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d
1.9.15
204a
THE HYMN OF MUDGALA BHĀRMYAŚVA (X.102)
A FRESH APPROACH
T. G. Mainkar
The Hymn of Mudgala Bhārmyaśva (X.102) is a very baflling hymn and at the same time very interesting one. As it is, the Hymn appears to be fragmentary and Griffith thinks it to be impossible to interpret it fully and satisfactorily'. Sayaņa offers somewhat limited help for a satisfactory understanding of the Hymn and therefore Wilson who is seen following Sāyana is also not of much significant use. Ludwig in his effort to understand the hymn in a cogent manner is forced to have a recourse to many conjectures, Bloomfield, Geldner, Pischel, Velankar and Dange have also rendered this Hymn, each in his own way. Not being completely satisfied with any of these interpretations though these interpretations are undoubtedly from very able and competant hands I have here undertaken a study of this very Hymn with a view to offer another interpretation,
The Hymn clearly centres round an incident in which a certain Mudgala and Mudgalāni are involved. Who are these two personalities ? According to Velankar, this is a Brahmin 'couple while according to Bloomfield, Geldner and others they are a 'sage and his wife'. To Dange, however, Mudgala and Mudgalāni are not proper nouns and these two are according to him 'a village head-man and his wife', To Dange it appears improbable that Sage Mudgala bas anytbing to do with this hymn and he remarks that it is pertinent to note that Mudgalāni does not come elsewhere as the wife of Mudgala and in the Mahābhārata there is only a passing reference to Mudgala and his wife Indrasena and not Mudgalāni, He explains away this reference to the obscure tradition of the Vedic hymn and he does not consider that there is historical fact bebind it.
There is however evidence to show that Mudgala Bbārmyaśva was a king and Mudgalāni was his wife. Mudgala belonged to the clan of the Tștsus and an account of this particular dynasty is available in the Harivamsa (32.63-80) and this account is supported by an account available in several Purānas; thus the Vayu Purāņa (99.194-210), the Matsya Purāņa (50.1-16), the Brahma Purāna (13.93.-101), the Visnu Purāņa (IV.19,56–72), the Agni Purana ( 278.18-24 ), the Garuda Purana (1. 140.17-24 ), and the Bhagavata Purana (IX 19.56-72). It will appear that this traditional account upto King Mudgala Bhārmyagya is cogently preserved and confusion appears to enter in the account of the princes after Mudgala. Mudgala had two sons in Brahmiştha aud Vadhryagva, The Mahabharata (III,113.23-24) informs uş Sambodhi 4,2
