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NOVEMBER, 1918)
INDRASENA
281
although Geldner had long ago pointed out that her name occurred in the Mahabharata (Calcutta ed., 3. 113. 22; 4. 21. 11) where she is described as Narayani and as the wife of Mudgala. It is therefore my object to give here some details about this Indrasenâ which I have been able to gather from the South Indian text of the Mahabharata as it is printed in the Kumbhakonam edition.
The stanzas referred to by Geldner in his Vedische Studien are found in this edition on p. 186 of the Vanaparvan (Ch. 114; 23, 24) and p. 47 of the Virdịa parvan (Ch. 24; 19-22). In both these places, this text reads Nalayani. instead of its doublet form Narayani : and it thus indicates that Indrasena, the wife of Mudgala, was the daughter of Nala. She must therefore be identified with the Indrasena, who, we read in the Nalopakhyana, was born to Nala of Damayanti.
This inference is confirmed by the following story found in chapters 212 and 213 of the Adiparvan (p. 359ff.), where it is related by Vyåsa to king Drupada with the object of overcoming his repugnance to the marriage of his daughter with five men (the five Pandava brothers):
"Krishna, the daughter of Drupada, was, in her former birth known as Indrasena. She was then the daughter of Nala and was married to the rishi Maudgalya' who was old and mere skin and bones, who was reeking with a smell which was other than pleasant, whose hair had become white and the skin furrowed with wrinkles, who was afflicted with leprosy, whose skin and nails were peeling off, who was repulsive to look at and who was extremely irritable, harsh, jealous and fanciful. The blameless Indrasena used to serve her husband faithfully and to eat what was left of his food (uch-chhishta) after he had eaten. One day, the thumb of Maudgalya came off when he was eating his food; and, Indrasena, when she sat down to the remnants, unconcernedly threw it away and consumed the food left without any feeling of disgust. Her husband was much pleased at this act of wifely devotion, said that he would grant her a boon, and asked her often what she desired. Indrasena, being thus frequently urged, begged of the rishi that he should sport with her, first dividing himself into five persons, and later becoming one person again.
“The rishi, owing to the power of his austerities and his yoga, accordingly sported with Indrasena for many years, now making himself into five men, and again, as one man, in Indraloka, Meru and other places. Indrasena thus came to the fore-front of pativratás in the same way as Arundhati and Sîta; and she attained a greater distinction in this respect than even her mother Damayanti.5
2 Damayantya saha Nalo vijahår amaropamahi
janayamAsa cha tato DamayantyAm mahamanah Indrasonam sutañ châpi Indrasenåñ cha kanyakam ||
Mahabharata, III. 54. 48-9. 3 The husband of Indrasena is represented in the Mahabharata, 4. 24. 21 as being aged more than one thousand years.
oshi Naldyani parvam Maudgalyam sthaviram patim Aradhayâmåsa tada kushthinam tam anindita | tvag-asthi-bhuta i katukam lolam frshyam sukopanam sugandhetara-gandhådhyam vali-palite-mûrdhajam || sthaviran vikritakAram síryamång-nakha-tvacham | Uchchhishtam upabhuñjana paryupåste maha-munim!!
Adiparvan, Ch. 212; 4-6. 5 eka-patni tath& bhutvå sadaivêgre ya jasvintil
Arundhative Siteve babhavati-pativrata! Damayantys chs mitus & višesham adhikam yayan
Toid. 213: 25.
