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PART I Five Holy Virgins, Five Sacred Myths A Quest for Meaning Pradip Bhattacharya When Vyasa asked Ganesha to become his amanuensis, the elephant-headed god agreed, provided the dictation proceed without pause. Vyasa, in turn, laid down a condition of his own: nothing should be transcribed without comprehension. To wrest breathing space, he often composed shlokas so abstruse that even the elephant-headed god had to pause, before writing them down, to plumb their meaning. It is not only these Vyasa-kuta in the Mahabharata that challenge comprehension. Even a traditional saying can pose an enigma, raising questions that have no simple answers. We begin a five-part series on the Panchakanyas of the Indian epics, taking as our starting point a Sanskrit verse in praise of these five women, all dancers to a different drum. In their stories, in their choices and the consequences these led to, we find upheld a pattern of values quite other than is conventionally understood to be the case. here is an ancient exhortation1 these panchakanyas be extolled as designated as kavya, truth perceived naming five maidens as redemptive and why, indeed, is the by a kavi, a seer-poet. Hence, in Tpratah-smaraniya, urging intriguing term kanya applied to them? evaluating the characters they have that they be invoked daily at dawn: As we shall see, the key to the mystery created, it is necessary to probe Ahalya Draupadi Kunti Tara of these five ‘virgin’ maidens lies in consciously beneath the surface Mandodari tatha the type of sexual encounters they appearance to reach the underlying Panchakanya smaranityam have with non-husbands, encounters meaning. When such an exhortation mahapataka nashaka that are neither rape nor adultery but has come down the centuries, it (Ahalya, Draupadi, Kunti, Tara and are, in fact, quite unique. cannot be dismissed as a meaningless Mandodari: constantly remembering Of this group three – Ahalya, Tara, conundrum, specially when it these virgins five destroys great and Mandodari – belong to the combines, as this one does, as many failings.) Ramayana, the epic composed by as five myths in one verse. The verse poses a puzzle worth Valmiki, the first seer-poet. Draupadi Ahalya: Crime and Punishment grappling with. Two things strike us and Kunti are celebrated in Vyasa’s It is the nobility of her character, in this verse: the use of the epithet Mahabharata. At the outset, we need her extraordinary beauty and the fact kanya (virgin, maiden), not nari to keep in mind that Valmiki and of her being chronologically the first (woman); and the unusual Vyasa’s great compositions are kanya that places Ahalya at the head combination of names that redeem, of the five virgin maidens. She had of whom at least two – Ahalya and been true to her independent nature, Draupadi – are ayonijasambhava, fulfilling her womanhood in a manner “not-of-woman-born”. Of the five that she found appropriate, though, kanyas, none quite measure up to the finally, she is unable to assert herself. standard of monogamous chastity, The name Ahalya itself has a commended so overwhelmingly in double meaning: one who is flawless; our culture. Each has had either an it also means un-ploughed, that is, one extra-marital relationship or more than who is a virgin. Her origin-myth2 states one husband. Why should invoking that, having created this flawless 4 MANUSHI beauty from what was unique and loveliest in all creatures (as was later done to create Tilottama), Brahma handed her over to the sage Gautama for safe custody until she reached puberty. When Gautama handed her back to the Creator, he was so pleased with the sage’s self-restraint that he bestowed Ahalya upon him. Indra, lord of the gods, enamoured of her beauty, had presumed that this loveliest of women was meant for him and resented a forest-dwelling ascetic becoming her spouse. In the Adi (Bala) Kanda of the Ramayana, Vishvamitra tells Rama and Lakshmana that, assuming Gautama’s form in his absence, Indra approached Ahalya saying, “Those craving coitus cannot wait; I crave union, slim-waisted one!” Though Ahalya saw through the The Ahalya myth in Orissi patachitra disguise, yet out of curiosity (kutuhalat) – the same impulse that husband. Mortal woman welcomes the every act of rape and lose all peace of impels Kunti to summon Surya – she intimate touch of heaven’s immortal, mind. As for Ahalya, she would cease granted him sexual favours and said, driven by that irrepressible curiosity to be unique as the only beautiful “I am gratified. Now leave this place for varied and unusual experience, and female – other lovely women would quickly, best of gods! Protect yourself a willingness to take risks for it, which be born. (That is why men fall in love and me from Gautama in every way.” is said to characterise the feminine. with different women, projecting their As Indra was leaving, however, Although Ahalya already had a anima on to them.) When Ahalya Gautama returned. By his curse, Indra’s son, Shatananda, yet the deepest urges protested that she could not testicles fell off. Another version in of her femininity remained unfulfilled. recognise the disguised Indra and the Mahabharata (12.342.23) states The kanya is not just mother but is was not guilty of wilful wickedness, that Indra’s beard was turned yellow also beloved, and it is this aspect that Gautama relented and said that he by the curse. Ahalya was condemned had not been actualised in her would take her back after she had to perform penance in that terrible relationship with Gautama. The first been purified through Rama accepting forest, hidden from all, fasting kanya not-born-of-woman, Ahalya her hospitality. (“subsisting on air”), sleeping in has the courage to respond to the call ashes, tormented by guilt. Gautama of her inner urge, but does not In popular retelling of the myth, ordained that, purified of delusion challenge the sentence pronounced depicted often enough on stage and (lobhamohavivarjita), by offering on her by patriarchal society. in films and television serials, Ahalya hospitality to Rama, she, fairest of all The Backlash is turned to stone. She regains her (varavarnini3) would be redeemed to The Uttara Kanda4 version is form only when Ram, reluctantly, rejoin him. exculpatory, as may be expected of a places his foot on her head. In Valmiki, This account is frank regarding later addition to the epic. Here however, there is no petrifaction nor Ahalya’s deliberate choice to satisfy Agastya states that, infuriated at does Rama restore the stone-Ahalya her curiosity. Creation’s sole beautiful Brahma bestowing Ahalya upon to flesh and blood. These are Katha- woman, she is the archetypal feminine Gautama, Indra raped her, thus Sarit-Sagara innovations. We responding to the ardent, urgent, direct absolving Ahalya of any active role witness here a male backlash that sexual advances of the ruler of heaven in the liason. Gautama cursed Indra condemns the woman as soiled even who presents such a dazzling contrast to suffer imprisonment (by though she may not be at fault, as to her ascetic, aged, forest-dwelling Meghanada), bear half the guilt of Rama does with Sita. No.141 5 The opposite occurs in the Mahabharata version, told in the Shanti Parva, where the furious Tagore’s Ahalya Gautama commands his son Chirakari to slay his polluted mother (as Your lines of sin and stress. Today Jamadagni ordered Parashurama to “What were your dreams, behead Renuka), but later regrets his Ahalya, when you passed you shine rash command, realising that the fault Long years as stone, Like a newly woken princess, calm lies not with his wife but with the rooted in earth, prayer and pure. lustful Indra. The Brahma Purana5 And ritual gone, You stare amazed at the dawn has Gautama turn Ahalya into a dry sacred fire extinct world. The dew stream and disfigure Indra – who, In the dark, abandoned Which moistened your stone at terrified, has become a cat – with a night shimmers now thousand marks of the vulva. When forest-shram? Earth Ahalya pleads her ignorance, Gautama Merged with your body; did On your black, loosely-flowing grants her redemption upon her you know her vast hair. The mosses mingling with the Gautami River. By Love, did hazy awareness Which clothed you with the green bathing in the same river, the marks haunt your stone? mantle of Earth, on Indra’s body turn into eyes and he …And keep you blindly, dimly, Thickened and brightened by each becomes “thousand-eyed” like the half-awake? fall of rain, Greek Argus. Are now a sari lightly placed by a The Shiva Purana6 features …When life’s excited zest mother’s Ahalya in an incident said to have Rushed along branching paths occurred in another epoch (yuga). in numerous forms Loving hand on your glorious During a hundred year drought, To conquer the desert, did it naked limbs. Gautama’s ascesis resulted in Varuna rise in outrage, The world smiles; you gifting him an inexhaustible well, Circle your stone and crush recognise that smile. because of which his hermitage your sterile curse? You gaze; your heart swings became a refuge for the distressed, back from the far past, including the Seven Sages. The wives Didn’t its pounding blows Traces its lost steps. In a of the Seven Sages abused Gautama’s shake you awake?… sudden rush, disciples, insisting on having access Did you, long asleep on her to the well first. When Ahalya went breast, enter All round, your former knowledge of life returns… to resolve the dispute, they abused That place of oblivion, cool as …Like first her as well and lied to their husbands endless night, about what had happened.

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