The Ashoka tree plays an important role in the Ramayana. It is the tree under which Sita spends her days after being abducted by Ravana. It is also the tree under which she meets Hanuman, bringing her news of Rama’s rescue. Here is an interesting legend behind the Ashoka tree.
Sashoka was a feared cannibal. He would roam the jungles everyday and attack any travellers he found and eat them. One day, he spotted a hut near the edge of the forest. Outside it, there was a sage meditating. Surprised by how still the sage sat, Sashoka went up to him. He asked the sage how he was so calm and said that he wanted to give up his restless life and become like the sage. To this the sage replied that he himself had taken many lifetimes to attain such a state. He blessed Sashoka and said that in his next life he would be born as a tree in Ravana’s garden. When Ravana would abduct Sita and keep her captive there, Hanuman would visit her and her grief would disappear. Then Sashoka would be liberated from his grief and be known as Ashoka, the remover of sorrow.
According to the Matsya Purana, Svayambhuva Manu and his wife, Shatarupa, are said to be the first humans created by Brahma. They were formed out of two sides of Brahma and are the ancestors of all human beings. They had five children. Sati and Dhruva were their grandchildren. Here is a look at their family tree.
The story of Amba, the princess of Kashi, continued even after her death. She was reborn as King Drupada’s daughter to avenge the humiliation she bore in her previous birth. The connection between her two lives was a garland given by Lord Kartikeya. Read more to find out how Kartikeya’s garland helped the princess fulfill her mission.
Chaos at the swayamvara
Amba was the daughter of the king of Kashi. She wished to marry Shalva, the king of Saubha. When a swayamvara was arranged for Amba and her sisters, Ambika and Ambalika, the princess was delighted as she had already chosen Shalva as her husband. To the surprise of everyone, on the day of the swayamvara, Bheeshma, the chief of the Kurus, entered the hall. He announced that he was going to take the three brides with him to Hastinapura for his brother, Vichitravirya. He challenged the suitors to defeat him in a battle if they had any objections. The enraged suitors attacked Bheeshma but he defeated all of them. When Shalva tried to stop Bheeshma on his way to Hastinapura, the Kuru chief defeated the king with ease.
Amba’s vow
The three Kashi princesses received a warm welcome in Hastinapura. Ambika and Ambalika agreed to marry Vichitravirya but Amba expressed her wish to marry Shalva to Bheeshma. Bheeshma permitted Amba to go back to Shalva as he never wanted to keep her in Hastinapura against her will.
But to Amba’s shock, Shalva refused to marry her and asked her to return to Bheeshma. Amba was heartbroken as she became uncertain of her future. When she returned to Hastinapura, Vichitravirya refused to marry her as the princess had chosen Shalva as her husband. Hence, the princess asked Bheeshma to wed her as she was left with no other choice. Bheeshma told her that he had taken a vow to not marry anyone ever and thus refused to marry her. Amba was filled with rage and held Bheeshma responsible for her humiliation. She took a vow that one day, she would be the cause for his end.
Kartikeya’s garland
In the following days, Amba performed severe austerities to invoke Lord Kartikeya. Pleased with her penance, Kartikeya appeared before her with a garland of lotuses. He told Amba that the warrior who wears the garland would become the cause of Bheeshma’s end. Amba took the garland with her and reached out to many warriors and kings. However, all of them refused because they feared Bheeshma. Amba finally reached the court of Drupada, the king of Panchala. When he refused to wear the garland, Amba hung the garland on the palace gates and left Drupada’s city in anger.
No one dared to touch the garland for years. Meanwhile, when all her attempts to defeat Bheeshma failed, Amba performed a penance to please Lord Shiva. Shiva appeared before her and told her that she would become the cause of Bheeshma’s end in her next birth.
Amba could not wait to be reborn. Hence, she built a fire and walked into it. Soon, she was reborn as Drupada’s daughter. Years passed. The princess grew up into a beautiful maiden. Due to Shiva’s boon, she also remembered every detail from her previous birth. One day, the princess saw the garland when she was walking through the palace gardens. Since no one had worn it in a long time, the princess wore the garland herself. Drupada was furious when he learned about the incident. Since he didn’t want the enmity of Bheeshma, the king banished his daughter from Panchala. The princess obeyed her father’s orders and went deep into the forest.
The princess performed severe penance in the forest. One day, a Yaksha named Sthunakarna saw the princess and asked her the reason for her presence in the forest. The Panchala princess narrated her story to the Yaksha. Moved by her story, he agreed to help her. Sthunakarna asked her to exchange her sex with him as it would be easier for her to fulfill her revenge as a man. The princess turned into a man and came to be known as Shikhandi. Later, in the Kurukshetra war, Arjuna, following the advice of Krishna, rode with Shikhandi on the tenth day of the battle. As the Kuru chief declared that he would not attack someone who was born as a woman, Shikhandi and Arjuna shot arrows at Bheeshma, which led to his fall. With Bheeshma’s death, Shikhandi avenged Amba’s humiliation in her previous life and fulfilled his mission.
In ancient India, a swayamvara was a practice that allowed a young maiden to choose her husband from a group of eligible suitors. There are many instances of swayamvara taking place in Indian mythology and some of these were monumental events that had far-reaching effects. Here are some such memorable swayamvara stories from mythology.
Damayanti
Nala was the generous and noble king of Nishada. He wished to marry Damayanti, the daughter of king Bheema of Kundanpur, after hearing about her from Sage Narada. One day, Nala saw a beautiful lake full of graceful swans. A small swan with golden plumes instantly caught his attention. He caught the swan by its leg and the bird cried out in pain. Nala assured the bird that he wouldn’t kill him, and that he wished to keep the swan in his palace.
Script: Abid Surti; Illustration: Souren Roy
One day soon after, the swan saw Nala weeping. When questioned by the swan, Nala told him about his wish to marry Damayanti. The swan promised the king his help and left, with the intention of returning within a week. The swan flew away and reached the royal gardens of Kundanpur. There, the bird chanted Nala’s name in front of Damayanti. Damayanti was intrigued and asked him about the identity of Nala. The swan told her all about Nala and his excellent character. Impressed, Damayanti decided that she would only marry Nala. As promised, the swan came back to Nala and told him about what had transpired. Nala was so delighted with the news that he set the swan free and sent him back to the lake. Soon, a swayamvara was arranged for Damayanti and Nala was invited to the event. On the day of swayamvara, princes from various kingdoms had gathered in a hall, but Damayanti had eyes only for Nala. She immediately put the garland around his neck, declaring her choice. After their wedding, Nala brought Damayanti to his palace, much to the joy of his subjects.
Amba, Ambika and Ambalika
Amba, Ambika and Ambalika were the daughters of the king of Kashi. The king decided to organise a swayamvara for his three daughters and invited all the eligible suitors to participate. With the permission of his stepmother Satyavati, Bheeshma, the chief of the Kurus, reached the swayamvara hall, on behalf of his brother, King Vichitraveerya of Hastinapura. He announced in the hall that he was going to take the three maidens with him to wed them to his brother and that he was ready to combat any king who would try to stop him.
Many kings stood up in anger to fight against Bheeshma but were defeated. He took the princesses with him and turned his chariot towards Hastinapura. Suddenly he was stopped by Shalva, the king of Saubha, who challenged him to single combat. However, Shalva was no match for Bheeshma. Bheeshma slayed Shalva’s steeds and charioteer but spared his life. Soon, he brought the three princesses to Hastinapur and the wedding date was fixed. Before the ceremony, however, Amba, the eldest of the sisters, revealed that she had already chosen Shalva as her husband, even before her swayamvara. Bheeshma allowed Amba to return to Shalva and Vichitraveerya married Ambika and Ambalika in a grand wedding ceremony.
Kunti
Pritha was the first-born child of Shoora, a Yadava king. Shoora had promised to give his first-born to the childless Kuntibhoja, the son of his paternal aunt. So, Pritha was adopted by Kuntibhoja and came to be known as Kunti in her new home. Kunti grew up to be a beautiful maiden. Hence, Kuntibhoja decided to arrange a swayamvara for her. He invited several kings and princes so that his daughter could choose her husband among them. Kunti looked at the assembled suitors and she chose Pandu, the king of Hastinapura, who looked resplendent in his royal attire. The wedding took place with full splendour and Pandu returned to Hastinapura with his wife and many gifts, presented by Kuntibhoja.
Draupadi was the daughter of king Drupada of Panchala. She emerged as a maiden, from the sacrificial fire with her twin brother, Dhrishtadyumna. Drupada decided to arrange a swayamvara for Draupadi, but with a contest. Drupada had always wanted Arjuna to wed his daughter. However, at the time, it was believed that Arjuna, with his four brothers and mother, had perished in a fire at Varanavata. Hence, Drupada decided to create an archery contest which could only be won by an ace archer like Arjuna. Unknown to others, the Pandavas and their mother, Kunti, was living in disguise as Brahmanas. Hearing of the swayamvara, they all arrived at Panchala.
On the day, Dhrishtadyumna announced that in order to win Draupadi’s hand, the suitors would have to string an enormous bow and then shoot five arrows simultaneously onto the eye of a revolving fish, through a revolving ring. Many kings, including Duryodhana, Karna, Shishupala and Jarasandha came to Panchala to participate in the swayamvara. The Pandavas were also in the hall, in their disguise. One by one, the suitors came, tried and failed. When Karna strung the bow and took aim, Draupadi refused to let him participate because he belonged to the Suta caste. It was then that Arjuna confidently stepped forward and his arrow found its mark. Full of joy, Draupadi garlanded Arjuna and this swayamvara changed the course of history for the entire Kuru clan.
Lakshmana was the daughter of king Brihatsena. While she was courted by many prosperous kings, she was determined to marry Krishna and expressed her wish to her father. Brihatsena was happy with Lakshmana’s choice as he had great regard for Krishna and his prowess as an archer. However, the king was worried about the wrath of other kings who also wanted to marry Lakshmana. To avoid this, Brihatsena came up with the idea to hold a swayamvara with a contest. He told Lakshmana that only Krishna could emerge victorious in the contest and claim her hand, without offending other kings.
Invitations were sent to all eligible suitors including Krishna. When they all assembled for the contest, Brihatsena explained the rules to them. He said that the suitors had to attempt to shoot down the fish in a revolving machine, only by looking at its reflection in the water below. The contest turned out to be extremely difficult and many failed to even lift the bow. Some of them found it impossible to string it and those who successfully strung it, failed to shoot straight. Then Krishna came and lifted the bow with ease. He strung it with a smile and looked at the reflection, took aim and let go of the arrow. The aim was perfect and the fish came down in pieces. Lakshmana stepped forward happily and garlanded him. After taking leave of Brihatsena, Krishna and Lakshmana reached Dwaraka, where Rukmini and Satyabhama received them with joy.
The word Ketuman has many references in the Puranas. Here are some of them:
Illustration: Tithee Dixit
Ketuman is another name for a demon or Asura called Ketu, who was the son of Sage Kashyapa and his wife, Danu.
Sudatta, the wife of Krishna, lived in a palace called Ketuman in Dwaraka.
According to the Bhagvat Purana, Ketuman was the name of the son of Dhanvantari, who rose from the churning of the ocean and gave Ayurveda to the world.
Bheema is one of the most important characters of the Mahabharata, the son of Kunti and Pandu through Vayu, he is also blessed with incredible physical strength. Here is a look at his ancestry and descendants.
According to legends, Lakshmi emerged from the cosmic ocean during the Samudra Manthan done by the Devas and Asuras to obtain Amrit. Similarly, a pure white, seven-headed horse called Uchhaisravas also emerged from the ocean at the same time. Since both Lakshmi and Ucchaisravas were “born” from the Kshirsagar, they are considered siblings.
The word Kapila has several references in the Puranas. Here are some of them:
Illustration: Ritoparna Hazra
1. A grandson of Brahma who was known to be a fierce sage. He is believed to be a form of Vishnu. It was Kapila who cursed the sons of Sagara to be burnt to ashes. His curse led to Bhagirath bringing Ganga down to earth!
2. Another name of Surya, which means “The red one”.
3. A serpent king who holds the earth in its position along with Dharma, Kama, Kala, Vasu, Vasuki and Ananta.
