Before long, Indra-prastha became the envy of all Bharata-varsha, for it was a prosperous city with fields and orchards and pastures and markets and river-ports. Priests, warriors, farmers, herdsmen and artisans from all over came to make this their new home. Yudhishtira with the help of his brothers instituted and maintained the code of dharma in this city. All men were supposed to do their duties determined by the role of their father in society and by their stage in life. All women were supposed to take care of their fathers, brothers, husbands and sons and help them fulfil their duty.
Advising the Pandavas was their guru, Dhaumya, who had witnessed their rise in fortune from their days in abject poverty in the forests of Ekachakra.
It is interesting that Indra, a Deva, which is conventionally translated to mean god, opposes the Pandavas while Maya, an Asura, conventionally translated to mean demon, supports the Pandavas. While Indra, king of the Devas and god of rain, who resides in the sky, tries to save the Nagas whose habitat is being destroyed, Agni, another Deva, god of fire, who sits on the ground, consumes the Nagas and their habitat. Thus the relationship of humans, Devas, Asuras and Nagas is quite complex.
Devas and Asuras had great architects who built vast citadels based on the principles of Vastu-shastra. Devas had Vishwakarma while Asuras had Maya. That Pandavas take the help of Maya indicates that the Asuras, though feared as demons, were also seen as allies under suitable conditions. Maya means magician, suggesting that the techniques he used to build the palace for the Pandavas were considered magical.
Since weapons were so integral to warriors in Vedic times, they were given names and treated with respect. Arjuna’s bow is called Gandiva while Krishna’s discus is called Sudarshan. Krishna has other weapons too—a sword called Nandaka, a mace called Kaumodaki and a bow called Saranga. Balarama called his pestle Sunanda.
Indra-prastha is believed to have been located on the banks of the Yamuna not far from modern Delhi. Hastina-puri was located further north on the banks of the Ganga. Kuru-kshetra is a barren stretch of land in what is now the state of Haryana.
For helping him regain his lustre, Agni, the fire-god, gifts Arjuna many weapons including the famed bow Gandiva and a chariot drawn by four horses: Saibya, Sugriva, Meghapuspa and Balahaka.
38
Sharing Draupadi
All the five Pandavas loved Draupadi equally. This was a recipe for disaster for it was a question of time before they experienced jealousy and possessiveness.
Krishna told the Pandavas the story of Tilotamma, an Apsara who was sent by the Devas to create discord and eventually destroy the two Asura brothers, Sunda and Upasunda. No sooner did the two brothers see her than both desired her hand in marriage. ‘I will marry the one who is the stronger of you two,’ said Tilotamma smiling slyly. The brothers decided to fight for her. And since both were equally matched, they ended up killing each other in the fight.
‘If you don’t want to end up killing each other as Sunda and Upasunda did, you must agree to allow Draupadi to be exclusive to one brother for a year at a time. Once the year is over, you must let her go to your other brothers and return to her only four years later. The brother who enters Draupadi’s chamber out of turn will go into exile for a year,’ said Krishna to the Pandavas.
The Pandavas agreed. Each brother had exclusive access to Draupadi’s chamber for a year at a time and she served each one dutifully. It was said that before moving on to the next husband she would walk through fire and regain her virginity.
Draupadi enjoyed Yudhishtira’s honesty, Bhima’s strength, Arjuna’s skill, Nakula’s beauty and Sahadeva’s knowledge. She bore each one of her husbands a son. Thus she became mother of five sons.
The Pandavas were allowed to marry other women to take away their loneliness in the four years they were deprived of Draupadi’s company. But none of these other wives were allowed to stay in Indra-prastha. This was Draupadi’s demand and the Pandavas agreed to it.
One day, the cows of the Pandavas were being herded away by thieves. The cowherds sought the help of Arjuna who rushed to the palace to collect his bow. He looked everywhere but could not find it. Finally, he decided to look for his bow in the one place he had not searched: Draupadi’s bedchamber. When he entered, he found her in the arms of Yudhishtira.
Since he had entered the bedchamber out of turn, Arjuna had to go into exile for a year as punishment. He decided to go on a pilgrimage.
Draupadi bore the Pandavas five sons. They were: Prativindhya, son of Yudhishtira; Satsoma, son of Bhima; Shurtakirti, son of Arjuna; Shatanika, son of Nakula; and Shrutasena, son of Sahadeva.
Besides Draupadi, each Pandava had other wives. Yudhishtira married Devika, the daughter of Govasana of the Saivya tribe, and begat upon her a son called Yaudheya. Bhima married Valandhara, the daughter of the king of Kashi, and begat upon her a son named Sarvaga. Nakula married Karenumati, the princess of Chedi, and begat upon her a son named Niramitra. Sahadeva obtained Vijaya, the daughter of Dyutimat, the king of Madra, and begat upon her a son named Suhotra.
There is a Punjabi folklore connecting Draupadi’s conjugal arrangements with the reason why dogs copulate in public. A Pandava would always leave his footwear outside Draupadi’s chamber to let the other brothers know of his presence. A dog stole Yudhishtira’s footwear and so Arjuna assumed Draupadi was alone when he entered her chamber in search of his bow. Draupadi, embarrassed, cursed the dog that since its actions caused her intimate moments to be known to another, all dogs in the future would copulate only in full view of the public, stripped of all shame.
In the Oriya Mahabharata, Agni, the god of fire, demands that he be allowed to see Yudhishtira. Unfortunately, at that time, the king is busy in the chambers of Draupadi. Agni threatens to destroy the city of Indra-prastha if the king does not meet him immediately. Arjuna therefore is forced to enter Draupadi’s chamber, out of turn, resulting in his long exile.
39
Ulupi and Chitrangada
During his journeys, Arjuna visited many holy shrines located on riverbanks, beside lakes or on mountain tops.
In one lake Arjuna was attacked by five crocodiles, but he managed to wrestle and kill them all. To his surprise, the crocodiles turned into five nymphs. ‘We were cursed to be crocodiles by a Rishi whose meditation we disturbed. We were told a warrior would liberate us. That warrior is you. Thank you.’
Another time, Arjuna was dragged under the river where he found himself in the arms of a Naga woman called Ulupi. ‘I have no husband. Make me yours. Make love to me,’ she requested. Arjuna refused. ‘It is against dharma to reject a woman who comes to you willingly and full of desire,’ she said, quoting the scriptures. Arjuna had then no choice but to spend a night with her. Then he went on his way, forgetting the strange encounter.
From his union with Ulupi, Arjuna would become the father of a young warrior called Iravan who would, years later, play a crucial role in the great war at Kuru-kshetra.
Arjuna then came to the kingdom of Manipur whose princess, he had heard, was a great warrior woman called Chitrangada.
Chitrangada had heard many great things about Arjuna, and had fallen in love with him without even seeing him. She feared that Arjuna would be repelled by her rather masculine bearing. So she invoked Shiva and begged him to make her more feminine. Shiva answered her prayers and she transformed into a coy young girl. When she approached Arjuna in her new form, he paid her no attention for he had seen many such women. His eyes searched for that great warrior woman with manly gait called Chitrangada. When Chitrangada learnt what Arjuna sought, she begged Shiva to restore her to her original form. Arjuna took one look at Chitrangada as she really was and fell in love with her.
‘May I marry your daughter?’ Arjuna asked the king of Manipur.
‘Yes, you may,’ replied the king, ‘provided you let me adopt the son she bears.’
‘So it shall be,’ said Arjuna. In due course, Chitrangada gave birth to Arjuna’s son who was named Babruvahana. H
e would play an important role in his father’s life years later, after the war at Kuru-kshetra.
During his exile, Arjuna fell in love with many women and many women fell in love with him. Some he married and some he did not. Vyasa refers only to three of these women: Ulupi, Chitrangada and Subhadra. In Tamil lore, there are tales of his romantic liaisons with the daughters of Devas and Asuras.
One of Arjuna’s many wives was an amazon queen called Ayli, who he seduced while she slept, taking the form of a serpent and slipping into her bed. There is a Tamil folktale of how Krishna took the form of a snake charmer and Arjuna the form of a snake in the latter’s quest to seduce Ayli.
Rabindranath Tagore’s Chitrangada in the dance drama of the same name written in the 19th century is different from the princess of Manipur of the Mahabharata. She is a learned and capable woman who yearns for love. She proclaims, ‘The flower of my desire shall never drop into the dus before it has ripened to fruit.’ So, when the ungainly warrior princess is rejected by Arjuna, she unashamedly conspires with Madana, the god of love, to bring Arjuna to heel, by disguising herself as a bewitching beauty. In time, Arjuna tires of mere beauty and hearing tales about the valour of princess Chitrangada, he seeks her out. The princess then reveals her true self to Arjuna. Her words are one of the most beautiful declarations of the angst of a woman, ‘I am not beautifully perfect as the flowers with which I worship. I have many flaws and blemishes. I am a traveller in the great world-path, my garments are dirty, and my feet are bleeding with thorns. Where should I achieve flower-beauty, the unsullied loveliness of a moment’s life? The gift that I proudly bring you is the heart of a woman. Here have all pains and joys gathered, the hopes and fears and shames of a daughter of the dust; here love springs up struggling towards immortal life. Herein lies an imperfection which yet is noble and grand.’
40
Eloping with Subhadra
Arjuna finally arrived in Dwaravati or Dwaraka, the famous port city of the Yadavas. He entered the city disguised as a mendicant, on Krishna’s advice.
Krishna knew that his sister, Subhadra, was secretly in love with Arjuna even though their elder brother, Balarama, had fixed her marriage with Duryodhana. He encouraged Arjuna to elope with his sister. Subhadra needed no encouragement. As soon as she realized that the mendicant in the city was none other than the man she loved, she rode out of the city with Arjuna on a chariot. To show the world that she was leaving of her own volition, she held the reins in her own hands.
Balarama was furious on learning that Subhadra had eloped with a mendicant, and even more furious when he learnt that the mendicant was Arjuna in disguise.
‘I shall follow them and bring her back,’ shouted Balarama.
‘Why?’ asked Krishna, ‘Can’t you see she is in love with him? She is not being forced. Look, how she smiles as she holds the reins of the chariot that takes them out of the city.’
Balarama admitted reluctantly that ultimately it was her decision who she wanted to spend the rest of her life with.
Arjuna was in a fix when he reached the gates of Indra-prastha along with Subhadra. Draupadi had made it clear that no other Pandava wife would be allowed to stay in her city. Where could Subhadra go? She could not return to Dwaraka. Not knowing what to do, the newlyweds sought Krishna’s advice.
Advised by Krishna, Subhadra entered Draupadi’s chambers disguised as a milkmaid and begged shelter for herself and her husband. ‘I have eloped with him and am afraid his senior wife may not allow me to stay with him,’ she said without disclosing her identity.
‘Don’t worry, you can stay with me,’ said Draupadi affectionately. ‘You will be like a sister to me.’
‘I am like a sister to you. I am Krishna’s sister. And my husband is Arjuna,’ disclosed Subhadra shyly, nervous at how Draupadi would react.
Draupadi realized she had been tricked but she forgave Subhadra and let her stay in Indra-prastha, allowing her to give company to Arjuna in the four years when he was not with her. In due course, Arjuna and Subhadra gave birth to a son. His name was Abhimanyu.
In Indonesia, Arjuna is said to have married seven women besides Draupadi. The most important among them were Sumbadra, sister of Krishna, who is subservient and gentle and Srikandi (Shikhandi?), sister of Draupadi, a saucy and skilled archer, who later participates in the battle at Kuru-kshetra and is responsible for killing Bhishma. The woman who later became Duryodhana’s wife was also in love with him but Arjuna felt it would be inappropriate for him to marry the woman already promised to his cousin brother, a side of Arjuna not seen in the Sanskrit Mahabharata where Arjuna gets pleasure in claiming what Duryodhana hopes will be his.
In a strange tale that is unique to the Oriya Mahabharata, Krishna decides to play a trick on Arjuna while he is in the forest. He approaches him in the form of a monster, the Nabagunjara, a creature that is a composite of nine animals—serpent, horse, bull, tiger, elephant, horse, peacock, rooster and man. Instead of getting frightened, Arjuna sees the lotus flower in the human hand of the creature and recognizes Krishna. The story brings out an important Hindu philosophy: what cannot be understood by the human intellect need not be feared because it ultimately comes from God.
Balarama teaches the art of mace warfare to both Duryodhana and Bhima but he always favours the former. The reason for this is never explained. Was it sibling rivalry, for Krishna always preferred the Pandavas?
In Tamil tradition, Draupadi is a goddess and one Muttal Ravuttan is her royal guard and gatekeeper. He is said to be a king whose daughter married Yudhishtira. It was known that Draupadi would not let any of her five husbands’ other wives stay in the palace. So that she makes an exception to his daughter, Muttal offers to become Draupadi’s servant for all eternity.
41
Beheading Gaya
Gaya, a Gandharva, but some say he was an Asura, was once flying over Dwaraka when he spat on the ground. His spit fell on Krishna’s head. Furious, Krishna swore to behead the creature who showed him such disrespect. He picked up his weapons, mounted his chariot and set out in chase of Gaya.
A terrified Gaya ran to Indra-prastha and fell at Subhadra’s feet trembling. ‘Save me, noble lady, from the mad warrior who seeks to behead me for a crime committed accidentally.’
Feeling sorry for Gaya, Subhadra said, ‘Do not be afraid. My husband, Arjuna, is the greatest warrior in the land. He will offer you protection.’ Gaya smiled. He was safe.
Shortly thereafter, an angry Krishna came to the gates of Indra-prastha, ordering Gaya, who he had seen entering the city, to come out. Subhadra realized that the mad warrior threatening to behead Gaya was none other than her own brother, but she could not go back on her word. ‘Arjuna has sworn to protect him; you cannot harm him,’ she said.
‘I have sworn to kill him. Nothing will come in my way,’ said Krishna.
Before long, Krishna and Arjuna stood face to face. Arjuna held the Gandiva in his hand while the dreaded Sudarshan Chakra whirred around Krishna’s finger. Gaya lay quivering at Subhadra’s feet. The situation was tense. Neither would give way for each one had given his word. ‘To keep one’s word is the fundamental principle of dharma,’ said the two warriors. If Arjuna struck Krishna then the world would cease to be, and if Krishna struck Arjuna then that would mean the end of the Pandavas, which would mean the end of all hope for the world.
The Devas watching from Swarga were so alarmed that they begged Brahma, the creator of the world, and Shiva, the destroyer of the world, to intervene. Creator and destroyer both appeared between the battling Krishna and Arjuna. ‘Stop,’ they said. ‘Your battle threatens the whole world.’
Turning to Arjuna, Brahma said, ‘Let Krishna behead Gaya and do what he swore to do. Then I myself will restore Gaya to life so that you are able to do what you swore to do. Thus both of you will be able to keep your word.’ Realizing the gravity of the situation, Arjuna lowered his bow and let Krishna behead Gaya; Brahma then resurrected Gaya.
Gaya tha
nked Arjuna and apologized to Krishna for having caused such cosmic disruption.
The story of Gaya who creates conflict between Arjuna and Krishna is performed by the Yakshagana folk theatre in Karnataka. It was written by Halemakki Rama in the 17th century. It is not part of the classical Sanskrit narrative.
The story shows how even good intentions can disrupt the bonds of friendship and how people can exploit friendship to their own advantage.
42
Nara and Narayana
One day, while walking by the river, Arjuna said, ‘I have heard that Ram of Ayodhya was a great archer. With my arrows I have been able to build bridges that enabled elephants of Indra to descend to earth. Surely Ram could have built a bridge of arrows across the sea to rescue his wife, Sita, abducted by the Rakshasa-king, Ravana. Why did he not? Was he not as good an archer as I?’
Hanuman, the monkey, servant and devotee of Ram, overheard Arjuna speak so. He did not like Arjuna’s boast. Leaping down from a tree, he told Arjuna, ‘A bridge of arrows would never support the weight of monkeys. That is why he had to build a bridge of stones. You try building a bridge of arrows across this river and see if it can withstand the weight of one monkey.’