Story 9

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

             Vinata & Kadruva (the two wives of Kasyapa Prajapati)- A rivalry[i]

What is the story about?

The effects of anger and jealousy are the subject matter of this story. Anger results in delusion and fails the intellect of any person. The story discusses dāsī system (slavery) prevalent in ancient societies and tries to compare this system that was prevalent in Bharath vis-à-vis the West. The prevalence of the practice of preserving eggs in ghee pots for incubation is an ingenuous scientific technique unique to Indian society; and this aspect is also covered in the current story.

Background of the Story

Saunaka heard the story of Jaratkaru from Ugrasrava and that he had a doubt as to why the serpents were cursed by their own mother. He asked Ugrasrava to narrate the story of Kadru or Kadruva, the mother of all serpents. Ugrrasrava started telling the story.

Vinata and Kadruva were the two wives of Kasyapa Prajapati. Both the queens approached Kashyapa and sought his blessings for children. As requested by them Kasyapa had given a blessing that Kadruva would have a thousand mighty sons and Vinata would have two mightier children. Both wives conceived and Kadruva had given birth to a thousand eggs and Vinata had given birth to two eggs.

As Kasyapa advised, the eggs were preserved in special ghee pots (as an act of incubation) and after five hundred years, thousand mighty serpents came out of thousand eggs. Kadruva was elated. Vinata was depressed and she waited for some more years and out of desperation and jealousy, she broke one of her eggs into pieces. It was strange and she found a well-built and strong muscled boy but without thighs and legs. The half-grown boy was very angry at his mother for her impatience and cursed her that she would become the slave of Kadruva for five hundred years.

The boy, after a while composed himself and said, ‘Mother! Don’t get depressed. Preserve the second egg for another five hundred years. A mighty boy shall emerge and rescue you from slavery’. The half-grown boy was named as aṇūra (अणूर) since ūru (ऊरु) in Sanskrit means thigh and since he had no thighs his name was Aṇūra – a man without thighs.  Later, he became the charioteer of lord सूर्य (the sun god) and protected the earth from the scorching heat of the sun by shielding his back as a protective umbrella.

After a few years both queens went out for a happy ride near the seacoast. There they saw Uchhaisrava, the celestial horse that emerged in क्षीर सागर मथनं- kṣīra sāgara mathanaṃ (Churning of the Ocean of Milk) from a very long distance. Vinata was amazed at the total white complexion of the horse. Kadruva did not agree with Vinatha and said that it was not totally white. They bet over the color of the horse; and the one who would be defeated should become the slave for the other. Since it was almost sunset, they both returned to their homes.

Kadruva summoned all her sons and requested them to encircle the tail of the horse to make it appear black. The sons were reluctant to perform an unrighteous task to save their mother. Kadruva did not want to become a slave and so she cursed her reluctant sons that they would be destroyed in the ‘सर्पयाग- sarpayāga’ (the sacrificial fire to annihilate the serpents) to be performed by the king Janamejaya in future. The serpents shuddered with fear and Karkotaka (one of the sons) agreed to accomplish the task of her mother and on the following day, he encircled the tail of Uchhaisrava to make it appear partially black. Vinatha, on seeing the celestial horse partially black, conceded her defeat and became the दासी – dāsī or slave of Kadru. Karkotaka approached her mother Kadru and begged her to suggest a remedy for her curse.

Kadruva became calm and suggested that one pious Rishi by name Astika will be born to her daughter Jaratkaru and for that the serpents have to search for a groom of same name, Jaratkaru. The boy born to both Jaratkarus would stop the sarpayāga and save the serpent community from being extinguished totally.

All gods were happy at the turn of events since the curse of Kadruva would sure destroy majority of the venomous serpents who were harmful to society at large.

Saunaka was happy to hear the story of Vinata and Kadruva. But he was inquisitive to know the story of क्षीर सागर मथनं- kṣīra sāgara mathanaṃ (Churning of the Ocean of Milk).

Points to ponder

1. The effects of anger and jealousy are the subject matter of this story. Vinatha was blessed by her husband that she would have two strong children and for that she has to wait with patience till the eggs were broken on their own. She knew very well that her husband’s words cannot go wrong. When Kadru gave birth to a thousand serpent sons, Vinatha became impatient and started developing jealousy. Out of impatience and jealousy she had broken one of her two eggs. A little more patience would have helped her in having a mighty son. Secondly, anger results in delusion and fails the intellect of any person. In the story we find Kadruva cursed her own children when they refused to obey her orders. She was unrighteous and yet she cursed them that they would get destroyed in sarpayāga.

2. The story discusses dāsī system which is loosely translated into English as slavery. Was it prevalent in ancient India? How rigorous was it? How was the slavery of India different from that of other countries? Let us discuss the issue very briefly.

Once Vinata became the dāsī of Kadruva, Kadruva ordered Vinatha to carry her on her back; and Garukmanta, the son of Vinatha was asked to  attend to attend the errand works of the serpents. From this we come to know the ill treatment meted out to slaves. We also come to know that slavery was there in the ancient world, and it was again hereditary in western countries. But the slavery in India is upon consent and for a cause. It was not by violence and force.  In another episode Sarmishta became slave to Devayani lest the Guru Sukracharya desert the asuras (demons). So, she agreed for a cause. Dharmaraja bet his brothers and wife and became a slave to Duryodhana in the first game of dice because it was on his volition he agreed to the terms and conditions of the game, and he never wanted to go away from his words. Vinata lost the bet with Kadruva and she agreed to become a slave.

When we compare the slavery in Africa or in America or in Ancient Greece, we find that it was based on force and at the tip of the gun point. Again, there was no evidence of any slave getting relief from slavery. On the other hand, in India, the so-called slaves could extricate themselves out of slavery and became free people. Serious and inquisitive readers may see a book ‘The History of Torture throughout the Ages’ by George Ryley Scott, Luxor Press, London) for comprehensive understanding the system of slavery in ancient ages.

3. The story talks about preserving the eggs in ghee pots for incubation. We have plenty of references of this sort in the birth of Drona, Krupa and Agastya etc. Is this just a myth or is any underlying scientific proposition existing? A few decades back, the concept of text tube babies and surrogate mothers was a myth and now it is a reality. Hence research needs to be done on the nuisances of preserving the eggs in ghee pots for incubation.

Image Courtesy

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Footnotes & References

[i] The Story is taken from Adi Parva of Mahabharata written by sage Vedavyasa , Gita Press, Gorakhpur