Narasimha - The 4th Avatar

Narasimha, the fourth incarnation of god Vishnu, is half-lion half-human and provides a very fascinating study of Vishnu’s incarnation in order to alleviate the sufferings of devotees.
Among descendants of Daksha, the first man that Brahma created, there was one Kashyap, a sage, who had four wives, Diti, Aditi, Vinita and Kudroo. Diti gave birth to demons and from Aditi were born gods, while from Vinita was born Garud, the carrier of Vishnu and the last one Kudroo created the hydras.
Out of the demons born of Diti, two were with terrific powers. These two brothers were named Hiranyaksha and Hiranyakashipu. Both of them performed so many religious practices and austerities that in course of time they gained limitless powers. Hirayanyaksha proud with his powers attacked Vishnu who was in his Varaha form and was killed. Talk of being an arrogant prick!


HIRANYAKASHIPU - THE ASURA KING

At the death of Hiranyaksha his wife Vrishadbhanu and her children were overpowered with grief. His mother Dithidevi was heart-broken. Hiranyakashipu also was filled with sorrow. But he tried to console the others. He said, "everyone has to die. So do not weep. My brother fought and died like a hero. So why weep for his death?". Although Hiranyakashipu tried to console others his sorrow burnt his own heart like fire. Even, before this, Hiranyakashipu hated Vishnu. Now Vishnu’s very name was like poison to him. His blood was boiling with the hatred of Vishnu.


HIRANYAKASHIPU’S PENANCE

He called the generals of his army Illyala, Namuchi and others. He said, ‘Give the devotees of Vishnu as much trouble as you can.’ They burnt the cities; razed temples to the ground and destroyed the crops.

Hiranyakashipu King of the Rakshasas retired to the mountain Mandara and began Tapas (meditation and not spanish snacks). He stood on the toe so as to throw the whole weight of the body on it, held the arms raised straight and the eyes looking up at the sky. Thus he offered a severe prayer. Many years passed. But he did not move even an inch. Flame rose from his body and enveloped the entire universe. Rivers and oceans boiled. The earth shook. Fire spread on all sides. The very gods were filled with fear. They went to Satyaloka and prayed to Brahma to save them. Brahma appeared to Hiranyakashipu and said, ‘Hiranyakashipu, arise. I am pleased with your devotion. I never saw before such a severe meditation. Ask for whatever you desire.’

BRAHMA GRANTING THE BOON TO HIRANYAKASHIPU

Brahma sprinkled holy water over the body of the king. At once it shone like gold. Tears of gratitude filled with his eyes. He was so full of joy that at first he could not speak. Then he spoke with much effort, ‘Lord, you bestow light on the dark world; you are the creator of all, the protector of all, and, finally, you are the destroyer of all. You are all powerful; you know everything. You are free from defects. No god is easily moved like you to take pity on his devotees and to grant them boons. I bow to you humbly.’ Brahma was pleased with his devotion. He said ‘Why have you undertaken such a severe Tapas’. Hiranyakashipu replied, “Great Lord, if you will grant my prayer, this is what I seek: Let not death come to me from any creature created by you; let me not meet with death either in the house or outside it; let not my death occur either during the day or at night; no weapon should cause my death; I should not die either on land or in the sky.” Note that this king was asking immortality but in a different form. The trinity cannot grant outright immortality to a mortal. Upsets the balance of proportion, I guess. You wonder why even grant a wish to an evil man.

After this blessing the demon crossed all bounds in oppression and dethroned Indra, the king of heavens. Indra in the company of all the gods appeared before Brahma and prayed for deliverance. Brahma was very much worried and replied that the demon had become powerful due to the blessings bestowed by him and he could not destroy him. He also advised Indra to go to Vishnu, which they did. The gods went to Vishnu and retold their story of sufferings and said that due to boons given by Brahma the demon had been indulging in all sorts of oppression. Vishnu promised to destroy him in due course of time.

Hiranyakashipu had a son named Prahalad. This boy right from his very childhood was attracted towards Vishnu and other gods. Prahalad had not obeyed the orders of his father not to worship Vishnu.
His father tried to destroy his son in fits of anger; tying a stone to Prahalad’s body he was thrown in the river but Vishnu himself came and stopped him from drowning and dying. Hiranyakashipu later tried to get Prahalad trampled under the feet of an elephant but the elephant lifted Prahalad lovingly by the help of his trunk and put him on its back. He then built a house and putting Prahalad into it set the same to fire; even this could not harm Prahalad. The father even tried to poison the son but to no avail.

At last the king thundered at the boy, “You curse of the family! Have you not yet given up your evil thoughts? The three worlds tremble at my glance. But you, my son, how did you dare to disobey me? You are very young; some one must have misled you and encouraged you. Otherwise you would not have had such evil ideas and such courage. Speak the true who has shown you such an evil path.”

The earth shook as the king roared at the boy. But Prahalada calmly replied, “Dear father, it was Hari who gave me this courage. He is stronger than any one else. You and I, the universe, even Brahma is as nothing before his strength. He is the real Lord of the Universe.”

NARASIMHA - THE MAN-LION BURSTING OUT OF THE
PILLAR
All the gods were under the thumb of the mighty Hiranyakasipu; and here was a mere boy of five giving him advice. The king of the Rakshasas was mad with anger. He shouted in rage: “Unlucky fool, your death is near. I am the Lord of all the worlds, the only master. Is there another ? Where is he? Show him to me.” “He is everywhere,” young Prahlada’s answer came without a moment’s delay. The king could no longer control himself through anger.
“Wicked fellow, is he everywhere? You mad boy, why should he not appear to me in this pillar? I am, going to kill you this very moment. You have been praising Hari as the Lord of the Universe. Let him come to your help if he can.” So saying he drew out his sword and pounced upon the little boy. Then there was a terrible deafening noise as if the universe itself split into two. Even the very brave Hiranyakashipu started from his place at the terrible noise. The courtiers shook with fear and stood like statues of stone. As the stunned men watched, the pillar split into two. There was Sri Hari, in the form of Narasimha. He had the head of a lion and the body of a man. The eyes of this terrible figure were dazzling they looked like molten gold. The hair on the head and the moustache and the beard stood straight and erect. The sharp and pointed jaws chattered harshly; the tongue quivered like a sword and was sharp as a dagger. His eyebrows were close knit. The ears were raised and stood erect. The mouth gaped like a mountain cave. The two nostrils looked like wells turned upside down. The body was huge and mountain - like. It seemed to touch the skies and to stop the very clouds. It had countless arms. The body was covered with white like silver. The very sight of the sharp claws made one tremble.



HIRANYAKASHIPU ATTACKING NARASIMHA

This terrible form split the pillar and came out. Hiranyakashipu’s courtiers had crowded the hall; but not one dared to look at him, not to speak of approaching him. And yet, Hiranyakashipu steadily looked him in the face. His was extraordinary courage. He understood what was going to happen. “Oh, this is Mahavishnu. This is the very god who killed my brother assuming the form of a wild pig. If I kill him all the gods will be helpless; they will be like the branches of a tree whose trunk has been cut and removed. Well, I shall test his strength.” So thinking he raised his mace and fell upon Narasimha. Without doubt, Hiranyakashipu was a man of extraordinary strength and courage. But what could he do against Lord Narasimha? He was like a little sparrow dashing against a mountain. That god of immense power seized the Rakshasa as easily as Garuda seizes a snake. But the Rakshasa slipped from his grip like a snake.

NARASIMHA LIFTING THE ASURA TO THE THRESHOLD AND TEARING HIS BODY WITH HIS NAILS

Narasimha caught him again like a snake seizing a mouse; with a loud roar he carried Hiranyakashipu to the threshold of the hall. He sat on the threshold with the Rakshasa in his lap. Then he dug his nails deep into his body and tore it open. He took out the entrails and wore them round his neck. Thus the wicked Asura was finally killed by the hands of the man-lion, Vishnu.
All this while the bodyguards and the other courtiers had stood speechless and motionless in paralyzing fear. But at the death of their king they sprang to action. In fierce rage, they fell on Narasimha in a body. But all were crushed into a lump of flesh in the winking of an eye.

After the enemies were all destroyed, Narahari (Vishnu) sat on the throne of the Rakshasa King, glaring at those around him. The gods showered flowers from heaven. The Gandharva sang divine music and the Apsaras, the dancers of heaven, danced in joy. All earth rejoiced. But the terrible anger of Narasimha did not diminish. Even Goddess Lakshmi, Lord Vishnu’s wife, was afraid to go near him. The little boy Prahalad touched the feet of Narasimha with his head, in deep devotion. At the tender touch of Prahalad the Lord was pleased. He grew calm. Anger gave way to kindness. Narasimha kissed the boy softly and raised him gently. The gods praised Vishnu’s ways. “Hiranyakashipu got boons from Lord Brahma; and Narasimha has respected all the promises. For it is now twilight, which is neither day nor night; the place is neither outside the house nor inside it, it is the threshold. Again he was killed neither on land nor in the sky, but on the lap of the god; he was killed neither by weapons nor by missiles but torn by nails; no one created by Brahma has killed him nor was he born in the wombs by ordinary course; it is Vishnu, in the form of Narasimha, who slew him. O wonder of wonders!” so they sang the praise of the Lord. Prahalad was in tears and asked Narasimha about the fate of his father in the after-life. Vishnu assured the devotee that as He, the Lord himself had killed the father; the latter would surely go to heaven. Vishnu also gave a blessing to Prahalad that now onwards none of his race would die by the hands of Vishnu.

Varaha - The Boar - 3rd Incarnation

Varaha (the boar) is the third incarnation of Vishnu. Its images are divided into two main groups - those entirely in animal form and those having an animal’s head on a human body with four arms. As is with most of the Vishnu incarnations, two hands hold the wheel and the conch-shell and the other two may hold a sword, a mace or a lotus, or they may be in the protection and boon giving modes.
Vishnu turned himself into a boar (Varaha) and descended to the bottom of the ocean to rescue the earth, which had been abducted and hidden there by HIRYANYAKSA a demon. After a long struggle Vishnu (as the boar) slew the demon, rescued the earth and brought it to the surface and made it ready to support life by modeling the mountains and shaping the continents. In this way the world was brought into being once again to begin another KALPA or cycle. The extrication of the world from the deluge of sin is symbolized by this legend and is a creation myth.

Among descendants of Daksha, the first man that Brahma created at the beginning of the new KALPA (era or age), there was one Kashyap, a sage, who had four wives, Diti, Aditi, Vinita and Kudroo. Diti gave birth to demons and from Aditi were born gods, while from Vinita was born Garuda, the carrier of Vishnu and the last one Kudroo created the hydras. Out of the demons born of Diti, two were with terrific powers. These two brothers were named Hiranyaksha and Hiranyakashyapu. Both of them performed so many religious practices and austerities that in course of time they gained limitless powers.


HIRANYAKSHA fueled with his limitless power of attacked Heaven, the kingdom of the gods. At his very sight the gods were struck so much with fear that they hid themselves. Hiranyaksha challenged Varuna, the Lord of the Ocean, to a fight. But Varuna answered, “O great hero, I live like a hermit. I do not wish to fight. Besides, who can fight with you! Only God can do it.” Then Hiranyaksha went in search of Vishnu.

At the end of the PRALAYA earth (PRITVI or BHOOMIDEVI) remained submerged in the waters. At that moment, through one of the nostrils of PARABRAHMA a pig shot out. He was very small in size - just an inch tall. But even as the onlookers were gazing, he began to grow. He grew and grew and became huge like a mountain. The Earth had fallen into the ocean and was lying under the water. The pig lifted it on his tusks. He was now rising above the water in order to offer the Earth to Brahma.

HIRANYAKSHA saw this mountain like pig and was astounded. Still in limitless pride he cried, ‘Foolish pig, leave the earth where it is and go away. Yes, I now know who you are; you are no other than Vishnu in the form of a pig. I have come to break your head.’ So saying he stopped the pig. The Earth - Goddess trembled at the fearful appearance of the demon. But Varaha (the huge pig) did not take notice of these things. He was rising from the ocean.




VARAHA STRIKING HIRANYAKSHA

Hiranyaksha grew impatient and called loudly, ‘Coward! You have no shame.’ Varaha heard these insulting words and put aside the Earth. His eyes were red with anger. He said, ‘These words of empty pride will only lead you to the jaws of death.’ ‘Well, then, fight’, said Hiryanyaksha. A dreadful fight followed between them. The gods witnessed this terrible fight. It went on from morning till evening.

Brahma was very anxious to see the fight finished, before darkness fell, by Adivaraha (the first pig), for, as darkness approaches, the strength of Rakshasas, too, grows. As though he read Brahma’s thoughts, the divine pig smiled and sent his disc (the Chakra) whirling towards Hiranyaksha. This mighty weapon destroyed all weapons of Hiranyaksha.

Seeing all his weapons destroyed by the pig, Hiranyaksha’s anger rose high and he rushed forward roaring with anger to crush Hari in his arms. Then the divine pig struck a stunning blow on Hiranyaksha’s cheek. The blow was so terrible. That Hiranyaksha fell to the ground and died.




Thus the evil was outdone and also mother earth was safely restored in her place.

What about the other brother? He did not go away quitely. He seethed in anger over his brother's death and performed terrible penance and prayer. So much so that the Creator granted him near immortality. This is where the legend of Prahalad is born. And the 4th incarnation of Vishnu will be his undoing.

Basis of Hindu Trinity

As I continue researching and writing, I have to pull away from the main topics to evaluate and explain a certain pertinent point to make it easier for everyone to understand. I have recieved feedback that the stories are too long and they are difficult to read due to the various characters and difficulty in keeping track. This is mythology. We are talking of 1000's of names, gods, kings, teachers/sages, disciples, saints etc. Not to mention animals, re-incarnations which also form the structure of the mythical stories. Everything has to start some place and I have explored on that aspect. Unlike traditional story telling, Indian mythology evolved over periods of time.

The late Vedic age saw the compilation of the two great ITHIHASAS (epics), the RAMAYANA and the MAHABHARATA. The legends of both which Ramayana and Mahabharata consist have come down, by tradition, from the earliest period of the Vedic age. The stories of these epics are secular in nature but they not only describe the feats of their heroes but also refer to the influence that the gods had on their exploits. Thus the stories of the gods were supplemented and expanded as they were woven into the narratives and the heroes themselves got assimilated into Indian popular religion and became more defined.

BRAHMA - VISHNU – MAHESHA - THE HINDU TRINITY

Further development of the Indian society brought about changes in religious concepts and an increase in the size of the pantheon. This grew by a process of absorption and combination, adopting popular deities into a sophisticated and well-developed assembly and merging several deities into one. Thus the minor Vedic deity Vishnu was identified with Vasudeva and another epic hero Krishna (blue god). Later, Krishna himself got assimilated with a pastoral flute-playing deity and became the subjects of many poems and legends. At the same time, an ancient fertility god, Shiva, was elevated to the higher ranks of the pantheon and became an important deity with a variety of forms that gave him popularity equal to that of Vishnu. Shiva and Vishnu were visualized as forming a triad with Brahma.

Eventually the traditional legends, myths and tales were incorporated into the PURANAS summing up all that was to be known about the gods. The word PURANA means “old” and the Puranas wove same historical legends and mythological fictions as the VEDAS and ITHIHASAS. But they give a more definite and connected representation of the cosmogony and mysticism of these poems, and they expand and systematize their chronological computations and genealogies. They reduce the formless and fleeting religious conceptions of the Vedas and the popular family traditions of the Ithihasas to a fixed body of definite mythology.

The popular heroes of the Vedic age were transformed into Gods and the shadowy gods of the Vedas gradually took the positive forms under which they appear in the Puranas and have been worshipped since. In the Puranas the gods assumed a substantial shape and individual character. The sacrificial rites and observances of the worship of the gods, for the first time were given a paramount place.

The concept of TRIMURTI - the PURANIC GODS - emerged and gained importance over the centuries. BRAHMA the Creator, VISHNU the preserver and SHIVA or MAHESHA the destroyer came to denote the three characteristics of GOD - Generator, Operator and Destructor and the basis of the HINDU TRINITY.

KURMA - The Tortoise (Second Avatar)

Vishnu, in his second incarnation, is in the form of half-man half-tortoise (Kurma), the lower half being the tortoise. He is normally shown as having four arms. In the upper two he carries the conch-shell and the wheel while the lower two are in the protection and the boon giving postures or carrying a mace and a lotus. Kurma, the Tortoise, was used for support to mount MANDARA, as a churn dasher, when the Devas and the Asuras churned the ocean (SAMUDRAMATHANA).

After the Deluge at the beginning of the present era the Gods lost the immortality. When the gods were in danger of losing their authority over the demons they decided to go to Vishnu, who preserves the order of the universe, to beg help. Vishnu advised them to churn the ocean so that they might procure amrita (ambrosia), which would make them strong and immortal. He promised to become a tortoise on which would rest the mountain Mandara, which was used as the churning stick.

The legend of the Kurma avatar goes as follows:

Sage Durvasa was a great ascetic. Once he was walking along holding in his hand a garland of flowers called SANTANAKA. Lord Indra (also known as Devendra) who was coming from the opposite direction riding his elephant Airavata ignored him. He threw the garland given by Durvasa on Airavata, which threw it on the ground and trampled it. Durvasa lost his temper and cursed: “Devendra, The pride of wealth has entered your head. Let Lakshmi forsake you.” Oops! That’s when Indra realized his folly. He bowed to Durvasa and sought his pardon. Durvasa said, “Sri Vishnu will do you good,” and left.

On account of Durvasa’s curse, Lakshmi left Indra and went away. Because Lakshmi the goddess of power, bravery, enthusiasm and radiance left, Devendra’s life became miserable. The demons that were waiting for such an opportunity invaded heaven, defeated Indra and gods in war and occupied heaven. Indra lost his kingdom and hid out of sight of the demons. The Gods in due course lost their immortality and valor.

A number of years passed. Indra’s teacher Brihaspati thought of finding a way out for Indra’s troubles. He went with the gods to Brahma, who went to Vishnu with all of them and put forth the appeal of the gods. Then Vishnu said, “Don’t fear; I will show you a way out. The sea of milk must be churned. It is a very difficult job. Therefore, gain the friendship of the demons and get their assistance. Use MANDARA Mountain as a churning rod and VASUKI, the king of the serpents, as a rope.
I will come to your assistance at the proper time. When the sea is churned ambrosia will be produced. Let the gods drink it and become immortal. They will then attain superb strength. It will then be possible for you to defeat the demons. When the sea is churned, Lakshmi who has disappeared will appear again. Her grace will be bestowed on you.” He consoled the gods and arranged for the churning of the sea.

Brihaspati was very clever. He met the demons, managed cleverly to bring about friendship between them and the gods and arranged to make them churn the milky sea. The demons agreed in the hope of getting ambrosia and wealth. Thus having gained the consent of the Asuras of their help the Devas began the offerings and worship of the ocean of milk. The Devas and Asuras cast all kinds of plants and herbs into ocean of milk. The Asuras and the Devas all gathered together to accomplish the feat of getting the Mandara Mountain. They reached the plain where the majestic mount sat and after great deal of digging managed to uproot it from its spot. They then tried to carry the Mandara Mountain, but the weight of the mountain crushed them down. Many perished and some were injured.

Just then Vishnu came there and with a glance revived everyone and ordered Garuda to carry Mandara to the ocean. Garuda carried on his back the mount MANDARA and leaded it to seashore and dipped it in the sea of milk. They tied Vasuki, the king of snakes, as a rope. The demons at one end and gods at the other end held Vasuki and commenced churning the sea.

The churning continued for a time without any hitch, when the mount Mandara began sliding into the ocean bed. The Devas as well as the Asuras where at loss, they could not continue the churning of the ocean without Mandara. They pleaded with Vishnu for mercy. Vishnu hearing the cries once gain came to the rescue. Vishnu then took the body of a KURMA tortoise and brought to the surface the Mountain, which was at the bottom of the sea. Mandara was hoisted on the back of the tortoise and was floating. The Devas and the Asuras breathed a sigh of relief, now they could continue with the churning of the ocean. The Devas and the Asuras with the renewed zest and with the encouragement from Vishnu began the churning of ocean once again.

The churning of the ocean of milk continued with vigor. Then suddenly arose from the ocean bed a cloud which choked the Devas and the Asuras. The Devas and Asuras began shouting for help. They were at loss as to the reason for the suffocation. Then they realized that the ocean had thrown up the ‘KALAKUTA,’ the dreadful poison. Everybody was frightened by its fierceness. The Devas fervently prayed to Shiva and hoped that he would come to their rescue for the poison was the most effective fiery substance, which no one except Shiva could swallow. Shiva hearing the cries immediately came to the rescue. Then, as requested by the gods, Shiva agreed to drink the poison.

Shiva held this poison in his throat and saved mankind. The poison was so powerful that it turned Shiva’s throat blue, giving him the name ‘NEELAKANTHA’ or the ‘blue-throated one’. The poison was thus consumed by Shiva. The Devas and Asuras were once again revived and with enthusiasm began the churning once more. The Devas and Asuras continued with the churning.

As the churning continued many celestial articles took shape. The churning brought to the surface the precious objects that had been lost in the deluge. SURA (goddess of wine), CHANDRA (the moon), APSARAS (celestial nymphs), KAUSTABHA (the precious gem for Vishnu’s body), UCHCHAIHSHRAVAS (the divine horse), PARIJATA (the wish granting coral tree), SURABHI (the cow that grants all desires), DHANWANTRI, the celestial physician with his vessels containing medicines, AIRAVATA(the four-tusked elephant), PANCHAJANYA (conch-shell) and SHARANGA (the invincible bow) emerged one by one as the churning continued. After that a surprising spectacle appeared.

In the midst of the waves of the sea of milk, a goddess with heavenly looks came into view. She was standing on a fully blossomed lotus. Wearing a lotus garland in the neck, she was holding a lotus in her hand. Her appearance was most attractive. She, who was radiantly smiling, was Lakshmi herself.

The sages began reciting hymns in praise of Lakshmi. Gandharvas sang. Apsaras danced. The elephants on either side sprinkled sacred holy Ganga water on the goddess and bathed her. Because the elephants sprinkled holy water on her, she acquired the name of GAJALAKSHMI. Because she was born in the sea of milk, she was called SAMUDRATANAYA. The king of the sea appeared in his natural form and comforted Lakshmi as a daughter. He presented her with attractive clothes and jewels. He handed to her a garland of lotus flowers. While everybody was looking in surprise, Lakshmi put the garland around the neck of Vishnu and occupied his chest. When she looked at Indra kindly, he acquired an extraordinary radiance.

The Devas and the Asuras continued the churning and finally Dhanvantari emerged from the sea. Dhanvantari is the doctor of gods. He had a sacred pot in his hand. The pot contained the celestial nectar, which when consumed would result immortality. When it became known the demons ran forward and snatched the pot. Suddenly the Asuras, forgetting their agreement, took possession of the jar all for themselves. Then there was fighting between the gods and the demons. Again it was Vishnu who came to the rescue. Vishnu appeared disguised as Mohini. Mohini arose from the ocean with all charm and grace. As she was handsome, the demons looked at her in surprise. Mohini came near them and said, “May I know the reason for the quarrel.” The Asuras immediately replied that the fight was for the nectar of immortality. Smilingly Mohini said, “Do not quarrel for ambrosia. If you agree, I will myself serve ambrosia. You sit in two rows.”
The Asuras thought that a lady with such beguiling beauty and charm would not cheat and since she was a female there was no harm in handing her the pot. So it was agreed that Mohini would serve the nectar. The demons sat in one row and the gods in another. By sleight-of-hand Mohini served intoxicating drinks to the demons and ambrosia to the gods. The demons were enamored of her charm did not notice the trick played on them. The gods drank ambrosia and became immortal. They became free from fear of death. The demons came to know afterwards that they had been deceived. They started a war. The gods who had gained strength by consuming ambrosia defeated the demons and drove them away.

In his second incarnation Vishnu as Kurma saved the Devas from mortality and loosing their authority to the wicked Asuras, thus saving the mankind.

So once again a man was beaten by the beauty of a woman. Women hold a very important position in Indian mythology. Goddesses like Lakshmi, Saraswathi, and Kali are very important as they are not just consorts to various gods but hold a position of power on their own.

Indian Poetry 05 - Dont Miss this event!

I think this is an event not to be missed.

Matsya Avatar - Fish

The first incarnation or avatar taken by Vishnu was that of a fish. I have to digress slightly from this story to bring together another popular mythological story from the Biblical times.

All over the world there exist stories of a universal flood--so devastating that practically every species of life was threatened with utter annihilation. In order to save the living entities, a hero arose just in time to protect the seeds of all species for their future perpetuation. Most popularly known as Noah (in the Biblical tradition) and Gilgamesh (in the Middle Eastern traditions), this divinely inspired hero carefully protected all types of creatures in a huge boat until the end of the flood, after which he allowed them to multiply and recreate life as it existed before. To be sure, this story known as "the Flood myth" is found with various embellishments in all cultures throughout the world.

Indian mythology has a similar story which is represented in the Matsya avatar incarnation of Lord Vishnu. It is amazing that three different cultures have similar beginnings and end but the means to the end were different. The Sanskrit word avatara is composed of the two words- ava (downwards) and tara (passage)-and usually refers to the descent of a divinity.

There are two stories of Matsya. One is that the Veda's were stolen by a demon kind Haragriva. This demon swallowed the vedas and hid deep inside the ocean. Without the veda's the world was enveloped in darkness. Matsya had killed the demon Hayagriva, who had stolen the Vedas and, and reinstated Brahma with the Vedic mantras.

The second story is that Manu was practicing penance for gaining objects of enjoyment and for release from mundane existence. Once when he was offering waters of libation in the river, a small fish came in the waters in his folded palms. As he desired to throw it into the waters, it said, "O excellent man! Do not throw Me away! Now I have fear of crocodiles (and others)."
Having heard this, Vaivasvata Manu put it into a vessel. When it had grown in size, it requested him, "Get me a bigger vessel." Having heard these words, the king put the fish in a bigger vessel. Growing there again in size it requested the king, "O Manu! Get Me a bigger place." When it was put into a tank, it soon grew in size as big as the tank and said, "Get Me a bigger place." Then Manu put it into the ocean. In a moment, it grew in size extending hundreds of thousand of miles. Seeing that wonderful fish, Manu got surprised and realised that it was Lord Vishnu himself. He questioned the motives of the fish and Matsya replied to Manu who had been engaged in the protection of the world, "I have manifested for the protection of this universe and for the destrction of the wicked. On the seventh day, the ocean will flood the earth. Having put the seeds (of creation) etc. in the boat that would approach you, you should spend the night of Brahma on it being encircled by the seven sages. You should bind this boat to My horn with the big serpent."

Saying thus, Matsya dissappeared. Manu, who was waiting for the appointed hour, boarded the boat as the ocean commenced to a swell. Matsya now appeared with a single golden horn of one million miles in length. Manu tied the boat to its horn. Matsya then disappeared from sight and left the boat on a mountain top. When the flood waters receded and the next yuga (loosely translated as era of life) began, the king Manu and sages stepped ashore and recreated everything as it had been before.

I get sketchy here but it is my belief that the floods were caused due to the battle between Haragriva the demon and Matsya. With the destruction of the demon, came destruction of everything and hence Manu with his boat was able to restore life as it was. I am going to check with my family on this.

Dashavatar - 10 incarnations

There are three principle Hindu gods. What we call as the Trinity of Gods. They are the Brahmã (Creator), Vishnu (Keeper) and Mahesh (Destroyer).

Vishnu who is known as the Preserver of the Universe , seeks from time to time to redeem the world and as an Avatãr (Incarnation) manifests his Divine Being into the life of man, whenever evil threatens it. Each of these Avatar's have significant impact on the timeline of occurance.

Till date there are 10 avatar's that Vishnu has taken or Dashavatar. They are as follows:-

Matsya - The Fish

Kurma - The Tortoise

Varaha - The Boar

Narasimha - The Man-Lion

Vamana - The Dwarf

Parashuram

Ram - The Epic Ramayana is another chapter of loss, suffering, loyalty, friendship, triumph of good over evil. You will also find that in this story Rama along with an army of monkey's invades Lanka (Sri Lanka as its known today). To cross the ocean, the monkey army created a stone bridge. The amazing fact is that this stone bridge actually exists (at least in parts).

Krishna - The blue god. The Bhagavad Gita are his preachings during the great war in Mahabharatha.

Balarama

Buddha

Kalki

Buddhã Avatãr was added later . Some texts replace Balarãma to add Buddhã, believing that Balarãma was the incarnation of the serpent (Ananta) on which Vishnu reclined.

Does it come as a surprise that Buddha is considered to be an incarnation of Vishnu? Buddha or King Sidhartha renounced his worldly life to achieve nirvana under the Bodhi tree in Gaya (Bihar, India).

Indian gods go by many names and our names are incarnations or variations of God's names.
For example take my name. Guru Vishwanath. Guru was given to me by my maternal grandfather because he wanted to me take the name of Guruvayoorappan. Guruvayoor is a very famous temple in Kerala (God's own country). It is the home of Lord Krishna. My second name although is passed to me by heritage & tradition as it is my paternal grandfather's name who died when my father was very young. Vishwanath means Master of the Universe. But it is also the another name for Lord Shiva. My point of describing my name was to share how many variations of the same Trinity are there. Hence, if you meet a chap called Shankar (it is another name for Shiva or Mahesh the Trinity or the God with the third eye), dont piss him off.

In the next set of chapters, I will describe each Avatar and their significance.

Draupadi, the Woman : Epitome of Feminity and Feminism - FINAL CHAPTER

This is a very long chapter. I had to condense this entire part from 5 different sources. One particular source was my trusty little Mahabharatha book.

Draupadi succeeded in winning back freedom for her enslaved husbands. Karna paid her a remarkable tribute, saying that none of the world's renowned beautiful women have accomplished such a feat: like a boat she has rescued her husbands who were drowning in a sea of sorrows. With striking dignity she refuses to take the third boon Dhritarashtra offered, because with her husbands free and in possession of their weapons, she did not need a boon from anyone. No twenty first century feminist can surpass her in being in charge of her. Can we even imagine any woman having to suffer attempted disrobing with her husbands sitting mute; then facing abduction in the forest and having to countenance her husband forgiving the abductor; be molested again in court and be admonished by her husband for creating a scene; then be carried off to be burnt alive; thereafter, when war is imminent, witness her husbands asking Krishna to pursue peace; and finally find all her kith and kin and her sons slain - and still remain sane?

When Dhritarashtra returned their kingdom also and tried to console the Pandavas, the Kauravas were angry. They decided to play the dice again with Pandavas and whoever was defeated would have to give up the whole Kingdom and remain in the forest for twelve years, and then for another year live incognito (that is, without being recognized by others). If they were recognized by anybody during that period, then they had to repeat the twelve years' stay in the forests and spend a year incognito. This was the condition of the match. Yudhishthira was defeated again. The Pandavas gave up their royal robes and put on clothes made of bark of trees. Draupadi followed her husbands, giving up her life of luxury in palaces. So the forest life of the Pandavas began. Lord Krishna was the beloved God of Draupadi. He did not forget his devotees in the forest, but visited them now and again. Many sages also visited the Pandavas now and then and guided them. The Sun-God gave Yudhishthira an Akshaya Patra (magic vessel). This vessel would not become empty until Draupadi's meal was over. During the exile when Pandavas were in Kamyaka Forest, Duryodhana sent the short-tempered but highly knowledgeable sage Durvasha and his thousand disciples to visit Yudhishthira. His intention was to get the Pandavas cursed by the sage Durvasha. Yudhishtir invited the sage and his disciples to dine, for he was sure that by the virtue of the Akshaya Patra, he had received from the Sun, they would be able to feed the sage and his disciples. Everybody at that time, even Draupadi and Kunti had taken their meal and the Akshaya Patra was empty. Sage Durvasha went to take a bath in the Ganges. Draupadi got worried and she again prayed to Krishna to save her and her husbands from the wrath of Durvasha when he would find out that the Pandavas had nothing to offer him and his disciples as a meal. Lord Krishna reached the hut of Draupadi and ate the single grain of rice in the Akshaya Patra. There at the river bank, sage Durvasha and his disciples felt as if they had a sumptuous meal with many delicacies. Durvasha rishi blessed the Pandavas and they decided to change their course silently.

Draupadi's troubles were not yet over. Jayadrath was the king of Sindhudesha and was married to Dusshala, the daughter of Dhritarashtra. He too had gone to Draupadi's Swayamvara but had lost the contest. He could not get her by valour. During the days of the banishment to jungle of the Pandavas, one day Draupadi was leaning against a kadamba tree, holding on to a branch with an upraised hand when Jayadrath seized her. She repulsed him so hard that he fell to the ground. Retaining full control of her faculties, she mounted his chariot on finding him bent on forcing her, calmly asked the family priest to report to her husbands. No Sita-like lamentation here, nor shrill outcries for succor! As her husbands closed up on Jayadrath, she taunted him with an elaborate description of the prowess of each and the inevitable trouncing that would follow.

Draupadi was fully conscious of her beauty and its power, for she used it in getting her way with Bheema in Virata's kitchen. After the twelve years of exile in the forest was over, Pandavas had to spend a year incognito. How could five famous heroes, with a very beautiful wife, remain unknown for one full year anywhere? Would the Kauravas keep quiet? And it would be most difficult for Draupadi because she was a woman. Then they took a secret decision. Yudhishthira disguised himself as a pious Brahmin. He assumed the name of Kanaka Bhatta and entered the place of Virata, the king of Matsya country. Bheema joined service in the kitchen of Virata, taking the name of Ballav, Arjuna, to be known as Brihannala (disguised as a eunuch) taught the art of dancing to the princesses at Virata’s palace. Nakula joined the royal stables as a supervisor taking the name Granthi and Sahadeva to be known as Tantri Pal began to look after the palace dairy. Draupadi as Sairindhri went to Queen Sudeshna and begged to be taken as one of her attendants. The queen was more than surprised at the great beauty of Draupadi. When Sudeshna asked about her she introduced herself as the wife of five Gandharvas who are divine musicians. Queen Sudeshna was pleased and engaged her. Draupadi, daughter of the powerful King Drupad, wife of Pandavas who could conquer the whole world, she who sat on the throne as an empress and was accepted by Lord Krishna himself as his sister, was now a servant to Queen Sudeshna. Yet she could at least see her husbands who were at the same palace; and this was consolation.

Keechak was queen Sudeshna's younger brother, and a very strong man. Once he saw Draupadi and was moved by her great beauty. Sudeshna could make out the evil thoughts of her brother and was afraid. Without the knowledge of the Queen, begged Draupadi to be his Queen. Draupadi warned him and ran away from him. But Keechaka followed her like an evil spirit. Once he actually chased her and Draupadi ran away with fear and entered the royal court where King Virata, Kanaka Bhatta (Yudhishthira), and Ballav (Bheema) were present. Keechaka angrily pushed her and walked away. His eyes were burning. Ravaged by the insulting incident Draupadi accused the three of them of being mere onlookers while a woman was being insulted in front of them. The cook Ballav (Bheema) was hissing in anger. Yudhishthira stopped Bheema from precipitating a fight with Keechak. He also consoled Draupadi and sent her back. But Draupadi could not control her anger and agony. That night she went to Bheema and the manner in which Draupadi manipulated Bheema to destroy Keechaka is a fascinating lesson in the art and craft of sexual power. She does not turn to Arjuna, knowing him to be a true disciple of Yudhishthira as seen in the dice-game. Then Bheema alone had roared out his outrage. Draupadi enticed Keechak into a lonely place by making him follow her, while she carried a vessel of milk for him. At an opportune moment, Bheema pounced on Keechak while Draupadi watched. When Keechaka had been pounded to death by Bheema, instead of hiding in safety she recklessly flaunts the corpse before his kin, reveling in her revenge. They abduct her and she has again to be saved by Bheema from being burnt to death.

This fiery heroine Draupadi was not without kindness and affection. She was insulted, taunted and driven to the forest by the sons of Dhritarashtra and Gandhari. When, Dusshasana pulled at her saree, Dhritarashtra and Gandhari would not help her. But after the war of Mahabharata, Draupadi looked after Gandhari with respect and affection; she treated her in the same way as she treated Kunti. She had a resolve that would not cool off after thirteen long years of suffering, and also sympathy for Gandhari after all was over.

When Aswathama (son of Dronacharya) who killed the sons of Draupadi, in spite of her great grief at the loss of her children, came to Pandavas, she moved forward and touched his feet and paid him his due respect. Bheema was unable to bear such sorrow and because of this, he was in great emotions which drove him to the point of exhibiting his physical prowess to the world. In fact he was looking at this quality of forbearance of Draupadi as a laughing matter. Bheema was greatly surprised at the peaceful attitude of Draupadi. He thought that the suffering of having lost all her children had driven her to insanity, for, otherwise he was not able to understand how a true mother could show such forbearance when the person who had killed all her children was standing before her. Draupadi was a great woman with exemplary character. When the strong Bheema was preparing to kill Aswathama with his bare hands, would it be possible for a weakling like Draupadi to go and stop Bheema? It was only the purity of her thought that was her strength. Draupadi was such a great woman that in order to protect right conduct, she would even oppose her husbands. But even now, it was Bheema who tried to avenge the death of her sons by uprooting the Shiromani (divine diamond) off the forehead of Aswathama and thus ending his powers of invincibility.

Draupadi maintained the reputation of her husbands, her parents and parents-in-law. She wanted her parents to be proud of her, she wanted her children to feel that they are the children of a great mother, she wanted her husbands to feel that they were married to a great woman and she wanted her parents-in-law to be proud of her and she wanted to please them. Draupadi herself was always behaving in a manner in which she maintained the reputation of her family and her kingdom.

Ultimately, the fact that Draupadi stands quite apart from her five husbands is brought tellingly home when not even Sahadeva of whom she took care with maternal solicitude, nor her favorite Arjuna - tarries by her side when she falls and lies dying husbanded yet unprotected, on the Himalayan slopes during their journey to heaven - the Mahaprasthana. It is said, however, in some analyses of the Mahabharata that only Bheema, at such a juncture tried to save her from her fall from the cliffs by extending an unsuccessful hand to catch her. He failed and Draupadi fell to the ground below and was dying a painful death when Bheema came to her side, consoled her and remained by her side till she eventually died. During these last moments, it is said, Draupadi realized the futility of her undying love for Arjuna and felt the selfless and unconditional love and support that Bheema had provided her at each moment in her life and repented the fact that she could never reciprocate the love of Bheema in equal terms.

Draupadi appears from the flames with a divine announcement from the heavens that she would be the cause of destruction of evil-warriors. Draupadi is always subjected to violence: her Swayamvara ends in strife; a fivefold marriage is imposed upon her; she is outraged in the royal court twice over; Jayadrath and Keechaka attempted to rape her. Draupadi is also veritably a virgin goddess of war. The birth of Draupadi was unnatural without having a mother. If Draupadi had hoped to find her missing mother in her mother-in-law, she was tragically deceived as Kunti thrusts her into a polyandrous marriage that exposes her to a salacious gossip reaching a horrendous climax in Karna calling her a public woman whose being clothed or naked immaterial. No other woman has had to face this peculiar predicament of dealing with five husbands now as spouse, then as elder or younger brother-in-law (to be treated like a father or as a son respectively) in an unending cycle.

Draupadi is 'Krishna Sakhi'. 'Sakhi' means friend. She was a courageous queen with a dynamic personality. Even Duryodhana grudgingly admitted to her greatness. She was in a way, the revolving kingpin of the Mahabharata war. Draupadi does not rest till the revenge for which her father had invoked her manifestation is complete and the insult she suffered has been wiped out in blood. Through the thirteen years of exile, she never allowed her husbands and her sakha to forget how she was outraged and they were deceitfully deprived of their kingdom. When she finds all her husbands, except Sahadeva, in favor of peace, she brings to bear all her feminine charm to turn the course of events inexorably towards war. Pouring out a litany of her injuries, she takes up her serpent-like thick glossy hair and with tearful eyes urges Lord Krishna to recall these tresses when He asks for peace. Sobbing, she declares that her five sons led by Abhimanyu and her old father and brothers will avenge her if her husbands will not.

Draupadi was used by everybody. Draupadi was used first by King Drupad to take revenge on Drona by securing the alliance of the Pandavas and then by Kunti and the Pandavas to win their kingdom thrice over (first through marriage, then in the first dice game when she wins them their freedom; finally as their incessant goal on the path to victory). Unknown to her, even sakha Krishna throws her in as the ultimate temptation in Karna's way when seeking to win him over to the Pandavas before the war, assuring that Draupadi will come to him in the sixth part of the day. Karna was also borne by Kunti's womb, albeit before her marriage to Pandu. These efforts of Krishna are followed by Kunti urging Karna to enjoy Yudhishthira's Shri (another name of Draupadi) which was acquired by Arjuna. There is an unmistakable harking back to her command to her sons to enjoy what they had brought together when Bheema and Arjuna had announced their arrival with Draupadi as alms. No wonder Draupadi laments that she has none to call her own, when even her sakha unhesitatingly uses her as bait! Draupadi, despite having husbands and children, remains alone to the last.

This remarkable "virgin" never asked anything for herself. Born unwanted, thrust abruptly into a polyandrous marriage, she seems to have had a profound awareness of being an instrument in bringing about the extinction of an effete epoch so that a new age could take birth. And being so aware, Draupadi offered her entire being as a flaming sacrifice in that holocaust of which Krishna was the presiding deity.

Draupadi is the most complex and controversial female character in Hindu literature. On one hand, she could be womanly, compassionate and generous and on the other, she could wreak havoc on those who did her wrong. She was never ready to compromise on either her rights as a daughter-in-law or even on the rights of the Pandavas and remained ever ready to fight back or avenge high-handedness and injustice meted out to her modesty. She secretly vowed that one day she would definitely seek vendetta on the injustice meted out to her. She did it by igniting the spark of revenge in the hearts of the Pandavas. If the Mahabharata is an intricately woven saga of hatred and love, bloodshed and noble thoughts, courage and cowardice, beauty and gentleness, victory and defeat, then Draupadi is its shining jewel, casting the shadow of her towering personality over the epic poem and the all-destroying war it describes.

Draupadi, the Woman : Epitome of Feminity and Feminism - Part 4

Draupadi Vastraharan

Duryodhan ordered Dusshasana to drag Draupadi by her hair to the royal court before the great assembly of people and then to disrobe her completely. Karna calling her a public woman whose being clothed or naked is immaterial. Draupadi looked at all elders in the court - Dhritarashtra, Bheeshma, Drona, Kripa and Vidura - with her eyes shouting for help. But all elders were silent. The subjects were stunned. Her husbands sat with their heads bowed. Draupadi had a marvelous blend of intensity that suits kshatriyas and forgiveness that fits devotees. She was very intelligent and knowledgeable. She had a brilliant mind, was utterly "one-in-herself" and did not hesitate in reprimanding the Kuru elders for countenancing wickedness. When Dusshasana was dragging her by the hair to the court, she ridiculed him to show his prowess against her husbands. She also boldly reprimanded the elders present in the court and appealed to them to do justice. She cried out to her silent husbands. But nobody came for help. Finding no response, with quicksilver presence of mind she seizes upon a social ritual to wrest some moments of respite from pillaging hands.

Her speech drips with sarcasm. The elders whom she ceremoniously salutes, deliberately using the word "duty", have remained silent in the face of Vidura's exhortation to do their duty and protect the royal daughter-in-law. At last Duryodhan's brother Vikarna supported Draupadi but Karna derided him and questioned his support for her. Thus, despite being humiliated, Draupadi won morally. Nobody could refute her logic. She said "where righteousness and justice do not exist, it ceases to be a court; it is a gang of robbers". In response to Draupadi's volley of harsh words, Dusshsana grinned and uttered wicked words. Bheema (the third Pandava) exploded like a volcano now. He thundered in anger, and promised to burn the hands of Dusshasana. Dusshasana should have respected Draupadi, his sister-in-law, like his own mother. But instead, the wicked Dusshasana began to pull at her saree. Draupadi's weeping and wailing would have moved a stone to mercy. Draupadi turned to Lord Krishna as her husbands bowed their heads in shame. She threw out both hands and with both hands in salutation she cried to Krishna, and miraculously the more Dusshasana pulled her robe, the more it was still there on her person. Several meters of the robes he pulled, yet it was still there. Dusshasana was tired drawing her saree but he could not find the end of it. This shows us the bond between a brother and sister or the promise of security. Draupadi gave to Lord Krishna one small strand from her saree to tie on his injured finger, during a duel with the cruel Shishupala. At that moment, Krishna had promised Draupadi of constant security. Lord Krishna kept his promise during this trying moments of Draupadi and gave her an endless saree, one which could never be removed and thus protected her honour.

The injury of Lord Krishna's finger has another popular origin in mythology: During the celebrations associated with the Sankranthi festival, Krishna was partaking the freshly harvested sugarcane offered to him by Gopis in accordance with the customs of the festival. To squeeze the juice out of the sugarcanes, Krishna had to cut them. While doing so, he inadvertently cut his little finger. Seeing blood on his finger, Satyabhama - Krishna's wife - with her characteristic pride, ordered the Gopis to go inside the house to fetch some cloth to bandage the finger. Draupadi who was also there, however, out of her love and concern for Krishna, immediately tore off a piece of cloth from the end of her new saree and bandaged the Lord's finger. For Lord Krishna this signified Raksha bandhan and he immediately took Draupadi as his sister. Draupadi was a great devotee of Lord Krishna, who is all-powerful, all-knowing, all-pervading.
Having failed in his efforts to disrobe Draupadi, Duryodhana's patted his thighs and ordered Draupadi to sit on his lap, since she was supposed to obey his orders as she was now a slave to him after her husband, Yudhishtira had lost him in the game of dice. On hearing this, Draupadi cursed Duryodhana of a death with a broken thigh. Draupadi also took a vow that she would not oil or tie her hair until she could wash her hair with the blood of Dusshasana, after he was killed. At such a moment, Bheema, the third Pandava, lashed out and vowed to avenge the insult that Draupadi was subjected to. Bheema killed Dusshasana in the war of Kurukshetra and Draupadi eventually washed her hair with the blood of Dusshasana. Bheema also broke the thigh of Duryodhana in the final battle of Kurukshetra. Eventually convinced by Vidur, Dhritharashtra scoffed at Duryodhana and asked Draupadi for any three boons. But Draupadi simply sought that her husbands should at once be freed from slavery and as the second boon she asked for their weapons. When Dhritharashtra asked her to ask for more. She replied that her husbands were strong and capable to win all the rest that they had lost by themselves.

Draupadi, the Woman : Epitome of Feminity and Feminism - Part 3

Draupadi - Lost in a game of Dice

The five Pandavas were regarded as handsome and gallant and they definitely would not have had a problem wedding women of high birth and beauty, yet they all chose to be the husband to the fair Draupadi. She was a victim of circumstances and had no control over the situation when she was told that she had to marry five men at the same time. She was expected to love all her husbands equally, which indeed is a difficult thing to do. She was afraid of the kind of sexual commitment she was being asked to make. She placed her worry in a less explicit manner before Krishna. "How am I to divide myself physically and emotionally between five husbands?" Lord Krishna told Draupadi to spend one year with each husband. During that period the rest of her husbands will not have any sexual contact with her. They will be forbidden to enter the chamber in which Draupadi and the husband-of-the-year are spending intimate moments. If one does so, even accidentally, he would be exiled for twelve years. Thus Draupadi became the common consort of the five Pandavas.

Her conjugal life was strictly regimented, requiring tremendous self-control. All her sentiments and emotions needed a great deal of adjustment when she changed her lifestyle for each husband accordingly. It would not be too difficult to realize the tremendous responsibility that she had to bear as a wife of the five heroes who led a stormy life. Despite the difficulties she emerged as one of the most respected women in the epic story. She bravely accepted this challenge to her womanhood, shouldered the task and brought it to a fruitful conclusion. In due course Draupadi had five sons, one from each of her husbands. Prativindhya was the son of Yudhishtir, Srutasoma of Bhima, Srutakirti of Arjun, Satanika of Nakul, and Srutakarma of Sahadev.

Draupadi was living not only in a polyandrous relationship, but a polygamous one as well because the Pandava brothers had other wives. Bhima was already married to the demoness Hidimba. Arjun married several princesses after his marriage to Draupadi, including Lord Krishna's sister Subhadra. Whereas the other princesses stayed in their fathers' kingdoms, Subhadra came to Indraprastha to live with him. After the deaths of Shishupala and Jarasandha, Nakul and Sahadev married their daughters as a token of friendship. Draupadi managed this delicate relationship harmoniously. But she had not forgotten the reason of her birth and was biding her time.

Draupadi's unparalleled beauty and intelligence becomes the cause of her misery. She is charmed by Arjuna, the winner of the archery contest, set for her hand but she is bundled off by her father as the bride of all the five Pandavas on the advice of sage Vyasa. Her cruel fate divides her as a possession among five husbands and cuts up her personality.
Draupadi spends a year with each of her husbands in turn. She is denied fullness of married life with Arjuna whom she loves with all her heart. She is born out of the sacrificial fire (yajna) and called "Yajnaseni"; true to this appellation she burns with men's ill-treatment and she is also the reason of others burning on account of her reactions. She is in the open assembly-hall provoked retaliatory oaths and vows.

In ancient India, women occupied a very important position, in fact a superior position to men. It is a culture whose only words for strength and power are feminine - "Shakti" means "power" and "strength". All male power comes from the feminine. Literary evidence suggests that kings and towns were destroyed because a single woman was wronged by the state. For example, Valmiki's Ramayana teaches us that Ravana and his entire clan was wiped out because he abducted Sita. Ved Vyasa's Mahabharatha teaches us that all the Kauravas were killed because they humiliated Draupadi in public. Draupadi is presented as having a very impressive brilliant and strong personality and is projected as the primary cause of the battle of Kurukshetra.
After Draupadi married the five princes, the Pandavas, their mother Kunti and Draupadi returned to their kingdom, being then ruled by their uncle, Dhritarashtra. The kingdom was split into two, Indrapastha and Hastinapur, to avoid conflicts between the Pandavas and Kauravas. The Pandavas made the city of Indraprastha their capital. The palace at Indrapastha was constructed by the architect demon, Moy. The palace was heavenly and was replete with all kinds of wonderful illusory architecture.

Once they thought of performing the great sacrifice (yagna) of Rajsuya. A huge and wonderful hall was constructed The beauty, grandeur and decoration of the assembly hall for the Yagna made a visitor speechless with wonder. Lord Krishna personally supervised the performance of the Rajsuya Sacrifice. The Kauravas has no mind to see the splendour of their cousins. Still they also attended. Unfortunately Duryodhana was put to shame there. In the new palace he took a pond for polished floor and fell into the water. Draupadi laughed at this. Further on he saw the floor shining wih high polish and thought it was a pond; so he lifted up his clothing that it may not get wet. Again there were waves of laughter. At that moment, Draupadi laughed at Duryodhana, saying "son of a blind would be blind himself". Some versions of Mahabharata do not support this, though it does mention the hearty laugh. These insulting moments pierced Duryodhana deep within him. Nevertheless, because of this insult and the envy within him, of the Pandavas' luxury, Duryodhana decided to humble them and hence proposed them to play a game of dice.

Yudhishthira was very fond of gambling (game of dice). But he was no expert. Shakuni, maternal uncle of Kauravas, was a very experienced player. Yudhishthira went on losing. He offered his chariots, horses and elephants as stakes and lost them; and eventually he lost his kingdom, Indraprastha, as well. Finally he and his four brothers became the slaves of the Kaurava king. He lost Draupadi also in this gamble. The Kauravas having won, Duryodhana ordered that Draupadi be dragged into the court. The Pandavas bent their heads in shame. Yudhishthira now knew what an unjust action he was guilty of. But it was now too late and regret was of no use. When Draupadi heard this news she was dazed. But instead of meekly obeying her husband Yudhishthira , she sent back a query which none could answer. She questioned her husband Yudhishthira, if he had pledged her before or after he had lost himself in the gamble. She argued that if he had pledged himself first, he had no right over her as he was already a slave. She later challenged the game as illegal as she argued, that Duryodhan, a Kaurava, had not placed his brothers and wife as a matching stake. Mahabharata tells us how the assembly started to hiss loudly when Yudhishthira staked Draupadi. Plausibly the ownership of the wife by the husband was recognized but not respected in society. The Ramayana (another important mythology in my culture) preaches that there is no greater gift for a man than his wife. But the phrase gift to a man gives the impression that the wife is merely an object to provide happiness for the man.

Sati: A woman's sacrifice!

Warning: This section deals with the controversial topic of suicide. It merely is a study of a social practice and it does not mean I endorse the Sati system. In fact, I think of this practice abhorring and inhuman. I digressed from continuing writing about Draupadi to share this ancient practise as it is referred to in the Mahabharatha. I want to share with you the origins of this practise. I have also related a personal experience with regards to violence towards women at the end of this piece.


A Woman Goes Sati

The Sati (Su-thi , a.k.a. suttee) is the traditional Hindu practice of a widow immolating herself on her husband's funeral pyre. Sati was prevalent among certain sects of the society in ancient India, who either took the vow or deemed it a great honor to die on the funeral pyres of their husbands. I have found some interesting illustrations on the web which I thought would add more relevance to this practise.

The Mahasati (the great Sati) or the Sahagamana (joint departure) system of cremating the woman alive on the death of her husband is an ancient custom in India. Scholars of Puranas(ancient hindu vedic scripts) trace the origins to the suicide of Satidevi in the Yajnakunda (sacrificial fireplace) of Lord Brahma (Three headed god or The Creator), while a few attribute it to the pre-caste Vedic system of Indian society. In Mahabharatha, there is the instance of Madri dying on the funeral pyre of husband Pandu, leaving the children to the care of the first wife Kunti. The feminists proclaim the Sati system as a cruel institution established by men against the womankind, while the lower-caste in India have felt it as another means of torture taxed on them by the upper-caste Brahmins (a fact I entirely agree).

The answer to the complex question of how Sati system originated is perhaps all of them:

• Burning the wife along with the attendants, horses and carriages of the the dead dignitary was a common practice among come Central Asian tribes. India being the melting pot of good and bad social systems of its constituent cultures, the custom of Sati was absorbed.
• In a time which believed that a woman's path to heaven is though Sheela and Pativritya -- her character, and devotion to her husband, it was perhaps thought that a woman's life served no purpose after the death of her husband.
• It might have come into practice as an evil family conspiracy against the widow to benefit from her assets and gold.
• The life of a widow was so bad (this has continued to this day in India), the women perhaps favored death to humiliation.
• The women who went Sati were glorified to no avail. The entice of instant fame and immortality cannot be ruled out on why women committed Sati.
• There is another suicide tradition in the Jain religion called Sallekhana, where one dedicated one's soul in prayer. Despite of this tradition, numerous instances in Indian history illustrate when a Jain woman has preferred Sati over Sallekhana -- especially in the cases of untimely deaths of the husband.
• Some women believed that those who died with the love of their life, were united with the man in heaven in an eternal marriage. Numerous women believed that they have married the same man in several of their lives. There is an interesting instance of a wife who went Sati with another man (not her husband), because of her belief that he was the one.
• In Bengal, a system called Däyabhaga prevailed entitling a woman equal property along with male members of the departed husband. This may be the reason for the Sati system being more popular in that region, wherein the woman was driven to commit Sati by force.
• There are numerous occasions when the woman experiences a divine calling and decided to commit Sati.

In Modern India, the practise of Sati was abolished. Re-marriage amongst women is still a taboo and in the past 40 years, widows were treated very badly. The emergence of dowry system could also be a side effect of Sati where families plot to take the worldly possessions of the bride and her family. In the end, the poor bride has to pay with her life. Hence the term "Dowry Deaths".

As late as 1950's, in post-independence India, this practise was prevelant. The rational being that a widow has nothing left for her in this world. There was no scope of re-marriage, she has to wear white all her life, she cant enter temples, she has to live as a begger to her family because her own parents used to think she was a curse and a burden. Imagine, with that kind of pressure for the rest of your life, you would think jumping into a burning fire seems like a painful end.

These attitudes exist in the lower strata of the society where education is not prevalent. Education is the key to eradicate such ancient and inhuman practises.