By Shri Kesava Rao Tadipatri
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| Art by Smt.Vani Rao, Baton Rouge, LA |
In Mahabharata, one of the doubts that was entertained by many is whether Karna
was allowed to string the bow and shoot the target in Draupadi svayamvara.
This will be presented in 3 parts.
In part 1, the North Indian version will be given,
In part 2, the South Indian version will be given.
In part 3, they will be compared and a validation of the correct version will be presented both from our Acharya's point of view and also logical point of view, which an outsider can also appreciate.
The North Indian recension goes as follows (as per Parimal publications, Delhi):
“hAhAkR^itaM taddhanushhA dR^iDhena
visrastahArAN^gadachakravAlaM |
kR^ishhNAnimittaM vinivR^ittakAmaM
rAj~nAM tadA maNdalamArtamAsIt.h || ..1-187-20”
In part 1, the North Indian version will be given,
In part 2, the South Indian version will be given.
In part 3, they will be compared and a validation of the correct version will be presented both from our Acharya's point of view and also logical point of view, which an outsider can also appreciate.
The North Indian recension goes as follows (as per Parimal publications, Delhi):
visrastahArAN^gadachakravAlaM |
kR^ishhNAnimittaM vinivR^ittakAmaM
rAj~nAM tadA maNdalamArtamAsIt.h || ..1-187-20”
The assemblage of the kings was in a pitiable state, by making loud wailings in stringing the tough bow and their garlands, bracelets and ornaments were disarrayed and their hopes of procuring Draupadi were shattered.
dhanurdharANAm pravaro jagAma |
uddhR^itya tUrNaM dhanurudyataM tat sajyaM
chakArAshu yuyoja bANAn.h || ..1-187-21”
After lifting the bow and stringing it, he quickly placed the arrows on the string.
nItaM laxyavaraM dharAyAM |
dhanurdharA rAgakR^itapratij~na-matyagni
somArkamathArkaputram.h || ..1-187-22”
“dRishhTvA tu taM draupadI vAkyamuchchair-
jagAda nAhaM varayAmi sUtaM |
sAmarshhahAsaM prasamIxya sUryaM
tatyAja karNaH sphuritaM dhanustat.h || ..1-187-23”
Perceiving him, Draupadi uttered in a loud voice “I shall not marry a sUta.” Laughing in disgust and glancing the sun, KarNa discarded that great bow drawn to discharge.
A similar gist can also be seen in the following (where mUla shlokas are not given)
“hAhAkR^itaM taddhanushhA dR^iDhena
visrastahArAN^gadachakravAlaM |
kR^ishhNAnimittaM vinivR^ittakAmaMrAj~nAM
tadA maNdalamArtamAsIt.h || ..1-202-20”
The assemblage of the kings was in a pitiable state, by making loud wailings in stringing the tough bow and their garlands, bracelets and ornaments were disarrayed and their hopes of procuring Draupadi were shattered.
chedInAmadhipo vIro balavAnantakopamaH || ..1-202-21
(which is also 1-187-24 in North Indian recension)
damagoshhAtmajo dhImAnshishupAlo mahAdyutiH |
dhanushho.abhyashamAgamya tasthau rAj~nAM samaxataH || .. 1-202-22
tadapyAropyamANaM tu mAshhamAtre.abhyatADayat.h |
dhanushhA pIDyamAnastu jAnubhyAmagamanmahIm.h ||.. 1-202-23
Being afflicted by the bow, he fell to his knees.”
The verses 24-33 have the following gist.
Then Jarasandha attempts and misses by as much as a mustard seed. Then Shalya attempts and misses by as much as a green gram.
Then Duryodhana tries and misses by as much as a sesame seed. He feels ashamed and leaves.
These are followed by -
“tato vaikartano karNo vR^ishA vai sUtanandanaH |
dhanurabhyashamAgamya tolayAmAsa taddhanuH || .. 1-202-34”
“taM chAropyamANaM tadromamAtre.abhyatADayat.h |
trailokya vijayI karNaH satve trailokya vishrutaH ||.. 1-202-35””
dhanushhA so.api nirdhUta iti sarve bhayAkulAH |
evaM karNe vinirdhUte dhanusHA cha nR^ipottamAH ||.. 1-202-36
chaxurbhirapi nApashyanvinamramukhapaN^kajAH |
dR^ishTvA karNaM vinirdhUtaM loke vIrA nR^ipottamAH ||.. 1-202-37
nirAshA dhanuruddhAre draupadI saN^game.api cha
.. 1-202-38”
“Then the exultant Karna, the son of sun and also the son of sUta, came to the vicinity of the bow, strung and mounted the arrow and discharged and missed by one hair-width. Karna, who is conquerer of three worlds and famous in strength in three worlds, was also vanquished by this test of bow. All the kings were frightened by this defeat of Karna in the test of bow.
Seeing Karna this way, they bent their heads, unable to see that. All lost the hopes of winning the test of the bow and procuring Draupadi.”
“tasminstu sambhrAntajane samAjeni
xiptavAdeshhu janAdhipeshhu |
kuntIsuto jishhNuriyeshha kartuMsajyaM
dhanustat.h sasharaM pravIraH || ..1-202-39”
This verse is also present in North Indian recension as verse 1-187-29 (after the verse describing the failure of Shalya and his falling upon his knees)
“When the kings in that assembly were perplexed thus and ceased bragging, the victorious Arjuna, son of Kunti, approached the bow desirous of stringing it and placing arrows on it.”
What our Acharya says in MBTN matches with the South Indian recension. Our Acharya says in MBTN :
mAshhAntarAya sa chakarshha yadaiva
koTyA unnamya tat.h pratijaghAna tameva chAshu |
anyatra phalgunata etadashakyamevetyaJNjo
girIshavarataH sa yayau cha bhagnaH || 19-124||
When ShishupAla bent the bow to string and the gap is as much as a black gram, it
ricocheted hitting him back. Due to the boon that for any one other than Arjuna, the bow is impossible only, ShishupAla was vanquished.
Madresha etya chakR^ishhe sthaviro.api vIryAt.h
chedIshato.apyadhikameva sa mudgamAtre |
shishhTe.amunA pratihataH sa yayAvashakyaM
matvA.a.atmanastadanu bhUpatayo vishhaNNAH || 19-125||
When Shalya, even though older, stronger than ShishupAla, bent the bow to string and the gap is as much as a green gram, it ricocheted hitting him back. Realizing that he was incapable, he returned. The kings felt the despair.
Sanneshhu bhUpatishhu mAgadha
AsasAda so.avaj~nayaiva balavIryamadena dR^iptaH |
chApaM chakarshha chalapAdataLo balena
shishhTe sa sarshhapamite.abhihato.amunaiva || 19-126||
When the kings were silent, Jarasandha nighed the bow and with carelessness resulting from arrogance of strength and valor, bent the bow. When it had a gap of mustard seed, he was hit by its ricochet.
JAnunyamushhya dharaNIM yayatustadaiva
darpeNa chAsthirapadaH sthitimAtrahetoH |
raudrAd.h varAt.h sa jaDatAM gamito.atha rAjA rAj~nAM
mukhAnyanabhivIxya yayau svarAshhTram.h || 19-127||
His knees went to the ground, as he tried to conceal his pride when his feet stumbled. Due to Shiva's words of boon (to Arjuna), he was paralyzed. He left to his kingdom without witnessing the faces of the kings.
PrAyo gatAstamanu bhUpatayo.atha karNo
duryodhanArtham anugR^ihya dhanushchakarshha |
rAmAdupAttashubhashixitamAtrato.asau
romAvashishhTamakarod.h dhanushho.antamAshu || 19-128||
After some kings followed Jarasandha and left, Karna for the sake of Duryodhana, tried to string the bow, using the training given by Parashurama and could only muster until the gap is a hair-wide.
(He also gets hit by the bow)
A careful analysis reveals that the North Indian recension that portrays as Draupadi objecting to Karna attempting Matsya yantra has many flaws and so this version has introduced this interpolation.
1. DhRshtadyumna announces the svayamvara of Draupadi
2. Many kings try and at the end ShishupAla, Jarasandha, Shalya and Duryodhana attempt and fail, but they miss by tiny amounts.
3. Then Karna also tries and fails, but he misses by one hair.
4. The kings feel low and dejected, with their hopes gone.
5. At this juncture Arjuna comes forward.
6. He specifically asks if a Brahmana, who wins the test can obtain Draupadi? For that DhRstadyumna replies “any one a Brahmana, Xatriya, Vaishya or Shudra is eligible to take the test”.
Now they face a kind of discomfiture or lack of ease. What are their issues and how they tried to handle is given below.
A. If this incidence is placed in 3 itself, point 4 looks odd (because point 4 makes sense only when some one, who can raise high expectation, fails).
So, what to do? They put this interpolation between 1 and 2 and removed 3.
B. Saying that ShishupAla, Jarasandha and Shalya missed by a tiny amount, gives undue importance for them. So, the interpolators removed that “missing by tiny amount.”
C. When Karna is insulted, how can Duryodhana (who strangely kept quiet when his dear friend was insulted), a close friend of Karna attempt at all? So, that part of Duryodhana attempting itself is removed.
D. Point 6 will pose a problem for Draupadi's words and so that is completely deleted.
Now one may object saying “The entire argument above holds good only if we assume that the South Indian recension is right and the other is wrong. What if the reverse is true?”
Now let us just take the North Indian recension.
“so.anveshhmANaH kaunteyaM pAnchAlyo janamejaya |
dR^iDhaM dhanuranAnamyaM kArayAmAsa bhArata || 1-185-9 ||”
“O Janamejaya, descendant of Bharata vamsha! Drupada, the king of Panchala, being in search of Arjuna, the son of Kunti, caused to build a strong bow, incapable of being bent by any one else.”
Also, in the svayamvara, Dhristadyumna says (after describing the test and yantra):
“etanmahatkarma karoti yo vai kulena rUpena balena yuktaH |
tasyAdya bhAryA bhaginI mameyaM kR^shNA bhavitrI na mR^shhA bravImi || 1-185-36 ||”
Note that he says “good lineage” and not Xatriya lineage (He does not indicate that Suta lineage of Karna is an objectionable thing. This becomes further clear later on.)
He speaks to his sister Draupadi, listing all those who assembled for her sake. There he says -
“karNena sahitAH vIrAH tvadarthaM samupAgatAH” 1-186-4
“Along with karna, many valorous ones have come for your sake”.
Draupadi could have objected then itself that Karna should not be allowed to take the test. She did not.
1. The possibility that just as Pandavas came in disguise, any one can come in disguise.
2. It is an open invitation for Svayamvara and there are no indications of any prior filtering.
3. Drupada, Dhrishtadyumna and Draupadi must have faith in the test that they devised.
4. They are well aware of the boon of Rudra.
Karna can always claim that he is taking the test on behalf of Duryodhana, in which case Draupadi's objection becomes futile.
The most important clinching point is that who ever has/have done this interpolation, has/have missed an important point, though that/those person(s) erased quite a few evidences.
“yatpArthivai rukmasunIthavakraiH rAdheyaduryodhanashalyasAlvaiH |
tadA dhanurvedaparairnR^isimhaiH kR^itaM na sajyaM mahato.api balAt.h || 1-188-19 ||
tadarjuno...sajyaM cha chakre nimshhAntareNa..”
“The bow, which could not be strung even with great exertion and effort by the greats like Rukma, Sunitha, Vakra, KarNa (son of Radha), Duryodhana, Shalya and Salva, adept in the archery, that Arjuna strung within the twinkling of an eye.”
Removing the following from the correct version is very wrong.
etaddhanurbrAhmaNAnAM sajyaM kartumalaM tu kiM |
tasya tadvachanaM shrutvA dhR^shhTadyumno.-abravIdvachaH || 1-203-18
brAhmaNo vAtha rAjanyo vaishyo vA shUdra eva vA |
eteshhAM yo dhanuHshreshhTaM sajyaM kuryAddvijottama || 1-203-19
tasmai pradeyA bhaginI satyamuktaM mayA vachaH || 1-203-20 ||
Why would Draupadi utter some thing counter to what her brother and father spoke out?
What is disheartening is that the translators have faithfully translated these without ever realizing the implications and there are many who faithfully follow these translations without ever realizing the inconsistencies.
I would like to clarify/correct the translation of a few verses from this series of postings.
“evaM teshhu nivR^itteshhu xatriyeshhu samantataH |
chedInAmadhipo vIro balavAnantakopamaH || ..1-202-21
damagoshhAtmajo dhImAnshishupAlo mahAdyutiH |
dhanushho.abhyashamAgamya tasthau rAj~nAM samaxataH || .. 1-202-22
tadapyAropyamANaM tu mAshhamAtre.abhyatADayat.h |
dhanushhA pIDyamAnastu jAnubhyAmagamanmahIm.h || .. 1-202-23
“When all the assembled xatriyas gave up the task, the valorous and strong Yama like king of Chedi, Shishupala, son of Damaghosha, in the presence of all those kings, discharged the arrow, which missed the target by black gram.
Being afflicted by the bow, he fell to his knees.”
KT: “...son of Damaghosha, in the presence of all those kings, tried to string and discharge the arrow; while doing so, he failed to string the bow itself by a black gram and being afflicted by the bow, he fell to his knees.”
Then Jarasandha attempts and misses by as much as a mustard seed. Then Shalya attempts and misses by as much as a green gram.
Then Duryodhana tries and misses by as much as a sesame seed. He feels ashamed and leaves.
KT: All the above misses are in stringing the bow itself.
“tato vaikartano karNo vR^ishA vai sUtanandanaH |
dhanurabhyashamAgamya tolayAmAsa taddhanuH || .. 1-202-34”
“taM chAropyamANaM tadromamAtre.abhyatADayat.h |
trailokya vijayI karNaH satve trailokya vishrutaH ||..1-202-35”
“Then the exultant Karna, the son of sun and also the son of sUta, came to the vicinity of the bow, strung and mounted the arrow and discharged and missed by one hair-width.
KT: “...son of sUta, came to the vicinity of the bow, and tried to string and mount the arrow, and missed the act of stringing by one hair-width.
Shri KrishNArpaNamastu !
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