Vedavyasa Mahabharatam – the story, the ethics, morals & the traditions
Story of Puloma and the Birth of Maharshi Chyavana – the great ethical dilemma
Mahabharata, as we know, was recited first by Vaiśaṃpāyana in the court of Janamejaya. Ugrasravasa, son of a sūta was present in the court and he had understood the entire story. He wanted to narrate the story in greater detail to greater congregations, and so, he reached the illustrious Naimisaranya where he found more than ten thousand rishis who were the disciples of Saunaka.
Ugrasravasa was very pious and humble, and he expressed his intentions to the rishis. The rishis were eager to listen to Mahabharata, but Saunaka wanted to hear the story of Bhrigu vamsa from Ugrasravasa before listening to Mahabharat. Ugrasravasa obliged to the request of Vaiśaṃpāyana, and he started narrating the story.
Bhrigu Vamsa Charitra
Ugrasravasa was telling, ‘Hi Rishis! Bhargava vamsa has a glorious lineage from Brahmā. Brahmā created Maharshi Bhrigu in the great yagna performed by Varuna (the rain God). Puloma was the wife of Bhrigu, and they were a happy couple. One day sage Bhrigu went out of his āśrama leaving his pregnant wife alone. A rākṣasa by the same name Puloma was wandering around the āśrama and he happened to see the lady, Puloma.
The rākṣasa was so infatuated with Puloma that he started recollecting his old memories with her. The lady Puloma, when she was a little child, was always weeping in her father’s house. Her father tried to console but his efforts proved in vain. He started telling, ‘Oh Rākṣasa! Come here and take my daughter’. The girl was frightened and used to stop her cries. This was happening almost everyday in her childhood. One day Puloma, a rākṣasa heard her father calling aloud, ‘‘Oh Rākṣasa! Come here and take my daughter’. On hearing this, he decided that he should take away and marry the child when she attains age. ‘Now the tryst with destiny has come’ – the rākṣasa thought and he wanted to elope with her.
The rākṣasa entered into the āśrama and saw the Agni in the yagnakund as a flame. Before taking her with him, he wanted to ensure that she was the same girl whom he had seen a few years back and whom her father assigned to rākṣasa. He asked the God Agni, ‘Oh God! You are omnipresent and omniscient God, and nothing is unknown to you. Please tell me whether this lady is the same girl whom her father had assigned to rākṣasa. I want to know the truth. I courted this lady when she was child on the advice of her father. Now her father has given her to some other person ignoring me. Tell me who is the rightful husband for this girl?’
The God Agni was perplexed. It was a great dilemma for him. If he tells truth, Bhrigu may curse him. If he does not tell truth, he is liable to attract the sin of telling untruth’. Agni wanted to choose the second option. He said, ‘Oh Rākṣasa! This is same girl Puloma whom you courted in her childhood. But you have not married her as per scriptures amidst the chant of vedic mantras. But Bhrigu married her as per śāstrās in my presence. I don’t want to tell untruth. She is the same Puloma’.
On hearing Agni, the rākṣasa assumed the form of a varāha (a big boar) and carried her much against her will. He was yelling – ‘Your father has given you to me and I am your rightful husband’. She was crying aloud, but Bhrigu was not near to protect her. But the boy in her womb was very angry and ferociously he emerged out of her womb. His resplendence was that of the Sun in the galaxy, and he just stared at the rākṣasa. Immediately Puloma, the rākṣasa got burnt in the fire and reduced to ashes. As the boy slipped out from the womb, he was known as Chyavana.
Bhrigu cursing the God of Fire (Agni)
Puloma was weeping aloud and Brahmā reached the spot. He consoled his daughter-in-law, Puloma. He saw her tears flowing as a rivulet and he named the river as Vadhūsara[i]. By that time, Puloma’s husband, sage Bhrigu has also arrived. He came to know the entire thing from his wife. He got very angry with Agni and cursed him, ‘You have revealed the identity of my wife. Thou shall become sarva bhakshaka (you shall become the eater of everything – pure &impure; clean and unclean from henceforth’.
Agni felt unhappy. Afterall, what was his mistake? Was telling the truth a bane? He was a witness to the events in the world and pronounced truth, and only the truth. With Bhrigu he said, ‘Hi Rishi! You have cursed me for no fault of mine. I have only told the truth. All these days I was taking the oblations put in the yagnas to the Gods. I was taking the havis to pitru devatas. I used to be there as fire in all households. How can I become sarva bhakshaka?’.
Agni got disgusted and thought for a while and decided to withdraw his tejas from all households and yagnas. He did not want to become sarvabakshaka. There was a great problem. People came running out of the houses as could not cook anything anymore. All rishis did not know how to perform yagnas without fire. All ‘svāhā & svadhā’ sounds[ii] dissipated into eternal silence and the very dharma that holds the social fabric appear to have been shattered.
Brahmā summoned the God Agni and said, ‘Oh, Agni! Please do not get angry. I agree that Bhrigu has cursed you but think of the lokās (worlds) and the populace. Without you they cannot survive. In the interest of people, as a God, you are not supposed to nurture any grudge against anybody. I bless you that out of your five prāṇās, the apāna flames alone consume all the bad things. Whatever is scorched by you shall be looked upon by the world as pure things. The curse of the rishi shall be a blessing for you’. Agni obliged the order of Brahmā.
While narrating the Bhrigu vamsa charitra, Ugrasravasa concluded the story of Chyavana’s birth, and Bhrigu’s curse against Agni.
Points to ponder:
- Ugrasravasa was interested in reciting the story of Mahabharat and the rishis were also interested in listening to it. But Saunaka, the Kulapati[iii] asked Ugrasravasa to recite the historical anecdote of Bhrigu Vamsa. The reason is that he wanted to test the calibre of Ugrasravasa before hearing a great dharmic grandh, Mahabharat. Saunaka is from the lineage of Bhrigu vamsa and he knew his own past. If Ugrasravasa narration is unblemished, Saunaka wanted to engage him in reciting the story of Mahabharat.
- In childhood, when the girl, Puloma was crying, her father wanted to diffuse her agony by threatening her thar she would be carried over by rākṣasa. Even he used to call out, ‘Oh rākṣasa, come and take away my daughter’. We have a tradition in Bharat – the belief in tathāstu Gods. These are demigods who used to pronounce ‘tathāstu’ when we talk something good or bad every day. Tathāstu is tathā plus astu which means ‘let it happen like that’. Some people believe that tathāstu Gods are Asvin Gods. Tradition says that if we engage in positive thoughts and positive speech, the tathāstu Gods bless us positively. If we engage in negative thoughts and negative speech, the tathāstu Gods bless us negitively. This belief is still in vogue in all parts of India.
- Performance of marriage in Hindu tradition: The marriage, in order to be recognised, has to be performed as per scriptural prescription. Agni, who is the witness, tells that Bhrigu married Puloma amidst the chants of vedic mantras. But the rākṣasa just courted her in her childhood as per directions of her father and never married her as per scriptures. The tradition of Bharath since immemorial is chanting of mantras and rituals like ‘saptapadi’ are essential religious requirements. Three days back the Supreme court has ruled, “A marriage is not an event for ‘song and dance’ and ‘wining and dining’ or an occasion to demand and exchange dowry and gifts by undue pressure”. In another case it ruled, “where a Hindu marriage is not performed in accordance with the applicable rites or ceremonies such as ‘saptapadi’(taking seven steps by the groom and the bride jointly before the sacred fire), the marriage will not be construed as a Hindu marriage”[iv]. Our traditional roots are traced in Mahabharata.This tradition has come down to us as a perennial thought in the last 5000 years.
- How should we take decisions when there are ethical dilemmas? In this story, Agni (the God of fire) was the witness for all events of the story. He was witness when the father of Puloma invoking rākṣasa for taking her away. The rākṣasa assumed that he was her rightful husband. He was also a witness for the marriage of Bhrigu with Puloma. The question is as to how to decide that she belongs to Bhrigu or rākṣasa. Agni has chosen the way of speaking the plain truth. He did his dharma leaving aside the consequences of telling the truth.
References:
[i] Vadhusara river – It is near Chyavana āśrama located in Aucha area, 18 km from Mainpuri, in Agra Division of UP. In Mahabharata there is reference of this river in Vana Parva also wherein we find Parasurama got lot of resplendence after taking bath in this river.
[ii] svāhā & svadhā are used in Vedic mantras for offerings to Gods & Pitru devatas respectively.
[iii] Kulapathi – Please see Story 1 (The Origin & Emergence of Mahabharata …….) for meaning.
[iv] The Hindu New Delhi Edition dated 2nd May, 2024 , https://www.thehindu.com/news/national/hindu-marriage-not-valid-unless-performed-with-requisite-ceremonies-sc/article68130754.ece#:~:text=A%20Hindu%20marriage%20is%20not,under%20the%20Hindu%20Marriage%20Act.
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