the Ganges and when they with one another in the age of Kali, He did not heard their citizens howling in great anxiety, they like the idea that the two great dynasties, the Kuru immediately came to their senses and understood dynasty and the Yadu dynasty, would fight what was happening. Thus without waiting another amongst themselves. He therefore immediately second they brought forward their daughter arranged for a nice chariot to go to Hastinapura, Laksmana. They also brought Samba, who had accompanied by learned priests and forcibly tried to take her away, keeping him in the brahmanas, as well as by some of the elderly forefront with Laksmana at his back. Duryodhana, members of the Yadu dynasty. When Lord being affectionate towards his daughter Balarama reached the precincts of the city of Laksmana, had her married to Samba in great Hastinapura, He did not enter, but stationed pomp. Himself in a camp outside the city in a small Curse of the Sages Vishwamitra and Narada: garden house. The leaders of the Kuru dynasty, Once, Samba was dressed up by the especially Dhrtarastra and Duryodhana, were very Yadavas as a pregnant woman and presented to joyful because they knew very well that Lord the Sages as a prank. Samba had held a mace/ Balarama was a great well-wisher of their family. pestle under his clothes to make him look They all exchanged words of reception by asking pregnant [Many versions say that Samba gave one another of their welfare, and when such birth to the iron pestle, according to the curse]. formality was finished, Lord Balarama, in a great The Yadava pranksters told the Sages that this voice and very patiently, submitted before them was a young woman who was expecting a child the following words for their consideration. Lord and she was eager to know if she would give birth Balarama told them to hand over Samba and to a son or a daughter. The sages who could see Laksmana with a commanding tone full of heroic through the hoax felt assertion.