Madhuvidya

Author(s): S D Laddu, T N Dharmadhikari, Madhvi Kolhatkar, Pratibha Pingle
Publisher: L D Indology Ahmedabad

Page 542

MEHENDALE 1 Once Again Draupadi's Halr
167
womb from which he emerges at the end of the iş11.19 According to H. Arjuna's mention of garbhāvā sa has a bearing on the life of the sacrificer in the hut and that explains the term dikṣitāused with reference to them,
The connections seen by H. are very far-fetched. In the first instance there is no reason to see any ritual significance in the word dikşitān. It simpiy means were prepared for.' Secondly, if dikşitāḥ had any connec. tion with the garbhāvā sa of a dikṣita, then Ajñātavāsa should have preceded the vanavā sa as the dikşani ya işti precedes the sacrifice. H. appears to be aware of this difficulty. However, without mentioning it be quietly relates the expression di kṣitāh not with vanavāsa but with the sacrifice of war' (ranayajña)- a term which does not occur in the epic but in the Venisamhāra - which will take place after the Ajñātavāsa. But the variant clearly reads vanavā sāya dikşitāḥ and not ranäya dik șitāḥ.
H. dwells at some length on the theme of ritual danger, death, and impurity related to rebirth in the dikşā rite (pp. 194-196). In this connection he brings in an incident from the Virāțaparvan (pp. 196-197). Once, Virāļa hit Yudhişthira's nose with dice and blood began to flow. Sairandhri gathered the blood in a golden vessel and prevented it from falling down, Yudhişthira explained to Virāța why Sairandhri did that. He said that if his blood had touched the ground Virāța, together with his kingdom, would have perished (4. 64. 8). According to H. this explanation means that the fallen blood would have given rise to destructive forces endangering the king and his kingdom. He gets this idea from an incident in the Devi māhātmya in which demons arose from each drop of blood that fell on the ground from the body of the demon Raktablja. The process was stopped by Kali by drinking up the blood before it could reach the ground. According to H. Draupadi played th: role of Kali and saved the kingdom from destruction. This further means she sayed the womb of the Pāndavas the destruction of which would have forced them to emerge from their garbhavāsa prematurely and be known before the proper time arrived.
The Mbh. gives no occasion to notice such connections. Yudhisthira himself has clarified what he told to Virăța, and that should leave no doubt in anybody's mind regarding what Yudbişthira meant. He had earlier told the gatekeeper of Virāți that Brozonada would kill any offender who forced out blood from Yudhisthira's body except in war (4. 63. 53-54). If Brhan.
13 Aitareya Brahmana 1. 3. 49 At the most the gatekeeper might have wondered what had Bệbannada to do with this,
and how could she do what Yudhisthira said.
Madhu Vidyā/517