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The Tales in Mahabharata
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actually to instigate the assembled kings against Bhişma; the Hitopadeśa version purports to teach a constant alertness of all the faculties lest a weakened politician be cheated by a cunning opportunist at any time. The Jātaka-version of the tale333 exactly corresponds to the MBh-version with just one difference that the hypocrite bird there is a crow, a better substitute for the purpose for a swan. This correspondence with the Jātaka version which is generally supposed to be older, the particle kila' used at the beginning of the narrative, 334 the retention of a gāthā which itself appears to be very old, and the comparatively simple structure of the narrative --- all these aspects go to prove that here we have a very old form of a popular fable, which reappears later in the Hitopadeśa in a different form developed with a view to extract from it, not ethical, but political wisdom.
The two tales of the births of anti-heroes Darrated in the SabP - those of Jarāsandha and Sisupala - have already been referred to above.335 We saw there that they are narrated in the stream of the principal story at a point where the characters themselves occur - of course, to meet with their end at the hands of the hero. The birth-tale and the death-episode put together create an impression of having heard a complete - almost a self-complete — life-story. Since they are antagonists, some repulsive elements are bound to be added to their birth-stories. Thus, to justify the name 'Jarā-sandha', 336 the child is shown to be born in two halves (in the two queens because they ate each a half of the mango-fruit given by the sage), which are then joined by the demoness, Jarā by name. Siśupāla is born with the deformations of having three cyes (one in the forehead), four hands and the cry like that of a donkey 1837 The peculiar popular sense of propriety can be seen at work in such cases.
A peculiar feature in both of these cases must be carefully noted. Jarāsandha is said to have captured some eighty six kings and kept them herded together in his capital Girivraja. When the number of the captive kings reaches a hundred he would sacrifice them as an offering to I ord Mahādeva.838 He is said to stand in special favour of Lord Sankara339 whom he has seen with his physical eyes. He is then overcome and crushed by the crafty policy of Krşņa. The deformations with which śiśupāla is said to be born - particularly the three eyes and four hands - are again reminiscent of Lord Sankara. His Saivaite peculiarities are shown to drop off as soon as
332 Hitopadesa, Nirnayasagar Press, Bombay; Sixteenth Edn., 1958. Story 1.3. pp. 16-19. 333 Jätaka No. 384. Dhammaddhaja Jätaka, 334 SabP. 38.30. vśddhah kila samudrānte..etc. 335 See above p.59. 336 SabP. 16.31-40, 17.6. 337 SabP. 40.1. 338 Cf. SabP. 13.62-63, 14.17-19. 339 SabP 17.19.
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