________________
1
The Tales in Mahabharata
original Epic may well be suspected also from the fact that it was felt necessary to emphasise his character by repeating the tale of his birth and growth almost in the t same words within a small span of some thirty Adhyāyas of AdiP only! 210
If Drona is fictitious, the motif of Drupada's intention of taking revenge upon him, the sacrifice for the purpose of revenge and Draupadi's birth alongwith Dhrstadyumna from it will all fall down as mere Brähmanic concoctions. Mr. Ghose contends, that even the Svaythsara of Draupadi is a mere poetic fiction. "Draupadi's marriage with the Pandavas was arranged, without advertisement (at least of the kind which is implied in a svayashvara ceremony) by private treaty, Krsna-Madhava taking a leading, and perhaps the determinative, part in the negotiations. It was a deliberately. planned out political marriage. Every other consideration was subordinated to the one and only object of the marriage, namely, the alignment of the Kurus, the Pañcālas and the Vrsn's on one side in the struggle that was being waged against Jarasandha... the marriage had to be concluded in the way it was, against the wishes it might be. of the Pandavas themselves, but in accordance possibly with the dictation of Drupada and his kin, because at that time at any rate the marriage was in accordance with the custom of his House, and a group-marriage provided a better guarantee for the success of his plans..281 According to this opinion, the polyandrous marriage, being a political necessity, was slyly winked at by Kṛṣṇa, was accepted by the Pandavas probably against their wish but under the oppression of the circumstances and was well in accordance with the custom of the House of Drupada. S. A. Dange also justifies this non-aryan type of marriage of the Aryan princes very much by the same. arguments of political necessity,282 It will, however, be interesting to note that, in his book 'Himalayan Polyandry'283 D. N. Majumdar has drawn attention to the fact. that, even to this day, the people of the two villages Jaunsar and Bawar situated at the foot of the hills of the Himalaya believe themselves to be the descendants of Duryodhana and Pandavas respectively, and traces of the polyandrous marriage-customs are still discernible in their society. Whether the Pandavas were Aryans, and whether the custom of polyandry was once prevalent even among Aryans are further disputable questions much beyond the scope of our investigation. But the anthropological study. of the customs of the people of Jaunsar-Bawar makes it possible that the Pandavas, after all, may not have been as unwilling to enter into such a marriage as is normally supposed.
280 Cp AdiP. 121.3-10 and AriP. 154.1-8;
AdiP. 121.16-22 and AdiP. 154.8-12;
AdiP. 122.1-11 and AdiP. 154.11-16, and
AdiP, 129.1-3 and AdiP. 154.18-24.
145
281 Indo-Aryan Literature and Culture (Origins), pp.196-8.
282 The Pandava Riddle', S. A. Dange, Journal of the University of Bombay, Vol. XXVI, pt.2,
Arts No. 32, 1957.
283 Himalayan Polyandry, D. N. Majumdar, Asia Publishing House, Bombay 1, 1962. S. T. 19
Jain Education International
For Private & Personal Use Only
www.jainelibrary.org
