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Aswamedha Episode and Jaimini Bharata in the Tradition of Mahabharata : Bengali, Assamese and Oriya Version

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Aswamedha Episode and Jaimini Bharata in the Tradition of Mahabharata : Bengali, Assamese and Oriya Version Orissa Review * April - 2010 Aswamedha Episode and Jaimini Bharata in the Tradition of Mahabharata : Bengali, Assamese and Oriya Version Dr. Satyabrata Das Dr. U.N. Sahu As the ancient tradition / heritage of balanced a character as Dharmaraj Yudhisthira Mahabharata shows, there is a special attraction was in no better frame of mind. Gloom and for the Aswamedha canto (the chapter dealing dejection hit one and all. Each of the Pandavas with the ritual done with great fan-fare and the was down with utter confusion and self-pity and concomitant show- down of valour and strength saw no way to come to terms with reality. At in the great Indian Epic) across the entire stretch moments they thought of renouncing the world or of Eastern India. Apart from the Mahabharata even committing suicide. It was a state of terrible being compared in different regional languages of crisis for the whole nation when it was barely out India, a plethora of precious creative pieces have of a disastrous war and with no one around in a come up in Assamese, Oriya, Bengali and sound frame of mind to lead the country out of Manipuri especially on the theme of Aswamedha turmoil. When the crisis deepened day by day Yajna. It is greatly interesting to observe that the and there was no sign of improvement, both great entire medieval royal culture and court tradition Vyasadev and Narada came to the rescue of was incomplete without this Aswamedha canto Dharmaraj Yudhisthira. As per their advice and being recited in the open Parliament to the king, counseling the Pandavas organized the grand the courtiers and the public. The reason is obvious. ritual of the Aswamedha Yajna to spiritually This chapter or canto of the Mahabharata gives counter-act the nagging remorse and gloom. And an exhaustive account of the tragic aftermath of indeed, they could fight out their dejection and the Great War and the noble intention of the disillusionment at last. virtuous Pandavas to atone for the loss of lives in On the other hand, the Aswamedha the process of the war before restoring normalcy Parva of the great Indian epic gives an elaborate in society. account of the political situation of India during Apart from the fact that the the period immediately following the Mahabharata war (or any other war for that Mahabharata war, the alignment of the royal matter) involved mass killings, it witnessed the houses, their powers and, above all, their attitude brutal killing of one¶s own kith and kin, first to the new order under the leadership of the cousins, nephews, mentors and friends. Hence, Pandavas. The war-sick and the war-ravaged the Pandavas were declared victorious at the end medieval kings of the Indian sub-continent thus of the day though, they were heavily shocked with found this chapter greatly soothing and grief and remorse and found it difficult to get over entertaining. Even the non-Hindu, foreign invaders them. As a matter of fact, even as wise and as like the Mughals patronized the poets to write on 72 Orissa Review * April - 2010 this theme of Aswamedha Yajna. This precisely which the three brothers were defeated. The next explains why the Aswamedha Parva proved itself point that the dark horse found itself on its journey as the most recited, discussed and sought-after was the Sindhu province which was being ruled part of the great Indian epic which passed through by Suratha, the able son of the deceased king innumerable poetic hands and appeared in Jayadratha. Both Suratha, the young king and his innumerable creative forms. It drew the attention mother, the widow of king Jayadratha (who and fired the imagination of both the sovereigns happened to be the sister of Duryodhana), got and the common; the old and the young; the panicked and sought shelter with Arjun. From the Hindus and the non-Hindus; the natives and the Sindhu province the horse proceeded to the foreigners. North-east province Manipur. Incidentally The earliest account of Aswamedha ritual Manipur was being ruled by Babruvahana, the we get from the Sanskrit Mahabharata son of Arjun and princess Chitrangada , which composed by Vyasadeva. Later Rishi Jaimini, a Arjun himself wasn¶t aware of. Although student of Vyasa, composed a long narrative called Babruvahana accorded the best of reception and Jaimini Bharata in which we find the ritual of honour to Arjun the latter looked at such Aswamedha yajna receiving the prime focus and hospitality as a mark of cowardice and unheroic all possible grandeur and significance. Next disposition. Arjun was really harsh and offensive follows a phase of history when the great Indian to Babruvahana and in fact provoked him to a epic takes multiple regional forms, each varying fight. This tense situation was further aggravated from the Sanskrit source and from each other as by Ullupi, the Nagakanya (snake-princess) from well in their thrust and approach. An interesting the nether-world. Then a terrible fight ensued pattern, however, emerges in all their differences between Arjun and Babruvahana in which the and varieties. Across Eastern India, the earliest latter killed the former. After Arjun got killed both attempt is found to be made to compose the Ullupi and Chitrangada arrived on the spot. Mahabharata in the regional language. And Chitrangada was crest-fallen to see Arjun dead curiously, all these poets focus on the Aswamedha and appealed to Ullupi to bring him back to life. Parva primarily to entertain the kings and chieftains On the other hand, Babruvahana (who too had who mostly patronized such talents. lost his senses) on his recovery felt miserable and was filled with a terrible sense of guilt and remorse Let us first examine this great event as it for being the cause of his own father¶s death. is portrayed in the Sanskrit version of the epic. However, Ullupi, on the pitiful persuation of As the events proceed in the Sanskrit Chitrangada, used Sanjeevani to bring the dead Mahabharata, after the disastrous war and the Arjun back to life. After this high drama was over pyrrhic victory of the Pandavas in the great war Ullupi revealed the whole mystery how Arjun was Vyasadeva proposed king-designate Dharmaraj cursed by the Astavasus for his unethical act of Yudhisthir to organize the Aswamedha Yajna putting Shikhandi on the front and killing Bhisma (primarily to counter-act the deep-seated gloom who was without arm. The Astavasus had got and dejection from their mind ) with two horses, the approval of mother Ganga before cursing one white the other dark. Arjun rode the white Arjun. Somehow the Naga-princess Ullupi could one following the dark one on its trail. First, the know this well in advance and had approached dark steed got into the territory of Trigarta and its her father, the king of the Nagas (Cobras), Ananta. king Suryavarma held up the horse. As a result, The Naga king Ananta, however, had fervently Arjun had a fight with king Suryavarma and his requested the Astavasus to call back the curse two brothers, Ketuvarma and Dhritavarma, in they had inflicted upon Arjun. The Vasus had 73 Orissa Review * April - 2010 complied with Nagaraj¶s request in a way by that the son of the couple would succeed to the designing the killing of Arjun by his own son throne of Manipur, not Hastinapur. As per this (Babruvahana) at Manipur and again getting back condition Babrunvahana became the king of to life after his liberation from the impact of the Manipur and Chitrangada stayed back in Manipur curse. This whole trend and mystery was to aid and advise her son like a regent(4). In the wonderfully narrated by Ullupi to Arjun which course of the Aswamedha yajna after the fight made him feel so happy. Then Arjun embraced between Arjun and Babruvahana and the former¶s and caressed his son Babruvahana and invited defeat and death and again his getting back to him to come to Hastinapur with both his mothers, life and his reunion with his son and two wives Chitrangada and Ullupi. (Chitrangada and Ullupi) Arjun directed Babruvahana to go to Hastinapur with his two After this high drama in Manipur the mothers. As the Sanskrit Mahabharata further sacred horse entered the territory of Magadha mentions, while Babruvahana finally leaves where Arjun defeated the young king Hastinapur after his sojourn king Yudhisthira gives Meghasandhi, the grandson of Jarasandha. In the him a lot of wealth and gifts.(5) south Arjun defeated Sharabha, the son of Shisupal ,in Shaktipur of the Chedis. In the same In the Ashramika Parva of the Sanskrit row Arjun went on defeating the Mlechha kings Mahabharata it figures that while Gandhari with of Banga, Pundra and Koshala. Similarly, along all the Kuru widows were leaving Hastinapur on the Coromandal and the Kankon coast Arjun their Vanaprastha (retirement to forest, the last fought and defeated the Dravidas, the Andhra, phase of Vedic life) Chitrangada was very much the Mahashika and the Kollwapineyas. Of course, present there.(6) there were many (such as Saurashtra, As such, in view of the above discussion Gokarnadesha, Dwaravati Nagari, Panchanada we reasonably assume that Vyasadev has given Pradesh and Gandhara desha) who humbly special attention and importance to the entire accepted the sovereignty of the Pandavas and Aswamedha parva in general and to Arjun- were invited to the Aswamedha Yajna. As the holy Chitrangada affair in particular. The histrionics of horse returned to Hastinapur after its long and the situation and the excitement of winning war eventful journey the Yajna was formally treated might have impressed the later kings and emperors as over and then preparation was in full swing for who might be drawing ample vicarious pleasure the journey of the Pandavas to the Heaven from the fast-track dramatic sequence of events (Swargarohana)(1) .
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