(Vedavyasa Mahabharatam – the story, the ethics, morals & the traditions)

Very interestingly, the first and the last story of Mahabharata is that of a dog. The king of Hastinapura, Janamejaya (Arjuna’s son is Parikshit and his son is Janamejaya) was performing a satra yāgaṃ assisted by his three brothers- Sruthasena, Ugrasena and Bhimasena. Satra yāgaṃ was supposed to benefit the humanity at large and the king was interested in it.

The story of the first dog

It so happened that a puppy by name Sārameyaṃ was anxiously watching the yāgaṃ without disturbing anybody at the yagñaśāla (place of the yagnam). But the brothers of Janamejaya went up to the puppy and they had beaten it with sticks. The puppy ran away from the spot weeping loudly and reached to the place of its mother, Sarama. It complained that the king’s brothers had beaten it.

Sarama said, ‘Dear son! You must have offended them by doing something wrong and they must have punished you’.

‘No mother. I am sure that I never offended anybody. I neither touched nor licked the havis (an oblation/sacrifice/sacrificial cake)[i].

Sarama consoled its son but determined to complain to the king. It went to the court of the king and sad, ‘Oh king! My son has not committed any crime. On what grounds was he beaten up?’. The king and his brothers were unable to reply.

Sarama said, ‘Oh king! You have committed a mistake and beaten up a pious person. For this act of impropriety, you shall have a definite trouble’, saying thus, Sarama left the court.

The king was all the time worrying as he was guilty of a crime, and he was searching for a learned Purohit to ward off the sin.

We find this as the first story of Mahabharata in Adiparva.

The story of the second dog

Svargārohaṇa parva /स्वर्गारोहण पर्व or the Book of the Ascent to Heaven, is the last of eighteen books of the Indian epic Mahabharata. After the great battle of Kurukshetra Pandavas became victorious and ruled Hastinapura for thirty-six years. The news of the niryana of Sri Krishna was a thunderbolt for Pandavas. They decided to renounce the kingdom in favour of the grandson of Arjun, Parikshit and proceeded to Himalayas for ascent to heaven[ii].

When they started their journey, a dog started following them dutifully. When they were moving fast, Draupadi was the first to fall on to the ground. Bhima got perturbed and said, ‘My dear brother! Draupadi has fallen. What wrong she had committed in life?’

Yudhishtir replied, ‘Oh Bhim! She has fallen from yoga nishta since, while living, she had a special love towards Arjuna’. Without turning back, Yudhishtir moved on, and others followed him. After a couple of minutes Sahadeva fell on the ground. Again, Bhima asked as to why he had fallen.

Yudhishtir said, ‘Oh Bhim! Sahadeva used to feel that no other person matched him in wisdom. Hence, he has fallen’. Without turning back, Yudhishtir moved on, and others followed him.

Then it was Nakul who had fallen to the ground. Upon asking, Yudhishtir said, ‘Oh Bhim! Nakul has fallen from Yoganishta since he was always thinking that he was the most handsome person upon the earth’. Without turning back, Yudhishtir moved on, and others followed him.

Then the mighty warrior, Arjun too had fallen to the ground. Yudhishtir said, ‘Arjun is proud of his valour. He used to denounce and denigrate other warriors. Hence, he has fallen’. Without turning back, Yudhishtir moved on, and Bhimasena followed him.

Then Bhima fell upon the ground. While dying, he cried and asked Yudhishtir as to what was the cause for his falling. Without turning back, Yudhishtir said, ‘You are a glutton and you also used to think very high of yourself’. Without turning back, Yudhishtir moved on, and the dog followed him.

By that time, there was a thunder upon the sky and Lord Indra was seen on a chariot. He came up to Yudhishtir and said, ‘Hi, Yudhishtir! You are steadfast in your yoganishta. You are eligible to enter the heaven. Please sit in the chariot and I will take you to heaven’.

Yudhistir said, ‘Hi Devraj! All my brothers and my beloved wife have fallen here. Without them I cannot enter the heaven’.

‘You need not worry for them. They have left their mortal bodies and reached higher worlds. Undoubtedly you can come with your physical body’, Indra said.

Yudhistar said, ‘This dog is so devoted to me that I cannot leave it. Let it also come with me’.

‘Oh king! You have attained immortality and now you are as equal as the gods. You can enter the heaven. Dogs cannot enter there. And no one can stay in heaven with dogs’, Indra said.

‘Oh, King of Heaven! The dog is my steadfast follower, and it is my devotee. Leaving it in the lurch is a great sin’.

Indra said, ‘As per scriptures the very look of a dog negates one’s punyam acquired out of charity and performance yagnas. By virtue of your merits, you have the privilege to enter heaven. You have already renounced your brothers and wife. Why don’t you leave this dog? Why do you have attachment towards the dog?’

‘Oh Indra! For the dead, it is not good to grieve. I was helpless when they were dying, and I could not save them from death. I have not renounced them when they were alive. Now this dog is alive and it is dutifully following me. I cannot leave it and even think of heaven without it’.

Indra felt very happy at Yudhistar’s dharma nishta and his avowed love towards all living creatures. The dog disappeared and there was Dharmadevatha (God of Dharma) before him. He blessed Dharmaraja and said, ‘You have not left your bhakta and even ready to sacrifice the heaven for his sake. I was the person who tested your sagacity as a Yaksha. Now your fame cannot be compared or matched by anybody’s fame. Please go with Indra to heaven’.

Dharmaraja alighted the chariot of Indra and reached heaven.

Understanding the Story

1. Mahabharata is an epic with eighteen books and one lakh slokas. Conceiving the idea of two dog stories – one at the beginning and one at the end has lot of symbolic significance. If we carefully observe the narration, we find that it was really dog’s life for the first dog. It suffered indignations and sufferings in the hands of a recalcitrant authorities. It did not get justice when the king exhibited stoic silence and did not punish his brothers.

The dog of the second story was put on high pedestal by the king and he was prepared to sacrifice heaven for its sake. Though the dog remained silent, the king understood its sensibilities and did not leave it in the lurch; and demanded that it should be given entry into heaven.

The question that arises is – why did Veda Vyasa choose to put these stories? He wants to prove that a discourse on dharma embedded in Mahabharata makes a person humane. Mahabharata leads you from lawless state to an illustrious legal state; an adharmic state to dharmic state and from indignation to tranquillity.

1. What was the status of dog in ancient times? Was it a disgraceful creature in Mahabharata times? May not be so. If so, Vedavyasa would not have started his masterpiece, Mahabharata with the story of Sarama. We have also references in Mahabharata that the kings used to take their dogs for hunting. Ekalavya story is the best example wherein we find Kauravas and Pandavas took hunting dogs to the forest. We have a reference of a story of one dog, Sarama assisting Indra in his battles against Asuras in Rig Veda. The was also associated in the pitṛkāryas, particularly within ten days after the death of the mortal body.

It appears that not allowing dogs inside houses when auspicious events were taking place was a later tradition. The same tradition is being followed even today in auspicious occasions.

1.  The power to stand up and question the authority occupying the echelons of the hierarchy was imbedded in Hindu society in ancient times. We see Sarama demanding justice without any fear in the royal court of Janamejaya. This tradition of questioning on rational grounds is certainly sine qua non of democratic temperament that remain existed even today.
2. Why Yudhishtir did not grieve when all his brothers and wife were falling to the ground one after another? Yudhishtir was a raja yogi, and he was knowing very well that it was futile to grieve over the dead. Gita also emphasizes that the wise lament neither for the living nor for the dead[iii].
3. Why did Yudhishtir refuse to leave the dog for going to heaven? – because he was not willing to lose his follower for his own sake. Taking care of one’s servants / bhaktas/ followers is one of the great virtues of a leader and Yudhishtir was adept in this activity.

Foot notes

[i] If a dog looks at annam, it is sin; If a beak of a cuckoo is fallen in annam, it is considered sin. “kukkuṭaḥ pakṣavātena śvā dṛṣṭyānnaṃ pradūṣayet” – कुक्कुटः पक्षवातेन श्वा दृष्ट्यान्नं प्रदूषयेत् (sakuna sastram).

[ii] Swargarohini Trek is a mountain group of four peaks in Garhwal Himalayas. It is known as “Way to Heaven.” Altitude is around 17,987 feet and it is  located at Chamoli district in Uttarakhand.

[iii]  Gita 2.11 – गतासूनगतासूंश्च नानुशोचन्ति पण्डिता: || (gatāsūnagatāsūṃśca nānuśocanti paṇḍitā: ||)

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